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__label__wiki	0.671224	0.671224	Walter Terry papers 1913-1982 D Overview Detailed description Printable (PDF) version Contact the division Biographical/historical information Scope and arrangement Portions of this collection are digitized. Terry, Walter (S) MGZMD 167 80 linear feet (133 boxes) The Walter Terry Papers, (S)MGZMD 167. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Some collections held by the Dance, Music, Recorded Sound, and Theatre Divisions at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts are held off-site and must be requested in advance. Please check the collection records in the NYPL's online catalog for detailed location information. For general guidance about requesting offsite materials, please consult: https://www.nypl.org/about/locations/lpa/requesting-archival-materials Portions of this collection have been digitized and are available online. Walter Terry was a dance critic for the New York Herald Tribune, the New York World Journal, and the Saturday Review. He also contributed a number of articles to other publications and he wrote several books on the subject of dance. Not only a writer, Terry was a juror for many dance competitions and he was speaker at many universities and public functions. The collection contains correspondence, artwork, personal and professional written material, photographs, ephemera, and oversized material. Walter Terry (b. 1913 – d. 1982) was a prolific writer and dance critic. His interest in the performing arts began during his college years at the University of North Carolina, where he majored in drama and minored in music. In 1936, he was hired as a dance critic at the Boston Herald. His first assignment was to cover the activities at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, located in the Berkshires in Massachusetts. There he met and shared a friendship with the founder and artistic director Ted Shawn. Leaving the newspaper publication in 1939, Terry continued his contribution to the performing arts community. He began working for the New York Herald Tribune (until its demise in 1945), while he hosted the radio program, Invitation To Dance, and taught dance at Adelphi University. Although, he was drafted by the army in 1942, he continued to show his support for dance by teaching modern dance to Egyptian students at the American University in Cairo and lecturing on American dance to Allied forces. After his return from Egypt, Terry wrote many articles and several books on dance, while promoting the public’s understanding and interest on the subject. He taught dance at Southern Connecticut State College and Yale University, served as juror at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria, spoke at a number of lectures, and even served as vice-president of the U.S. chapter of UNESCO’s International Dance Council. Also, Terry wrote columns for the Saturday Review and Dance Magazineand published twenty-two books on dance. Some of his most best known works are: Isadora Duncan: Her Life, Her Art, Her Legacy (1964), Ballet: A Pictorial History (1970), and Great Male Dancers of the Ballet (1978). Terry became artistic director at Jacob’s Pillow in 1972, but he was forced to resign after a dispute over finances. For his contribution to the dance world, Terry received numerous honors. In 1968 he received an honorary degree from Ricker College. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark knighted him in 1978 for his public support of Danish Ballet and the Danish choreographer August Bournonville. He was awarded the Capezio Dance Award in 1980. Terry died in 1982 after a brief illness. The majority of the collection contains material relating to Walter Terry’s professional career as a writer. This includes written and photographic works, which encompass a large quantity of research material. The work is separated into four major categories: choreographers/dancers, dance companies/festivals, film and television, and history of dance. The papers demonstrate Terry’s intimate relationship with choreographers/dancers and dance companies/festivals. Most noteworthy are the papers of Ted Shawn and Ruth St. Denis, of whom Terry shared a lifelong friendship. These contain intimate diary entries by St. Denis with personal correspondence, which may give insight into the Shawn-St. Denis relationship. The professional correspondence between Shawn and Terry illustrate the success of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. The collection also contains material on August Bournonville, the Danish choreographer, and the August Bournonville Centennial. Within the research material, there is a detailed biography of Bournonville with notes, and photographs. Terry’s love of dance is reflected in his professional papers. Although most of the lectures and laboratories are outlines, his notes on choreographers/dancers, dance movements, and other dance topics, illustrate the work Terry devoted to promoting dance in the United States. The collection also consists of personal and professional correspondence, ephemera, and Terry’s personal papers. Within these papers are Terry’s cryptography diploma, corporal appointment certificate, enlisted report and honorable discharge certificates from his service in World War II. The Walter Terry papers are arranged in eight series: Series I: Correspondence 1921 - 1982, undated Walter Terry’s correspondence covers a large amount of professional material, particularly between choreographers, dancers, and dance companies. His most notable correspondents include Ted Shawn, Ruth St. Denis, and the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Within the files, there are many choreographers, dancers, dance companies, and many international correspondents that sought to promote dance in America. This series also contains correspondents to Terry from his mother, sister, brother, and friends of the family. Series II: Personal Papers 4 Boxes This series includes material relating to Terry’s childhood, college and army career. It contains certificates, diplomas, a diary, educational material, essays/stories, photographs, and reading materials. Within the series there can be found Terry’s grade school French and English grammar exams and stories, which illustrate his creative and imaginative style of writing. The photographs contain intimate family portraits, childhood portraits, and a picture of Terry in Egypt during WWII. There are 2 boxes of ephemeral material: a certificate and pin from the Sons of the Revolution and some leather wallets. Series III: Professional Papers Terry’s Professional Papers are sorted to showcase his work as an adjudicator, juror, lecturer, and teacher. Although most of the papers within this series are outlines in typescript, this series does illustrate the work Terry devoted to promoting dance to the community. He would often hold lectures at the 92nd Street Y with guest choreographers and dancers, such as Erik Bruhn, Alicia Markova, Maria Tallchief, and Igor Youskevitch. Most of these lectures would explore changes in dance forms in a question and answer format. Series IV: Written Material The Written Material series covers Terry’s career as a dance critic for the: New York Herald Tribune, the New York World Journal, and the Saturday Review, as well as his career as a freelance journalist and writer of many dance reference books. There includes a large amount of research material within the four sub-series categories: choreographers/dancers, dance companies/festivals, film & television, and history of dance. The research material contains biographies, clippings, notes, photographs, programs, and publicity material. Among his many papers, his work about Isadora Duncan is noteworthy. The materials relate to his non-fiction works are Isadora Duncan: Her Life, Her Art, Her Legacy and The Legacy of Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis. There contains a journal by Dance Perspectives on her work, photographs, and even an historical record of the Elizabeth Duncan School. Series V: Photographs This series demonstrates one of three sources of reference material Terry kept for his use. The photographs are arranged similarly to the four sub-series under written material. The materials are in print, negative, and slide form. Among the choreographers & dancers sub-series are materials related to Ted Shawn and Ruth St. Denis, which contain rare photographs, as well as their early solo performances. Shawn’s collection contains portraits with Norma Gould, Hazel Wallack, and Martha Graham. Series VI: General Research Material [unsorted] The bulk of this series includes clippings and dance journals, which Terry used as reference material for his writing. The papers were separated from his written material and photographs, but served the same purpose as the research material found within series IV and V. Includes an appendix and a few bibliographies. The Materials related to the Danish ballet and the Danish choreographer August Bournonville are noteworthy mentions. Series VII: Promotional Material This series includes artwork, bulletins, posters, and programs. Series VIII: Oversized Material Separated into personal and professional sub-series, the oversized materials encompass several important dance materials. Most notable is the manuscript of Terry’s biography Alicia Alonzo and her Ballet Nacional de Cuba: An Illustrated Biography. There are also two original 19th century programs, some music scores, and several posters. The Walter Terry Papers were donated to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division in 1979 by Walter Terry. Processed by Shaneeza Aziz; Machine-readable finding aid created by Shaneeza Aziz. Separated material Reel Audio Tape, undated An interview with Ted Shawn exists on two open reel audio tapes. The first part of the interview is on a 7" reel and the second part is on a 5" reel. Bournonville, August, 1805-1879 Duncan, Isadora, 1877-1927 Shawn, Ted, 1891-1972 St. Denis, Ruth, 1880-1968 Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival Dance critics -- United States -- 20th century Dance critics New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498 For permission to publish, contact the Curator, Jerome Robbins Dance Division.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line1
__label__cc	0.6509	0.3491	Edge of Tomorrow - Spoiler Blog Now that you've hopefully seen Edge of Tomorrow, I'm going to discuss a few things that I couldn't really touch on in my spoiler-free review. If you haven't seen it, what are you waiting for? This is a movie meant to be seen on a big screen! Preferably in IMAX 3D if possible. I'm disappointed to report that the film hasn't performed particularly well at the box office, at least here in the United States where it's made roughly $90 million while it cost twice that amount to make. Overseas the movie has been a major hit, bringing that $90 million up to a total of $341 million in worldwide box office results. While the rest of the world still loves Tom Cruise, here in America is a different story. Most Americans have developed a severe dislike of Cruise, which I believe is pretty unjustified, but I guess that's just the way things go in Hollywood. Surely it must be hard to stay on top when the media world is so intent on bringing you down. As much as I want to run with this tangent, I'm going to stop myself and focus on the task at hand. I'll save my Tom Cruise rant for another day, but believe me, that storm is coming, and it's gonna make some waves! * Spoilers inbound! Straight ahead! * First I'd like to talk about those aliens. Man, were they cool, or what? I loved how convincingly deadly they were, and as far as I could tell, they were remarkably original too. It's so easy for aliens and monsters to fall into generic designs (See MUTO in Godzilla) but these ones really stood out as something special and new. Their movement and speed were superbly animated. You rarely get a good look at them, but it's because they're so fast, not because the director is deliberately hiding them from view (Again, MUTO in Godzilla). I liked the different classifications of the aliens which included the Alpha and Omega Mimics. Also, I really enjoyed the concept of having a hive-mind consciousness that was connected throughout these three different forms. I find it to be a fascinating sci-fi concept that was well-explored in the movie. As I quickly mentioned in my review, the movie feels a lot like a video game. From the aliens and the mech suits to the whole saving-the-world concept. This is a movie that very well could have been made into a video game, although considering the difficulty level and Tom's Cruise lack of checkpoints, it would probably end up being the most tedious and torturous game ever created. I can't imagine all that many people would keep hitting the start button to continue after dying for the five-thousandth time, but if the game was as good as the movie, maybe a few of them would keep trying after all. I know I probably would, but I'm kind of a glutton for punishment. Now that I'm talking about this, I'm a little saddened that there's not a video game to go alongside the movie, but the odds of it being as good would be slim to none. Speaking of video games, is it just me, or does Edge of Tomorrow make you realize that Emily Blunt would be the perfect choice for playing galactic bounty hunter Samus Aran in a Metroid movie? While I certainly don't expect Nintendo to turn the Metroid franchise into a film, I still find myself enthralled by the possibility. Her character Rita has got to be the coolest female alien butt-kicker since Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in the Alien series. Blunt added such a great intensity and ferocity to her performance. She managed to be an intimidating and awe-inspiring force. I'm glad they didn't reduce her to being your typical Hollywood damsel in distress. She's one bad mamma jamma from the moment we meet her up until her death. I would have never expected such a performance from her and I applaud her efforts. What did you guys think about the ending? I thought it was freaking fantastic. I think it's a little confusing though. Time travel can be a tricky concept. Just to recap what happened, as Cage (Tom Cruise) is about to die, he absorbs the blood of the Omega that he killed with his bundle of grenades. This is just like he had done originally with the Alpha, which caused him to reset back to that same day whenever he died. However, as you recall, he lost that ability because of his blood transfusion. Although now, by taking in the blood of the more-powerful Omega, he's essentially becoming an Omega himself, which gives him full control over the ability to reset time. Thereby Tom Cruise has put an end to the war by killing the Omega Mimic which in turns kills all of the lesser Mimics since the Omega is basically their entire life-force. Then Tom's able to reset back to his arrival at the beginning of the film, except now the alien species is already wiped out, saving J-Squad and Rita from their deaths. Man, that's really complicated, isn't it? Totally cool, though! Of course, there are some issues with it, which I'll briefly explore. For instance, how does the reset occur before the battle and yet still the Mimics are dead? Wouldn't they be brought back to life too? Is there something special about their death that prevents them from being able to resurrect through this reset? Did Cage have to go back in time just prior to his reset and kill the Omega at the Louvre single-handedly to make this possible? With the ability to reset to any point in time, it sure would be easier since he could give himself all the "checkpoints" he would need. Honestly, I don't have the answers. There are a million possibilities, and like I said, it's complicated. We don't know exactly how it all worked out, but we know he has the power to make it all possible, and that's enough for me. Truthfully, I don't think a clear explanation is needed to enjoy the ending. It worked for me. I also really loved that final moment when Cage goes and walks up to Rita, who has no idea of her part in any of this, and he smiles. I thought it was a wonderful way to end an amazingly epic movie. Let me know what you thought about it! I love to hear what you think! Thanks for reading. - 5 Minute Movie Guy	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line5
__label__wiki	0.515261	0.515261	Life for Lady Adelaide Bell was easier if she hid in her older sister's shadow--which worked until her sister got married. Even with thepressure of her socially ambitious mother, the last thing she expected was a marriage of convenience to save her previously spotless reputation. Lord Trent Hawthorne couldn't be happier that he is not the duke in the family. He's free to manage his small estate and take his time discovering the life he wants to lead, which includes grand plans of wooing and falling in love with the woman of his choice. When he finds himself honor bound to marry a woman he doesn't know, his dream of a marriage like his parents' seems lost forever. Already starting their marriage on shaky ground, can Adelaide and Trent's relationship survive the pressures of London society? AMAZON 3.5 STARS Wow, I'm not exactly sure what to say about this book. The best thing to say is that I had mixed feelings. When I read the information about this book, I wasn't expecting the story to go in the direction it did when they had to get married. That was different. Awkward, yes you could feel it. The way Adelaide and Trent avoided each other and then when they saw each other you could feel the awkward tension.. Adelaide's mother was some piece of work. She's a user. Not of drugs but of people and especially of her youngest daughter Adelaide. All of her life, Adelaide was abandoned pretty much. She was invisible till needed, she'd even been left behind in stores and at church. She had to find her own way home, that's just sad. Helena was her older sister and everything on her mother's radar was about Helena. Both were incredibly shameless social climbers. One of the things I liked how opposite Trent's family was. They were warm, real people who weren't afraid to welcome people and show affection. It wasn't very long before Adelaide realized she had found a real family, with Trent's. Each and every one of them was interesting and I enjoyed their interactions. Trent's older brother, Griffith held the title and he was a good, godly man. I liked how Trent went to him when he needed help. Although some of those meetings made me smile. And sometimes shake my head, Trent was a good man too but often clueless about a lot of things too. Still, I liked him and how he tried to overcome some of his resentment of his situation. He did waffle between trying to believe he's married and turning tail and running. His way with his household staff was odd to say the least, but it was also funny at times. It also became another family of sorts to Adelaide too. One of the things that I really liked was that Trent had an unusual trigger, that caused him to feel tender towards Adelaide. He found her clothing mishaps endearing. He took it as far as looking for them and then he would tenderly correct it. He began to like her individuality as it would pop up every so often. That included her sometimes untamed hairdo and glasses, all which he thought suited her. I guess the part that I didn't like was that for every step that made forward together, they ran backwards so much further. That went on for quite a while. A lot could have been solved if they had just talked to each other. But they were basically 2 strangers trying to learn how to communicate among other things. I feel Adelaide's sense of everything being thrown at her so quickly and she was trying to find her balance in an unfamiliar world. It took a while but it was interesting to see her begin to find her backbone. All in all, although it wasn't my favorite book, it did have its moments. And I really liked the eBook cover for this book; very attractive. I received a copy of this book via Bethany House and I am giving my honest opinion of it. Posted by Flame at 10:29 PM	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line6
__label__wiki	0.792975	0.792975	Home Events Events Calendar 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 January February March April May June July August September October November December 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Events for the Friday, November 26 2021 No event for the Friday, November 26 2021 Voice of Van Live! Asbarez daily news © Copyright 2006-2007 Armenian Community Center, Fresno, CA \| All Rights Reserved \| Privacy Policy \| Site Map Have questions or comments about this site? Contact the webmaster at: webmaster@accfresno.com Site By: Benchmark Design	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line8
__label__cc	0.589742	0.410258	Allie Overstreet and her attorney, Weasel Curly, lose in federal court to Bill Windsor. I’d like to thank one of my haters for providing me with copies of court orders issued on September 16, 2013 in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Two federal judges issued orders that confirm that outrageous attempts to remove the case of Windsor v. Overstreet from Lafayette County Missouri court to federal court were nothing short of outrageous. I think it is safe to say that the federal judges in the Western District of Missouri are not part of the criminal racketeering enterprise composed of at least the federal judges in Georgia and DC. Thank you to apparently-honest Judges Gaitan and Whipple. Weasel Curly was apparently hoping that all federal judges were part of the scheme to commit crimes against me. His only hope was to get the case illegally moved to federal court where it would disappear. But the law is so clear that I said a fifth grader could understand it, and Judge Whipple agreed. So, now things will get extremely hot in Lexington Missouri where Allie Overstreet and Weasel Curly must now face all types of contempt charges, sanctions, and much more. Windsor: Denial of Injunction Windsor: Remand Order – Case goes to Missouri State Court where it belonged 4-13-CV-00778-Plaintiffs-Certificate-of-Interested-Persons-2013-08-08 4-13-CV-00778-Plaintiffs-Motion-for-Remand-2013-08-08 4-13-CV-00778-Plaintiffs-Motion-for-Remand-2013-08-08-Exhibits Executed Notice to Remove Notice of Electronic Filing-Notice of Removal Executed Memo in Support of Motion to Reconsider and Revoke Executed Motion to Reconsider and Revoke Executed Response to Plf’s Motion to Remand Executed Suggestions in Support of Def’s Response to Plaintiff’s Mot. to Remand Exhibit A to Motion to Reconsider and Revoke Exhibit A to Response to Motion to Remand Exhibit B to Motion to Reconsider and Revoke Exhibit C to Motion to Reconsider and Revoke Exhibit D to Motion to Reconsider and Revoke Notice of Electronic Filing for Defendant’s Response to Plf’s Motion to Remand 4-13-CV-00778-Motion-for-Remand-Reply-to-Response-2013-08-26 4-13-CV-00778-Motion-for-Remand-Reply-to-Response-2013-08-26-Exhibit-A 4-13-MC-09008-Motion-for-Reconsideration-Reply-2013-08-29 4-13-MC-09008-Motion-for-Reconsideration-Reply-2013-08-29-AFFIDAVIT 4-13-MC-09008-Motion-for-Reconsideration-Reply-2013-08-29-AFFIDAVIT-Certificate-of-Service 4-13-MC-09008-Motion-for-Reconsideration-Reply-2013-08-29-AFFIDAVIT-Exhibit-1 4-13-MC-09008-Motion-for-Reconsideration-Reply-2013-08-29-AFFIDAVIT-Exhibit-2 4-13-MC-09008-Motion-for-Reconsideration-Reply-2013-08-29-AFFIDAVIT-Exhibit-2-A 4-13-MC-09008-Motion-for-Reconsideration-Reply-2013-08-29-AFFIDAVIT-Exhibit-2-B 4-13-MC-09008-Motion-for-Reconsideration-Reply-2013-08-29-AFFIDAVIT-Exhibit-2-Part-2 4-13-CV-00778-Defendants-Motion-for-Injunction-Reply-to-Response Contact Bill Windsor at Bill@BillWindsor.com — www.LawlessAmerica.com — www.facebook.com/billwindsor1 — www.youtube.com/lawlessamerica — www.LawlessAmerica.org — www.twitter.com/lawlessamerica This entry was posted in Allie Overstreet, Bill Windsor, Civil Litigation, Courts, Matthew J. O'Connor and tagged Allie Overstreet, Bill Windsor, Civil Litigation, Matthew J. O'Connor, Weasel Curly on September 16, 2013 by admin. Bill Windsor begins issuing court-ordered subpoenas for Facebook, Cyberstalkers, and Other Kooks in Windsor v. Allie Overstreet. RAMMING SPEED…MAJOR VICTORY FOR BILL WINDSOR IN LAFAYETTE COUNTY COURT IN LEXINGTON MISSOURI: Judge Dennis Rolf granted my motion, and the Clerk of the Court is now issuing subpoenas for me to take depositions and obtain documents from non-parties in William M. Windsor v. Allie Overstreet and 1,000 John Does. I have been trying to get this for months. Now I’ve got it. Now the cyberstalkers have really got something to look forward to. Facebook, Google, Yahoo, CraigsList, YouTube, MySpace, LinkedIn, and many others will be having subpoenas winging their way to them. And a whole host of individuals are being subpoenaed. American Mothers Political Party members, Joeys, would-be killers, and others. I am beyond excited! For more information and the latest updates, be sure to always check www.LawlessAmerica.org and www.AllieOverstreet.com. William M. Windsor nobodies@att.net www.LawlessAmerica.org – blog site www.LawlessAmerica.com www.facebook.com/lawlessamerica2 www.facebook.com/billwindsor1 www.youtube.com/lawlessamerica www.imdb.com/title/tt2337260/ This entry was posted in Allie Overstreet, American Mothers Political Party, Bill Windsor, Brannon Bridge, Brenda Williamson, Civil Litigation, Claudine Dombrowski, Courts, Cyberstalking, Facebook, Joeyisalittlekid.blogspot.com, Kriss Cooley, Lawless America, Mark Supanich, Michelle Stilipec, Sam Round, Sean B**shie, Shannon E. Miller, YouTube on August 1, 2013 by admin. Bill Windsor files a Response to yet another Motion to Dismiss by Allie Overstreet in the case of Windsor v. Overstreet. This is yet another frivolous motion. The law in Missouri is very clear. But I do appreciate the opportunity to educate Judge Rolf on the corruption that I experienced in federal court in Georgia. Honest judges will see exactly what happened there just from this one example of one violation of the rules and the law after another. This Motion will be heard at 9:00 am on August 1 in Lafayette County Court in Lexingtom Missouri. Case No. 13LF-CV00461. Here is my Response in its entirety: PLAINTIFF’S RESPONSE TO MOTION TO DISMISS WITH PREJUDICE BY DEFENDANT ALLIE L. OVERSTREET Comes Now, William M. Windsor (“WINDSOR” or “PLAINTIFF”) and files this PLAINTIFF’S RESPONSE TO MOTION TO DISMISS WITH PREJUDICE BY DEFENDANT ALLIE LORAINE YAGER OVERSTREET. PLAINTIFF shows the Court as follows: On July 15, 2013, DEFENDANT ALLIE LORAINE YAGER OVERSTREET (“OVERSTREET”) filed a MOTION TO DISMISS WITH PREJUDICE. On April 29, 2013, the Clerk of the Court docketed PLAINTIFF’S VERIFIED COMPLAINT. On May 29, 2013, an attorney acting for OVERSTREET filed an ANSWER TO THE VERIFIED COMPLAINT, as shown on the Court’s Docket. By filing an ANSWER 30 days after the VERIFIED COMPLAINT was filed but not filing a MOTION TO DISMISS until 78 days after the VERIFIED COMPLAINT was filed, OVERSTREET lost the right to seek a dismissal. “…a motion to dismiss is made before the filing of an answer….” (In re Marriage of Busch, 310 S.W.3d 253 (Mo.App. E.D. 04/27/2010).) Rule 55.27 provides that the filing of a motion to dismiss is to be before filing an answer. (State of Missouri v. Bonacker, 791 S.W.2d 494, (June 20, 1990).) Rule 55.27 says: “a motion making any of these defenses shall be made: (A) Within the time allowed for responding to the opposing party’s pleading….” 30 days was the time allowed, and 78 days was too late. The PLAINTIFF did forget to send the letter from the federal judge when he sent the VERIFIED COMPLAINT for filing. The PLAINTIFF had set it aside, not knowing how it should be provided, since the Rules were clear about what was to be filed. When the PLAINTIFF realized that he had failed to put it in the envelope that was sent to the Clerk of the Court, he sent it to the Clerk of the Court and served it on each party by mail. OVERSTREET absolutely was sent a copy. The mistake was discovered when the PLAINTIFF learned that OVERSTREET had been served by the Sheriff. The PLAINTIFF then immediately sent it to the Clerk and to the Defendants. This oversight should not be grounds to dismiss this action at all. It has not affected this matter in any way. Counsel for OVERSTREET has again presented a lie to this Court in claiming OVERSTREET was not provided with a copy. That is a LIE. The PLAINTIFF also takes the position that the order from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia is void. Void orders have no effect. In this case, the void order was issued by a judge who did not have jurisdiction. The order is not signed, and it was not stamped and signed by the clerk of the court as required by federal law. The case was illegally removed from the Fulton County Georgia court to the federal court, so the federal court never obtained proper jurisdiction and failed to rule on WINDSOR’s motions in that regard. The case was on appeal, so the judge had lost all jurisdiction on matters such as this. The judge, Judge Thomas W. Thrash (“TWT”), was a defendant in the actions filed by WINDSOR, and he had no authority to serve as judge when WINDSOR filed a proper motion to have a judge from another district assigned the case. It is well-established that a judge may not rule on civil actions that involve him. WINDSOR was denied the right to answer the motion filed by the U.S. Attorney. WINDSOR was denied the right to submit documents into evidence. WINDSOR was denied the ability to testify. And there was absolutely no testimony at the short hearing or by affidavit from any of the Defendants in the civil action that WINDSOR had filed. WINDSOR asked TWT at the start of the short hearing whether he had already written an order deciding the motion before hearing a word from him. TWT got red-faced and refused to answer. At the conclusion of the short hearing, he turned to his left and read the order that he had already written. In anticipation, WINDSOR and several of his courtroom observers went straight to the Clerk’s Office where WINDSOR FILED an appeal. It was date stamped, and there are witnesses as to the time in addition to WINDSOR. The Clerk of the Federal District Court then falsified the docket by failing to show WINDSOR’s appeal filed until after the court order appeared for filing several hours later. And last but not least, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit outrageously did not allow WINDSOR to file his appeal brief. Windsor had sued every federal judge in Georgia for blatant corruption. Those judges were intent on doing whatever it took to stop WINDSOR. In a related matter, WINDSOR presented criminal charges against several of the judges to a Fulton County Georgia Grand Jury. His testimony was split over two days with a weekend in between. When WINDSOR returned to continue his testimony, he was met by three Fulton County Sheriff’s Deputies and the Chief Investigator for the Fulton County District Attorney (one of those WINDSOR was charging), and he was ordered out of the public courthouse and given a criminal trespass warning that he would be arrested if he ever returned. Law enforcement and the courts then failed to do anything to correct this crime that WINDSOR believes has a sentence of 10 years in prison. TWT’s orders were, and are, void. The U.S. Supreme Court has stated that if a court is “without authority, its judgments and orders are regarded as nullities. They are not voidable, but simply void; and form no bar to a recovery sought, even prior to a reversal in opposition to them. They constitute no justification; and all persons concerned in executing such judgments or sentences, are considered, in law, as trespassers.” (Elliot v. Piersol, 1 Pet. 328, 340, 26 U.S. 328, 340 (1828).) Fraud was committed in the removal of the case from the Fulton County Superior Court. This fraud means TWT did not have jurisdiction. TWT committed fraud upon the court as had the U.S. Attorney. This means TWT did not have subject matter jurisdiction. TWT did not follow mandatory statutory procedures. This means this Court did not have subject matter jurisdiction. TWT committed unlawful acts. This means TWT did not have subject matter jurisdiction. TWT violated due process. This means TWT did not have subject matter jurisdiction. TWT is part of a criminal racketeering enterprise. This means TWT did not have subject matter jurisdiction. TWT did not comply with the rules, the Code of Judicial Conduct, or the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. This means TWT did not have subject matter jurisdiction. Upon information and belief, TWT did not have a copy of his oath of office in his chambers. This means TWT did not have subject matter jurisdiction. It is clear and well established law that a judge must first determine whether the judge has jurisdiction before hearing and ruling in any case. TWT failed to do so, and his so-called orders are void. (Adams v. State, No. 1:07-cv-2924-WSD-CCH (N.D.Ga. 03/05/2008).) (See Steel Co. v. Citizens for a Better Env’t, 523 U.S. 83, 94 (1998); see also University of S. Ala. v. The Am. Tobacco Co., 168 F.3d 405, 410 (11th Cir. 1999) (“[O]nce a federal court determines that it is without subject matter jurisdiction, the court is powerless to continue.”). (Jean Dean v. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, No. 2:10-cv-564-FtM-29SPC (M.D.Fla. 04/21/2011).) (Taylor v. Appleton, 30 F.3d 1365, 1366 (11th Cir. 1994).) TWT demonstrated pervasive bias, and he lost jurisdiction when he failed to recuse himself. A study of pro se cases that TWT has handled reveals that TWT has a proven overwhelming bias against pro se plaintiffs. TWT has an “extra-judicial” bias against pro se parties. According to Windsor’s review of every case TWT has handled in his career using www.versuslaw.com, no pro se plaintiff has ever won in TWT’s court; 90% of pro se cases are dismissed, and 10% are defeated at summary judgment; no pro se plaintiff has ever received a jury trial Failure to follow the mandatory requirements of the law is a further evidence of the appearance of partiality of TWT. This required recusal. “Disqualification is required if an objective observer would entertain reasonable questions about the judges impartiality. If a judge’s attitude or state of mind leads a detached observer to conclude that a fair and impartial hearing is unlikely, the judge must be disqualified.” (Liteky v. U.S., 114 S.Ct. 1147 (1994).) Rankin v. Howard (1980) 633 F.2d 844, cert den. Zeller v. Rankin, 101 S.Ct. 2020, 451 U.S. 939, 68 L.Ed 2d 326. When a judge knows that he lacks jurisdiction, or acts face of clearly statutes valid statutes expressly depriving him of jurisdiction, judicial immunity is lost. “When there is no jurisdiction, there can be no discretion, for discretion is incident to jurisdiction.” Piper v. Pearson, 2 Gray 120, cited in Bradley v. Fisher, 13 Wall 335, 20 L. Ed. 646 (1872). TWT has committed treason. Whenever a judge acts where he/she does not have jurisdiction to act, the judge is engaged in an act or acts of treason. U.S. v. Will, 449 U.S. 200, 216, 101 S.Ct. 471, 66 L.Ed.2d 392, 406 (1980); Cohens v. Virginia, 19 U.S. (6 Wheat) 264, 404, 5 L.Ed 257 (1821). Amendment V of the U.S. Constitution provides: “No person shall be…deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law….” Article 1of the Georgia Constitution provides: “No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property except by due process of law.” All of these rights have been violated. TWT has improperly foreclosed Windsor’s access to the court. TWT issued an injunction without giving Windsor the opportunity to be heard at a hearing. Procedural due process requires notice and an opportunity to be heard before any governmental deprivation of a property or liberty interest. (Zipperer v. City of Fort Myers, 41 F.3d 619, 623 (11th Cir. 1995).) Meaningful access to the courts is a Constitutional right that has been denied by TWT, and this alleged order denies significant rights. (See Procup v. Strickland, 792 F.2d 1069, 1072 (11th Cir. 1986) (per curiam) (en banc); Christopher v. Harbury, 536 U.S. 403, 415 & n.12, 122 S.Ct. 2179, 2187 & n.12, 153 L.Ed.2d 413 (2002).) There was no Show Cause order issued to Windsor as required by Eleventh Circuit law. Windsor did not have proper notice. Upon these findings and consistent with Eleventh Circuit law, this Court required Plaintiff to show cause within ten days… why a Martin-Trigona injunction should not be entered. (See Procup v. Strickland, 792 F.2d 1069 (11th Cir. 1986); Torres v. McCoun, No. 8:08-cv-1605-T-33MSS (M.D.Fla. 09/10/2008); Western Water Management, Inc. v. Brown, 40 F.3d 105, 109 (5th Cir. 1994).) [emphasis added.] Every judge or government attorney takes an oath to support the U.S. Constitution. Whenever any judge violates the Constitution in the course of performing his/her duties, as TWT has, then he has defrauded not only the Plaintiff involved, but has also the government. TWT is paid to support the U.S. Constitution. By not supporting the Constitution, TWT is collecting monies for work not performed. The orders issued by TWT are invalid. Orders have not been signed, issued under seal, or signed by the Clerk of the Court in violation of 28 U.S.C. 1691. The word “process” at 28 U.S.C. 1691 means a court order. See Middleton Paper Co. v. Rock River Paper Co., 19 F. 252 (C.C. W.D. Wisconsin 1884); Taylor v. U.S., 45 F. 531 (C.C. E.D. Tennessee 1891); U.S. v. Murphy, 82 F. 893 (DCUS Delaware 1897); Leas & McVitty v. Merriman, 132 F. 510 (C.C. W.D. Virginia 1904); U.S. v. Sharrock, 276 F. 30 (DCUS Montana 1921); In re Simon, 297 F. 942, 34 ALR 1404 (2nd Cir. 1924); Scanbe Mfg. Co. v. Tryon, 400 F.2d 598 (9th Cir. 1968); and Miles v. Gussin, 104 B.R. 553 (Bankruptcy D.C. 1989). This is a case of the most overt bias imaginable. TWT has made absolutely false statements in his orders and has announced that he has reached a decision in the case without having any facts before him except Windsor’s. The case was on appeal, and TWT had no jurisdiction to act at all. In the words of defendant Judge William S. Duffey: (“[A] federal district court and a federal court of appeals should not attempt to assert jurisdiction over a case simultaneously. The filing of a notice of appeal is an event of jurisdictional significance–it confers jurisdiction on the court of appeals and divests the district court of its control over those aspects of the case involved in the appeal.”). (Bryant v. Jones, No. 1:04-cv-2462-WSD (N.D.Ga. 01/10/2007).) Windsor has many orders from the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit that provide that the civil action had been stayed and hundreds from federal courts everywhere. See Mahone v. Ray, 326 F.3d 1176, 1179 (11th Cir. 2003) and hundreds of others. The PLAINTIFF contends that the alleged order issued by TWT is absolutely void. As a result, the PLAINTIFF was under no obligation to do anything in regard to the alleged order. WHEREFORE, PLAINTIFF prays that this Court enter an order denying the MOTION TO DISMISS WITH PREJUDICE BY DEFENDANT ALLIE LORAINE YAGER OVERSTREET; and grant such other relief as the Court deems appropriate. Submitted this 30th day of July, 2013, 13LF-CV00461-Defendant-Motion-to-Dismiss-with-Prejudice-OVERSTREET-Response-2013-07-30 This entry was posted in Allie Overstreet, Bill Windsor, Brenda Williamson, Civil Litigation, Courts, Mark Supanich, Matthew J. O'Connor and tagged Allie Overstreet, Bill Windsor, Civil Litigation, courts, Matthew J. O'Connor on July 30, 2013 by admin. Bill Windsor has filed a Response to Allie Overstreet’s Motion for a Protective Order and Gag Order in the case of Windsor v. Overstreet. My Response is printed in its entirety below. As I make quite clear, this is a frivolous motion. There is no basis in fact or in law for this. Allie Overstreet and her attorney are the ones that must be sanctioned for their outrageous discovery abuse. And while I am sure Allie Overstreet doesn’t want the world to see her exposed as a liar, libeler, slanderer, defamer, cyberstalker, and criminal, it’s too late. This matter will be heard by Judge Rolf at 9:00 am on August 1 in Lexington Missouri. This is case 13LF-CV00461. PLAINTIFF’S RESPONSE TO MOTION FOR PROTECTIVE ORDER AND GAG ORDER OF DEFENDANT ALLIE OVERSTREET Comes Now, William M. Windsor (“Windsor” or “Plaintiff”) and files this PLAINTIFF’S RESPONSE TO MOTION FOR PROTECTIVE ORDER AND GAG ORDER OF DEFENDANT ALLIE OVERSTREET. PLAINTIFF shows the Court as follows: DEFENDANT ALLIE LORAINE YAGER OVERSTREET (“OVERSTREET”) is a serial liar who, among other things, swore to Judge John Frerking that the PLAINTIFF had published repeatedly that he intended to be a mass murderer or serial killer and that she was one of the intended victims. This was all an outrageous lie and a crime. There was never any such thing published or communicated in any manner, and Judge John Frerking dismissed the complaint after giving OVERSTREET numerous opportunities to produce some evidence. OVERSTREET is a serial liar who has published things about the PLAINTIFF that would be almost impossible to believe…but the PLAINTIFF has the evidence. OVERSTREET has continued her serial lies in so-called discovery responses. The attorney for OVERSTREET is also a liar and the type of attorney who causes many Americans to hate attorneys. He lies, makes absolutely false statements to this Court, violates the Missouri Rules of Professional Conduct on a regular basis, and makes frivolous claims because his client is as guilty as sin. The attorney for OVERSTREET feigns that Plaintiff’s 92-item Request for Production of Documents was excessive. There was nothing excessive about it. The PLAINTIFF has identified literally hundreds of false and/or defamatory statements by OVERSTREET. The PLAINTIFF is entitled to discovery on each and every lie as well as all the lies and defamatory statements that the PLAINTIFF has not yet discovered. The attorney for OVERSTREET hasn’t complained about any of the requests. He just wants to frivolously pretend it was excessive. It wasn’t. What was wrong was the utterly outrageous response to the requests by OVERSTREET and her unscrupulous attorney. Pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 56.01(b)(1), “[p]arties may obtain discovery regarding any matter, not privileged, that is relevant to the subject matter involved in the pending action…. It is not ground for objection that the information sought will be inadmissible at trial if the information sought appears reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence.” The attorney for OVERSTREET has not claimed that any of the requested documents were not relevant or did not appear to be reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence. The attorney for OVERSTREET does not even offer a bogus explanation for why any number of document requests would be excessive. The attorney for OVERSTREET lied to this Court in his motion claiming OVERSTREET provided proper responses that numbered over 1700 pages. There weren’t 1,700 pages; there were 1,255 pages. But after adjusting for duplicates and other oddities, the net number is 506. After then deducting for documents not produced as maintained in the usual course of business, unreadable documents, there were only three (3) documents that were originals (two legal documents served on her by the PLAINTIFF and one email). And in total, there were only four (4) documents (8 pages) produced that the PLAINTIFF did not originate or had not received prior to this litigation. The PLAINTIFF has filed proof with this Court regarding the number of documents produced, the number of duplicates, and the worthlessness of what was produced. The attorney for OVERSTREET then objects in his motion to a simple Request for Production of Documents requesting all of OVERSTREET’S computer and electronic equipment owned or used by Defendant for the past three (3) calendar years to be produced for inspection and forensic evaluation. He claimed such a production puts an undue burden, expense, and oppression upon Defendant. That’s ridiculous. OVERSTREET is a serial liar. The only way the PLAINTIFF will get the evidence that he needs is by getting access to everything she is hiding and has deleted. The PLAINTIFF notified the attorney for OVERSTREET that the forensic company can access the data remotely. So there would be little or no burden or expense. The attorney for OVERSTREET not surprisingly said that didn’t matter. You see, in his unscrupulous world, he has to do everything possible to block the PLAINTIFF from seeing the real evidence. The attorney for OVERSTREET is violating the Missouri Rules of Professional Conduct as he does these things, but the rules, truth, fairness, and justice seem to just be words used by others. There is absolutely no question that OVERSTREET has additional information, and the PLAINTIFF has documents that prove it. She even stated that she did in documents that were produced. PLAINTIFF scheduled the Deposition of OVERSTREET to begin on a Sunday and bring and produce all of the same documents requested in his First Request for Production of Documents because the PLAINTIFF needed to have OVERSTREET go through every document produced and explain what the documents were, how they were dated, where they were stored in the usual course of business, and what they applied to. Essentially none of this had been provided in the joke that was presented as the Response to the First Request for Production of Documents. This timing would have enabled the PLAINTIFF to complete the deposition before the last hearing was held. That would have enabled the PLAINTIFF to advise the Court of what else OVERSTREET needed to be compelled to do. But OVERSTREET was a no-show for the deposition. The attorney for OVERSTREET outrageously and sleazily asserts that the PLAINTIFF is systematically performing a method of harassment, annoyance, embarrassment, and oppression through this Court by constant discovery. That is complete, utter nonsense by a sleazy attorney and a dishonest client. The attorney for OVERSTREET has no evidence of anything done for annoyance, embarrassment, oppression, or undue burden or expense, and there is no Rule or case law to provide for any protective order in this situation. The only thing that should be done is to find OVERSTREET and her attorney in contempt and award significant sanctions to Windsor. The attorney for OVERSTREET has lied to this Court about the details regarding the first scheduled deposition that OVERSTREET failed to appear for. He falsely and maliciously told this Court that the PLAINTIFF requested confidential work product information as to the names of client’s and scheduling conflicts. This is false as the PLAINTIFF stated at the last hearing. The PLAINTIFF asked for the prior engagement by OVERSTREET that made it impossible for her to attend the deposition that she was legally required to attend. The attorney for OVERSTREET failed to provide any explanation whatsoever. The attorney for OVERSTREET claimed he had a hearing that would not make it possible to do the deposition on Monday. The attorney for OVERSTREET failed to provide any explanation whatsoever. There was no work product in such a request. An attorney has an obligation to substantiate any such excuses. He did not provide the name of the court, the judge, or the case number. The PLAINTIFF will be seeking that information when he files a complaint with the Missouri Bar Association against the attorney for OVERSTREET. The claim of “work product” by the attorney for OVERSTREET is totally bogus for legal reasons as well. There are federal decisions which “seem to stand for the proposition that the work product immunity applies only to documents prepared in direct relation to the case at bar and that documents prepared for one case, though they would be protected in that case, are freely discoverable in a different case.” 8 Wright & Miller, § 2024 at 200. But the “sounder view” appears to be that such documents prepared for one case have the same protection in a second case, at least if the two cases are related. Id ; State ex rel. Friedman v. Provaznik, 668 S.W.2d at 80 — work product applicable to those cases in which preparation is for the same or related cause; Hercules, Inc. v. Exxon Corp., 434 F.Supp. 136, 153 (D.C.Dela. 1977); Midland Inv. Co. v. Van Alystyne, Noel & Co., 59 F.R.D. 134, 138 (D.C.N.Y. 1973); 8 Wright & Miller, § 2024, 1988 Supp. at 98; 4 Moore, § 26.64[2] at 26-355; Note, The Work Product Doctrine in Subsequent Litigation, 83 Col. L. Rev. 412 (1983). The PLAINTIFF knows the attorney for OVERSTREET is a liar, and he looks forward to documenting it. At the last hearing, the attorney for OVERSTREET claimed to this Court that he had agreed to answer the interrogatories. That is a complete total lie. So, Mr. Attorney for OVERSTREET, where’s the proof? The PLAINTIFF had never spoken with the attorney for OVERSTREET about the interrogatories, so he would have to have an email, fax, or letter. He doesn’t because he lied. Faced with any request to limit or interfere with discovery, the court “must also balance the need of the interrogator to obtain the information against the respondent’s burden of furnishing it….” (Edwards v. Mo. State Bd. of Chiropractic Exam’rs , 85 S.W.3d 10, 22 (Mo. App. 2002).) The PLAINTIFF has every right to prove all the lies and defamation by OVERSTREET and her co-conspirators. That’s what this case is all about – the unbelievable dishonesty of OVERSTREET. The attorney for OVERSTREET has failed to present any argument whatsoever for why the PLAINTIFF should be interfered with in his simple effort to obtain the discovery that he has a legal right to obtain. This Court would abuse its discretion by limiting the PLAINTIFF in any manner because it would be clearly against the logic of the circumstances then before the court and would be so arbitrary and unreasonable as to shock the sense of justice and indicate a lack of careful consideration.” (Edwards , 85 S.W.3d at 23 (citing Redfield v. Beverly Health & Rehab. Servs., Inc. , 42 S.W.3d 703, 711 (Mo. App. 2001).) The PLAINTIFF has a substantial need of all of the information that he has requested in discovery, and he is unable to obtain the substantial equivalent of the materials by any other means. The PLAINTIFF does have a website about OVERSTREET, just as the PLAINTIFF has other websites about serial liars and criminals. The PLAINTIFF has web sites that discuss the films that he is producing. The PLAINTIFF is a journalist and has been since high school. The PLAINTIFF is also a filmmaker who is currently producing two documentary films and a pilot for a proposed TV series, and OVERSTREET will be featured in each of these video productions. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution says: “Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . ..” While originally applicable only to the federal government, the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment protects freedom of speech and the press against abridgement by state action. (Gitlow v. New York, 268 U.S. 652, 666 (1925).) (See New York Times v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964).) The Constitution of Missouri specifically protects freedom of speech and freedom of the press. The liberty of the press is not confined to newspapers and periodicals. The Press in its historic connotation comprehends every sort of publication which provides a method of information and expression. (Lovell c. City of Griffin, 303 U.S. 444 (1938).) News media has been recognized by the courts as individuals engaged in the practice of compiling information for dissemination to the public. The attorney for OVERSTREET requests the Court issue a Gag Order on Plaintiff for any and all communication involved in the instant action not be allowed to be placed on the internet or any other communications between Plaintiff any other person not a party to this action or representing a party to this action. This would be an unprecedented violation of Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press. The motion is utterly frivolous, and OVERSTREET and her attorney should be sanctioned. At the last hearing, the attorney for OVERSTREET said he would brief case law regarding a gag order. He failed to do so. The PLAINTIFF researched the term “gag” using the Versuslaw service. 41 cases were returned. 40 of them were about people who were gagged with items stuck in their mouths, and one included the term “gag order,” but did not address it. There are, however, many cases that discuss freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the First Amendment. The Fourteenth Amendment proscribed the various states from abridging freedom of speech and press as mandated by the First Amendment. Missouri has a strong freedom of speech clause in the Missouri Constitution, Art. I, Sec. 8. It provides: “That no law shall be passed impairing the freedom of speech, no matter by what means communicated: that every person shall be free to say, write or publish, or otherwise communicate whatever he will on any subject, being responsible for all abuses of that liberty . . . ” Unlike, OVERSTREET, the PLAINTIFF only prints the truth. If he expresses an opinion, it is an opinion. Unlike OVERSTREET, the PLAINTIFF has not violated any laws, so he has not abused the liberty. Even if the PLAINTIFF did anything wrong, OVERSTREET has a remedy – file a lawsuit. The underlying philosophy of the broad latitude attached to the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of the press found eloquent expression in the words of John Marshall, which were quoted with approval by James Madison, 6 Writings of James Madison 1790-1802, p. 336 (G. Hunt ed. 1906): “‘Among those principles deemed sacred in America, among those sacred rights considered as forming the bulwark of their liberty, which the Government contemplates with awful reverence and would approach only with the most cautious circumspection, there is no one of which the importance is more deeply impressed on the public mind than the liberty of the press. That this liberty is often carried to excess; that it has sometimes degenerated into licentiousness , is seen and lamented, but the remedy has not yet been discovered. Perhaps it is an evil inseparable from the good with which it is allied; perhaps it is a shoot which cannot be stripped from the stalk without wounding vitally the plant from which it is torn. However desirable those measures might be which might correct without enslaving the press, they have never yet been devised in America .'” (Emphasis in original.) Chief Justice Hughes in DeJonge v. Oregon, 299 U.S. 353, 365, 57 S. Ct. 255, 260 (1937) tersely stated the underlying philosophy inherent in the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of speech and press in the following words: “(Imperative) is the need to preserve inviolate the constitutional rights of free speech, free press and free assembly in order to maintain the opportunity for free political Discussion, to the end that government may be responsive to the will of the people and that changes, if desired, may be obtained by peaceful means. Therein lies the security of the Republic, the very foundation of constitutional government.” The news media itself bears the greater responsibility, even more than the courts, to preserve the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of speech and press. Self discipline on the part of the news media, and it alone, can give purity of meaning to the First Amendment and justification for its literal interpretation and application. (Elmer E. Whitmore v. Kansas City Star, 499 S.W.2d 45, 07/23/73.) The courts have no business interfering with freedom of speech or freedom of the press in civil litigation such as this. This Court ORDERED OVERSTREET to respond to interrogatories and properly produce documents. OVERSTREET’S attorney was directed by the Court to schedule a deposition at the Plaintiff’s convenience. Holding the deposition over two days was discussed. OVERSTREET’s attorney now refuses to schedule the deposition claiming two days is unreasonable. Based upon the incredible number of lies, outrageous discovery abuse, and uncertainty, no one can predict how long the deposition will take. As the Plaintiff said at the last hearing, it could take a day just to have OVERSTREET identify documents that were not identified in response to request for production of documents. The PLAINTIFF must file yet another motion to compel and for sanctions. OVERSTREET did respond to interrogatories, but the responses are essentially worthless. The PLAINTIFF must file yet another motion to compel and for sanctions. The PLAINTIFF has not yet had an opportunity to review the documents produced electronically, but he anticipates that this, too, will require another motion to compel and for sanctions. OVERSTREET and her attorney have made a mockery of the discovery process. They have no basis for any relief against the PLAINTIFF, and when it comes to unclean hands, not even Lava will clean up their hands. Missouri employs the rule “that equity will not aid a party who comes into court with unclean hands.” (Hardesty v. Mr. Cribbins’s Old House, Inc., 679 S.W.2d 343, 348 (Mo.App. 1984).) See also Moore v. Carter, 356 Mo. 351, 201 S.W.2d 923, 929 (Mo. 1947); Swisher v. Swisher, 124 S.W.3d 477, 483 (Mo. App. 2003); Mahaffy v. City of Woodson Terrace, 609 S.W.2d 233, 238 (Mo.App. 1980). “…one who has engaged in inequitable activity regarding the very matter for which he seeks relief will find his action barred by his own misconduct.” (Mahaffy, supra, at 238.) A litigant with unclean hands generally is not entitled to equitable relief such as an injunction or declaratory judgment. (City of St. Joseph v. Lake Contrary Sewer Dist., 251 S.W.3d 362, 369 (Mo. App. 2008).) This rule reflects that the law strives to prevent opportunistic behavior. See id. “A party who participates in inequitable activity regarding the very issue for which it seeks relief will be barred by its own misconduct from receiving relief.” Id. (internal quotation omitted). (Purcell v. Cape Girardeau County Commission, No. SC90383 (Mo. 04/06/2010).) WHEREFORE, PLAINTIFF prays that this Court deny the MOTION FOR PROTECTIVE ORDER AND GAG ORDER OF DEFENDANT ALLIE OVERSTREET; sanction OVERSTREET and her attorney for filing a frivolous motion and repeatedly abusing discovery; and grant such other relief to the PLAINTIFF as the Court deems appropriate. 13LF-CV00461-Defendant-Motion-for-Protective-Order-and-Gag-Order-OVERSTREET-Response-2013-07-30 This entry was posted in Allie Overstreet, Bill Windsor, Brenda Williamson, Civil Litigation, Courts, Mark Supanich, Matthew J. O'Connor and tagged Allie Overstreet, Bill Windsor, civil litigatiopn, courts, gag order, Matthew J. O'Connor on July 30, 2013 by admin. Bill Windsor is delayed in the Kansas City Missouri area dealing with the lawsuit against Allie Overstreet. I have to be here on Thursday, August 1, 2013 for a hearing on odds and ends. Allie Overstreet is supposed to answer the interrogatories and produce documents tomorrow, as she was court-ordered to do. On July 31, 2013, I will spend much of the day filming in Higginsville Missouri, Allie Overstreet’s hometown. This entry was posted in Allie Overstreet, Bill Windsor, Civil Litigation, Courts, Lawless America, Matthew J. O'Connor, Slanderella...The Movie and tagged Allie Overstreet, Bill Windsor, Civil Litigation, courts, Slanderella on July 29, 2013 by admin. Bill Windsor reports from the Windsor v. Allie Overstreet Hearing in Lexington Missouri Bill Windsor reports from the Windsor v. Allie Overstreet Hearing in Lexington Missouri. Video Report of Bill Windsor from the Lafayette County Courthouse in Lexington Missouri. This entry was posted in Allie Overstreet, Bill Windsor, Civil Litigation, Courts, Defamation, Lies, Mark Supanich, Matthew J. O'Connor and tagged AQllie Overstreet, Bill Windsor, Civil Litigation, Lafayette County Courthouse, Lexington Missouri, lies, Mark Supanich, Matthew J. O'Connor, Windsor v Overstreet on July 16, 2013 by admin. Bill Windsor whips Allie Overstreet’s lawyer in court as Judge Dennis Rolf denied their attempt to get my lawsuit dismissed Bill Windsor whips Allie Overstreet’s lawyer in court as Judge Dennis Rolf denied their attempt to get my lawsuit dismissed. There were a number of motions discussed, but the big one was Allie Overstreet’s attempt to have my lawsuit dismissed. That is always the biggest hurdle in a lawsuit, and a massive hurdle for pro se plaintiffs. In federal courts in Georgia, no pro se plaintiff has ever won, and 75% lose at the motion to dismiss stage. I have developed an instant intense dislike for Allie Overstreet’s attorney, Matthew J, O’Connor. He wears these really ugly alligatorish patchwork black shoes. Picture a slick hair used car hustler, and that’s what I see when I look at him. He has lied in court pleadings, and he has filed false pleadings. He lied to the judge today, and I called him on it right there. I’m going to refer to him as Weasel Curly. My late former father-in-law used to tell stories about a guy he knew named Weasel Curly. The guy looks and acts like a Weasel Curly, in my opinion. Anyway, the bottom line is that the judge says the pleadings sufficiently spell out a case for relief, so my lawsuit is alive and well. The judge also ordered them to answer interrogatories and produce valid documents within 14 days. And he ordered Allie Overstreet to appear at a deposition. I had asked him to strike her pleadings for making a mockery of discovery. They’re on notice now, so I believe he will be harsh if they continue to avoid their obligations. On the negative side, he let Mark Supanich out of the case because he said I did not adequately plead in my lawsuit why a Missouri court should have jurisdiction over a guy from Montana. So, I have to amend my “Verified Petition” and get him served again. This lawsuit names 1,000 John Doe defendants, and since it is moving forward full speed now, I look forward to bringing more of the liars, libelers, slanderers, defamers, and cyberstalkers into this case. I am seeking at least $1,000,000 in damages from each defendant and defendant-to-be. I had big posters of the fake Facebook pages for my deceased mother, my deceased father, and some other garbage, and I suspect those had an impact on the judge. He sure looked at them. After the hearing was over, I pulled the Jeep in front of the courthouse to set up the camera to record a story. Allie Overstreet passed by and shot me the finger. I scrambled to get the camera set up, but all I got was her walking down the street. I’ll process film and get it posted later today. I feel GREAT about the outcome today. I whipped Allie Overstreet’s attorney, Weasel Curly, in court! His tactic was to defame me. I had the facts and the law. The guy screwed up. He filed his answer before he filed the motion to dismiss, and that isn’t allowed. He blew it. Thank Heavens I blundered across those cases in my limited time to conduct legal research. I almost forgot. The judge asked me about being nude with women in hot tubs, one of the defamatory statements made by some of the bozos. It never happened. He didn’t read down far enough, or I am sure he would have asked about the statement that I have sex with animals. Maybe we can cover that one next time. No, never happened and never will happen. This entry was posted in Allie Overstreet, Bill Windsor, Civil Litigation, Courts, Defamation, Lies, Mark Supanich and tagged Allie Overstreet, Bill Windsor, Civil Litigation, Judge Dennis Rolf, Lafayette Countu Courthouse, Lexingtom Missouri, Matthew J. O'Connor on July 16, 2013 by admin. Bill Windsor submits Plaintiff’s First Amended Verified Complaint in the case of Windsor v. Allie Overstreet, et al Bill Windsor submits Plaintiff’s First Amended Verified Complaint in the case of Windsor v. Allie Overstreet, et al. 13LF-CV00461-Plaintiffs-Motion-for-Leave-to-Amend-Verified-Complaint-2013-07-10 13LF-CV00461-Plaintiffs-Motion-for-Leave-to-Amend-Verified-Complaint-Supplemented-2013-07-10 13LF-CV00461-Plaintiffs-Verified-Complaint-Amended-First-2013-07-10 This entry was posted in Allie Overstreet, Bill Windsor, Brenda Williamson, Civil Litigation, Mark Supanich and tagged Allie Overstreet, Bill Windsor, Brenda Williamson, Civil Litigation, Mark Supanich, verified complaint on July 16, 2013 by admin. Bill Windsor files four sworn affidavits under penalty of perjury in Windsor v. Allie Overstreet and Mark Supanich Bill Windsor files four sworn affidavits under penalty of perjury in Windsor v. Allie Overstreet and Mark Supanich. I filed four sworn affidavits today with extensive evidence in the case. I have sworn that everything I have said is true and correct. Neither Allie Overstreet nor Mark Supanich have filed ANY affidavits, nor did they respond to requests for interrogatories, and Allie Overstreet was a no-show for her deposition, so the only evidence and testimony before the Court is mine — all sworn. 13LF-CV00461-Plaintiffs-Affidavit-of-William-M-Windsor-Fifth-2013-07-15 13LF-CV00461-Plaintiffs-Affidavit-of-William-M-Windsor-First-2013-07-15 13LF-CV00461-Plaintiffs-Affidavit-of-William-M-Windsor-Second-2013-07-15 13LF-CV00461-Plaintiffs-Affidavit-of-William-M-Windsor-Third-2013-07-15 13LF-CV00461-Plaintiffs-Affidavit-of-William-M-Windsor-Third-Exhibit-A-2013-07-15 13LF-CV00461-Plaintiffs-Affidavit-of-William-M-Windsor-Third-Exhibit-B-2013-07-15 13LF-CV00461-Plaintiffs-Affidavit-of-William-M-Windsor-Third-Exhibit-C-2013-07-15 This entry was posted in Allie Overstreet, Bill Windsor, Brenda Williamson, Civil Litigation, Courts, Mark Supanich and tagged Allie Overstreet, Bill Windsor, Brenda Williamson, Civil Litigation, Mark Supanich, Matthew J. O'Connor on July 15, 2013 by admin. Bill Windsor files affidavit for service by publication on elusive defendant Brenda Williamson Bill Windsor files affidavit for service by publication on elusive defendant Brenda Williamson. 13LF-CV00461-Plaintiffs-Affidavit-for-Service-by-Publication-2013-07-15 This entry was posted in Allie Overstreet, Bill Windsor, Brenda Williamson, Civil Litigation and tagged Bill Windsor, Brenda Williamson, Civil Litigation on July 15, 2013 by admin.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line13
__label__wiki	0.640911	0.640911	Movie Review: Dolittle (2020) TV Review: American Idol Season 2 —Top 5 – Elton John, Personal Heroes, Bobby Bones Choices TV Review: American Idol Season 2 – Top 6 Woodstock and Showstoppers TV Review: American Idol Top 8 – Movie Duets and Queen Movie Review: Teen Spirit Movie Review: Shazam! (2019) TV Review: American Idol Season 2 – Top 10 – Disney Night – Rebel Wilson Mentors TV Review: American Idol Season 2 — Top 14 Results TV Review: American Idol Season 2 – Top 14 Perform TV Review: American Idol Season 2 – Top 20 Duets – Part Two TV Review: American Idol Season 2 – Top 20 Duets Part One Blu-ray Review: Alex & Me – Starring Soccer Star Alex Morgan Movie Review: Adrift (2018) – Starring Shailene Woodley Movie Review: A Quiet Place TV Recap: American Idol Season 16 Finale – Congrats Maddie Poppe TV Recap: American Idol Season 16 – Top 3 – Final Performance TV Recap: American Idol Season 16 – Top 5 Comic Book Movie Family Film Twilight Time TV on DVD/Blu-ray Emerald City Comicon Star Trek Con Blu-ray Review: Fame (1980) By Sherry Lipp Article originally published on Blogcritics. 1980’s Fame, from director Alan Parker, is focused on a group of talented kids attending a New York City public performing arts high school. The film follows a group of kids through the audition process and all four years of high school. The story is seen largely through the eyes of Doris, a shy actress who never feels she has that special spark to “make it.” In the beginning Doris is pushed into the auditions by an overbearing mother, who insists she sing “The Way We Were” for her acting audition. The auditions switch back and forth between drama, dance, and music. In one of the best sequences in the movie, each department head explains to the students why their discipline is harder than any of the others. Fame attempts to deal with many issues of teenage life, life in the entertainment world, and social perceptions. Wannabe director Raul Garcia (Barry Miller) insists on being called Ralph Garcy in an effort to hide his Hispanic heritage. Ralph hides behind his funnyman bravado in order to hide his troubled family life. Another acting student, Montgomery MacNeil (ER’s Paul McCrane) is living in the shadow of his actress mother, and dealing with his homosexuality. Coco (singer Irene Cara), is a street smart singer, who falls prey to unscrupulous producers. Overall the film is not afraid to handle issues of sexuality, drug use, and the seedier sides of life. In that respect the film does well. It is unflinching and unapologetic in its depiction of teens on the verge of stardom, or failure. Unfortunately Fame fails on pacing. The film drags through its two-hour-plus running time. At times it moves from scene to scene with no sense of purpose or flow. The acting is good, and the story at times is very good. I think a little tightening of the script would have made for a better movie. Then again Fame was nominated for six Academy awards, including one for Christopher Gore’s screenplay. Personally, I would have liked a tighter story, but I do appreciate the rawness of the movie. The Blu-ray 1080p picture is good. Certainly for a gritty 1980 movie, it looks great. The colors are rich and have a very natural look. The sound has options for TrueHD and Dolby Digital 5.1. The sound is very good. The documentary feel of the film is well represented in the soundtrack, with a wall of backgrounds from students, instruments, singing, dance steps, and New York City noise. The features are imported from the 2003 DVD release and are presented in standard definition, aside from a widescreen enhanced trailer. There is audio commentary from director Parker and some members of the cast. There are also a couple of production featurettes. http://feeds.feedburner.com/CinemaLowdown Chaz Lipp March 9, 2012 January 15, 2015 Chaz Lipp Blu-ray Review, Drama, Musical Stream Thousands of Movies & TV Shows with Amazon Prime Follow Cinema Lowdown Twitter American Idol Better Call Saul Blu-ray Review Bob Odenkirk Breaking Bad Clark Beckham Comet TV DC Comics Doctor Who DVD giveaway Emerald City Comicon Fear the Walking Dead Giveaway Harry Connick Jr horror movie horror movie review Horror Movies Interview Jennifer Lopez Katy Perry Keith Urban Lionel Ritchie Luke Bryan Marvel Marvel Comics matt dillon M Night Shamalan Movie Adaptations Movie Review Music Once Upon a Time Paul McCartney Ryan Seacrest Sci-fi science fiction Season 14 Star Trek Sylvester Stallone Teen Titans Go The Walking Dead TV Review TV Show TWD wayward pines Zombies Subscribe to Cinema Lowdown by Email Giveaway Rules and Restrictions Archive Select Month January 2020 May 2019 April 2019 September 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 December 2011 May 2010 September 2008 August 2008 Cinema Lowdown by Cinema Lowdown is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Based on a work at http://cinemalowdown.com. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://cinemalowdown.com.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line14
__label__cc	0.511431	0.488569	‘Slamdance Film Festival 2014’ celebrates twenty years with great new films Want to be inspired? Salmdance at 20 AXS ENTERTAINMENT / ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT / MOVIES Want to be inspired? A viable place to find nurturing and a thrust for your film sits right next door to the Sundance Film Festival. If you are a budding artist or just a person who loves new film works, the Slamdance Film Festival is the quiet storm that sits adjacent to the Sundance Film Festival. The Slamdance Film Festival started out twenty years ago as a rebellious counter festival, according to the founders Dan Mirvish and Peter Baxter. The Slamdance Film Festival which runs annually from January 18-23 on Main street, Park City Utah, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. It has been said that the Slamdance Film Festival consist of the best films that did not make it to the Sundance Film Festival. So if a film is good and has been rejected by the Sundance Film Festival , there is a good chance the Slamdance Film Festival may pick up the film for showcasing and competition. Because of this process more Artist voices are able to be heard. The Slamdance Film Festival 2014 was an eye opening experience featuring some of the most beautifully executed, passionate and inspiring examples of storytelling viewed during Park City Utah’s 2014 film festival season. The Slamdance Film Festival, a much smaller organization, has one main viewing space and several offices and is housed in The Treasure Mountain Inn, a venue just across from the historical Egyptian Theater on Main street. The historical Treasure Mountain Inn is a family owned hotel and the space is donated to the Slamdance Film Festival each year. The Slamdance Film Festival staff and volunteers are at the top of their game running this first rate film event with efficient speed, grace and politeness to all filmmakers, participants and public. If you’re looking for the raw, edgy, renegade styles of original independent film making then you’ll want to take in the appropriately named SLAM-Dance Film Festival. One can see why many of these films often get picked up for distribution, or better, the creators of these works have had a track record of becoming players and leaders in the industry. Slamdance features the full gamut of films in all categories including Documentaries, Shorts, and Narratives. As with Sundance Film Festival, the Slamdance Film Festival always plays to sold out audiences. Here are links to a few favorites. Copenhagen: http://www.examiner.com/review/copenhagen-wins-slamdance-film-festivals-… Kidnapped for Christ: http://www.examiner.com/review/kidnapped-for-christ-a-riveting-new- docum… “OVO”: http://www.examiner.com/review/ovo-is-a-spooky-science-fiction-short-film Slamdance may have started out as a festival of retaliation twenty years ago but that concept may be changing. Today Slamdance Film Festival is proving that there’s always room for one more as they co- exist with the Sundance Film Festival. The two festivals appear to be not about competition but rather about creating more opportunity to view up and coming artist who are on the precipice of the film culture; Speaking in original voices and being acknowledged by the public and their peers. The Slamdance Film Festival runs annually from January 18th-23rd on Main street, Park City Utah. To view the list of this years entries and winners visit: http://showcase.slamdance.com/Film-Festival To learn more about Slamdance or the Film festival : http://www.slamdance.com/ ClentBowersReviews coverage of Slamdance was made possible by the generous contributions of Horace & Alice Bowers and Marion Ramsey. Tagged: Award Winner, Documentary, Film Festivals, Five Stars, Foriegn Film, Human interest, Indie Feature About clentbowers ‘Dances With Films XIX’ passion not politics ‘Napa Valley Film Festival 2015’ celebrates five years of excellence ‘The Pan African Film Festival’ a year round home for Black film makers '‘Slamdance Film Festival 2014’ celebrates twenty years with great new films' has no comments	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line16
__label__cc	0.64957	0.35043	Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC)admin2015-10-02T23:24:45+00:00 Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC) Deputy Secretary-General (Economic and Social Development) Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HX UK Telephone: (44) 20 7747 6385 / 20 7747 6386 Email: info@commonwealth.int Website: www.thecommonwealth.org Officers (2015): Deputy Secretary-General, Economic and Social Development: Deodat Maharaj Aims and objectives: The CFTC is the Commonwealth Secretariat’s principal source of funding that supports the delivery of development assistance to Commonwealth member countries. The main purpose of the CFTC is to promote development in the Commonwealth using practical approaches of co-operation and mutual assistance. It is a mutual and voluntary co-operation fund where members contribute resources according to their ability and draw on them according to their needs. CFTC programmes are demand led, with an emphasis on South–South co-operation and gender mainstreaming, and are responsive to the critical development needs of Commonwealth member countries. The CFTC’s assistance is focused on delivering tangible results and covers a range of areas that reflect the needs of member countries and the parameters of the Secretariat’s Strategic Plan. The CFTC provides capacity building and institutional strengthening assistance to developing member countries, especially small states and least- developed members. Assistance is provided through professionals who share their skills and experience to maximise the development potential of member states and to build the capacity of key national and regional institutions. The CFTC also supports and develops training programmes at centres of excellence throughout the Commonwealth to build capacity in priority areas of need. Current CFTC programme focuses include oceans and natural resource management, debt management, health and education, and public sector governance.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line18
__label__wiki	0.899582	0.899582	Biography – CAMPBELL, COLIN H – Volume XIV (1911-1920) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography DCB/DBC News Minor Corrections Biography of the Day d. 19 Jan. 1902 in Vancouver, Wash. Responsible Government From the Red River Settlement to Manitoba (1812–70) The Fenians Women in the DCB/DBC Winning the Right to Vote The Charlottetown and Quebec Conferences of 1864 Introductory Essays of the DCB/DBC The Acadians Exploring the Explorers Canada’s Wartime Prime Ministers Source: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons CAMPBELL, COLIN H., lawyer, businessman, and politician; b. 25 Dec. 1859 in Wellington Square (Burlington), Upper Canada, son of John Hook Campbell and Jane Kennedy; m. 16 July 1884 Minnie Julia Beatrice Buck of Palermo, Ont., and they had a son and a daughter; d. 24 Oct. 1914 in Winnipeg. Colin Campbell grew up in a well-established household in Burlington which emphasized its Scots-Irish origins and Presbyterian convictions. His primary education in local public schools was followed by a brief but satisfactory employment as a telegraph instructor for the Great North Western Telegraph Company of Canada in the nearby towns of Aberfoyle and Palermo. In 1875 he entered Oakville High School, where he swiftly completed classical studies with honours. Campbell began to study law at Osgoode Hall, Toronto, in 1876. Until that time he may have signed Colin C. Campbell, but on entering law school he changed his middle initial to H, to distinguish himself from another Colin Campbell. He articled in Toronto, first in the office of George Taylor Denison* and then in that of Hoskin and Ogden. Completing all formal requirements for admission to the bar in 1879, he had to wait until the following year because of his age. Alfred Hoskin recommended him as “a clever young fellow” to another lawyer, John Billings of Port Perry. Campbell became Billings’s partner and remained in practice at Port Perry until January 1882. By then Campbell had heard reports from western Canada of remarkable opportunities. An influential young colleague, James Albert Manning Aikins, who was already established in Winnipeg, arranged for Campbell to take up a managerial position with his growing firm, Aikins, Culver, and Hamilton. Campbell explained to his sweetheart that if he remained in Ontario it would simply take too long “to make that progress which ambitious young men are ambitious for.” He arrived in Winnipeg early in 1882. By the late summer Campbell was already unhappy with the firm’s senior partner, Aikins, so he remained with it only until his admittance to the Manitoba bar was confirmed. He began his own firm, hastily selecting an inept partner, Herbert Bolster, a decision he soon regretted. The following year, after secretly negotiating the formation of a larger firm with two more-desirable partners, Francis Beverley Robertson and Horace E. Crawford, Campbell arranged to discard Bolster. His ruthless approach underlined the elements which were perceived as vital for success in a community already oversupplied with lawyers: enhancement of one’s reputation in the marketplace, organization of legal talents to serve diverse clients, and shrewd assessment of each partner’s social links, since such connections helped bring in business. Campbell had arrived in Winnipeg in the midst of a real estate boom. Describing much of the speculation he observed as “one huge swindle,” he quickly overcame his own scruples. He developed an expertise in real property law, became directly involved in land dealings, including the purchase of Métis scrip, and acted as a financial adviser and broker for purchasers and sellers. By 1883, in the wake of the boom, much of his work involved sorting out transactions which had soured, including some of his own. Eventually, Campbell established one of the leading firms in the city. To broaden its portfolio, he secured the local solicitorships of mortgage and insurance companies based in Hamilton, Ont., and Montreal. He was soon in a position to broker knowledge about local investments and to forge links between central Canadian capital and western business opportunities. As a financial counsellor, he was cautious, especially with his own investments. In 1888, using funds of his own, he began a modest private banking venture in Boissevain with Crawford. Each contributed $3,000 in capital for the bank, named Cowan and Company and placed under separate management at arm’s length from their firm. Campbell’s various strategies worked so well that during the 1890s he was able to leave the bulk of litigation and supervision of juniors in his law office to Crawford, while he maintained an ever-widening range of business-generating social links, including a year as bencher of the Law Society of Manitoba in 1889. When he started, Campbell was a part of a community of youthful bachelor lawyers who shared living arrangements and recreational activities. He understood, however, that marriage was an important bridge to the social world of more senior lawyers. He corresponded regularly with his fiancée in rich, voluminous, and candid detail. As soon as he was able to offer a substantial home with servants, they were married. He later wrote appreciatively of the role she played in his social advancement with the family of Premier John Norquay. Reflecting in part his own Presbyterian upbringing, Campbell chose social contacts and private pursuits with care and purpose. A member of St Andrew’s parish, he taught Sunday school and was an elder and later a trustee. He joined the board of management of Manitoba College in 1891 and served as its chairman between 1895 and 1907, and he took an interest in the Winnipeg Young Men’s Christian Association, first as a member of its board and then as president for five years during the early 1890s. Through his church affiliations he met Isaac Pitblado, whom he recruited in 1903 after Crawford’s sudden death. The subsequent restructuring of the firm, which became known as Campbell, Pitblado, Hoskin, and Grundy, assured its future as one of the largest in the city. When he arrived in Manitoba Campbell was a conservative and a supporter of the National Policy of Sir John A. Macdonald, but he soon began advocating a non-partisan approach towards the redress of provincial grievances over the Canadian Pacific Railway’s monopoly, federal land administration, and the tariff restrictions on farm machinery. He served a term on the Winnipeg City Council and in 1893 made an unsuccessful bid in a by-election for the seat of Winnipeg in the House of Commons. It was probably not a coincidence that the same year he was awarded a qc. In December 1899 Campbell ran in the provincial general election. He joined the Conservative forces under Hugh John Macdonald* who defeated the Liberal government of Thomas Greenway. After winning by a large margin in the rural constituency of Morris, he moved swiftly to the front ranks of the provincial caucus: he served first as minister without portfolio from January to early October 1900, and then, on the 9th of that month, was appointed attorney general. He easily won the by-election of 27 October required to confirm his nomination. Two days later, after Macdonald had resigned to contest a federal election, Campbell resumed the post in the new government of Rodmond Palen Roblin. Roblin was not enthusiastic about implementing the temperance legislation passed by the Macdonald government in 1900 and he immediately began expressing concerns about its constitutionality. It fell to Campbell as attorney general to lead the team of lawyers required to test the validity of the Liquor Act. The matter was referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council after the provincial Court of Queen’s Bench found the act to be beyond provincial powers. Campbell travelled to England alone in 1901 and appeared by his actions there to be entirely indifferent to winning. Although the province was ultimately victorious, it was clear to many temperance advocates that Campbell had deftly played a political hand, hoping to avoid the controversy that putting the coercive measure into effect would surely provoke. Campbell next assisted the government in dodging its commitment by introducing a referendum on the subject on 2 April 1902. The no forces prevailed, sparing the government from acting on the issue. Although personally committed to sobriety and temperance, Campbell believed that the legislation desired by certain elements of the movement was impracticable, and he worked instead towards achieving softer, more enforceable standards. Campbell’s legal expertise made him a key player in Roblin’s cabinet. He defended the details of arrangements with the Canadian Northern Railway [see Sir William Mackenzie; Sir Donald Mann], undertaken in order to gain control over freight rates and provide competition for the CPR. When, in 1905, the creation of new provinces in the North-West Territories became imminent, Campbell and Robert Rogers*, the minister of public works, went to Ottawa to defend their government’s proposed extensions of the Manitoba boundary westward and northward to Hudson Bay. Although the boundary question was not resolved until 1912, Campbell played a central role in the continuing federal-provincial negotiations. Working closely with provincial and municipal leaders, Campbell advanced his government’s view that telephones should be municipally owned and operated utilities rather than privately run monopolies and that the provincial government should control long-distance lines. To achieve these ends, he helped mount a successful plebiscite to gain public approval for the establishment of the municipal utilities. Eventually he came to terms with the president of Bell Telephone Company of Canada, Charles Fleetford Sise, and the provincial government acquired Bell Telephone’s assets in Manitoba on 15 Jan. 1908. Under influence initially exerted by magistrate Thomas Mayne Daly of the Winnipeg Police Court, Campbell became increasingly aware of the unsatisfactory state of the law and legal institutions respecting juvenile offenders. He introduced an order in council to implement the federal Juvenile Delinquents Act of 1908, thus creating the first juvenile court in Canada, and he recommended Daly’s appointment as its judge. The order, which came into force in 1909 and included provision for detention facilities and special trials for children in Winnipeg, would later be regarded by Campbell as his most significant and lasting achievement. As the non-English-speaking population increased in Manitoba, the government came under mounting pressure to introduce mandatory school attendance. Campbell supported the idea in 1901 but maintained that it was financially impractical. In order to obtain greater revenues for education, he led his government’s attack on Ottawa’s control over the administration of school lands, but was successful only in obtaining the interest from the sale of the land, which the federal government agreed to pay to the province in 1902. As the minister responsible for education, he faced continuing pressure to assimilate immigrant children. In partial response to this issue and to the widespread use of American and other flags, he helped enact a measure in 1907 requiring all schools to fly the Union Jack during the school day or forfeit their grant. Reaction to this measure was mostly positive, except in some communities with a large immigrant population. Campbell’s fierce partisanship was sometimes controversial. During the provincial election campaign of July 1903 allegations were made that a local contractor had been expected to contribute $5,000 to the Conservatives in order to obtain drainage work. Although Campbell denied involvement and no conclusive proof was presented, in the public’s mind he was a promoter of the scheme. Campbell, it seems, understood the political reality: the influence he had in cabinet and as attorney general could directly benefit him or his party. It was alleged that he instructed magistrates to treat Tory voters preferentially and that he had attempted to prevent a lawsuit against a client of his firm by expediting the passage of an amendment to a statute. His greatest value to his party was in the abundant but less conspicuous patronage he dispensed to friends of the government and in his relentless attention to details of voter distribution and allegiance. In the provincial election of 1907 he was returned in Morris by a majority of two votes; a recount confirmed his election. Although the government was returned quite easily, the unpopularity of the flag policy among his Mennonite constituents had almost proved to be his political undoing. The following year he vigorously fought the proposed amendments to the Dominion Elections Act which sought to remedy the provincial control exercised over federal voting lists and other electoral abuses. His party feared the Liberals would repeat the Red Line scandal [see Hector Mansfield Howell] which had preceded the federal election of 1904; many Conservative voters were thought to have been improperly disenfranchised. Re-elected in July 1910, Campbell remained attorney general until October 1911 when, in a cabinet shuffle, he moved to public works. Even while in politics he remained alert to business opportunities. When new homestead land became available in the North-West Territories in 1903, Campbell, as president of the Ontario and Manitoba Western Land Company, wrote to an agent of the dominion lands branch to request that the locating of Métis scrip in townships where his company owned land be done in such a way that the company would “have time to produce the halfbreed,” whose land would then presumably be alienated. In 1912, when the Equitable Trust Company of Winnipeg was organized, Campbell, who had by that date resigned from the cabinet, became its president. A prominent Presbyterian layman, Campbell served as a member of an advisory board for St Andrew’s College, Toronto, in 1903 and the following year he represented his church in an interdenominational committee discussing the legal features of church union. He and his wife gave generous financial support to Presbyterian missions. He acted as solicitor for Queen’s College, Kingston, in selecting suitable investments in the west and for Manitoba College. Membership in private clubs in Winnipeg, such as the Manitoba Club and the St Charles Country Club, and in Toronto, including the Albany Club and the Toronto Hunt Club, as well as a close identification with the freemasons, reinforced his prominent social position. Campbell became minister of public works in 1911, the year the government announced its intention to erect new legislative buildings. Its plan, as he described it, was to construct buildings that were “architecturally beautiful and to lay grounds adjacent thereto becomingly.” The contracts for construction would later be the subject of much controversy. An experienced and trusted minister, Campbell frequently defended the government’s actions in areas beyond the scope of his own portfolio. Early in 1912 he joined Premier Roblin in Ottawa to hammer out an agreement on the extension of Manitoba’s boundary and the concomitant financial arrangements. Continued economic growth, the increasing complexities of government activity, and the constant calls by various groups for legislative reform required Campbell’s special skills as a draftsman and a trusted legislator but added substantially to his workload. Socially conservative, cautious, and always pragmatic, Campbell was invaluable for he was capable of both the dilatory and the decisive actions that politics of the moment required. By 1912 Campbell’s years of relentless striving “to build up an honorable reputation” were taking a toll on his health. He travelled alone to Kingston, Jamaica, hoping to find a cure. There he suffered a severe paralytic stroke which eventually forced Roblin to request his resignation from cabinet. Roblin still desired Campbell to return to public life even if a full recovery was not possible. His correspondence reveals that Campbell was his second in command and in his view the only man in the caucus with the “courage or knowledge to justify leadership” should he need to step down. Campbell next sought medical treatment in New York and Germany. He spent the winter of 1913–14 under the sun of Cairo before coming back to Manitoba the next summer. His unsuccessful attempt to return to work took place two weeks before his death in Winnipeg at age 54. Campbell’s estate, when probated, was valued at $138,000, leaving his wife, Minnie, and his son, Colin, who was then attending Upper Canada College in Toronto, well provided for. Richard A. Willie Arch. of Western Canadian Legal Hist., Univ. of Man., Faculty of law (Winnipeg), Biog. files. Man., Legislative Library (Winnipeg), Biog. scrapbooks. PAM, GR 170, file 8009; GR 1568; GR 4347; MG 14, B21; C6. Manitoba Free Press, 1882–1914, esp. 26 Oct. 1914. Winnipeg Tribune, 24, 26 Oct. 1914. Canadian annual rev. (Hopkins), 1900–14. Canadian men and women of the time (Morgan; 1912). W. L. Clark, “My dear Campbell,” Manitoba Pageant (Winnipeg), 20 (1974–75), no.2: 2–11. Dale and Lee Gibson, Substantial justice; law and lawyers in Manitoba, 1670–1970 (Winnipeg, 1972). Newspaper reference book. Pioneers of Man. (Morey et al.). F. H. Schofield, The story of Manitoba (3v., Winnipeg, 1913). R. St G. Stubbs, “The first juvenile court judge: the Honorable Thomas Mayne Daly, k.c.,” Man., Hist. and Scientific Soc., Papers (Winnipeg), 3rd ser., nos.34–35 (1977–79): 49–66. Who’s who in western Canada . . . , ed. C. W. Parker (Vancouver), 1911. R. A. Willie, “‘It is every man for himself’: Winnipeg lawyers and the law business, 1870 to 1903,” in Essays in the history of Canadian law, ed. D. H. Flaherty et al. (7v. to date, Toronto, 1981– ), vol.4 (Beyond the law: lawyers and business in Canada, 1830 to 1930, ed. Carol Wilton, 1990): 263–97; “‘A proper ideal during action’: fraternity, leadership and lifestyle in Winnipeg lawyers’ professional culture, 1878–1900,” JCS, 27 (1992–93), no.1: 58–72; “‘These legal gentlemen’: becoming prominent in Manitoba, 1870–1900” (phd thesis, Univ. of Alta, Edmonton, 1989). General Bibliography © 1998–2021 University of Toronto/Université Laval Occupations and Other Identifiers Business – Financial institutions Business – Real estate Communications – Telegraph and telephone Legal Professions – Lawyers Politicians – Provincial and territorial governments – Elected Politicians – Municipal and local governments – Elected North America – Canada – Ontario – Centre Region of Activities North America – Canada – Manitoba Related Biographies ROBLIN, SIR RODMOND PALEN (Vol. 16)ROGERS, ROBERT (Vol. 16)AIKINS, Sir JAMES ALBERT MANNING (Vol. 15)DALY, THOMAS MAYNE (1852-1911) (Vol. 14)DENISON, GEORGE TAYLOR (1839-1925) (Vol. 15)GREENWAY, THOMAS (Vol. 13)HOWELL, HECTOR MANSFIELD (Vol. 14)MACDONALD, Sir HUGH JOHN (Vol. 15)More MACDONALD, Sir JOHN ALEXANDER (Vol. 12)MACKENZIE, Sir WILLIAM (Vol. 15)NORQUAY, JOHN (Vol. 11)SISE, CHARLES FLEETFORD (Vol. 14)KING, JOHN MARK (Vol. 12)SELLAR, ROBERT (Vol. 14) DENISON, GEORGE TAYLOR (1839-1925) AIKINS, Sir JAMES ALBERT MANNING NORQUAY, JOHN MACDONALD, Sir JOHN ALEXANDER MACDONALD, Sir HUGH JOHN GREENWAY, THOMAS ROBLIN, SIR RODMOND PALEN MACKENZIE, Sir WILLIAM ROGERS, ROBERT SISE, CHARLES FLEETFORD DALY, THOMAS MAYNE (1852-1911) HOWELL, HECTOR MANSFIELD KING, JOHN MARK Richard A. Willie, “CAMPBELL, COLIN H,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 14, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed January 19, 2021, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/campbell_colin_h_14E.html. The citation above shows the format for footnotes and endnotes according to the Chicago manual of style (16th edition). Information to be used in other citation formats: Permalink: http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/campbell_colin_h_14E.html Author of Article: Richard A. Willie Title of Article: CAMPBELL, COLIN H Publication Name: Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 14 Publisher: University of Toronto/Université Laval Year of revision: 1998 Access Date: January 19, 2021 © 2003-2021 University of Toronto/Université Laval Suggest corrections or additions	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line19
__label__wiki	0.631969	0.631969	0.0005 molads is about one-fourth as long as a Football game (Association) (Soccer) In other words, it's 0.240 times the length of a Football game (Association) (Soccer), and the length of a Football game (Association) (Soccer) is 4.20 times that amount. (a.k.a. association football, a.k.a. soccer) (per FIFA rules; playing time only) Per Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Laws of the Game, an association football game consists of two periods of 0.0011 molads each, for a total of 0.0021 molads of playing time (except in games played by women, or by players under 16 or over 35 years of age). The longest recorded amateur football game was a 2009 match in the Filipino town of Barotac Nuevo that lasted for 0.05 molads.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line22
__label__wiki	0.843298	0.843298	Domino Effect The resignation of Senate Majority Floor Leader Dan Kelly has had a domino effect of sorts for the State Senate in terms of leadership positions and committee chairs. Last week, Sen. Robert Stivers was elected to succeed Kelly as Majority Floor Leader, which left open his position as Chairman of Judiciary. Today these appointments were made: - Sen. Tom Jensen has been appointed Chair of the Judiciary Committee, which leaves open his position of Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee. Jensen is an experienced legislator, attorney, and Chairman so the transition should be relatively smooth. - Sen. Brandon Smith has been appointed as Chair of the Natural Resources Committee. Sen. Smith has been Chairing the Special Subcommittee on Energy, so many of the topics his committee has been dealing with will be pertinent to his new role with the Natural Resources Committee. Photos courtesy of the LRC. Kelly appointed to judgeship Governor Beshear's Weekly Address - Bridges Kentucky Is Not Alone Report shows states' revenue sources CFG & State Revenues	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line29
__label__cc	0.558148	0.441852	Singular Values Nunquam praescriptos transibunt sidera fines White Genocide professor resigns The Bezos Wash. Post reports: Drexel University professor George Ciccariello-Maher tweeted that all he wanted for Christmas was white genocide. This week, he resigned, ... The Christmas tweet was meant to be satirical, as white genocide is an “imaginary concept” used by the far right to scare white people, Ciccariello-Maher said. I am not in favor of firing someone for a tweet, but it appears that his explanation made things worse. He is like someone who tweets, "All I want for Christmas is a Jewish Holocaust", and then explaining that there was never any such thing as Jewish Holocaust anyway. He got in more trouble for other remarks: The professor had drawn attention for a series of inflammatory remarks. Most recently, he was placed on administrative leave after he blamed the Oct. 1 Las Vegas massacre of 58 people on the “narrative of white victimization” and “Trumpism.” In another instance, Ciccariello-Maher in March said he wanted to “vomit or yell” after seeing an airline passenger giving up a first-class seat to a U.S. military service member. On Christmas Eve last year, he said that all he wanted for the holidays was a “white genocide.” Again, he is entitled to his opinion, but college professors usually get fired if they keep denigrating a race of people. Wikipedia calls White Genocide a "conspiracy theory". The article does not allege a conspiracy in the sense of a secret plot. This is like saying the Jewish Holocaust is a conspiracy theory. Posted by Roger at 8:00 AM Labels: free speech, race Violence decline is just a scaling effect AAAS Science mag reports: Are people in big, modern societies more or less violent than our forebears? The answer is neither, according to a controversial new study: People who lived in small bands in the past had no more proclivity toward violence than we do today. The finding—based on estimates of war casualties throughout history—undercuts the popular argument that humans have become a more peaceful species over time, thanks to advances in technology and governance. ... But a team led by anthropologist Rahul Oka at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana wondered whether there was a mathematical explanation for why fewer people proportionally are lost to violence nowadays. They reasoned that as populations get bigger, their armies don’t necessarily grow at the same rate. In a small group of 100 adults, for example, it would be perfectly reasonable to have 25 warriors, says anthropologist and study co-author Mark Golitko, also at Notre Dame. But in a population of 100 million, supporting and coordinating an army of 25 million soldiers is logistically impossible, to say nothing of such an army’s effectiveness. Researchers call that incongruity a scaling effect. I made a similar point on this blog in a 2011 post: Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature is one of the better-selling science-related books of the year. As noted below, it claims that violence has declined over history in spite of Christianity. Pinker's quantitative analysis seems to based on the assumption that violence should be expected to scale linearly with population size. So he compares the Mongol invasion to recent wars by counting deaths, as a proportion of the population at the time. His trick has the effect of making the Mongol invasion seem much more deadly than it was. This assumption seems dubious. If we have a population of N people, and we assume that each pair of people has a 1% chance of being enemies, then we expect about 0.01N2 pairs of enemies. If violence occurs between enemies, then we might expect violence to grow quadratically in N. However civilization would be impossible if violence grew that rapidly. Maybe it makes more sense to assume that potential friendships grow quadratically in N. Then maybe societies can use those friendships to self-organize into peaceful communities, and violence would grow sublinearly in N. Maybe violence only grows like the square root of N, or even the logarithm of N. I posted some additional criticisms of Pinker's book in 2012. Pinker's book got a lot of praise, and this scaling problem seemed obvious to me. Was I really the only person to notice this problem in 6 years? Hard to believe. Posted by Roger at 2:20 PM Labels: research, violence, war Allowing judges to dictate choice of school UCLA prof E. Volokh has moved his blog to a Libertarian site, while claiming that he is only "Often Libertarian", and not necessarily a true libertarian. He has a libertarian view of the 1st and 2nd Amendments, but he agrees with this family court decision: That's correct, I think; the father doesn't have a right to demand that R.A. go to a religious school over the mother's objection, but neither does the mother have a right to demand that R.A. go to a secular school over the father's contrary preference. When there is such a conflict, a court must decide, and it must do so on a basis other than the school's religiosity; the Nevada Supreme Court noted several religion-neutral factors for lower courts to consider in making this decision: (1) The wishes of the child, to the extent that the child is of sufficient age and capacity to form an intelligent preference; (2) The child's educational needs and each school's ability to meet them; (3) The curriculum, method of teaching, and quality of instruction at each school; (4) The child's past scholastic achievement and predicted performance at each school; (5) The child's medical needs and each school's ability to meet them; (6) The child's extracurricular interests and each school's ability to satisfy them; (7) Whether leaving the child's current school would disrupt the child's academic progress; (8) The child's ability to adapt to an unfamiliar environment; (9) The length of commute to each school and other logistical concerns; (10) Whether enrolling the child at a school is likely to alienate the child from a parent. Allowing a judge to force a school choice on parents based on those factors is one of the most anti-libertarian decisions possible. In the case, the divorced parents agreed to split the cost of private school if they agreed on a private school, but they did not agree to one. I don't see judge's opinion of those factors 1-10 have any relevance. If the parents don't agree to pay for private school, then the kids can attend public school. Or one parent might offer to pay for private school. But there agreement explicitly rejects the idea that one parent could force the other parent to pay for private school, and the judge should not be able to force that parent either. I guess that there are Libertarians who believe that children should have individual rights independent of the preferences of their parents. But how would that ever work? It would mean that govt bureaucrats and judges take over the most personal decisions that families make. It would have some of the worst aspects of Communism. I used to think that Libertarians were pro-freedom, and I was all in favor of that. But more and more, I see Libertarians applaud the most anti-freedom policies. Labels: court, law, parenting, school Brainwashed college girl cannot accept mom's facts Here is the advoce column in my local newspaper yesterday: Dear Amy: My mother is a very hardworking and dedicated mother, but she has some very problematic views of the world. She assumes that refugees are going to terrorize our country and that women only gossip and tear each other down (for instance). The thing is, she is an immigrant herself from a Latin country. When I explain to her how problematic her thinking is, she tells me one story about something she saw that backs up her claims. I was privileged enough to graduate from a private liberal arts school (through scholarships). That experience opened my eyes to racism, sexism and other problems in our country and around the world. I visit my mother once a week and we read the newspaper together. We start a dialogue about the never-ending stories about sexual assault and police brutality, and it always ends in a fight. I want to spend time with my mother, but it's hard to listen to the things she says. This is funny. The mother is obviously much wiser than her dopey college daughter who has been brainwashed to be a social justice warrior. The mother even backs up her opinions with facts and evidence! Labels: immigration, women Human capability peaked before 1975 John Derbyshire says we aren't going back to the Moon, because of politics, budgets, and this 2010 essay: Human capability peaked before 1975 and has since declined I suspect that human capability reached its peak or plateau around 1965-75 – at the time of the Apollo moon landings – and has been declining ever since. This may sound bizarre or just plain false, but the argument is simple. That landing of men on the moon and bringing them back alive was the supreme achievement of human capability, the most difficult problem ever solved by humans. 40 years ago we could do it – repeatedly – but since then we have not been to the moon, and I suggest the real reason we have not been to the moon since 1972 is that we cannot any longer do it. Humans have lost the capability. Of course, the standard line is that humans stopped going to the moon only because we no longer wanted to go to the moon, or could not afford to, or something…– but I am suggesting that all this is BS, merely excuses for not doing something which we cannot do. It is as if an eighty year old ex-professional-cyclist was to claim that the reason he had stopped competing in the Tour de France was that he had now had found better ways to spend his time and money. It may be true; but does not disguise the fact that an 80 year old could not compete in international cycling races even if he wanted to. Human capability partly depends on technology. A big task requires a variety of appropriate and interlocking technologies – the absence of any one vital technology would prevent attainment. I presume that technology has continued to improve since 1975 – so technological decline is not likely to be the reason for failure of capability. But, however well planned, human capability in complex tasks also depends on ‘on-the-job’ problem-solving – the ability to combine expertise and creativity to deal with unforeseen situations. On the job problem-solving means having the best people doing the most important jobs. For example, if it had not been Neil Armstrong at the controls of the first Apollo 11 lunar lander but had instead been somebody of lesser ability, decisiveness, courage and creativity – the mission would either have failed or aborted. If both the astronauts and NASA ground staff had been anything less than superb, then the Apollo 13 mission would have led to loss of life. Back then we had a telephone system that was 99.999% reliable. I wonder whether we will ever see any complex system that reliable again. Posted by Roger at 12:30 PM Labels: Americanism, tech Possible backlash against MeTooism I commented on how many feminists refuse to make distinctions between serious crimes like rape, and commonplace flirting that some consider rude. Here is a Politico essay by Emily Yoffe: Why the #MeToo Movement Should Be Ready for a Backlash In the past few weeks, a number of accused men have disappeared Soviet-style from public life, with the work of some—Louis C.K. and Garrison Keillor, for example—withdrawn from distribution. There has been discussion about whether everyone accused deserves a professional death penalty, or whether there should be a scale of punishment. After all, the violations run the gamut from multiple allegations of rape to unwanted touching. But in a statement on Facebook calling for Franken’s resignation, New York Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand came out against making such distinctions. “While it’s true that his behavior is not the same as the criminal conduct alleged against [Alabama Senate candidate] Roy Moore, or Harvey Weinstein, or President Trump, it is still unquestionably wrong,” she wrote. “We should not have to be explaining the gradations between sexual assault, harassment and unwelcome groping.” In a New York Times op-ed, actress Amber Tamblyn wrote that making distinctions will mean the cultural change that is happening will stall and bad behavior will win out. So, she wrote, “The punishment for harassment is you disappear. The punishment for rape is you disappear. The punishment for masturbation in front of us is you disappear. The punishment for coercion is you disappear.” (She conceded that some men may be allowed to come back professionally after a period of contrition.) This erasing of distinctions between the criminal and the loutish was a central feature of the campus initiatives of the Obama administration and led to many unjustified punishments. “Definitions of sexual wrongdoing on college campuses are now seriously overbroad,” the feminist Harvard Law professors wrote. “They are so broad as to put students engaged in behavior that is overwhelmingly common in the context of romantic relationships to be accused of sexual misconduct.” Remember this next time you hear some feminist say that someone was raped. Maybe the accused just made a rude comment, and the feminist refuses to distinguish that from rape. Labels: feminism, rape, sex MeTooism is intolerant of distinctions The NY Times reports: The actor Matt Damon waded into the national conversation about sexual assault in an interview with ABC News on Thursday, observing that men are being lumped into “one big bucket” when in reality there is a “spectrum of behavior.” “You know, there’s a difference between, you know, patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right?” he told Peter Travers of ABC. “Both of those behaviors need to be confronted and eradicated without question, but they shouldn’t be conflated, right?” Those comments were met with anger and frustration online, where many women, including the actress Alyssa Milano, rejected attempts to categorize various forms of sexual misconduct. “They all hurt,” Ms. Milano wrote on Twitter on Friday. “And they are all connected to a patriarchy intertwined with normalized, accepted — even welcomed — misogyny.” Other critiques soon followed — with some women speaking up in Mr. Damon’s defense — but the tenor of the conversation was the same: frustration, anger and exasperation. Some of the complaints are really trivial. Some are things that 99% of the population would take no offense to. So these are all supposed to be the same? This reminds of feminists who say that all rape is the same. A brutal stranger rape is just the same as routine drunken sexual relations between lovers who did not formally articulate consent. Meanwhile, others are saying that MeTooism is anti-semitic, because the big majority of the high-profile targets have been Jewish men. I guess MeTooism is a good name for knee-jerk liberal feminist blaming of Jewish men for behavior many years ago, with no one allowed to doubt the accusers or distinguish the seriousness of the rude behaviors. Many states considering shared parenting Now lawmakers are accelerating this trend toward co-parenting, with legislatures in more than 20 states this year considering bills that would encourage shared parenting or make it a legal presumption — even when parents disagree. ... The legal push for custody arrangements follows years of lobbying by fathers’ rights advocates who say men feel alienated from their children and overburdened by child-support obligations. This movement is gaining new traction with support from across the political spectrum, as more lawmakers respond to this appeal for gender equality and, among some conservatives, the frustration of a newly emboldened constituency of men who say they are being shortchanged. Critics of the bills ... say that stricter laws will ... take discretion away from judges who are tasked with deciding what is in the best interest of children. There are many arguments for shared parenting, but I don't think that the best are either fathers' rights or gender equality. The most convincing arguments are the studies that overwhelmingly show that shared parenting works best, especially when the parents have conflict or disagree. I think that the best argument is the negation of the last one from the critics. We should take discretion away from judges who are tasked with deciding what is in the best interest of children. We want children reared by their parents, not micro-managed by judges. Labels: court, kids, marriage Webster's words of the year They are: Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year for 2017 is feminism. The word was a top lookup throughout the year, ... Today’s definitions of feminism read: “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes” and “organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests.” Not everyone realizes that these two definitions are opposites in many contexts. If you listen to women who call themselves feminists, they hardly ever talk about equality issues. For example, their biggest current complaint is about sexual harassment, but 90% of their complaints are things that no man would ever complain about. Complicit means “helping to commit a crime or do wrong in some way.” It comes from the Latin word meaning “to fold together.” The word has been used in connection with the Trump administration throughout the year: first, regarding whether members of Trump's administration were complicit in the firing of James Comey, and later whether they were complicit in Russian disinformation campaigns meant to disrupt the 2016 election. This word is misused also, as it is generally agreed that the firing of Comey was legal and proper. Lookups of recuse spiked several times this year, and all the spikes were in reference to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. ... Recuse means “to disqualify (oneself) as judge in a particular case” and “to remove (oneself) from participation to avoid a conflict of interest.” Recuse came to English from French and ultimately traces back to the Latin word recusare (meaning “to object to” or “to refuse”). Sessions removed himself from active participation in Mueller's investigation, but he still has a constitutional obligation to oversee Mueller and fire him if necessary. Empathy means “the ability to share another person’s feelings” and ultimately derives from the Greek word meaning “emotional.” Wikipedia lists other definitions. Labels: language Mueller blinded the FBI to terror threats Robert Spencer writes: It has come to light that as director of the FBI, Robert Mueller, who is currently the special counsel looking for any dirt he can find on Donald Trump, presided over the 2012 removal of all counterterror training materials of any mention of Islam and jihad in connection with terrorism. Since then, our law enforcement and intelligence officials have been blundering along in self-imposed darkness about the motivating ideology behind the jihad threat. This, it turns out, was Mueller’s doing. In February 2012, the Obama Administration purged more than one thousand documents and presentations from counter-terror training material for the FBI and other agencies. This material was discarded at the demand of Muslim groups, which had deemed it inaccurate or offensive to Muslims. So a terrorist ideology tries to kill us, and Mueller hushes up the causes. But Russia broadcasts some criticism of Hillary Clinton on RT TV, and Mueller seems to be trying to use it to impeach Donald Trump. Labels: Mohammedan Porn novelist complains about porn The NY Times editorializes: Last week, The Washington Post reported the allegations of six women who had worked for the judge as clerks or staff members, and who accused the judge in detail of crude behavior and sexual harassment. Heidi Bond, who clerked for Judge Kozinski in 2006 and 2007, said he repeatedly called her in to look at pornography on his computer, and asked if she was aroused by it. ... Ms. Bond wrote that after one encounter with the judge, “I felt like a prey animal.” The stress of working under those conditions, she said, nearly led her to quit. It damaged her mental health and derailed a promising legal career, which she eventually gave up to write romance novels. Here is the Wikipedia article for Courtney Milan, her porno pen name: Milan was raised in Southern California. She wrote her first book at the age of ten, and intended to be an author from a young age.[1] After failing spectacularly at this, she changed her mind. She received a double major in mathematics and chemistry from Florida State University in 2000, and went on to get a Master's degree in Physical Chemistry from UC Berkeley in 2003, where she did research on computer models of glassy behavior.[2] She then went to the University of Michigan Law School, where she graduated summa cum laude,[3] after which she clerked for Alex Kozinski of the 9th Circuit, followed by Retired Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor[4] and Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy of the Supreme Court of the United States.[5] She was a law professor at Seattle University School of Law for several years, teaching contracts and intellectual property, before quitting to write full-time.[6] So looking at porn derailed her career? On the contrary, it appears that she went on to have a very successful legal career, and then left it for a more rewarding porno book career. Her blog story does make her sound mentally or emotionally damaged. She is obviously living in some sort of fantasy world. By her own account, she was the one to tell Kozinski of her interest in porn, and he suggested against it. She has a weird complaint that a friend emailed her 20 years later that the judge undressed her with his eyes! How would anyone know that? Then there is a complaint that he referred her to a reporter writing a book on the courts. She said that she can't talk about confidential matters, and he said that was fine. So what's the problem? I refuse to believe that a woman who writes porn for a living could really be upset by seeing a picture with a little photoshopped nudity. I don't know what this woman's problem is, but it is very strange for the NY Times and Wash. Post to make an issue out of some trivial conversations 10 years ago. Update: Kozinski resigned a couple of days later, on Dec. 18. The carnage continue. I wonder if the accusers will ever suffer any consequences for their behavior. Update: This story gets weirder: Which brings us to Bond’s career choices. Her rejection of what might have been — an illustrious future as a law professor, government lawyer, judge, law firm partner — seems to have its roots with her awful experience with Kozinski. And though she writes that she had a positive time clerking for Justices O’Connor and Kennedy, it’s ultimately Kozinski who cast the biggest shadow in her career. Did she try to seduce Kozinski, or what? It appears that she fell in love with him. Labels: court, politics, sex Half of all rape accusations are false CR reports: With the cooperation of the police agency of a small metropolitan community, 45 consecutive, disposed, false rape allegations covering a 9 year period were studied. These false rape allegations constitute 41% the total forcible rape cases (n = 109) reported during this period. These false allegations appear to serve three major functions for the complainants: providing an alibi, seeking revenge, and obtaining sympathy and attention. False rape allegations are not the consequence of a gender-linked aberration, as frequently claimed, but reflect impulsive and desperate efforts to cope with personal and social stress situations. ... Back in 2013 I did some digging on this. And I remember that study you cite: Eugene Kanin at Purdue conducted a study that showed, according to police reports from one city, that 41% of rape claims were untrue, and a full 50% of claims at two universities were untrue. Other researchers have come up with similar numbers for false rape accusations: Gregory and Lees, 1996: 45%. Jordan, 2004: 41%. Chambers and Millar, 1983: 22.4%, Grace et al., 1992: 24%. McDowell and Hibler, 1985: 27%. Buckley, 1992: 25%. Washington Post, Virginia and Maryland, 1991: 25%. Even the lowest number is TEN TIMES the number of false rape allegations that feminists will admit to. The news has been dominated women's sexual allegations that are much less serious than rape. They mostly consist of some inappropriate flirting. How many of those do you think have been described accurately? Is there any example of any of them that has been substantiated to have been described accurately? A lot of flirting sounds awkward and inappropriate when described out of context. When the words and facts get distorted, it can sound worse. I am not doubting, for example, that some actresses were having relations with Harvey Weinstein in order to get movie parts, but I don't think that we are getting the whole story in any of these allegations. Labels: rape, women Fired for being a skeptic The sex harassment witch-hunt continues to ruin innocent ppl. This guy was fired for just expressing a personal opinion of skepticism in his own free time. On the sidelines of a children’s soccer game in Los Angeles this month, a Netflix executive reportedly told a woman that people at the company did not believe the rape allegations against Danny Masterson, an actor who was starring in the series “The Ranch.” Andy Yeatman, the executive, did not know that the woman he was speaking to was one of several who had come forward to accuse Mr. Masterson of rape, HuffPost reported. Shortly after she revealed this, the conversation came to an abrupt end. On Wednesday, Netflix confirmed that the executive, Andy Yeatman, no longer worked for the streaming service. ... “Law enforcement investigated these claims more than 15 years ago and determined them to be without merit,” Mr. Masterson said in a statement. “I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. In this country, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. However, in the current climate, it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused.” I don't know the details, but I probably wouldn't believe it either if the police investigated and rejected the claims 15 years ago. The paper also reports on The Race to Erase Kevin Spacey. This is creepy. Sony spent an extra $10M to unperson Spacey from a completed $40M movie. This is really sick. Labels: crime, free speech, sex Where did Neanderthals come from? The NY Times Science section explains: Q. Where did Neanderthals come from? A. Most scientists think that Neanderthals probably evolved in Europe from African ancestors. The consensus now is that modern humans and Neanderthals shared a common ancestor in Africa about 700,000 years ago. The ancestors of Neanderthals left Africa first, expanding to the Near East and then to Europe and Central Asia. DNA extracted from a 430,000-year-old Neanderthal skeleton found in Spain, reported in the journal Nature in 2016, is believed to be the oldest human DNA ever studied. Modern humans emerged in Africa about 200,000 years ago and remained there until roughly 70,000 years ago, when they too began venturing into other parts of the world. Recent genetic studies have concluded that modern humans and Neanderthals met up again in Europe — and interbred. As a result, the genes of all living non-Africans are roughly 1 percent Neanderthal. Our cousins went extinct about 40,000 years ago. The facts are consistent with current thinking, but the terminology is wrong. Neanderthals are called "human", while Africans are called "modern humans". There is no good reason for calling Africans any more modern than Neanderthals. On the contrary, Neanderthal appears to have been more advanced. If your genes are 1% Neanderthal, then Neanderthals are your ancestors, not your cousins, and they did not go extinct. Billions of their descendants live today. I think that the NY Times uses this terminology because it is owned and operated by white-haters who wish to put down those of European ancestry at every opportunity. They look forward to the day when they can say that white Europeans are just cousins that went extinct. I know that sounds goofy, but you tell me why a well-edited newspaper would say that someone was an ancestor in one sentence, and then an extinct cousin in the next. It doesn't make any sense, except to try to give the impression that Europeans were irrelevant and inferior to Africans. Here is another NY Times article with a political angle on race and science: Sickle cell anemia was first described in 1910 and was quickly labeled a “black” disease. At a time when many people were preoccupied with an imagined racial hierarchy, with whites on top, the disease was cited as evidence that people of African descent were inferior. But what of white people who presented with sickle cell anemia? ... Professor Yudell belongs to a growing chorus of scholars and researchers who argue that in science at least, we need to push past the race concept and, where possible, scrap it entirely. Professor Yudell and others contend that instead of talking about race, we should talk about ancestry (which, unlike “race,” refers to one’s genetic heritage, not innate qualities); or the specific gene variants that, like the sickle cell trait, affect disease risk; or environmental factors like poverty or diet that affect some groups more than others. This reminds me of the campaign to replace the name GRIDS with AIDS, because science had proven that it was not a gay disease. Now, 30 years later, it is as much a gay disease as it ever was. The campaign was political. The article makes distinctions that don't make any sense. It distinguishes between ancestry and race by saying that ancestry refers to genetic heritage while race refers to innate qualities. No, this is just nutty. Ancestry and race are both innate, and both being just different ways of expressing the same genetic heritage. I understand that physicians could have been misled by racial generalizations in the past, but the article examples do not back that up. Consider the case of kidney disease. Scientists have found that African-Americans fare worse than whites when it comes to this illness. The assumption had long been that some environmental factor explained the difference. But in recent years, scientists have linked certain variants of a gene called APOL1 to worse kidney-related outcomes. Those variants are enriched in people of African ancestry. Girish N. Nadkarni, a kidney specialist at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, explained to me that scientists think this may be because those variants protect against the sleeping sickness endemic to some parts of Africa. In other words, the scientists using race were completely correct. Anti-race propagandists tried to convince them race was not the issue, but when new DNA evidence became available, it turned out that race was the issue exactly as the earlier scientists had suspected. Not everyone agrees that it is possible or even desirable to completely scrap the race concept. ... Science seeks to categorize nature, to sort it into discrete groupings to better understand it. ... The problem is, the concept is imprecise. ... Now, at a time when we desperately need ways to come together, there are scientists — intellectual descendants of the very people who helped give us the race concept — who want to retire it. Notice the reluctance to use races in the above article on Neanderthals, even when the science requires it. It says "all living non-Africans" when it really means all those not belonging to the negro race. The South Africa whites have the Neanderthal genes. For more criticism, see Prof. Jerry Coyne. Labels: evolution, race, research IQ correlated with disorders SciAm reports: Now there’s some bad news for people in the right tail of the IQ bell curve. In a study just published in the journal Intelligence, Pitzer College researcher Ruth Karpinski and her colleagues emailed a survey with questions about psychological and physiological disorders to members of Mensa. A “high IQ society”, Mensa requires that its members have an IQ in the top two percent. For most intelligence tests, this corresponds to an IQ of about 132 or higher. (The average IQ of the general population is 100.) The survey of Mensa’s highly intelligent members found that they were more likely to suffer from a range of serious disorders. The survey covered mood disorders (depression, dysthymia, and bipolar), anxiety disorders (generalized, social, and obsessive-compulsive), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism. It also covered environmental allergies, asthma, and autoimmune disorders. Respondents were asked to report whether they had ever been formally diagnosed with each disorder, or suspected they suffered from it. With a return rate of nearly 75%, Karpinski and colleagues compared the percentage of the 3,715 respondents who reported each disorder to the national average. The biggest differences between the Mensa group and the general population were seen for mood disorders and anxiety disorders. More than a quarter (26.7%) of the sample reported that they had been formally diagnosed with a mood disorder, while 20% reported an anxiety disorder — far higher than the national averages of around 10% for each. The differences were smaller, but still statistically significant and practically meaningful, for most of the other disorders. The prevalence of environmental allergies was triple the national average (33% vs. 11%). This is interesting, but how is it that in 2017, research like this is still being published without a control group? Maybe Mensa appeals to neurotic people. Maybe neurotic ppl are more likely to respond to these questionnaires. Maybe smart ppl are more likely to self-diagnose with some oddball disorder. These confounders can be reduced by using a control group. They could have sent out similar questionnaires to a couple of groups that seem similar to Mensa, except for the high IQ admission requirement. It is not that complicated. Social science studies without a control group are usually worthless. Labels: correlation, IQ, research Expand the travel ban Need proof that the Arabs do not want peace? BBC News: There have been violent clashes near the US embassy in Lebanon, in the latest protest against President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Security forces fired tear gas and water cannon to force back flag-waving protesters close to the embassy complex north of the capital, Beirut. Overnight the Arab League condemned the US decision. The USA can put its embassy wherever it wants. Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel forever. What's the problem? We should not have friendly relations with any country that tries to tell us where to put our embassy. We should expand the Trump travel ban to the entire Arab League, whatever that is. The Palestinian Arabs have been offered peace deals many times, and turned them all down. They do not want peace with Israel, and they are incompetent to govern themselves. The deal that they have now is much better than they deserve. We should make it clear that these hateful Arabs and Moslems have no home in America. We don't need them bringing their wars over here. They don't just hate the Jews. They try to interfere with American policy as well. Speaking of Jews, here is a prominent one that claims that inbreeding among white Christian Americans has led to the creation of monstrous dimwits! I thought that Jews were the most inbred religion on Earth. Maybe some Moslem sects are worse. Posted by Roger at 10:30 AM Labels: politics, war The witch-hunt complaints get weirder The casualties of the current sex witch-hunt are getting stranger. The London Guardian reports: The Arizona congressman Trent Franks has announced he will resign from Congress at the end of January after discussing child surrogacy with female staff members. “I have recently learned that the Ethics Committee is reviewing an inquiry regarding my discussion of surrogacy with two previous female subordinates, making each feel uncomfortable,” Franks said in a statement on Thursday. “I deeply regret that my discussion of this option and process in the workplace caused distress.” However, the Arizona Republican insisted, “I want to make one thing completely clear. I have absolutely never physically intimidated, coerced or had, or attempted to have, any sexual contact with any member of my congressional staff.” ... The House speaker, Paul Ryan, said in a statement that on 29 November he had been “briefed on credible claims of misconduct by Rep. Trent Franks” that he found “serious and requiring action”. He also said that Franks, when presented with the accusations, did not deny them and that Ryan told him he should resign. This is not sexual harassment by any definition in use before 2017. He did not make sexual advances, did not touch a woman, did not discuss any sexual acts, and did not persist. Sexual harassment means persisting in some sexual behavior of some kind. So what's the problem? Two women felt uncomfortable by the conversation? How is he supposed to know that some ordinary topic of conversation is going to touch on their neuroses and anxieties? This is pretty crazy. A congressman needs to have staff who can discuss controversial issues of the day, without freaking out. Now he says he is quitting, because he was not sufficiently sensitive to how a staff woman might react to a personal subject. Here is more detail: Franks, a staunch conservative, asked two 'female subordinates' to bear his child in 2011, three years after he and his wife had twins using a donor egg and a surrogate. ... The Associated Press spoke to one of them, who said Franks offered her money – ultimately, $5 million – on four separate occasions if she were willing to carry his child. ... He explained that he and his Filipina wife Josephine chose the surrogate method after struggling with infertility and experiencing three miscarriages. When his twins were three years old they kept asking for another sibling and that's when he approached his staffers about surrogacy. Note that this conversation occurred in 2011! If the women do not approve of surrogacy, then why were they working for him? The process is completely legal, in most states. And what's the matter with Paul Ryan? That guy is disgusting in almost everything he does. I guess child surrogacy is one of those subjects that some women are hyper-sensitive about, like abortion, menstruation, venereal disease, and adoption. The accusations against Al Franken are fairly trivial also. He is one of the biggest jerks in Senate. Many say he stole his election. I've seen clips of him asking questions in committee hearing, and he is just a blustering moron. Maybe that is part of why his colleagues are making him resign. Labels: politics, sex Aesop's fable trumps the facts Radio host James Edwards writes: As many of you know, after prayerful consideration, I sued The Detroit News last year for publishing that I was a leader of the Ku Klux Klan. Alas, the journey came to an end yesterday morning when the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled against me and in favor of the defendants. he panel of judges mention in the first sentence of their decision that the law was on my side, but that Aesop’s fables instructs them to judge a man by the company he keeps. The Restatement (Second) of Torts § 559 lists “membership in the Ku Klux Klan” as the quintessential illustration of a defamatory statement. In an opinion piece in The Detroit News, columnist Bankole Thompson asserted that radio show host James Edwards is a “leader” of the Ku Klux Klan. There is no record evidence to suggest that Edwards holds a formal leadership position in the Ku Klux Klan, nor is there any record evidence to suggest that he is even a member. Notwithstanding this lack of formal relationship, Edwards has espoused views consistent with those associated with the Klan and, equally as important, he has repeatedly and publicly embraced several individuals who are strongly associated with the Klan. Mindful of Aesop’s lesson, “A man is known by the company he keeps,” we hold that Edwards cannot make claims of defamation or invasion of privacy and affirm summary disposition in favor of defendants. Please click here and take the time to read this remarkable ruling in its entirety. This illustrates how it is nearly impossible to win a libel suit in the USA. Remember this next time you read a newspaper associate someone with the Ku Klan Klan. The newspaper could have just made it up, like the Detroit News, for the purpose of smearing someone. Labels: court, free speech Inevitability of legal prostitution I have come to the conclusion that it is inevitable that prostitution will become legal, and publicly acceptable. Prostitution is legal in more and more places. It is legal in Germany. Canada has decriminalized it. It is trending towards legality about like marijuana. California has a legal porn video industry, so prostitution is legal as long as you say that you are making a porn movie, or auditioning for one. Public opinion has turned against the sex habits of Harvey Weinstein, so what is a guy like that supposed to do? The public has been trained to approve of homosexuality and other acts that have been traditionally considered immoral, with the argument that nothing can be wrong with a consensual act. In this modern lens, prostitution is the most fully consensual sexual act of all. As it is usually practiced, all parties are freely and voluntarily participating with no unusual pressure or coercion. Some are now arguing that almost anytime two co-workers date, there is a power imbalance that detracts from it being fully consensual. If an actress seduces Weinstein to get a movie part, then someone has more power. Either the actress, because she is young and beautiful and captivating, or Weinstein because he can award the movie role. Usually feminists blame the man, of course even tho 30% of the victims of sexual harassment are men. Even in marriage, there are those today who consider it rape if the husband unduly pressures the wife to have sexual relations with him. But with prostitution, there are no ongoing promises, commitments, or pressures. It is the perfect consensual act. Either party can walk away at any time, with no repercussions. Everyone gets exactly what they want. I am not saying that I agree with these trends. I think that co-workers ought to be able to flirt at work. I think people ought to be able to make moral judgments about the consensual acts of others. I think spouse should be able to make long-term sexual commitments. But hardly anyone in the major news media agrees with me. With the current views that dominate public sexual attitudes, I don't see any grounds for rejecting prostitution. It is not practical to enforce laws against prostitution anyway. Prostitute can advertise on online dating sites, and say they want a no-strings-attached sexual relationship. The man will understand that he should bring a gift. Then it is all legal, even if prostitution is illegal. So legal prostitution will be here to stay. Get used to it. Update: A feminist article says: "being pro-sex worker is a necessary pillar of dismantling the patriarchy." The rest of the article is so wacky that it appears to be a joke, but I don't think it is. Labels: crime, law, sex Charlottesville officials created the chaos NPR Radio news reports: An independent review of Charlottesville's handling of the white nationalist rally there in August found that law enforcement and city officials made several significant mistakes, resulting in violence and distrust. The city commissioned the report, which was prepared by Timothy Heaphy, a former U.S. attorney in Virginia. In conducting the investigation, Heaphy said his team pored through hundreds of thousands of documents, interviewed hundreds of witnesses, and reviewed countless hours of video and audio. The resulting 220-page report is a detailed record of the chaos and conflict that unspooled in the Virginia college town. It is unsparing in identifying the errors authorities made that day and in the preceding months. The city failed to protect either free expression or public safety, the report finds: "This represents a failure of one of government's core functions — the protection of fundamental rights. Law enforcement also failed to maintain order and protect citizens from harm, injury, and death. Charlottesville preserved neither of those principles on August 12, which has led to deep distrust of government within this community." The "most tragic manifestation" of the failure to protect public safety was the death of 32-year-old Heather Heyer, the report says. The news media had been blaming the white nationalist organizers. The city finally admits that the blame belongs with their own officials. The mainstream news media at the time blamed the white nationalists for everything, even tho they weren't even present when Heyer died. The white nationalists explained that the city officials were creating a dangerous riot, and now that appears to be the correct story. Labels: politics, race Scared of medical diagnostic tests From the Slate.com medical examiner column: We Don’t Want to Know What Will Kill Us Years of data on genetic testing reveal that when given the option, most people want less information, not more. ... When, in 1996, French nun Mariannick Caniou found out she didn’t have Huntington’s disease, the lethal, degenerative genetic disorder, she fell into a depression. Throughout her life, she had been convinced that she would develop the illness that had killed her mother and grandmother. So convinced, in fact, that all her most important decisions had been based on that conviction: her decision not to marry, for example, or not to have children. ... In those preparatory surveys, roughly 70 percent of those at risk of Huntington’s said they would take a test if it existed. In fact, only around 15 percent do — a proportion that has proved stable across countries and decades. A similar pattern emerged when tests became available for other incurable brain diseases, including rare familial forms of Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia: The vast majority of people prefer not to know. There is a certain logic to this. Why know if there’s nothing you can do about it? I think that she is misreading these studies. Huntington's is incurable, but obviously Caniou's (faulty) knowledge did influence her decisions. There were things that she could do about the Huntington's info. I have posted examples of genetics experts who refuse to get their genes sequenced. Sometimes they complain that the tests are too unreliable, and sometimes that they are too reliable. A lot of ppl are also afraid to take an IQ test. Some sort of phobia is at work here. While some ppl have these problems, I refuse to believe that it is a majority. Most ppl have no problem with other diagnostics, like cholesterol, blood pressure, and diabetes tests. These are pushed by physicians who want to prescribe drugs for treatment, but the drugs don't really cure the problems. Labels: drugs, health, IQ Sexual harassment is purely subjective An NPR Radio news guest explains sexual harassment: MARSHALL: Yeah. The episode that just turned up in the last 24 hours involving Representative Kihuen really sets this out, I think, which is that - remember that sexual harassment is defined by how the recipient of it feels. If it's welcomed, it's not sexual harassment. If it isn't welcomed, it is sexual harassment. And it opens - the way the law is written and the way we look at it is someone who can change their mind about whether it was welcomed or not some time after it actually occurred. And men who - men who think that any conduct from them is welcomed often may find themselves in the situation of suddenly finding it was not. And this comes from, often, what their experience is, how attractive they are. I have a script that I use in my training where, you know, a George Clooney level of actor and someone who looks like Steve Buscemi, for example, both hit on the same employee over and over again. That's sexual harassment, except eventually she agrees to go out with the good-looking guy. And the other guy who's just sort of inept is sent to HR with a complaint. And my audiences don't get this. They say it's unfair. And I say, well, that's sexual harassment. It depends on the victim's perception. MARTIN: So - wait a minute. Are you really trying to tell me that somebody good looking behaving in a boorish fashion is OK as long as the target eventually thinks it's OK? I mean... MARSHALL: I don't think it's OK. But it's not - but - I don't think it's OK. However, they will not get in trouble for sexual harassment because of the way the law is written. A hostile work environment means that the recipient of this has to feel hostility. They don't like it. So, for example, if somebody - I have a hypothetical that I'm sure has happened where someone is grabbed by Donald Trump back when he's a celebrity, and she comes home. And she's kissed, and she tells her roommate that was cool. Donald Trump kissed me. And then when everybody she knows detests Donald Trump, she suddenly says that not - you know, I was harassed. In other words, there is no way you can know whether you are sexually harassing someone or not. Labels: law, sex, women Spinelessness and contempt for democracy I did not expect to agree with the World Socialist Web Site on anything, but it is a voice of reason on the US sexual witch-hunt: The purge of the US entertainment, media and political world initiated in early October by the New York Times has chalked up two more victims. The spinelessness and contempt for democracy in these circles seems almost universal and unlimited. NBC News announced Wednesday it had axed Matt Lauer, longtime co-anchor of its “Today” show, after receiving a complaint on Monday night about his alleged sexual impropriety. ... The case against Keillor, 75, seems even more preposterous. ... With the toll of disgraced and disappeared mounting daily, one can only wonder, who’s next? However creepy the accused men appear, the accusers, the news media, and their accomplices are much creepier. Speaking of socialists, I mentioned the NY Times profiling a national socialist. Now the guy has lost his welder job, and the NY Times has attached a disclaimer to the original story. There is another witch-hunt in progress. Labels: free speech, politics, sex Four world maps Labels: demographics Dark Buzz PS Eagles About Singular Values Poincare doodles	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line31
__label__cc	0.671704	0.328296	Anthony Day : 2013 175.7 m surveyed this year. Other years: \| 1993 \| 1994 \| 1995 \| 1996 \| 1997 \| 1999 \| 2000 \| 2001 \| 2002 \| 2003 \| 2004 \| 2005 \| 2007 \| 2009 \| 2011 \| 2012 \| 2013 \| 2014 \| 2015 \| 2016 \| 2018 July 29, 2013 258 Rigging String Theory Aug. 1, 2013 258 Upper level Tunnock - Oompah, Just for a Laugh, Naughty, Naughty and 08-19 Alead Aug. 2, 2013 258 Pushing Determination determination instrument notes 65.5 m Aug. 6, 2013 258 Tunnocks â The Number of the Beast numberofthebeast inst notes 110.3 m	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line41
__label__wiki	0.557972	0.557972	General (Off-Topic) Discussion » LoC: Top 65 Beverages Author Topic: LoC: Top 65 Beverages (Read 41840 times) BBQ Platypus Bilbo Baggins Balladeer SURF'S UP, SPACE PONIES! Re: LoC: Top 65 Beverages Quote from: Johnny Unusual on September 28, 2011, 03:51:43 PM 25 – Chocolate Milkshake 3 of 16 lists Top Vote: #4 Johnny Unusual Was my vote counted among this, or was it considered separate? Correction: the coat hanger should be upside down. Stars in Musicals Very dapper Quote from: D.B. Barnes on September 28, 2011, 11:07:52 PM other than the $200/bottle stuff if you don't mind. $200/bottle? Oh no no no, that's the price for a measure in coke, you don't wan't to know the price of a bottle Johnny Unusual Quote from: BBQ Platypus on September 28, 2011, 11:47:37 PM That it was, but looking back, your vote merely said Milkshake and I did not count two very low counting "Vanilla Milkshakes" Hmm... What do you think people? Should I have Milkshake shoot up in the rankings? It wouldn't be too much trouble to change it. I think that I initially toed with the idea of separate votes for different milkshakes and consolidating them and I think that BBQ's vote was stuck in the middle. « Last Edit: September 29, 2011, 07:27:40 AM by Johnny Unusual » 20 – Ginger Ale Ginger ale is a carbonated soft drink flavored with ginger. Dr. Thomas Cantrell, an American apothecary and surgeon, claimed to have invented ginger ale and marketed it with beverage manufacturer Grattan and Company. Grattan embossed the slogan "The Original Makers of Ginger Ale" on its bottles. Ginger ale was considered the most popular soft drink in the United States between 1860 and 1930. Ginger Ale has a storied history in the United States. Ginger ales come in two varieties: "golden" and "dry". Golden ginger ale is dark colored, generally sweet to taste, with a strong ginger spice flavor. It is the older style and there is little or no difference between this and nonalcoholic versions of ginger beer. Many believe golden ginger ale is a form of ginger beer brought into North America by migrants from Eastern Europe, where it had been known for centuries. Golden ginger ale, like ginger beer, is mainly consumed as a soda type drink in its own right. Dry ginger ale (paler, and with much less of the ginger "kick") became popular in the United States during the Prohibition era, when it was used as a mixer for alcoholic beverages, as the strong flavor of golden ginger ale was undesirable. Dry ginger ale quickly surpassed golden ginger ale in popularity, and today, golden ginger ale is an uncommon, and usually regional, drink. By contrast, dry ginger ale is produced on a vast scale for national and international consumers. Vernors, Blenheim, A-Treat, Bull's Head, Chelmsford, Buffalo Rock, Sussex and Red Rock are brands of golden ginger ale. Canada Dry, Schweppes and Seagram's are major brands of dry ginger ale. Dry ginger ale, as a mixer for alcoholic beverages, is a staple on supermarket shelves, in bars, and on airlines. Ginger ale is less commonly sold through vending machines or soda fountains alongside other carbonated soft drinks, but is still popular in some countries such as Canada. Drink Recipe – Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Cocktail Ingredients • 8-10 cubes (cracked) Ice • 2 measures lemon juice • 1/2 measure grenadine • 1/2 measure sugar syrup • to top up, ginger ale • Put 4-6 ice cubes into shaker. Pour the lemon juice, grenadine and sugar syrup over the ice and shake well. Half fill a small, chilled glass with remaining ice cubes and strain the cocktail over them. Top with ginger ale and decorate with orange slice and cherry. http://www.youtube.com/v/y-chiAbi9ss 19 – Soy Milk Top Vote: #3 CJones Soy milk (also called soya milk, soymilk, soybean milk, or soy juice) and sometimes referred to as soy drink/beverage is a beverage made from soybeans. A stable emulsion of oil, water, and protein, it is produced by soaking dry soybeans and grinding them with water. Soy milk contains about the same proportion of protein as cow's milk: around 3.5%; also 2% fat, 2.9% carbohydrate, and 0.5% ash. Soy milk can be made at home with traditional kitchen tools or with a soy milk machine. The coagulated protein from soy milk can be made into tofu, just as dairy milk can be made into cheese. The oldest evidence of soy milk production is from China where a kitchen scene proving use of soy milk is incised on a stone slab dated around AD 25–220. It also appeared in a chapter called Four Taboos (Szu-Hui) in the AD 82 book called Lunheng by Wang Chong, possibly the first written record of soy milk. Evidence of soy milk is rare prior to the 20th century and widespread usage before then is unlikely. According to popular tradition in China, soy milk was developed by Liu An for medicinal purposes, although there is no historical evidence for this legend. This legend first started in the 12th century and was not clearly stated until late 15th century in Bencao Gangmu, where Li was attributed to the development of tofu with no mention of soy milk. Later writers in Asia and the West additionally attributed development of soy milk to Liu An, assuming that he could not have made tofu without making soy milk. However, it is also likely that Liu An has been falsely attributed to the development of tofu by writers after his time. However, some recent writers attributed Liu An to have developed tofu in 164 BC. Drink-Based Recipe – Soy Milk Pancakes • 1 cup all-purpose flour • 1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar • 2 teaspoons baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1 cup vanilla soy milk • 1 egg, lightly beaten • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, mix the vanilla soy milk, egg, oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Pour the soy milk mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture, and whisk together until smooth. 2. Grease a skillet, and heat over medium low heat. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto the heated skillet, and cook until bubbly. Flip with a spatula, and continue cooking about 1 minute, until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter. http://www.youtube.com/v/Dep7CH6sans 18 – Beer Top Vote: #1 BBQ Platypus Beer is the world's most widely consumed and probably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat. Sugars derived from maize (corn) and rice are widely used adjuncts because of their lower cost. Most beer is flavoured with hops, which add bitterness and act as a natural preservative, though other flavourings such as herbs or fruit may occasionally be included. Some of humanity's earliest known writings refer to the production and distribution of beer: the Code of Hammurabi included laws regulating beer and beer parlours, and "The Hymn to Ninkasi", a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, served as both a prayer and as a method of remembering the recipe for beer in a culture with few literate people. Today, the brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries. The strength of beer is usually around 4% to 6% alcohol by volume (abv) though may range from less than 1% abv, to over 20% abv in rare cases. Beer forms part of the culture of beer-drinking nations and is associated with social traditions such as beer festivals, as well as a rich pub culture involving activities like pub crawling and pub games such as bar billiards. Beer is one of the world's oldest prepared beverages, possibly dating back to the early Neolithic or 9500 BC, when cereal was first farmed, and is recorded in the written history of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Archaeologists speculate that beer was instrumental in the formation of civilizations. The earliest known chemical evidence of beer dates to circa 3500–3100 BC from the site of Godin Tepe in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran. Some of the earliest Sumerian writings found in the region contain references to a type of beer; one such example, a prayer to the goddess Ninkasi, known as "The Hymn to Ninkasi", served as both a prayer as well as a method of remembering the recipe for beer in a culture with few literate people. The Ebla tablets, discovered in 1974 in Ebla, Syria and date back to 2500 BC, reveal that the city produced a range of beers, including one that appears to be named "Ebla" after the city. A beer made from rice, which, unlike sake, didn't use the amylolytic process, and was probably prepared for fermentation by mastication or malting, was made in China around 7000 BC. As almost any substance containing carbohydrates, mainly sugars or starch, can naturally undergo fermentation, it is likely that beer-like beverages were independently invented among various cultures throughout the world. Bread and beer increased prosperity to a level that allowed time for development of other technology and contributed to the building of civilizations. Beer was spread through Europe by Germanic and Celtic tribes as far back as 3000 BC, and it was mainly brewed on a domestic scale. The product that the early Europeans drank might not be recognized as beer by most people today. Alongside the basic starch source, the early European beers might contain fruits, honey, numerous types of plants, spices and other substances such as narcotic herbs. What they did not contain was hops, as that was a later addition, first mentioned in Europe around 822 by a Carolingian Abbot and again in 1067 by Abbess Hildegard of Bingen. In 1516, William IV, Duke of Bavaria, adopted the Reinheitsgebot (purity law), perhaps the oldest food-quality regulation still in use in the 21st century, according to which the only allowed ingredients of beer are water, hops and barley-malt. Beer produced before the Industrial Revolution continued to be made and sold on a domestic scale, although by the 7th century AD, beer was also being produced and sold by European monasteries. During the Industrial Revolution, the production of beer moved from artisanal manufacture to industrial manufacture, and domestic manufacture ceased to be significant by the end of the 19th century. The development of hydrometers and thermometers changed brewing by allowing the brewer more control of the process and greater knowledge of the results. Today, the brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries. As of 2006, more than 133 billion liters (35 billion gallons), the equivalent of a cube 510 metres on a side, of beer are sold per year, producing total global revenues of $294.5 billion (£147.7 billion). Drink-Based Recipe – Beer Batter Cod Tartar Sauce: 1 scallion, both white and green parts, minced 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons minced dilled gherkins 1 tablespoon minced drained capers 2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley 1 pinch each of salt and black pepper cooking oil, for deep-frying ( about 1 quart) 1 cup beer, or as needed 2 pounds cod, haddock or hake fillets, cut into approximately 1 1/2" x 3" pieces Combine all the tartar sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Cover a cookie sheet with paper towels and top with a wire rack. In a medium pot or deep fryer, heat 3 inches of oil to 350°F (use a deep frying thermometer if you are using a pot). Meanwhile, mix the flour and cornstarch with the salt. Whisk in the egg. Slowly add the beer while whisking just until the ingredients are incorporated. Dip the fish pieces in the batter and place on a plate or the wire rack you will be using to drain the fried fish. If you have some batter left over, you can dip the fish in the batter again after the first coat of batter dries on the fish awaiting frying. Place the fish pieces, two at a time, in the oil. Cook until the fish is done and the crust is lightly golden, about 4 minutes for 3/4 inch thick fillets. Remove the fish with tongs and put on the rack to drain. Sprinkle salt over the hot fish and put the baking sheet in the oven while you cook the other batches. Serve with the tartar sauce and freshly made french fries. http://www.youtube.com/v/SCgX4ixCRcQ 17 – Lemonade Top Vote: #8 Johnny Unusual, Monty Preferred serving: Pink! (Johnny Unusual, Monty) Lemonade is a lemon-flavored drink, typically made from lemons, water and sugar. The term can refer to three different types of beverage:  "Clear" lemonade: In many western European countries, the term limonade, from which the term "lemonade" is derived, originally applied to unsweetened water or carbonated soda water with lemon juice added, although several versions of sugar sweetened limonade have arrived on store shelves.  "Cloudy" lemonade (UK term): In the US, Canada, and India lemonade refers to a mixture of lemon juice, sugar, and uncarbonated water, although there are many versions which contain artificial flavors instead of actual lemon juice. In India, it is a common household preparation, made using freshly squeezed lemons, granulated sugar, salt, pepper (and other spices according to personal taste) and is invariably consumed fresh.  "Fizzy" lemonade: In France, the modern use of the term limonade refers to sweet carbonated lemon soft drinks (the uncarbonated version would be called citronnade). Likewise, in the UK, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand the term "lemonade" refers to a colourless, carbonated, sweet soft drink containing either natural or artificial lemon flavour. (This does not include lemon-lime drinks such as Seven-Up and Sprite.) The French word limonade, which originally meant an unsweetened lemon-flavored water or carbonated soda, has since come to mean "soft drink", regardless of flavor, in many countries. In the UK, the suffix '-ade' means a 'carbonated sweet soft drink'; hence limeade, orangeade, cherryade, etc. Brown lemonade exists in the Northern Ireland region of the UK. In the Republic of Ireland, lemonade refers to the carbonated, lemon-flavored soft drink (as in the UK) but is further sub-divided into white (clear) lemonade and red lemonade. White lemonade equates to the colourless fizzy lemonade common in many countries, while red lemonade is particular to Ireland. Red lemonade differs slightly in taste from white lemonade and is either drunk neat or as part of a whiskey mixer. American-style lemonade exists in the UK as a "homemade" juice (also called lemonade), but is only rarely sold commercially under that name. A carbonated version is commonly sold commercially as "cloudy" or "traditional" lemonade. There are also similar uncarbonated products, lemon squash and lemon barley water, both of which are usually sold as a syrup which is diluted to taste. Traditional lemonade also comes in powder packages. Variations on this form of lemonade can be found worldwide. In India and Pakistan, where it is commonly known as limbu paani or nimbu paani, lemonade may also contain salt and/or ginger juice. Shikanjvi is a traditional lemonade from the India-Pakistan region and can also be flavored with saffron, garlic and cumin. In Australia and New Zealand, lemonade can also refer to any clear, carbonated soft drink with a primarily lemon flavor; e.g. a lemon-lime soft drink, such as Sprite. Culturally however, with a drink such as Sprite, the flavor is not recognised as "lemon-lime", but just plain "lemonade", although it is still the same flavor as its international counterpart. Other colored (and flavored) soft drinks are sometimes referred to by their color such as "red lemonade" or "green lemonade", implying that "lemonade" is the clear version of its "flavored" counterparts. Drink-Based Recipe – Lemonade • 6 lemons • 1 cup white sugar • 6 cups cold water 1. Juice the lemons to make 1 cup of juice. To make your labor easier, FIRMLY roll the lemons between your hand and counter top before cutting in half and juicing. 2. In a gallon pitcher combine 1 cup lemon juice, 1 cup sugar, and 6 cups cold water. Stir. Adjust water to taste. Chill and serve over ice. http://www.youtube.com/v/H6Q4s_ZdvAQ 16 – Earl Grey Top Vote: #3 Imrahil Earl Grey tea is a tea blend with a distinctive flavour and aroma derived from the addition of oil extracted from the rind of the bergamot orange, a fragrant citrus fruit and is commonly known as "regular tea". Traditionally the term "Earl Grey" was applied only to black tea; however, today the term is used for other teas that contain oil of bergamot, or a flavour. The Earl Grey blend is named after 2nd Earl Grey, British Prime Minister in the 1830s and author of the Reform Bill of 1832, who reputedly received a gift, probably a diplomatic perquisite, of tea flavoured with bergamot oil, taken from bergamot, a citrus fruit typical of Southeast Asia and grown commercially in Italy. According to one legend, a grateful Chinese mandarin whose son was rescued from drowning by one of Lord Grey's men first presented the blend to the Earl in 1803. The tale has no basis in fact, as Lord Grey never set foot in China and the use of bergamot oil to scent tea was then unknown in China. However, this tale is subsequently told (and slightly corrected) on the Twinings website, as "having been presented by an envoy on his return from China". Jacksons of Piccadilly claim they originated Earl Grey's Tea, Lord Grey having given the recipe to Robert Jackson & Co. partner George Charlton in 1830. According to Jacksons, the original recipe has been in constant production and has never left their hands. Theirs has been based on China tea since the beginning. According to the Grey family, the tea was specially blended by a Chinese mandarin for Lord Grey, to suit the water at Howick Hall, the family seat in Northumberland, using bergamot in particular to offset the preponderance of lime in the local water. Lady Grey used it to entertain in London as a political hostess, and it proved so popular that she was asked if it could be sold to others, which is how Twinings came to market it as a brand. Drink-Based Recipe – Chocolate Earl Grey Cookies • 1 cup butter, room temperature • 2 1/2 tablespoons Earl Grey tea, finely ground in a coffee grinder • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 2 cups all-purpose flour • 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 2. Cream together butter, sugar, and tea. Beat in vanilla, then eggs, one at a time until incorporated. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder; fold into egg mixture until just mixed. 3. Drop cookies by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a ungreased cookie sheets. 4. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes. http://www.youtube.com/v/R2IJdfxWtPM 15 – Captain Morgan Top Vote: #2 Sarcasm Made Easy Captain Morgan is a brand of rum produced by alcohol conglomerate Diageo. It is named after the 17th-century, Welsh privateer of theCaribbean, Sir Henry Morgan. Since 2011 the label has used the slogan, "To Life, Love and Loot." In 1944, the Seagram Company started producing rum under the name Captain Morgan Rum Company. Seagram CEO Samuel Bronfman purchased a distillery named Long Pond from the Jamaican government. Among the buyers of raw rum from the Long Pond distillery was a Kingston pharmacy named Levy Brothers. The Levy family had been purchasing raw rum, adding medicinal herbs and spices, aging, and bottling it. Bronfman liked the rum product and bought the rights to it. In the 1950s the governments of both the United States and its Puerto Rico commonwealth territory instituted a number of job-creation programs in Puerto Rico. Taxes on rum entering the contiguous 48 states from Puerto Rico were made lower than those on rum coming from foreign countries. At this time both Seagram's and the Bacardi family built large new plants near San Juan. In 1985, Seagrams sold its rum distillery and manufacturing facilities in Camuy and Arecibo -- and doing business as Puerto Rican Destillers -- to Destilería Serrallés, a Puerto Rican concern that had been producing the Don Q brand in Puerto Rico since 1865. As part of the contract Seagrams also licensed to Serralles the rights to produce and distribute the "Captain Morgan" brand in Puerto Rico and the rest of the Caribbean until in 2012. In 2001, Seagrams sold the "Captain Morgan" brand to Diageo. Diageo made an announcement on June 24, 2008 that it intends to build and operate a new rum distillery on St. Croix, Virgin Islands beginning in 2010 and to source from it beginning at the end of their current supply contract in 2012. In 1984, Captain Morgan Original Spiced rum was introduced to the United States. Captain Morgan is, by volume, the second largest brand of spirits in the United States, and the seventh largest worldwide. In 2007, 7.6 million 9-liter cases were sold. Most Captain Morgan rum is sold in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, South Africa, and Global Travel. Although the pirate Henry Morgan is a figure of Jamaican culture, the Seagram's Captain Morgan Rum is labeled as a product of Puerto Rico, whereas the Captain Morgan Rum produced by J. Wray and Nephew Ltd. is labeled as a "product of Jamaica." In November 2009, the NFL banned a covert ad campaign, allegedly put on by Diageo. It was understood that for each NFL player striking the "Captain Morgan" pose on camera during a regular season game, Diageo would donate $10,000 to the Gridiron Greats (a non-profit which helps retired NFL players with various hardships after leaving the game). The league made this announcement following such a celebration by Brent Celek of the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2010 two American territories, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands bickered over plans for the Captain Morgan to move operations to the U.S.V.I under tax incentives. The matter came to a head when it created a debate in the United States Congress over the USVI's attempt to use tax benefits to lure the company to that territory. Drink-Based Recipe – Long Island Spice Tea Ok add 0.25 oz. Smirnoff Vodka into a cocktail shaker, add 0.25 oz. Gordon’s Gin to the shaker, 0.25 oz. Jose Cuervo tequila to the shaker, add 0.25 oz. of Grand Marnier to the shaker and the piece de resistance – 0.25 oz. of Captain Morgan ® Original Spiced. Add 1.0 oz. of equal parts water, sugar, fresh lemon juice & fresh limejuice. Give it a shake. Add Cola and pour over ice into a tall glass. http://www.youtube.com/v/fHLRT9fKD1g D.B. Barnes Grendel's Mom "AMIRITE?!?" Quote from: Johnny Unusual on September 29, 2011, 05:37:44 AM I just want an explanation (preferably in the form of a 72-slide PowerPoint presentation) of the orange soda situation. VIVA IL ESORDIO DEL DIABETE ADULTO DUCE!!! Quote from: D.B. Barnes on September 29, 2011, 08:00:22 AM I had Orange pop, Orangina, C-Plus and Orange Crush on my list. Some people gave the names of specific brands, some did not. Pak-Man Insert $0.25 to Play! Sunkist is the only TRUE orange soda. All the others are just imitators. Pitch-perfect imitators. :^) sarcasm_made_Easy Compsognathus WOOO got captain twice on this list Darth Geek The Efron I am boring and destined to die alone! I had Ginger Ale (specifically Canada Dry) at #1 on my list. ALthough since mine didn't go to a full 25 items, the #1 slot would have counted less. I didn't include yours since it was SPECIFICALLY Canada Dry. I know it sounds like I'm being anal, but never underestimate the rabid passion of brand loyalty.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line46
__label__wiki	0.631111	0.631111	David Ling is the author of the new children's picture book Why Do Cats Have Tails? After working in the publishing industry for almost two decades, he established David Ling Publishing in 1992 and its children's imprint, Duck Creek Press, in 2010. He is based in Auckland, New Zealand. Q: How did you come up with the idea for Why Do Cats Have Tails?, and why did you decide to have it focus on a grandfather and grandchildren? A: Young children are very curious about the world around them and ask lots and lots of questions. Some make you laugh, some are so pretty weird and hard to answer. Like many other grandfathers, I suspect, I found myself giving silly answers to amuse my granddaughter Emma and it has turned into a sort of game where we have lots of fun coming up with answers to questions that get sillier and sillier. Suddenly a book idea was born but it took me several months playing around with it on and off before I felt it was right and ready to pass over to the illustrator. Q: Did you plot out the entire story before you wrote it, or did you make changes along the way? A: I didn’t plan the whole thing out at once. I started with the title and a couple of silly answers and ideas for how they could be illustrated and then it gradually grew as more silly answers came to mind. A second, younger granddaughter, Lara, was added after a while to allow for more illustration possibilities. Q: You're also a publisher of children's books--why did you launch Duck Creek Press in 2010? A: I had published children’s picture books before, including another one of my own, when I was a local director of multinational companies here in New Zealand. When I went independent with David Ling Publishing in 1992 I concentrated on building an adult fiction and non-fiction list but always wanted to also publish picture books again. Finally in 2009 I had a couple of irresistible manuscripts in hand and saw a bit of a gap in the market so decided to take the leap, creating Duck Creek Press as a specialist imprint within the company. There are now more than 30 Duck Creek titles in print alongside the larger David Ling list. It’s been a lot of fun. Q: Who are some New Zealand-based writers whose work you particularly recommend? A: There are so many to recommend it’s hard to know where to begin, and certainly where to end. A very authoritative guide as to what is really good recent children’s writing and publishing in New Zealand is to look at the annual Storylines Notable Book Awards. Here is a link to the latest list. A: At the moment I’m very busy with other authors’ work but I have an idea lurking that I will toy with when I get a chance. It’s quite different from Why Do Cats Have Tails? And time will tell whether it’s a dead end or not. A: With a national population of around four and a half million and a completely open market to anything published anywhere in the English language, getting good volume sales in local publishing is pretty tough. Selling overseas rights to many of our titles has made a big difference financially, to the company and to the authors and illustrators. --Interview with Deborah Kalb mcrchicago May 3, 2016 at 8:26 PM As Publisher Development Manager at IPG I helped Starfish Bay Children's Books launch their first list of titles published for the North American market. This book is among my favorites on their list.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line49
__label__wiki	0.64552	0.64552	The slavery experience (Part 1) Published:Friday \| August 3, 2012 \| 12:00 AM Freedom fighters: Maroons and many others fought slavery. The Zong Massacre monument at Black River, St Elizabeth, erected in honour of 133 Africans who were thrown from the slave ship, the Zong, in 1781. AUGUST 1, 2012 marked 174 years since the proclamation of full freedom for Africans in the British colonies. Full freedom for approximately 311,000 enslaved Africans in Jamaica was not achieved until August 1, 1838. Emancipation Day was officially introduced as a public holiday in Jamaica in 1893. The 'First of August' celebrations, however, was discontinued in 1962, when Jamaica gained Independence. It was replaced by Independence Day, which was then recognised on the first Monday in August. In 1997, the then government re-introduced Emancipation Day as a public holiday and Independence Day was fixed to August 6. This re-introduction of Emancipation Day provides the opportunity for us to reflect on the journey of our ancestors in their struggle for freedom. As Bob Marley sings, "If you know your history, then you would know where you coming from". An understanding of our past and the experiences of our ancestors is important as we continue to build our country. The period of enslavement in Jamaica began with the first European colonisers, the Spanish. The arrival of the Spanish in 1494 led to the decimation of the indigenous Ta'no. In less than a century, the Ta'no died as a result of Spanish enslavement, imported diseases and Spanish brutality. The Spanish method of enslavement was called the Encomienda System, which required the Ta'no to work on Spanish plantations and in their mines. This method of forced labour resulted in the decimation of the Ta'no in a relatively short time. Many of the Ta'no died as a result of exhaustion on the plantations. Others died because they fell victims to famine, European diseases, such as smallpox, and some were brutally killed by the Spanish when dogs were used to subdue them to work. In retaliation, many indigenous people took their lives, while others migrated to the interior and established free settlements. African replacements According to Philip Sherlock and Hazel Bennett (1998), when the Spanish settlers found their labour force depleted, they turned to Africa for replacements. Bartholomew las Casas, a Spanish priest, recommended the use of Africans in Jamaica and other Spanish territories when Indian labour had diminished. Until then, the only Africans on the island were personal household servants of a few settlers. These servants did not come directly from Africa, but from European countries where African slavery was already institutionalised. When the English invaded Jamaica in 1655 and subsequently captured the island, the enslavement of Africans became far more degrading. During 1655 and 1658, the Spanish freed and recruited the enslaved Africans in their battle against the English. Many of these Africans fled to the interior. Here, they interbred with the free Ta'no and became the Maroons. Over time, the ranks of the Maroons were swelled by Africans who sought freedom from enslavement on the plantations of the English. Close to 1,000,000 enslaved Africans were imported to Jamaica. Most of the African captives came from the Gold Coast (present day Ghana, Togo and Benin) and the Bight of Biafra (including present day Nigeria, Cameroon and the Equatorial Guinea). The inhumane treatment for the Africans began at the point of capture. The villages were raided to get sufficient numbers for the voyage to the West Indies, and in some cases, the Africans consisted of prisoners of war. Once captured, they were forcefully brought to the African ports of departure in chains where they awaited the arrival of a slaver. The journey from the African coast to the Caribbean took on average five to eight weeks in good weather. This leg of the journey was referred to as the Middle Passage or the Atlantic Passage. The conditions of the Middle Passage were appalling. The slavers were usually overcrowded and this led to unsanitary conditions, resulting in the outbreak of various diseases, including small pox and dysentery. Many Africans died as a result of these contagious diseases and others died from inhumane treatment. For example, on September 6, 1781, the Zong left West Africa with a crew of 20 men led by Captain Luke Collingwood and a total of 440 Africans. As many as 60 died within the first seven weeks, and many others fell ill. One hundred and thirty-three Africans who the crew thought were least likely to recover were chained, ankle by ankle and then thrown overboard, weighed down with balls. Some 55 were thrown overboard on November 29; 42 on November 30, and 26 more Africans were thrown overboard on December 1. On December 28, 1781, the Zong docked in Black River, St Elizabeth, with 208 Africans, 232 fewer than when it left the African coast. The matter was brought before the British courts, not for the mass killing, but because the insurers refused to pay ship owners, James Gregson et al, compensation for the loss. This is just one of the many cases of inhumane treatment on the slavers. Major ports of entry for the African captives in Jamaica included the Kingston Harbour, Port Royal, Falmouth and Black River. Those Africans who endured and survived the horrors of the Middle Passage would then begin a life of inhumane treatment on the plantations, which included working without pay, whipping, torture and sexual abuse. Many were maimed or killed as punishment for daring to seek freedom. The enslaved African was now chattel, an item that could be disposed of at the whim of the enslavers, in the same way as land, cattle, furniture or equipment. Overworked, underpaid On Jamaican plantations, the enslaved Africans worked about 12 hours daily (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.), up to six days a week. They were usually given about half an hour for breakfast and one and a half hours break for lunch. At the end of their routine tasks or their respective work for the day, they were also expected to do extra tasks such as put trash in the cattle pens, or carry grass for the planters' horses. On sugar plantations, the enslaved persons were required to work additional hours during 'crop time'. This was the period of intensive activity in the factory and in the field as the cane had to be harvested and converted to sugar within a specified time. In many instances during the harvesting of the cane the enslaved persons had to work in the factories day and night with very few hours to rest. During their so-called 'spare time', the enslaved persons were allowed to cultivate their own provision grounds or garden plots near their houses or on remote parts of the estate. They also had to use this time to provide much of their own clothing, household utensils and build their houses. There was therefore very little time for family and other activities. Although the condition of enslavement did not usually go hand-in-hand with independence there were some women and men who managed to rise above their situations. One of these persons was Phibbah - an enslaved Creole or Jamaican-born woman who worked as a housekeeper on several properties in Westmoreland. PAC chairman calls in Labour Ministry amid Auditor General's report	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line61
__label__wiki	0.710046	0.710046	Beware! Cigarette companies luring kids into smoking with technology Published:Friday \| November 23, 2012 \| 9:56 AM The Heart Foundation of Jamaica is warning parents to be even more vigilant, as cigarette and tobacco companies have stepped up their use of technology and mobile applications to entice individuals to smoke. Speaking at a forum yesterday, Executive Director of the Foundation, Deborah Chen said these companies have increased their use of smart phone applications, computers and mobile games to pass on subtle messages even to children. She said there are more than 100 mobile applications which appear to promote smoking to users of these technologies. She described this kind of promotion of smoking as deadly, noting that children and young adults are the main users of such technologies and are also included in the target groups of cigarette and tobacco companies. Citing a 2010 survey by the National Council on Drug Abuse, the Heart Foundation of Jamaica’s executive director pointed out that the study found that 17 per cent of children are smokers. Chen further said that the survey also found that the number of children, who started to smoke before the age of 10 moved from 18.7 per cent in 2009 to 20 per cent a year later. She added that the number of children who reported needing a cigarette first thing in the morning went from 5.9 per cent to 13.4 per cent in 2010. Like our new Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/gleanerjamaica Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/JamaicaGleaner radio@gleanerjm.com First set of COVID-19 vaccines to arrive on April 21	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line62
__label__wiki	0.792616	0.792616	Dr. Patrick Gleeson Patrick Gleeson, Ph. D. Patrick Gleeson introduced electronic instruments into jazz (on the pioneering 1970 Herbie Hancock album Crossings), and was master synthesist and arranger of the equally ground-breaking all synthesizer score for Apocalypse Now. While teaching at San Francisco State in the 1960s he joined a small group of avantgarde composers at the Mills College Tape Music Center. Out of this seminal group came, among others, Steve Reich, LaMonte Young, and Terry Riley with whom Gleeson scored Bruce Conner’s monumental underground film of the atomic bomb tests, Crossroads. Then Gleeson went in another direction. He quit teaching and began playing synthesizer on various rock and R &B records. After introducing a large Moog modular synthesizer to jazz on Crossings, he joined Herbie Hancock’s innovative electronic jazz sextet. Since then has received awards from NARAS, a composition grant from the National Endowment, has played on and/or produced over a hundred jazz, R & B, and rock records and has composed scores for feature films and 9 television series. In 1996 he and jazz saxophonist and composer Bennie Maupin formed He and Pat Gleeson, also an innovative Herbie Hancock alumnus who first introduced synthesizers into serious jazz recording and performance, have formed their own recording and performing group, Driving While Black, which revisits (and renews) some of the territory explored in Bitches Brew, and the Headhunters and Sextant albums, which updates the electronic jazz tradition which, together, they helped form. The group’s first single was released on Virgin in 1996; their first album was released on Intuition in 1998.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line64
__label__cc	0.676212	0.323788	A Hero’s Welcome For Clayton Fernander Nine days ago he was ambushed, shot multiple times and underwent numerous surgeries in The Bahamas and Florida. But, on Thursday, Police Superintendent Clayton Fernander received a hero’s welcome when he returned home. Greeted by his fellow officers Supt. Fernander arrived back in the country just before 3:00 p.m. Thursday with his right hand in a cast, evidence of his brutal April 11 attack. But even with his hand barely able to move the high ranking police officer said he is happy to be back home with his family and colleagues and noted that despite what has happened to him he remains committed to fighting crime. “I know that everyone is concerned with respect to my injuries,” he said. “I want to take this time out to really thank the entire public who had prayers for me, who called and who visited.” “I believe it is through the grace of God and their prayers that I am here today. I want to say at this time that we need to come together as one and members of the public need to support their police force. We cannot sit back and let a few thugs take over this country.” Last Wednesday, two men ambushed Supt. Fernander as he arrived at his St. Vincent Road home and shot him multiple times to the chest and right hand. It was initially thought that his hand would have to be amputated because it was so badly mangled but Supt. Fernander said the doctors have promised to keep a close eye on the hand to determine if they would have to operate again. On Tuesday, 23-year-old Maurice Armbrister and 21-year-old Excel Josey were charged with attempted murder in connection with that shooting. The wounded officer gave reporters an update the injuries he sustained to his hand. “It’s coming along well; it’s progressing well as time goes on,” he added. “[The doctors] were able to manage it and see the progress. They will inform me and they will examine the hand and to see if they have to go back into it, but the hand is coming along well. “They were able to change the cast (on Wednesday) and God is so good. During the changing of the cast the doctor felt the finger and was able to see some nerves coming back. The hand is certainly coming back.” Supt. Fernander thanked the country at large, his fellow officers especially Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade whom he said never left his side, his family and all those who prayed for him for helping him pull through. But he added that based on the fact that he was able to stand on his feet, speak, smile and at times even crack a joke is testament to the works of a greater force. “Psalms 27:1 says, ‘The Lord is the light, my life and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is my strength and my life of whom shall I be afraid?’ It’s good to be back and I thank God that I am here and alive today. It’s only through him that I am here today and I want to give him the praise for that.” The veteran officer is expected back on the job within the next six months, but being the trooper that he is, he said he is hoping to shave that down to about three months. ← Press Freedom Matters Cash Blames PM For COB Drama →	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line66
__label__cc	0.746334	0.253666	Everything is funny as long as it happens to somebody else. ‹Will Rogers› category: My Ramblings The Seventh Day of Christmas And Joseph and [Jesus'] mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. St. Luke 2:33-40 Almighty and everlasting God, direct our actions according to your good pleasure, that in the name of your beloved Son we may be made to abound in good works; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. The Sixth Day of Christmas So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. The Fifth Day of Christmas John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'" And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. St. John 1:15-18 The Fourth Day of Christmas Holy Innocents, Martyrs Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him." When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son." Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: "A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more." St. Matthew 2:13-18 Almighty God, whose praise was proclaimed on this day by the wicked death of innocent children, giving us thereby a picture of the death of your beloved Son, mortify and destroy in us all that is in conflict with you that we who have been called in faith to be your children may in life and death bear witness to your salvation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. The Third Day of Christmas St. John, Apostle and Evangelist This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me." Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?" Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me." Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?" This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. St. John 21:19-24 Merciful Lord, cast the bright beams of your light upon your Church that, being instructed in the doctrine of your blessed apostle and evangelist Saint John, we may come to the light of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. The Second Day of Christmas St. Stephen, Deacon and First Martyr And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God." And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council. They also set up false witnesses who said, "This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us." And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel. When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 6:8-15, 7:54-60 Heavenly Father, grant us grace that in our sufferings for the sake of Christ we may follow the example of Saint Stephen, that we may look to Him who suffered and was crucified on our behalf and pray for those who do us wrong; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. The Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" St. Luke 2:1-20 Grant, almighty God, that the birth of your only-begotten Son in human flesh may set us free, who through sin are held in bondage; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. category: Links The internet has spawned many things, among them is spam and porn and advertising beyond what other media outlets have accomplished or could accomplish. Okay, so spawned may be the wrong word...more at exacerbated. However, another thing that the internet has exacerbated is the urban legend, a story which, on the outset, looks plausible, it even sounds real, but its nothing but a fabrication. Well, there is a site out there which hopes to debunk such myths. And, while your at it, watch Mythbusters on The Discovery Channel tags: happyholidays, merrychristmas Ignorance of the PC Police ...and those who battle them... "Happy Holidays." Is there something wrong with that phrase? According to the PC pundits, there isn't...and there shouldn't be because that's inclusive—according to their thinking—and shouldn't offend anyone because that way you're wishing a Merry "Whatever" to everyone, no matter what they celebrate. However, according to those who believe it's an affront to "Merry Christmas"—stealing the holiday from Christians—it is offensive; after all, many people probably believe Christmas came first, and Hanukkah and Kwanza and whatever else were created (Chrismahanukwanzakah for the Paygoist?) came about in response to Christmas so that people other than white, anglo-saxon Christians would have something to celebrate. "Happy Holidays," then, is a bow to them over Christmas and Christianity.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line69
__label__wiki	0.783093	0.783093	Interviews with Queer Women Q&A: Orange Star Dascha Polanco January 12, 2016 Chris Azzopardi Actress on being a Hollywood minority, breaking the ‘stigma’ and why Joy will resonate with the LGBT community “I want you to smell me.” It’s not your typical conversation starter, sure, but Orange Is the New Black star Dascha Polanco does smell nice, like fresh flowers. Seated in a New York City hotel suite to talk about her new film, Joy, the 32-year-old actress invites me to cozy up next to her, because then, she jokes, I can experience the fact that “not only is she beautiful but she also smells delicious.” It’s weird seeing you out of an orange jumpsuit. Is it?! I love the fact that I got to play with decades: the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s. But it’s two totally different worlds, TV and film. What’s that transition been like for you? Professionally, it’s always welcome (laughs). It’s a new challenge. It’s a new area of acting and being able to be play with characters and stories more creatively. I think with (director) David O. Russell and this project, it was intimidating. Because it’s David O. Russell? David O. Russell. Jennifer Lawrence. Bradley Cooper. Robert De Niro. Diane Ladd. Virginia Madsen. Isabella Rossellini. You just want to make sure you have your A-game on, and for a Latina being in this industry for the last three years, it takes you by surprise. How does being Latina change things? Well, there are not many Latin actors in Hollywood. There’s still a lower percentage of them breaking into Hollywood, but we're seeing more diversity, especially with David O. Russell’s film. You’re seeing diversity there, to that caliber, and for me, that’s a big responsibility. There’s been a lot of talk about diversity in Hollywood lately, and not just when it comes to race, but when it comes to women. And this movie is very – Female driven. It is. It’s all about female empowerment. It has a feminist message. How does that personally strike a chord with you? I can relate so much to the story and to the elements of the movie: having obstacles in your life, being a woman and having to be a parent, having to be a daughter, taking care of not only your personal self but also your family. It shows how much women throughout the years have been the backbone and have, at times, struggled to even take a risk or try to live their dream or move forward because of other commitments or because of the stigma that we are supposed to be at home. From the perspective of someone who is Latina in Hollywood: What is the current state of finding roles in Hollywood for a minority? I thought to myself for the last two years: I’ve gone on auditions – so many auditions – in comparison to when I first started. Maybe it’s because of Orange, maybe it’s because of my representation, but there’s a need, a desire now. You see more offers, you see more shows that want to include diversity because of the success of shows like Orange Is the New Black. Anybody could’ve been cast as Jackie in Joy, and that’s the beauty of it. The role that I play, anyone could have, but he didn’t make it exclusive (and say), “I’m gonna make Jackie a white actress.” No. She’s ambiguous. She can be black. She can be Spanish. The fact that this is a Golden Globe-nominated movie – ah, it takes me by surprise that I’m part of this project, not because I don’t have the potential, not because I don’t believe in myself – but because of what, historically, I’ve seen growing up. And now that I’m part of it, there’s hope and there’s an opportunity that was rendered that I’m not taking for granted. You credit Orange Is the New Black for diversifying TV. What does it mean to you to be a part of that movement? We have to look at a movie like Joy for a minute, and I’m going to talk about how it includes LGBT. It’s funny: I’m very supportive of the LGBT because I have family, I have friends, and they’re a big part of my life – and even so, I respect a human regardless of what their sexual orientation is, or who they feel they are. It has nothing to do with LGBT, or that I have a friend who is. It’s human to accept another human. Not everybody thinks that way. But you see a character like Joy who’s trying to just be… . She’s trying to belong, she’s trying to accomplish her dreams; she can be a mother, she can be a wife or a divorcee and not have the backlash, because there’s so much backlash in the movie. There are so many obstacles. “You’re a woman and you can’t do that.” And I’m pretty sure the LGBT community can relate to that. So whether she was a lesbian or not, it has nothing to do with that – it’s about her feeling like she’s part of something and building her empire. Because anybody can see themselves in Joy. When it comes to Orange Is the New Black, how do you feel about being a part of a show that embraces inclusivity? I’m proud! So proud. It’s done a lot for the gay community around the world. It shows how much the industry might be oblivious to what’s needed, but the fans and the viewership have just been so boisterous and open to all these different sexual orientations – to transgender. There’s so much more acceptance, and that’s the beauty of it. We, (show creator) Jenji (Kohan), the actors, the story – we took all we had and the essence and being underdogs and being self-made and coming from nowhere and that passion and brought a project that everyone can relate to. That’s what’s succeeding now –when you have a project that everybody can relate to. We have Joy now. Anybody can watch the movie and I guarantee they’ll walk out of the theater and want to take over the world. Chris Azzopardi is the editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBT wire service. Reach him via his website at www.chris-azzopardi.com and on Twitter (@chrisazzopardi). ActressDacha PolancodiversityLatinaLGBT communityOrange is the New BlackQ & Asmell Ready or Not: Actor Alina Carson Has Something To Say July 13, 2020 Robin Kish 6 Insta-Famous Queer Cosplayers Reveal How Their Identities Intersect July 16, 2018 Kristina Manente Taryn Manning Can’t Wait to Spin For the Women at NYC Pride’s Teaze June 22, 2017 Trish Bendix	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line70
__label__cc	0.563802	0.436198	Your Bookshelf Famous Quotes - The Quotations Page Leo Tolstoy: Anna Karenina PART 5 Chapter 16 (continued) "Because it'll be going God knows where, by all sorts of roads and to all sorts of hotels. You would be a hindrance to me," said Levin, trying to be cool. "Not at all. I don't want anything. Where you can go, I can...." "Well, for one thing then, because this woman's there whom you can't meet." "I don't know and don't care to know who's there and what. I know that my husband's brother is dying and my husband is going to him, and I go with my husband too...." "Kitty! Don't get angry. But just think a little: this is a matter of such importance that I can't bear to think that you should bring in a feeling of weakness, of dislike to being left alone. Come, you'll be dull alone, so go and stay at Moscow a little." "There, you always ascribe base, vile motives to me," she said with tears of wounded pride and fury. "I didn't mean, it wasn't weakness, it wasn't...I feel that it's my duty to be with my husband when he's in trouble, but you try on purpose to hurt me, you try on purpose not to understand...." "No; this is awful! To be such a slave!" cried Levin, getting up, and unable to restrain his anger any longer. But at the same second he felt that he was beating himself. "Then why did you marry? You could have been free. Why did you, if you regret it?" she said, getting up and running away into the drawing room. When he went to her, she was sobbing. He began to speak, trying to find words not to dissuade but simply to soothe her. But she did not heed him, and would not agree to anything. He bent down to her and took her hand, which resisted him. He kissed her hand, kissed her hair, kissed her hand again--still she was silent. But when he took her face in both his hands and said "Kitty!" she suddenly recovered herself, and began to cry, and they were reconciled. Previous: Chapter 16 (continued) Next: Chapter 16 (continued) This is page 640 of 1078. [Marked] This title is on Your Bookshelf. Buy a copy of Anna Karenina at Amazon.com Customize text appearance: Color: A A A A A Font: Aa Aa Size: 1 2 3 4 5 Defaults (c) 2003-2012 LiteraturePage.com and Michael Moncur. All rights reserved. For information about public domain texts appearing here, read the copyright information and disclaimer.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line71
__label__wiki	0.50347	0.50347	Thiruvalluvar is a celebrated Tamil poet who wrote the Thirukkural, a well known ethical work in Tamil literature. He is claimed by both the Tamils who practice Hinduism and the Tamils who practice Jainism as their own. Thiruvalluvar has been considered to be a Jain citing internal textual evidence from Thirukural. Both Thiruvalluvar’s faith and identity are disputed. His disputed identity includes a low-caste Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, crypto-Christian, high-caste Hindu, Brahmin and half-Brahmin. There are little or no clues available to trace Thiruvalluvar’s background. However, according to one of the legends, Valluvar was the son of a Brahmin father (Bhagavan) and an ‘untouchable’ mother (Adi). Further, it is said that he was abandoned as a child to be picked up by a Vellala (high non-Brahmin, landowning caste) woman who named him ‘Tiru-Valluvar’. Following objections by her neighbors , the Vellala woman too abandoned Valluvar to be picked up this time by a family of Paraiyars (untouchables). It is said that he later moved to Mylapore (part of Chennai, now) where he worked as a weaver. The name Valluvan might have been a common name representing his caste/occupation rather than his proper name. Even today, the people who earn a living by textile weaving trace their ancestry to the caste of Thiruvalluvar. However, the question of whether the author of Thirukkural (Valluvan) is named after his community or vice versa remains unanswered. The name Thiruvalluvar (ThiruValluvar) consists of Thiru (a polite Tamil word, equivalent to English Mr.) and Valluvar (a polite name for Valluvan, according to Tamil tradition). There are a few legends abound about the birthplace of Thiruvalluvar. One legend associates him to Madurai, the ancient capital of the Pandya rulers who vigorously promoted Tamil literature. According to another he was born and lived in Mylapore, a part of present day Chennai city and travelled to Madurai to submit his work, the Thirukural, for approval of the king (Pandian) and his college of poets. There are, also, traditional stories citing the Tamil Sangam of Madurai (the assembly/conference of eminent scholars and researchers conducted on a regular basis) as the authority through which Thirukkural was introduced to the world. Thiruvalluvar might have spent most part of his life in Madurai because it was under Pandia rulers that many Tamil poets flourished. There are also recent claim by Kanyakumari Historical and Cultural Research Centre (KHCRC) that Valluvar was a king who ruled Valluvanadu in the hilly tracts of Kanyakumari district of Tamilnadu. Thiruvalluvar was taking cold rice in the morning. He said to his wife: “Vasuki, the rice is very hot. Bring a fan to cool it”. Thiruvalluvar’s wife was drawing water from the well when Thiruvalluvar called her. She at once left the rope and ran to him with a fan to cool the rice. She did not say to her husband: “How can the cold rice be hot? Why do you want a fan now?”. She simply obeyed his commands. The vessel that contained water was hanging half-way in the well unsupported, on account of her Pativrata Dharma Shakti. The aspirants noticed this phenomenon and the noble conduct of Vasuki and were simply struck with amazement. About midday, on another occasion, Valluvar called his wife and said, “Bring a lamp immediately, O Vasuki! I am stitching the cloth. I cannot see the eye of the needle. I cannot pass the thread properly”. Vasuki did not say to her husband: “It is broad daylight now. Why do you want a lamp? You can see the eye of the needle clearly”. But she implicitly obeyed his word. The aspirants were much inspired by the ideal life of sage Thiruvalluvar and the exalted conduct of Vasuki. They did not speak a word to the saint. They took leave of the saint and quietly left the place with profound satisfaction. They were deeply impressed by the practical and exemplary life led by Thiruvalluvar and Vasuki. They learnt the lesson that the life of an ideal householder was in no way inferior to that of an ideal Sannyasin who was treading the path of Nivritti and austerity in the Himalayan caves and that each was great in its own place, time and circumstances. About Panchatantra April 18, 2016 ltscoin Comments Off on Narada Muni Mahakavi Subramanya Bharati April 18, 2016 ltscoin Comments Off on Mahakavi Subramanya Bharati Gorakhnath April 18, 2016 ltscoin Comments Off on Gorakhnath	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line73
__label__wiki	0.808873	0.808873	Did you know you can download our entire database for free? Georgia Caselaw: Georgia Code: Browse (external) Findlaw Georgia Law Resources This site exists because of donors like you. Lawskills.com Georgia Caselaw NEAL v. THE STATE. (119 Ga. App. 218) (166 SE2d 740) JORDAN, Presiding Judge. Assault with intent to rape. Fulton Superior Court. Before Judge Long, Emeritus. The defendant appeals from a judgment and sentence for assault with intent to rape. Held: 1. Under the facts as disclosed by the record and transcript in the present case, and in the absence of a clear showing of an abuse of discretion, this court will not interfere with the action of the trial court in refusing to grant a continuance and in requiring counsel to proceed with the trial of the case. Counsel was appointed on December 13, 1967, and the trial was conducted on January 11, 1968, one day's delay having been allowed upon call of the case for trial. Counsel in support of her motion stated that after her appointment she had been ill with influenza for about two weeks, that before her illness her child had also had influenza, that she had been unable to talk with her client except one time, and that she had not been able to investigate the case fully. There is nothing in the record and transcript to disclose even the remote possibility of any lead whereby counsel with additional time could have developed anything further to support a defense for her client, who was apprehended in the vicinity of the alleged offense immediately after the victim broke away from him and hailed two policemen, who had observed her with the accused under circumstances tending to corroborate her version of attempted coercion, including the use of a pistol. See Code 81-1419; Morgan v. State, 224 Ga. 604, 605 (163 SE2d 690); Foster v. State, 213 Ga. 601, 603 (100 SE2d 426); Hunter v. State, 65 Ga. App. 766, 768 (16 SE2d 500). 2. Under the circumstances here shown, the trial judge did not err in admitting a pistol in evidence identified by the policeman who apprehended the accused immediately after the alleged offense occurred, even though it is not clear from the transcript whether the witness identified the pistol by number or some other means. Moreover, there is no issue of fact concerning such a weapon, for later the accused freely admitted in open court that he had a "gun" in his possession and made its presence known to the victim, but for reasons contradictory to the testimony of the victim. 3. The verdict being supported by the evidence, the trial judge did not err in overruling a motion for new trial limited solely to the general grounds. William T. Traylor, Louise T. Hornsby, for appellant. ARGUED JANUARY 14, 1969 -- DECIDED FEBRUARY 5, 1969 -- REHEARING DENIED FEBRUARY 19, 1969 -- CERT. APPLIED FOR. Citing Cases: MILLER v. THE STATE. (145 Ga. App. 653) (244 SE2d 608) (1978) FRANCISCO v. THE STATE.; GAMARRA v. THE STATE. (142 Ga. App. 196) (235 SE2d 652) (1977) KELLER v. THE STATE. (128 Ga. App. 129) (195 SE2d 767) (1973) SMITH v. THE STATE. (120 Ga. App. 448) (170 SE2d 832) (1969) Friday May 22 17:53 EDT Home - Tour - Disclaimer - Privacy - Contact Us Copyright © 2000,2002,2004 Lawskills.com	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line75
__label__wiki	0.575553	0.575553	What Comes First, an Israeli Army Firing Zone or Palestinian Villages? Palestinians in the southern Hebron mountains Credit: Eliyahu Hershkovitz Amira Hass, Haaretz, 03/08/2020 Next Monday the justices of the High Court of Justice will discuss the State of Israel’s demand to destroy eight Palestinian hamlets in the southern West Bank. I should say: will once again discuss, because the government’s demand is not new. For about 40 years the Israel Defense Forces and the Civil Administration did everything in their power to make these communities disappear, while they, in their heroic and prolonged battle against the order to become extinct, also turned to legal channels and to petitions. In military Hebrew, the area designated for demolition and the eviction of its Palestinian residents is known as Firing Zone 918. In ordinary Arabic and Hebrew it is Masafer Yatta. Now the High Court justices are being asked to decide once and for all what comes first: an area for military training exercises, or an ancient fabric of life and relations between a city and the villages that grew up around it. The “what comes first” is a question of chronology, principle and ethics. Israel claims that the firing zone was declared as such in 1980 and the residents are “illegal squatters” who settled there afterwards. The geo-historical facts, which are not subject to dates, maps and the overt and covert intentions of the occupying power, indicate otherwise. The rural roots of the city of Yatta, already in the Ottoman period, are not in doubt. Sheep herding and agriculture were the basis of its existence and the cultural heritage of its families. Its expansion and the urbanization process it has undergone are natural phenomena. In the second half of the 19th century there were about 2,000 residents. Today there are almost 70,000. The overall area of its land, which was recognized and determined long before 1967, is 170,000 dunams. The constant increase in the number of residents and the size of the flocks led to the creation of rural offshoots, by people searching for more available land for grazing and planting, and additional sources of water or a place to dig a new cistern to collect rainwater. In Yatta, like everywhere in the country, they remained in the distant location for several days and weeks, depending on the season, the calving and the sheep shearing. Natural caves were sometimes adapted for residential purposes. Gradually the seasonal offshoot became permanent. The familial, economic and social links to the village of origin – now town – have been maintained. But over time every community also develops its own characteristics independently. How much beauty is contained in this geo-human continuum, and in the universal nature of the process, which can be identified all over the globe. Israel operated and operates in a variety of methods to cut off this natural Palestinian continuum. Declaring a firing zone is one of them. Other methods are the prohibition on connecting to the water grid, eviction notices and actual eviction, a prohibition against building schools and clinics and bathrooms – and their demolition, confiscating tractors and water pipe, blocking roads, a refusal to prepare master plans, or preparing limited master plans that don’t allow for genuine development. All these methods were also tried and are being tried on the dozens of natural offshoots of Yatta, which were created before 1948, and in which thousands of people are living. And so, in an unnatural manner, the number of people in each community has remained limited. At first “918” covered 32,000 dunams of Yatta’s land. Over the years about 7,000 dunams have been subtracted from it. That is precisely the area in which several Israeli outposts cropped up and swelled, and some settlements expanded. Israel is now offering a generous “plan,” in its opinion: for the shepherds and farmers to abandon their villages, and come to cultivate their land and use it for grazing only on weekends and Jewish holidays. The government is also considering enabling them to come for another two months a year, when intensive cultivation or grazing is needed. As we can conclude from its response to the villagers’ petitions, the government expects justices Esther Hayut, Uzi Vogelman and Hanan Melcer to decide that the Jews always come first. That it’s always kosher, suitable and proper to erase the natural human-geographical continuum of the Palestinian communities. This entry was posted in MRSCP and tagged Home Demolition, West Bank by admin. Bookmark the permalink.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line80
__label__wiki	0.626244	0.626244	Dietz’s new play focuses on six degrees of uncertainty November 23, 2016 By Hap Erstein Leave a Comment Todd Lawson and Brenda Withers in This Random World. Photo by Bill Brymer) For more than 20 years, Lou Tyrrell has been producing the plays of Steven Dietz, first at Florida Stage (Lonely Planet, Private Eyes, Yankee Tavern) and now at his current company, Florida Atlantic University’s Theatre Lab. Beginning Dec. 2, he brings to the region Dietz’s latest work, This Random World, described as a comic look at missed opportunities, a play that turns the myth of serendipity on its head. Hap Erstein reached Dietz, 58, by phone in Austin, Texas, where he teaches playwriting at the University of Texas, to discuss the play and his career writing for the stage. Erstein: Your latest play, This Random World, didn’t it begin rather randomly? Dietz: It began a few years ago, when I wrote a couple of scenes. One was a little breakup scene and the other was this man coming into a mortuary because there had been a mistake online that he wanted to correct. They were sort of comical, interesting scenes and they were just something that I stuck in a folder of random scenes. Anyway, for reasons on the other side of my brain, I must have read a Wikipedia (entry) or something about the keys on a keyboard that are called dead keys. That means they’re keys that don’t do anything on their own. You press that key and then press something else and that’s when it activates it. That phrase just fascinated me. So I had that phrase, I had the breakup scene and the mortuary scene. Then I was fortunate to get this writer-in-residence gig at the Harmony Project – this was May of ’15 –so I brought that file with me and on the plane on the way there, I started postulating on a legal pad who those people breaking up might be, who might be in a play with them, and who the guy in the mortuary might be. That was the beginning of the play that I wrote a draft of at the Harmony Project. Erstein: Am I right that it concerns unexpected connections? Dietz: Yeah, I guess you could say it is about unexpected connections, but the connections don’t happen. I guess it’s more unexpected un-connections. And what fascinates me is the connections that we make. Even when the characters don’t connect, we make the connections for them. Erstein: Without giving away too much, what would you say the play is about? Dietz: It’s about how things in this world happen for a reason, and eventually we are all six degrees separated and something in the end is going to connect. The person we’re supposed to meet, we’re going to meet. The conversation we’re supposed to have, the piece of information we’re supposed to have will ultimately get there. I just think we put a lot of faith in that. I think we build belief systems and religions around that faith. And This Random World tries to disrupt that. It’s fundamentally a comedy, but it grows more serious and authentic, I hope. It imagines what if there’s a life next to my life that I would be living had I made different decisions. It’s about parallel universes, the road not taken. Erstein: Death hovers over the play. Does This Random World feel to you like the work of a playwright at middle age, someone wondering about his own mortality? Dietz: Yeah, if not mortality, certainly longevity. The more I write, the more I’m interested in uncertainty, the more I’m interested in doubt. Both in my life and on the stage. The hell of it is, as [Bob] Dylan said, “But I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now.” It’s about the further we go, the more uncertainty awaits, and how delicious that is. There’s a character that talks about how she wishes, when she was younger, she was less certain. She was just so busy being right about everything and, boy, I’m sure there’s plenty of me in there. Playwright Steven Dietz. Erstein: You frequently rank among the most produced playwrights in the country. Any explanation for that, beyond how prolific you are? Dietz: Well, I think that is some of it. I would like to think I write plays that resonate with audiences, and frankly, the American regional theater has made a home for me for 30 years now. I’m the exception that proves the rule. I really have been the recipient of outrageous good fortune as a playwright. I’ve had a very fortunate life in the theater and outside the theater. And in contrast to the conventional wisdom, I don’t make a killing, I just make a living. Which is fantastic. I’m hoping that this play has something to say that resonates with audiences and that it attracts interest at the several theater companies that know and do my work. Erstein: Lou Tyrrell has produced many of your plays at Florida Stage and now at FAU’s Theatre Lab. What was the first time you met Lou? Dietz: I think he read a play of mine, The Quiet House, in a reading series. It’s never been produced. I know he did Lonely Planet [1995]. I believe he acted in it. What really solidified our relationship is when they did the world premiere of Yankee Tavern [2009]. So I followed him, sadly, through the end of Florida Stage and all that stuff. Then it was thrilling when he came back with another theater and now this one. He’s like the Mother Courage of theater in Florida. He just sets up shop somewhere else and keeps going. It’s fantastic. Erstein: Your plays are produced all around the country, but rarely in New York. Why? Dietz: Any of us playwrights, if we’re honest with each other, would love to be the flavor of the year, have a big hit play. But it’s the theaters that say, “Well, I see this writer that we have a long history with trying something different, writing a different kind of play, so I’m going to give them a chance.” And giving that writer that they’ve never heard of – as something did for me years ago – a chance. Finding that balance is something that Lou has done really, really well. I’m obviously spoiled because he’s been great to me. I don’t know if he guarantees other writers a production, he doesn’t to me. What great is he say, “What’s it about? Let me read it.” And then more often than not, he’s bold enough to take a leap with it. It doesn’t hurt that he has the good taste to like my work and the work of my wife [Allison Gregory, whose play Motherland is next at FAU Theatre Lab]. He’s fantastic that way. And as I tell my grad students, it is my belief that as you get better at something it gets harder. As you get better at writing, it gets harder, meaning you’re battling with your history, you’re battling with your tricks, you’re battling with your habits, you’re certainly battling with expectations, you’re battling with your work being compared to previous work of yours. It’s a lucky thing to be in that situation, but I know I put more pressure on myself now to not disappoint the Lou Tyrrells of the world, because they’ve been so good to me. Erstein: So why should South Florida theatergoers see This Random World? Dietz: One of the people in this play is going to be them. One of the people will be going through something that they’re going to relate to. They’re going to find someone to root for in the play and they’re going to enjoy and hopefully be touch by the way the play brings characters together. I think you’ll see that when you see the play. I think you’ll recognize my love of language and irony and structure and narrative. Hopefully it’s authentic, emotionally authentic. THIS RANDOM WORLD, FAU Theatre Lab, Parliament Hall on FAU campus, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton. Dec. 2-18. $35. 561-297-6124. Filed Under: Theater Tagged With: Florida Atlantic University Theatre Lab, Lou Tyrrell, Steven Dietz	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line86
__label__wiki	0.850112	0.850112	SUPPORT THE NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY Help us present groundbreaking exhibitions and develop educational programs about our nation's history for more than 200,000 schoolchildren annually. NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY OPENS FREE OUTDOOR EXHIBITION HOPE WANTED: NEW YORK CITY UNDER QUARANTINE ON AUGUST 14, 2020 NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY OPENS FREE OUTDOOR EXHIBITION HOPE WANTED: NEW YORK CITY UNDER QUARANTINE Photographs and Interviews Document New Yorkers’ Experiences with COVID-19 Across the Five Boroughs New York, NY, August 4, 2020–The New-York Historical Society presents Hope Wanted: New York City Under Quarantine, a special free outdoor exhibition documenting the experiences of New Yorkers across the five boroughs during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, on view August 14 – November 29, 2020. Curated by writer Kevin Powell and photographer Kay Hickman, Hope Wanted features more than 50 photographs by Hickman and 12 audio interviews with the photographs’ subjects conducted by Powell, gathered during the team’s intensive two-day odyssey across the city on April 8–9, 2020. The exhibition takes place in New-York Historical’s rear courtyard, located at West 76th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue, providing an open-air environment for visitors to view the exhibition and contemplate the impact of COVID-19 on New York City. “Our goal with Hope Wanted is to honor and celebrate the strength of New Yorkers,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of New-York Historical. “We hope this exhibition can offer our visitors a moment of solace to reflect on what they and the city as a whole have experienced in recent months and to better understand this moment in time. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to the New-York Historical Society.” Hickman’s empathetic photographs of people and their neighborhoods across all five boroughs and Powell’s searching interviews capture both the tragedy of the pandemic as well as the remarkable resilience of New Yorkers—like “Mama Tanya” Fields, an activist and urban farmer whose whole family contracted coronavirus, pictured smiling with her six children in the hallway of her Bronx home in one image and wearily wiping away a tear in another. Photographed on their balcony and in the middle of their street in Queens, Mark Zustovich and Melton Sawyer share that “self-care has taken on a new meaning for us in this era of COVID-19. Without our usual daily distractions and in-person relationships, the person you see in the mirror every day becomes your new best—or worst—friend.” Hickman’s images also capture a unique moment in New York City, when usually bustling sites like Times Square, Grand Central Terminal, the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, and LaGuardia Airport were eerily empty; neighbors cheered and applauded from their windows to thank essential workers; masked pedestrians walked deserted sidewalks; and marquee signs shared messages of support, such as “Keep Ya Head Up -Tupac” at the Apollo Theater in Harlem and “We’re In This Together – Keep Calm, Wash Your Hands & Take Care of Each Other” at the Kings Theater in Brooklyn. The exhibition also includes a quiet seating area, surrounded by plants and conducive to reflection, where visitors can record their own experiences of the pandemic in an open-sided story booth. These oral histories will be archived by New-York Historical. “We simply wanted to document what was happening in our beloved New York, to hear people, to see people, to show what was not there, to offer spaces of hope amidst this global pandemic,” said Kevin Powell. “To be able to gather our work into an exhibit with the New-York Historical Society is beyond anything we could have imagined. But then again, it is imaginable, because Kay Hickman and I always saw this work as a healing, as a bringing of New Yorkers together, because we are truly a resilient city.” “I’m honored to be a part of such a historic exhibit featuring more than 50 of my photographs,” said Kay Hickman. “This will be my most important exhibit to date. In documenting the City at the height of the COVID pandemic you see a rare glimpse of grim and deserted streets, but through Kevin Powell’s 12 audio interviews you also get a sense of hope. In viewing this exhibit it is my hope that there is a sense of healing.” Admission to Hope Wanted is free; access is limited, and face masks are required for entry, with social distancing enforced through timed-entry tickets and on-site safety measures. Tickets are available online at nyhistory.org/hopewanted. The exhibition is open Fridays from 10 am – 8 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am – 5 pm. The audio interviews are accessible to visitors through their cell phones, and exhibition text and audio are offered in both English and Spanish. Kevin Powell is a poet, journalist, public speaker, civil and human rights activist, and the author of 14 books, including his new title, When We Free the World (Apple Books), about the present and future of America, which is exclusively excerpted in the New York Times (“A Letter From Father to Child”). Kay Hickman is a documentary photographer and visual artist. Her passion is highlighting the human experience as it relates to identity, human rights, and health issues. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Time, Vogue, Ms., Vibe, Utne, and MFON Women Photographers of the African Diaspora. Dr. Marilyn Kushner, curator and head, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, is New-York Historical’s curatorial coordinator for the exhibition. Hope Wanted is also part of All in NYC: Public Art Edition, showcasing dozens of free, public art programs across the city, an initiative launched by NYC & Company, the official destination marketing organization and convention and visitors bureau for the five boroughs of New York City. With some artworks already on view and others to be made available over the next year, the five-borough public works of art can be found at nycgo.com/publicart, a digital resource which includes an interactive map featuring the locations where the projects can be found, for members of the public to visit as they safely begin to explore the city once again. The New-York Historical Society plans to reopen indoors on September 11, 2020, and details of the Museum’s indoor reopening protocols and visitor safety measures will be announced soon. Since the New-York Historical Society closed to the public on March 13 to help contain the spread of COVID-19, it has been actively collecting during these unprecedented times through its History Responds initiative, documenting the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests in New York City. For more details on what New-York Historical is currently collecting and how to donate objects, visit nyhistory.org/history-responds. Major support for Hope Wanted is provided by the Ford Foundation. Birch trees are generously donated by NorthEast Properties. Exhibitions at New-York Historical are made possible by Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang, the Saunders Trust for American History, the Seymour Neuman Endowed Fund, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. WNET is the media sponsor. About New-York Historical Society The New-York Historical Society, one of America’s preeminent cultural institutions, is dedicated to fostering research and presenting history and art exhibitions and public programs that reveal the dynamism of history and its influence on the world of today. Founded in 1804, New-York Historical has a mission to explore the richly layered history of New York City and State and the country, and to serve as a national forum for the discussion of issues surrounding the making and meaning of history. New-York Historical is also home to the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, one of the oldest, most distinguished libraries in the nation—and one of only 20 in the United States qualified to be a member of the Independent Research Libraries Association—which contains more than three million books, pamphlets, maps, newspapers, manuscripts, prints, photographs, and architectural drawings. The New-York Historical Society is located at 170 Central Park West at Richard Gilder Way (77th Street), New York, NY 10024. Information: (212) 873-3400. Website: nyhistory.org. Follow the Museum on social media at @nyhistory on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Tumblr. Ines Aslan, New-York Historical Society Julia Esposito, Polskin Arts 212.485.9263 / ines.aslan@nyhistory.org 212.715.1643 / julia.esposito@finnpartners.com Image credit: Photos by Kay Hickman.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line90
__label__wiki	0.645716	0.645716	46F ~ 66F Guilin Weather Britain, France and Germany restart the blockade, Spain's tourism industry has lost more than 55 billion euros The last "life-saving straw" of Spain's tourism industry was cut. The new crown epidemic has pressed the "pause button" on the global tourism industry. As the only "safe destination" in Spain recognized by the European Union-the Canary Islands has become the only life-saving straw for the country's tourism industry, but recently, it has been stuck in the second round. The epidemic, the United Kingdom, Germany and other countries have successively introduced travel bans, making the situation of the Spanish tourism market worse. Canary Islands become the last hope of Spain's tourism industry The Spanish "Le Monde" reported that Germany and the United Kingdom are the largest source of tourists in the Canary Islands. Last year, half of the tourists here were British. Affected by the new round of the epidemic, the two countries have successively promulgated bans in recent days. Although the ban is less restrictive than in March, it still stipulates that people can only go out when necessary. This means that although the EU does not close its borders, tourism has become a mirage. The Canary Islands lost the last chance of recovery during the tourist season. In mid-October, the United Kingdom and Germany listed the Canary Islands as a "safe place to travel." People who travel from here no longer need to be isolated (but nucleic acid tests are required before coming). In the week, hotel reservations in the Canary Islands The volume has increased by 5 times compared with the previous few days. However, in just one week, many European countries have successively issued bans. The current round of blockade is expected to be December 1, and follow-up measures will depend on the development of the epidemic. At present, the European Union divides the European continent into three regions according to regions, red high-risk areas, yellow medium-risk areas, and green low-risk areas. The European Union originally set up the system to promote mobility in various regions, and now this "travel map" is almost "red". The Canary Islands is the only green area in Spain. Spain's tourism industry has lost more than 55 billion euros and lost 50 million overseas tourists Spain is a major tourist country. In addition to the Canary Islands, many inland cities are also popular among tourists. However, Spain lost most of its tourists this year. Take the tourist season as an example. In September, a total of 1.1 million international tourists were received, which was 87% lower than the same period last year (8.8 million); the figure in August was 2.4 million, which was more than 8 million less than the same period last year. Last year, Spain received 67 million overseas tourists. So far, only 16.7 million foreigners have visited, and Spain has lost more than 50 million tourists. When the number of tourists decreases, consumption expenditure also decreases. Last year, overseas tourists spent 73.5 billion euros in Spain, and this year (as of the end of September) only 17.1 billion euros, 55 billion euros less than last year. With only two months left this year, the tourism market is filled with pessimism. In September, 380,000 French people visited the West, a decrease of 60% compared with the same period last year; there were only 160,000 British people who came to the West that month, which was a 90% decrease from last year. Now France has surpassed the United Kingdom to become the largest source country in Spain. In third place are German tourists. There were 90,000 tourists in September, 92% less than last year. Among the tourists who visited this year, the most popular regions were Catalonia, Canary Islands and Valencia. Prev:How to change to scenic spots web celebrity clock? Next:Japan super hundred tour bus company closed five declared bankruptcy Address: No.1 Luosishan Road Copyright © 1990 Guilin Park Hotel, All rights reserved.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line92
__label__cc	0.652943	0.347057	Robert Vallier comes from one of the world’s most distinguished musical families. He spent much of his life in music management, covering international touring, recording and theatre production. He created the Into Space! series of lectures and books (which he published) for his close friend the late Sir Patrick Moore. He raised his 3 children as a single parent. Robert holds a private pilot’s licence. He was responsible for sending over 5½ tons of books to needy schools in South Africa as catalogued working libraries. They continue today to enhance the lives of over 12,000 children annually. He has shared his love of flying by taking handicapped and sick children and their parents up into the air in fun charity flights, bringing some much-needed respite to the families. A recent operation that went wrong left Robert with permanent severe backache. Spider 2-3 is his first novel. Its sequel, Decoy 17, is due for release in 2020. Hear Robert talk on the BBC about his life, musical background and close friend Sir Patrick Moore.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line96
__label__wiki	0.511769	0.511769	Dominica passport Immigration to America Total content : 34 Users statistic People online : 1 number of members : 0 viewers' statistics Visit today : 2 Dardid Yesterday : 9 Google Input today : 0 Google Input Yesterday : 0 Month Visits : 416 General visit : 178,184 Writer : Maziar Visit: 3245 Starting a new life in a new country is a great step Starting a new life in a new country is a great step. Before you make a decision, you should research the destination country and existing opportunities well. People are emigrating in hopes of achieving better conditions. Therefore, you must identify the privileges and difficulties ahead. Culture, social and political conditions, living expenses and income opportunities in the country of destination are of great importance. The situation of a person in the country of origin is also unimportant. Perhaps an average European, after migrating to another continent, can spend six months without jobs and relying on its savings. But for an average middle-income Iranian in the current economic situation, it's probably not possible to do this very well! So choosing the best immigration country that fits your financial, assets and capabilities will have a dramatic effect on the success of your post-immigration life. According to U.S.News & World Report, as one of the best ranked countries in the world, in 2017, Sweden was designated as the best country for immigration. Canada, Switzerland, Australia and Germany, respectively. But this does not determine the conditions and characteristics of immigrants to these countries. If you have a huge investment, you can probably start a new life by taking an investment visa. In addition, the social and economic course of these countries must also be taken into account; for example, in Sweden, which seems to be the paradise of immigrants, in recent years pessimism and immigrants' crimes (either as defendants or as victims) have increased, and apparently people Sweden does not deserve a lot of immigrants and cultural change in their country! Although no measurable assessment has been made for a definitive ranking of countries, according to experts and institutes, several countries will be in the category of the best countries for immigration in 2018. Here we introduce these countries. 60 percent of Malaysian population are Muslim. This country has been selected as the highest country in the polls of the best country for Muslim immigration. The existence of diverse cultures including Chinese, Malay, Hindi and their peaceful life together has made this country a charming place for tourists. Add these beautiful nature and simplicity to finding halal food. According to the U.S. U.Report magazine, ranking 2018 in the best countries in the world, Malaysia has a fourteenth position. Migration to this country is often done through a work visa. If Aurora, Santa Claus, and the Arctic Circle catch you, perhaps you should choose Finland for life. According to the estimates, Finland is the safest country in the world and a good candidate as the best country for immigration in 2018. So, if the calm of Canada or Norway is not enough for you, you will not find a better place than Finland. If you do not hurt your head, Finn is a good destination for you. Helsinki is one of the best cities in the list of affordable cities in the world. Based on the evaluation of the U.S. WorldWide magazine in the ranking of the best countries, Finland has the 14th place. Immigration to Finland takes place more often through work or study, and immigration through investment is less advisable because of its high cost. The beautiful nature of New Zealand is ineffective. The fruits of the "Lord of the Rings" production and production have benefited all the people. The country with the highest score in "social capital" is known to the kind people, the great citizenship and the strong social protection networks. The balance between work and life, quality of life, and the ability to use medical and therapeutic services has made the country a popular destination for both students and the specialist workforce. New Zealand is one of the most prominent countries in the world, which has good weather all year round. The country's educational system is in the best of the world. New Zealand ranked thirteen, according to the U.S. News Report, ranking 2018 in the best countries in the world. Stay in New Zealand more through education, and then through a work visa and a work permit visa. Iceland: Perhaps Instagram has pictures of the stunning nature of Iceland. According to the World Peace Index in 2018, Iceland is the quietest country in the world. Relaxation and security are most characteristic of Nordic countries (Scandinavia and North Atlantic). Recently, the country has made many changes in gender equality, making it one of the best places to live. According to the U.S. U.R.P. magazine's rating in the ranking of the best countries, Iceland holds the 12th place. Immigration to Iceland is difficult due to the rules of domestic support, therefore the study visa or the immigration through the registration of the company seems to be a more appropriate option. It is well-known that people in Norway live in peace and happiness. Environmental pollution in this country is very low and maybe even nothing. The stunning beauty, quiet life and free education at all public universities are from the privileges of Norway. Moreover, Norway has no difficulty with immigration laws. Maybe you do not like the northern cold weather, but security and healthy life are not something you can easily ignore. Norway ranked 12th in the ranking of the best countries in the world, according to U.S. U.R.P. Immigration to this country often takes place through a student visa or a work visa or company registration in that country. Sweden is one of the most popular countries for immigration because of its strong social security. Human rights are very important in this country. Equitable distribution of wealth and strong government support from citizens are another positive feature of Sweden. In the last few years, the diversity of the Swedish population has increased dramatically. In 2017, the immigrant population reached 10% of the population Do not forget that in addition to the country of destination features, your individual circumstances and characteristics also affect the selection of the destination. It is good to know that in some studies, India and Saudi Arabia are among the top 10 countries for immigrants, but they are indispensable for immigrants with special conditions! At the same time, do not overlook the impact of the wave of migration due to regional wars in recent years on countries that have accepted asylum seekers. Getting sufficient and reliable information has a profound effect on the right choices and the successful start of your new life. Immigration to Sweden is also done through work, investment and education. Some of the oldest universities in the world are located in Germany; universities provide high-quality educational services. The low rates of crime and many job opportunities have made the country one of the most popular countries to start again. In Germany, the unemployment rate is low compared to other European Union countries. For immigrants who have Schengen visas, Germany is always the top priority. Germany is one of the most populous, wealthiest and largest economies in the world. The country has a significant number of skilled and experienced workforce. According to the rating of the magazine "UCI", it ranked first among entrepreneurs and ranked third in the list of the best countries. Canada is by far the best country to emigrate a large number of people, especially students and professionals. In line with its policies, Welcomes immigrants. Canadian immigration and visa regulations are not complicated. Canada has consistently been ranked first in terms of quality of life in recent years, thanks to the health and education system, business conditions, industry-based technology and individual development opportunities. Canada, the world's largest after Russia, is a major exporter of minerals, food and energy. Australia is one of the safest and most peaceful countries in the world. Remember the "Immigrants" cartoon? The land of immigrants is the name given to Australia. Indeed, the country owes its considerable economic growth to those who are determined to migrate to Australia and live in this country. The immigrant population in Australia has reached the second and third generations. Usually, immigrants from the country through the Australian Investment Visa or the Australian Worker's Visa Act. Australian permanent residence is possible on average 8 to 12 months. There are many job opportunities in the country as the advancement of research and development. Add high quality of life (Fifth World Rank) to its benefits. Accepting immigrants from many Asian and other non-Russian countries has had a major impact on the country's traditional culture. At the annual ranking of the USNews & World Report magazine on the list of the best countries in the world (generally not immigration ) In 2018, Canada ranked second and Australia ranked seventh. But for the best country for immigration, determining Australia or Canada's superiority as the best destination especially for Iranians is difficult and the choice between the country is a bit difficult. AmericaRoseGoldHoldingVisaGreen CardLotteryImmigrationStaySchengenDominicaEuropePassportMaster CardVisa CardCanada StayCanada VisaAmerican VisaMulti VisaTorkey StaySchengen StayGreen Card Lottery Get Austrian Work Permits Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Brussels, Belgium 1. Grand-Place or Main Square 2. Hôtel de Ville - City Hall 4. The Museum of the Broodhuis Flemish 6. Åre Sights of Sweden 8. (Basilica of the Sacred Heart (Koekelberg Basilica 3. Sauna 10. Archipelago of Stockholm 5. Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée – Belgian Comic Strip Center 3. Djurgården 6. Heysel Park at Atomium 9. Royal Museums of Fine Arts – Musées Royaux des Beaux Arts 1. Sigtuna 5. Visby هدایت به بالای Issuing Master Card Rose Gold Shine Ariyan Co. 1. Has a lifetime bank account To deposit your account internationally (Debit Card) 2. Expire expiration date This MasterCard is 3 years old 3. Unlimited charging You can charge this card indefinitely 4. Balance roof $ 15,000 per month 5. Fast charge In less than 72 hours your card will be charged 6. Card currency The currency is a euro or dollar card 7. Charge Mastercard Ability to charge via authorized exchange offices 8. Send SMS The ability to send SMS per transaction on your mobile phone 9. Internet Bank Has an internet bank to view all transactions Has a swift code These cards have a swift and three-year code with a direct person account number Other advantages of MasterCard All MASTERCARD ATMs The ability to receive payments from ATMs connected to the MASTERCARD network Shopping cart readers Ability to buy from terminals Internet purchases Shopping feature from MASTERCARD accepting websites Electronic wallets Connect to PayPal, SKrill and more. ATM overhaul You can receive daily cash withdrawals Has CVV2 For Internet purchases Has chips and magnetic strip for more security Carved the name of the account holder Carve your name on the original card Car Rental Capability In many car rental companies you can rent a car or you can do it to rent an internet car. Hotel reservations and airplanes Ability to book hotels and airplanes around the world Your card is ready to be delivered within 10 working days! (Saturdays and Sundays are not working days) Required Documents : 1. Full scan of birth certificate 2. Full scan of the national card back and forth 3. Scan the passport 4. Completing the bank's form The cost of issuing MasterCard cards is Roseland Arian Derakhshan Master Card Standard T Master Gold Card T Master Card Platinum T .All rights reserved for Rose Gold Ariyan Shine Holding. Copying is prohibited	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line97
__label__cc	0.638856	0.361144	Busting misconceptions and charting a path forward By: Andy CrossPosted on August 24, 2018 December 17, 2018 The crews of Arctic Monkey and Yahtzee. (L to R) Zoe, Leah, Rosie, Porter & Magnus. (Photo courtesy of Zetty Morgan.) After all the hugs were given and the usual, “It’s not goodbye, but until next time’s” were said, we parted ways with the family and crew of five from SV Arctic Monkey. Our families — with five kids ranging from 3 to 11 — have been nearly inseparable for weeks, cementing one of those fast and lasting friendships that is truly unique to living on a sailboat and cruising. Throughout the years and miles, making friends while cruising and living on Yahtzee has become one of the things that we cherish most about this lifestyle. Living in similar circumstances as other cruisers, sailors and adventurers, we form quick and deep bonds because we share the same highs and lows of life. And though miles eventually separate us, distance never matters. After two weeks cruising Barkley Sound with Ryan & Autumn Helling (SV Velella) we were all smiles (except Porter and Magnus, apparently). Over time, we have also come to recognize that this particular part of our life is commonly misunderstood from the outside. People often assume that by living on a sailboat and moving relatively often, and sometimes very quickly, we’re not developing deep and lasting relationships. Time and again, we get some form of a comment that without firmly planted “roots”, lasting friendships must be hard for us to develop and nurture. In general, we get the underlying sentiment but nod and smile knowing that it is simply a lack of knowledge on their part — which is fine. What we’ve found when making friends while cruising is that the barriers to fully understanding the joys, challenges, triumphs and frustrations of this lifestyle are already down. Accordingly, we’re able to instantly start on common ground when we meet new people in a far-flung anchorage or on the dock in the next port. And age is of no consequence. The connections can be — and in many cases are — quick, real and long lasting. Boat kids from SV Blown Away and Yahtzee take a break from “helping” me make breakfast while rafted up. With folks who don’t know what this all entails, it is difficult to help them understand. What we do is so different than a “normal” life on land, making it abstract, and hard to grasp. And even when non-cruisers think they’ve begun to rationalize the essence of it what it is, they’re still a long way off. It’s not good or bad or right or wrong, it’s just the nature of living the way we do. We get it, how we live is different. And different is hard for many people to wrap their minds around. What we try to say is that our friendships are strong because they are born through a unique connection, people stay in touch and come visit, and we make an effort to meet up along the way. After all, it’s along the way where we encounter these kindred spirits that turn into wonderful friends. And when we come back together after all the years and miles, we don’t skip a beat. We hug, laugh, savor drink and food, share sea stories of water under our keels and make the most of our time together because we know it will likely be fleeting. We’re ok with that. Sometimes an impromptu raft-up with new and old friends can last days on end, especially in Desolation Sound, BC. (L to R) SV Shearwater, Cambria & Yahtzee. If anything, we’ve found these nomadic relationships to be incredibly fulfilling. They’re free from the immense clutter of houses, cars, 401ks, traffic lights, more stuff and bigger everything. Instead, they’re untethered, genuine and hassle free. They roll with time and tide, which is the way we prefer to live life. Looking towards friends on the horizon Many readers of this blog know that we are full on live-in-the-moment type folks. We generally don’t make plans too far in advance because we know they’ll likely change a million times. It’s our style and it suits us well. But now that we’ve finished a full year living in one place, something we haven’t done in a long time, we’re starting to get an itchy keel and can’t help but turn a weather eye towards the future. When our re-power is complete this fall, we’re looking at a winter’s worth of small projects around the boat before we get ready to leave Seward come late spring. Our “plan” then is to explore more of Alaska for the summer before turning south towards warmer climes. After living and cruising in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska for over six years and loving it, it’s finally time for our crew to say goodbye and chase a bit of summer. And a major catalyst for heading south is to meet up with friends and other kid boats. With cruising friends already in Pacific Mexico, others on their way this fall and more set to depart next year, we’re ready to join the migration south. Though our actual plans are always written in sand at low tide, we’re feeling the pull of the middle latitudes again and are working hard to make that a reality. As always, we’re excited to meet more people along the way, so if you’re a cruiser planning on heading towards palm trees next year, let us know, we’d love to say hi! Categories: Boating LifealaskaAndy CrossCruising FamiliesNewsletterSliderSV Arctic MonkeySV Yahtzee Tranny Troubles: Out with the old, in with the new Road to Re-power: The journey begins with wax and paint	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line99
__label__wiki	0.526414	0.526414	Gaëlle's English school Writers/Plumes Us/Nous Issues » Economy Recovery? What recovery? Crisis is actually four years old Lots of people have just recently been talking as though the recovery in the US had been going on for two years. Not that anyone was celebrating, what with unemployment so high. Even so, I have no idea where that notion of recovery came from or what data it was based on, yet international organisations and other institutions seemed to have made up their minds. And many journalists and economic commentators seemed happy with that and took their cue from a few official press releases. In reality, the economy in the western world has been in fairly bad shape at least since Lehman's fall in 2008, and probably earlier than that. So it was a major surprise to me to see so many headlines in July talking about a second anniversary of the end of the recession. eg "This Recovery May Be Two Years Old, But We're Still At Recession Levels Of New Unemployment Claims", wrote Mike Shedlock, 30 June 2011 http://www.businessinsider.com/new-unemployment-claims-recession-levels-2011-6 "U.S. Recovery's 2-Year Anniversary Arrives With Little To Celebrate" says Huffington Post, 1 July 2011 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/01/economic-recovery-anniversary_n_888979.html Thankfully, former IMF boss Kenneth Rogoff has not only put an end to the birthday party, but reminds us that the crisis is not three, but four years old...Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac, Hypo bank in Germany and Northern Rock in the UK all hit turbulence in 2007. I remember, I was going to a rugby world cup game in Paris between England and South Africa when the news broke about Northern Rock. Well done Ken. "Four years into the financial crisis, it is becoming increasingly clear that the biggest deficit is not in credit, but credibility." Kenneth Rogoff, 9 Aug 2011 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1e0f0efe-c1a9-11e0-acb3-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1UWeEV2Xf And I see Paul Krugman has also added his weight to the show, saying the US never really was on a recovery path in the first place. http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-08-08/news/29864235_1_double-dip-recession-deficit-reduction-job-creation ©RJ Doyle/Real Terms 9 August 2011	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line101
__label__wiki	0.722423	0.722423	Greer County’s Dizzying Colonial History By Kevin Hudson Ryan Clark’s experimental form for his poems, in which he dismantles his source material and rearranges it using homophonic translation, in some ways mirrors the history of the towns he chose to portray. Whereas today’s Greer County is contained within Oklahoma, Frazer and Navajoe are part of an older and larger Greer County, a region that stretched over modern-day southwestern Oklahoma. When submitting his work to Poor Yorick, Clark wrote, “These poems are a part of my Old Greer County project, which is a series that explores the history of the part of southwest Oklahoma that was once Greer County, Texas. In writing these poems, I used a unique method of homophonic translation which relies on the re-sounding of a source text, letter by letter, according to the various possible sounds each letter is able to produce. For example, cat may become ash by silencing the c as in indict, and by sounding the t as a sh- sound, as in ratio. The source text for these poems was found among archival materials from The Museum of the Western Prairie in Altus, Oklahoma.” Beyond the floods, dust storms and tornadoes that have ravaged the area, inhabitants have been the victims of an international tug-of-war since the early 1700s. As a result, Greer County has flown many flags over the course of its history. After having concentrated their efforts on trade, French colonists moved into the area around 1682. That’s when the explorer La Salle built a fort near Memphis, Tennessee, and claimed the region for France, calling it La Louisiane, after King Louis XIV. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France gave the territory to Spain.1 Then, in a move that I’m sure made the new inhabitants’ heads spin, Spain gave the region back to France, which then passed it over to the United States, a transaction known as the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. This deal doubled the size of the United States, containing a huge area that added the Mississippi’s western basin that included two of the river’s major feeders, the Missouri and the Arkansas, as well as the Red River. It was the latter river that defined the boundaries of the Old Greer County. Clark explained, “The area was not officially settled until the creation of Greer County in the mid- to late 19th century, as part of Texas. Before that point, it was part of an area controlled by the Wichita, Kiowa, and Comanche, of whom only the Wichita ever established semi-permanent villages in the area.” So, if it isn’t already complicated, an 1819 surveying mistake makes it even more so. What began as a border treaty between the U.S. and Spain later became a border dispute between Oklahoma and Texas. The still relatively new United States (having by now accumulated 21 states) wanted ownership of the territory where Florida lies today, but at the time it was in the hands of Spain. In the Adams-Onís Treaty, Spain agreed to hand over Florida in exchange for clear borders for its territories west of the Mississippi River. However, GPS and surveying instruments not being what they are today, a cartographer placed the Red River farther north than it actually is. No one paid any attention to the mistake at first, but it would later have repercussions on who controlled Greer County. In the meantime, the treaty, under Article 3, put Greer County under the Spanish flag.2 Two years later, in 1821, when Mexico gained independence from Spain, Greer County became part of the now Mexican state of Texas. But, history was not quite done with the fate of Greer. In 1836, after the Battle of San Jacinto, Texas broke away from Mexico and formed the Republic of Texas. Clark said, “The Alamo was a major defeat, and the Battle of San Jacinto is what won Texas its independence from Mexico. Also, veterans of the Battle of San Jacinto were later offered tracts of land in Greer County once the county was formed in the 1860s, and this is actually what began the settlement of the area.” Then, in 1845, Texas, pulling Greer along with it, joined the United States, making it the fifth country to claim the region. And this is not counting any claims that Native Americans, like the Comanche, Kiowa, and Wichita, had to the land.3 But back to the story of Greer’s changing sovereignty because it’s not quite over: After decades of the back and forth, the county, whether it was part of Spain, Mexico, or the Republic of Texas, was still within the region called Texas. But today, Greer is not part of Texas—it is part of Oklahoma. Remember that mistake the surveyor made in 1819 with the location of the Red River? Well, later surveyors figured out that earlier ones were using an upper channel as a border, not the main one which lay farther south. Noting this correction, Oklahoma went to court and sued for Greer County. In 1896, they won the case, pushing Oklahoma’s border farther south, thereby reducing the size of Texas. With that final change in sovereignty, Greer County then became what it is today, a region of Oklahoma.4 Old Greer County is now made up of Greer, Jackson, Harmon, and part of Beckham counties, as the larger county was broken up into smaller parts to better serve the settlers of the area once it began to become a bit more populated in the early 1900s. With all the flag changes Greer County endured over more than two centuries, I can’t imagine what that did to their concept of patriotism. Through all those political transformations and all those natural disasters, some of which are mentioned in Clark’s poems, their allegiance must be first and foremost to their family and their community. This also, I suppose, might help us understand the nature of the frontiersman. 1. Library of Congress. “Louisiana: European Explorations and the Louisiana Purchase.” https://www.loc.gov/collections/static/louisiana-european-explorations-and-the-louisiana-purchase/images/lapurchase.pdf 2. World Heritage Encyclopedia. “Adams-Onís Treaty.” Project Gutenberg World Publishing Press. http://self.gutenberg.org/articles/Adams–Onís Treaty. 4. Oklahoma Historical Society. “Old Greer County.” http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=GR025. Previous PostPrev Post Excerpts from ‘Old Greer County’ Next PostNext Post Ode to a Bright Idea	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line107
__label__wiki	0.978301	0.978301	Get Gilligan's Island essential facts below. View Videos or join the Gilligan's Island discussion. Add Gilligan's Island to your PopFlock.com topic list for future reference or share this resource on social media. American television series Sherwood Schwartz Rod Amateau Stanley Z. Cherry Alan Hale Jr. Jim Backus Dawn Wells Theme music composer George Wyle Opening theme "The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle" No. of seasons No. of episodes 98 plus a 1963 pilot (first broadcast in 1964) Camera setup Film; Single-camera Gladasya Productions CBS Productions United Artists Television Warner Bros. Television Distribution Original network Black and white (1964-1965) Color (1965-1967) September 26, 1964 (1964-09-26) - April 17, 1967 (1967-04-17) The New Adventures of Gilligan Bob Denver as Gilligan Alan Hale Jr. as the Skipper Dawn Wells as Mary Ann Gilligan's Island is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show had an ensemble cast that featured Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson, and Dawn Wells. It aired for three seasons on the CBS network from September 26, 1964, to April 17, 1967. The series followed the comic adventures of seven castaways as they attempted to survive on an island on which they had been shipwrecked. Most episodes revolve around the dissimilar castaways' conflicts and their unsuccessful attempts, for whose failure Gilligan was frequently responsible, to escape their plight.[1] Gilligan's Island ran for 98 episodes. All 36 episodes of the first season were filmed in black and white and were later colorized for syndication. The show's second and third seasons (62 episodes) and the three television film sequels (aired between 1978 and 1982) were filmed in color. The show received solid ratings during its original run, then grew in popularity during decades of syndication, especially in the 1970s and 1980s when many markets ran the show in the late afternoon. Today, the title character of Gilligan is widely recognized as an American cultural icon. The two-man crew of the charter boat SS Minnow and five passengers on a "three-hour tour" from Honolulu run into a typhoon and are shipwrecked on an uncharted island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Their efforts to be rescued are typically thwarted by the inadvertent conduct of the hapless first mate, Gilligan. In 1997, show creator Sherwood Schwartz explained that the underlying concept is still "the most important idea in the world today".[2] That is, people with extremely different characters and backgrounds being in a situation where they need to learn how to get along and cooperate with each other as a matter of survival. Cast and characters Bob Denver as Gilligan, the inept, accident-prone first mate of the S.S. Minnow Alan Hale Jr. as Captain Jonas "The Skipper" Grumby, the captain of the S.S. Minnow Jim Backus as Thurston Howell III, a Wall Street millionaire Natalie Schafer as "Lovey" Wentworth-Howell, Thurston's wife Tina Louise as Ginger Grant, a Hollywood movie star Russell Johnson as Professor Roy Hinkley, Ph.D. Dawn Wells as Mary Ann Summers, a wholesome farm-girl from Winfield, Kansas who won the trip and tour in a lottery Charles Maxwell (uncredited) as the voice of the recurring radio announcer Originally aired First aired Last aired October 16, 1992 (1992-10-16) (on TBS) 36 September 26, 1964 (1964-09-26) June 12, 1965 (1965-06-12) 32 September 16, 1965 (1965-09-16) April 28, 1966 (1966-04-28) Television films October 14, 1978 (1978-10-14) October 14, 2001 (2001-10-14) Pilot episode The pilot episode, titled "Marooned", was filmed in November 1963. The pilot featured seven characters (as in the series), but only four of the characters--and their associated actors--were carried forward into the series: Gilligan (Denver), the Skipper (Hale), and the Howells (Backus and Schafer). Because of the three significant character and casting changes between the pilot episode and the first series episode, the pilot was not shown before the series first aired on September 26, 1964. The original pilot eventually aired over 29 years later on TBS. The three characters who did not carry forward from the pilot were two secretaries and a high school teacher. In the pilot, the scientifically inclined Professor was instead a high school teacher played by John Gabriel. Ginger the movie star was still red-haired Ginger, but worked as a secretary, played by Kit Smythe, and was more sarcastic than the later incarnation. Mary Ann the Kansas farm girl was instead Bunny, Ginger's co-worker, played as a cheerful "dumb blonde" by Nancy McCarthy. The pilot's opening and ending songs were two similar Calypso-styled tracks written by John Williams and performed by Sherwood Schwartz impersonating singer Sir Lancelot. The lyrics of both were quite different from those of the TV series and the pilot's opening theme song was longer. The short scenes during this initial music include Gilligan taking the Howells' luggage to the boat before cast-off and Gilligan attempting to give a cup of coffee to the Skipper during the storm that would ultimately maroon the boat. After the opening theme song and credits end, the pilot proper begins with the seven castaways waking up on the beached SS Minnow and continues with them performing various tasks, including exploring the island, attempting to fix the transmitter, building huts, and finding food. Contrary to some descriptions, the pilot's storylines contained no detailed accounts of the pilot characters' backgrounds. The pilot concludes with the ending theme song and credits. The background music and even the laugh tracks of the pilot appear all but identical to those used during the series. First broadcast episode The first episode actually broadcast, "Two on a Raft", is sometimes wrongly referred to as the series pilot. This episode begins with the same scene of Gilligan and the Skipper awakening on the boat as in the pilot (though slightly differently cut, to eliminate most shots of the departed actors) and continues with the characters sitting on the beach listening to a radio news report about their disappearance. No equivalent scene or background information is in the pilot, except for the description of the passengers in the original theme song. Rather than reshooting the rest of the pilot story for broadcast, the show just proceeded on. The plot thus skips over the topics of the pilot; the bulk of the episode tells of Gilligan and the Skipper setting off on a raft to try to bring help, but unknowingly landing back on the other side of the same island. The scene with the radio report is one of two scenes that reveal the names of the Skipper (Jonas Grumby) and the Professor (Roy Hinkley); the names are used in a similar radio report early in the series. The name Jonas Grumby appears nowhere else in the series except for an episode in which the Maritime Board of Review blames the Skipper for the loss of the Minnow. The name Roy Hinkley is used one other time when Mr. Howell introduces the Professor as Roy Huntley and the professor corrects him, to which Mr. Howell replies, "Brinkley, Brinkley." The plot for the pilot episode was eventually recycled into that season's Christmas episode, "Birds Gotta Fly, Fish Gotta Talk", in which the story of the pilot episode, concerning the practical problems on landing, is related through a series of flashbacks. Footage featuring characters that had been recast was reshot using the current actors. For scenes including only Denver, Hale, Backus, and Schafer, the original footage was reused. Last broadcast episode The last episode of the show, "Gilligan the Goddess", aired on April 17, 1967, and ended just like the rest, with the castaways still stranded on the island. It was not known at the time that it would be the series finale, as a fourth season was expected but then cancelled.[3] In its last year, Gilligan's Island was the lead-in program for the CBS Monday night schedule. It was followed for the first 16 weeks by the sitcom Run, Buddy, Run. The time slot from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern was filled in the 1967-1968 season by Gunsmoke, moved from its traditional Saturday 10 p.m. time slot. Typical plots The shipwrecked castaways desperately want to leave the remote island, and various opportunities frequently present themselves, but always fail, usually due to some bumbling error committed by Gilligan. Sometimes this would result in Gilligan saving the others from some unforeseen flaw in their plan.[4] Most episodes of Gilligan's Island used variations on five recurring basic plots: Life on the island. A running gag is the castaways' ability to fashion a vast array of useful objects from bamboo, gourds, vines and other local materials. Some are simple everyday things, such as eating and cooking utensils, while others (such as a remarkably efficient lie detector apparatus) are stretches of the imagination. Russell Johnson noted in his autobiography that the production crew enjoyed the challenge of building these props. These bamboo items include framed huts with thatched grass sides and roofs, along with bamboo closets strong enough to withstand hurricane-force winds and rain, the communal dining table and chairs, pipes for Gilligan's hot water, a stethoscope, and a pedal-powered car. Visitors to the uncharted island. Another challenge to a viewer's suspension of disbelief is the remarkable frequency with which the remote island is visited by an assortment of people who repeatedly fail to assist the castaways in leaving the island. Dream sequences in which one of the castaways dreams they are some character related to that week's story line. All of the castaways appeared as other characters within the dream. In later interviews and memoirs, nearly all of the actors stated that the dream episodes were among their personal favorites. A piece of news concerning the castaways arrives from the outside world via the radio and causes distress or discord among them. The appearance or arrival of strange objects to the island, such as a World War II naval mine, an old silent motion picture camera and costumes, a crate of radioactive vegetable seeds, plastic explosives, a robot, a live lion, a jet pack, or a "Mars Rover" that the scientists back in the United States think is sending them pictures of Mars. Most of the slapstick comedic sequences between Hale and Denver were heavily inspired by Laurel and Hardy, particularly by Hale breaking the fourth wall by looking directly into the camera expressing his frustration with Denver's clumsiness as Oliver Hardy often did.[5] The show was filmed at the CBS Radford Studios complex in Studio City, Los Angeles.[6] The same stage was later used for The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Roseanne, the latter of which featured Gilligan's Island prominently on one episode. The lagoon was drained and used as a parking lot during the show's off-season and was the last surviving element of the show when it was demolished in 1997 as part of an expansion project.[7] Four boats played the part of the SS Minnow. One was used in the opening credits and rented in Ala Wai Yacht Harbor in Honolulu. Another boat, the Bluejacket, was used in the opening credits shown during the second and third seasons and eventually turned up for sale on Vancouver Island in August 2006, after running aground on a reef in the Hecate Strait on the way south from Alaska. One boat was used for beach scenes after being towed to Kauai in Hawaii. The fourth Minnow was built on the CBS Studios set in the second season.[8] The Minnow was named in reference to Newton Minow, chairman of the U.S. FCC, in response to Minow's landmark 1961 speech "Television and the Public Interest"; the speech lambasted television producers for producing, among other things, "formula comedies about totally unbelievable" characters (not unlike Gilligan's Island) and creating a "vast wasteland" of bad television.[9] The final day of filming the pilot was Friday, November 22, 1963, the day of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.[10] The cast and crew found out about the assassination late that morning, Hawaii time.[10] Between the filming of scenes, they crowded around a radio, listening to news bulletins.[10] A reminder of the tragedy appears in the opening sequence of the show's first season, when the theme song is played. As the Minnow is leaving the harbor and heading out to sea, an American flag flying at half staff can be seen briefly in the background.[10][11] The United States Coast Guard occasionally received telegrams from concerned citizens, who apparently did not realize it was a scripted show, pleading for them to rescue the people on the deserted island. The Coast Guard simply forwarded these telegrams to producer Sherwood Schwartz.[12] In homage to those telegrams, the film Rescue from Gilligan's Island showed the successful rescue where Gilligan lights a fire aboard the castaways' makeshift raft and is chastised for a thoughtless, dangerous action by the others. However, the resultant smoke attracts the attention of a US Coast Guard helicopter, whose pilot commends Gilligan's fire; otherwise, the castaways would have been adrift and unnoticed. Bob Denver was not the first choice to play Gilligan; actor Jerry Van Dyke was offered the role, but he turned it down, believing that the show would never be successful. He chose instead to play the lead in My Mother the Car, which premiered the following year and was canceled after one season. The producers looked to Bob Denver, the actor who had played Maynard G. Krebs, the goofy but lovable beatnik in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.[] Natalie Schafer had it written into her contract that no close-ups would be made of her, but after a while in the series it was forgotten. Schafer was 63 when the pilot was shot, although reportedly no one on the set or in the cast knew her real age and she refused to divulge it. Originally, she only accepted the role because the pilot was filmed on location in Hawaii. She looked at the job as nothing more than a free vacation, as she was convinced that a show this silly would "never go".[13] Tina Louise clashed with producer Sherwood Schwartz because she believed that she was hired as the central character. Her character was originally written as a hard-nosed, sharp-tongued temptress, but Louise argued that this portrayal was too harsh and refused to play it as written. A compromise was reached; Louise agreed to play her as a Marilyn Monroe/Jayne Mansfield type. Her temperament reportedly made her difficult to work with, but when it came time to shoot she was a professional and did her job. Louise continued to clash with producers over her role and was the only cast member who refused to return for any of the post-series TV movies, saying that the role had killed her career as a serious actress. After many years of distancing herself from the show, she appeared in a reunion of the cast on a late-night television talk show in 1988 and on an episode of Roseanne in 1995 when the Roseanne cast re-enacted Gilligan's Island. In the pilot episode, the character of Ginger was played by actress Kit Smythe.[] John Gabriel was originally cast as the Professor, but the network thought he looked too young to have all the degrees attributed to the character. Russell Johnson, who served as a bombardier in the Pacific during World War II, stated that he had some difficulty remembering his more technically oriented lines. Originally, he was not interested in the role and was waiting for a TV show of his own, but his agent talked him into auditioning.[] Dawn Wells was a former Miss Nevada when she auditioned for the Mary Ann role. Her competition included Raquel Welch and Pat Priest. The pilot episode featured a different character ("Bunny") played by actress Nancy McCarthy. After it was shot, the network decided to recast the roles of the Professor and the two young women. Mary Ann became a simple farm girl from Winfield, Kansas.[] The music and lyrics for the theme song, "The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle", were written by Sherwood Schwartz and George Wyle. One version was used for the first season and another for the second and third seasons. In the original song, the Professor and Mary Ann, originally considered "second-billed co-stars", were referred to as "the rest", but with the growing popularity of those characters, their names were inserted into the lyrics in the second season. The Gilligan theme song underwent this one major change because star Bob Denver personally asked studio executives to add Johnson and Wells to the song.[14] When the studio at first refused, saying it would be too expensive to reshoot, Denver insisted, even going so far as to state that if Johnson and Wells were not included, he wanted his name out of the song as well. The studio caved in, and "the Professor and Mary Ann" were added.[15][16][17] The theme song in the original pilot did not even mention the character Ginger, with the last two mentioned by name being "the Millionaire and Mrs. Millionaire" followed by "...and the other tourists".[18] The first-season version was recorded by the folk group The Wellingtons. The second-season version, which incorporated more of a sea shanty sound, was uncredited, but according to Russell Johnson in his book Here on Gilligan's Isle, it was performed by a group called the Eligibles.[19] The show's original pilot episode featured a Calypso theme song by future film composer John Williams, and different lyrics. The original length of the voyage was "a six-hour ride", not "a three-hour tour".[20] John Williams (or Johnny Williams as he was often listed in the show credits) also started out as the composer of the incidental music for the show (from 1964 to 1965), but was replaced by Gerald Fried for the remaining seasons (1965-1967).[21] Later parody and homage The band Little Roger and the Goosebumps recorded "Stairway to Gilligan's Island," a parody of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven", substituting the words to the Gilligan's Island theme song.[22] In 1987, The Iceman parodied Madonna's "La Isla Bonita" as "La Isla Gilligan." "Weird Al" Yankovic recorded a song called "Isle Thing", a parody of Tone L?c's "Wild Thing", about a rapper whose girlfriend introduces him to the show. Yankovic also mentions the show in his song "Stop Draggin' My Car Around", and he used one verse from the closing theme lyrics in "Amish Paradise" (1996), a parody of Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995). The song has also been covered by many bands, including Bowling for Soup for the TBS show The Real Gilligan's Island.[23]Israel Kamakawiwo?ole also recorded a comic tribute to the theme song on his album E Ala E. The TV series ALF had a 2-part episode "Somewhere Over the Rerun"/"The Ballad of Gilligan's Island" in which ALF dreams he's on Gilligan's Island; guest stars Bob Denver; Alan Hale; Dawn Wells; and Russell Johnson reprise their Gilligan Island roles. The chorus to rap group Big Tymers' Still Fly is said to be an interpolation of the section of the theme-song referring to the cast members. [24] During the 1966-1967 television season, Gilligan's Island aired on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. eastern time, Though the sitcom's ratings had fallen well out of the top-30 programs, during the last few weeks of its third season, the series was still winning its timeslot against its main competition, The Monkees, which aired at the same time on NBC-TV. Therefore, CBS assured Sherwood Schwartz that Gilligan's Island would definitely be picked up for a fourth year. CBS, however, had signaled its intention to cancel the long-running Western series Gunsmoke, which had been airing late on Saturday nights during the 1966-1967 television season. Under pressure from CBS network president William S. Paley and his wife Babe, along with many network affiliates and longtime fans of Gunsmoke, CBS rescheduled the Western to an earlier time slot on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. eastern time. As a result, Gilligan's Island was quietly canceled at practically the last minute, while the cast members were all on vacation. Some of the cast had bought houses near the set, based on Sherwood Schwartz's verbal confirmation that the series would be renewed for a fourth season.[25] Nielsen ratings/television schedule Ep# 1 (1964-1965) 36 September 26, 1964 June 12, 1965 Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. eastern time #18 24.7 (tie) 13,227,700 2 (1965-1966) 32 September 16, 1965 April 28, 1966 Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. eastern time #22 22.1 11,900,850 3 (1966-1967) 30 September 12, 1966 April 17, 1967 Mondays at 7:30 p.m. eastern time #49[26] N/A N/A Film sequels Three television film sequels were made--the first independently, the other two by MCA/Universal Television. In a 1978 television film, Rescue from Gilligan's Island, the castaways successfully leave the island but have difficulty reintegrating into society. During a reunion cruise on the first Christmas after their rescue, fate intervenes and they find themselves wrecked on the same island at the end of the film. It starred the original cast, except for Tina Louise, who refused to participate because of her disputes with the producers and who was replaced by Judith Baldwin. The plot involved Soviet agents seeking a memory disc from a spy satellite that landed on the island and facilitated their rescue. In a 1979 sequel, The Castaways on Gilligan's Island, they are rescued once again, and the Howells convert the island into a getaway resort with the other five castaways as "silent partners". Ginger was again played by Judith Baldwin. In a second sequel, The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981), villains played by Martin Landau and then-wife Barbara Bain try to take over the island to gain access to a vein of "supremium", a valuable but volatile fictional element. This time, Ginger was played by Constance Forslund. They are thwarted by the timely intervention of the Harlem Globetrotters. Jim Backus, who was in poor health at the time, was written out of the script by saying Thurston Howell III was tending to Howell Industries back on the mainland. David Ruprecht played the role of his son, Thurston Howell IV, who was asked to manage the resort. However, Backus insisted on keeping continuity, and made a cameo appearance at the end of the film. In 2008, Sherwood Schwartz stated he would like a modern day movie adaptation of Gilligan's Island with Michael Cera as Gilligan and Beyonce Knowles as Ginger.[27][28][29] Spin-offs and timelines The New Adventures of Gilligan is a Filmation-produced animated remake that aired on ABC on Saturday mornings from September 7, 1974, to September 4, 1977, for 24 episodes (16 installments airing in 1974-75 and eight new ones combined with repeats in 1975-76). The voices were provided by the original cast except for Ginger and Mary Ann (both were voiced by Jane Webb). Dawn Wells could not participate because she was in a touring production.[] An additional character was Gilligan's pet, Snubby the Monkey. Gilligan's Planet is an animated science-fiction version produced by Filmation and starring the voices of the Gilligan's Island cast, save for Tina Louise (Dawn Wells voiced both Mary Ann and Ginger). In a follow-up to The New Adventures of Gilligan, the castaways escape from the island by building a spaceship, and get shipwrecked on a distant planet. Only 12 episodes aired on CBS between September 18, 1982, and September 3, 1983. In the episode "Let Sleeping Minnows Lie", they travel to an island, get shipwrecked there, and Gilligan observes, "First we were stranded on an island, then we were stranded on a planet, and now we're stranded on an island on a planet." Reunions and documentaries This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Good Morning America featured a Gilligan's Island reunion presided over by guest host Kathie Lee Gifford on November 26, 1982. The entire cast was present, except for Jim Backus who was unable to attend but appeared via a live video remote from Los Angeles. All seven of the original cast members (along with Sherwood Schwartz) reunited on television for one last time on a 1988 episode of The Late Show with Ross Shafer. Gilligan's Island: Underneath the Grass Skirt is a 1999 documentary featuring Denver and Louise. E! True Hollywood Story presented a backstage history of the show in 2000, featuring interviews with some of the stars or their widows. Surviving Gilligan's Island (2001) is a docudrama in which Bob Denver, Dawn Wells, and Russell Johnson reminisce about the show. With the death of Dawn Wells on December 30, 2020, Tina Louise became the lone surviving cast member of the original series. This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Gilligan's Island: The Musical was first produced in the early 1990s, with a script by Lloyd Schwartz, Sherwood Schwartz's son, and songs by Schwartz's daughter and son-in-law, Hope and Laurence Juber. Gilligan's Wake is a 2003 parallel novel loosely based on the 1960s CBS sitcom, from the viewpoints of the seven major characters, written by Esquire film and television critic Tom Carson. The title is derived from the title of the TV show and Finnegans Wake, the seminal work of Irish novelist James Joyce. On November 30, 2004, the TBS network launched a reality series titled The Real Gilligan's Island, which placed two groups of people on an island, leaving them to fend for themselves in the manner of Survivor - the catch being that each islander matched a character type established in the original series (a klutz, a sea captain, a movie star, a millionaire's wife, etc.). While heavily marketed by TBS, the show turned out to be a flop with a very Survivor-like feel, but little of its success. A second season began June 8, 2005, with two-hour episodes for four weeks. TBS announced in July 2005 that a third season of the show would not be produced. Syndication is handled by Warner Bros. Television (under Turner Entertainment Co., which in 1986 acquired United Artists Television's share of the series as part of the classic pre-1986 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer library). It has aired on TBS from 1990 to 2003, where it also aired with colorization on season one for a while. TNT aired it at some point in the 1990s, and also aired the colorized season one. Nick at Nite later aired the series from 2000 to 2001. It then shifted to TV Land, where it aired from 2001 to 2003 (and again from January to June 2014). Then, in 2004, it aired on Hallmark Channel. In 2015, the show started to air nationally on MeTV.[1] Warner/Turner also handles the two Filmation-produced animated sequel series. The three TV movie sequels are handled by other companies. In the UK Gilligan's Island had a very brief run on ITV in April 1965 but was dropped after 13 episodes. Warner Home Video released all three seasons of Gilligan's Island on DVD in Region 1 between 2004 and 2005. The Complete First Season features all 36 episodes unedited with the original theme song. And, unlike other releases of older sitcoms, the episodes are in their original black-and-white format. The special features include the rare pilot episode with commentary with creator Sherwood Schwartz and three other featurettes. The Complete Second Season includes all 32 season-two episodes in color. Bonuses for this set include: a season-two introduction with Russell Johnson and Sherwood Schwartz and audio commentary on the season's third episode, "The Little Dictator". The Complete Third Season includes all 30 season-three episodes. Special features include a season introduction with Russell Johnson and Sherwood Schwartz, commentary on the season's fourth episode, "The Producer", guest-starring Phil Silvers, and a 15-minute documentary entitled Gilligan's Island: A Pop Culture Phenomenon. The Complete Series Collection contains all the same bonuses and featurettes for a complete series box set in 2007. In April 2012, the series was reissued in new DVD releases. The series is also available at the iTunes Store.[30] DVD name The Complete First Season 36 February 3, 2004 The Complete Second Season 32 January 11, 2005 The Complete Third Season 30 July 26, 2005 The Complete Series Collection 98 November 6, 2007 Digitally remastered in high definition In August 2006, an executive at Warner Bros. announced plans that Gilligan's Island, in addition to other classic TV series owned by the studio, would be digitally re-mastered in HD.[31] The original TV series was shot on high-resolution film but scaled down for broadcast. On January 20, 2014, TV Land became the first network to air theatrical-style widescreen HD remastered episodes of Gilligan's Island. This marked the first time the WB remastered episodes were seen by fans and the general public.[32] HD remastered episodes have been made available for purchase through streaming media sources. Two board games based on the show, both called The Gilligan's Island Game[33] featuring a monkey, Thurston Howell III, Gilligan, and the Skipper on the box cover, was manufactured by Game Gems and was released in 1965.[]The New Adventures of Gilligan,[34] based on the short-lived cartoon of the same name and featuring all castaways, was manufactured by Milton Bradley and was released in 1974.[] A set of trading cards was released by Topps in 1965.[35] A pinball machine, manufactured by Bally and based on the show, was released in May 1991.[] A video game based on the series, called The Adventures of Gilligan's Island and manufactured by Bandai, was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in July 1990. The game features the likenesses of all the original castaways except for Ginger, who is completely absent from the game.[] A video slot machine, manufactured by International Game Technology and loosely based on the show, was released in 2004.[36] Ginger or Mary Ann? The question of which of these two characters men prefer has endured long after the end of the series.[37][38] The question has inspired commercials,[39] essays, videos, and a sermon.[40] By most accounts, the wholesome, down-to-earth Mary Ann has consistently outpolled the glamorous bombshell movie-star Ginger by a sizable margin.[41] Bob Denver admitted he was a Mary Ann fan.[38] According to Bob Denver in a 2001 interview, Wells received 3,000-5,000 fan letters weekly, whereas Louise may have gotten 1,500 or 2,000.[42][43] ^ a b "MeTV Network - Shows - Gilligan's Island". ^ "Gilligan's Island" creator Sherwood Schwartz on the show's concept - EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG, recorded on September 17, 1997 in Beverly Hills, CA with Dan Pasternack (published to YouTube on Nov 4, 2010). ^ Stoddard 1996, pp. 306-7. ^ "MeTV Network -". ^ "Denver", The New York Times, September 7, 2005 . ^ "CBS Studio Center". Seeing-stars.com. Retrieved 2009. ^ WALSTAD, DAVID (August 7, 1995). "Civilization Takes Over 'Gilligan's' Lagoon : Television: The set of the 1960s sitcom is turned into an employee parking lot as CBS Studio Center adds production facilities". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2017. ^ "Gilligan's Minnow no longer lost". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. August 28, 2006. Retrieved 2006. ^ "Legal Tales from Gilligan's Island". Santa Clara Law Review & Jamail Center for Legal Research. Archived from the original on August 28, 2005. ^ a b c d Russell Johnson with Steve Cox, Here on Gilligan's Isle, page 20 (1993). ^ First season opening sequence of Gilligan's Island From YouTube. Retrieved on November 6, 2011. ^ Fore, William F (1987). "Escape From Gilligan's Island". medialit.org. Retrieved 2011. ^ Stoddard 1996, p. 190. ^ Shales, Tom (February 8, 2004), "Hey, little buddy! 'Gilligan' DVD drifts into port", The Washington Post, p. N1, To his credit, star Bob Denver lobbied Schwartz and others to change the lyrics to the theme song after the second season, so all the characters and not just most of them were listed. Instead of the chorus singing 'the movie star, and the rest,' they sang, 'the movie star, the professor and Mary Ann, here on Gilligan's isle!' ^ Green. Unofficial Gilligan's Island Handbook. ^ Lileth. "Was the "Gilligan's Island" theme song tampered with?". The Straight Dope. Cecil Adams. Retrieved 2006. ^ "Gilligan's Island Tidbits". The Fifties Web. Retrieved 2006. ^ https://archive.org/details/GilligansIsland1.00 ^ "Home Town Success Story". Bay views. Google Blogger. Retrieved 2014. ^ "Gilligan's Island Theme". Gilligan's isle. Retrieved 2009. ^ "Gilligan's Island Full Cast and Crew". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2010. ^ "Stairway". The Official Gilligan's Island Fan Club. Retrieved 2011. ^ "Bowling For Soup - Gilligan's Island Theme". You tube. ^ "Somewhere Over the Rerun". IMDB. ^ The Worst TV Shows Ever, Those TV Turkeys We Will Never Forget...(No Matter How Hard We Try) by Bart Andrews with Brad Dunning (1980). ^ "Gilligan's Island: TV Show Creator wants Michael Cera and Beyonce for New Movie". canceled + renewed TV shows - TV Series Finale. January 2, 2009. Retrieved 2021. ^ "Gilligan's Island Creator Wants Michael Cera To Play Gilligan in Movie Adaptation". /Film. December 24, 2008. Retrieved 2021. ^ "Beyoncé to Star in 'Gilligan's Island' Movie?". Rap-Up. Retrieved 2021. ^ "Gilligan's Island: The Complete Series". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved 2019. ^ ""Gilligan's Island" coming to HD?". ^ "'Gilligan's Island' Docks at TV Land For the First Time in 10 Years". January 16, 2014. Archived from the original on March 7, 2017. ^ "Gilligan's Island Game". ^ "The New Adventures of Gilligan". ^ 1965 Topps Gilligan's Island Trading Cards ^ Gilligan's Island Video Slots by International Game Technologies ^ Gael Fashingbauer Cooper (October 18, 2012). "As Dawn Wells turns 74, the question remains: Ginger or Mary Ann?". Today. Retrieved 2014. ^ a b Hiassen, Rob (September 29, 2007). "Author has left Ginger and 'Island' behind". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. (HighBeam subscription may be required) ^ Budweiser Ginger or Mary Ann Archived October 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on September 7, 2011 ^ Rev. Jeffrey Symynkywicz (June 5, 2005). "Ginger or Mary Ann?". uustoughtonma.org. Archived from the original on December 26, 2007. Retrieved 2007. ^ Slotek, Jim (January 16, 2014). "Russell Johnson on 'Gilligan's Island' in 1993 interview". Toronto Sun. USA Today carried a Ginger vs. Mary Ann fave poll and Dawn Wells' character had 85% of the vote ^ Silver, Marc (September 7, 2005). "So which one did Gilligan like best?". usnews.com U.S. News and World Report. Archived from the original on December 26, 2007. Retrieved 2007. ^ "Ginger vs. Maryann". retroCRUSH. Retrieved 2012. Denver, Bob (November 1993). Gilligan, Maynard & Me. Carol Publishing. ISBN 0-8065-1413-2. Green, Joey (April 1988). Unofficial Gilligan's Island Handbook. Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-38668-5. Johnson, Russell; Cox, Steve (July 1993). Here on Gilligan's Isle (1st ed.). Perennial. ISBN 0-06-096993-8. Schwartz, Sherwood (April 15, 1994). Inside Gilligan's Island: A Three-Hour Tour Through The Making of A Television Classic. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-10482-0. Stoddard, Sylvia (May 1996). TV Treasures - A Companion Guide to Gilligan's Island. New York: St. Martin's Paperbacks. ISBN 0-312-95797-1. Gilligan's Island - The Complete First Season (DVD), 2004, Turner Home Entertainment, UPC 053939673425. Gilligan's Island - The Complete Second Season (DVD), 2005, Turner Home Entertainment, UPC 053939692624. Gilligan's Island - The Complete Third Season (DVD), 2005, Turner Home Entertainment, UPC 053939733129. Gilligan's Island on IMDb Gilligan's Island at TV.com Gilligan's Island: Underneath the Grass Skirt (1999 documentary) on IMDb Gilligan's Island at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television Sept 2014 interview with Dawn Wells Gilligan's Island Theme Gilligan's Island opportunity missed Gilligan's Island - Se1 - Ep9 Journey to Gilligan's Island Gilligan's Island - Se3 - Ep21 Gilligan's Island Trivia Challenge [PDF Download] Gilligan's Island Trivia Challenge# [Read] Publicite Ikea Gilligan's Island Gilligan's_Island	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line108
__label__wiki	0.70313	0.70313	Modified memories: Jared Bell (Lymbyc Systym) November 23, 2009 Kevin 1 Comment Modified Arts, an all-ages venue in downtown Phoenix that has been a staple of the local music scene and a vital venue for touring indie bands for nearly 11 years, will change direction and transform into a space focused mostly on art. (Read more here and here.) As such, I am collecting thoughts and memories from the musicians who played there and the fans who attended its many shows. This is less an obituary and more a celebration of a less-than-perfect but charming venue that, as we know it now, will be missed. This entry comes from Jared Bell, who with his brother Michael form Lymbyc Systym, whose excellent new LP, Shutter Release, was released on Mush Records earlier this month. The one-time Phoenix duo has plotted a West Coast tour with a Jan. 13 date set for The Sail Inn in Tempe with Helios and What Laura Says. Lymbyc Systym \| Ghost Clock Modified smelled bad. It had a shitty PA, and the sweat lodge atmosphere from the swamp cooler in July put me on the verge of heatstroke more than once. But, as it turns out, that is the perfect recipe for one of the most unique, dynamic and memorable venues we have played. In over four years of extensive touring around the world, I still have not come across a place quite like it. Modified managed to function as a legitimate venue without sacrificing the intimacy and raw energy of a house show. It is was one of the very few places where a nationally recognized touring act could play to a crowd of forty people as though it were their first show. Perhaps that is because Phoenix has an apathetic scene and Modified was the only place catering to a specific type of music. But, I’d like to believe it’s because Modified was a bullshit-free venue. It was located in no man’s land (at least at the beginning). There was no bar, no air conditioning, no sub woofers, and it was not exactly an ideal atmosphere for loud conversation or picking up girls. At the same time, it lacked the austere, pretentious and limited vibe associated with most “art spaces.” In other words, people came there simply for the music. As a musician playing on the Modified stage, you could really feel the purity and sincerity of the crowd. And for me, when it comes down to it, that is the reason I play music – to have an honest connection between human and sound. Modified is one of the few places where I have really felt that connection deeply, and I think a lot of others have, too. Modified served as a home to us, and it will be deeply missed as music venue. Stephen Chilton (Psyko Steve) David Jensen (Art for Starters) Previous PostNick Andre + E Da Boss: Demonstration mixtapeNext PostRJD2 (feat. Blueprint): Wherever One thought on “Modified memories: Jared Bell (Lymbyc Systym)” No Knife: The Red Bedroom (video) For no other reason than my pure joy at recently [More] James Brown’s “Funky Drummer” I’m feeling honored and humbled to discover that [More] Michael Franti and Spearhead: “Yell Fire!” It’s no surprise, but 2006 has yielded a crop of [More] Z-Trip offers Lounge Act remix for download In keeping with his generous habit of giving away [More] Spoon: Cherry Bomb (demo) It’s pretty cool that Spoon is giving away a [More]	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line110
__label__wiki	0.845478	0.845478	Keyword * OnBlu-Ray Exclusive Bruce Greenwood, Jennifer Carpenter, Chris Cox, John DiMaggio, David Forseth Action/Adventure, Animation, On Blu-Ray: In 1989 DC Comics released Gotham by Gaslight, a one-shot graphic novel that reimagined Batman in the alternate timeline in which Jack the Ripper is terrorizing a 19th century Gotham City. For years, other “Elseworlds” stories would follow, taking multiple DC superheroes into various eras. The DC Universe animated movie Batman: Gotham by Gaslight takes the general plot structure of the graphic novel and then builds upon it to deliver an intriguing tale of mystery that will satisfy both readers of the original and newcomers alike. Gotham gets a Victorian era makeover as the city is plagued by a series of gruesome murders against its “ladies of the night.” Part horror film, part whodunit, the animated film puts a new spin on familiar Batman characters. Even if you read the graphic novel you’ll be pleasantly surprised to know that the film changes up some things, most importantly the identity of Jack the Ripper. The story unfolds like any good murder mystery and completely fits Batman’s character. It doesn’t matter what era or timeline you put him in, Batman will always be Batman even if he doesn’t have all of his fancy gadgets at his disposal. That being said, I wasn’t too impressed by Bruce Greenwood as Batman. All I heard was just Bruce Greenwood and not Bruce Wayne, although as things progressed I did get slightly accustomed to his voice. The Blu-ray of Gotham by Gaslight includes an interesting 20 minute behind-the-scenes look at the graphic novel and its transition into an animated film that any comic book fan is going to enjoy. There’s also audio commentary and a sneak peek at the next DC Universe animated movie, Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay. Oddly, it also includes sneak peeks for two previously released films, 2016’s Batman: Bad Blood and 2017’s Justice League Dark. I guess Warner Bros. just needed some extra filler content for the special features. Overall, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight is darker and more violent Batman adventure that will please fans with its clever story. Half the fun is trying to figure out who Jack the Ripper is alongside Batman. Like the graphic novel, hopefully this is only the beginning of more stories set within the Elseworlds universe. Review by Matt Rodriguez Follow him @ Twitter Friend him @ Facebook DC Universe Original Movies	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line113
__label__cc	0.718208	0.281792	Panel 47 is one of the inscribed panels on the Menin Gate at Ypres bearing the names of those soldiers with no known grave. Panel 47 is important to us because of the number of Sheffield soldiers named upon it. We will explore the early fighting to the east of Ypres that resulted in so much death and destruction. Click here for the known Sheffield Men on Panel 47, and here for Sheffield Men on all the Menin Gate Panels, order by Panel or order by Surname. Formation of the Ypres Less than 3 weeks after the British Expeditionary Force crossed the Channel with all its equipment and horses, Britain and Germany locked horns in the first major contact between the two sides. Germany had unleashed a right hook on France, aiming for Paris. They had swept through Belgium from the north-east, squashing any of the Belgian army under foot that got in its way. The small professional army of Britain, about 100,000 strong, lay in shallow trenches at Mons awaiting the advance of the Germans. This was the army described by the Kaiser in an order to the General commanding the Germans, von Kluck: ‘it is my Royal and Imperial Command that you concentrate your energies for the immediate present upon one single purpose, and that is, you address all your skill and all the valour of my soldiers, to exterminate the treacherous English and walk over General French’s contemptible little army.’ Hence the title ‘The Old Contemptibles’ Field Marshall Sir John French was in overall command of the British Expeditionary Force, which was made up of two Army Corps, the 1st under General Sir Douglas Haig and the 2nd under General Sir Horris Smith-Dorrien. So, on the morning of the 23rd August 1914, on a 20 mile front, with the French Armies on their right, ‘the contemptible little army’, were waiting for the advance of the Germans in their shallow trenches. ‘Now, let ‘em come’ said the men of the B.E.F. ‘for we don’t give a fuck for old von Kluck … ! And come they did, in their thousands, a wall of field grey. Thousands of Germans were mown down, but through strength of numbers, what famously became known as the retreat from Mons began. The B.E.F. were harried all the way back to the river Marne. Here they stopped, and the fight back began. A thirty mile gap had appeared between two German armies, into this gap poured allied troops. The Germans were now on the back foot. They retreated to new, strong positions on the River Aisne. Both sides then began to try and out flank each other in a race for control of the Channel ports of Calais, Dunkirk etc. After very hard fighting on the Aisne, Sir Douglas Haig’s 1st Corps detrained at St Omer on the 19th of October. They then advanced towards Bruges and Ghent via Ypres. Haig was confronted by large enemy forces just beyond Ypres. Sir Henry Rawlinson and his troops arrived from Antwerp to seize Menin, he too faced large enemy forces. Falling back again, the British troops fell back to the east of the Gheluvelt crossroads, on the Menin road from Ypres. The struggle for Ypres had begun. The First Ypres, the story continued	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line114
__label__cc	0.657684	0.342316	Langley lifts NC A&T over SC State 76-65 ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Kameron Langley scored 14 points and made 12 assists to lead NC A&T to a 76-65 win over South Carolina State on Monday night. Andre Jackson had 18 points for NC A&T (16-14, 12-3 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference), which earned its fourth straight win. Ronald Jackson added 17 points and Tyrone Lyons had 11. The Aggies entered the game tied for first place in MEAC standings with North Carolina Central. Damani Applewhite had 13 points for the seventh-place Bulldogs (11-17, 6-10), who have now lost five consecutive games. Ian Kinard added 11 points. The Aggies improve to 2-0 against the Bulldogs this season. NC A&T defeated South Carolina State 78-63 on Feb. 3. NC A&T finishes out the regular season against NC Central on the road on Thursday.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line116
__label__wiki	0.573724	0.573724	TSE Research Center About Dr. Bastian You are here: Home About Dr. Bastian BA, Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 1960 MD, University of Saskatchewan, 1964 Residency, Neuropathology, Duke University, 1968-72 Fellowship, Virology, National Institutes of Health, 1972 Areas of Specialization/Research Dr. Bastian’s research centers around a lifetime work searching for the causal agent of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE). He has shown that a wall-less bacterium, spiroplasma, is consistently associated with the TSEs. Recently at Lousiana State University Agricultural Center, he and collaborators in the Dept. of Veterinary Science have developed a Ruminant Model of TSE that will be used to study pathogenic mechanisms involved in the spiroplasmosis models. In collaboration with Dr. Thune, a genomic study will be conducted on the putative organism, which should dramatically help understand the role of spiroplasma in TSE. 1972-1979 Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 1979-1982 Associate Professor of Pathology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 1982 - 1992 Associate Professor of Pathology, University of South Alabama College of Medicine, Mobile, AL 36619 1992 - 2001 Professor of Pathology, University of South Alabama College of Medicine, Mobile, AL 36619 2002 - date Professor of Pathology at Tulane University School of Medicine at New Orleans, Louisiana 70112. 2005 – date Professor, Dept of Veterinary Science, Lousiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803. Awards/Grants 1984 Visiting Professor, Cambridge University, England 2002 Reviewer, Army Prion Program 2002 - 2003 Reviewer (Ad hoc chairman) Army Prion Program	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line120
__label__cc	0.605172	0.394828	You’re in Year 9, a nerd. It’s the school dance. Your friends, also nerds (one’s a loser-nerd), are there. You wait outside, trying to pluck up the courage to go inside because, well, the school bully is in there and he said that if you were to show up tonight he’d break every bone in your body. And you knew he probably wasn’t kidding. Also, there are girls in there. And they’re dancing. Which is even harder. This is the premise of School Dance – a play developed by Windmill Performing Arts and presented to much acclaim at last year’s Adelaide Festival – playing as part of the Sydney Festival by the Sydney Theatre Company. Written by Matthew Whittet, it is set “right [at] that horrible just-getting-into-girls phase,” and follows three awkward teens – Matthew, Luke and Jonathon (the play’s writer, composer and designer, respectively, playing semi-fictionalised versions of their fifteen year-old selves) – as they embark on a hormone-fuelled quest for social acceptability. Set in the school hall-cum-gymnasium, it’s a special kind of hell, the kind that terrifies and proposes a unique set of challenges to those of a certain age, and reminds us of those times if we’re older. Though set in the 1980s, a decade I was only a part of for forty-odd days, and drawing on much of the cultural memory of that time, it is not exclusive to that time: the problems facing the characters are very much problems we are faced with today, each and every one of us. As the play progresses, Matthew becomes invisible – a metaphorical manifestation of his inability to talk to the girl he’s crushing on – and it is the attempt to make him corporeal again that forms the play’s central quest. And quest is a pretty apt description of it too; it’s a grand adventure in the mode of the Arthurian legends and the myths of old, into The Land of Invisible Teens populated by Gremlins and (unseen) Smurfs, unicorns and a slew of other 1980s phenomena. With a beautifully written script by Whittet, School Dance is filled with more hits than you can dance to in an evening, and is in possession of a great big beating heart. Performed by Whittet, Luke Smiles, Jonathon Oxlade and Amber McMahon (with brief albeit crucial appearances from Jack Wetere as the school bully), it is full of an energy and enthusiasm that is both fresh and nostalgic simultaneously. If anything, the setting works, paradoxically, to ground it in the present-day, to make it timeless and as contemporary as anything else. Its theme of acceptance and fitting in is universal in its application as we all well know, and its stagecraft is pure theatrical magic. There is a brilliant sequence with BMX bikes which has to be seen to be believed, and the rapid and frequent costume changes (mostly by Amber McMahon, who seems to play every female character in the play) are carried with out with such speed and ingenuity that its momentum and driving sense of purpose is never lost, never dwindles. To describe every other beautiful moment of stagecraft would be to spoil what is a joyous and boisterous seventy-five minute nostalgia trip – but special mention must be made of Amber McMahon’s unicorn, Matthew Whittet’s invisible dancing, and the departure of ‘Narrative Cohesion’ (the play’s female voice-over). As the first theatrical experience of the year, School Dance sets the tone for the rest of the year, and as part of the city’s annual celebration of summer, it is nigh on flawless; “it’s a beautiful, fun, hilarious journey” through what it means to be a teenager, and if you don’t find yourself being sucked into the world of the characters, or singing along or dancing in your seat to the music by the play’s end, I feel sorry for you. So, go on, dance if you want to. No one’s watching you. Theatre playlist: 1. Safety Dance, Men Without Hats Labels: 1980s, 2013, Amber McMahon, Jonathon Oxlade, Matthew Whittet, music, nostalgia, Rosemary Myers, School Dance, Sydney Theatre Company, theatre, unicorns, Windmill Theatre, Windmill trilogy	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line122
__label__wiki	0.727575	0.727575	REPUBLIC OF CROATIA Embassy of the Republic of Croatia to the Republic of Turkey Contact and Working Hours Mission Staff Missions and Consular Offices of the Republic of Croatia to the Republic of Turkey Accredited travel agencies Stay of aliens Legalization of documents Laissez-passer for the deceased Consular offices Zagreb, 11 January 2021 Press release on foreign assistance The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, along with the entire diplomatic and consular network, has been informing foreign and international organizations about the aftermath of a series of earthquakes that hit central Croatia end-December 2020. This unforeseen situation has once again highlighted the benefits of EU membership. As early as December 29, Croatia activated the Civil Protection Mechanism and many member states responded within the first 24 hours by dispatching urgent aid. To date, shipments have arrived from Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden, via land, sea and air. Southeast European countries have also promptly reacted to the tragedy, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey, by sending both financial and humanitarian aid. Equally so, countries from all corners of the globe have expressed sympathy and offered assistance: Canada, China and Ukraine through financial donations: South Korea and the U.S. by sending humanitarian aid. Numerous other countries have also offered assistance in terms of equipment or experts, which Croatia is not in the position to accept at the moment, but wishes to express gratitude nonetheless. We are especially grateful to Croatian expatriates all over the world, who have demonstrated exceptional selflessness and, like many times before, through their associations, catholic missions and parishes, shown willingness to help the Homeland in these difficult times. This once again underscored the unbreakable ties between Croatia and its diaspora. The ministry would also like to thank international organizations such as UNICEF and UNHCR, as well as numerous international partners, foreign investors, companies, civil associations and individuals who have shown solidarity through their generous contributions. The ministry continues to coordinate aid collection through its international contacts and would once again like to thank everyone for their assistance and compassion. Croatia will not forget this. For those seeking or offering assistance to quake-hit areas, all information is available at https://potresinfo.gov.hr. Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs Trg N.Š. Zrinskog 7-8, 10000 Zagreb tel.: +385 (0)1 4569 964 faks: +385 (0)1 4551 795, +385 (0)1 4920 149 E-mail: ministarstvo@mvep.hr Copyright © 1997.-2021. Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of RC All rights reserved	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line124
__label__wiki	0.574407	0.574407	Here is a Black Hole eating a Star ! This artist's concept shows a supermassive black hole at the center of a remote galaxy digesting the remnants of a star. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech A giant black hole has been caught red-handed in the act of guzzling a star in a galaxy 4 billion lightyears away in Bootes constellation. This is the first time astronomers have seen the whole process of a black hole eating a star, from its first to nearly final bites. It is believed that super-massive black holes are located at the core of every galaxy. For example, the Milky Way galaxy in which our solar system resides has a dormant super-massive black hole at its centre. Some blackholes are thought to be more active than others. Active black holes drag surrounding material into them, heating it up and causing it to glow. Dormant black holes, like the one in our Milky Way galaxy, hardly make such a glow, so they are difficult to study. Such an event like an unsuspecting star wandering too close to a dormant black hole is thought to happen about once every 10,000 years in a typical galaxy. In such a situation, the star gets flattened and stretched apart due to tidal gravitional force, when the black hole's gravity overcomes its own self-gravity. Once a star has been disrupted, a portion of its gaseous body will then be pulled into the black hole and heated up to temperatures that emit X-rays and ultraviolet light. Scientists used Nasa's Galaxy Evolution Explorer, an orbiting telescope sensitive to two bands of ultraviolet wavelengths, to detect an ultraviolet flare coming from the centre of a remote elliptical galaxy. Scientists said in this case the unfortunate star strayed a bit too close to the black hole deep inside the galaxy, and was mutilated by the force of its gravity. They believe that parts of the star swirled around and then plunged into the black hole, which sent out the bright ultraviolet flare that the satellite detected. The newfound feeding black hole is thought to be tens of millions times as massive as our sun. Scientists looked at the galaxy in 2003 and there was no ultraviolet light coming from the galaxy at all. And then in 2004, they suddenly saw this very bright source. The only way to explain such a luminous ultraviolet flare is if the black hole swallowed a star. Additional data from 'Chandra'-- the x-ray telescope in space, the Canada France Hawaii Telescope in Hawaii and the Keck Telescope, also in Hawaii, helped the team chronicle the event in multiple wavelengths over two years. The results have been published in today's issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters: "Ultraviolet Detection of the Tidal Disruption of a Star by a Supermassive Black Hole" S. Gezari, D. C. Martin, B. Milliard, S. Basa, J. P. Halpern, K. Forster, P. G. Friedman, P. Morrissey, S. G. Neff, D. Schiminovich, M. Seibert, T. Small, and T. K. Wyder, The Astrophysical Journal Letters, page L25, volume 653 (Dec 10, 2006). ABSTRACT Labels: black hole	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line127
__label__wiki	0.595766	0.595766	‘In 2005 Barrie and Wendy Armstrong published a wonderful guide to the Arts and Crafts Movement in the north-west of England. Now they have tackled the north-east including Yorkshire, and found so much that they have had to publish two volumes, one for the North East and the other for Yorkshire. Both are packed with the Armstrongs’ typical blend of scholarly research, fine photography and infectious enthusiasm, and both will be a delight to use.’ Alan Crawford, Art Historian, author and lecturer. Barrie and Wendy Armstrong, the authors of the widely acclaimed ‘The Arts and Crafts Movement in the North West of England’, have spent eight years exploring the north-eastern counties of England in search of surviving examples of the works and influence of the Arts and Craft Movement. During two years of extensive research they scoured contemporary and present-day guidebooks, histories, biographies and hundreds of articles in magazines and journals and delved into the national and local archives of Public Record Offices, Art Galleries & Museums, Libraries and Diocesan Offices. The result was a massive list of over 1500 places to visit. Their journey started on the banks of the River Tweed and took them though the magnificent countryside of Northumberland rich in the heritage left by the Romans and the Northumbrian saints; through the towns and villages between the Tyne and the Tees spending time in the cities of Durham, Newcastle and Sunderland reaching at last the erstwhile ship-building and iron and steel town of Middlesbrough. But that was less than halfway for Yorkshire, the largest county in England, covering some 6000 square miles, was to follow: a county well-known for its rolling Yorkshire Dales and rugged moorlands, for its genteel spa towns of Harrogate and Ilkley, for its popular Edwardian sea side resorts of Whitby, Scarborough, Filey and Bridlington and for its industrial conurbations of Hull, Leeds, Bradford and Sheffield. Not surprisingly they gathered enough information to overfill two books. In these the reader will find over 1200 places where examples of architecture, sculpture, stained glass, metalwork, ceramics and other decorative arts inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement can be found. The authors are only too aware that while they have brought together much new information there is still more to be found and more research needs to be done. There is ample scope for many a college research assignment or useful and challenging retirement project. They came across many new names of artists, craftsmen and designers about whom they were able to find very little and hope that relatives or other people who may know about these largely unknown talents will, through the miracle of the internet, get in touch with them via the Contact Form on this website. The Arts and Crafts Movement in the North East of England: A Handbook – 304 pages, 360 colour photographs The Arts and Crafts Movement in Yorkshire: A Handbook – 424 pages, 535 colour photographs by Barrie and Wendy Armstrong	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line133
__label__wiki	0.900503	0.900503	More annual projects the school district’s preliminary 2019 budget UP NEXT North Carolina plays Washington in the next round. The Pistons led 66 at halftime, and the game was never close after that. He is a certified member of the National Trainers Association, the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. logged a career-high 52 minutes vs. With a daughter who was just about a year old when Gasso reached out, there was an appeal to being so close to so much family. While Arvidsson plays an average of 2 per game on the power play, fourth-most on the team, he is not featured prominently in its scheme, which relies more on shots from the perimeter. The Dallas Maverick forward scored 34 points and actually had his German team in the lead in the third quarter against the Americans. They do a good job, they don’t give up big plays, I mentioned that during the week, they don’t give up big plays. Scored 17 points for the West squad at the Roundball Classic … 2 Clemson Tigers at Levi’s Stadium in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. My grandpa will fly with me . In 2011, Milne went on to manage international business development for Wolverine World Wide, Inc., supporting all new business initiatives outside of the US for 12 of their footwear and apparel brands. It wasn’t snowing when she arrived in late summer to begin her sophomore year, but the Midwestern landscape of the college town was just as foreign to a Californian who was there first and foremost to play softball. The city score would be helped if, you know, the Miami team actually played there. »Obviously, we’re coming off a back-to-back and off a game where we played unbelievably well and we didn’t handle the success that great.» Nurse said Lowry turned an ankle late in the game, but the injury isn’t serious. Jim Barnett was taken in the 1967 Expansion Draft by the San Diego Rockets from the Boston Celtics on May 1. Copyright 2019 by AP. Following practice, coach Vance Joseph provided an update on Freeman, who has missed Denver’s last two games. With Amare playing like an All-Star, it’s hard to beat us, Marbury said after the 20-year-old forward scored 19 points and snared 13 rebounds in a 103 Phoenix victory Sunday. Pivik PTA President Erin Hill said her group sought the grant to help parents learn more about the online world and how to navigate it. 2011 : • Appeared in 65 games with Minnesota, averaging 6 points and 2 rebounds in 22 minutes. His status as the Royals’ top starter shouldn’t confuse fantasy owners into thinking he’s an ace, though. Pending good health, Deshaun Watson will be the starter in 2018, and Yates could hook on as a third-stringer or compete as a backup. He tallied https://www.lasolidarity.com game-high 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists, as the Lakers defeated Boston on Christmas Day, 92, snapping the Celtics’ 19-game winning streak. Her interest in racing has allowed Hailie Deegan to spend more time with her father, Brian, the most decorated freestyle motocross rider in history and an off-road champion. Golden State hit 55% of their shots, but Los Angeles won the rebounding battle and attempted more free throws. It was that tight. The Bruins haven’t seen a shooter quite like Pastrnak in years. Kendrick Bourne and Trent Taylor are likely to start at wide receiver Sunday against the Rams, with Marquise Goodwin also sidelined. Orlando, trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2012, has won eight of 11. Though he’s slowed a bit at the dish since his prolific start to May, Vazquez remains the primary catcher for the , and his .195 ISO is nearly 100 points better this .103 career mark. 2 Florida State beat No. 30 and set personal career highs for points in a quarter and points in a half …also set the franchise record for field goals made in a quarter with 10 in the second quarter at Orlando on Dec. caught eight of 13 passes for 119 yards and a two-point conversion during Sunday’s 24 loss to Chicago. Matt Nieto Bio. as a starter, had three double-doubles, 12 double-digit scoring efforts, four 20-point games and one 30-point game … Cleveland took leads of seven, eight, nine — on Harrison’s 3 — and 11 before increasing it to 12 on Clarkson’s 3 from the right wing with 3 left. forward Michael Finley, who had 21 points. »You know Bron is a special player and I had an opportunity to coach him,» Drew said. Had season-highs of 10 https://www.whatsappforpcz.com and 23 minutes at Chicago on Jan. recorded one carry for a loss of two yards and caught both his targets for 17 yards during Sunday’s 13 win over the Jets. Sanchez hasn’t been called upon to perform since two appearances for the Cowboys in 2016 and hasn’t been a regular http://www.cheapjerseysbay.com since the second half of the 2014 season with the Eagles. Magazine subscribers: UPDATE : The Red Sox have placed Brock Holt and Brian Johnson on the injured list. 30, after averaging 22 ppg., 14 rpg., 2 apg., 1 blkpg. Averaged 6 points and 3 rebounds in December – his best offensive month of the season … «You’ve got to take care of your athletes and protect your https://www.cheapnfljerseyschinasale.com Cuban said. After securing a spot in the Women’s College World Series semifinals through the winner’s bracket, UCLA dropped two consecutive games to eventual champion Florida State after beating the Seminoles earlier in the tournament. Regular team undefeated AHL until injuries piled determineA team high 35 times and also	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line134
__label__wiki	0.527843	0.527843	S 65 AMG Cabriolet Mercedes-Benz > S-Class > Gen.6 [W 222] S 65 AMG Cabriolet (Germany, 2016) add to dream garege for 150 000 © photo courtesy of: Mercedes-Benz Mercedes unveiled the sixth generation S-Class at a Hamburg airport hanger in may 2013 in the shadow of the Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger airliner. At launch it was the first modern passenger car to have no light bulbs; all of the lighting is provided by LEDs for the interior and exterior. more Mercedes-Benz S 65 AMG Cabriolet Mercedes reveals the S65 AMG Cabriolet - 2016.01.14	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line137
__label__wiki	0.717068	0.717068	Camera on Chicago (1983) and On the Shores of Lake Michigan (1948) In 2019, CFA received a grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation to photochemically preserve two short films in our collection: Warren Thompson’s Camera on Chicago (1983) and Julian Gromer’s On the Shores of Lake Michigan (1948). These unique, amateur film productions seamlessly meld elements of the city symphony genre with the travelogue to document and effectively depict Chicago and the surrounding Midwest area as it developed in the Twentieth Century. The project began in 2019 in conjunction with Colorlab, and was recently completed in 2020. In order to embark upon the preservation project, CFA provided Colorlab with the surviving 16mm Kodachrome reversal workprints for both films. In addition to new answer and release prints being produced, internegatives were created to ensure the continued survival of these important works on film. Besides their close affinity in terms of genre, Camera on Chicago and On the Shores of Lake Michigan share another key similarity in the ways in which they were produced. In both cases, the original film material was cut and edited into the final product, so no other elements or copies exist. Both films can be classified as City Symphonies, a genre that reached its height in terms of popularity and artistic prowess during the 1920s, but has since petered out. Films belonging to this genre are known for borrowing their structural beats from the movements of orchestral symphonies rather than traditional narrative pacing. They are also identified with the avant garde, in the purely cinematic ways the films depict major metropolises and their citizens, featuring a great deal of abstraction further animated by energetic camera movement and montage. The most famous versions of these films are Manhatta (1921) and Man with a Movie Camera (1929). Camera on Chicago, described as “a love letter to the city” from filmmaker Warren E. Thompson, was the result of a continuous effort to record some of the major events and defining characteristics of the city of Chicago, which Thompson called home for over fifty years. Shot during 1940-1983, the film highlights the cultural diversity of the city’s residents, both rich and poor, its various industries, and key events like Queen Elizabeth II’s visit, and the Chicago International Trade Fair in 1959. With close attention to the city’s distinctive urban landscape, Thompson presents a vivid portrait of an ever changing metropolis, documenting the construction of now-famed landmarks juxtaposed alongside parts of Chicago that no longer exist such as scenes of the John Hancock Center and the old Maxwell Street Market on Chicago’s near south side. On the Shores of Lake Michigan is a two-part travelogue featuring tourist and industry highlights around Lake Michigan. It begins in Chicago but then traverses other parts of the Midwest, to a steel foundry and peach farm in northern Indiana, as well as footage of cheesemaking in Wisconsin, and the American Passion Play in Bloomington, IL. Throughout, Gromer captures his subjects with a unique sense of humor and occasionally makes cameo appearances in the film himself. Gromer was especially enterprising when it came to his admiration of travelogues, and produced twenty of them throughout his career, presenting them more than 200 times a year to various audiences, providing live narration. Both Camera on Chicago and On the Shores of Lake Michigan are warm, funny, and singular films that reveal indispensable portraits of Chicago and the Midwest.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line140
__label__cc	0.623474	0.376526	Carpe Scriptura A personal reading of scripture… 1-2 Samuel 1-2 Kings 1-2 Chronicles Short Stories: Ruth, Jonah, Esther Writings: Lamentations, Ezra, Nehemiah Latter Prophets: Amos, Hosea, Micah Genesis 50: Jacob/Israel is buried Marlowe 01. Genesis, Bible, Old Testament Abelmizraim, Atad, Beersheba, Bible, Canaan, Egypt, Embalming, Ephraim, Genesis, Israel, Jacob, Jordan, Joseph, Machir, Machpelah, Manasseh, Old Testament, Pharaoh Leave a comment Jacob/Israel is embalmed, and “forty days were required for it, for so many are required for embalming” (Gen. 50:3). This is consistent with my own impression, and a quick Google search bears it out. From the ‘Golden Haggadah,’ early 14th century Joseph asks permission from Pharaoh to bury his father in Machpelah, and this is granted. So Joseph heads out to Canaan along with “all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his fathers’ household; only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen” (Gen. 50:8-7). This, by the way, would be a huge procession. If the medieval British monarchy is any indication, the ecological impact of this procession would be huge – not to mention the effects on the people who live in the communities the procession passes through. I also can’t help but to wonder what Pharaoh did while all his servants were off at this long distance funeral. Did he cook his own meals? Did he cart away his own gong? At this point, my study bible mentions that there is an alternative tradition that has Jacob/Israel hew out a “tomb for himself east of the Jordan,” and that he was buried here instead of Machpelah. “This explains why the funeral cortege detoured to Trans-jordan, though a main road led from Egypt along the coast to Beer-sheba.” Joseph buries his father and then the procession returns to Egypt. Now that Jacob/Israel is dead, the brothers start to get a bit nervous. I suppose they think that Joseph was being nice to avoid upsetting dad, but that now he has no reason not to “pay us back for all the evil which we did to him” (Gen. 50:15). So they send a message to Joseph saying, “your father gave this command before he died, ‘Say to Joseph, Forgive, I pray you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, we pray you, forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” (Gen. 50:16-17). Even if true, it’s a pretty nasty thing to do. The guy’s just lost his dad and the brothers are getting straight to business. If false (which it may well be, since there’s no indication that Jacob/Israel even knew what his sons did, let alone said anything about it), it’s even worse. On the other hand, Joseph could potentially press all of their children into slavery as revenge, so this is a far cry from the sort of family spat we’re accustomed to today. Joseph reasserts that the brothers didn’t do anything but slavishly follow God’s plan – which is a horrible way to look at it, by the way. Should we open our jailhouse doors, because they didn’t do anything that wasn’t part of God’s plan? But in this case, the belief allows Joseph to forgive his brothers and he vows to protect them and their children. Joseph lived to be 110, and to see his son Ephraim’s children of the third generation. We’re also told that Manasseh had a son, Machir. When he lies dying, Joseph reminds his brothers that God will visit them and bring them out of Egypt, giving them the land that was originally promised to Abraham, then to Isaac, and then to Jacob/Israel. With his final breath, Joseph “took an oath of the sons of Israel,” which I interpret to mean the people Israel, not Jacob specifically. The oath goes: “God will visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here” (Gen. 50:25). And with that, Joseph dies, is embalmed, and is put into a coffin in Egypt. And with that we reach the end of Genesis! Around the Web (238) Aside (16) 01. Genesis (59) 02. Exodus (52) 03. Leviticus (21) 04. Numbers (36) 05. Deuteronomy (29) 06. Joshua (16) 07. Judges (22) 08. Ruth (5) 09. 1-2 Samuel (60) 10. 1-2 Kings (44) 11. 1-2 Chronicles (46) 12. Lamentations (7) 13. Amos (12) Is That In The Bible? Bad Archeology Christian Origins Other Scripture-Reading Projects David Plotz Blogs the Bible A Skeptic's Journey Through the Bible Skeptic's Annotated Bible Both Saint and Cynic Theme: Notepad by N. Design.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line146
__label__wiki	0.870861	0.870861	Difference between revisions of "Ultima VII: The Black Gate" [[Image:Ultima VII - Black Gate, The - DOS - USA.jpg\|thumb\|256x256px\|North American MS-DOS cover.]] '''''Ultima VII: The Black Gate''''' is a video game RPG developed and published by [[Origin Systems]] for [[MS-DOS]] on 1992-04-16. The game is the seventh title in the [[Ultima (universe)\|''Ultima'' main series]] and showcases a radical new [[Ultima VII engine\|game engine]]. In the game, you play a character known as The Avatar, a person who occasionally travels from Earth to the Renaissance-era land of Britannia to help save the land from various evil denizens. In the current threat comes from a strange entity known as the Guardian who has created an insidious cult that is taking over the land. '''''Ultima VII: The Black Gate''''' is a computer [[role-playing game]] developed and published by [[Origin Systems]] for [[MS-DOS]] on 1992-04-16. The game is the seventh title in the [[Ultima (universe)\|''Ultima'' main series]] and showcases a radical new [[Ultima VII engine\|game engine]]. In the game, you play a character known as The Avatar, a person who occasionally travels from Earth to the Renaissance-era fantasy land of Britannia to help save the land from various evil denizens. The current threat comes from a strange entity known as the Guardian who has created an insidious cult that is taking over the land. I first saw ''Ultima VII'' at a friend's house not too long after the game was released. Until this point, the only other Ultima title I had played was ''[[Ultima: Exodus]]'', so I was completely blown away by the game. I remember us deleting the game from his computer to free up memory for other games, and then being completely unable to get the game to load when we reinstalled it later due to the very specific memory requirements. We played the game a lot, but never got that far in the game. I borrowed the game from him for awhile and got it to work on my computer, but ended up filling up my hard drive because the game took so much space and had such large save-game files. Because it had such a big impact on me, I ended up buying the game from him after he got tired of it, and I still have the original box and disks. He also bought ''[[Ultima VII, Part II: Serpent Isle]]'' which we played and enjoyed, but never beat either. I continued to come back to Ultima VII off-and-on over the years. I also bought a CD-ROM collection of the Complete Ultima VII which included both parts and both expansions. In the late 1990s, once [[Windows]] became the primary OS for PCs, it became extremely difficult to get the game to run and I rarely played it. In the 2000s, someone created a memory manager for Ultima which allowed it to run natively in Windows, which re-piqued my interest in the game. However, it wasn't until the Exult project (an attempt to re-create the Ultima VII engine from scratch) became stable that I hunkered down and played the game completely from beginning to end. An [[Ultima VII: The Black Gate (SNES)\|SNES port]] of ''Ultima VII'' was made, but it's so different from the DOS release that it is effectively a different game. An [[Ultima VII: The Black Gate (SNES)\|SNES port]] of ''Ultima VII'' was made, but it's so different from the DOS release that it is effectively a new game. North American MS-DOS cover. Ultima VII: The Black Gate is a computer role-playing game developed and published by Origin Systems for MS-DOS on 1992-04-16. The game is the seventh title in the Ultima main series and showcases a radical new game engine. In the game, you play a character known as The Avatar, a person who occasionally travels from Earth to the Renaissance-era fantasy land of Britannia to help save the land from various evil denizens. The current threat comes from a strange entity known as the Guardian who has created an insidious cult that is taking over the land. I first saw Ultima VII at a friend's house not too long after the game was released. Until this point, the only other Ultima title I had played was Ultima: Exodus, so I was completely blown away by the game. I remember us deleting the game from his computer to free up memory for other games, and then being completely unable to get the game to load when we reinstalled it later due to the very specific memory requirements. We played the game a lot, but never got that far in the game. I borrowed the game from him for awhile and got it to work on my computer, but ended up filling up my hard drive because the game took so much space and had such large save-game files. Because it had such a big impact on me, I ended up buying the game from him after he got tired of it, and I still have the original box and disks. He also bought Ultima VII, Part II: Serpent Isle which we played and enjoyed, but never beat either. I continued to come back to Ultima VII off-and-on over the years. I also bought a CD-ROM collection of the Complete Ultima VII which included both parts and both expansions. In the late 1990s, once Windows became the primary OS for PCs, it became extremely difficult to get the game to run and I rarely played it. In the 2000s, someone created a memory manager for Ultima which allowed it to run natively in Windows, which re-piqued my interest in the game. However, it wasn't until the Exult project (an attempt to re-create the Ultima VII engine from scratch) became stable that I hunkered down and played the game completely from beginning to end. An SNES port of Ultima VII was made, but it's so different from the DOS release that it is effectively a new game. 3.4 Screenshots I own four copies of this game. I have an original boxed copy with 5.25" disks (I'm missing the Fellowship medallion, but have an otherwise complete box). I also have the Complete Ultima VII CD-ROM, the Complete Ultima CD-ROM, and an Ultima IX: Dragon Edition which includes the Complete Ultima. I have beaten the game. Best Version: 94% The game engine is quite revolutionary for the time. It is incredibly immersive with a lot of sandbox elements that let you live in the world, rather than just walk through it. You can take a sack of flour, open it, place flour on a counter, add water to the flour to make dough, place the dough on a burning hearth and bake bread, and finally eat the bread. Many other objects are equally as detailed. NPCs actually act like people, waking in their beds in the morning, going to work, working about in their shop, taking meals, and then returning to their homes at night. Ultima VII has an engaging story revolving around ritualistic murders, a suspicious religion, and a dastardly plot to overthrow the government and assassinate the king. It really shows how dangerous religions can be when they're made up of blind-faith believers and the person at the top has ill intentions. The mouse-driven interface and inventory system really makes the game run smoothly, and was ahead of its time in the industry. I especially like the paper doll player interface. The game has gorgeous graphics for the time; the pixel art is top notch. It also makes good use of palette shifting animation. The soundtrack is quite vast featuring over 50 tracks of music. It also has a lot of sound effects, environmental ambiance, and a fair amount of speech. There are dozens of side-quests to solve, secrets to uncover, and Easter eggs to find. Every time you play the game you'll discover something new. The game has a massive amount of dialogue. Every character in the game will talk your ear off about all sorts of topics. By the end of the game, you will have read the equivalent of an entire novel. The game has fantastic packaging. The manual is written as though it were an actual book in the game world and is very interesting, the map is cloth and written using in-game runes, it even comes with a shiny Fellowship medallion seen in the game. Although many players have criticized the combat system because you can't control each party member directly, like that you can only give them general commands and think it fits the game's theme perfectly. These are meant to be actual humans with minds of their own. One of the problems with the massive amount of dialogue is knowing what is useful. You can spend hours reading about stuff that doesn't pertain to the main goal. Likewise, with all the side-quests, you often find yourself spending hours on them only to discover they have nothing to do with the main quest of the game. For as amazingly useful as the magic carpet is, it's far too easy to get. The game tries to prevent the player from stealing by implementing a system that protects against it, but it's easily circumvented at times, and backfires at other times. Even at the time, it was very difficult to get the game to run properly with the restrictive memory constraints, but it only became more difficult when Windows 95 came out. You pretty much had to have a top-of-the-line computer, and still use a boot disk. This was unheard of on video game consoles and even the majority of other DOS games. There is a game-breaking bug that can be accidentally triggered by flying over the Isle of the Avatar on the magic carpet. This is the original box which was used for all regions with minor changes to the layout. I originally though the box was really dull, and that the designers should have made actual art. Later, I can now appreciate trying something unique, but I still think it's a bit of a cop-out and would have much rather seen something like the art on the cover of the clue book. Install Guide. Player Reference Card. Original cloth map. Paper map used in reprints. Fellowship medallion included with the original release. Promotional poster. Ultima VII: Clue Book - Key to the Black Gate. These maps are 24,576 x 24,576 pixels; too big to be handled properly by the web site. You'll have to download them to see them. Britannia (interiors) Spark is obviously heart-broken about his father's murder. youtube.com/watch?v=cpYaZXHyp8g - Introduction. youtube.com/watch?v=887_e3GUsHc - Speed run. youtube.com/watch?v=mUZIeUpTZtc&list=PL1Be_cMfHOEc7c9DJ49x-4Dlh77xxVnZh - Longplay. wiki.ultimacodex.com/wiki/Ultima_VII:_The_Black_Gate - Ultima Codex. Retrieved from "http://thealmightyguru.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Ultima_VII:_The_Black_Gate&oldid=28087" Video Game Rank - 7 Video Game Prime Order - Adventure, Strategy, Action Game Mechanic - Playable Female Character Game Mechanic - Unwinnable State Role-Playing Game Trope - Queer Character Trope - Strong Female Character	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line150
__label__cc	0.701764	0.298236	Featured 2019 Local/Community Commentary / Editorials Partners in Christ Love Letter to a Lesbian By Jackie Hill Perry Jackie Hill Perry Dear ______, I just want you to know that I understand. I understand how it feels to be in love with a woman. To want nothing more than to be with her forever. Feeling as if the universe has played a cruel joke on your heart by allowing it to fall into the hands of a creature that looks just like you. I too was a lesbian. I had same-sex attractions as early as five years old. As I grew up, those feelings never subsided. They only grew. I would find myself having crushes on my female best friends, but I was far too ashamed to admit it to them — let alone to myself. At the age of seventeen, I finally made the decision to pursue these desires. I entered into a relationship with a young lady who became my “first.” The first time we kissed, it felt extremely natural, as if this feeling is what I had been missing all along. After her came another woman and then another woman. Both relationships were very serious, each lasting over a year. I enjoyed these relationships and loved these women a lot. And it came to the point that I was willing to forsake all, including my soul, to enjoy their love on earth. In October 2008, at the age of nineteen, my superficial reality was shaken up by a deeper love, one from the outside — one that I’d heard of before but never experienced. For the first time, I was convicted of my sin in a way that made me consider everything I loved (idolized), and its consequences. I looked at my life, and saw that I had been in love with everything except God, and these decisions would ultimately be the death of me, eternally. My eyes were opened, and I began to believe everything God says in his word. I began to believe that what he says about sin, death, and hell were completely true. And amazingly, at the same time that the penalty of my sin became true to me, so did the preciousness of the cross. A vision of God’s Son crucified, bearing the wrath I deserved, and an empty tomb displaying his power over death — all things I had heard before without any interest had become the most glorious revelation of love imaginable. After realizing all of what I would have to give up, I said to God, “I cannot let these things or people go on my own. I love them too much. But I know you are good and strong enough to help me.” Now, at the age of 30, I can say with all honesty that God has done just that. He has helped me love him more than anything. Now, why did I just tell you about this? I gave you a glimpse of my story because I want you to understand that I understand. But I also want you to know that I also understand how it feels to be in love with the Creator of the universe. To want nothing more than to be with him forever. To feel his grace, the best news ever announced to mankind. To see his forgiveness, that he would take such a wicked heart into his hands of mercy. But with that in mind, we’re in a culture where stories like mine either seem impossible or hilarious, depending on the audience. Homosexuality is everywhere — from music, to TV, even sports. If you’d believe all that society had to say about homosexuality, you’d come to the conclusion that it is completely normal, even somewhat admirable. But that is far from the truth. God tells us that homosexuality is sinful, abominable, and unnatural (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:18–32; 1 Corinthians 6:9–11; 1 Timothy 1:8–10). But if I were to be honest, sometimes homosexual attractions can seem natural to me. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that this may be your dilemma as well. You see what God has to say about homosexuality, but your heart doesn’t utter the same sentiments. God’s word says it’s sinful; your heart says it feels right. God’s word says it’s abominable; your heart says it’s delightful. God’s word says it’s unnatural; your heart says it’s totally normal. Do you see that there is a clear divide between what God’s word says and how your heart feels? So, which voice should you believe? “The struggle with homosexuality is a battle of faith. ‘Is God my joy?’” There was a time in my walk with Christ where I experienced a lot of temptation about falling back into lesbianism. These temptations caused me to doubt God’s word. My temptations and desires began to become more real to me than the truth of the Bible. As I was praying and meditating on these things, God put this impression on my heart: “Jackie, you have to believe that my word is true even if it contradicts how you feel.” Wow! This is right. Either I trust in his word or I trust my own feelings. Either I look to him for the pleasure my soul craves, or I search for it in lesser things. Either I walk in obedience to what he says, or I reject his truth as if it were a lie. The struggle with homosexuality is a battle of faith. Is God my joy? Is he good enough? Or am I still looking to broken cisterns to quench a thirst only he can satisfy? That is the battle. It is for me, and it is for you. The choice is yours, my friend. I pray you put your faith in Christ and flee from the lies of our society that coincide with the voices of your heart — a heart that Scripture says is wicked and deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9). Run to Jesus instead. You were made for him (Romans 11:36). He is ultimately all that you need! He is good and wise (Psalm 145:9). He is the source of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3). He is kind and patient (2 Peter 3:9). He is righteous and faithful (Psalm 33:4). He is holy and just (1 John 1:9). He is our true King (Psalm 47:7). He is our Savior (Jude 25). And he is inviting you to be not just his servant, but also his friend. If lasting love is what you’re looking for anywhere else, you are chasing the wind, seeking what you will never find, slowly being destroyed by your pursuit. But in Jesus, there is fullness of joy. In Jesus, there is a relationship worth everything, because he is everything. Run to him. Jackie Hill Perry is a writer, poet, and hip-hop artist whose latest album, Crescendo, released in May. She is also the author of Gay Girl, Good God. Connect with Others on FaceBook Thrivent - New Day Planning Northpoint Bible College 95th Anniversary Rhode Island School of the Bible Thomas E. Mancini D.P.M. Podiatrist Exclusive Autobody Wesco Energy Political Guidelines for Churches Ocean State Baptist Church WARV Celebrates 40th Anniversary Copyright 2016 The Good News Today \| Invigorated by Small Business Deacon	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line151
__label__cc	0.609041	0.390959	// essays // Israel Advocacy on Trial: An Insider's Take Marissa Young When I tell people that I study at Columbia University, they usually ask me two questions: What are you studying, and how do you defend Israel? In fact, since a viral article published in early 2015 by David Horowitz of the Freedom Center designated Columbia as the number one “worst anti-Semitic campus” in the U.S., I get the feeling that people think I live in a battlefield. The logic goes that Jewish students on campus must stand up to defend Israel against its detractors. And my honest response, that our defense is often harmful to our cause, is hard for people to swallow. Israel advocacy, also called hasbara, has become a powerful institution that, despite its good intentions, has inadvertently narrowed the scope of what it means to be a pro-Israel university student. Israel is no doubt facing a crisis on campuses across the U.S. However, it is a problem that requires deep introspection about what this rallying cry of defense actually accomplishes. For over a decade, Israel advocacy groups have actively assisted pro-Israel students on campus organize around Israel. Many of these hasbara groups were founded with the expressed mission of raising support for the Jewish State, and they boast their high success rates in terms of number of events held and number of students engaged. Certainly, education of pro-Israel students is crucial in fostering a knowledgeable community and should continue in earnest. And there is no question that anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiments are increasingly present across America and on many college campuses swastikas have been painted on fraternity houses and students’ leadership positions have been called into question or revoked because of their Jewish identity. Anti-Israel movements have been particularly vocal, staging highprofile events, and successfully linking the Palestinian struggle to an array of liberal causes, particularly civil rights. If Israel advocacy groups have been successful in curbing an anti-Israel trend, why do many claim that this trend is now stronger than ever? We must, therefore, ask ourselves the question: Have anti-Israel movements gotten stronger, or have our methods of Israel advocacy simply failed to subdue them—or perhaps a little of both? Indeed, when it comes to supporting Israel, we are doing something very wrong. Though many hasbara organizations claim to embody a proactive approach to defending Israel, it is the language of defense that represents their fundamental flaw. It elicits the imagery of a courtroom, and it is this problematic approach that guides much of hasbara activity. The analogy goes like this: The pro-Palestinian prosecution has brought a series of claims against Israel, and the most prevalent among them is that Israel is an apartheid state that abuses human rights. It is up to the pro-Israel students, Israel’s defense attorneys, to argue against those claims and provide the judge—that is, the general public—with reasonable doubt to rule in our favor. In the courtroom analogy, the first task is to identify the intended audience of the defense attorney’s case. Certainly, this group does not include active members of groups like Students for Justice in Palestine or those with strong anti-Israel sentiments. Rather, the intended audience is a neutral side of the conflict–the majority of college students who have not yet formed their views on the conflict. Many hasbara organizations claim to recognize this “apathetic” demographic, yet they train students to relate to the so-called apathetic as though they have already been convinced of an anti-Israel narrative. This means entering any sort of dialogue already on the defensive, unwilling to entertain concerns about Israel’s actions because it would just legitimize anti-Israel claims. However, unlike a courtroom scenario, a pro-Israel student is usually not debating the accuser herself, and therefore has a lot more leeway to acknowledge that a spectrum of opinions about Israeli policies exist even in Israeli society. Passionately arguing that you are right might be the best strategy in a trial, but aggressively fighting someone who does not perceive you as an enemy only makes it more likely that your interlocutor will become your enemy. And in the reality outside of a courtroom, a defense that refuses to admit even the slightest wrongdoing gives off the impression of guilt. Israel isn’t perfect and we shouldn’t need to pretend that it is in order to justify our support. We also cannot make the mistake of viewing these undecided students as a jury. The job of a jury is to sit and listen to every detail of a case in order to make the most informed verdict possible. But very few people will take a fine-toothed comb to review Israel’s “case.” There are many issues in the world, and while we cannot possibly be experts in all of them, we inevitably form opinions on things we know too little about. Consciously or subconsciously, this occurs through a process of association, by which a person chooses the position that seems to best fit with their preexisting beliefs. While pro-Israel organizations supply bundles of talking points that explain why Israel is right, often all it really takes is a well-worded accusation full of buzzwords related to human rights (apartheid, occupation, oppression, etc.) for a person to assume that Israel is not a cause she wants to support. What matters, at the end of the day, isn’t the correctness of the position you take but the resonance of the language you employ. And sadly, the reasons why one would support Israel against these accusations require a broad and historical explanation that simply does not hold that “buzzword” power. The Trap of Reaction Unlike a court case, where the only way to win is with a strong defense, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on campus is not a simple battle between plaintiff and defendant. Unfortunately, traditional hasbara has yet to recognize the inherent flaw of this adversarial approach. Defense is inherently reactive—it arises only out of provocation. In this case, that means responding when a claim is brought against Israel. Such reaction is the root of the problem, because it places the pro-Israel side at a disadvantage from the start. When faced with an accusation against Israel, there are two methods that Israel advocacy groups use to respond. The first is to answer the claim directly and explain why it is simply not true. Yet, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict’s complexity makes it hard to comprehend without a broad picture of the situation. At the end of the day, it is hard to explain to someone with no background knowledge why Israel is not to blame for the “x” many children killed in Gaza or for the Palestinian refugee issue, and even if a succinct explanation were sufficient, the bystander would likely still leave with the initial gruesome accusation dominating his thoughts. Advocacy groups’ second defense tactic is to say, “there is so much more to Israel than the conflict and we should respond by highlighting the positive aspects.” This is an attempt to circumvent the problems of the first. But however impressive it is that Israel is the “Start Up Nation” and that its technological advances have contributed to the world, this is merely avoiding the problem when used as a response to a seemingly legitimate accusation. As opposed to a court case, where an alibi will tell a story of what innocent activities the defendant was involved in at the time of the crime, claiming that Israel was busy inventing the USB and the Intel chip is not a justification for the claims brought against it. Likewise, claims of “pinkwashing” have accused pro-Israel students of diverting attention from Israel’s alleged human rights abuses by pointing to its progressive treatment of its gay population. To be clear, pro-Israel students should be making conscious efforts to highlight the lesser-known aspects of Israel, such as its technological innovations, but this should be done for its own merit and not with the goal of answering, and avoiding, the tough questions. The tragedy of this response is that it invites anti-Israel students to use the whitewashing claim to delegitimize nearly any legitimate Israeli accomplishment. But there is yet another reason why being reactive works against the pro-Israel community, and it is probably the biggest threat to Israel’s image on campus: reaction is what makes Israel news on campus in the first place. Many Israel supporters say that we are losing the PR war and Israel advocacy groups point to the way the country is portrayed in the media, fearing that a distorted picture of reality will convince college students to join the fight against Israel. Skewed coverage may indeed be the case, but it is not the root of the problem. The real issue is that we are extremely effective at spreading their narrative instead of our own. There is an ongoing conversation about how best to respond to SJP’s annual “Israel Apartheid Week,” but it is this response that creates a color war-like scene on College Walk and a comment frenzy in the Columbia Daily Spectator. In reality, anti-Israel events feed off of the pro-Israel reaction for their own publicity because, as everyone knows, controversy makes for interesting news. Protesting simply gives them a springboard from which to launch the controversy into the public sphere, and worse, on their terms. The conversation, no matter how many op-eds proIsrael students write, will always be centered around the original claim: Israel is an apartheid state, an oppressor, a gross violator of human rights. Let’s face it: The people who care most about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have already made up their minds. The argument for reaction stems from the idea that we cannot leave the sizable chunk of apathetic students open to the noxious anti-Israel narrative that groups like SJP aim to spread. But does a demonstration on College Walk convince students to be antiIsrael, or doesthe sensational op-ed war surrounding the demonstration force them to notice and choose a side? There are all kinds of events on College Walk on many weeks of the year, but none receive as much media attention as Israel Apartheid Week does year after year. This is not because it is the most important issue to the student body. It is because it is the issue of most importance to the pro-Israel community. Our love for the State of Israel is such that it is painful to see it disparaged, and it is only natural that we publicly defend ourselves. But what ends up happening is that we bring an accusation that the pro-Israel community should not even legitimize to the forefront of campus conversation, and we lose all nuance in the process. This very dichotomy makes people feel like they need to make a choice—and it is much easier to support the accuser than stand with the accused. Limiting Israel’s Supporters There is a third consequence of this courtroom strategy that often goes unnoticed. Positioning Israel as a polarizing and divisive issue decreases the number of students who will outwardly identify as pro-Israel. And, if you are not involved in a pro-Israel group on campus, or do not feel like your knowledge of the conflict is vast enough to formulate an opinion, you might be among the large group of students who feel better off never broaching the issue at all. Thus, Israel constantly loses voices of support because students do not want to tarnish their relationships with their uninvolved peers, or do not wish to get into an argument. And as the situation stands, with many a discussion that includes the word “Israel” devolving into a cross-examination, that makes complete sense. So with most of the vocally pro-Israel students concentrated in the pro-Israel student groups, the rest of the campus community has no reference point from which to understand the conflict other than the one presented when antiIsrael students take to College Walk. If these silent students felt that they could talk about Israel without getting into a political debate, or get into a political discussion while acknowledging that they don’t have all the answers but they do have some, perhaps the topic of Israel would be a little less taboo. When I tell people that we should stop reacting to anti-Israel groups, they often respond that to do so would be to fail in our duties as pro-Israel students. In fact, I would argue that it is our duty as pro-Israel students to stop reacting altogether. Our identity and connection to Israel should be no more evident during Israel Apartheid Week than during every other week of the year. The whole premise of the Israel advocacy movement is that we must defend Israel—this is a flawed notion. By claiming to defend Israel, we allow anti-Israel students to put Israel on trial, and help craft the perception that it may very well be guilty as charged. We are not Israel’s lawyers. When we spend our time preparing counter arguments and cross-examinations, we simply make this a high profile case in which we are the big bad Goliath, deserving of the deadly rocks slung our way. As Ze’ev Maghen, a Columbia alumnus and professor at Bar Ilan University and Shalem College, said in 1990, “It is only when we stop begging for approval from the world […] to aim at living up to our own rigorous moral and ethical standards and not those that others none too ingenuously set up for us…will others begin and continue to respect us.” Ironically, unlike the strategies of advocacy organizations, this strategy should come naturally. The first step is to simply embody the principles we believe in—democracy, human rights, social justice, and more. Israel is indeed a haven for the LGBTQ community, a leader in environmental and technological development, and an emissary of humanitarian aid around the world—and, make no mistake about it, pro-Israel students are proud of Israel’s remarkable track record in these areas. These are values of the Jewish state, and it would only be natural for its supporters to join groups that champion these causes across campus, both in and out of an explicitly pro-Israel context. And so, when anti-Israel students make it seem as though they are the only ones with anything in common with social justice groups on campus, pro-Israel students will be in a better position to demonstrate that this is not the case. Moreover, engaging in social justice work proactively—and decidedly not as a response to anti-Israel accusations—means that genuine social justice work will be less likely to be obscured by “whitewashing” claims. From there, the question of how to convince students to view anti-Israel events critically is addressed preemptively. Upon seeing a demonstration against “Israeli Apartheid,” a student will immediately think of her pro-Israel friend from her social justice club and ask her about what she saw. Contrary to the courtroom analogy, this exchange does not require pro-Israel students to be on the defensive. Rather, it makes room for critical discussion, in which it is okay for people to acknowledge a mistake Israel made, or a policy with which they disagree, and still ultimately convey the justice of their cause. This conversation will be more credible and more impactful than talking points from an organization with a clear agenda. No doubt, pro-Israel organizations are essential for organizing cultural, political, and academic events for anyone who is interested in learning more about Israel or being a part of a pro-Israel community. But the most effective way to influence people in times of controversy is to simply be friends with them. Students are more likely to connect to Israel as a result of natural friendships that are built on shared interests rather political precepts. Somewhat counterintuitively, none of this involves protests or rallies. Rather, it calls for crafting an image of Israel on campus through action, rather than reaction. Most importantly, instead of letting our detractors define us, we must define ourselves. When leaving Israel through Ben-Gurion airport, one comes across a sign that says in Hebrew, “Outside of Israel, the state is you. Represent us with honor.” It is time we start representing Israel by honoring its values, not by representing it in court. // MARISSA YOUNG is a Senior in Columbia College. She can be reached at my2356@columbia.edu. Photo courtesy of flickr user thisisbossi.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line154
__label__cc	0.695302	0.304698	A Finance And Economics Site Devoted To Corporate Cultures. Brazilian Justice art and science auto and moto business Cars construction and repair culture economy education education & career environment finance geography government and politics history hobbies & crafts Holidays home and family home page law and order literature man and the law miscellaneous news news-present time noticias-actualidad Other other-articles personal development philosophy Politics psychology religion Research right society society & social issues society and culture spirituality sports the news the present time the public today travel vocational https://youtu.be/7N_DL_1goio Tedesco Depression by Joe on Aug. 26, 2013, under General Comments Off on Tedesco Depression Depression has been recognized as the leading cause of sick leave. Its incidence in the population is so high that it has also been called as the disease of the century. The clinical manifestations of depression are very diverse. The personality and circumstances of the person can contribute to that support on a few symptoms and not others. The depressed person may be irritable or apathetic, or both, may eat more or less, can show a taciturn countenance or conversely exaggerating their reactions. For this reason it is exemplary to accentuate the resource of psychotherapy as the best way of treatment. Depression is one of the classic ways of expressing a complex interaction with the other subject. Characteristic of depression today is not the diversity of manifest itself but the increase and distribution of the same, reaching even occur at ages increasingly more early. The other issue that arises with this clinical picture, is that any hint of sadness today runs the risk of being characterized as depression in any of its degrees. The sadness that can coincide in their symptoms with depression, may be at different stages of life and responding to situations that the least that can cause is precisely this feeling. Duels, substantial changes of life, migration, etc, often accompanied by certain symptoms that resemble the depression. Do know then if it’s a depression? The duration will usually be that will give the alarm signal. The fixity of the symptom or the mood usually indicate a malaise that requires a psychotherapy for its resolution. Why opt for a therapy that uses the story of the patient as the main tool? For many years pharmacological therapy has been privileged to treat this condition. The years have shown its limitation, because far from reducing their incidence, this has been increasing from the hand with the development of our modern societies. Is usually not linking depression with personal history, to how much is assumed that it is a response learned and reinforced throughout life and that it is possible to redirect the vision of the depressed person. We argue that depression is not resolved consciously and voluntarily, that this depressed and not out of depression is not because I do not want to be better, but because it cannot. A space in which you work with that part of the subject that we do not control what we feel even to our regret, with our reactions, our ghosts, our fears and frustrations. Incorporating the discourse of the patient as if material itself, it is an alternative that usually give good results when it passes through a depression. Comments Off on National Basketball Association Several sources close to the team and connoisseurs of the negotiation process confirmed the incorporation of Rubio to the devalued template for the Timberwolves. Spokesman Mike Cristaldi computer refused to make any comment. The Spanish player in 20 years has taken the decision to get to the NBA. The suspense over the future of the base Spanish Ricky Rubio came to an end after several newspaper reports that appeared this evening in the media highlighted the current Regal FC Barcelona player will be the next season in the competition of the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The team, which has its rights of selection in the National Basketball Association, has achieved its objective after two years of intense negotiations and let in evidence to those who had said that Rubio did not want to play in Minneapolis with the Timberwolves. Several sources close to the team and connoisseurs of the negotiation process confirmed the incorporation of Rubio to the devalued template for the Timberwolves, who last season had the worst mark in the League (17-65). The Mike Cristaldi team spokesman refused to make any comment on the newspaper reports that appeared in the Minneapolis and was limited to say there was nothing new about what inform. The arrival of Rubio in the Timberwolves will end point to an endless series of negotiations between the catalan player and managers and to the owner of the Minnesota team. The more active in the process of negotiation and personal conviction to Rubio that reached the NBA in the hands of the Timberwolves was its President David Kahn, who did not lose hope for the arrival of the Spanish International. Official end of season the official announcement of the arrival of Rubio in the Timberwolves will be not done until the end of the competition of the final phase in the ACB League, which is disputing in Spain, with the participation of the Regal FC Barcelona. Meanwhile, NBA star of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin Love, already showed on Twitter interest for the information related to the possible arrival of Rubio team to play the next season, although at the end said that I will believe it when you see it. Rubio, who was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the number five for University draw of 2009, if you have decided to reach professionalism only will have to pay a million and a half from his pocket, plus 500,000 dollars which would bring the team maximum Minnesota allowed by the rules of the NBA, to be able to buy the contract that still binds him to Regal FC Barcelona. The Spanish player of 20 years has made the decision of reaching the NBA when there is a chance that is a lockout in the absence of agreement on the signing of a new collective agreement. Comments Off on Assistant A robot of kitchen or kitchen Assistant is an appliance whose function is to perform various tasks in the food preparation process thus facilitating the daily cooking task. Since its market introduction several years ago, kitchen robot has become an essential appliance in the kitchen for many households by their multiple functions, its contribution to eat healthily and saving time means. Concept employed in the kitchen appliances have evolved since the blenders and toasters of the 1970s, 1980s pressure cookers and microwave ovens from the 1990s up to the appliance by excellence in the kitchens of the 21st century, the food processor. What characterizes the kitchen robot and differentiates it from other appliances such as mixers, grinders, blenders or squeezers is that his ability to cook meals. Its main function is basically the of Cook, understanding why FRY, bake, baking, cooking at pressure, boiling, steaming, stewing or simply heat, for which purpose enter ingredients in crude oil in the Pan and push a button to select the program. Some models have engine and blades so that they are added to the basic functionality for cooking many other functions such as beat, blend, chop, grate, knead or mix, by grouping many functions in this way in a single appliance, and can thus replace various appliances with consequent saving of space in the kitchen. A food processor is a kitchen utensil tremendously useful, that allows to prepare with very little effort, stews, sauces, pizzas, dough, pasta, milk shakes, cocktails, ice creams or desserts (depending on model). The food processor is a fully integrated device in modern communication and information technologies, and has extensive presence in social networks and websites of the Internet, where it has an infinite number of blogs, forums and websites with thousands of recipes created expressly to be cooked in a food processor. We see some of the main features features and functions that may offer us a kitchen robot: programs: they usually have several predefined programs, as well as the possibility of adding new recipes. They tend to be programmable to 24 hours, by selecting what time must be the dish cooked the food processor will calculate time, temperature and speed to have the dish ready. Capacity: between 2 and 5 liters. Blades: those who have motor incorporate blades and interchangeable cutting discs that allow grate, chop or cut food. Cleaning: they are easy to clean, the lid and the Bowl may be cleaned with a damp cloth, and can be washed in dishwasher. Additional functions: some models include useful additional functions such as scale, kitchen steaming tray, tray for baking, voice or LCD display function. Comments Off on Organization The goals of the Summit, which will take place in Quebec, Canada, from 19 to 22 may, include reaching a better understanding of the impact of ecotourism, improve its approach, management, marketing and regulations; and to ensure the equitable distribution of benefits among all stakeholders. These are ambitious goals, especially since ecotourism involves a wide expanse from interested groups, local communities and indigenous people, to global corporations, national Governments and development agencies. However, since what is involved is more degradation of the environment as well as damage to local communities, it is obvious that carried out an ambitious plan. Despite criticism of the WWF, the conservation organization, believes that ecotourism responsible if it has the potential to support conservation and communities. But the Organization warns that ecotourism is not no curalotodo. Every time that can be an alternative to harmful economic activities, such as logging of trees and mining, there will be very few cases where the ecotourism by itself only can provide sufficient income to support conservation and people. The organization believes that ecotourism should be part of a broader development strategy and its growth carefully monitored. WWF also warns that the existence of a wilderness area does not automatically mean that an ecotourism initiative will succeed. Success requires, among other things, good access, training, comfortable accommodation, visible wildlife, appropriate marketing, monitoring impact and good regulation. Many initiatives of ecotourism by small communities were only released for failing by not having into consideration you previous factors. The WWF believes that all tourism must maintain or improve biological and cultural diversity, use resources in a sustainable manner and reduce envelope consumption and waste. He is also working to develop such responsible tourism practices at several different levels. One of them is supporting ecotourism businesses in communities where they have control over the development of ecotourism and have an equitable participation in the benefits. © 2021 Corporate Divisions — Log In	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line157
__label__wiki	0.72562	0.72562	Extra Judicial Killing Person killed Political will a must for end to custodial deaths. Mr. Abbas Faiz - Bangladesh Researcher of Amnesty International. By Shahiduzzman and Abdullah Juberee, Political will is imperative for an end to death in custody and other human rights violation, so says Abbas Faiz, the Bangladesh researcher of Amnesty International. ‘It requires political will to stop custodial death or torture. It requires determination of the political authorities, including the government and the opposition,’ he said in an interview with New Age last week. Faiz, who was in Dhaka as the head of an Amnesty delegation, also emphasised enactment of a specific law that will enable people to file complaints against members of the law enforcement agencies for torture. He welcomed the High Court order for investigation of three recent incidents of custodial death but said the government should not wait for a court order to launch inquiries into any allegation of human rights violation. ‘In the recent cases, some police officers have been suspended. It could not have happened if there had not been an outcry,’ he observed. ‘It is a systemic failure because it should not be like that. You should not have to wait for a public outcry to see government action.’ Faiz also said the government and the political parties need to uphold the right to freedom expression and the freedom of the media because these are prime prerequisite for protection of human rights in any country. Excerpts: How do you assess the human rights situation in Bangladesh, especially in view of deaths in custody and extrajudicial killings? Any killing is a violation of human rights. We in Bangladesh are dealing with two types of killing. One relates to killing in custody, which, again, is of two types – in police custody and in prison. The other is what people generally know as extrajudicial executions. These are killings of people who have been arrested or are not in a position to pose any threat against law enforcement personnel. The law enforcement personnel are nonetheless using lethal force against them causing severe injuries or death. So these are all human rights violation. And Amnesty International has always raised its concern about extrajudicial killing, extrajudicial executions, whether in the custody of police or in the custody of jail officials. In that respect I think we have a very interesting situation now. The High Court has ordered the police and the government to investigate three deaths in custody. This is a welcome development. We welcome and congratulate the High Court for taking such a strong position with regard to a case of human rights violation. However, the government must not wait for a High Court order to react. Whenever there is a case of human rights violation, be it custodial death or extrajudicial killing or torture, the government needs to come forward and launch an investigation; it needs not wait for the court or any other party or institution to tell it what it should do. What about investigations into extrajudicial killings? The police are often asked to probe incidents of extrajudicial killings by their own people. Can these inquiries be impartial? The directive of the High Court is unequivocal in this regard – that such an inquiry has to be done by any agency other than the police. In Bangladesh, Amnesty has come across cases where people go to the police to file a case and the police refuse to file a first information report on the ground that there is no case. If they do register an FIR, it will very likely go against their own people or somebody who has something to do with the police station concerned. So, technically you are asking the police officers to investigate themselves. Moreover, just because they are the accused, it does not mean that they have no control over the evidence. It is possible that, in the course of the investigation, they may destroy the evidence. Hence, the High Court has sought to draw the line. Regrettably, however, the system has not been reformed to the desired level because of the failures of successive governments. As such, when a custodial death takes places, it is prone to being covered up, until and unless the media or the human rights organisations take up the issue. Recently, some police officers have been suspended but, in my view, that would not have happened had there not been an outcry. It is unfortunate; after all, one should not have to wait for public outrage before the government takes any action in such cases. Moreover, the constitution requires the government to ensure that torture does not take place. It needs not wait for the High Court to point out that custodial death is wrong; the government itself knows that it is wrong. Besides, Bangladesh is party to a number of international human rights treaties, including the convention against torture. Parliament has ratified convention; hence, it is the government’s responsibility to prevent torture. The immediate-past chairman of the human rights commission asked the government on more occasions than one for formation of independent inquiry committees, comprising government officials and human rights activists, to investigate custodial deaths and extrajudicial executions. Why do you think the government has thus far not paid heed to the request? Amnesty International also suggested that Bangladesh should have an independent police complaints commission. Any investigation of any human rights violation – be it torture or death in custody – should be done by a party that has three distinct characteristics – independence, impartiality and competence. The third characteristic is very important for such inquiries to produce results. Regrettably, however, we have seen over the years that any such investigations do not take place in the first place, largely because of the reluctance of the authorities. Such inquiries must take place within a reasonable period of time. But there are cases that have continued for years, even decades. The High Court has issued a number of rules on the government vis-à-vis protection of human rights. However, the government more often than not do not comply with the rules. Worse even, it sometimes refuses to report to the court on its adherence to the rules. Why so? It is really a matter of grave concern. In 2003, in a landmark judgement, the court laid out a set of guidelines on how the police should conduct interrogation. While the guidelines were forwarded to the authorities, no effective actions were taken to ensure compliance with those. A new trend in human rights violation seems to have emerged in Bangladesh in recent days. Plainclothesmen pick up an individual, sometimes from his house; and his body is then found a few days later, with the accused agency claiming that it knows nothing about the matter. Amnesty International has been looking into such cases. When the police find a body, they have to take its photograph, file a report and send it for post mortem. There have been cases in which a family could not trace one of their relatives and, after vigorous search, discovered that the individual had been buried in a graveyard. They had the problem of finding the grave of their relatives because there was no record. That is one part of such cases. We have also found that people were picked up by law enforcers only to be found dead a few days later, with the law enforcers claiming that they knew nothing about the victims although the members of the victims’ family claimed that the deceased had been in the law enforcers’ custody. Such was the case in one of the three recent deaths in custody and it was alleged that the man was tortured to extract money. It is imperative that the authorities should take note of such incidents. Another difficulty is that there is no specific law forbidding torture. The constitution forbids torture but you need a law to enable people to file a complaint against an official for committing torture. We do not have that. But there is a draft law which was placed in parliament but I do not know the latest development with regard to the bill. It was a private member’s bill. However, I want so say that a law alone can never stop torture or deaths in custody. It requires political will to stop custodial death or torture. It requires determination of the political authorities, including the government and the opposition. What is your take on press freedom in Bangladesh in view of the closure of a newspaper and two television channels? I think press freedom is a necessity for a country that is developing and strengthening its institutions. Without the freedom of the press, it is very difficult for people to know what is happening. Amnesty International has found journalists in Bangladesh to be the first point of contact for people whose rights have been violated. It is very important to strengthen the capacity of journalists. The government and the political parties have to uphold the freedom of expression and the freedom of the press because these are a fundamental necessity for protection of human rights in any country. How do you look at the incidents of repression on opposition political activists that took place recently? We issued a press release emphasising at least one case that came to our attention that the police had used excessive force against people, people who did not pose any threat to them. In the statement, we specified that the law enforcement agencies should not use excessive force in dealing with demonstrations. Posted by Bangladesh Media at 9:21 PM This Blog is a joint initiative to fight against Extrajudicial Killing in Bangladesh, which includes all the Electronic, Print and Social media. Congratulation to our new members! If you like our work, please inform others. If you want to follow us in Facebook like our Facebook page and invite your friends to like that. Spread every single information to fight back against these Extrajudicial Killings. Rapid Action Battalion Head of European Union Delegation in Bangladesh Dr. Stefan Frowein Speech by Dr Stefan Frowein, Head of Delegation of the European Commission "It falls to the judiciary and the new National Human Rights Commission to ensure that human rights are fully enforced, not least with respect to allegations of torture and extrajudicial killings by security forces. If there is no punishment for such crimes, there is no deterrent emanating from the State and such violence becomes sanctioned, officially or unofficially. Clearly, it is important to ensure that the fight against crime and terrorism is conducted effectively, but that can only be ensured in a sustained way by respecting the rule of law." EU Human Rights Roadshow 12th February 2009. Sylhet, Bangladesh. Subscribe us: Do you like our blog? 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__label__cc	0.72698	0.27302	Ashlords (Ashlords #1) – Scott Reintgen Title: Ashlords (Ashlords #1) by Scott Reintgen Publishing Info: January 21, 2020 by Penguin Source: Received from the publisher for review purposes Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction Date Completed: February 17, 2020 Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // Goodreads Red Rising meets The Scorpio Races in this epic fantasy following three phoenix horse riders--skilled at alchemy--who must compete at The Races--the modern spectacle that has replaced warfare within their empire. Every year since the Ashlords were gifted phoenix horses by their gods, they've raced them. First into battle, then on great hunts, and finally for the pure sport of seeing who rode the fastest. Centuries of blood and fire carved their competition into a more modern spectacle: The Races. Over the course of a multi-day event, elite riders from clashing cultures vie to be crowned champion. But the modern version of the sport requires more than good riding. Competitors must be skilled at creating and controlling phoenix horses made of ash and alchemy, which are summoned back to life each sunrise with uniquely crafted powers to cover impossible distances and challenges before bursting into flames at sunset. But good alchemy only matters if a rider knows how to defend their phoenix horse at night. Murder is outlawed, but breaking bones and poisoning ashes? That's all legal and encouraged. In this year's Races, eleven riders will compete, but three of them have more to lose than the rest--a champion's daughter, a scholarship entrant, and a revolutionary's son. Who will attain their own dream of glory? Or will they all flame out in defeat? So far, most of my Goodreads friend reviews are mostly five-star ratings for this book and some four-star. How did we know I was going to be the black sheep here…? If you’d like to read a cynical/critical review, this is it! First of all, the comparison to “Red Rising meets The Scorpio Races”… just no. I usually hate comparisons and this one is one terrible. They’re two of my favorite books EVER with incredible character development, world-building, and plotting, and this book did not have it for me. The only Scorpio Races connection is the fact that it’s a horse race and it’s nothing else like TSR and Red Rising’s plotting and character connections are far superior than this book. It was far more of a Hunger Games feel than RR or TSR. I listened to this book on audio and all of the narrators are ones I’ve listened to before and really enjoyed, so I know it wasn’t an issue of narrator. (Rebecca Soler, Lauren Fortgang, and Andrew Eiden, in case you were wondering!) When it comes to my fantasy preferences nowadays, I. Need. World-Building. The first paragraph of this book was the most interesting. There was a mention about nebulas in the sky and … hey, that was it as far as the actual WORLD part of the world-building. Is this a fantasy world? Are we in space? Is this related to our galaxy? I immediately wanted to know more about the galaxies in the sky and where this book took place and we never really get to know. Not just that, but there’s no real history about this fantasy world at all. There are plenty of mentions about “the gods” and how they’re the gods of the Ashlords but there’s not really much of anything else. We know that sacrifices happen, gods live in the underworld, and the Ashlords are connected to the gods above the others, but I don’t even know anything about the country or town or divisions of any sort. There are a lot of things that don’t come up in the book until they’re needed so it just seems like a total afterthought. There are random leaders of each … community? Town? See, I don’t even know how this country (or whatever) is divided and why there are random leaders. Of course, the leader is oppressive and creepy and he shows up just to be awful and has no other significance whatsoever. Then there’s this police force which doesn’t show up until the end when all of a sudden they’re necessary. Even with the races and the horses/phoenixes, there were things we didn’t get to know until it was happening and everything was just told to us instead of actually learning about things in a more natural fashion. I also don’t even know anything about the phoenixes at ALL…??? The synopsis said they were gifted to the Ashlords by the gods but we don’t really get to learn about that at all, anywhere in the book. There are tiiiiny pieces but I barely know anything about them. The characters create/influence them with alchemy but we don’t get to learn much about the alchemy other than being told what ingredients are used and we don’t really get to know why or how it works. Where did they come from? Are they otherworldly beings? How do their rebirths work and why do they HAVE to do that? What’s the magic system with what makes them different and how the riders use them? Why do riders have to happen and what do they gain from the races? Why are the races necessary? And so many more questions about gods and Ashlords and I COULD GO ON. I really can talk a LOT more about this but let’s just say that there’s really no history or world-building, or at least not nearly enough for my taste. I could have been incredibly invested if I even know what this world was about. Most of this book is action. There’s a lot of time spent spent talking about the races, which is fine! But everything else took a backseat, and for me, it really felt like EVERYTHING else. I also really did not feel connected to the characters at all. There are three main characters but we barely get to know their personalities at all. Everything is basically about the race and we hardly get to see the characters interact with anyone of importance. We get some glimpses of Imelda and her friendships and her home life, but they’re just glimpses. No real time is spent there and it’s mainly just to set up other random parts of the story. The characters are very basic and don’t really tell us much about their histories either. There’s one character POV that’s in second person instead of the other two in first person and there’s seemingly no reason why. I would hope there’s an actual reason but it wasn’t revealed in the first book and I won’t be reading on so maybe I’ll look it up later. It could have been interesting but it really didn’t seem to serve a purpose here. I’m sure there’s more bubbling up inside my fountain of feelings here, but really, this one just did not do it for me. I don’t know how I feel SO far off from everyone so far but it was interesting going into it with an open mind AND expecting like it and seeing what my true feelings were without any hype or any other expectations. Kept Me Hooked On: Fantasy/sci-fi blend. This really was an interesting mix of fantasy and science-fiction. I really wanted to know more about everything! Left Me Wanting More: World-building. The world-building in this book was just not up to par for me. I had a LOT of questions and there were so many things that weren’t touched upon that it made me really question everything. There were too many missed opportunities here. So lots of other people really enjoyed this book, maybe people who have not read THE SCORPIO RACES nor RED RISING or who at least weren’t making those comparisons because it didn’t have that feel at all for me. You just can’t compare the character development in THE SCORPIO RACES and the insane plotting and world-building in RED RISING. Anyway… a lot of other people loved this one but it angered me, really, haha. So check out other reviews, I’d say! BOOKS LIKE ASHLORDS This entry was posted in Books, Fantasy, Review, Sci-Fi, YA and tagged Ashlords, Fantasy, Review, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Scott Reintgen, YA, Young Adult on April 13, 2020 by Brittany. The Midnight Lie (The Midnight Lie #1) – Marie Rutkoski Title: The Midnight Lie (The Midnight Lie #1) by Marie Rutkoski Publishing Info: March 3, 2020 by Macmillan Source: Scribd Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy Date Completed: March 4, 2020 Related Posts: The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Curse #1), The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Curse #2), The Winner's Kiss (The Winner's Trilogy #3) Where Nirrim lives, crime abounds, a harsh tribunal rules, and society’s pleasures are reserved for the High Kith. Life in the Ward is grim and punishing. People of her low status are forbidden from sampling sweets or wearing colors. You either follow the rules, or pay a tithe and suffer the consequences. Nirrim keeps her head down and a dangerous secret close to her chest. But then she encounters Sid, a rakish traveler from far away who whispers rumors that the High Caste possesses magic. Sid tempts Nirrim to seek that magic for herself. But to do that, Nirrim must surrender her old life. She must place her trust in this sly stranger who asks, above all, not to be trusted. Set in the world of the New York Times–bestselling Winner’s Trilogy, beloved author Marie Rutkoski returns with an epic LGBTQ romantic fantasy about learning to free ourselves from the lies others tell us—and the lies we tell ourselves. Okay, I’m going to be a little harsh on this because The Winner’s Trilogy is one of my all-time favorite series, full of cleverness, intrigue, and romantic tension that is a killer. While THE MIDNIGHT LIE is a very different feel than the original Winner’s Trilogy, that’s not what I had a problem with. I’m pretty tired of naive, in-the-dark main characters and that’s what Nirrim is to me. She was “rescued” from an orphanage and taken in by a woman who pretends she’s nice to her but is actually awful. She tells a boy she loves him and sleeps with him because it makes HIM feel good so it makes her feel good (barf). She’s told what to do and she does it. It was just super cringe-worthy on a lot of levels and yes, it happens. A lot. But I’m just tired of seeing characters who are kept in the dark (by the author) on what’s going on in the book and end up being so submissive to everyone around them because of it. Part of the reason I loved The Winner’s Trilogy is because both Arin and Kestrel are so clever and determined that it was fun reading about their story. I didn’t really know why this was Nirrim’s story until the end of the book. Speaking of which, almost nothing happens throughout the beginning of the book. We get little hints to the actual plot, but it’s basically Nirrim meeting Sid (which their whole meeting scene was pointless as far as location and how it happens) and then some character development until the plot finally kicks in. I love character-driven books. Heck, The Winner’s Trilogy was incredibly character driven with some awesome underlying political plot, but I didn’t like Nirrim and therefore, I had a hard time finding her chemistry with Sid or really with any character at all. I would be happy to experience that awesome character-driven side of the book but the whole first half was basically Nirrim being a lower class and Sid being the higher class. Sid had the WAY more interesting story in this book and even with what happens in the end, I would have much rather seen the story from Sid’s POV. We could have even kept the secrets about who she is throughout that book somehow. I just really couldn’t care less about Nirrim because SHE made me not want to care about her LOL. I loved the connections to the original trilogy and honestly, that’s what kept me interested throughout the book. Without it, I’m not sure if I would have enjoyed the book as much as I did (which was just okay anyway). There were a couple of “shocking” moments that I felt were for shock value and weren’t really necessary (one specific reveal in mind regarding Nirrim’s family history). The ending was actually really interesting and very cool, but I wish we had gotten to see more of that sprinkled throughout the book instead of it being shoved into the end for a huge blow-out. Things changed too quickly and I didn’t even get to spend time with some cool magical reveals, moments, and characters. I also get that it was supposed to be different than The Winner’s Trilogy but the inclusion of the magic and the showiness of some of it made it almost feel like the Capitol in the Hunger Games –way over the top — going from a trilogy that only had the slightest nod to god-magic with Arin and his god to a huge inclusion of magic here. I just wish for a little more consistency throughout the whole book, I guess. I’m probably curious enough to continue on in the series but I wish I had been able to be more invested from the very beginning. I was expected to be but man, I really didn’t like Nirrim and she was boring. Sid was awesome and I loved her. I’m kind of hoping the second book is from her POV or at least includes it. Kept Me Hooked On: The Winner’s Trilogy universe! Wait — what even is this universe called? Do we know? Regardless, I looooved that this book took place in the same world AND that it was even connected to the original series too! Left Me Wanting More: World-building and development along the way. There was a LOT that happened in literally the last chapter of the book. I would have loved to see a little bit more of that along the way. Some people loved this but it fell a bit flat for me. I’m not sure if you’d love it right off the bat without knowing the original trilogy but I would still recommend reading them first, mostly because it kind of spoils some things if you don’t. It’s not really critical to understanding THE MIDNIGHT LIE but it would affect your read of The Winner’s Trilogy. BOOKS LIKE THE MIDNIGHT LIE This entry was posted in Books, Fantasy, Review, YA and tagged Fantasy, Marie Rutkoski, Review, The Midnight Lie, YA, Young Adult on March 25, 2020 by Brittany. The Kingdom of Back – Marie Lu Title: The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu Publishing Info: March 3, 2020 by Penguin Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction Related Posts: Legend (Legend #1), Warcross (Warcross #1), Batman: Nightwalker (DC Icons #2) Two siblings. Two brilliant talents. But only one Mozart. Born with a gift for music, Nannerl Mozart has just one wish—to be remembered forever. But even as she delights audiences with her masterful playing, she has little hope she'll ever become the acclaimed composer she longs to be. She is a young woman in 18th century Europe, and that means composing is forbidden to her. She will perform only until she reaches a marriageable age—her tyrannical father has made that much clear. And as Nannerl's hope grows dimmer with each passing year, the talents of her beloved younger brother, Wolfgang, only seem to shine brighter. His brilliance begins to eclipse her own, until one day a mysterious stranger from a magical land appears with an irresistible offer. He has the power to make her wish come true—but his help may cost her everything. In her first work of historical fiction, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu spins a lush, lyrically-told story of music, magic, and the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister. I was really excited to try THE KINGDOM OF BACK, something totally different from Marie Lu’s previous books! I’ve read the Legend trilogy and the Warcross duet, so I was interested to see what THE KINGDOM OF BACK would have in store, knowing how a good portal-world book can capture my curiosity. This one ended up being just a bit too different in too many ways for me and it just ended up not being a “me” book. This was definitely a case of “It’s not you, it’s me.” The writing in this book was just lovely and and it was a lot more prosaic and lyrical (which is fitting since the book is about music — ha!) but I usually don’t get along with these types of writing styles with very few exceptions. If that’s a writing style that you enjoy, I think this could be an instant hit for you, but I just know it’s something that I don’t particularly care for and I feel like things end up being too drawn out. I also just had a complicated relationship with the book overall. I really, really did not like the fantasy aspect of the book. There is a portal world/alternate universe type-thing happening here but it really wasn’t what I was expecting. It largely revolved around faeries which I have zero interest in and some of the faerie magic was just a bit too fanciful for me. My magical preferences are more about systems and structures than whimsy so I just really didn’t care for it at all and I hated the parts that glanced back over at the faerie world. It wasn’t that it was bad, but again, tooootally not my thing. The children are young for most of the book and it takes a very long time for them to even been teenagers, so I would barely even call this YA. It’s more so a book that maybe doesn’t need an age categorization since it’s not a specifically teen coming-of-age story but really just a story about these two children and their lives. I also didn’t understand for the beginning of the book why it was important for this story to be about the Mozart children and it was kind of annoying that it could have been anyone. This does make a little more sense and ties into the story more as the book goes on, so I eventually did end up liking how it tied in (even if I didn’t like the fantasy world still). By the time the book was ending, I actually found that I would have liked the Mozart story by itself all together and a fun YA historical fiction book about the Mozart children that didn’t have fantastical elements would have been cool too. I think fans of The Hazel Wood and Uprooted will enjoy this. There is an author’s note at the end of the book where Marie Lu explains the origins of the book. She had discovered that Mozart had a sister that was barely ever heard of so she investigated her story, and The Kingdom of Back was a real (well, “real”) place that the Mozart children invented and they used it to pass the time in their carriage rides (which does happen in the book, as well as further development of the world). If I had known that beforehand, it would have been much more interesting knowing that The Kingdom of Back actually had historical origins and that was why/how the book came about. I still wouldn’t have cared about the fairy world but it would have made me a little more interested to understand actual historical significance of the fantasy world and that’s why it was included. That author’s note to allow me the hindsight to make this connection is the only reason I felt in the middle about this book instead of disappointed. It’s actually weird looking back because I really enjoyed the end of the book and it left on a good note. The book wasn’t bad at all but between the writing and the faerie world, it really just wasn’t my style and if I had known that, I might have not read the book or at least waited to hear from someone else if I might like it. I’m actually still kind of glad I read it because I did enjoy the historical aspect of the book but I wish I could have enjoyed it more! Kept Me Hooked On: Historical Fiction. I really don’t usually enjoy historical fiction, but I really enjoyed knowing that this stemmed from something real in history. That’s really what held my interest! Left Me Wanting More: Reality. I just really didn’t care for the fantasy aspect in this book, weirdly enough. It was too whimsical for me and I just don’t love fairy type fantasy. Check the reviews I think you’ll either love it or end up feeling like I do. If this is your style, you’ll probably love it! If you think we share some opinions, I would say check out some more reviews. BOOKS LIKE THE KINGDOM OF BACK This entry was posted in Books, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Review, YA and tagged Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Marie Lu, Review, The Kingdom of Back, YA, Young Adult on March 3, 2020 by Brittany. All the Stars and Teeth (All the Stars and Teeth #1) – Adalyn Grace Title: All the Stars and Teeth (All the Stars and Teeth #1) by Adalyn Grace Publishing Info: February 4, 2020 by Macmillan, Imprint Date Completed: February 8, 2020 Set in a kingdom where danger lurks beneath the sea, mermaids seek vengeance with song, and magic is a choice, Adalyn Grace’s All the Stars and Teeth is a thrilling fantasy for fans of Stephanie Garber’s Caraval and Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series. She will reign. As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer—the master of souls. The rest of the realm can choose their magic, but for Amora, it’s never been a choice. To secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of the monarchy’s dangerous soul magic. When her demonstration goes awry, Amora is forced to flee. She strikes a deal with Bastian, a mysterious pirate: he’ll help her prove she’s fit to rule, if she’ll help him reclaim his stolen magic. But sailing the kingdom holds more wonder—and more peril—than Amora anticipated. A destructive new magic is on the rise, and if Amora is to conquer it, she’ll need to face legendary monsters, cross paths with vengeful mermaids, and deal with a stow-away she never expected… or risk the fate of Visidia and lose the crown forever. I am the right choice. The only choice. And I will protect my kingdom. I went into ALL THE STARS AND TEETH with an open mind because I haven’t been getting along with a lot of new YA fantasy lately. Catch me at the beginning of this book and I was raving about how happy I was that I was excited, interested, and swooning over bantery pirates! The more I read, the less interested I became and by the end, I felt like I just wanted to know what happened and how the book would end. I didn’t totally love Amora throughout the whole book, but it was easier to understand her in the beginning of the book because she didn’t know what was going on and it was interesting to follow her while she was figuring everything out. There was a lot for her to discover throughout the whole book but for some reason it was easier for me to connect with her in the beginning. I loved Bastian, our sassy pirate, and I really liked the attitude and tone he brought to this story! Obviously being a main character, he has a big role in the overall plot as well, but he certainly did keep things interesting. He and Amora had some great chemistry and of course, I loved the cleverness. I also really liked Ferrick who added something really nice to the group dynamic. I don’t want to go too far into it because there’s a lot that happens in the beginning and I don’t want to spoil anything, but I liked that he became a part of the book and that he was the kind of “nice guy”. It was easy to be sympathetic to him and I felt like he brought a nice balance to the group. I think Adalyn Grace packed a lot of punches in the beginning of the book that I wasn’t expecting, including Bastian, who he was, and why he was there, so it was really exciting! She didn’t save every twist until the very end and I was really happy to see some things to help kick off the book. The pacing was pretty consistent throughout the book but there was a point in the middle where I had to put the book down (just because of reading time) and I wasn’t able to come back for a week and then…. I just a hit a stall in interest. Things didn’t quite pick up again like I had hoped and there were moments when I found Amora more irritating while she was discovering some of the politics of her world. It just started to hit a point where everything felt a little more tropey and I was sad that it lost that magical spark for me. The magic system and world building were pretty cool but I also felt like they could have been developed a liiiiittle bit more for me to really latch onto them. It still felt like a lot about the magic was thrown in at the beginning, which I guess you kind of need in order to understand some parts of the world, but I almost wanted to discover it a little more slowly because some parts of the magic and world-building felt like a bit of an info dump. There’s a bit of a journey in the middle and there are some pieces of some of the magics that are explored but there’s not really a reason why or how or how much. Magic doesn’t always need a why because sometimes that’s just a part of what the world is, but I felt like I needed just a bit more than “everyone has magic and here’s what they can do”. I felt like if we went one layer deeper, I would have really appreciated the world more. I’m a little bummed because I really did love the beginning so much and I was talking it up, but I just really lost interest towards the end and just wanted to be done reading it. It wasn’t bad at all but I felt like it started off as something special and different and then it just fell into the pattern of the average YA fantasy novel. I’m sure others will really enjoy it but it just fell a little flat to me towards the end. A post shared by Brittany S. (@bookaddictsguide) on Jan 26, 2020 at 12:11pm PST Kept Me Hooked On: Pirates. So I don’t always care about pirate books but I WANT to care. The pirate part was kind of major, kind of minor, but it worked SO WELL. Left Me Wanting More: World/magic depth. There are secrets about the magic, we know, but I just wanted a little bit more world-building and magic depth. I would have rather spent a few more pages working on those elements to really secure a world instead of some of the fluffy descriptions of towns or appearances. I bet a lot of people will really love this one. I enjoyed it so much in the beginning but I’m left a little sad that it kind of turned for me towards the end. I just felt like the beginning was so different and towards the middle, it fell into typical YA plotting. BOOKS LIKE ALL THE STARS AND TEETH This entry was posted in Books, Fantasy, Review, YA and tagged Adalyn Grace, All the Stars and Teeth, Fantasy, Review, YA, Young Adult on February 10, 2020 by Brittany. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #1) – Holly Jackson Title: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder #1) by Holly Jackson Publishing Info: February 4, 2020 by Random House Publishing Group, Delacourte Press Genres: Young Adult, Mystery/Thriller Date Completed: January 30, 2020 For readers of Kara Thomas and Karen McManus, an addictive, twisty crime thriller with shades of Serial and Making a Murderer about a closed local murder case that doesn't add up, and a girl who's determined to find the real killer--but not everyone wants her meddling in the past. Everyone in Fairview knows the story. Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town. But she can't shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer? Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn't want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger. This is the story of an investigation turned obsession, full of twists and turns and with an ending you'll never expect. This was such an interesting read and great fun with added interview portions! The audiobook had a full cast that jumped in to be characters that were being interviewed, so that was a neat addition for the audiobook versus reading the print copy. I’m always big into audiobooks but that was also something that really set the reading experience apart and made the audiobook a unique experience! I’m always nervous when I read YA mystery/thrillers because there has to be a valid reason why the teens wouldn’t work with adults or cops. In this book, it’s Pip’s capstone project to solve a murder. Well, really it’s supposed to be social media’s influence on investigations, but she uses that as a reason to investigate the murder of a teenager five years ago, wanting to prove that the accused murderer was actually innocent. Things went really smoothly (well, they went horribly wrong but the plotting was smooth) as far as this being a conceivable story. There were only a couple moments where I got annoyed with Pip for one of those dumb reasons that she felt like she couldn’t talk to someone else, but that was about it! I was also really impressed that this book constantly kept me guessing. Pip gets a great deal of answers throughout the book so the reader still feels like they’re constantly solving the mystery. One question leads to another, but then we get an answer and a different question. Holly Jackson did a great job at keeping the pacing consistent and moving forward. Lots of doors are opened to the things that were hidden years ago and Pip slowly uncovers mystery after mystery. We finally get the answer in the end and THEN we get even more answers. I just felt like the book was really well-written and very carefully executed! In checking out more details on the book, it looks like it got picked up to be a pretty big series (Goodreads it showing four books so far) and I am totally here for it! I wonder if they’re going to be related, companions, or totally unrelated. No matter what it is, I’m looking forward to more mystery investigations from Holly Jackson! Kept Me Hooked On: YA mystery/thrillers. I love when I get a good thriller and it’s even better when I’m pleasantly surprised! I always hope to enjoy what I read and I really just loved the pacing of this. Left Me Wanting More: Laughs? I don’t know why but I thought this was going to be campy, probably from the title. I’m almost glad that it turned out not to be what I was expecting because I’m glad that it wasn’t silly but I am always craving some dark comedy like that. I really, really enjoyed this one. Sometimes I have a hard time with YA mystery/thrillers and everyone having valid reasons why they need to take investigations in their own hands. Holly Jackson made me throw those questions out the window and just enjoy reading without thinking about any of that stuff! BOOKS LIKE A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER This entry was posted in Books, Mystery/Thriller, Review, YA and tagged A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, Holly Jackson, Mystery/Thriller, Review, Thriller, YA, Young Adult on February 3, 2020 by Brittany. A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreakers #2) – Brigid Kemmerer Title: A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreakers #2) by Brigid Kemmerer Publishing Info: January 7, 2020 by Bloomsbury Publishing Source: Amazon Find the heir, win the crown. The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers. Win the crown, save the kingdom. Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen--until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall? The heart-pounding, compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war. I seem to be in the minority having not really enjoyed this one as much as I had hoped. A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY was one of my favorite books of 2019 and I didn’t feel the excitement and the pull as much as I did reading the first book. So A HEART SO FIERCE AND BROKEN is split up into two POVs like ACSDAL, except this time it’s two total different characters. We see Grey and new face, Lia Mara, daughter of the queen of Syhl Shallow. I think part of the reason I didn’t enjoy this book as much was because I really enjoyed the different voices of Rhen and Harper with Harper having modern speech and Rhen being more antiquated to simulate the more regal tone often adopted with high fantasy locations. I really enjoyed the contrasting narratives and the difference between the two also brought some levity to the book since Harper had to learn about Rhen’s world and Rhen had to understand things that Harper said that made no sense away from the “real world”. I really wanted more of that contrasting narrative from someone from Earth/the US and someone from Emberfall and I think that had really added a lot of character to the story that I was missing here. I seemed to love Grey more as a side character than from his actual POV. He’s easy to empathize with but I liked the mystery of him more, I think, and I really liked seeing him through Harper’s eyes. His own POV just didn’t appeal to me as much and I was more bored than intrigued. Lia Mara was a nice new addition but I really would have liked to see her (did we see her in the first book?) or at least remember her so she was already an established character. Really what I would have liked to see would have been a handful of Rhen/Harper chapters to keep their story moving forward. I really, really missed them in this book and it didn’t feel the same without them. I felt like Harper’s voice was weaker seeing it from someone else’s POV and Rhen was essentially villainized and I don’t want another ACOTAR situation here, because that’s exactly what it felt like. There is a twist at the end, but to be honest, I didn’t care for it. It’s tired and it’s been done and I would have much rather seen Rhen and Grey duke it out with other factors holding them back instead of …. this. I don’t want to spoil anything but it’s not where I was hoping this would go at all and I’m really not thrilled about it. I am hoping we get to see all four POVs, maybe, in the last book. (Is it the last?) I really think this could have been a two-book series (which is what I thought it would be), cutting out a lot of traveling (you know how much I hate and get bored by journeys in books) and cutting down a lot of the random stops along the way from Emberfall to Syhl Shallow and back again. I just didn’t love the structure, I didn’t love the POVs, and I didn’t love the ending, so this was more of a disappointment to me. I really wasn’t engaged while reading and it was fine but I won’t be raving about it any time soon. Kept Me Hooked On: Grey. I loved Grey in the first book and I did still enjoy his character here, but I also felt like it wasn’t quite as interesting. Left Me Wanting More: Consistency. There was just too much that was disconnected from the first book. I missed Rhen and Harper. I missed the connection to DC and the modern world. I’d say it’s still worth the read but book three has a lot of work to do, in my opinion. I’m curious to see what will happen next! BOOKS LIKE A HEART SO FIERCE AND BROKEN This entry was posted in Books, Review, Sci-Fi, YA and tagged A Curse So Dark and Lonely, A Heart So Fierce and Broken, Brigid Kemmerer, Fantasy, Review, YA, Young Adult on January 28, 2020 by Brittany. Call Down the Hawk (Dreamer #1) – Maggie Stiefvater Title: Call Down the Hawk (Dreamer #1) by Maggie Stiefvater Publishing Info: November 5, 2019 by Scholastic Inc. Source: Amazon, Subscription Box Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magical Realism Date Completed: November 6, 2019 Related Posts: Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls #1), The Scorpio Races, The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1), The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2), Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3), The Scorpio Races, The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1), The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2), The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4), All the Crooked Saints The dreamers walk among us . . . and so do the dreamed. Those who dream cannot stop dreaming – they can only try to control it. Those who are dreamed cannot have their own lives – they will sleep forever if their dreamers die. And then there are those who are drawn to the dreamers. To use them. To trap them. To kill them before their dreams destroy us all. Ronan Lynch is a dreamer. He can pull both curiosities and catastrophes out of his dreams and into his compromised reality. Jordan Hennessy is a thief. The closer she comes to the dream object she is after, the more inextricably she becomes tied to it. Carmen Farooq-Lane is a hunter. Her brother was a dreamer . . . and a killer. She has seen what dreaming can do to a person. And she has seen the damage that dreamers can do. But that is nothing compared to the destruction that is about to be unleashed. . . . I was super excited but also super nervous to read CALL DOWN THE HAWK! I knew I’d love it but I was also scared to read about new characters and have some focus away from the Gangsey. Thankfully I was able to jump in and start listening to the audiobook right away, super excited that Will Patton was back for the CALL DOWN THE HAWK audiobook too! I’ll admit that it was a little different and maybe slightly difficult to adjust to the new character POVs in CALL DOWN THE HAWK. It wasn’t a bad thing but I’ve re-read The Raven Cycle so many times now that I got used to the different voices there, including those that weren’t the main characters. I had to re-learn how to adjust to a new character AND how to adapt to the new story line that she brought to this new series which again, wasn’t bad but different. I definitely enjoyed Hennessy and the concept of a new Dreamer with a different story very much! What I really loved above all else was how this series continues in the same world but it’s its own series. It’s one thing I love about Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse and Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere. Now Maggie has… the Dreamerverse? The Raven Cycle established this world, these characters, and this magical ability and CALL DOWN THE HAWK just expands upon this idea even more. Like many other great fantasy authors, Maggie Stiefvater continues to reveal history and backstory like it truly is history and was always there. The new things we find out about existing characters continue to astound me and fold in seamlessly to her existing canon. We get to know side characters like Declan Lynch, who become main characters and expand depths upon depths that we never knew existed. Who knew that curmudgeonly, blah, controlling Declan had so many reasons to be so and there was so much more to him than we realized? I adored getting to know more about him in this book which was quite the surprise! Of course I loooooooved reading more about Ronan and it was even interesting to see more about Adam peripherally through his POV. I actually liked that this focused more on Ronan and the Dreamer side of the story over Adam’s POV and how he was involved in the Gangsey side of The Raven Cycle. The separation made this more of its own series too, allowing new characters to become the focus and take us into the story. Adam’s story wrapped up in THE RAVEN KING and we do see a new character arc come into play, but now that’s more to do with Adam discovering who he wants to be and what he wants to do with his life for the first time and doesn’t really have to do with the magical elements of Ronan’s life. He’s able to be there for Ronan as someone who knows and understands what he goes through but he also needs to lead his own life and write his own story. It makes it interesting to see all of that from Ronan’s perspective too. There’s so much that happens in this book that I feel like I already forgot so much but it was so interesting. Like The Rave Cycle, I immediately just wanted to stop and re-read… but I forced myself not to. I will definitely do a re-read again next year (starting with THE RAVEN BOYS and finishing with CALL DOWN THE HAWK) and I can’t wait to read this book again knowing what I know. I feel like it’s been so long since I read a new book in this world (three years since THE RAVEN KING?!) and it’s so special to be able to read something new with super fresh eyes and I’m equally excited to read it again and pick up everything new that I missed the first time around. You know it’s a fantastic book when you already can’t wait for the subsequent re-reads. Kept Me Hooked On: The Dreamerverse. Yeah, I made it up, but that’s what I’m gonna call it! I looooved being able to read a new book in this same world but also have it be something that felt like its very own. Left Me Wanting More: Connection in the beginning. The thing about these books is that they’re perfectly laid out. It took me a while to adjust and connect in the beginning BUT when I re-read, I won’t have that problem. These books and series are just so perfect but for me at least, I have to be so fully immersed in the world that things are even better on the re-read than the first read. I wished I had been able to instantly connect more but I know I’ll be in so deep with the next book and the next read. You MUST read the original series first, in my opinion. If you want to read the series independently of one another…… I guess you COULD read CALL DOWN THE HAWK first but I really, really wouldn’t recommend that. But if you did love The Raven Cycle, you should absolutely read CALL DOWN THE HAWK and get sucked into this new series! BOOKS LIKE CALL DOWN THE HAWK This entry was posted in Books, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Review, YA and tagged Call Down the Hawk, Fantasy, Maggie Stiefvater, Magical Realism, Review, The Dreamer Trilogy, The Raven Cycle, YA, Young Adult on December 19, 2019 by Brittany. Snow Like Ashes (Snow Like Ashes #1) – Sara Raasch Title: Snow Like Ashes (Snow Like Ashes #1) by Sara Raasch Publishing Info: October 14, 2014 by HarperCollins Source: Amazon, Edelweiss Date Completed: December 9, 2018 A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making. Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since. Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again. So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own. I’ve had SNOW LIKE ASHES on my TBR for forever (I think quite literally four years) but I had tried the audio and didn’t like the narrator so I decided to wait until I was ready to read the print copy. I finally got around to picking this one up and it both went as I expected and I was surprised I enjoyed it! Reading so many YA novels, some of the themes and writing styles can really kind of blend together to feel like one large book. While SNOW LIKE ASHES still did have that similar feel, I also feel like it branched out a bit in ways I didn’t expect regarding the magic system and a couple of interesting twists. I did see some of that coming but it was also still done in a way that was pleasing and somehow still surprising. In some small ways, it reminded me of the overall concept of the Mistborn trilogy (thought not quite to the crazy world-building extent that Brandon Sanderson takes things), but that really made me want to keep reading the series. I also really liked the relationships in this book! I thought once things started shifting, it would start feeling like a love triangle, but it really didn’t. It felt like a natural shift in Meira’s life and a shift in her emotions as she starts to figure out who she really is and how she might help out in this world and it didn’t feel like she was trapped in a triangle at all. I started to really love Theron so I hope we see a lot more of him in future novels! There were a couple patches that felt a little off as I was reading but things ended up coming around in the end to fit nicely together. I didn’t love some of the places the book went but it all ended up being necessary which made me feel better about it in the finale. This is definitely a series I’d like to continue soon! Kept Me Hooked On: A fun, original fantasy world. I really liked this fantasy concept revolving around seasons! There were a few more aspects to it but I thought it was really neat and I enjoyed the different ways the kingdoms were formed. Left Me Wanting More: Continuity. There were a couple places where I felt things could have flowed better bu it was still fun overall! A post shared by Brittany S. (@bookaddictsguide) on Dec 13, 2018 at 4:26pm PST I really had fun reading this one! I still didn’t LOVE it where it was like “this is amazing” but it was an enjoyable first book in a series and I’d like to continue reading! BOOKS LIKE SNOW LIKE ASHES This entry was posted in Books, Fantasy, Review, YA and tagged Fantasy, Review, Sara Raasch, Snow Like Ashes, YA, Young Adult on December 5, 2019 by Brittany. The Hazel Wood (The Hazel Wood #1) – Melissa Albert Title: The Hazel Wood (The Hazel Wood #1) by Melissa Albert Publishing Info: January 30, 2018 by Macmillan, Flatiron Books Date Completed: October 16, 2018 Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.” Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong. I wasn’t sure what to expect from THE HAZEL WOOD! For some reason from the cover and the synopsis, I was expecting this to be more lyrical and flowery as well as set more in a high fantasy-type world. I mean, re-reading the synopsis, it seems pretty clear that it’s not, so I don’t know if the synopsis changed from its initial posting back before the book was released… Who knows. But for some reason I had that thought in my head before I started the book, so it was an interesting start! I actually really did enjoy the beginning despite my weird preconceived notions! I was in the mood for something a little lighter and this hit that desire. The beginning pulled me in and set up some interesting concepts! I liked the intrigue of Alice’s grandmother Althea and it was really interesting that Alice had become intrigued but yet had never read Tales of the Hinterland (Althea’s book). Clearly there’s a connection and an important reason why and I was certainly sucked in to find out what that reason was!! I enjoyed the connection between Alice and Finch and I really liked their chemistry! It wasn’t a forced romance (it kind of wasn’t even a romance at all) and they were able to connect in a few different ways. I also though the relationship between Alice and her mother was also interesting! They had a great connection and it was a great draw and connection throughout the story. THE HAZEL WOOD was delightfully creative and it was an interesting fantasy concept! The beginning felt a little bit more like magical realism and then we learn more about the world and we find out exactly how fantastical this world really is. Things kind of fell apart for me a bit once Alice gets a bit more into the fantasy part of the story. Without spoiling things, the shift further into the fantasy world kind of lost me. I think it was because we spent so much time in the present-day world with only getting clues in to the fantasy side that I just wasn’t in the mindset for a full-on switch. I was preparing more for a magical realism-type concept from what I read in the beginning and I am not good with things that are too whimsical or fantastical. It felt like there was a kind of free-for-all in the fantasy section of the book and it was a bit too much all at once. I enjoy high fantasy worlds with great world-budiling because the rules behind them fascinate me and I love seeing the inner workings of a magic system and political fantasy world. When things are introduced quickly and a character experiences so many things for the first time all at once as Alice did here, I tend to get lost in all of the new, non-sensical things. I almost wish that section had been split off into a second book and we got to focus more on that development so the reader could spend time exploring this new world and everything it had to offer, as well as how it affected Alice and her family. THE HAZEL WOOD was interesting and kept me entertained, but I think it really lost me in the end when things felt a bit rushed and I didn’t get to enjoy the details when things got really colorful! I wanted to give more attention to the things that set this whole book into motion and I feel like I didn’t get to experience that like I wanted to because everything unfolded so quickly. Kept Me Hooked On: Separate fantasy worlds. This wasn’t quite a portal world but it was a similar-type feel! There was a significant separation between reality and fantasy (with a little bit of overlap) and it was interesting! Left Me Wanting More: Separation. I wish the fantasy part had been saved for a second book, or on the contrary, I wish it had been introduced more gradually. It was just a bit too abrupt for me to go from mostly reality to full-on fantasy. It’s a really fun concept and I actually liked the character chemistry and relationships! I would say after spending time away from the book, I’m still not sure I really feel drawn to read the sequel, though. BOOKS LIKE THE HAZEL WOOD This entry was posted in Books, Fantasy, Review, YA and tagged Fantasy, Melissa Albert, Review, The Hazel Wood, YA, Young Adult on December 3, 2019 by Brittany. The Babysitters Coven (The Babysitters Coven #1) – Kate Williams Title: The Babysitters Coven (The Babysitters Coven #1) by Kate Williams Publishing Info: September 17, 2019 by Random House Publishing Group Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal Date Completed: Septemner 9, 2019 Seventeen-year-old Esme Pearl has a babysitters club. She knows it's kinda lame, but what else is she supposed to do? Get a job? Gross. Besides, Esme likes babysitting, and she's good at it. And lately Esme needs all the cash she can get, because it seems like destruction follows her wherever she goes. Let's just say she owes some people a new tree. Enter Cassandra Heaven. She's Instagram-model hot, dresses like she found her clothes in a dumpster, and has a rebellious streak as gnarly as the cafeteria food. So why is Cassandra willing to do anything, even take on a potty-training two-year-old, to join Esme's babysitters club? The answer lies in a mysterious note Cassandra's mother left her: "Find the babysitters. Love, Mom." Turns out, Esme and Cassandra have more in common than they think, and they're about to discover what being a babysitter really means: a heroic lineage of superpowers, magic rituals, and saving the innocent from seriously terrifying evil. And all before the parents get home. When I first saw the title of THE BABYSITTERS COVEN, I knew I had to read it. It sounded quirky, witchy, and like it would be so full of that dark comedy that I love. It ended up being significantly different than what I expected, which isn’t always a bad thing but this one really didn’t work too well for me. THE BABYSITTERS COVEN mostly just wasn’t what I was expecting in a few ways. The first was that it was less witchy and more generally paranormal/urban fantasy, reaching into the depths of demons and monsters. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but it’s not something I really enjoy as much as I do general witchy themes and exploring more magic and magic systems instead of getting into supernatural creatures. The spells that we do get to see the girls cast were a little silly. The spells are “adapted” for modern purposes so there are some silly items that can be incorporated in place of some more arcane ones. Again, not a bad thing but I like the humor in these types of books to be more snarky or focused on the “oh this insane thing that’s happening is totally normal” feeling. The other issue I had with the book is that it just read really young. Yes, it is a young adult book and yes, it is written so that it’s enjoyable for teens… But I’ve also read hundreds of YA books in my lifetime that I’ve been able to enjoy without feeling like it’s young or immature. I just didn’t enjoy the tone and the immaturity of some of the themes like the friendships, the romance, and just some of the ways the book was written in general. The overall voice and tone was just not for me. I didn’t know that this was the first in a series when I started it but I was able to notice that it was on Goodreads. I think it would have been much better as a stand alone and I can’t imagine I’ll pick up the next book in the series, unfortunately. Kept Me Hooked On: Dark comedies. This book definitely had its funny moments! There was some nice comedy amongst some of the other darker moments. Left Me Wanting More: Maturity. I just felt like this was a little too young for me. Maybe I’m not the age group its meant for but I’ve also ready plenty of YA that was quite enjoyable. It just didn’t click with me. Some people loved it while others really didn’t click with it. It was cute in some ways and not so pleasing in others. BOOKS LIKE THE BABYSITTERS COVEN This entry was posted in Books, Fantasy, Paranormal, YA and tagged Magic, Review, The Babysitters Coven, YA, Young Adult on October 30, 2019 by Brittany.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line163
__label__wiki	0.769676	0.769676	D'Angelo back at work on his 3rd album with Questlove Author Topic: D'Angelo back at work on his 3rd album with Questlove (Read 208 times) Reclusive R&B star D'Angelo is apparently back at work on his decade-plus-in-the-making third album. A studio session took place in New York late last night with two longtime D'Angelo collaborators, Roots drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and bassist Pino Palladino, as well as producer/engineer Russell Elevado, according to posts from Questlove on Twitter. "Most people use midnight as a time to sleep. others are working on their 11 year followup. this of course being hour number one," wrote the drummer. The album, which was at one point provisionally titled "James River," is being eyed for release before the end of the year through J Records, according to a source, but could move to early 2012 depending on when it is finally turned in. It will be D'Angelo's long-awaited follow-up to the 2000 album "Voodoo," which won the 2001 Grammy for best R&B album and has sold 1.7 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Questlove and Palladino later backed D'Angelo on an acclaimed tour in support of the album. The new project has been plagued by long breaks in recording and other delays, and many collaborators have come and gone. Last year, producer Mark Ronson told Billboard.com he was about to hit the studio with D'Angelo, but it is unknown if any of his work will make the final cut. Prince, Raphael Saadiq, John Mayer, Cee Lo Green and Roy Hargrove have also been mentioned as contributors at various times during the process. Since the release of "Voodoo," D'Angelo has endured a serious car accident and arrests for drug possession and solicitation. In lieu of new music of his own, he's made sporadic guest appearances on albums by Ronson, Common, Snoop Dogg, Q-Tip and the late J Dilla. His last release under his own name was the 2008 Virgin compilation "The Best So Far," which rounds up highlights from "Voodoo" and its 1995 predecessor "Brown Sugar," along with soundtrack contributions http://www.billboard.com/news#/news/d-angelo-back-at-work-on-long-awaited-new-1005277882.story If you get in a fight, and somebody yells “worldstar”. You better fight for your life. 3rd Coast Showin naked ass in the great state of Texas Re: D'Angelo back at work on his 3rd album with Questlove raheem devaughn took dangelo spot... quest cant do nuthin 4 em K.Dub kemizt Soopahigh Quote from: K.Dub on July 15, 2011, 09:07:11 AM Furor Teutonicus aka Dr. Jan Itor Hopefully he gets back on track. Quote from: 3rd Coast on July 15, 2011, 08:10:30 AM Raheem is coo, but can't fuck with D'angelo in his Brown Sugar days. Sadly that's 15 years ago. « Last Edit: July 16, 2011, 10:16:27 AM by Furor Teutonicus »	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line164
__label__wiki	0.836291	0.836291	Op-Ed: Will Facebook stock be a wise, or a risky, investment? By Leigh Goessl Feb 28, 2012 in Business All last year the big question regarding Facebook was, will they or won't they go public? Then, the question morphed into, not if Facebook would enter the stock market, but when. However, that musing has been settled now that Facebook has initiated an initial public offering with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). At the beginning of Feb., after high speculation, news broke Facebook filed its S-1 paperwork with the SEC. Speculation is Facebook stock, which will be traded under the ticker FB, will be available approximately in May. Many investors currently have their eyes on any Internet company making the leap to IPO. Social media is a growing niche, and as more social-centric companies leap into the market, these stocks are potential hot investments. Facebook has often been touted as the 'mother' of all IPOs, and perhaps with good reason. Approaching a whopping billion-member user base, the social network is the most visible on the web. It is speculated the IPO will give Facebook a valuation at about $100 billion. Facebook is currently in its 'quiet period,' which means there isn't a whole lot of new news coming from the company while the SEC evaluates the IPO filing. At this time much discussion appears to surround whether or not the company make a good investment, especially in the long-term. Over time there has been much speculation as to whether or not a Facebook investment would be a lucrative one, as with Internet companies, there is always some level of unpredictability. There is also the consideration technology progresses rapidly, and as new ideas crop up, trends come and go. While it is said about 1,000 millionaires will be made with Facebook's IPO, does that mean investors will have a sweet deal too? At the moment Facebook appears as if it has gone beyond an Internet trend, and has evolved into a part of daily routine for hundreds of millions of people. However, just as fast as the network rose, there is also the possibility it may fall just as fast. Ultimately, perhaps it may boil down to whether or not the network continues to evolve to meet current trends, becomes oversaturated, or people simply bore of it. That, in itself, may put a damper on the enthusiasm to invest. Yet, some corporate governance experts are saying there is another reason to consider why Facebook may be a risky investment. According to Business Week, experts note CEO Mark Zuckerberg has close to 57 percent voting power and, once public, will maintain control over Facebook without allowing much "sway over the company's direction," from directors and shareholders. Charles Elson, a University of Delaware corporate-governance professor, told Business Week, “The public has no say in the control of the board, which in my view is terribly harmful to any notion of accountability. It's very troubling to investors, and it's a bad bet for them.” An article in MSNBC, The Bottomline, concurs. Governance experts are cautioning investors to "be wary" of the "stringent executive control structure" outlined in Facebook's IPO registration. Aswath Damodaran, a professor of finance at New York University's Stern School of Business, said, “Right now you have a situation at Facebook where there’s a benevolent dictatorship, but my concern is they tend to become malevolent dictatorships, and that can hurt you when it comes to the pinch.” Damodaran has said in his blog he has no intentions to jump on this stock. According to IPO documents, Zuckerberg would retain his current control over the company and also maintains the right to choose his own successor. Damodaran noted the social network giant has "set up defenses" safeguarding against takeovers and proxy fights in the event shareholders decided new leadership would be beneficial. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at a press conference from the company's headquarters Screen grab from Facebook livestream Business Week pointed out the CEO owns 28.4 percent of Facebook, and as structured, has "10 times more voting power than common stock," per the filing. Zuckerberg has also made agreements with individual stockholders, owning an "irrevocable proxy" over those shares, increasing his voting powers. Reportedly, Facebook has filed as a "controlled company," which means the company does not have to adhere certain restrictions connected to begin a public company, such as a majority of independent Board of Directors. Inside IPO refers to this as the "Facebook corporate governance minefield." “Zuckerberg controls the vote and, because of that, they don't have to adhere to the strict rules of public companies,” said David Larcker, professor at Stanford University's Rock Center for Corporate Governance, reported Business Week. Thinking of investing in Facebook once available? It's probably wise to understand the nitty-gritty, as experts note, it may be a risky bet to invest in a company with this type of structure. “So let’s say for example that in 10 years’ time there’s some disaster at Facebook and it receives a takeover offer from Apple,” continues Damodaran. “Shareholders might want the company to take the offer, but if Zuckerberg says it can’t go through it doesn’t happen. Sometimes it’s best for a company in trouble to clean house and do away with management and the board and be acquired at the best price.” Facebook is definitely a potentially hot stock to watch, and according to a recent Wall Street Journal piece, some are looking to get into the action now, however will it really be worth it in the long term? Maybe the financial return will be a lucrative payoff if the company continues to flourish. But, then again, as Mathew Ingram on GigaOm queries, "Can Facebook grow enough to be worth the investment, or is the company nearing its peak?" After all, with close to a billion members, some might question, how much further can the company, in its current business model, go? This opinion article was written by an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily intended to reflect those of DigitalJournal.com More about Facebook, facebook IPO, Investments, Stock market, Business Facebook facebook IPO Investments Stock market Business facebook stock	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line167
__label__wiki	0.826394	0.826394	Ba'athist Iraq Title: Ba'athist Iraq Subject: List of wars involving Iraq, List of wars involving Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraqi Republic (1958–68), Iran–Iraq War, History of Iraq Collection: 20Th Century in Iraq, Arab Republics, Articles Containing Video Clips, Ba'Ath Party, Ba'Athism, History of Iraq (1958–present) Iraqi Republic Al-Jumhuriyah Al-Iraqiyah 1968–2003 → "Wahda, Hurriyah, Ishtirakiyah" (1968–1991) (English: "Unity, Freedom, Socialism") "Allāhu Akbar" (1991–2003) (English: "God is the Greatest") "Ardulfurataini Watan" (1981–2003) (English: "The Land of the Two Rivers") Capital Baghdad Languages Arabic Government Ba'athist single-party state Totalitarian dictatorship - 1968–1979 Hassan al-Bakr (first) - 1979–2003 Saddam Hussein (last) - 1968 Abd an-Naif (first) Legislature National Assembly Historical era 20th century, 21st century - Ba'athist coup July 17, 1968 - Iran–Iraq War 1980–88 - Persian Gulf War 1990–91 - 2003 invasion of Iraq April 21, 2003 - 2003 438,317 km² (169,235 sq mi) - 2003 est. 25,175,000 Density 57.4 /km² (148.8 /sq mi) Currency Iraqi dinar (IQD) Internet TLD .iq Calling code +964 Part of a series on the Ancient Iraq Akkadian Empire Neo-Assyrian Empire Neo-Babylonian Empire Classical Iraq Achaemenid Assyria Seleucid Babylonia Parthian Babylonia Roman Mesopotamia Sasanian Asorestan Medieval Iraq Hamdanids Buyid amirate of Iraq Marwanids Uqaylids Al-Mazeedi Seljuk Empire Zengids Ayyubids Arbil Emirate Ilkhanate Jalairid Sultanate Karakoyunlu Aq Qoyunlu Safavids Ottoman Iraq Mamluk dynasty 20th-century Iraq Mandatory Iraq Kingdom of Iraq Republic of Iraq Iraqi Republic (1958–68) Occupation of Iraq Modern Iraq Iraq portal Ba'athist Iraq covers the history of the Republic of Iraq from 1968 to 2003, during the period of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party's rule. This period began with high economic growth and soaring prosperity, but ended with Iraq facing social, political, and economic stagnation. The average annual income decreased because of several external factors, and several internal policies of the regime. Iraqi President Abdul Rahman Arif, and Iraqi Prime Minister Tahir Yahya, were ousted during a July 17 coup d'état led by Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr of the Ba'ath Party, which had previously held power in 1963 and was led primarily by al-Bakr, its leader, and Saddam Hussein.[1] Saddam through his post as de facto chief of the party's intelligence services, became the country's de facto leader by the mid-1970s, and became de jure leader in 1979 when he succeeded al-Bakr in office as President. During al-Bakr's de jure rule, the country's economy grew, and Iraq's standing within the Arab world increased. However, several internal factors were threatening the country's stability, among them the country's conflict with Iran and the Shia Muslim community. An external problem was the border conflict with Iran, which would contribute to the Iran–Iraq War. Saddam became President of Iraq, Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council, Prime Minister and General Secretary of the Regional Command of the Ba'ath Party in 1979, during a wave of anti-regime protests in Iraq led by the Shia community. The Ba'ath Party, which was secular in nature, harshly repressed the protests. Another policy change was Iraq's foreign policy towards Iran, a Shia Muslim country. Deteriorating relations eventually led to the Iran–Iraq War, which started in 1980 when Iraq launched a full-scale invasion of Iran. Following the 1979 Iranian revolution, the Iraqis believed the Iranians to be weak, and thus an easy target for their military. This notion proved to be incorrect, and the war lasted for eight years. Iraq's economy deteriorated during the war, and the country became dependent on foreign donations to fund their war effort. The war ended in a stalemate when a ceasefire was reached in 1988, which resulted in a status quo ante bellum. When the war ended, Iraq found itself in the midst of an economic depression, owed millions of dollars to foreign countries, and was unable to repay its creditors. Global War on Terrorism, and labelled Iraq as a part of an "Axis of Evil". The United States, along with several other allied countries, invaded Iraq in March 2003, and the Ba'athist Iraqi government was deposed less than a month later. 1968 coup 1.1 Al-Bakr's rule and Saddam's rise to power (1968–1979) 1.2 Early years, Iran-Iraq War and aftermath (1979–1990) 1.3 Persian Gulf War, the 1990s and the Iraq War (1990–2003) 1.4 Political system 2.1 Ba'ath Party 2.1.1 National Progressive Front 2.1.1.1 Opposition 2.2 State ideology 2.3 Party ideology 2.3.1 Saddamism 2.3.2 Foreign policy 3 Relations with the Soviet Union 3.1 Relations with the United States 3.2 Planning system 4.1 Economic growth 4.2 Demise of development 4.3 UN sanctions 4.4 Modest growth 4.5 Expenditure 5.1 Bibliography 8 Further reading 9 1968 coup In contrast to previous coups d'état in Iraq's history, the 1968 coup, referred to as the 17 July Revolution, was, according to Con Coughlin, "a relatively civil affair". The coup started in the early hours of 17 July, when a number of military units and civilian ba'athists seized several key government and military buildings; these included the Ministry of Defence, the electricity station, radio stations, all the city's bridges and "a number of military bases". All telephone lines were cut at 03:00, by which time several tanks had been commanded to halt in front of the Presidential Palace. Abdul Rahman Arif, the then-President of Iraq, first knew of the coup when jubilant members of the Republican Guard started shooting into the air in "a premature triumph". Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, the leader of the operation, told Arif about his situation through military communication hardware at the base of operations. Arif asked for more time, during which he contacted other military units to seek support. As he soon found out, the odds were against him, and he surrendered. Arif telephoned al-Bakr and told him that he was willing to resign; to show his gratitude, al-Bakr guaranteed his safety. al-Bakr's deputies, Hardan al-Tikriti and Saleh Omar al-Ali, were ordered to give Arif this message in person.[2] Arif and his wife and son were quickly sent on the first available flight to London, UK. Later that morning, a ba'athist broadcast announced that a new government had been established. The coup was carried out with such ease that no lives was lost.[3] The coup succeeded because of contributions made by the military; the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was not strong enough to take power by itself. The Ba'ath Party managed to make a deal with Abd ar-Razzaq an-Naif, the deputy head of military intelligence, and Ibrahim Daud, the head of the Republican Guard. Both Naif and Daud knew that the long-term survival of Arif's and Tahir Yahya's government looked bleak, but also knew that the ba'athists needed them if the coup was to be successful. For his participation in the coup, Naif demanded to be given the post of Prime Minister after the coup as a reward, and a symbol for his strength. Daud was also "rewarded" with a post; he became Minister of Defence. However, not everything was going according to Naif's and Daud's plan; al-Bakr had told the Ba'ath leadership in a secret meeting that the two would be liquidated either "during, or after, the revolution".[4] al-Bakr, as the leader of the coup's military operation, retained his position as Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party, and was elected to the posts of Chairman of the Six Day War with Israel. The following day, Naif was invited to eat lunch at the Presidential Palace with al-Bakr, during which Saddam burst into the room with three accomplices and threatened Naif with death. Naif responded by crying out; "I have four children". Saddam ordered Naif to leave Iraq immediately if he wanted to live.[6] Naif complied, was exiled to Morocco. An assassination attempt in 1973 was unsuccessful, but he was assassinated in London on the orders of Saddam in 1978. Daud shared a similar fate, and was exiled to Saudi Arabia. The Ba'athist were by no means ensured of victory; if any of Naif's supporters had known of the operation against him, Baghdad could have become the centre, in the words of historian Con Coughlin, "of an ugly bloodbath".[7] Al-Bakr's rule and Saddam's rise to power (1968–1979) Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr was de jure leader of Iraq from 1968 to 1979. al-Bakr strengthened his position in the party with the help of Saddam's newly established party security apparatus and the intelligence services. Most of 1968 was used to repress non-Ba'athist thought and groups; for instance, a campaign against Nasserists and communists was initiated under the Saddam's command.[8] Several spy plots were created by the government; spies who were "caught" were accused of being a part of a Zionist plot against the state.[9] The Iraqi Communist Party (ICP) was sceptical of the new Ba'athist government, as many of its members remembered the anti-communist campaign launched against them by the Ba'athist government of 1963. After taking power, al-Bakr offered the ICP cabinet positions in the new government; the ICP rejected this offer. al-Bakr responded by initiated a systematic campaign against the ICP and communist sympathisers. However, as historian Charles Tripp notes in A History of Iraq, the campaign started "a curious game" whereby the government alternately persecuted and courted the party until 1972–1973, when the ICP was offered, and accepted, membership in the National Progressive Front (NPF). The reason for this "curious game" was the Ba'ath Party's belief that the ICP was more dangerous then it really was. When Aziz al-Haji broke away from the ICP, established the Iraqi Communist Party (Central Command) and initiated a "popular revolutionary war" against the regime, it was duly crushed. By April 1969 the "popular revolutionary" uprising had been crushed, and al-Haji recanted his beliefs publicly.[10] Another reason for this anti-communist policy was that many Ba'ath Party members openly sympathised with communists or other socialist forces. However, at this stage, neither al-Bakr nor Saddam had enough support within the party to initiate a policy unpopular within it; at the Seventh Regional Congress of the Ba'ath Party, both al-Bakr and other leading Ba'athists expressed their support for "radical socialism".[11] By the mid-to-late 1970s, Saddam's power within the Ba'ath Party and the government grew; he became de facto leader of the country, although al-Bakr remained as president, Ba'ath Party leader and Revolutionary Command Council chairman. In 1977, following a wave of protests by Shi'ites against the government, al-Bakr relinquished his control over the Ministry of Defence; Adnan Khairallah Tulfah, Saddam's brother-in-law, was appointed defence minister. This appointment underscored the clannish character of the Ba'ath Party and the government. In contrast to Saddam's fortunes, those of al-Bakr's were on the wane. Rumours of al-Bakr's bad health began to circulate in the country. By the end of 1977, al-Bakr had little control over the country through his office as president. The reason Saddam did not become president until 1979 may be explained by Saddam's own insecurity.[12] Before making himself de jure head of state, Saddam initiated an anti-communist campaign; the ICP had no real power, and most of its leading officials had left the country or been imprisoned (or killed) by the regime. The campaign was not centered on the ICP, but fellow Ba'athists who did not support Saddam. Saddam had initiated a similar campaign in 1978, that time to check where the loyalties of certain left-wingers were: Ba'athism or socialism. Following the campaign, Saddam entered the Arab-world stage for the first time under the banner of Nasserism and Gamal Abdel Nasser by criticising the Camp David Accords between Anwar Sadat of Egypt and the state of Israel.[13] In response to the Iranian Revolution, several Iraqi Shi'ites revolted against what they saw as a Sunni-led government, which led to the collapse of the Ba'ath Party in certain areas of the country. It was in this situation that Saddam took over the offices of president, Ba'ath Party leader and Revolutionary Command Council chairman.[14] Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri was promoted to the office of vice-chairman (equivalent to the post of vice-president in the West). There were also rumours within the top echelons of power that al-Bakr (with the assistance of Iraqi Ba'athists who opposed Saddam) was planning to designate Hafez al-Assad as his successor. Immediately after Saddam seized power, over 60 members of the Ba'ath Party and the government leadership were charged with fomenting an anti-Iraqi Ba'athist plot in collaboration with al-Assad and the Damascus-based Ba'ath Party.[15] Early years, Iran-Iraq War and aftermath (1979–1990) Demoralized Iraqi PoWs at Khorramshahr. Once he assumed the presidency, a Former country articles requiring maintenance Articles containing Hebrew-language text Unclassified articles missing geocoordinate data All articles needing coordinates 20th century in Iraq Ba'athism History of Iraq (1958–present) Iraq topics Sassanid Asorestan Muslim conquest of Persia Ottoman Iraq (Mamluk dynasty) Arab Federation Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party (Regional Command National Command) Iran–Iraq War Invasion of Kuwait U.S. invasion Iraqi insurgency U.S. troop withdrawal 2011–present insurgency Al-Faw Peninsula Al-Jazira Euphrates Governorates Hamrin Mountains Mesopotamian Marshes Shatt al-Arab Syrian Desert Umm Qasr Habbaniyah Hammar Milh Tharthar Council of Representatives (legislative) Presidency Council Supreme Criminal Tribunal Dinar (currency) Oil reserves Iraqi people Mandaeans Persians Mandaeism Baram, Amatzia (Hebrew: פרופ' אמציה ברעם‎; University of Haifa). "Neo-Tribalism in Iraq: Saddam Hussein's Tribal Policies 1991-96." International Journal of Middle East Studies. Vol. 29, No. 1 (Feb., 1997), pp. 1–31. Available at JSTOR. Alnasrawi, Abbas (1994). The Economy of Iraq: Oil, Wars, Destruction of development and Prospects, 1950–2010. Bengio, Ofra (1998). Saddam's Word: Political discourse in Iraq (Paperback). Oxford, England, UK; New York, New York, USA: Metz, Helen Chapin (2004). Iraq: A Country Study. Niblock, Tim (1982). Iraq, the contemporary state (Paperback). London, England, UK: Croom Helm. Selden, Zachary (1999). Economic Sanctions as Instruments of American Foreign Policy. ^ Saddam, pronounced , is his personal name, and means the stubborn one or he who confronts in Arabic. Hussein (Sometimes also transliterated as Hussayn or Hussain) is not a surname in the Western sense, but a patronymic, his father's given personal name; Abid al-Majid his grandfather's; al-Tikriti means he was born and raised in (or near) Tikrit. He was commonly referred to as Saddam Hussein, or Saddam for short. The observation that referring to the deposed Iraqi president as only Saddam is derogatory or inappropriate may be based on the assumption that Hussein is a family name: thus, the New York Times refers to him as "Mr. Hussein"[1], while Encyclopædia Britannica uses just Saddam [2]. A full discussion can be found [3] (Blair Shewchuk, CBC News Online). -- Content originally at Saddam Hussein ^ Coughlin 2005, p. 53. ^ Coughlin 2005, pp. 56–57. ^ Tripp 2010, p. 188. ^ Tripp 2010, pp. 188–189. ^ Tripp 2010, p. 218–219. ^ a b Tripp 2010, p. 224 ^ Coughlin 2005, pp. 209, 218–219. ^ Coughlin 2005, p. 219. ^ Arnold, James (2008). Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Twenty-First Century Books. p. 70. ^ Finlan, Alastair (2008). The Gulf War of 1991. Rosen Publishing Group. pp. 12–13. ^ Cohen, Warren (2005). America's Failing Empire: U.S. foreign relations since the Cold War. ^ Fenton, Neil (2004). Understanding the UN Security Council: Coercion or Consent?. ^ Dan Murphy (27 April 2004). "Sadr the agitator: like father, like son". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 1 February 2013. ^ Tucker, Spencer (2010). The Encyclopedia of Middle East Wars: The United States in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq Conflicts 1. ^ Schier, Steven (2009). Panorama of a Presidency: How George W. Bush Acquired and Spent his Political Capital. ^ Metz 2004, p. 162. ^ Metz 2004, pp. 165–166. ^ Musallam, Musallam Ali (1996). The Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait: Saddam Hussein, His State and International Power Politics. British Academic Press. p. 62. ^ Ismael, Tareq (2008). The Rise and Fall of the Communist Party of Iraq. ^ Eur (2002). The Middle East and North Africa. ^ Rabinovich, Itamar; Shaked, Haim (1987). Middle East Contemporary Survey: 1984–1985. ^ Bengio 1998, p. 33. ^ Bengio 1998, pp. 34–35. ^ Bengio 1998, pp. 40-41. ^ a b c d Bengio 1998, p. 208 ^ al-Marashi, Ibrahim; Salama, Sammy (2008). Iraq's Armed Forces: an Analytical History (Paperback). Oxon, England, UK; New York, New York, USA: ^ Niblock 1982, p. 65. ^ a b Niblock 1982, p. 64 ^ Niblock 1982, pp. 70–71. ^ Smolansky, Oleg; Smolansky, Bettie (1991). The USSR and Iraq: The Soviet Quest for Influence. ^ a b Tripp 2010, pp. 207–208 ^ Tripp 2010, p. 67. ^ Freedman, Robert (1991). Moscow and the Middle East: Soviet Policy since the Invasion of Afghanistan. ^ Zemtsov, Ilya (1989). Chernenko: The Last Bolshevik: The Soviet Union on the Eve of Perestroika. ^ Farhang, Rajaee (1991). The Iran–Iraq War: The Politics of Aggression. ^ Donaldson, Gary (1996). America at War since 1945: Politics and Diplomacy in Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War. ^ Gupta, R.C. (1997). Collapse of the Soviet Union. Krishna Prakashan. p. 158. ^ Douglas A. Borer (2003). "Inverse Engagement: Lessons from U.S.-Iraq Relations, 1982–1990". U.S. Army Professional Writing Collection. U.S. Army. Retrieved 12 October 2006. ^ Alnasrawi 1994, p. 55. ^ Alnasrawi 1994, pp. 72–73. ^ a b Alnasrawi 1994, p. 80 ^ Rajaee, Farhang (1997). Iranian perspectives on the Iran–Iraq War. ^ Azhary, M.L. (1984). The Iran–Iraq War: an Historical, Economic, and Political Analysis. ^ Levy, Barry; Sidel, Victor (2000). War and Public Health. ^ Marshall Cavendish (2006). World and Its Peoples. ^ Alnasrawi 1994, p. 115. ^ a b Alnasrawi 1994, p. 116 ^ Alnasrawi 1994, pp. 115–116. ^ Selden 1999, pp. 87–88. ^ Selden 1999, p. 89. ^ a b Litwak, Robert (2007). Regime Change: U.S. Strategy through the Prism of 9/11. ^ Litwak, Robert (2007). Regime Change: U.S. Strategy through the Prism of 9/11. ^ Riad El Ghonemy, Mohamad (1998). Affluence and Poverty in the Middle East. ^ a b Childs, John; Corvisier, André (1994). A Dictionary of Military History and the Art of War. ^ Knights, Michael (2005). Cradle of Conflict: Iraq and the Birth of Modern U.S. Military Power. ^ Shimko, Keith (2010). The Iraq Wars and America's Military Revolution. ^ Cordesman, Anthony (2002). Iraq's Military Capabilities in 2002: a Dynamic Net Assessment. During the Gulf War, Saddam Hussein sought to gain support from the Muslim religious community for the government, adding the Takbir to the flag, coat of arms and motto of Iraq. The Ba'athist era was a period of secularisation in Iraq. The government included people from multiple religious affiliations (including Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims and Christians). However, the period was marked (especially under Saddam Hussein) by sectarian, religious and political strife between the government and other groups: Shiite Muslims (mainly drawn from Arabs, this religious group formed an absolute majority) who sought to create an Iraqi theocracy; ethnic Kurds, who sought independence for their region; Sunnis with an Islamist ideology, and non-Ba'athists (such as the Iraqi communists who were heavily suppressed in 1978). The government promoted women's rights, allowing them education and service in the armed forces. The government sought restoration of Iraqi cultural heritage, such as rebuilding replicas of parts of the ancient city of Babylon. Under Saddam Hussein, the glorification of Saddam and the Ba'athist government was common in state-sponsored artwork. The Ba'ath Party dominated the political life of the country, although a National Progressive Front was proclaimed in 1974 to allow for the (mostly nominal) participation of non-Ba'athist figures and parties in Iraqi politics. Saddam Hussein and women students. Ba'athism promoted greater participation of women in Iraqi society. In 1967, the Iraqi army consisted of 50,000 men on two-year service; the Iraqi Air Force had 170 aircraft. In 1980, these numbers had increased to a standing army of 200,000, 250,000 reserves and 250,000 paramilitary troops in the Ba'ath Party-led Popular Army. The army had 2,500 tanks, 335 combat aircraft and 40 combat helicopters. In 1988, at the end of the Iran–Iraq War, Iraq fielded the fourth largest army in the world; the army consisted of 955,000 standing soldiers and 650,000 paramilitary forces in the Popular Army. The army could field 4,500 tanks, 484 combat aircraft and 232 combat helicopters.[111] According to Michael Knights, the Iraqi army fielded one million men and 850,000 reservists; there were 53 divisions, 20 special-forces brigades, and several regional militias. The Iraqi military was able to field 5,500 tanks, 3,000 artillery pieces, the country had a strong air defence and could employ 700 combat aircraft and helicopters.[112] By 1990 (according to Keith Shimko) the Iraqi army fielded nearly one million men, 5,700 tanks, 3,700 artillery pieces and 950 combat aircraft. During the Gulf War the most optimistic military analysis believed that, during an all-out war with the Iraqi military, the United States military would suffer between 17,000 and 30,000 casualties.[113] In the aftermath of the Gulf War the size of the Iraqi military was reduced to an estimated 350,000 standing troops; it could deploy 2,300 main battle tanks, had about 260 combat aircraft and could deploy up to 120 combat helicopters.[111] In 2002, one year before the 2003 invasion, the Iraqi army could deploy 375,000 men. According to the United States Central Command, Iraq's army (standing and reserves) stood at 700,000 men.[114] February 28, 2003: Iraqi soldiers ride an MT-LB armored vehicle on an Iraqi highway, one month before the start of the Iraq War. The Ba'ath regime, like its predecessors, came to power by military force. From Abd al-Karim Qasim until the Ba'athist seizure of power in 1968, the Iraqi government had followed a policy of the militarisation of society. This led to the expansion of the old military elite, which had existed under the Hashemite monarchy. The military elite gradually also evolved into an economic elite, since Iraq was a planned economy; for instance, the government appointed military personnel to senior positions in factories and companies. While the period from 1960 to 1980 was peaceful, expenditure on the military trebled and in 1981 it stood at US$4.3 billion.[108] The government placed more importance on military development than on the civilian sector. In 1981, Iraq's military expenditure nearly equaled the national incomes of Jordan and Yemen combined.[109] The military buildup was made possible because of Iraq's oil production and the high international price for oil. Per capita military spending in 1981 was 370 percent higher than that for education. During the Iran–Iraq War military expenditures increased dramatically (while economic growth was shrinking) and the number of people employed in the military increased fivefold, to one million.[110] By the late 1990s, the Iraqi economy showed signs of modest growth. These would continue until 2003 when the government was toppled. The gross domestic product increased from 10.8 billion in 1996 to 30.8 billion in 2000. The major factor in this growth was the UN-initiated Oil-for-Food Programme (OFFP). Saddam was originally opposed to the OFFP. The OFFP led to the inflow of hard currency, which helped reduce the country's chronic inflation and reopened old trade routes with foreign countries.[105] It was around this time, when many countries started to ignore the UN sanctions.[106] While internal and external trade was revitalised, this did not lead to a significant increase in the standard of living; on the contrary, the government tried to prevent an increase in Shia areas to persuade more countries to oppose the sanctions. In 2000 the standard of living was estimated to be US$1,000, less than half of what it was in 1990.[107] Modest growth While the agricultural sector improved, most other economic indicators deteriorated. Transport (which had been bombed during the Gulf War) further deteriorated due to the government's neglect. The economy suffered from chronic inflation and currency depreciation; the sanctions exacerbated the structural problems in Iraq's economic system. Iraq was, on balance, a planned economy with market-economy characteristics.[105] The RCC introduced Decree No. 367 in 1990, which stated that all lands which were not under production by their owners would be taken over by the state; if the owner could not use all the land he owned, he would lose it. However, the RCC's policy was not "all stick and no carrot". The government made it easier for farmers and landowners to receive credit. On 30 September 1990, the Ministry of Agriculture announced that it would increase loans to farmers by 100 percent, and would subsidise machinery and tools. In October 1990, the RCC stated it was planning to utilize and exploit "every inch of Iraqi arable land". While official statistics cannot be trusted entirely, they showed massive growth in arable land: from 16,446 donums in 1980 to 45,046 in 1990.[103] The increase in agricultural output does not mean that hunger was not widespread; prices of foodstuffs increased dramatically during this period. However, overall the sanctions failed and (indirectly) led to an unprecedented improvement in agriculture.[104] They introduced severe penalties on farmers (or landowners) unable to produce at full capacity on their land. Government programmes made it cheaper (and therefore more profitable for farmers and landowners) to produce. Programmes were initiated to increase the amount of arable land.[102] Throughout the Ba'ath Party's rule over Iraq, the agricultural sector had been under-performing. Those in the United States who supported sanctions believed that low agricultural production in Iraq (coupled with sanctions) would lead to "a hungry population", and "a hungry population was an unruly one".[101] The Iraqi government, which understood the serious effects the sanctions could have on Iraq, were able to increase agricultural output by 24 percent from 1990 to 1991. During the sanction years, the agricultural sector witnessed "a boom of unprecedented proportions". The Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) introduced several decrees during this period to increase agricultural performance. These decrees may be separated into three categories: Following Iraq's defeat in the [99] In theory (and practice), Iraq was very vulnerable to sanctions during this time. Thirty percent of its GNP before the Gulf War was used to import food, and 95 percent of Iraq's export earnings came from oil; oil production was 40 percent of GNP. The country was also reliant on foreign trade (35–50 percent of GNP for exported and imported goods). Iraq was also an easy country to blockade economically; its oil exports could be blockaded by closing its pipelines (which ran through Turkey, Jordan and Syria). While sanctions were successful from an economic point of view, politically they failed; Saddam would rule Iraq until 2003.[100] UN sanctions During the mid-to-late 1980s, international oil prices collapsed. The Kuwait and the United Arab Emirate (UAE) did not follow OPEC policy and continued to flood the market with their oil. The result was that international oil prices were still at the 1970s level. In October 1988, because of Kuwait and the UAE, international oil prices had fallen to US$12 per barrel.[95] The policy which the UAE (and especially Kuwait) followed hampered Iraq's economic growth. In the Iran–Iraq War's aftermath, Iraq had grown more dependent on oil prices.[96] The result of Kuwait and the UAE's oil policies could be felt in 1990, when international oil prices decreased to US$13.67 per barrel. This time, the sudden fall in oil prices triggered reactions in Iraq; in Al-Thawra, the Ba'ath Party newspaper, Foreign Minister Aziz criticised Kuwait and the UAE's oil policies.[97] Because of the sudden slump, Saddam claimed at an Arab League conference that international oil prices could increase to US$25 per barrel without hurting exports. Saddam also claimed that the abrupt fall in oil prices decreased Iraq's oil revenue by one billion dollars. Iraq was not the only member criticising Kuwait and the UAE; several other members also criticised their oil-production policy.[96] Kuwait would not budge, continuing its oil-production strategy even when threatened by Iraq. This, coupled with foreign loans Iraq owned to Kuwait, was the main reason for the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.[98] When the war started, Saddam was widely quoted as saying that Iraq faced the war with a two-year supply "of all key commodities."; this proved true. Beginning in October 1982, Iraq's foreign assets began to dwindle as the government failed to repay its loans. At the end of the war, Iraq's monetary reserve had been depleted and international oil prices were not as stable (high) as they had been during the 1970s.[91] The economy was still healthy in late 1982, due to government expenditure on large development programmes.[92] Before the war, Iraq's workforce stood at five million. During the war, one million were mobilised in the war against Iran. Of the million sent to war, 100,000 died. The labour shortage led to stagnation; to fill the gap, an increasing number of women were hired.[93] There was a shift in industrial production during the war from consumer to military goods. Social programmes that had been established in the previous decade began to deteriorate, and the average standard of living decreased.[94] GNP per capita in Iraq from 1950 to 2008. At the beginning of the war the Iraqi government had a monetary reserve of 35 billion ID, and the annual growth rate was 27.9 percent. During the early war years, ambitious development plans were followed; because of high military spending (approaching 50 percent of GNP in 1982), the Iraqi economy began showing signs of bankruptcy in the mid-to-late 1980s. The war had cost the Iraqi government 226 billion dollars, which in turn had led to a staggering foreign debt of between 80 and 100 billion dollars. The rate of debt increase was estimated to be 10 billion a year. Another problem facing the regime was in agriculture; manpower had been depleted during the war years, and agricultural production plummeted. The situation became even bleaker after the war. Minister of Foreign Affairs Tariq Aziz acknowledged that the situation had become so bad that the Iraqi government could not afford to pay the food it had imported. Former foreign creditors were reluctant to loan money to Iraq because of the economy's near-bankruptcy.[90] Demise of development The National Development Plan (1976–1980) ended with an 11-percent increase in GNP. The Iran–Iraq War would halt Iraq's economic development and lead to the economic stagnation seen during Saddam's later rule.[88] When Iraq implemented its plans to bomb Iran, Iran retaliated by bombing Iraq's oil facilities. By the end of the year, Iraq's oil exports had decreased by 72 percent because of Iran's bombing strategy.[89] In terms of actual income, oil exports as government revenue decreased from 26.1 billion ID in 1980 to 10.4 billion in 1981. With oil facilities in the Persian Gulf destroyed the Iraqi regime had no choice but to export oil overland, which was far more expensive. Other problems were the gradual erosion of the government's hard currency and its steadily increasing foreign debt.[87] After the nationalisation of the IPC, Iraq's oil revenue increased from 219 million ID in 1972 to 1.7 billion ID in 1974, 3.7 billion ID in 1978 and 8.9 billion ID in 1980: by over 40 times in less than a decade. With the success of the Iranian revolution, Iraq became the second-largest oil exporter in the world. The increase in oil exports rejuvenated the country's economy; nearly all economic indices increased to unprecedented levels. From 1970 to 1980, Iraq's economy grew by 11.7 percent. During the Iran–Iraq War Iraq's oil-exporting capabilities decreased, and the price for oil decreased simultaneously. The growth of the 1970s was not sustainable. The economy was dependent on high oil prices and Iraq's oil-exporting capabilities; once oil was out of the picture, Iraq's growth would decrease dramatically (even more so during a war).[87] Iraqi 25-dinar note, with the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah depicted in the background (top). The Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC), the largest oil company in Iraq, was a private company. In March 1970, the IPC was forced to concede 20 percent of the company's share to the government.[86] The full nationalisation of the IPC occurred when the company cut its oil production by half in March 1971; the decision would hamper Iraq's economic growth. The company was nationalised in June 1971. The nationalisation removed the last remaining element of foreign control over Iraq, and was popular with the Iraqi people. The government anticipated a loss of revenue, and therefore sent Saddam Hussein to the Soviet Union to negotiate a treaty. The visit was a success, and ended with the signing of the Iraqi–Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation and the establishment of a trade agreement. The trade agreement stated that the Soviet Union would buy some of Iraq's oil to soften the anticipated blow it would have on Iraq's oil exports. The signing of a treaty with the Soviet Union led to a visit by Alexei Kosygin (Chairman of the Council of Ministers) and the appointment of two cabinet ministers from the Iraqi Communist Party.[69] Since it did not have an economic policy of its own, the Ba'ath Party, when it took power in 1968, allowed the Five-Year Plan set up by the previous regime in 1965 to continue until its end date in 1969.[83] The Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) decided by the mid-1970s to alter the planning system; instead of creating stable Five-Year Plans (as had been done earlier), an annual investment plan was to be created. Every year, the RCC convened to create an investment for the year to come; for example, there were separate investment plans for 1976 and 1977. Another change is that the plan's final draft was not accepted by the highest economic elite but by the RCC, the political elite.[84] In 1976 (as a break with the new trend) the RCC introduced the National Development Plan, which was set to last from 1976 to 1980. Unlike the previous plans, the sectoral investment-allocation figures were not made public.[85] According to historian Charles R. H. Tripp, the Ba'athist coup of 1968 upset "the US-sponsored security system established as part of the Cold War in the Middle East. It appeared that any enemy of the Baghdad regime was a potential ally of the United States."[81] From 1973-5, the CIA colluded with Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi of Iran to finance and arm Kurdish rebels in the Second Kurdish-Iraqi War in an attempt to weaken al-Bakr. When Iran and Iraq signed the Algiers Agreement in 1975, the support ceased.[81] The U.S. disliked Iraqi support for many Arab and Palestinian militant groups such as Abu Nidal, which led to Iraq's inclusion on the developing U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism on 29 December 1979. The U.S. remained officially neutral after Iraq's invasion of Iran in 1980. In March 1982, however, Iran began a successful counter-offensive, and the U.S. increased its support for Iraq to prevent Iran from forcing a surrender. In a U.S. bid to open full diplomatic relations with Iraq, the country was removed from the U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. Ostensibly this was because of improvement in the regime’s record, although former U.S. Assistant Defense Secretary Noel Koch later stated, "No one had any doubts about [the Iraqis'] continued involvement in terrorism. ... The real reason was to help them succeed in the war against Iran."[82] Relations with the United States During the early years of al-Bakr's rule, the Soviet Union became a strategic ally. However, with the increase in oil revenues relations between Iraq and the Soviet Union weakened. The Iraqi regime was given more freedom of choice, and lost its dependence on Soviet investments. The Soviet Union, during this period, retained its role as Iraq's largest arms supplier. With Iraq's foreign-policy priorities changing, repression against the ICP was reintroduced. The Soviet Union tried to act as a mediator between the two parties, but Soviet involvement was considered by the Ba'athist government as Soviet interference in Iraq's internal affairs.[73] During the Iran–Iraq War Leonid Brezhnev, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, called the war "absolutely senseless" because the conflict only benefited imperialism.[74] However, Soviet relations deteriorated during the war due to Iran's support for anti-communist forces in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.[75] During Yuri Andropov's rule of the Soviet Union, there were rumours that the USSR was increasing its shipments of modern arms to Iraq during its war with Iran. This proved to be wrong, and Saddam openly complained that the Treaty of Friendship signed with the Soviet Union "has not worked."[76] During the rule of Konstantin Chernenko, the Soviet Union's relations with Iran further deteriorated as the Soviet leadership began to criticise Islamic fundamentalism.[77] In 1986, under Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union officially changed its position from neutral to that of "active containment" of Iran. This policy lasted until the war with Iran ended in 1988.[78] During the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the following Gulf War, the Soviet Union was officially neutral.[79] Shortly after, on 26 December 1991, the Soviet Union was officially dissolved.[80] [72] The Ba'ath Party policy towards the Alexei Kosygin (left) and Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr signing the Iraqi–Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation in 1972. Relations with the Soviet Union Saddam Hussein based his political views and ideology upon the views of Aflaq, Ba'athism's key founder. Saddam was also an avid reader of topics on moral and material forces in international politics.[64] His government was critical of orthodox Marxism, opposing the orthodox Marxist concepts of class conflict, the dictatorship of the proletariat and atheism; it opposed Marxism–Leninism's claim that non-Marxist–Leninist parties are automatically bourgeois in nature, claiming that the Ba'ath Party was a popular revolutionary movement and the people rejected petit bourgeois politics.[65] Saddam claimed that the Arab nation did not have the class structure of other nations, and class division was more along national lines (between Arabs and non-Arabs) than within the Arab community.[66] However, he spoke fondly of Vladimir Lenin and commended Lenin for giving Russian Marxism a uniquely Russian specificity which Marx alone was incapable of doing. He also expressed admiration for other communist leaders (such as Fidel Castro, Kim Il-sung, Ho Chi Minh and Josip Broz Tito) for their spirit of asserting national independence, rather than for their communism.[67] Saddam Hussein and his ideologists sought to fuse a connection between the ancient Babylonian and Assyrian civilizations in Iraq to Arab nationalism by claiming that the Babylonians and ancient Assyrians are the ancestors of the Arabs. Thus, Saddam Hussein and his supporters claim that there is no conflict between Mesopotamian heritage and Arab nationalism.[64] Saddam Hussein (left) talking with Michel Aflaq in 1979. Saddamism (Saddamiyya) is a political ideology based on the politics related to (and pursued by) Saddam Hussein.[61] It has also been referred to by Iraqi politicians as Saddamist Ba'athism (Al-Ba'athiyya Al-Saddamiyya).[62] It is officially described as a distinct variation of Ba'athism.[61] It espouses Iraqi nationalism and an Iraq-centred Arab world that calls upon Arab countries to adopt Saddamist Iraqi political discourse, and reject "the Nasserite discourse" which it claims collapsed after 1967.[61] It is militarist, viewing political disputes and conflict from a military standpoint as "battles" requiring "fighting", "mobilization", "battlefields", "bastions" and "trenches".[63] Saddamism was officially supported by Saddam Hussein's government and promoted by the Iraqi daily newspaper Babil, which was owned by Saddam's son Uday Hussein.[61] Saddamism The Ba'ath Party was based on the ideology of Ba'athism, a Syrian ideology founded by Zaki al-Arsuzi, Michel Aflaq and Salah al-Din al-Bitar, but evolved into neo-Ba'athism. Clause six of the Ba'ath Party's "Permanent Principles" stated "The Ba'ath is a revolutionary party. It believes that its principal aims in [the process of] realising an Arab national renaissance and of building socialism will not be attained except by revolution and struggle". Revolution was not the key aspect of Ba'ath Party ideology; it was its clear ideological platform.[54] Ba'athism was by nature secular, even if its ideological founders had borrowed elements from Islam. The Ba'ath Party first began to talk openly of Islam during the 1990s. Considering that the term "ba'ath" comes from Islamic scriptures, the Ba'ath Party claimed that all Muslims were Ba'athists even if they were not party members.[55] As with the original Ba'ath Party, the Iraqi-led Ba'ath Party's key slogans were "A single Arab nation with an eternal message" and "Unity, freedom, socialism".[56] The first slogan refers to pan-Arabism and Arab nationalism.[57] Al-Arsuzi believed that unity of the Arab people, and the establishment of an Arab nation, would lead to its becoming as strong as (or stronger than) the Soviet Union and the United States.[58] Liberty, in the Ba'athist sense of the word, does not mean political liberty for the individual. Instead, when Ba'athists use the term "liberty" they refer to national independence from imperialism.[59] Socialism in Ba'athist parlance means Arab socialism. Arab socialism is distinct from the international socialist movement, opposing Marx's rejection of nationalism. According to Aflaq, socialism is a means to modernise the Arab world but not a system (as generally considered in the West) which opposes private property or supports economic equality.[60] Party ideology Arab Ba'ath Movement Ba'ath Party (pro-Iraqi) Ba'ath Party (pro-Syrian) Zaki al-Arsuzi Michel Aflaq Salah al-Din al-Bitar Abdullah Rimawi Wahib al-Ghanim Fuad al-Rikabi Salah Jadid Hafez al-Assad Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr Muammar al-Qaddafi Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri On the Way of Resurrection The Battle for One Destiny The Genius of Arabic in Its Tongue Ramadan Revolution November 1963 coup d'état 17 July Revolution De-Ba'athification Ba'athist Syria Syrian Committee to Help Iraq 1963 / 1966 coup d'états Corrective Revolution pro-Iraq pro-Syria Arab socialism Nasserism Pan-Arabism State ideology In contrast to the secular opposition, the religious opposition was better organised and stronger. Several religious opposition groups could appeal to Iraqis, because of the secular nature of the Ba'athist government. During the Iran–Iraq War the government allowed some degree of religious freedom, but only to win support from the populace.[53] The al-Da'wa Party (headquartered in Teheran) and the Umma Party (based in London). One problem with the Iraqi opposition was the lack of alliances between opposition groups (although some alliances did exist—for instance, that between the ICP and the KDP). This alliance led the ICP to move its headquarters to Iraqi Kurdistan, since their activities in other areas of Iraq were routinely repressed. The Ba'athist regime was never able to take full control of the situation in Iraqi Kurdistan, with the exception of an interregnum between the end of the Iran–Iraq War and the 1991 uprising.[51] Another problem was that the Iraqi opposition had frequent problems with internal strife; for instance, the ICP was forced to hold a party congress in 1985 to stabilise the party. A more immediate problem was the strength of Iraq's secret services, renowned in the Arab world as the most efficient.[52] Iraqi partisans (opposition forces) in northern Iraq during the Iran–Iraq War. [50] was its general secretary.Naim Haddad Throughout the NPF's existence, [49] The National Progressive Front Iraq, under the rule of the Iraqi-led Ba'ath movement. All National Command members came from their distinct regional (meaning "country" in Ba'athist etymology) branch; for instance, there was always a member who represented the Ba'ath Party's Jordanese Regional Branch.[46] Because of the 1966 Ba'ath Party schism (which split the Ba'ath movement into an Iraqi-led branch and a Syrian-led branch), the National Command never controlled the whole Ba'ath movement; there was a National Command headquartered in Syria, which commanded another Ba'ath movement. Another problem was the fact that the National Commands in Iraq and Syria were under the control of the country's respective regional commands.[47] National leaders Regional leaders Michel Aflaq 1968–1989 Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr 1966–1979 Saddam Hussein 1992–2003 Saddam Hussein 1979–2003 Saddam Hussein (right) talking with founder of Ba'athism and Ba'ath Party leader Michel Aflaq in 1988. The constitution of 1970 proclaimed Ba'athist Iraq as "a sovereign people's democratic republic" dedicated to the establishment of a Ba'athist socialist society. Although the state was officially secular, Islam was proclaimed the country's state religion (although freedom of religion was tolerated). Natural resources and the principal means of production were defined as belonging to the Iraqi people. The Iraqi government was responsible for directing and planning the national economy.[43] If the RCC chairman died or was incapacitated, first in the line of succession was the RCC deputy chairman. There were only two RCC deputy chairmen under Ba'athist rule: Saddam (1968–1979) and Izzat Ibrahim ad-Douri (1979–2003).[44] The 1970 Iraqi Constitution stated that Iraq was in a transitional phase of development; in Ba'athist ideology, the transitional stage is the time when the Arab people unite to establish one Arab nation. The end of the transitional era would be marked by a permanent constitution; the 1970 constitution was only temporary. The Ba'ath Party dominated all government institutions, and the top decision-making body in the country was the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC). The RCC was controlled by the Ba'ath Party; RCC members had to be members of the Ba'ath Party's Regional Command. Saddam Hussein, as President of Iraq, was also RCC chairman and General Secretary of the Ba'ath Party's Regional (and National) Command.[41] All decisions within the RCC had to be decided by vote; a proposition could only be enacted if two-thirds of RCC members voted in favour of it. A Council of Ministers, the cabinet, was established on the orders of the RCC to execute RCC orders submitted to it. A National Assembly existed, which was (in theory) democratically elected by the Iraqi people; the problem was that the RCC had the authority to decide how much (or little) power the National Assembly should have.[42] Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr (left), the Regional Secretary of the Iraqi Ba'ath, shaking hands with Michel Aflaq, principal founder of Ba'athist thought, in 1968. In the aftermath of the Axis of Evil. In 2002 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1441, which stated that Iraq had failed to fulfill its obligations demanded by the UN. The United States and the United Kingdom would use Resolution 1441 as a pretext for war. The 2003 US-led invasion of the country forced the Ba'ath Party and Saddam to go underground.[39] Saddam was captured later that year, and was executed in 2006.[40] Iraq experienced another period of unrest in early 1999 following the killing of Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr by Iraqi security forces.[38] [37] On the evening of 24 February, several days before the Gulf War In the aftermath of the President of the United States, demanded the immediate withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait and restoration of the Kuwaiti government; Saddam responded by making Kuwait an Iraqi province.[32] The Gulf War was initiated by a United States-led coalition, which succeeded in winning the war in less than a year.[33] Retreating Iraqi forces sabotaged Kuwaiti oil wells, causing massive fires across Kuwait's oil fields. Persian Gulf War, the 1990s and the Iraq War (1990–2003) In 1982, Iran counter-attacked and was successful in driving the Iraqis back into Iraq. That year alone, an estimated 40,000 Iraqis were taken prisoner. The defeats of 1982 were a blow to both Saddam and the Ba'ath regime. With the economic situation worsening because of falling oil prices (and the rising military budget), the Iraqi standard of living worsened. The Iraqi Kurdistan, which had revolted. Saddam appointed his cousin Ali Hasan al-Majid as military chief in Kurdistan. al-Majid initiated the al-Anfal campaign; chemical weapons were used against civilians.[29] In April 1988, after a series of Iraqi military victories, a ceasefire was agreed on between Iraq and Iran; the war is commonly considered status quo ante bellum.[30] Donald Rumsfeld, as US special envoy to the Middle East, meets Saddam Hussein in December 1983 (). The Iran–Iraq War was, in theory, going to be a quick Iraqi victory. Saddam's plan was to strengthen Iraq's position in the Persian Gulf and on the Arab-world stage. A quick victory would restore Iraq's control over all of Shatt al-Arab, an area which Iraq had lost to Iran in 1975.[21] Saddam abrogated the treaty of 1975 in a meeting of the National Assembly on 17 September 1980. This abrogation was followed shortly afterwards by several preemptive strikes on Iran and by the invasion of Iran. Saddam believed that the Iranian regime would have "to disengage in order to survive". Not only was this view faulty, but it overestimated the strength of the Iraqi military; the Iranian regime saw the invasion as a test of the revolution itself and all its achievements.[21] The military plan proved to be elusive; the regime (Saddam included) believed that the Iranian regime would quickly disintegrate during the Iraqi invasion, this did not happen in practice. Saddam, "in a rare moment of frankness, [...] admitted as much".[22] While the war was not going as planned the regime reasserted its view of the situation, and claimed that winning the war was a matter of "national honour". The majority of the Ba'athist leadership (and Saddam himself) still believed that Iran would collapse under the weight of Iraqi force.[23] [20], and the Iranian leaders had purged thousands of officers and soldiers because of their political views.civil unrest At the beginning of 1980, several border clashes took place between the two countries. The Iraqi regime considered the newly established Iran to be "weak"; the country was in a state of continued [19]. Another major obstacle in their relations was the Iraqi government's continued repression of (and discrimination against) the Shi'ites.secular in Iran influenced many Shi'ites to stand up against the Sunni-dominated government. At first relations between Iran and Iraq were fairly good, but ideological differences could not remain concealed forever. The new Iranian leadership was composed of Shia Islamists, while the Iraqi Ba'athists were Islamic Republic The Shi'ite protests were not quelled by these propaganda campaigns, and the establishment of an [18] The propaganda campaign (at least in the beginning) created a common sense of nationhood for many Iraqis.[17] Egypt, Gulf War, Iraq, Israel, Iran–Iraq War Saddam Hussein, Syria, Soviet Union, Iran, Gulf War Iraq, United States, Saudi Arabia, Saddam Hussein, Iran–Iraq War Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Turkey, Bahrain List of wars involving Iraq Iraq, United States, Kingdom of Iraq, Jordan, Ba'athist Iraq List of wars involving Iraqi Kurdistan Iraq, Kurdistan Democratic Party, Iran, United States, Ba'athist Iraq Iraq, World War II, Arab Federation, Kingdom of Iraq, Sumer Babylonia, Iraq, Sumer, World War I, United Kingdom	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line170
__label__cc	0.718165	0.281835	Crawl, Walk, Run…or Drive Up to St. Patrick’s Day Drive-Thru at Murphy’s Bar & Grill March 17 Murphy’s Bar & Grill in Downtown Honolulu today announced a St. Patrick’s Day Drive Thru menu with proceeds benefiting Hawaii Children’s Cancer Foundation. In lieu of Murphy’s popular annual Saint Patrick’s Day Block Party and in consideration of the health and safety of the large crowd that typically attends, owner Don Murphy instead plans to celebrate the day by offering a classic Irish plate lunch/dinner and dessert for pick up curbside on Nu’uana Street. “Although it was a heartbreaking decision to cancel our Saint Patrick’s Day Block Party after 32 years, we wanted to share our appreciation for our loyal customers, inspire local businesses to persevere, and send the message that supporting our local businesses and community service providers during this challenging time is important,” said owner Don Murphy. “Businesses are hurting right now and it’s critical during these times that we work together and come up with creative ideas to keep our community going. Plus, we want to inject a little bit of that Irish spirit into our community every chance we get.” Murphy’s St. Patrick’s Day Drive Thru menu includes: Corned beef & cabbage with red potatoes and veggies - $15/plate Irish Whiskey Cake - $5/piece Advance orders are encouraged and can be made by calling Murphy’s at 808-531-0422, with pickups available between 11am and 7pm on Tuesday, March 17 at Murphy’s Alley on Nuuanu Street, between Merchant and King Streets. Customers may take their chances and crawl, walk, run, or drive by for Drive Thru menu items, as available, and, hopefully, the luck of the Irish will be with them. Labels: press releases, promotions, upcoming events	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line171
__label__cc	0.658322	0.341678	Research/News - 2009 Updated DHHS and WHO Guidelines for HIV Treatment Now Available The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recently released updates to their HIV treatment guidelines for adults and adolescents. For information about key updates to the DHHS guidelines, click here. The WHO updates recommend... Read More Hepatotoxicity in HIV-Infected Pregnant Women on ART An analysis of HIV-infected pregnant women on antiretroviral therapy and HIV-infected nonpregnant women from multicenter prospective cohorts demonstrated that pregnancy was significantly associated with hepatotoxicity. There was no significant association between nevirapine... Read More Short Course AZT/3TC Reduces Nevirapine Resistance A study conducted in South Africa demonstrated that a short course of AZT and 3TC following single dose nevirapine in mothers and infants reduced emergent NNRTI resistance mutations. When compared to mothers and infants who received only single dose nevirapine, the... Read More Breastfeeding With Maternal ARV Therapy in Resource-Limited Settings In a study of HIV-infected pregnant women in Rwanda, maternal HAART while breastfeeding was associated with a low risk of postnatal HIV transmission. This risk was similar to the formula feeding cohort. This approach may offer a culturally appropriate alternative to formula... Read More Need for Improved Integration of STD/HIV and Contraceptive Services An analysis of data from a 2002 CDC survey revealed a documented need for improved integration of contraceptive services with STD/HIV services. Investigators estimated that 35% of single young sexually active women who received contraceptive services were not offered... Read More Impressive Gains in HIV Testing During Pregnancy in a Diverse Insured Population This study examined the HIV testing rate in a racially and ethnically diverse insured population delivering at Kaiser Permanente Southern California hospitals from 1997-2006. The rate of HIV testing during this period increased from 77.6% in 1997 to 91% in 2006. Citation:... Read More Use of the Rapid HIV Test for Third Trimester Screening A study conducted in an ambulatory obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Philadelphia, PA revealed that 95% of women agreed to be rescreened with a rapid HIV test in the third trimester of pregnancy. Of the participants, 91% reported the rapid HIV test was less stressful than... Read More New Dosing Recommendations for HIV-Infected Infants The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved revised pediatric dosing recommendations for zidovudine that expand dosing to include children starting treatment at four weeks of age. To read the FDA notification, click here. Full Results of AIDS Vaccine Trial Now Available The full results of a landmark AIDS vaccine trial conducted in Thailand confirm that the vaccine offered limited success in protecting recipients from HIV. For more information, click here. NIH Starting H1N1 Vaccine Trial in Pregnant Women with HIV The National Institutes of Health (NIH) are funding a clinical trial of the H1N1 vaccine in pregnant women with HIV to determine its effectiveness in women with weakend immune systems from the HIV virus. The trial will involve a higher than normal dose of the vaccine to... Read More	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line173
__label__cc	0.570236	0.429764	Fugitive Waves – The Building Stewardesses: Construction Guides at the World Trade Center 1968-70 Posted by The Kitchen Sisters on Sep 08, 2015 in Fugitive Waves, The Sonic Memorial Project, Uncategorized As construction commenced on the largest building project since the pyramids, questions and controversies swirled around Lower Manhattan. How tall? Why two? What’s a slurry wall? A kangaroo crane? Where are the small businessmen going to go? What’s a world trade center, and who needs it anyway? Guy Tozzoli, the Port Authority visionary behind the building of the Twin Towers, had an inspiration—”Construction Guides.” Friendly co-eds in mini-skirt uniforms were posted at corner kiosks on the site to inform an inquiring public and put a pretty face on a controversial issue. This story is part of the Peabody Award winning Sonic Memorial Project, an intimate and historic documentary commemorating the life and history of The World Trade Center and its surrounding neighborhood, through audio artifacts, rare recordings, voicemail messages and interviews. The Sonic Memorial Project was produced by The Kitchen Sisters in collaboration with NPR, independent radio producers, artists, writers, archivists, historians and public radio listeners throughout the country. The Sonic Memorial Project began in October 2001 as part of the Lost & Found Sound series. We opened a phone line on NPR for listeners to call in with their stories and audio artifacts relating to the Sept. 11 attacks and the history of the World Trade Center. Hundreds of people called with testimonies and remembrances, music and small shards of sounds. Combining interviews, voicemail messages, audio contributions from listeners, oral histories, home videos and recorded sounds of all kinds, the Sonic Memorial Project team created a series of stories for broadcast on NPR’s All Things Considered. These stories and contributions from listeners across the country can be heard at the Peabody Award-winning website SonicMemorial.org where you can explore the archive, contribute your own sounds and stories, and immerse yourself in the Sonic Browser, an interactive soundscape of stories and audio fragments. Will Trump Burn the Evidence? #KeeperoftheDay Nov 18, 2020	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line178
__label__wiki	0.984473	0.984473	HOME \| Bolivia Bolivian President’s Plane Diverted to Vienna The presidential aircraft was forced to land after several European countries denied permission to enter their airspace amid reports that former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden might be aboard VIENNA – Bolivian President Evo Morales’s official plane was diverted to Vienna and kept on the ground for more than 13 hours while it was searched overnight by authorities who suspected that former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden might be aboard. The presidential plane was forced to land in Vienna around 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday because France and several other European countries refused to allow it to enter their airspace. “This is not just a provocation against Evo Morales, but against Bolivia and all of Latin America. It is aggression against Latin America by some European countries,” the president said. Morales and his delegation, which includes Defense Minister Ruben Saavedra, took off Wednesday for Spain’s Canary Islands, where they planned to refuel before continuing on to La Paz. Morales said Spain had also banned the aircraft from entering its airspace, but Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said Wednesday that there was “no prohibition and authorities had approved the stop in Gran Canaria on Tuesday. The French government did not say why it prohibited the Bolivian presidential plane from entering its airspace, while officials in Lisbon said Morales’s plane was not allowed to land in Portugal for “technical reasons” but no ban was ever imposed on entering the country’s airspace. Bolivia’s ambassadors to France and Italy, and the consul in Portugal are being recalled to explain why the presidential plane was denied permission to enter the airspace of the three European countries, Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera said. EFE	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line179
__label__cc	0.704404	0.295596	Occasional literary links, amusements, culture, politics, and rants Where we see ourselves, darkly by Maud \| July 8th, 2009 More than a century after its publication, why are we still so haunted by Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness? FTC NOTIFICATION Any book or magazine I write about, either on this website or for a publication, may (or may not) be a complimentary copy. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive new posts by email. Archives Select Month August 2019 April 2019 September 2017 December 2016 November 2016 July 2016 April 2016 February 2016 January 2016 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 June 2015 May 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 February 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 © 2021 Powered by the PubSpring Network	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line180
__label__cc	0.68295	0.31705	Activities, Objectives Ulaanbaatar Dialogue Initiative on Northeast Asian Security States with Diplomatic Relations Neighboring States Third Neighbors Multilateral relations Diplomatic and UN Missions in Mongolia Honorary Consul in Mongolia Statement of the spokesperson of MFA Interviews, articles Information about Mongolia Mongolian Study Publication & Cinema Address: Peace Ave – 7a, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia E-mail: press@mfa.gov.mn Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia Deputy Minister for Ministry of Foreign Affairs State Secretary Department heads By Bayarmagnai P In Featured News @en, News events, United States MONGOLIA-US SECOND ECONOMIC POLICY DIALOGUE HELD IN WASHINGTON D.C. The Second Economic Policy Dialogue between Mongolia and the United States was held on May 22, 2018, in Washington D.C. The Mongolian side was led by H.E.Mr. D. Tsogtbaatar, Minister for Foreign [...] FOREIGN MINISTER HAD MEETINGS AT THE U.S. CONGRESS AND THINK TANKS D.Tsogtbaatar, Minister for Foreign Affairs, met with Congressman Don Young, Co-chair of the US-Mongolia friendship caucus of the U.S. Congress, and exchanged views on the issues of bilateral [...] FOREIGN MINISTER MET WITH THE AMERICAN INVESTORS H.E. D. Tsogtbaatar, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, within the margins of his visit to the United States, met with the American investors in Washington D.C. During the meeting, the [...] MONGOLIAN GOVERNMENT AND THE MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION CONCLUDED THE NEGOTIATIONS ON THE SECOND COMPACT AGREEMENT Foreign Minister D. Tsogtbaatar, who is visiting the United States, met with Mr. J. Nash, Acting CEO of MCC, and other officials, and attended the final round of negotiations on the Second [...] FOREIGN MINISTER D.TSOGTBAATAR MET WITH THE U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO H.E. Mr. D. Tsogtbaatar, Minister for Foreign Affairs, met with Mr.M.Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State, Mr. T.Shannon, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and Mrs. S.Thornton, Acting [...] FOREIGN MINISTER OF AFFAIRS D.TSOGTBAATAR WILL PAY AN OFFICIAL VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES H.E. Mr. D. Tsogtbaatar, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, will pay an official visit to the United States on May 18-22, 2018, and meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, members of the [...] In Featured News @en, News events, Thailand HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS MAHA CHAKRI SIRINDHORN OF THAILAND GRANTS AUDIENCE TO DELEGATION FROM THE NATIONAL AGENCY FOR METEREOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING OF MONGOLIA On 14 May 2018, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand granted an audience to the delegation headed by Mr. Enkhtuvshin Sevjid, Director-General of the Department of [...] In Featured News @en, News events “Nomadic Empires of the Mongolian Steppes” Special Exhibition opens in National Museum of Korea The opening ceremony of the special exhibition “Nomadic Empires of the Mongolian Steppes” organized by the National Museum of Korea, the Instutute of History and Archaeology of Mongolian Academy [...] MINISTER D.TSOGTBAATAR MET WITH U.S NON GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTOR REPRESENTATIVES OPERATING IN MONGOLIA On May 11th, 2018 H.E. Mr. D.Tsogtbaatar, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia met with country directors and representatives of U.S Peace Corps, the Asia Foundation, the International [...] In Cuba, Featured News @en, News events AMBASSADOR TS.BATBAYAR VISITS THE CUBAN NATIONAL JUDO FEDERATION H.E.Ts.Batbayar, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia to the Republic of Cuba, met with Mr.Rafael Manso Reyes, President of the Cuban National Judo Federation, on May 11, [...]	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line182
__label__wiki	0.630482	0.630482	About MMS MMS Overview MMS Traditions After-school Care Engage With MMS M-News MMS in the News Media It may look like a typical childhood lemonade stand. But for MMS students participating in Lemonade Day each year, it’s much more: a training ground for future business and community leaders. MMS helped pioneer Lemonade Day in West Virginia in 2013 and has been one of its most visible partners, running a stand each may at the Capitol Market. An MMS student was even named WV Young Entrepreneur of the Year for his Lemonade Day efforts! Established in Houston in 2007, Lemonade Day is a free educational program that gives children the skills and opportunity to create and run their own business – a lemonade stand. Starting with 2,700 students in one city, Lemonade Day grown into a national entrepreneurship movement involving millions of children across the country. Each year, an estimated 5,500 students set up more than 100 lemonade stands throughout West Virginia. Groups participating in Lemonade Day receive materials to help prepare for the big day, including lessons on how to create budgets, set goals and work with customers. The goal of Lemonade Day is to empower youth to take ownership of their lives and become active and engaged members of society – the business leaders, social advocates, volunteers and forward-thinking citizens of tomorrow. “Lemonade Day helps students understand that not only can they create their own business, but they can create their own future,” says Vision Shared President/CEO Cory Dennison. For the students participating in Lemonade Day, it’s a chance to see how lessons from the classroom apply in the real world. During their four hours at the Mountaineer Montessori School lemonade stand at the Capitol Market each year, students put math, teamwork and problem-solving skills into action, serving long lines of customers on a busy Saturday. Still smiling at the end of the day, students were enthusiastic about the idea of running their own business in the future. “It’s a lot of work but a lot of fun,” says 12-year-old Ellis Bell about the experience. Mountaineer Montessori School 308 20th Street, Charleston, WV 25304 info@mountaineermontessori.org	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line184
__label__wiki	0.507811	0.507811	You are here: Home / Archives for Meet the Team Eugene Ellis “Mr. DUI” Known locally as MR. DUI, Eugene Ellis is one of the pre-eminent DUI attorneys in Southern California. With 36 years of legal experience, more than 32 years of his career has been dedicated exclusively defending DUI and DMV only cases. Education : Mr. Ellis graduated from the Western State University College of Law in 1975, took the 1976 winter California Bar Exam, and was one of the 37% of first-time exam takers to pass on the first attempt. He went on to take post-graduate law courses at the University of Southern California, University of San Diego, and Hastings University School of Law. After completing his education in San Diego, where he has lived most of his adult life, Mr. Ellis has continually upgraded his skills as a DUI attorney. Please take a minute to look at just a few of the courses he has taken that are outlined in the Expertise Is Required to Beat the System section. Early Career : Beginning his career with a two-attorney medical malpractice firm, Mr. Ellis learned the lessons of David and Goliath. At times facing defense firms with up to 60 lawyers, he learned he could take on difficult cases and beat the large firms at their own games. Unwilling to give in to the Goliath law firms, Mr. Ellis often worked around the clock fighting the frequently bullying tactics used against smaller firms. These experiences cemented his desire to fight on behalf of the underdog and are used in his battles against a massive government system designed to prosecute DUI defendants. Practice Limited to DUI : After years of practice, Mr. Ellis concluded that the attorney who limits his practice to one area of the law inevitably gains sufficient expertise to have the upper hand in litigation. In the words of Russell Cromwell: “Find something, anything, and do it better than anyone else in the world, and the public will eventually find out about you and beat a path to your door.” In 1980 Mr. Ellis began the “San Diego Ticket Clinic.” After years of fighting every sort of traffic violation from ordinary traffic tickets to driving under the influence (DUI) cases, he had the honor to work for some time with Bill Fielden, a famous DUI and federal criminal attorney. Together, Mr. Ellis and Mr. Fielden were extremely aggressive attorneys, not only in their methods of practicing law, but also in their ability to “swim upstream” and fight unpopular causes which they felt were just. In 1986, after building a successful practice, Mr. Ellis decided that he would further limit his practice to handling only DUIs.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line185
__label__cc	0.564599	0.435401	Discipline a confronto Italians in Paris in 1914. The germs of the “Return to order” Wednesday, December 16, 2015, 5:30 p.m. Andrea Pellegrini’s lecture Five Italian Futurists spent the month of March, 1914, in Paris: Ardengo Soffici, Giovanni Papini, Carlo Carrà, Aldo Palazzeschi and Umberto Boccioni. The “memorable expedition” would offer the chance for surprising encounters, in particular those with Pablo Picasso and Guillame Apollinaire, that were to deeply change the attitude of those travelers towards themselves and art: a plural and versatile story showing experiences blending painting and literature, books, novels and exhibits’ catalogues, letters and autobiographies. This Parisian stay, at the threshold of war and of the end of an era, was the background for the end of the Futurist experience and the beginning of modern classicism. Usually identified by the most traditionalist critics only in the period between the wars, the seeds for the phenomenon called “Return to order” were planted during this sojourn, in its most obscure developments and, starting from this forgotten adventure, can be anticipated to an earlier period, seeing it as the surprising culmination of the avant-garde movements themselves. Andrea Pellegrini is the author of the novels titled Lettera dalla Norvegia (Fara, 2006), and Come una madre (Joker, 2008), he won the 32° Premio Firenze 2014 – Fiorino d’Argento for essay writing with the volume La seduzione del classico negli anni del moderno. Cultura e arte italiana dal 1914 al 1920 (Helicon, 2014). He teaches literature at the Istituto Alberghiero “F. Martini” of Montecatini Terme, he is Doctor of Research in Italian Literature and for years he has been focusing his interest on authors and themes of the Italian culture of the early twentieth century. Free entrance while seats last. It does not include the access to the museum	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line186
__label__cc	0.659857	0.340143	Fools, Chaucer and Welles In trying to trace the roots of April Fool's Day, the path through history to the truth is anything but clear. It is reminiscent of the history of Valentine's Day, a seemingly obvious holiday in honor of Saint Valentinus. But, in reality, there is more fiction than fact to the story. One commonly held belief is that April Fool's Day dates back to that most famous Pope Gregory XIII. When in 1582 he supplanted the Julian Calendar with the modern Gregorian one, he not only reset Spring, he also changed the beginning of the New Year. In the Julian calendar, people typically celebrated the beginning of the new year with the start of spring which was celebrated at the end of march or the beginning of April. In the Gregorian calendar, the new year clearly began on January 1. Lacking 24 hour news, cell phones, and email, the news was a little slow to circulate. Those negligent to the changes were still celebrating the onset of the new year on April 1. The more enlightened crowd looked at those who were remiss as a bit silly and dubbed them "April Fools". Whether this is the true origin of April Fool's Day or not, I cannot say for certain. There are some other dark horse theories out there, which I am typically inclined to side with, but in this case, I'll go with the crowd favorite. Besides, I like to go with the Popes. I am hoping that perhaps it may lessen my time in Purgatorio. Geoffrey Chaucer, or at least his enthusiasts, can not stop from trying to weave themselves into history. First, it was the initial literary mention of Valentines Day, and now the first mention of April Fools Day. What next, did Chaucer first chronicle Easter? I think not. In any event, there is a common misconception that the first reference to April Fool's Day dates back to The Canterbury Tales, written circa 1392. In the Nun's Priest's Tale, Chaucer tells the story of the vain cock, Chauntecler, who falls for the tricks of a fox, and as a consequence is almost eaten. The narrator describes the tale as occurring: When that the monthe in which the world bigan That highte March, whan God first maked man, Was complet, and passed were also Syn March bigan thritty dayes and two. There is some ambiguity as to the translation. While some scholars associate the 32 days to the start of March, others ascribe it to the end of the month. Thus, it either pertains to April 1, or May 3. Because the Nun's Priest Tale is essentially the story of a prank perpetrated upon the "foolish" cock by the sly fox, it is easy to see why choosing the date of April 1 would conveniently fit this theory. If it is a reference to April Fool's Day, then it would be the earliest recorded reference to the day. However, Chaucer's choice of words is extremely ambiguous, and most scholars think he meant May 3, since that would be "thritty dayes and two" after March "was complet." Perhaps the greatest hoax perpetrated upon the American public, the current presidency notwithstanding, was the radio production of The War of the Worlds, written by H.G. Wells. The book portrays an alien invasion of Earth. The radio show was produced by a young Orson Welles and aired as a Halloween episode on October 30, 1938. As the show was aired without commercial interruption, and was portrayed as a series of newscast bulletins, the show had a very real atmosphere about it. A large number of people were duped by the show, lighting up the switchboards of the local authorities. Welles gained significant notoriety and went on to a rather illustrious career in show business, producing and directing Citizen Kane, as well as The Magnificent Ambersons. As some of you may recall from a previous post, Orson Welles was famously quoted on his take on the Negroni, “The bitters are excellent for your liver, the gin is bad for you. They balance each other." I take exception with his description of gin as being bad for you. We all know that it is actually quite medicinal. But what did he know, he pulled an April fools joke on Halloween! And so tonight, in honor of Welles, Chaucer, and Pope Gregory XIII, I will have a vodka martini. April's Fools! Martian Martinis	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line187
__label__cc	0.719298	0.280702	Quad Cities Hand Surgeon Helps Develop Micro-Invasive Carpal Tunnel Treatment DAVENPORT, IA–(Marketwired – Aug 2, 2017) – Providing effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is of primary concern to Dr. Tyson Cobb, an orthopaedic hand surgeon in the Quad Cities. To better assist patients suffering from this common condition, he helped to develop a procedure called ultrasound-guided micro-invasive carpal tunnel release, which utilizes the innovative Sonex SX-One MicroKnife™. He says the advanced technique and instrument can reduce downtime, minimize pain, and improve results. Dr. Cobb explains that this new method of carpal tunnel release can be performed in-office or in a surgical center and requires only local anesthetic, making the technique more accessible to patients who cannot receive traditional anesthesia. “For patients who fail medical clearance, it allows us to do a simple office-based procedure, similar to what you might have in a dental office.” Part of what makes this procedure so unique, Dr. Cobb reveals, is the use of ultrasound technology to guide the process and identify essential anatomic structures. Once the area of concern is identified, he can insert the SX-One MicroKnife™ through a tiny incision and reduce pressure on the median nerve — the cause of carpal tunnel syndrome. Dr. Cobb says the SX-One MicroKnife™ has several built-in safety features, including a blade that extends and retracts, as well as inflatable bumpers. Both elements are designed to minimize risk of harm to surrounding tissues in the treatment area. The diminutive size of the device also means the incision can be as small as four or five millimeters, or about the size of the top of a pencil eraser. Dr. Cobb adds that sutures typically will not be needed to close the incision; an adhesive bandage is sufficient. As the first surgeon in the state of Iowa to perform the treatment, Dr. Cobb hopes to bring relief to many individuals suffering from CTS who have been unable to find a suitable solution. Dr. Cobb reports: “All Sonex procedures have been successful, and all of my patients have been very happy with the outcome. We are very excited to be able to offer this new treatment option and we enjoy seeing patients benefit from a much shorter recovery.” About Tyson Cobb, MD Dr. Tyson Cobb is a board certified orthopaedic surgeon and the Director of the Hand and Upper Extremity Center at Orthopaedic Specialists, PC. He has completed additional training, including earning a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Surgery of the Hand and accomplishing a Fellowship in Hand and Microvascular surgery. Dr. Cobb holds patents on several minimally invasive surgical devices, and he has traveled internationally to lecture at prestigious conferences and to train surgeons in the latest minimally invasive surgical techniques. He is available for interview upon request. For more information about Dr. Cobb and his practice, please visit osquadcities.com and facebook.com/osquadcities. To view the original source of this press release, click here: https://www.osquadcities.com/practice-news/quad-cities-hand-surgeon-helps-develop-micro-invasive-carpal-tunnel-treatment/	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line188
__label__wiki	0.931482	0.931482	Omega KDC-10 Supports Boeing Mission to Win Swiss Air Force Flight Evaluation Testing Competition This May, Omega Aerial Refueling Services, Inc. conducted a transatlantic mission supporting the deployment of two F-18F Super Hornets flown by a combination of Navy and Boeing test pilots to… This May, Omega Aerial Refueling Services, Inc. conducted a transatlantic mission supporting the deployment of two F-18F Super Hornets flown by a combination of Navy and Boeing test pilots to Payerne Air Base, Switzerland for the Swiss Air Force Flight Evaluation Testing mission. Omega’s KDC-10 provided AAR support to the mission and carried mission essential equipment and personnel from both Boeing and the US Navy. The mission began at the March Air Reserve Base in California, continued on to Norfolk International Airport in Virginia, then to Bangor International Airport in Maine, followed by a transatlantic flight to Prestwick-Glasgow International Airport in Scotland, before arriving to Payerne Air Base, Switzerland. Boeing is competing in an $8 billion program for the Swiss Air Force to replace its legacy Hornet fleet. Other competitors include Airbus, Dassault, Saab, and Lockheed Martin. Switzerland’s current fleet of Boeing McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C and D Hornets and Northrop Grumman F-5 Tigers is set to retire in the next several years, making way for a new fleet of aircraft as part of its Air2030 program. Evaluations are expected to continue through 2020 before a selection is made. Standing in front of the Omega Aerial Refueling Services KDC-10, U.S. Ambassador to SwitzerlandEd McMullen advocates that the Swiss Air Force purchase U.S.-produced fighter jets toreplace its retiring fleet. (Photo credit: SRF Bundeshaus) Omega Aerial Refueling Services, Inc. is the global leader in commercial aerial refueling, and has completed more than 7,900 missions and delivered more than 283 million pounds of fuel. Omega offers a range of refueling solutions to the U.S. Armed Forces and U.S. allies across the globe.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line189
__label__cc	0.577274	0.422726	Proposition 64 – YES Support the Adult Use of Marijuana Act In 1996, California voters passed the country’s first medicinal marijuana initiative, Proposition 215. In 2010, we had the opportunity to be the first state to end cannabis prohibition for all with Proposition 19, but narrowly failed with 46% in favor. The Peace and Freedom Party, in keeping with its platform calling for legalization of marijuana from its founding in 1967, supported both these measures. In 2010, our support of Prop. 19 focused on the role played by the forces behind prohibition: the prison-industrial complex (the prison-building industry, private prison operators, prison guards’ and police officers’ associations, prosecutors, etc.), and the “competition” (mainly alcohol companies; pharmaceutical companies have also contributed). We also mentioned those who profit from the current black- and grey-market conditions. The standard prohibitionist forces are still quite active opposing Prop. 64, but no more needs to be said about them here; their arguments are all well-known and thoroughly refuted. There’s another line of argument that was raised against Prop. 19 and is being raised against Prop. 64: that the proposition would actually do more harm than good, and that we should reject it in favor of something better later. The misinformation generated in the course of supporting this position could contribute to the defeat of Prop. 64 as it probably did to that of Prop. 19. The remainder of this article will attempt to briefly answer the arguments of those who oppose Prop. 64 while being for “real” legalization. A more complete refutation can be found in the following articles: Top 10 Myths About California’s Prop 64 (With Footnotes!) Part Two of Russ Belville’s Top 10 Myths About California’s Prop 64 The main objections can be summed up under the following themes. “It’s not ‘real’ legalization.” These arguments basically come down to claiming that it’s already legal enough under the status quo, and that the things that will still be illegal under Prop. 64 are somehow new. But in fact, cannabis is still illegal; all that Prop. 215 does is provide an affirmative defense. People are still in jail; people are still being stopped, searched, arrested, harassed and brutalized because a cop smelled weed; people are still being denied employment and housing behind a criminal record for pot. Once Prop. 64 passes, all that stops: People in jail for something that Prop. 64 makes legal will be able to petition for release, and people with criminal records for things that are no longer crimes will be able to have those records expunged – and the burden of proof is on the state to prove why they shouldn’t. As for the things that are still illegal, penalties are sharply reduced on almost all of them (from felonies to misdemeanors or “wobblers”, or from misdemeanors to infractions), it eliminates jail for minors entirely, and perhaps most significantly, the mere odor of cannabis will no longer serve as probable cause for a stop and search. Even without its other benefits, and even if every other objection were true, this would be enough to merit our support. “It ‘destroys’ Prop. 215.” The part of this that isn’t an outright lie is based on a gross misunderstanding both of what Prop. 215 is and what Prop. 64 does. The lie is easy enough to debunk: Prop. 64 explicitly protects Prop. 215 and adds new protections on top; medical patients are exempt from the limits and restrictions imposed under Prop. 64 for non-medical adult use; and medical patients are further protected from having their children taken away, for one example. What is misunderstood is, first, what Prop. 215 does – which is only to provide an affirmative defense for medical need. Prop. 215 did not provide for anyone being able to purchase or otherwise acquire cannabis other than to grow their own, or any of the other activities currently engaged in by medical card holders; those are the result of legislation and regulations enacted long after Prop. 215 passed, chiefly SB 420 and recently superseded by the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MCRSA, formerly known as MMRSA). Opponents of Prop. 64 raise objections that are more properly directed at the MCRSA, claiming that they’re fixing to defeat the MCRSA in court but that Prop. 64 will prevent that by “enshrining” it within the language of an initiative. But that doesn’t work, as the above referenced article explains. “It hands cannabis over to big corporations like Monsanto. That’s why billionaires like Sean Parker and George Soros support it!” Prop. 64 actually gives priority to those currently in the business for two years, and to current (from 2015) California residents until 2020, and also does not provide for licensing large grows until 2023, providing small local farmers and businesses plenty of time to get set up under the new system before ever having to face competition from large out-of-state operations. And it has strong anti-monopoly provisions; for instance, among the reasons to deny a license to a business, the first on the list is if it would “allow unreasonable restrains on competition by creation or maintenance of unlawful monopoly power.” But it doesn’t stop there; the article, and the text of the measure itself, go into much more detail. The only real objection small farmers have is that it allows for large operations at all, starting in 2023. But even then, there’s nothing that says the state has to license larger operations, and if the small growers’ concerns about the impact of such operations are valid, there would be grounds under the terms of Prop. 64 to deny such licenses. The growers’ association opposed Prop. 19; on Prop. 64, they split just about 50:50, and as an organization they are neutral. Let’s hope that the Emerald Triangle doesn’t defeat legalization this time. Errata: Originally posted that large-grow licenses come on line in 2020. Those licenses will not become available for five years after the other licenses come on line in 2018. “It imposes onerous taxes that go into a politician’s ‘slush fund’.” The argument that the taxes imposed by Prop. 64 are too high is not entirely without merit. And even though it does exempt medical patients from the 7.5% state sales tax, they are still subject to the same 15% excise tax and $9.25/oz. cultivation tax as everyone else, and that’s a shame. However, it’s still a better deal than the legalization law passed by the State of Washington, for example – and even with their much-higher taxes and other negative provisions that we won’t have to suffer, the price of cannabis has gone down there as in every other state that has passed legalization. Prohibition is a much higher tax, just considering the market price of the commodity and not even considering all of the other consequences. As for where the money goes, it’s the opposite of a “slush fund,” it’s a separately maintained fund which has very clear and explicit earmarks for how much is to be spent on what in which order. This actually is one of the things we don’t like about it – we prefer all tax money go to the General Fund where it can be spent on whatever we need – but most voters prefer earmarks, and the places and amounts are what have found favor among likely voters. Finally, and most dangerously: “We can do better.” Momentum is on our side, there’s no reason to rush to pass this initiative, there are better options available and if we defeat Prop. 64 we’ll be in a better position to pass one of the other, superior initiatives that have been circulated. This is delusional. The other initiatives that Prop. 64 opponents tout have never come close to getting on the ballot, and there are no prospects that they ever will. (And those initiatives are actually worse than Prop. 64 in several of the ways opponents object to.) When California failed to pass Prop. 19 six years ago, it was a defeat for legalization efforts, but that defeat was mitigated by the facts that (1) it was the first non-medical legalization measure post-Prop. 215, (2) the uniquely unrestricted nature of Prop. 215 (which has provided a negative model for every other state’s medical initiatives ever since) and the greater influence of the Emerald Triangle growers skewed the results here, and (3) it was a non-Presidential election, with lower voter turnout and therefore skewed toward the conservative end. Failure to pass Prop. 64 in this election will not be seen as a signal that Californians want better legalization – it would be a major defeat for the entire concept of adult-use legalization and a major momentum-killer for the entire movement, while passing Prop. 64 would give that momentum a turbocharged boost not only across the U.S. but internationally as well. Proposition 64 is not perfect, by any means. No proposition that could make it onto the California ballot, or stand a chance of passing in a state that is not as universally liberal and pot-friendly as one might imagine – Bay Area, Los Angeles and Emerald Triangle notwithstanding – could possibly satisfy the wishes and desires of cannabis consumers, producers and merchants. There are several legitimate objections, as noted here: California NORML Guide to AUMA But as noted, most of the real problems that exist can be fixed by further legislative work, as noted here: Cal NORML’s Post-64 Reform Agenda Advocates for the rights of cannabis consumers and opponents of the War on Drugs are advised to vote for Prop. 64 and to join in this work. Tags: cannabis legalization marijuana Proposition 64 ← Gloria La Riva 4 President LA Tour, October 29-30 Election night party, November 8 in Sacramento →	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line192
__label__wiki	0.956974	0.956974	FC Dallas teen Tanner Tessmann: An American talent set to blossom when MLS returns Among the many disappointments of the suspension of current MLS season and the seasons of leagues throughout the world is that it is halting the progress of many young players making important steps in their development. In MLS, the 2019 season was one of the most promising in league history in terms of the success of young American players. It remains to be seen how 2020 will go, but there were promising signs from the first two weeks. Tanner Tessmann, 18, was one of the players off to a strong start before the season was halted. The midfielder signed for FC Dallas just days before the team’s season opener. With injuries plaguing Dallas during the preseason, Tessmann got the start for the first game against a strong Philadelphia Union team. He ended up going the distance and assisted on Paxton Pomykal’s goal to close out a 2-0 win. “There were lots of emotions but all good emotions,” Tessmann recalled. “Signing was a great experience. My family got to be there. I debuted and played the full game. We got the win. So, it was a perfect week. Those emotions were super high and I stayed level headed.” Playing in his preferred No. 8, box-to-box central midfield role, Tessmann’s numbers against Philadelphia were very good both offensively and defensively over the full 90 minutes. • 90 minutes • 60 touches • 2 key passes • 71% pass completion • 1 successful dribble • 3 aerials won • 1x fouled • 7 tackles • 1 interception • 4/8 accurate long balls In the second game, Tessmann remained in the starting lineup and played 61 minutes in 2-2 tie with Montreal. While he played more of a defensive role in the midfield, his passing was still exceptional. He completed 95.6% of his passes including four of five accurate long balls. “Honestly, I thought I would get more tired and I was going to have bad touches and get shut down quicker. But it was a really good game,” Tessmann said after the Philadelphia game. “It was a tough game to play in. I did feel like I belong. This was a huge achievement for me just to kind of know that I could play at that level. A month ago, I was playing with the U-19s in Mexico. To come and play with the MLS team, it was a real achievement. The ball moved a lot faster and the players were fast. But I felt like I belonged.” Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama area, Tessmann moved to Dallas to join the FC Dallas academy in 2016. He was in the club with midfielders such as Weston McKennie, Paxton Pomykal, Brandon Servania and Thomas Roberts – who all have extensive experience with either the U.S. national team of the youth national teams. Now he will hope to follow in their footsteps and be part of the team’s impressive developmental pipeline. Last year, Tessmann began to show signs of breaking through. He won the Development Academy’s U-18/U19 Golden Ball for 2018-2019 season after leading FC Dallas to the U-18/U19 Academy championship. He also began playing for the club’s USL League One team, North Texas SC, which won the title with a win over Greenville in a final where Tessmann played the final 19 minutes plus stoppage time. Following 2019, Tessmann emerged as one of the best 2001-born American prospects based domestically. He clearly had options as to where to begin his career but the pipeline that FC Dallas had built was too hard to pass up with a high likelihood of earning quality first-team minutes this season. It’s the first step of many which he hopes also includes winning silverware with Dallas and eventually being sold to the higher levels of Europe. “We have a great pipeline of players that come through and then you see them on the national team, you see him going overseas like Weston McKennie,” Tessmann explained. “So, it really just helps all the players at FC Dallas that move here to really believe in themselves a little bit more and know those dreams that you have are right there in front of you for the taking. I just think that FC Dallas is the best place in America for sure to grow as a player and get opportunities that I don’t think a lot of other clubs can give you with Bayern Munich and the FC Dallas academy.” “They want what’s best for the players,” he added about FC Dallas. “When you reach the pinnacle of MLS they want you to keep getting better. … They want you to reach your highest potential and overseas where you can do that. They aren’t scared to sell their players and see where that path can take them. They believe in their players that they can play at the next level. I love that about FC Dallas that they aren’t scared to take those risks and push their players beyond the FC Dallas first team.” One of the more interesting and well publicized facts about the 6-foot-2 Tessmann is that he also had the option of heading to Clemson University to play both soccer and football. A gifted kicker even though he didn’t play high school football, Tessmann had a scholarship offer from Clemson’s powerhouse football team and was recruited by head coach “Dabo” Swinney, who is also a family friend of the Tessmanns. While it appeared as if he was going to head that route, he came to terms with Dallas and insisted that his priority has always been soccer. The opportunity to join FC Dallas was the quickest opportunity to put him on his desired career path. “It would have been a great experience at Clemson to do that but I’ve been a soccer player since I was little, and that’s been my dream to play overseas in Europe and for the national team,” Tessmann said. “I’ve never had dreams to be a football star in the NFL as a kicker. I’ve been focusing on soccer, I continue to focus on soccer. … And I dedicate all my time to soccer — just becoming a student of the game and working hard every day to make my dreams come true.” As for his other soccer dream, the national team, that remains very much alive at this point. He is eligible for the current U-20 team which, if everything returns to normal quickly, will attempt to qualify for the 2021 U-20 World Cup in Indonesia this June. He was part of the team’s first camp of the cycle last September under then coach Tab Ramos but was not part of the roster for new coach Anthony Hudson’s first camp in January. Tessmann says, however, that he has spoken with Hudson about being part of the team. Competition will be tough to make the U-20 team and Tessmann is among several quality players in contention for the No. 8 and No. 6 defensive midfield roles for the team. The others being Colorado’s Cole Bassett, Internacional’s Johnny Cardoso, Bayern Munich U-23’s Taylor Booth. But with his size at 6′ 2″, his athleticism, and his skill on the ball, Tessmann could potentially offer something different to the group. “With the U-20 World Cup, a bunch of players have blossomed there,” Tessmann said. “You saw Brandon Servania last year — he wasn’t really playing with FC Dallas, went to the U-20 World Cup, really did well with the team, and then came back and started pretty much every game. Same with Paxton Pomykal. And we have a great team. I really enjoyed being with those guys when I go to camp. And we love each other and we fight for each other even though we’re from different clubs and we get along really well. It would just be an honor to go and represent my country in a World Cup.”	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line195
__label__wiki	0.555777	0.555777	‘If You Like Monty Python…’ Traces Comic Absurdity by Eric Melin on February 6, 2012 in Blogs “You could say that Monty Python did for comedy what The Beatles did for music,” Handlen writes in If You Like Monty Python…. He then follows up with: “Anyone listening would almost certainly and rightly, think you were a bit of a prat, but you could say it.” ‘If You Like The Sopranos…’ Analyzes Crime Drama by Eric Melin on December 20, 2011 The new book ‘If You Like The Sopranos…’, written by Leonard Pierce and published by Limelight Editions, is a well-written introduction to the genre of crime movies and TV shows masquerading as a “book of lists.”	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line199
__label__wiki	0.915073	0.915073	Revisiting the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon Randy OlsonPosted on March 4, 2015 Posted in analysis, data visualization In early 1994, three Albright College students were watching Footloose during a heavy snowstorm. By pure coincidence, the next movie that came on the television was The Air Up There, another popular film starring Kevin Bacon. Intrigued by the coincidence, the students started counting how many films Kevin Bacon had acted in and speculating how many actors he had appeared on film with. It didn’t take long for the trio to turn their interest into a game, trying to link every actor to Kevin Bacon through a series of shared movie appearances. What began as an inside joke quickly spread across the nation and became a popular parlor game. Players may ponder: What series of films do you think Emma Watson and Kevin Bacon are linked through? You may be surprised: John Cleese links Watson with Bacon directly, leaving Watson with a “Bacon number” of 2 (the number of shared movie appearances linking Watson and Bacon). This game is now widely known as the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon — named so because the Albright College trio had found that no actor is more than 6 shared movie appearances (“degrees”) away from indirectly collaborating with Kevin Bacon. Interestingly enough, the trio had stumbled across one of the first examples of the small-world phenomenon: Because everyone is so widely connected in modern times, we’re connected to every other human in the world by no more than 6 links of mutual friends. Apparently, the same rules apply to actor collaboration networks. It’s been over two decades since the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon was invented. We now have a massive database of movies and vastly more powerful computers to look at this problem. It’s about time we revisit the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon to see if the trio’s findings hold up. The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon The Albright College trio picked Kevin Bacon because he’s been a highly productive actor, appearing in over 60 films with a wide range of actors. According to the aptly-named Oracle of Bacon, Kevin Bacon has appeared in film with 3,031 actors during his film career. When the Oracle of Bacon calculated the Bacon number for 1.91 million other actors, the trio’s finding were validated: 99%+ of all actors have a Bacon number of 5 or less. Below, I charted distribution of Bacon numbers for all 1.91 million actors. Incredibly, there is a single actor out there who starred in such an obscure film that he/she has a Bacon number of 10. Props to you if you find out who it is. Alongside the Bacon numbers, I charted the distribution of “Roberts” numbers. Eric Roberts stands out as an actor who has had such a productive movie career that he has 379 movie and TV credits to his name as of March 2015. It’s no surprise, then, that Eric Roberts has appeared on the silver screen with 8,398 other actors — truly an unprecedented accomplishment in Hollywood. Even more interesting is that Kevin Bacon actually isn’t the “Center of the Hollywood Universe” as so many have claimed. When the Oracle of Bacon calculated the average number of movie appearances connecting every actor to every other actor, they found that Kevin Bacon didn’t even make the top 100 most “central” actor list. In fact, the top 10 most “central” actors are: That’s right. You’d never guess it, but Eric Roberts — the movie villain who we’re always happy to see killed at the end of the movie — is the real Center of the Hollywood Universe. The Three Degrees of Eric Roberts The most impressive part about Roberts’ career is how few links it takes to connect him to any other actor out there. Shown in the chart below, 1 in 4 of the 1.91 million actors on IMDb are within 2 degrees of separation from Eric Roberts. In contrast, fewer than 1 in 5 are within 2 degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon. By 3 degrees out, Eric Roberts can be connected to 88% of all actors out there, which includes nearly all of the well-known actors. At this point, it’s amazing that Kevin Bacon and Eric Roberts never starred in a movie together! My point? We should rename the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon to the Three Degrees of Eric Roberts — or at least the Three Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Given that Kevin Bacon dislikes the Six Degrees game, I’m sure he would see this as a welcome change. If you’d like to read more about how the Oracle of Bacon works, check out their How It Works page. If you find yourself stumped when playing the Three Degrees of Eric Roberts, the Oracle of Bacon also provides a lookup service. Now get out there and impress your friends with your impressive movie knowledge! ‹ Design critique: Putting Big Pharma spending in perspective Top 25 richest living comedians › Tagged with: Bacon number, Eric Roberts, film, Kevin Bacon, six degrees of separation	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line201
__label__cc	0.555699	0.444301	Sancho Panza At The Wedding Feast Incidental truths and heartfelt lies. ...And God Created Woman Cineastes are nothing if not nostalgic—or perhaps, atavistic. We are self-invented devotees of a nearly ancient medium and a quickly disintegrating language. We are committed to one of the most rapidly growing artforms in the history of humanity: the evolution of cinema in its first century can only be compared with its sister, pop music, in that same era. Trace the line from a YouTube-esque smattering of dalliances with a new “cinematographic technique” to the modern deconstruction and reconfiguration of the sound-and-image experience and see a train that never really stopped anywhere long enough to get settled, but did manage to pick up some people along the way. There is something that each of us fell in love with to be here; invariably, it was a single film that did it. That movie ignited a frisson in us and caused our mental filmstrip to jump its track. Nothing on the screen looked the same after that; we went Technicolor. Films are released slowly. Every Friday we get one to ten new movies to choose from, depending on where we live. But these are seldom any good. Realistically, we get twenty or thirty films per year that have any value. But a film-lover is never idle. There are a hundred years of history and tens of thousands of films to watch. Even if we stick with the Hollywood classics and neglect world cinema and the undiscovered and unheralded, we might have a lifetime of grist for our millstones. Film enthusiasts move backward through time. Few of us start with D.W. Griffith, but we all find him eventually. And by the time we get there, we’ll have experienced enough of cinema entire to have made a decision about what we like and why we keep searching. There have been a lot of proclamations of the death of cinema, whether it’s happened yet or is imminent. Cinema can’t die—it’s only just made its way to television. But it has certainly changed, and any change is going to kill something, whether it’s the visual inventiveness of the silents (even if you argue that some films are still visually inventive, we can’t disregard the death of vaudeville and its giant influence on early cinema) or pure romantic comedy (as this commentator explains). Which is all worth talking about, but perhaps too much to serve as a preamble for a piece on the sexiest women in film. But something has been lost, and this is less a list of pretty girls than an elegy to a bygone era and an examination of current trends. So: They don’t make ‘em like Marlene Dietrich anymore. Or Barbara Stanwyck. Or Lauren Bacall or Marilyn Monroe or Ingrid Bergman or Rita Hayworth or Greta Garbo or any of those old dames in that soft-focus black-&-white light that recorded their slow smiles and fiery eyes. Or maybe they do, and only the light has changed. When was the last time the world was gut-punched by the appearance of some new actress to fill the shoes of those sublime women, and if you can remember one, how long did she last? I don’t mean someone like Julia Roberts, whom we can all fall in love with, or someone like Catherine Zeta-Jones, whom we can all lust for. I mean a woman like Ms. Dietrich, as beautiful and charismatic a presence as has ever been filmed. A woman who would inspire an entire generation of men to do any number of grand or silly things for her, including making films keyed to her talents. It’s important to note that there are women out there capable of leaving an impression on us the way they did in the days of old (and not just then, either: I’m in love with too many dead women). But the climate has changed. There is no studio system to push its stars. There are too few directors willing to accept a living, breathing muse. (When Tarantino said that Uma Thurman was to him what Dietrich was to Sternberg, we were excited. But though Sternberg once put Dietrich in a gorilla suit, he never had her beaten, shot, and raped.) And the style of movie acting has changed, too. The heightened speech and melodramatic gestures and expression have turned into a post-Method imitation of life. When Cate Blanchett, the most compelling of modern actresses, is in North Africa, she is as far away from Casablanca as can be. Times have changed, but we haven’t. Oh, we’re good sports. We eat up all the new trends with a good appetite; we are genuinely interested and excited in new directions in cinema. But perhaps I am not alone in admitting that when I go looking for a woman—someone beautiful and electric—I usually end up in the same place my grandfather was at my age, watching Marlene Dietrich pull off a pair of gorilla mitts like they were silk gloves. Here’s hoping that someday these very capable women find themselves some plum roles—for their immortality and our felicity. I’ve only seen her in two films: beautiful and playing at beautiful and damaged in Girl, Interrupted and injecting a spark of life into the dull cartoon Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow—I don’t believe she’s ever made a good film. But she’s voluptuous and beautiful, and there’s a definite something there. She’s as close a modern icon to filmic foxdom as I can think of. I wish some real talent might recognize it in her and put her in something worthy of her gifts before we miss our chance. She might actually already be there. She has the olden day glamour and the cameras (and the men behind them) love her. But she may be less confident than self-conscious, as in she knows what we want from a screen siren and she’s willing to fill that role, whether she can or not. It’s been interesting to watch her grow from the husky-voiced girl in short shorts in Ghost World to everybody’s favorite ghost, the girl who plays it old-style in life and the movies. Will she ever command the screen the way they used to? Now’s the moment we find out. She might have been pushed on me. She wasn’t nearly as sexy as Michelle Yeoh in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but her charms have finally worked their magic. Zhang Yimou gave her to us as delicate porcelain in House Of Flying Daggers and Wong Kar-Wai made her the sizzling foil to Tony Leung’s melancholy in 2046. I missed her American film, but I don’t care to see Hollywood misuse her anyway. I like what the Chinese like in her: a beauty that transcends time or reason. This is the one choice that may be based primarily on physical beauty. I saw her in the silly Matrix sequels and the too-serious Irreversible and The Passion Of The Christ, and I don’t think I have an accurate read on her screen presence. Certainly, I can’t take my eyes off of her, and one of the benefits of living in France is seeing images of her several times a day. The French may be too far beyond their admiration for old Hollywood to do her justice and I don’t know how well she’d fare in America, where we have no better idea of what to do with a comely woman than to put her in a horror flick. I’ve loved her since All About My Mother. She’s had a tough time winning over an American audience, and there’s little doubt why: she’s not as appealing in English-language films. Her turn in Blow left me scarred—no one should ever scream that much. But in loving hands, she can ignite the screen. I haven’t seen Volver yet, but I’ve looked with great longing at the poster. If it were a just world, she could become an enormous success by working in Spain, making films with people who love her, rather than a Hollywood that sees her as set dressing. I’d sure like to meet some beautiful women. Tell me who you love in the comments. actresses film women Coleen said… i think you hit it with scarlett, she is so classic. and i now love penelope after volver, you were so right about her being misunderstood in english, i took her serious when she was speaking spanish. i also love winona ryder and christina ricci and i think you missed nicole kidman, whatever... Reilly Owens said… Nicole Kidman made it on to the long list, but she was an easy cut when it came time to pick five. She's got acting chops, but she's never been a woman that can fill the whole screen. She's too small, too light. I've never seen her rage, which is an important part of being an uberwoman. The women I picked were earthy and real (Ziyi Zhang squeaked in with 2046). I want an Anna Magnani type, someone who'll throw a clump of dirt at you as soon as make love to you, and be sexy doing it. Nicole Kidman seems like someone always at danger of a nosebleed. Reilly Owens Vivre sa vie Make Way For Tomorrow Review: The Last King Of Scotland Dark Passage Before The Revolution Movie Journal Persistence Of Vision The New Renaissance The Salted Orchard Tuesday's Album	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line202
__label__wiki	0.689908	0.689908	Publius Huldah Delegates to an Article V Convention can't be controlled by state laws! By Publius Huldah Our Declaration of Independence (2nd para) sets forth our long forgotten Founding Principles that: All men are created equal. Rights come from God. People create governments to secure God-given rights. The first three words of our Constitution throw off the European model where political power originates with the State; and establish the new Principle that WE THE PEOPLE are the "pure, original fountain of all legitimate political authority" (Federalist No. 22, last sentence). When a government seeks to take away our God given rights, we have the right to alter, abolish, or throw off that Form of government. These are the Principles which justified our Revolution against a King. These are also the Principles which permit us today to throw off our Form of government by discarding our existing Constitution and replacing it with another one. This is why the language at Article V of our Constitution, which authorizes Congress to call a convention "for proposing amendments," does not restrict Delegates to merely "proposing amendments": Delegates are invested with that inherent pre-existing sovereign right, recognized in our Declaration, to abolish our existing Form of government (our Constitution) and propose a new Constitution. This has happened once before in our Country. I'll show you. The Federal Convention of 1787: Federal and State Instructions to Delegates Pursuant to Article XIII of The Articles of Confederation, the Continental Congress resolved on February 21, 1787 (p 71-74) to call a convention to be held at Philadelphia "for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation." The Continental Congress authorized each of the then 13 States to appoint Delegates to the convention. Twelve of the States [1] made laws respecting the appointment of Delegates and issuing instructions to Delegates. Ten States instructed their Delegates to propose alterations to the Articles of Confederation; and only two (North Carolina and New Hampshire) gave instructions which arguably permitted their Delegates to do more than propose alterations to the Articles of Confederation. [2] But the Delegates ignored the federal and State limitations and wrote a new Constitution. Because of this inherent authority of Delegates, it is impossible to stop it from happening at another convention. The Delegates also instituted an easier mode of ratification. Whereas Article XIII of the Articles of Confederation required approval of all of the then 13 States before an amendment could be ratified; Article VII of the new Constitution provided that only 9 States were required for ratification of the new Constitution. Why is an Article V Convention Dangerous? So! Do you see? If we have a convention today, there is nothing to stop Delegates from proposing a new Constitution with its own new method of ratification. New Constitutions are already prepared and waiting for a convention. Here are three: Fifty years ago, the Ford & Rockefeller Foundations produced the Constitution for the Newstates of America. It is ratified by a referendum called by the President [Art 12, Sec. 1]. If we have a convention, and Delegates propose the Newstates Constitution, it doesn't go to the States for ratification – it goes directly to the President to call a Referendum. The States are dissolved and replaced by regional governments answerable to the new national government. Read the Newstates Constitution and tremble for your country. The Revolutionary Communist Party, USA has a Constitution for The New Socialist Republic in North America. The Constitution 2020 movement is funded by George Soros and supported by Marxist law professors and Marxist groups all over the Country, Cass Sunstein and Eric Holder. They want a Marxist Constitution and they want it in place by the year 2020. It further appears that Soros is funding much of the current push for an Article V convention. Warnings from the Wise Brilliant men have warned against an Article V convention. It is immoral to dismiss their warnings: Alexander Hamilton writes of "the utter improbability of assembling a new convention, under circumstances in any degree so favorable to a happy issue, as those in which the late convention met, deliberated, and concluded..." Federalist No. 85 (9th para) James Madison writes in his Nov. 2, 1788 letter to Turberville that he "trembled" at the prospect of a second convention; and that an Article V Convention would give "the most violent partizans" and "individuals of insidious views" "a dangerous opportunity of sapping the very foundations of the fabric" of our Country. In Federalist No. 49, he shows that the convention method is NOT GOOD to correct breaches of the federal constitution because the People aren't philosophers – they follow what influential people tell them! And the very legislators who caused the problem would get themselves seats at the convention so they could control the outcome. Former US Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg reminds us in his Sep. 14, 1986 article in The Miami Herald, that at the convention of 1787, the delegates ignored their instructions from the Continental Congress and instead of proposing amendments to the Articles of Confederation, wrote a new Constitution. He warns that "...any attempt at limiting the agenda [of the convention] would almost certainly be unenforceable." Former US Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Berger warns in his June 1988 letter to Phyllis Schlafly that "there is no effective way to limit or muzzle the actions of a Constitutional Convention"; "After a Convention is convened, it will be too late to stop the Convention if we don't like its agenda"; and "A new Convention could plunge our Nation into constitutional confusion and confrontation at every turn..." Can State Laws Control Delegates? Convention supporters say we don't have to worry about any of the above because States can make laws controlling their Delegates. Really? James Madison, Father of our Constitution and a consistent opponent of the convention method of proposing amendments, didn't know that. Two US Supreme Court Justices didn't know that. They said there is no effective way to control the Delegates. But in case you are uncertain as to who is telling you the Truth – and who isn't – I will show you how easily State laws which pretend to control Delegates can be circumvented. Let's use House Bill 148, recently filed in the New Hampshire Legislature, to illustrate this: Section 20-C:2 I. of the New Hampshire bill says: "No delegate from New Hampshire to the Article V convention shall have the authority to allow consideration, consider, or approve an unauthorized amendment to the Constitution for the United States of America." [italics mine] Section 20-C:1 V. of the bill defines "unauthorized amendment" as: "any amendment outside the scope permitted by the Article V petition passed by the general court of New Hampshire." What is wrong with this? It doesn't prohibit New Hampshire Delegates from proposing or approving a new Constitution. Article V of the US Constitution provides that Amendments will be proposed at the convention. Any state laws contrary to Article V must fall under the supremacy clause at Article VI, US Constitution. New Hampshire Delegates can't restrict Delegates from other States. It ignores the inherent sovereign authority of Delegates to throw off both their State governments and the federal government by proposing a new constitution with whatever new mode of ratification they want. Remember! Under the proposed Newstates Constitution, the States are dissolved and replaced by regional governments answerable to the new national government. And if the States already know what amendments they want, they should tell their State congressional delegations to propose them in Congress. This is the method James Madison always advised. Section 20-C:2 II. of the New Hampshire bill says: "Any vote taken by a delegate from New Hampshire at the Article V convention in violation of paragraph I of this section shall be null and void. Any delegate making this vote shall be immediately disqualified from serving as a delegate to the Article V convention." What if the Delegates vote to keep their proceedings secret? At the federal convention on May 29, 1787, our Framers made rules restricting publications of their proceedings. What if the Delegates vote by secret ballot? As long as some vote "for" and others vote "against" every proposition, there is no way to tell who did what. Section 20-C:2 III. of the New Hampshire bill says: "Every delegate from New Hampshire to the Article V convention called for by the Article V petition shall be required to take the following oath:" "I do solemnly swear or affirm that to the best of my abilities, I will, as a delegate to the Article V convention, uphold the Constitution and laws of the United States and the state of New Hampshire. I will accept and will act according to the limits of the authority as a delegate granted to me by New Hampshire law, and I will not vote to consider or approve any unauthorized amendment to the Constitution for the United States of America. I understand and accept any penalties that may be imposed on me by New Hampshire law for violating this oath." [boldface mine] Does one need to comment on the efficacy of Oaths of Office in our degenerate times? Article II, §1, last clause, of our Constitution requires the President to take an Oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States"; and Article VI, last clause, requires everyone in the federal and State governments to take an oath to obey the Constitution. Who today honors his Oath of Office? Section 20-C:2 IV. of the New Hampshire bill says: "Any delegate who violates the oath contained in paragraph III of this section shall be subject to the maximum criminal penalty under RSA 641:2." Any criminal defense attorney worth her salt can figure out how to get around this one: As shown above, if the proceedings of the convention are kept secret, or Delegates vote by secret ballot, one would never know if any one Delegate violated his oath. Defense counsel would get any attempted criminal prosecution of any particular Delegate dismissed at a pretrial hearing. Congress can pass a law granting immunity from prosecution to the Delegates. The Delegates can insert a clause in the new constitution granting themselves immunity from prosecution. If the new constitution abolishes the States, as does the Newstates Constitution, there is no State left to prosecute Delegates. The local prosecutor is the one who decides whether he will prosecute any criminal offense under his jurisdiction. Politics are a deciding factor in deciding whether to prosecute. Remember Eric Holder refused to prosecute Black Panthers who intimidated white voters at a polling place? Do you see? James Madison, Justice Arthur Goldberg, and Justice Warren Burger were right: It is impossible to restrict the Delegates. Everything to Lose, Nothing to Gain If there is a convention today, George Washington, James Madison, Ben Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton won't be there to protect you. Who will the Delegates be? You don't know. Do you trust them? Our Framers never said that when the federal [and State] government violate the Constitution, the remedy is to amend the Constitution they violate. They never said the remedy is to file a lawsuit and let federal judges decide. They expected us to act as they did – with "manly firmness" [3] – and resist unconstitutional acts of the federal and state governments. Our Constitution doesn't need "fixing" – it needs to be read and enforced by our votes; and failing that, by manly opposition – resistance – nullification. [1] Rhode Island boycotted the Convention. See RI's Statement of Reasons in document at 2 below. [2] For the texts of the States' instructions to their Delegates and a helpful commentary, go to Principled Policy Blog HERE. [3] The 7th paragraph of the Declaration of Independence says: "He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people." [boldface mine] PH © Publius Huldah Publius Huldah is a retired litigation attorney who now lives in Tennessee. Before getting a law degree, she got a degree in philosophy where she specialized in political philosophy and epistemology (theories of knowledge). She now writes extensively on the U.S. Constitution, using the Federalist Papers to prove its original meaning and intent. She shows how federal judges and politicians have ignored Our Constitution and replaced it with their personal opinions and beliefs. She also shows how The People can, by learning our Founding Principles themselves, restore our Constitutional Republic. Receive future articles by Publius Huldah: Click here What the Constitution REQUIRES Congress to do on January 6, 2021 Article IV, §4, U.S. Constitution REQUIRES Congress, the Supreme Court, and the President to Stop the Steal! A constitutional roadmap for conquering election fraud What can we do to get a reasonably honest election? Mail-in voting? A “political question” which only state legislatures and Congress may decide Constitution provides two separate & independent methods for the federal government to 'call forth the Militia' Why the states must nullify the National Voter Registration Act now! USMCA 'Trade Agreement,' the North American Union, an Article V convention, and Red Flag Laws: Connecting the dots Article 5 of the U.S. Constitution: What "Convention of States Project" (COS) isn't telling you So you think Trump wants to get rid of the Fed?	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line203
__label__wiki	0.944082	0.944082	Cohabitation (government) Title: Cohabitation (government) Subject: François Mitterrand, Jacques Foccart, Prime minister, Head of government, Head of state Cohabitation in government occurs in semi-presidential systems, such as France's system, when the President is from a different political party than the majority of the members of parliament. It occurs because such a system forces the president to name a premier (prime minister) that will be acceptable to the majority party within parliament. Thus, cohabitation occurs because of the duality of the executive: an independently elected President and a prime minister who must be acceptable both to this president and to the legislature. 1.1 Origins 1.2 Cohabitation in practice 1.2.1 Mitterrand-Chirac Period (1986-1988) 1.2.2 Mitterrand-Balladur Period (1993-1995) 1.2.3 Chirac-Jospin Period (1997-2002) 1.2.4 Observations 1.3 Future prospects 6 Palestinian National Authority 7 Other countries Cohabitation was a product of the French Fifth Republic, albeit an unintended one. This constitution brought together a president with potent executive powers and a prime minister, responsible before Parliament. The president's task was primarily to end deadlock and act decisively to avoid the stagnation prevalent under the French Fourth Republic; the prime minister, similarly, was to "direct the work of government", providing a strong leadership to the legislative branch and to help overcome partisan squabbles. Since 1962, French presidents have been elected by popular vote, replacing the electoral college, which was only used once. This change was intended to give Fifth Republic presidents more power than they might have had under the original constitution. While still seen as the symbol and embodiment of the nation, the president also was given a popular mandate. Of course, the majority party of the National Assembly retained power as well, but since the popularly-elected president appointed the prime minister, the former was seen as having the upper hand in any conflict between executive and legislature. Furthermore, the imbalance is further illustrated by the fact that the president can dissolve the Assembly at any time (but not more than once in a year), whereas the legislature has no powers of removal against the president. The sole caveat to this position of presidential pre-eminence was the fact that the president's selection to the premiership required approval by the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament: because the Assembly can dismiss the government by a vote of no confidence, it follows that the prime minister must command a majority in the Assembly. This was not a problem whilst the legislative majority was aligned with the president, and indeed, de Gaulle, who was responsible for inspiring much of the Constitution, envisioned that the president will resign if the people disavow him in an Assembly election, and will then elect a new president (there is no vice-president in France and a new election takes places less than two months after a resignation, a new president being elected for a new, full term ; that happened in 1969, when de Gaulle resigned because the people voted against a referendum proposed by him). The first "near miss" with cohabitation occurred with the election of Socialist President François Mitterrand in 1981. A right-wing coalition headed by the Gaullist Rally for the Republic controlled the Assembly at the time. Almost immediately, Mitterrand exercised his authority to call Assembly elections, and the electorate returned an Assembly with an absolute majority of Socialists, ending the presumed crisis. However, when Assembly elections were held as required in 1986, five years later, the Socialists lost their majority to the right. Mitterrand decided to remain president, beginning the first cohabitation. Cohabitation in practice There have been only three periods of cohabitation, but each is notable for illustrating the oscillation of powers between the President and Prime Minister. Mitterrand-Chirac Period (1986-1988) After the 1986 Assembly elections, Mitterrand was forced to nominate as a Prime Minister Jacques Chirac, the leader of the RPR, the largest party in the majority coalition. Throughout the cohabitation between Mitterrand and Chirac, the President focused on his foreign duties and allowed Chirac to control internal affairs. Since Mitterrand was distanced from these policies, Chirac began to reverse many of Mitterrand’s reforms by lowering taxes and privatising many national enterprises. There were however tense moments, such as when Mitterrand refused to sign ordonnances, slowing down reforms by requiring Chirac to pass his bills through Parliament.[1] This lasted for 2 years until 1988 when the newly reelected Mitterrand called for new legislative elections that were won by a leftist majority, which lasted five years. Mitterrand-Balladur Period (1993-1995) In 1993 President Mitterrand found himself in a similar position when the Right won an 80% majority in the National Assembly elections. Once again he was forced to appoint an opposition member (RPR and UDF parties), this time Édouard Balladur, to the post of Prime Minister, because Chirac focused rather on running for President instead of being Prime Minister for the third time. Balladur maintained this post through the cohabitation until May 18, 1995 when Jacques Chirac was elected president. Chirac-Jospin Period (1997-2002) In 1995, rightist leader Jacques Chirac succeeded Mitterrand as President and since the right had a majority in the Assembly, he was able to appoint his fellow RPR member Alain Juppé as his Prime Minister, ending cohabitation by a change in the presidency. This alignment of President and Assembly should have lasted until at least the normally-scheduled 1998 Assembly elections. However, in 1997, President Chirac made the ill-fated strategic decision to dissolve parliament and call for early legislative elections. This plan backfired when the French electorate turned back to the leftists and removed the right-wing Assembly majority. Chirac was forced to appoint Socialist Lionel Jospin to the premiership. Jospin remained Prime Minister until the elections of 2002, making this third term of cohabitation the longest ever—five years. Chirac called this a state of ‘Paralysis’, and found it particularly difficult to arrange campaign activities for the National Assembly. With Jospin holding the premiership, Chirac’s political influence was constrained and he had no say over certain major reforms being instituted by the left-wing majority. This included the 1998 legislation to shorten the working week from 39 to 35 hours, which came into effect in 2000. Some scholars contend that French Fifth Republic usually operates under a presidential system, but when in cohabitation, this effectively changes, at least in terms of domestic policy, to a parliamentary system, in which the prime minister controls the legislative agenda and the president's powers are limited to foreign policy and defence. A common problem during cohabitation is that each leader wants his or her own policies to be carried out so that the public is positive toward their strategies and will be elected when the time comes. Because each party is in competition, there is little room for progression since the friction between both sides holds each other back. Whilst leaders of the same political spectrum help each other in decision-making when in power simultaneously, cohabitation can lead to a decline in national authority and make the country appear outwardly insecure. Although originally believed to be improbable, France was governed under a cohabitation of leaders for almost half the period from 1986-2006, suggesting that French people no longer fear the prospect of having two parties share power. In 2000, with the support of President Chirac, the term of the President of the Fifth Republic was shortened from seven years to five years, a change accepted by a referendum. Furthermore, legislative elections are now held one month after presidential ones, thus creating a "winner dynamic" that encourages those who won the presidential election to confirm their vote one month later during legislative elections. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said that the presidential election now has four turns. Unless French voters exercise "ticket splitting", cohabitation should not occur unless a President feels compelled to call for Assembly elections mid-term, a prospect which cannot be ruled out, but unlikely. It can also, theoretically, occur if the President dies, resign, is impeached or declared ill during his term, but in such case the new president is likely to call immediately Assembly elections (as did Mitterrand in 1981 and 1988) at least if the newly elected president is from a different party than the precedent assembly. The 2012 Romanian political crisis was a major political conflict between prime minister Victor Ponta of the Social Democratic Party and the center-right president Traian Băsescu, after the former was asked to form a government in May 2012. The dispute degenerated in civil disobedience and alleged democratic backsliding,[2] lasting until the two sides signed an agreement on institutional cohabitation in December. The constitution of Finland, as written after independence, was originally similar to the French system. It included explicit provisions that the President focuses on national security and international relations. The arrangement was a compromise between monarchists and parliamentarists. In essence, a strong presidency was adopted instead of a constitutional monarchy. The new constitution of 2000 reduced the power of the President by transferring the power to choose a Prime Minister to the parliament. Cohabitation has occurred frequently, as Finland has multiple powerful parties which are not highly polarized between left and right, and also since the terms of a parliament are shorter (four years) than the presidential terms (six years). Theoretically, the President should remain strictly nonpartisan, and Presidents have usually formally renounced party membership while in office. Sri Lankan politics for several years witnessed a bitter struggle between the president and the prime minister, belonging to different parties and elected separately, over the negotiations with the Tamil Tigers to resolve the longstanding civil war. Since 2004, the president has more political power. A cohabitation in a semi-presidential system also existed in Ukraine between 2006 and 2010. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko had to appoint Viktor Yanukovych, his rival from the 2004 presidential election, as Prime Minister in August 2006. Palestinian National Authority The Palestinian territories, has operated within the framework of a semi-presidential republic since the creation of the office of Prime Minister in the spring of 2003. While the President has the power to appoint anyone Prime Minister, there was an unspoken agreement upon the establishment of the office that the Prime Minister would be appointed from the majority party in the Legislative Council. This arrangement led to a period of cohabitation after the 2006 legislative election, in which Fatah President Mahmoud Abbas appointed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh Prime Minister after Hamas' victory in the elections. The cohabitation did not last long, however, as funds were withheld from the Palestinian Authority and hostilities between Fatah and Hamas broke out in December 2006, leading to the appointment of a caretaker government led by Salam Fayyad on June 14, 2007. Cohabitation does not occur within standard presidential systems. While a number of presidential democracies, such as the United States, have seen power shared between a president and legislature of different political parties, this situation (known as "divided government") is distinct from cohabitation. In a situation of divided government, the executive is directed by a president of one party while the legislature is controlled by another party; in cohabitation, by contrast, executive power is divided between a president of one party and a cabinet of government ministers of another party. Cohabitation thus only occurs in systems that have both parliamentary government (i.e. ministers accountable to parliament) and a directly-elected executive president, i.e. semi-presidential systems. The theory of cohabitation is not limited to France, but there are not many countries where the constitutional structure exists in which it could occur. However, many of the new democracies of eastern Europe have adopted institutions quite similar to France, and cohabitation may become more common. Still, if those countries elect their executives and legislature at the same time, as France is now starting to do, then cohabitation will be less likely. See U.S. presidents and control of Congress. Coalition government Grand coalition http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3256649.stm Raymond, G (2000) The President: Still a ‘Republican Monarch’? in Raymond, G (ed) Structures of Power in Modern France, Macmillan Press, Basingstoke Sartori, G (1997) Comparative Constitutional Engineering, 2nd Ed., Macmillan Press, Basingstoke Elgie, R (2003) Political Institutions in Contemporary France, OUP, Oxford Knapp, A and Wright, V (2001) The Government and Politics of France, 4th Ed., Routledge, London Marrani, D (2009), ‘Semi- Presidentialism à la française: the Recent Constitutional Evolution of the “Two-Headed” Executive’, Constitutional FORUM constitutionnel, vol. 18, no. 2, 2009, available at: http://www.law.ualberta.ca/centres/ccs/publications/journals/constitutionalforum/Volume18overview Cohendet, M. (2005) ‘The French Cohabitation, A Useful Experiment?’ CEFC:China People’s Daily Online, (2002), France Bids Farewell to Right-Left 'Cohabitation’, Monday, June 17, 2002 (Last accessed 16 February 2006). Shiloh, T. (2002) Muted reaction as France heads right, Monday, June 10, 2002 (Last accessed 15 February 2006). ^ Jean V. Poulard, The French Double Executive and the Experience of Cohabitation, Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 105, No. 2 (Summer, 1990), pp. 243-267 ^ "Germany, U.S: Romania power struggle hurts democracy", Reuters Articles lacking in-text citations from May 2010 Politics of France Politics of Sri Lanka United Kingdom, European Union, Italy, Canada, Spain French Fifth Republic France, Socialist Party (France), Union for a Popular Movement, Politics of France, François Hollande Colombo, India, United Nations, Maldives, Western Province, Sri Lanka Kiev, Russia, Sevastopol, Ukrainian language, Ukrainians Semi-presidential system Politics, Prime Minister, Madagascar, Ukraine, Policy Jacques Chirac, Nièvre, French Communist Party, Socialist Party (France), Charles de Gaulle Jacques Foccart Gabon, Togo, Senegal, Jacques Chirac, Zaire United Kingdom, India, Government, Prime Minister of Australia, Taoiseach Spain, Head of state, Prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, Politics United Kingdom, Andorra, Central Intelligence Agency, United States, Elizabeth II	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line207
__label__cc	0.733551	0.266449	Watch Brands Guide Las Vegas Field Trip So a work week spent in Las Vegas, but I managed to sneak out and visit Breguet, and Tag Heuer. And Tag Heuer- if you're listening, this guy is VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE! This is the type of person you want working in your boutique! Well done! Posted by James at 7:43 PM Labels: Breguet, Las Vegas, Tag Heuer Subscribe To www.tempusfugit.watch Search Tempus Fugit Blog Archive January (20) December (36) November (35) October (33) September (41) August (33) July (34) June (29) May (48) April (29) March (29) February (26) January (15) December (26) November (21) October (18) September (24) August (31) July (38) June (23) May (13) April (17) March (7) February (12) January (15) December (17) November (21) October (20) September (17) August (15) July (19) June (28) May (21) April (20) March (25) February (13) January (25) December (19) November (30) October (32) September (25) August (30) July (46) June (32) May (30) April (44) March (39) February (33) January (52) December (46) November (44) October (41) September (41) August (28) July (42) June (42) May (38) April (42) March (38) February (40) January (35) December (39) November (31) October (42) September (55) August (33) July (48) June (31) May (19) April (42) March (58) February (48) January (43) December (34) November (16) October (35) September (48) August (34) July (48) June (44) May (57) April (69) March (50) February (41) January (59) December (30) November (39) October (69) September (73) August (48) July (57) June (49) May (74) April (79) March (69) February (76) January (71) December (88) November (50) October (63) September (50) August (40) July (27) June (48) May (38) April (37) March (41) February (35) January (46) December (33) November (38) October (28) September (36) August (42) July (35) June (44) May (28) April (50) March (37) February (32) January (41) December (30) November (27) October (31) September (33) August (30) July (28) June (4) Ⓒ James Henderson 2013. Powered by Blogger.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line213
__label__wiki	0.771654	0.771654	Fyre debacle shows how smaller acts can get burned in modern music festival economy The Fyre documentaries on Hulu and Netflix gave a behind-the-scenes look into an ill-planned music festival and its aftermath. Both films tell the story of how co-producers Billy McFarland and Ja Rule convinced investors and festival goers into forking over millions of dollars for what promised to be a luxurious, music-filled getaway on an island in the Bahamas. The festival, which was supposed to be headlined by Blink-182 and Major Lazer, ended up being canceled at the last minute, leaving audiences stranded, local workers unpaid and the producers in legal jeopardy. Most viewers probably enjoyed seeing the producers receive their comeuppance and snickered at the millennials lured to the event by Instagram influencers. But as scholars who study festivals, musicians and the careers of creative people, we thought of the lower-tier musicians who rely on events like Fyre. For every Blink-182, thousands of smaller acts hope to hit the stage. With musicians increasingly dependent upon live performances, how can these smaller acts thrive under the festival model? A synergistic relationship Fyre isn’t the only recent festival debacle. Last year, the Bay Area’s XO Music Festival was canceled after low ticket sales, artists dropped out and various legal issues. A high-profile band can afford the occasional misfire, but what about the others? Of the 33 announced acts at Fyre, only one band performed: a “local no name band” that was never on the bill. The relationship between festivals and talent seems straightforward. Larger acts cost more but draw ticket sales and media attention. Smaller acts work for producers in three ways: They are cheaper, fill the bill and lend festivals some authenticity. The book “Music/City” explores the balance between corporate interests and the spirit of creating unique music-driven experiences. Austin’s South by Southwest festival, for example, is unique in that it was founded on the idea of giving a platform for unknown acts to perform before New York and Los Angeles record executives. In the book, a singer-songwriter explained that festivals work for musicians because they get to perform for fans but also help “find people who have never heard of you.” Musicians are, she said, trapped in “taste silos”; festivals can broaden their audiences. Festival organizers see value in smaller acts too. One producer explained that they lend authenticity by “representing the city’s culture.” For a producer who schedules performers at a major country music festival, he balances “legend type artists” with smaller, cheaper and promising acts. A disease of excess supply But when it comes to getting paid, there’s vast inequality. Festival headliners can make millions. For example, Beyoncé, Radiohead and Kendrick Lamar made between US$3 million and $4 million at the 2017 Coachella festival. Lower-tier acts can expect to make around $15,000 per performance at a major music festival. For smaller acts, this is still a significant amount, especially when you consider how difficult it is to make a living as a musician. A 2018 survey of over 1,200 U.S. musicians found that 42 percent of their income came from performances, while only 5 percent came from recorded music and streaming services. The average U.S. musician, however, earns under $25,000 a year, and over 60 percent of them say their music income isn’t enough to make ends meet. The National Endowment for the Arts found that musicians are more than twice as likely to be unemployed than other professionals. Why is a music career so challenging? One reason is that aspiring musicians contend with what French sociologist Pierre-Michel Menger refers to as the disease of “excess supply.” In other words, there is a permanent oversupply of musicians, which leads to a lot of underemployed performers. Data from The Strategic National Arts Alumni Project show that career musicians are likely to hold multiple jobs at once, combine arts- and non-arts-related work and moonlight in other creative fields. Even successful acts that headline festivals and venues gigs make only a sliver of the profits. A 2018 report on the music industry shows how ticket profits are divided, with artists taking home 30 percent of the profits at best. While fans spend more on music than ever, artists – both big and small – still only make 12 percent of the $43 billion in total revenue in the music industry. Hope lies in smaller festivals One of the issues with larger festivals is that they’re all beginning to look strikingly similar. In 2017, 40 percent of the Boston Calling Music Festival’s 47 bands performed at New York’s Governor’s Ball, Tennessee’s Bonnaroo or California’s Coachella. The online music magazine Pitchfork described Boston Calling as the least unique of the nation’s top 19 festivals. Perhaps that’s because a handful of corporations now own most of the festivals. For example, the Madison Square Garden Company recently purchased a controlling share of the company that produces Boston Calling. Coachella was bought by the conglomerate that also puts on Bumbershoot, Firefly and Bayou Country Superfest. And Live Nation now owns a controlling stake in Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits and 60 other festivals around the world. On the other hand, smaller, niche festivals tend to have more variety than splashy, more corporate mega-events. Staying in Massachusetts, smaller festivals like Wilco’s Solid Sound, the Green River Festival, the Springfield Jazz Festival and Fresh Grass display a wider array of artists. Last year, an attendee of all four festivals would not see the same act twice. Wilco performs at Solid Sound in 2017. Uyen/flickr, CC BY-NC-SA Green River producer Jim Olsen told us that he looks for acts that aren’t a natural fit for mega-events, like his 2019 headliner, the Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit. Olsen said his mid- and lower-tier acts can expect to earn roughly two to three times more than their regular concert fee. As the summer festival season approaches, audiences should consider checking out smaller events. Sure, they garner fewer headlines than the massive mega festivals. But attendees will see more variety, pay less money and will be able to support a greater number of emerging acts. Jonathan Wynn, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Massachusetts Amherst and Alexandre Frenette, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Associate Director of The Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy, Vanderbilt University festivals Fyre Festival live music live performance music festivals music industry music sales musicians	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line214
__label__cc	0.683075	0.316925	WW2 Calendar 11-26-2000 to 11-27-2037* (This event occurs every November 27) 06:00 PM to 05:30 PM Gen. Sandworm The times shown may change, depending on DST settings This event was posted for time zone so it will appear to occur on a different day on your calendar. 1942 : French scuttle their fleet On this day in 1942, French Admiral Jean de Laborde sinks the French fleet anchored in Toulon harbor, off the southern coast of France, in order to keep it out of German hands. In June 1940, after the German invasion of France and the establishment of an unoccupied zone in the southeast, led by Gen. Philippe Petain, Adm. Jean Darlan was committed to keeping the French fleet out of German control. At the same time, as a minister in the government that had signed an armistice with the Germans, one that promised a relative "autonomy" to Vichy France, Darlan was prohibited from sailing that fleet to British or neutral waters. But a German-commandeered fleet in southern France, so close to British-controlled regions in North Africa, could prove disastrous to the Brits, who decided to take matters into their own hands by launching Operation Catapult: the attempt by a British naval force to persuade the French naval commander at Oran to either break the armistice and sail the French fleet out of the Germans' grasp-or to scuttle it. And if the French wouldn't, the Brits would. And the British tried. In a five-minute missile bombardment, they managed to sink one French cruiser and two old battleships. They also killed 1,250 French sailors. This would be the genesis of much bad blood between France and England throughout the war. General Petain broke off diplomatic relations with Great Britain. But two years later, with the Germans now in Vichy and the armistice already violated, Admiral Laborde finished the job the British had started. As the Germans launched Operation Lila, the attempt to commandeer the French fleet, Laborde ordered the sinking of 2 battle cruisers, 4 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, 1 aircraft transport, 30 destroyers, and 16 submarines. Three French subs managed to escape the Germans and make it to Algiers, Allied territory. Only one sub fell into German hands. The marine equivalent of a scorched-earth policy had succeeded. From: www.History.com	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line227
__label__wiki	0.733402	0.733402	Editorial Roundtable: Emmanuel Balogun and KK Obi, visionaries of Boy.Brother.Friend This week London publication Boy.Brother.Friend launched the fourth installment of their artist commission series: Mourning for posterity, a video collaboration with Berlin-based performance artist Bonono, whose practice dissolves “the divides between dance, performance and ritual.” The intimate piece makes use of mirrors and layered exposures to reconcile interior experience with external perception – begging questions of endurance and actualization through Bonono’s torqued expressions. Following video commissions from Grace Ndiritu and Alexander Ingham Brooke, Mourning for posterity will be viewable free of charge for 30 days on the BBF website. Initially launched as a zine by creative director KK Obi in 2017, Boy.Brother.Friend reappeared in May of this year as a full-scale men’s journal attempting to investigate – or multiply – definitions of “masculinity,” with a specific lens on communities of the African diaspora. “Having skirted different industries in art, fashion, and academia, we felt that we could create something that blends art with fashion while remaining critical – more critical than other platforms have been,” says Emmanuel Balogun, who joined BBF as editorial director as Obi’s vision evolved from DIY project to 250 page print edition and digital platform. “Discipline” is the title and theme for their official Issue 1, which counts Liz Johnson Artur, Damson Idris, Mowalola, rukus! Archive, and the Accossiation of Queer and Ethnic Minorities (AQEM) among its headliners. The publication hopes to expand its geographic remit as it evolves, but the heavy presence of London creatives in this first iteration was by design. Keeping it close to home, the debut is survey of friends and collaborators, often “people who occupy positions that aren’t usually at the forefront visually” – curators, casting directors, advocates, and others who are “part of the ecosystem.” Collaborating with creative producer Priscilla Yeboah-Newton, art director Jules Banide, and digital designer Dan Adeyemi, Obi and Balogun wanted to create “a publication that starts with masculinity, but it can’t be understood through men alone.” 032c loves new independent publications – especially when they fill an industry void, and when executive editor Victoria Camblin and assistant editor Octavia Bürgel spoke to Obi and Balogun, they went full magazine nerd. You launched Boy.Brother.Friend midway through an already eventful year, how was your initial reception impacted by the events of this spring? Emmanuel Balogun: The timing is interesting because there’s two ways to look at it. When we actually launched, on May 8, it happened to be just before George Floyd was murdered, and the response that we received in the beginning increased after we saw our whole community speaking out about social injustice. More people were ready to hear what we were saying, outside of the people that we had already sent the press release. So that’s a question: why were people more willing to respond when the press release we wrote initially ratified a lot of the things that were already being said? Intersectionality, race, social injustice – these are conversations that we know as people with hybridized identities. KK was working on publications like (African global style and culture magazine) Arise over 10 years ago, and we were fighting, advocating for the Continent way before people would even listen outside of Africa. Why do people have more of an interest in the Continent now, when Africa has been rising for decades? It’s only now that there’s a business case for actors to be involved. We naturally have a diligent nature because there have been so many qualifications of Africa, emerging markets, and ethnic minorities. Being those things ourselves, we felt we had the tools to represent our friends, our communities, and ourselves truthfully – with the elegance that we feel they deserve. Other platforms have tried to document certain people, and I think you can always tell how close they really are to the subject. Victoria Camblin: This idea of truthfulness connects to the difference between surface representation and representation in actual media production – the difference between who is on the cover, and who is running the magazine. Would you say that what people respond to is authenticity? Emmanuel Balogun: I think it’s about due diligence and curiosity. How curious are the editors? How curious are the producers? How curious is anybody that wants to work with anyone? What sorts of questions are they asking? What are they really thinking about? When you start asking more questions, you start understanding intentions, and that helps. But to be honest, I think authenticity is very loose. The kind of considerations that go into a wide audience facing platform versus a niche one – they’re different. I write and contribute for different titles, and certain arguments are relevant for their readers. Some arguments won’t even be decipherable to certain people’s readers, so it’s quite gray. KK Obi: To add to that, I think people can smell bullshit. What’s the point of having a conversation if you’re not going to have the real conversation? I know that there are certain institutions or brands who obviously are more audience facing, but I feel like we’re in a time where we all need to be clear and direct about what we’re doing, and if people are attracted to that message, then they are. These are the lives we’ve lived, and it felt like there wasn’t anything that represented our history, especially within the fashion world. Emmanuel Balogun: The industry, or industries, need to be democratized from all positions, so that when you have a group discussion, you get a real diverse picture. Why did everyone working in certain positions all go to the same school? Why do they all live in the same postcode? Why do they all have the same family net worth? If you look at most mastheads in magazines or galleries or wherever, there’s no diversity from a class element. And that, for me, is why things get muddled up, and why we don’t even know what authenticity is. Authenticity is also a sliding scale: everybody is being authentic to who they are based upon where they came from. So until we democratize things, it’s just going to look the same. Why do people have more of an interest in the Continent now, when Africa has been rising for decades? It’s only now that there’s a business case for actors to be involved. Fashion and art are weird because they are such fast industries. The zeitgeist moves so quickly. But when it comes to diversity, when it comes to sustainability, they’re lagging. Corporate sectors have been talking about advocating things like social governance, ESG, for a long time – long before fashion started talking about it. The tricky question is: Do people care? We are in a moment of change. We’re starting to question what growth, what “more” actually is. It’s now becoming understandable why so few beneficial services are profitable. And it’s clear that this time of Covid has made people way more conscientious. Victoria Camblin: It lifted the veil, right? Revealed how goods and images and information really circulate. Maybe there is desire for some kind of inherent acknowledgement of transparency of the process. KK Obi: The process is important – as a stylist, it’s really, really hard to have conversations at the moment about clothes. I used to talk about old shows or moments in fashion that I liked with friends of mine. People don’t really want to talk about that anymore. I think to connect with people, you have to be, as you said, more transparent and more honest about the processes, the origins, the reasons, the detail behind a given product. More than ever, people want a story that’s real. Also, everyone’s suspicious now. They think everything is fake. You have to make the extra effort to really try, even if what you’re saying is real. We live in a time where every day is noisy, and it’s hard to cut through that. Octavia Bürgel: Boy.Brother.Friend is successful in that it feels like the community within those pages is the same community that you are immediately surrounded by. How does that relate to this idea of authenticity, or on the other hand of diligence or curiosity? KK Obi: We wanted this first issue to have a very solid London focus. I didn’t want to be trying to reach someone in a different country where I haven’t spent time. I know London, I think, relatively well now. And luckily, we’ve met some amazing people who are talented in many, varied ways. That’s what we wanted to focus on, and I hope that’s what the pages show. Because we know these people, we know what they are willing to do, and what they don’t want to do. That knowledge also shows that we really care about their creativity, their processes and their lives. Emmanuel Balogun: You have lots of different portraits in there, and some are more daring in terms of the styling options in ways that I’d say fit those people’s personalities. You’ll notice there’s a quote that aligns with each person that’s shot in a portrait series, talking about how their practice supports them in advocating for change, or how it supports them in terms of self-actualization. It is a very personal process of speaking with people and, obviously, also checking that they were happy with the final words that were featured. We didn’t want anything to run in a way that people weren’t happy with. Not everybody was someone we had known for 10 years – there are people in there whose work we respected from afar, and who we got to know through the process. It comes down to the questions we ask, to the way that we approach people. It’s that element of care which funnels down. Because, obviously, it’s a publication, but we’re a community. Victoria Camblin: This idea of mutual care is implied in the relational title, Boy.Brother.Friend. The stages of man. To the diaspora focus you add of course the theme of masculinity – how have you approached that topic, in light of the adversarial and “toxic” versions that have dominated in media in the last years? Emmanuel Balogun: There are affirmations, bell hooks and Cornel West quotes, interspersed throughout the issue – that’s one of the ways. Those quotes come from a book called Breaking Bread. I suggest anyone read it. It looks at the relationships between Black men and Black women historically and the work that they have to do in order to love each other as siblings or even in conjugal roles. We do look at masculinity in the sense of what is it like to be a man? And what is it like to be with a man? There’s an op-ed type piece in this issue called “This Is a Rant” by Shakeena Johnson, who’s a fab writer who says what she feels. She’s a beautiful Black woman from London, and she wrote about her experience of a love that didn’t work out the way she wanted it to. If you read it, you’ll really understand why the magazine needed to be a response, a conversation between more actors than just cis men. Some people found it quite a contentious piece for the things that she said, but I think a lot of Black women in the UK and beyond can side with her and say that they have felt that way with Black men at times. Octavia Bürgel: I thought Shakeena Johnson’s piece was great. I could see how an audience that might have been expecting the scope of BBF to be more traditionally patriarchal might have found it controversial, but as a Black woman, to come across that as one of the first texts in the magazine was an indicator of the project’s intersectional approach, which I really appreciated. KK Obi: I feel like masculinity has meant so many different things to me, growing up in Africa, and now being in London. At times feeling like I wasn’t masculine, or that I was being too masculine. I think the definition changes in everyone’s perspective, really – but society maintains there is some weird code that we’re all supposed to adhere to. I always wanted to investigate that, to really figure out what those rules are. Because in some ways, I couldn’t really do that in my own life, so I felt like my work should try to represent it in some way. Masculinity in the diaspora means very, very different things as well. I wanted to try to unpack all of that in one space. Emmanuel Balogun: The post-colonial experience is really interesting in terms of masculinity and its formation. Thinking about what I’ve learned from my father’s generation – people who potentially lost power, or were born into not having power, or into sort of a servitude, racially – how did they define themselves as men when they were unable to be who they wanted to be, unable to occupy those preset roles in society from maybe a work perspective or financial perspective? How could they provide? “Providing” – what does that even mean? In terms of the Continent? And what about being uprooted from the Continent? If you move from Africa or any emerging place and go to the West, you’re trying to create your own understanding of masculinity based upon a lot of social factors. I think we have a lot to unpack about masculinity and the forces that can disrupt the construction of a personal definition of it, not to mention the way that other people see you. That’s the landscape we’re thinking about – not just from a post-colonial standpoint, but in terms of how we even think beyond that, in the sense of liberation. There are so many things to be said about masculinity, especially now that we’re finally starting to practice understanding different denominations of gender. Octavia Bürgel: Angela Davis has written about the convergence, the shared temporal relationship, of anti-slavery abolition movements, suffrage for the Black (male) vote, and women’s suffrage in the States. Ultimately, this debate over who would be seen as human in the eye of the law pitted Black men and white women against each other, erasing Black women from the narrative entirely, because they weren’t seen as belonging to either group – neither man, nor woman. The way in which the standard of “femininity” was created in the image of white womanhood is something that Black women and anyone operating outside of the binary feel oppressed by regularly. I think the definition of masculinity changes in everyone’s perspective, really – but society maintains there is some weird code that we’re all supposed to adhere to. Masculinity in the diaspora means very, very different things as well. Emmanuel Balogun: Labels are useful to think with, but they’re also so hindering when we start attempting to classify ourselves. We do that for many different reasons and purposes and effects, but sometimes, they’re just pointless. I think Mark Sealy says we get tied up in “epidermal schemas.” We’re trying to really unpack and dissect that to move forward as a community. That’s why we had Damson Idris on the cover with the handheld mirror, looking at himself. We have to criticize ourselves constantly for productive ends, as a community – whatever your creed, age, color, gender. It’s for us to move forward collectively. KK Obi: That’s the key: we have to be critical of ourselves. We have to say, “Okay, we’re not perfect. What else is going on? What conversations can lead from that place?” For us to evolve, criticism is key. Octavia Bürgel: The reflexivity of the critical attention that you mention is leaving space for fluidity, which is a notion that gets referenced a lot in relation to the ontology of Blackness. Emmanuel Balogun: People need to move. It’s human nature to move. There’s an anthropologist, Liisa H. Malkki who said “To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul.” It’s a beautiful line. Humans have to move, but we also have to be grounded somewhere. Victoria Camblin: Is there something specific to the format of a magazine or a zine, in terms of a production model, that supports a particularly fluid or intersectional approach? A periodical, as opposed to a one-time publication, allows you to commit and return to and evolve certain conversations. Octavia Bürgel: The magazine also functions as its own archive, contained within each iteration, then becoming part of a larger record. I’m reflecting on the notion of a Black archive, which has always existed in fragments. I think that is why many young Black artists for example are working with archival materials now – attempting to process the de-historicization so many of us have experienced, and trying to to stake some claim to the world going forward. It’s quite a potent space that you’re realizing. KK Obi: My education has been in print, dating back to when I was at Arise. The frequency of a biannual is something that works for us because, as Emmanuel said, we have limited resources. As we evolve, who knows how that’s going to change. But having something that’s physical, that is essentially a document of a time, of a community, is very important to what we’re trying to do. Emmanuel Balogun: It’s essential that we produce this work for the people that will come and for the people that are here now. It’s important for people to see themselves in physical items, in publishing efforts that are of good standard, so that they can feel ratified, I think. So that they feel their existence is valid. Hopefully the magazine will sit in libraries for years to come. There are publications that I’ve been looking at for years that you just can’t find sometimes. I’m sure you can relate. Octavia Bürgel Courtesy of Boy.Brother.Friend Now in Berlin (if not quite on view): “MASCULINITIES – Liberation Through Photography” “NEST.” Or, How Prozac spawned the greatest interiors magazine, ever. “The ultimate form of being outside of anything is death. Then you’re really free.” Société de 032c Presents: STEFAN KALMÁR GAIKA: AT WHAT POINT DO I ENCOUNTER GOD? REFERENCE FESTIVAL #2: Navigating Parallel Realities In 032c Issue #38, we celebrate our first two decades with a 28-page fold-out chronicling our evolution from DIY Berlin to the world of ready-to-wear, featuring commentary and a timeline of global 21st century cultural production by tech and media arbiter NEW MODELS, a visual audit by VIRGIL ABLOH, and a message from ANNA WINTOUR. 🥂 Get your copy HERE. If not you, then who? Email A semi-regular digest of our latest content, products, and activities. GDPR-proof. We don’t spam. “The American crisis is not generated by the perverted effects of mass communication.” BIFO BERARDI responds to Timothy Snyder’s recent New York Times piece in “What Abyss Are We Talking About?” Read it on e-flux. Click here for 032c’s 2017 interview with the Italian philosopher, “Bifo Berardi on Political Impotence and the Rise of Global Silicon Valley.” 032c IN THE NEWS Founder and editor-in-chief JOERG KOCH speaks to German newspaper FAZ on 20 years of 032c in “Geniale Amateuren.” 👀 👀 👀 READ IT HERE (auf Deutsch). 🚨 Get your copy of 032c Issue #38 “20 Years” (Winter 2020/2021) HERE. 🚨 032c Die Tödliche Doris "Sex Toys" T-Shirt	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line228
__label__wiki	0.997053	0.997053	Eight US cities you've probably been saying wrong forever... By Madison Jun 6, 2017 Thrillist.com posted a list of a bunch of U.S. cities people mispronounce all the time. Here are eight of them. There's a decent chance you've gone your whole life saying at least one of these wrong . . . 1. Boise, Idaho. (BOY-see) Most people say it like there's a "Z" in there. And it's a pretty minor difference, but it's supposed to be pronounced with an "S" sound. 2. Lafayette, Louisiana. (LAH-fee-et) Most people say La-FAY-et, like it's spelled. But it's La-FEE-et. 3. Helena, Montana. (HELL-en-uh) A lot of people say Hell-AY-nuh. But the emphasis should be on the first syllable, not the second. 4. Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. (WILKS-Bairy) The second half is spelled B-A-R-R-E, so a lot of people say Wilks-BAR. But it's Wilks-BAIRY. 5. Kissimmee, Florida. (Kah-SIM-ee) Some people put the emphasis on the first part, KIH-suh-mee. But it's Kah-SIM-ee. 6. Norfolk, Virginia. (NOR-fik) It doesn't actually rhyme with the world "folk." It's NOR-fik . . . or NAW-fik if you want to sound like you're from Virginia. 7. Spokane, Washington. (Spo-CAN) It looks like it's Spo-CANE, but it's Spo-CAN. 8. Louisville, Kentucky. (LOO-ih-vull) A lot of people say "LOUEY-ville." But there's no hard "E". So it almost sounds like it's just two syllables . . . LOO-ih-vull. (Thrillist) (Check out 12 more hard-to-pronounce cities here.)	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line229
__label__wiki	0.610308	0.610308	Hennessy Launches 'Unfinished Business' W/ Nas To Help Minority Businesses Hennessy has announced an additional 1 Million Dollar investment into its Unfinished Business initiative. The initiative was originally started back in June of this year to help out Black, Latinx, and Asian owned small businesses that have been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Going into its seconding phase of funding for the program applications were open for the program starting yesterday (Tuesday, November 17th) at https://www.unfinishedbusiness.us/. As a company Hennessy remains committed to serving the community with brand partners and ambassadors like Nas helping deliver the initiatives message to help small businesses. "Putting money back into the community is important especially during these times to help small businesses continue to survive," said hip-hop legend Nas. "Pushing forward is hard to do without resources like Unfinished Business, which is why I'm proud to contribute where I can to ensure small businesses continue to flourish." You can apply for the initiative here	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line230
__label__cc	0.561737	0.438263	There’s No Place Like Home: States With the Best Home Health Care Healthcare is not limited to in-hospital treatment. Under both Medicare and Medicaid, eligible patients have access to receive healthcare from home health teams. These home services increase access to acute care for individuals who are homebound or have limited mobility. According to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, these home care agencies have services that include a variety of options such as intermittent skilled nursing care, physical and occupational therapies, speech-language pathology services, medical social services, and part-time aide services. Home health care is different from home and personal care that is also often covered by government insurance. While home and personal care are essential to the wellbeing of our family members and loved ones, they generally consist of non-medical or custodial home visits. Home health care teams, likewise, are made up of trained medical professionals and nursing assistants who provide tailored, quality care plans in a patient’s home. For patients who do not have family caregivers or live in an assisted living facility, but wish to maintain their independence at home, home health care services can keep them healthy and safe. These options are especially important in the pandemic era, as the elderly are particularly vulnerable and should avoid non-emergency hospital settings as much as possible. Home health teams are an integral yet often overlooked aspect of public health in America, as home health aides work tirelessly to provide care services for patients in their own homes. Pointing the spotlight on home care services increases recognition of this underappreciated component of accessible healthcare. The data science team at Insurify was inspired to dig deeper into the effectiveness of home health care providers and recognize the states with the highest performing home health teams in the nation. National averages. Across the United States, the average home health team performance score was 89.270. The average patient improvement score was 81.216. The average number of Medicare beneficiaries per state was 796,849; their average share of a state population was 18 percent. High overall performance. The national average indicates that overall, home health team performance scores were generally high. Washington DC’s home health team performance score of 84.425 was the lowest in the nation. For patient improvement measures, Alaska had the lowest score of any state, at 66.000. Not all home health programs are created equal. A critical disclaimer to the national evaluation of home health programs is that home health programs do not operate uniformly across all states. Because Medicare and Medicaid receive funding from both the federal and state levels, support for specific home health services are at the state’s discretion, resulting in variation of program capacity and availability between states. States can have a variety of home health programs, and within states, different counties may have access to specific programs over others. Age is more than just a number. While home health care is available to Medicare and Medicaid recipients (who, in theory, can be any age), home health care is mostly used by and targeted towards elderly patients who are 65 years old or over. Likewise, home health team performance score is positively correlated with the percent of the state’s population that is over 65, albeit not significantly. This finding suggests that the higher a state’s share of the population is over 65, their overall home health team score may skew higher. The data science and research team at Insurify, a website to compare home insurance quotes, studied data from Data.Medicare.gov to determine home health care performance in each state. They calculated the home health team performance score by taking the average of multiple home health team conduct measures that were recorded for each state. For each measure, states recorded the average rating (from 0-100, with higher numbers being more satisfactory) reported by their residents. These measures include how timely the home health care team attended to patient needs; as well as how often home physicians checked in with patients regarding falls, depression, and vaccination histories for pneumonia and the flu. Additionally, metrics for the quality of the home health team’s communication with the patient; the level of professionalism performed by the home health team; and whether the patient would recommend their home health agency to friends and family were factored in. Similarly, the patient improvement score was determined as a composite by taking the average of multiple measures regarding patient improvement from home healthcare. These measures include how often patients saw improvements concerning walking, mobility, getting out of bed, bathing, breathing, and how often a patient’s wounds healed after an operation. The statistics for state-level Medicare beneficiaries come from the Medicare Data for the Geographic Variation Public Use File, available through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The share of Medicare beneficiaries by the total state population is from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s 2018 Medicare Enrollment statistics. States with the Best Home Health Care Average home health team performance score: 90.920 Average patient improvement score: 81.250 Number of Medicare beneficiaries with Parts A & B (2018): 402,718 Medicare beneficiaries as a share of the total population (2018): 18% We’re kicking off in the heart of the midwest with Kansas’s strong home health team performance score of 90.92. Kansas’s scores for home health team performance and patient improvement are slightly above (by 2 points) or equal to the averages for the nation, respectively. The case of Kansas demonstrates how tight the ranges of these national measures are. However, given that Kansas’s share of Medicare beneficiaries within its population is also equivalent to the national average of 18 percent, its higher home health team performance score is still something to be proud of. Arkansas is ninth in the nation for its home health team performance, beating out Kansas by a mere 0.03 points. With a share of Medicare beneficiaries that is 17 percent above the national average, Arkansas has one of the sixth-highest proportions in the nation (notably, equal to and tied with ten others). Arkansas has both specific Medicaid programs and waivers that allow eligible patients to participate in a cash-to-counseling model, meaning that patients can make independent choices for their care using a monthly allowance provided by these programs. Arkansas’s stellar home health team performance and patient improvement scores both suggest that their programs are successful and effective. 8. Louisiana Down by the bayou, Louisiana’s home health programs are making a splash. As eighth in the nation, with a home health team performance score of 90.95, it’s clear that homebound patients in Louisiana are feeling adequately supported and aided by their home healthcare professionals. Because Louisiana and Arkansas are technically tied for home health team performance, Louisiana’s comparatively higher patient improvement score was factored in to define its ranking. While only slightly above the national average in its population’s share of Medicare beneficiaries, Louisiana’s high scores across the board are worthy of our recognition. 7. New Hampshire It’s no surprise that New Hampshire should find its place in the ranks of the highest performing home health teams in the nation. New Hampshire has a comparatively older population, with 20.5% of its residents over the age of 65, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Additionally, New Hampshire is fifth in the nation for its population’s share of Medicare beneficiaries, which is in line with the insight that states with older populations may have scores that skew higher for home health team performance. New Hampshire’s patient improvement score is about two percent below the national average, perhaps in part due to existing conditions of its state-specific demographics. However, New Hampshire’s stats are excellent overall, making it an ideal place to “live free.” 6. Kentucky Break out your derby hats for Kentucky’s home health teams! Kentucky’s score of 91.175 is the sixth highest in the nation, and its patient improvement score of 82.22 comes in at fourteenth. Like Arkansas and Kansas, Kentucky’s share of Medicare beneficiaries is also the sixth-highest in the nation, at three percentage points above average. Kentucky’s Medicaid coverage encompasses multiple home care options, including different waivers for aged and disabled populations. Kentucky’s A-rating for caring for its homebound populations is undoubtedly well-deserved. 5. West Virginia Moving up in both altitude and home health team performance, the Mountain State holds the fifth spot in the rankings for states with the best home health care programs. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, West Virginia has the third-highest elderly population in the nation, with 20 percent of its population over the age of 65 and a median age of 42.8. This fact follows the trend of higher home health team scores corresponding to comparatively older populations, due to the targeting of elderly patients in home health settings. Additionally, West Virginia’s share of Medicare beneficiaries is one of the highest in the nation. However, the state’s success in its patient improvement and home healthcare metrics is still one to be specially acknowledged. 4. South Carolina South Carolina is fourth in the nation for its excellent home health team performance, boasting a score of 91.23. With a relatively high share of statewide Medicare beneficiaries, equal to those of Kansas, Arkansas, and Kentucky at 21 percent, homebound patients in South Carolina evidently benefit and improve from their home health teams’ care. South Carolina also has the tenth-oldest population compared to other states, with 17.7 percent of residents over the age of 65. Based on the state’s high-scoring results in both home health team performance and patient improvement, South Carolina is not only meeting the expectation for at-home patient care, but exceeding it. With a performance score of 91.26, Alabama is our bronze winner for home health program efficacy. The state’s impressive 85.73 score for patient improvement comes in at second in the nation as well. By now, it’s clear that many of the states on the list are in the upper echelon for their proportion of Medicare beneficiaries within the population. Alabama is not an exception to this pattern, as its share is 21 percent, the same as four previous states on this list (Kansas, Arkansas, Kentucky, and South Carolina). This trend that Alabama follows underscores how important accessibility to diverse healthcare options is for patients on Medicare — it seems as though homebound patients are overwhelmingly satisfied with the care provided by their home health teams. 2. Mississippi Continuing through the south, Mississippi holds the second-highest score for home health team performance nationwide. Equally noteworthy, Mississippi’s patient improvement score is the highest of any U.S. state. Home health teams must be doing something right in this state, as these high statistics demonstrate successful convalescent care. Props to the Magnolia State for helping lead the nation in home health team performance and strong patient outcomes. 1. South Dakota At the top of the nation, South Dakota gets the gold for its outstanding home health care administration. While surprisingly scoring slightly lower than average for patient improvement measures, South Dakota’s outcomes are still impressive. For a state with the fifth-lowest population density in the nation, it makes sense that home health care may be a more enticing option for residents, who are more likely to live farther away from healthcare facilities. Still, South Dakota can take this win as a recognition of its strong adaptability to its population’s needs. Conclusion: Limitations and Avenues for Future Research While Insurify’s study aims to spotlight home health care as an essential component of healthcare accessibility and point to states that perform well on a composite of multiple evaluatory metrics, these rankings are not exhaustive measurements of policy success across all populations. Not all states are funded equally. Our analysis does not account for the moderating factor of state funding. As noted, Medicare programs are controlled in part by state funding and legislature, meaning that variation across the nation in access to specific Medicare programs can be vast. Future research and analysis could directly engage with the public economic aspect of Medicare by examining state spending trends in relation to home health program effectiveness. Healthcare workers’ welfare matters. This study focused primarily on patient outcomes and home health team’s efficacy in producing their success. However, as Medicare’s home health programs vary state by state, home healthcare worker conditions follow. For future analysis, studies focusing on the employee side of home health care agencies could shed light on how home health workers’ welfare affects their job performance and patient outcomes. Potential disparities in patient care. It’s no secret that there are disparities in patient outcomes based on identifying markers such as race, class, gender, sexual orientation, body size, and socioeconomic status. Reports from sources such as the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Medicare & Medicaid Research Review, and countless others have noted these significant differences. This study on home health care did not factor in demographic information of individuals and could benefit from these breakdowns in future analyses. If you have questions or comments about this article, please contact insights@insurify.com.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line231
__label__wiki	0.574251	0.574251	How Do You Direct a Play About Sexual Assault? How Do You Direct Two of Them? September 11, 2017 November 13, 2018 Victoria Myers 3832 Views emerging, off broadway director, tyne rafaeli Written by Victoria Myers Photography by Tess Mayer This past year, director Tyne Rafaeli, who was featured in The Interval’s Women to Watch in 2016, has had a slightly unusual theme in her work: stories surrounding sexual assault. While some discussions surrounding sexual assault have become rather ubiquitous in American culture—from debates about rape culture and trigger warnings to episodes of Game of Thrones and think-pieces on Game of Thrones—complex conversations about the topic have been slow to appear on American stages. Earlier this year, Tyne directed the premiere of Anna Ziegler’s Actually at the Geffen Playhouse, which tackles a rape accusation on a college campus. Currently, she’s directing The Playwright’s Realm production of Michael Yates Crowley’s The Rape of The Sabine Women, By Grace B. Matthias, which deals with a community’s response to the rape of a high school girl. We recently sat down with Tyne to discuss how she went about directing two very different plays that deal with sexual assault. You recently directed Actually in California, and now you’re doing this. When both of these plays came into your life, did you know that the other was going to be happening? How much of this was by design or by accident? I don’t think it’s by design or by accident actually. When Anna Ziegler’s play, Actually, came into my life, I was not yet signed on to do this project. So it wasn’t that I was curating my year to explore this particular subject matter. However, I do think that the conversation surrounding sexual violence is becoming louder and louder and more urgent, as expressed by how many plays are being written about this. I do think that those plays and those narratives are bubbling up to the surface with urgency, and so I don’t think it’s a coincidence that these plays are happening in the same year. I just feel very fortunate to have been asked to work on both of them and to be so heavily engaged in the conversation. I also did Measure for Measure in between Anna’s play and this, and so although that’s not dealing with explicit sexual violence, it’s dealing with implied sexual violence and sexual abuse in many ways, and abuse of power and abuse of the female body as the territory in which that power is played out. So between Anna’s play and Measure for Measure and this play, I do feel like I’ve been heavily involved in so many different facets of the conversation. The plays were all happening at different times, but at a certain point there is an overlap in terms of pre-production and all that. How do you balance keeping the worlds separate, especially when it comes to the politics and the perspective of the plays? Or do you view them as being in conversation with each other? I do go about thinking about them in conversation with each other. I feel like when you lead a busy artistic life, you learn to compartmentalize and be very present with the conversation that you’re in at any given time. But as an artist, you are inspired and influenced and engaged in things as they happen. As I was building towards opening Actually, I was starting the design process for this, and you can’t disengage fully. You can listen very explicitly to what each play is exploring, and they are very different and they’re exploring different ideas inside of this conversation, so I was pretty rigorous and disciplined in being able to specify what each play is asking. But what I learned from directing Actually, I brought into this process. Now that I’m in this process, I’m reflecting back on my conversation about Actually and understanding how much deeper my knowledge has become and my understanding has become in this subject matter. They’re very different plays structurally, and in terms of how they use theatricality as well. Yes, they are very different. And that’s kind of extraordinary to me, that one particular subject matter can inspire so many different expressions, from realism to something hyper-real, which is definitely what I’m dealing with now. It is kind of indicative of the human experience that we’re talking about: the human experience of sexual violence. Both those extremes are represented, and that that human experience can include so many extremes. I feel like the structure of both plays represents the kind of extremes of that experience, and they are dealing with two very different things. Anna’s play is dealing with consent and the ideas and complexities and ambiguities and difficulties of consent and what it means, as well as many, many other things, but at its spine, that’s what it’s exploring. This play is exploring more of the culture surrounding rape survivors, and how we talk about their experience, and how we re-integrate them into our lives, and how we integrate that human experience into our lives. And we’re not very good at it, and we have a lot to learn about how we talk about that experience. So one play is exploring specifically issues of consent and how we communicate that, and what is the word rape and what does it contain? And the other one, the rape happened, 100%, and now how do we deal with rape survivors and survivors of sexual violence? How do we engage with that experience? How do we process that and how do we change the culture so it doesn’t happen so damn much? What kind of research did you do, and then how did you incorporate that into your process? I feel like I’ve been reading about this subject continually through 2017. For Anna’s play, we read a very new Laura Kipnis book, Unwanted Advances. It’s a very controversial book that was just recently published, that was specifically talking about college campuses and sexual violence on college campuses. We watched documentaries like The Hunting Ground. I did a lot of research exploring issues of consent and sexual violence on college campuses, a lot of research about Title IX, which The Hunting Ground really explores in terms of how Title IX affected the culture and how we talk about sexual violence on college campuses. Then as I came into this play, Michael [Yates Crowley], the playwright, and I engaged directly with a sexual violence survivor and activist, someone whose job it is to create a forum for young women to talk about their experiences with sexual violence. We talked to a few other survivors, as well. We even asked one of the activist/survivors to facilitate a conversation in our first week of rehearsals with the company, so we created a very safe space for the cast to ask the difficult questions about this area. Because so much about this experience is not spoken about, language is a very tricky thing to navigate. Also, how do we deal with survivors who come to the show and are activated by the material? We sought, very rigorously, advice and guidance about how to deal with that part of it. We also read a lot. We read Alice Sebold’s Lucky, which is an extraordinary memoir, and we read a very provocative and eye-opening book called Against Our Will, which is by Susan Brownmiller and is a very famous piece of feminist literature about the history of rape from the beginning of civilization. That was a transformative read for me. And what this play does is it zeroes in on one girl’s experience in high school, but it also zooms out to include the Roman Empire and the start of civilization as we know it, and how a lot of the building of that civilization was based on rape. And rape is a weapon and a way of conquering other tribes and other communities. So that book was very influential. A documentary called Audrie & Daisy on Netflix. All of these I’m telling you because everyone should read and dig into this. It’s not easy to read and to confront it, but it’s been life-changing for me. How much have you had to think about the politics of the pieces in terms of what audiences will bring to them? Like you were saying, they’re complicated topics, that as much as they’re out there in the media in various ways, they’re not things that people really talk about in a complex way. It’s a really complicated question, and it’s been surprising and shocking to me how many assumptions the audience comes with about this particular topic. With Anna’s play, [audiences had] very, very fixed and clear ideas about the parameters of consent and the definition of the word rape, and the post-show discussions were very alive. [For Rape of the Sabine Women] we’re in previews now, so I’m still learning what the audiences are bringing, and this is a very different piece. This is a dark comedy about this conversation, so the audiences are responding to a tone that they don’t immediately assign to the rape narrative. That’s kind of been wonderful, because the laughter cracks them open and allows them to engage in a unique way. But I do think people bring a lot of assumptions that they might not even be conscious of to this topic. I know that I did. I know that I have been aware of an epidemic, but I have not actually looked at the word rape and how limited that definition is, and my assumptions of what a rape are. And as soon as you start to crack that open, you realize how much you’ve absorbed and how many assumptions you’ve come to this topic with. I’ve done other pieces that are provocative and that ask difficult questions about the way we live. I have not experienced as thorny a subject matter as this, in terms of what people’s comfort levels are and how inarticulate we all are as a community when talking about this conversation. Bringing those things to the surface can be uncomfortable, but can be ultimately hugely rewarding and transformative to the culture we’re living in. Do you find that affects the artistic choices that you’re making with the show in the sense of how you get the audience on board with the journey you want to take them on? Totally. I think both plays I’ve worked on are written in a complex and sophisticated way where there aren’t pointed fingers and there isn’t blame and there isn’t one point of view, there are many points of view. I feel like inherent in both plays is a welcoming to the conversation and a recognition that this is complex and not a simple thing. In terms of how I interpret the material and shape the material, it is really honoring that complexity and allowing the audience into the human story of it. Both pieces are structurally very different. One is basically a series of monologues, and the other one that I’m working on now is a highly theatrical, visual physical feast. So both are stylistically very different, but I do think it’s my job to thread the eye of the needle very carefully and to allow the human experience at the center of these things to be primary. As we’re connecting to these people as human beings that we recognize in our lives, then we’re allowed into this very thorny and complicated subject through our hearts. The idea of being too confrontational just feels irresponsible and pointless to me. But connecting through our hearts and through our humanity and starting with small human stories, then allowing the larger conversation to take root, feels like the way to do it. How did you work on the physicality of both plays? Because it seems like in both of them, maybe more than in some other stuff, the physicality is actually part of the story. Again, both plays necessitated something very different. I think you have to first recognize that this is a physical experience, especially in the play that I’m working on now—there was a physical violation. When we’ve spoken to survivors and read any material about this, it changes your relationship with the body for the rest of your life. And the lead actress in this play and I have had a lot of in-depth conversation about how that would affect her performance, and how her relationship with her body before the rape and after the rape is irreparably changed. And so in terms of her performance, that was a major part of shaping it and of the conversation. But also as a company, the way you create a safe space for somebody to be able to be at their most vulnerable, emotionally as well as physically, has been an absolute priority for me. That we create a safe space as a company for this young girl, and for the boy who perpetrates the rape, to feel that they can honor the vulnerability and complexity of both of their experiences. You have to just exercise the power of empathy like you’ve never exercised it before. That’s been a work in progress, and it’s been a real partnership between me and Suzanna Perkins, who plays Grace, and she is fearless. But it’s not easy seeing a female body onstage in that particular context; it is an arresting thing. I don’t think I will ever forget staging that, and we were all exhausted at the end of every day because you’re carrying the weight of that. In general, what do you think would make it easier to direct and develop plays that are about topics that are in some way controversial or complex? Courageous producers. Faith that audiences want to be challenged. We are living in a time when we are questioning the foundation of our culture in a really deep way. And in times of political turmoil and complexity is when we should be asking the hard questions. Theatre is a place for engagement and transcendence, like transcending your own life and thinking about things differently. And so I think for courageous producers and courageous writers and artists, it’s about understanding that now is the moment. You look at any social media or any newspaper; we’re engaged very rigorously in questioning foundational things about how we live in this country. So now is the time to be putting on plays like this, and now is the time to be engaging. There is revolution in the air. You feel a mobilization of people who want to rethink how we live, and thinking about how we got to this particular moment, and wanting to make very, very big and seismic important changes. I think this part of the conversation is hugely important—about gender relationships, a woman’s place in the world, her safety in the world, her body in the world, who has rights to that body, who has ownership to that body, and why and where this stems from. Understanding where this stems from allows us to make the changes that we want to see so that our daughters can feel safe and can walk through the universe with power. Now is the time to be doing work like this. ← Julie White on “A Doll’s House, Part 2” Betsy Wolfe is Absolutely Fine. And Other Concerns. → Director Taylor Reynolds on Plano, Clubbed Thumb, The Movement Theatre Company, and More Danya Taymor on the Rise A Directing Roundtable with Arpita Mukherjee, Christa Scott Reed, and Colette Robert	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line233
__label__cc	0.71673	0.28327	Home Buyers A Matter of Control A Matter of Control 8 years ago by Eric Rumbaugh \| Comments Off on A Matter of Control In the contingent workforce arena, courts often “barrow” precedent from other areas of the law regarding responsibilities and liabilities for employment law compliance. In two recent decisions, two different courts came to different conclusions along different paths regarding joint employment liability tests, and their application to specific facts. These cases will have application in the contingent labor context. In the first, Patterson v. Domino’s Pizza LLC, an employee sued her supervisor, a Domino’s Pizza franchise, and Domino’s corporate entity for sexual harassment and assault. The issue in the case was whether Domino’s corporate was her joint employer. Domino’s corporate won the case, with the trial court holding that there really were no issues in dispute — the franchise had all of the control over hiring, firing, and managing employees, and was therefore the sole “employer.” The Court of Appeals, however, sent the case back to the trial court for more proceedings, holding that there was at least some dispute as to the evidence (there was some evidence that Domino’s corporate actually exercised day-to-day control over the work of employees, and actually had control over hiring and firing employees). In fact, there was testimony that Domino’s corporate actually directed the franchise to fire the plaintiff in that case. Thus, while the franchise of agreement was very clear, it was alleged that Domino’s corporate overstepped its contractual authority and actually exercised day-to-day control over employees at a franchise (or, at least, there was enough evidence to let the plaintiff’s case go forward on the issue). Going the opposite direction is the recent Federal Court of Appeals decision in Hickton, et al v. Enterprise Holdings Inc., et al. In this case, the plaintiffs alleged that the parent company of various Enterprise Rent-A-Car subsidiaries exercised enough control over the subsidiaries and their employees to be an considered an employer. The Court of Appeals disagreed, and held that there was no issue that merited a trial. Although Enterprise corporate was heavily involved in personnel policies, and supplied HR, legal and compliance support, and although there was overlap in the board of directors of Enterprise corporate and its subsidiaries, there was not enough evidence of control by Enterprise corporate for the case to go to trial. The Court of Appeals created its own (new) standard for joint employer liability, directing trial courts to look at any relevant factor applying to bearing on the total employment situation and the economic realities of the work relationship, but focusing on: (1) authority to hire and fire employees; (2) authority to promulgate work rules and assignments, and set conditions of employment, including compensation, benefits and hours; (3) day-to-day supervision, including employee discipline; and (4) control of employee records, including payroll, insurance, taxes and the like. While Enterprise corporate made many suggestions regarding personnel matters, and although the Board of Directors of the Enterprise subsidiaries was comprised of Enterprise corporate Board members, this was not enough to make Enterprise corporate a joint employer of subsidiary employees. In the contingent labor setting, it is often the case that two, three, four or more entities have an effect on talent; and one, two, or more of them may legally qualify as employers of the talent for various legal purposes. These cases show that the law continues to evolve in this area; and that the focus continues to be on control. The greater the extent to which workers are controlled by an entity on a day-to-day basis, the greater extent to which that entity might qualify as a employer for various legal purposes. In the contingent labor setting, this plays out in thousands of different ways each day; and as the contingent labor world continues to evolve, and as courts continue to issue decisions, there is no end in sight to the evolution of this area Tags: Contingent labor law, joint employer liability Eric Rumbaugh Eric H. Rumbaugh is a partner with the law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, headquartered in Milwaukee. He represents employers in labor, employment and employee benefits law matters. Projecting the New Administration’s Impact on Foreign National Talent Engagement — Part 1 How to Get Your Contracted Employees Vaccinated January 12, 2021	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line235
__label__cc	0.550852	0.449148	The above will search 2think.org Richard Brodie Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme David Mcfadzean writes: Virus of the Mind by Richard Brodie is the first popular book on the market exclusively about memetics, the study of infectious ideas. I've been looking forward to it since I first heard rumours of its existence in alt.memetics almost a year ago. I have to confess that at first I was disappointed with the presentation style of the book. It seems to be aimed at an audience with a high-school reading level, with key points highlighted in boxes and illustrated with cartoons featuring Eggbert, on oval happy face with spiky hair. Later I came to the conclusion that Brodie is probably capable of a more sophisticated writing style, but consciously chose to give it wider appeal in a deliberate act of memetic engineering. In fact Brodie takes many opportunities to apply the techniques he discusses which serves not only to lend weight to the theories, but should also theoretically increase books sales. :) For example, he named the book Virus of the Mind rather than, say, Introduction to Memetics because it will catch more people's attention due to their association memes. It is difficult to discuss memetics in depth without veering off into deep philosophy. Everything that exists, everything with a name, everything we know corresponds to a meme including memes themselves. What is truth? What are we? What should we do? The new science of the meme sheds light on all these questions and Brodie doesn't shy away from tackling these issues head on, but always remaining practical and open-minded. The book covers a great deal in its 230 pages. Starting with general definitions, it goes on to describe how memes are like biological and computer viruses and how they evolve in their respective mediums. One chapter introduces evolutionary psychology (the subject of Robert Wright's excellent The Moral Animal), and how the ancient memes of "sex" and "danger" are still very much shaping our culture today. Another chapter covers how we get programmed (infected by new memes), and how these techniques are used by governments, corporations, cults and religions. (I paid special attention to the chapter on how to start a cult :) It was refreshing to see how charitable Brodie is towards religion, even after describing in detail how it is really a cultural power virus, evolving to take advantage of the natural "push-button" memes of its adherents including "security", "sex", "belonging" and "crisis" through memes like "tradition", "heresy", "evangilism" and "repetition". He concludes that despite all that religions are still very useful because they give purpose to otherwise meaningless lives. I suspect even someone already well-read in the area of memetics will find new insights in Virus of the Mind. Brodie is obviously a bright guy who has thought a lot about how to teach people about memes in order to create a future by design. Virus of the Mind should be on the reading list of everyone interested in the future evolution of ideas.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line239
__label__cc	0.699303	0.300697	April 23, 2020\|In Business, All news\|9 Minutes Working from home? Here's the easy ways to send your files online By Anna Dovbysh Working from home? Here’s the easy ways to send your files online Amidst the chaos and strangeness of self-isolation, lockdowns, and shelter-in-place orders, many people are also getting a novel and oft sought-after experience – working from home. As fun as working in your pants might be, there are still some obstacles to overcome with this new way of working, and one of the biggest is how to get files moving between your team that are too big to attach to an email. With the recent rise in remote working and digital nomad culture, the once painfully technical process has become super simple. Rae Hodge put together a list of some of the simplest file-sharing services, in an article that originally appeared on cnet. We’ll go through them all here. Image credit: gagadget.com For those of you whose employers use Gmail as your corporate email, you’ve probably seen Google Drive bouncing around your system, and maybe even already have access to it although possibly you’ve never used it. If it’s not part of your company’s suite of software, Google Drive is still likely to be one of the easiest systems to use in terms of compatibility across your team’s devices. Google Drive gives 15GB of storage for free when you first sign up. For more space in the cloud, you can pay $30 every year for 200GB extra. For your home-based business, storage on a Drive Enterprise account runs at $8 per month for each user and the storage space is unlimited. Using a business plan also means you get phone and email support 24/7 as standard. Google Drive works across Windows, Android, Mac, and iOS. The best thing about Google Drive is that it’s flexible and compatible across systems and files. When you add the Google Drive client onto your desktop you can set it up to sync your files automatically to the cloud so you’re constantly backing up your data. You don’t need to stress about sorting out your filing system; the search bar in Google Drive makes hunting down what you need really easy. You can share all of your files, folders, documents, or photos with anyone else who uses Gmail and they can work with you on the information in real-time. Image credit: play.google.com Microsoft Outlook is another common email system that your office might be using, and its version of Google Drive is called OneDrive. Again, you might already have an account and access without really being aware. In the same way as Google Drive, you can collaborate on your Word and Excel documents in real-time and there are Android and iPhone apps available too. When cost is a big consideration, the free version of OneDrive comes with a 5GB storage limit. You can pay as little as $2 per month for 100GB and Office 365 Personal customers are entitled to a full terabyte at a cost of $70 for a year. If you’ve got Office 365 Home version, 6TB of storage comes in at $100 per year, spread over six users. 24/7 phone support is available and some of the great little extras include ransomware detection and some very handy document recovery features. Image credit: dropbox.com When you ask someone about file-sharing apps, Dropbox won’t be too far from their thoughts, and its reputation comes from its reliability. The desktop client will happily run in the background and has auto-syncing settings. There are plenty of third-party app integrations offered by Dropbox, which is great when you have to move files across different companies that use different systems for file management. Upon sign-up Dropbox gives you 2GB of storage for free, not huge in comparison to the 15GB Google Drive gives. However, the files you have in Google Drive, and your Microsoft Office files, will all be compatible with Dropbox, so you’re getting a lot of flexibility and practicality. The entry-level subscription comes in at $10 per month and that gives a personal 100GB of storage. If you sign up as a home business, Dropbox Business is still $10 and you get a huge 2TB storage allowance. The best bits you get with Dropbox? The business plans have additional layers of encryption and you can recover files for up to 120 days, which is pretty decent. Image credit: pcmag.com For an easy setup, look no further than IDrive. As well as having a super simple client set-up there are most of the same features available as the big-hitters we’ve gone through above. You have options for auto-syncing on your computer and phone, bulk uploading for lots of files at once, and a useful search feature. On top of the solid basics, there is good encryption, handy data restoration, and desktop clients and phone apps that cover the major operating systems. With all of this goodness, there’s a trade-off, and that’s the price. You’ll get 5GB for free and the lowest personal plan costs $70 per month but that gets you 2TB of storage. To boost that up to 5TB you’re going to be paying $100 each month. To get a two-year 2TB plan it’s $140 and for 5TB it’s $200. There are some rather nice discounts available a lot of the time with IDrive, at the moment there’s a deal of $53 for 2TB for one year. Up at the business level, you get unlimited user accounts with prices at $100 for a year for 250GB and the top level is $1,000 for 1.25TB over two years. Image credit: vido.com.ua Overheads and outgoings are being monitored very closely as the market isn’t sure what’s going on at the moment. For a budget-friendly way to move your files around the internet, check out MediaFire. It might not be as popular as the other’s we’ve looked at, but it’s the cheapest of the easy-to-use file-sharing options that are out there. You automatically get 10GB of free storage, and for $4 per month, you get 1TB of storage as the opening deal. That also gives you the option to automatically scan for viruses and download complete folders in one go, as well as upload from any website and not have to suffer through adverts. For $40 there are business plans that give up to 100 user accounts and a very impressive 100TB of data storage. Of course, there’s a trade-off. With MediaFire, the virus scan runs slower and it’s not available across quite so many platforms. There’s no desktop client, but you do get iPhone and Android apps. Anna Dovbysh With 7 years of writing experience and a deep interest in tech, innovations, and all things trending, Anna’s here to shine a light on the most interesting tech stories. Need to know which gadget to choose for your sports activities? Wondering how technology can improve your lifestyle? Want to know what to expect from Apple this year? She’s got all the answers. Subscribe to her posts and share your opinion on the matter!	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line241
__label__wiki	0.796743	0.796743	Boar is the latest Horror film from Australian Writer/Director, Chris Sun (Charlie’s Farm). Presented by Slaughter FX and OZPIX Entertainment, Boar is set in a local country town and follows a family who encounter an over sized boar while headed for a reunion. Debbie (played by Simone Buchanan of TV’S “Hey Dad”) and her American partner, Bruce (Horror icon, Bill Moseley) with kids, Ella and Bart in tow (played respectively by Christie-Lee Britten and Griffin Walsh), along with Hannah’s boyfriend, Robert (Hugh Sheridan) are heading for a homecoming with Debbie’s brother, Bernie (played by the brutish, Nathan Jones). Elsewhere in town, fences and land are being damaged and livestock killed by something and it’s up to, Ken (played by Wolf Creek’s, John Jarratt), his mate, Blue (Roger Ward), and a group of the locals to stop the beast before anyone else gets hurt. The film also stars Melissa Tkautz (Housos), Chris Haywood (All Saints), Steve Bisley (Water Rats), Ernie Dingo (Crocodile Dundee 2) and Sheridyn Fisher. Here’s a little history for you. Boar marks the fourth feature film from Chris Sun, and if you know the journey behind the story, it’s clearly the most difficult venture that he’s undertaken thus far as he continues to grow as a genre filmmaker. Sun shot a sizeable chunk of Boar in Gympie, Queensland and the small town of Kandanga all the way back in late 2015. Unfortunately, with piracy being what it is these days the film hit a massive road block in terms of money, and the investors were getting nervous about their contributions and the potential for major losses. Without warning, money was pulled and the funds to pay cast and crew in order to continue the production dried up almost immediately. Chris, coming from a DIY (do it yourself) background and being the battler that he is, didn’t let the stress of it all get to him, and instead, decided to reach out to fans and other potential investors to get the money to finish the film. It took all of his time, a couple of online campaigns and reinvesting to see this latest film come to life. It may have taken several years but Boar is finally here, having been released on a one night only limited run and I happened to catch the session last night. The first things that jumps out at you in Boar is DP, Andrew Conder’s lively cinematography. The luscious green backdrop of a Queensland setting lends itself to some impressive photography to begin with, but add Conder’s 25 years of experience and the result is certainly a sharp one. The camera is always on the move during the action, a combination of handheld steadicam work and swift tracking shots and crane work. All of the two shot conversation pieces are well crafted and the night exteriors are laced with a thick fog, bringing plenty of atmosphere and intrigue to what might lie beyond the fence line or the hills. Mark Smythe’s moody score and the teams sound design for the Boar itself is another technical highlight of the film. Much to my surprise, a lot of the dialogue and content was funnier than I was expecting. No doubt viewers will be drawn to the horror aspect and the practically conceived creature, but there’s actually a lot of fun to be had with the lighthearted nature of the banter and Aussie idioms spoken among characters. The pacing is solid and there’s a good dose of practical effects work (in addition to the super impressive creature), albeit unveiled in patches. The first on-screen kill doesn’t come nearly as early as it probably should’ve. We get some nice aftermath shots but not a lot of Boar action until the film nears its third act. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was one of the only people who attended the screening that hadn’t previously seen “Razorback”, the only other known Australian pig film (unless you count Babe haha), so I have no comparisons to draw upon. The blood and gore does flow a little better as the film hits its peak, but it didn’t quite reach the heights I’d initially hoped for. Boar’s one of those homegrown films that you and your friends can have some fun with in regard to matching actors faces to the names. It’s a hodgepodge of familiars and iconic names spread across generations of Australian TV and Film work (some have even gone on to make a real name for themselves internationally). Boar might just be the first of Sun’s films to contain multiple likable and relatable characters. His debut film “Come And Get Me”, featured some truly horrible fuckers (as Chris himself would say) and “Daddy’s Little Girl” consisted of two equally screwed up individuals. It wasn’t until Sam Coward’s, loveable larrikin “Mick” in Charlie’s Farm, that we saw someone we could root for in a Slaughter FX film. In Boar, the dynamic duo that is local drinking and hunting buddies, Ken and Blue, make for one of the best pairings committed to screen in an Aussie film. Jarratt and Ward combined, boast nearly a century’s worth of experience and it shows. They play great country stereotypes and both possess unrivaled comedic timing for this particular brand of humor. Arguing over who should go where, how they should get there and the discourse on the behaviour of others, it’s all a bloody blast. There’s a momentary nod to John’s iconic “Mick Taylor” character of the Wolf Creek series, but it’s a complete role reversal for him and I love that about the film. Nathan Jones is another powerful figure (literally), but for other reasons too. Those of you who aren’t familiar with Nathan, he played Charlie in Chris’s previous film but he’s also appeared in films like “Conan” and “Mad Max: Fury Road”. Once again, Bernie is another example of something completely different from a Sun-written character, as well as Jones as an actor. From the moment we see the hulking “Bern” being smothered by baby goats as they lap up his attention, it’s clear we’re in for something different with this childlike man. Extremely likable and funny in most moment’s, this might just be some of Nathan’s best work. The family of four all have their moments as well, Moselely looking very much like the out of his comfort zone family man, an image so far removed from his bearded and delusional “Otis” of “The Devils Rejects”. Haywood, as a drunk, and Dingo as an indigenous local, at different stages each supply the comedic relief. Sheridan is given that mantle when the focus is on the family and he does a nice job as well. Melissa Tkautz as “Sasha”, Ken’s daughter and owner of the local pub, brings the fire and a sense of warmth to her character, she features nicely in the climax of the film. There’s a couple of small inconsistencies in Buchanan’s acting, most notably with Debbie’s reaction to something that transpires with one character in particular. On occasion she falls in an out of the emotional beats as the situation escalates. The same can be said about young actress, Madeleine Kennedy who plays Hannah, an innocent camper who ends up in the path of the wild animal. Some of the secondary characters are conveniently placed in precarious positions if for no other reason than to serve as additions to the body count. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that in the confines of a horror film, but there still needs to be some logic behind character’s decision-making. For example, Hannah and her boyfriend and another couple appear to be randomly camping on private property in a vast field. There’s no exposition as to why, it’s not near any obvious views or landmarks, there’s no broken down vehicle in sight, and yet there they are because the film requires it. Several characters do things that make no sense. Debbie and Ella discuss making some torch sticks because bears (sort of like pigs..) don’t like the light/heat so they might be able to ward off the thing, smart right? Immediately after, they’re shown sitting inside a perimeter with three or four small fire torches around them, but when the Boar attacks they don’t actually think about picking one up and trying to burn the damn thing, you know, considering it’s covered in fur/hair… Instead, they think a few swift kicks and punches might do the job, What the hell? Other examples would be when Bernie drops his gun and fails to pick it up again, despite the boar not being in site. In addition, certain characters get attacked from side on while facing others who can clearly see the direction said character would be being attacked from. It just doesn’t make any sense when there’s no warning called. I think Boar may have been stronger with a more direct focus on Ken and Sasha, the father and daughter bond, with a good dose of Blue thrown in for comedic purposes. The film appeared to be heading in that direction late in the first act as the spotlight turns away from the family of five for what felt like a good 20 to 25 minutes. After a quick rendezvous with Bernie there’s no cutting back to the group at all for almost the entire second act. The way the film opens felt a little lack lustre too. I’ve come to expect a good early on-screen kill from these creature feature types of films and what we get here feels rushed and lacks tension. Budgetary and time constraints are no doubt a continual challenge on a film of this magnitude and unfortunately it shows. If you’ve got a million, you need ten. If you’ve got a month, you need three, and so on and so forth. The lengthy gaps in the shooting dates and the minimal funds attached don’t allow for complete control over continuity and the heavy elements of CGI required. The Boar POV shots were clearly altered in post production utilizing a mix of Final Cut Pro filters over the image. I don’t think they were essential and had they been cut it may have provided a little more suspense about where the creature was in relation to the prey. The fact that Chris and Slaughter FX built a practical Boar to scale, and with some animatronic capabilities as well, is a huge feat in an of itself and deserves the highest of praise. With stylish lighting, great framing and talented puppeteers, Boar looks at its best when the creatures head is active and it’s attacking and devouring at close range with minimal movement e.g, the showdown with Jones’s character. It’s obvious in those stationary shots that the legs don’t allow for much, but hey, you can’t have it all (well you can it just costs a lot more). Unfortunately when things ratchet up a notch and the film gets visual effects heavy, it lacks in quality. The movements look cheap, the layering simply doesn’t contain enough depth and it all looks spotty in relation to the configuration of the frame with the actors in it. I wanted to love it, but in order to keep the consistency evident there’s no room for wide shots or daytime action and everything needed to be shot tighter. I’d love to see Boar made on ten times the budget, but my limited experience in the industry has taught me that you work with what you’ve got and Chris did that. The journey behind Boar is a resourceful one and it’s been a long time in the works, so it’s great to see Chris’s drive and passion for this project finally pay off. There’s a lot to like about this entertaining and surprisingly good-natured creature feature horror film. Conder’s cinematography drives the high production value, the location looks great and Smythe’s sound design is shaped ominously. All of Suns comedic gags land, the characters are all engaging and the Boar action makes for a pretty wild ride. It’s not as gore heavy as some of Chris’s previous work but there’s some on-screen carnage for fans to revel in. What it does display is a huge practically conceived creature, something all too rarely seen in this particular sub-genre. There’s a few undersold emotions in a couple of the performances and a lot of the secondary characters are conveniently placed in situations they wouldn’t be in unless the film required it. There’s some dumb decision-making and things happen that don’t always add up. The film is an ambitious one but there’s only so much you can do when you simply don’t have the time or funds required to do so. Had the focus of the story shifted to the father daughter connection I may have been able to distract myself from looking further at the somewhat inept digital effects. That being said, Sun put every dollar he had on the screen to get Boar made, and the end product is his best yet and a hell of a lot of fun at that. If you love your creature features please support this homegrown film because it’s a tough gig when you’re going it alone. Boar will available on Foxtel and other streaming services by the end of the month. Check out the official trailer below! My rating for “Boar” is 6.5/10	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line247
__label__cc	0.658619	0.341381	Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness, Carotid Plaque and Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke in Chinese Kuo Liong Chien, Ta Chen Su, Jiann Shing Jeng, Hsiu Ching Hsu, et al http://www.mendeley.com/research/carotid-artery-intimamedia-thickness-carotid-plaque-coronary-heart-disease-stroke-chinese {"title"=>"Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness, Carotid Plaque and Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke in Chinese", "type"=>"journal", "authors"=>[{"first_name"=>"Kuo-Liong", "last_name"=>"Chien"}, {"first_name"=>"Ta-Chen", "last_name"=>"Su"}, {"first_name"=>"Jiann-Shing", "last_name"=>"Jeng"}, {"first_name"=>"Hsiu-Ching", "last_name"=>"Hsu"}, {"first_name"=>"Wei-Tien", "last_name"=>"Chang"}, {"first_name"=>"Ming-Fong", "last_name"=>"Chen"}, {"first_name"=>"Yuan-Teh", "last_name"=>"Lee"}, {"first_name"=>"Frank B.", "last_name"=>"Hu"}], "year"=>2008, "source"=>"PLoS ONE", "identifiers"=>{"issn"=>"1932-6203", "pmid"=>"18927612", "doi"=>"10.1371/journal.pone.0003435", "isbn"=>"1932-6203"}, "id"=>"da78c342-fd28-3b1b-ab26-e90bc8e8e609", "abstract"=>"BACKGROUND: Our aim was to prospectively investigate the association between carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) as well as carotid plaque and incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke in Chinese, among whom data are limited.\\nMETHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted a community-based cohort study composed of 2190 participants free of cardiovascular disease at baseline in one community. During a median 10.5-year follow up, we documented 68 new cases of coronary heart disease and 94 cases of stroke. The multivariate relative risks (RRs) associated with a change of 1 standard deviation of maximal common carotid IMT were 1.38 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-1.70) for CHD and 1.47 (95% CI, 1.28-1.69) for stroke. The corresponding RRs with internal carotid IMT were 1.47 (95% CI, 1.21-1.79) for CHD and 1.52 (95% CI, 1.31-1.76) for stroke. Carotid plaque measured by the degree of diameter stenosis was also significantly associated with increased risk of CHD (p for trend<0.0001) and stroke (p for trend<0.0001). However, these associations were largely attenuated when adjusting for IMT measurements.\\nCONCLUSIONS: This prospective study indicates a significant association between carotid IMT and incidence of CHD and stroke in Chinese adults. These measurements may be useful for cardiovascular risk assessment and stratification in Chinese.", "link"=>"http://www.mendeley.com/research/carotid-artery-intimamedia-thickness-carotid-plaque-coronary-heart-disease-stroke-chinese", "reader_count"=>22, "reader_count_by_academic_status"=>{"Professor > Associate Professor"=>1, "Student > Doctoral Student"=>1, "Researcher"=>4, "Student > Postgraduate"=>5, "Other"=>4, "Student > Master"=>2, "Student > Bachelor"=>3, "Lecturer"=>1, "Lecturer > Senior Lecturer"=>1}, "reader_count_by_user_role"=>{"Professor > Associate Professor"=>1, "Student > Doctoral Student"=>1, "Researcher"=>4, "Student > Postgraduate"=>5, "Other"=>4, "Student > Master"=>2, "Student > Bachelor"=>3, "Lecturer"=>1, "Lecturer > Senior Lecturer"=>1}, "reader_count_by_subject_area"=>{"Unspecified"=>2, "Engineering"=>1, "Nursing and Health Professions"=>1, "Mathematics"=>1, "Medicine and Dentistry"=>14, "Agricultural and Biological Sciences"=>1, "Arts and Humanities"=>1, "Computer Science"=>1}, "reader_count_by_subdiscipline"=>{"Engineering"=>{"Engineering"=>1}, "Medicine and Dentistry"=>{"Medicine and Dentistry"=>14}, "Agricultural and Biological Sciences"=>{"Agricultural and Biological Sciences"=>1}, "Computer Science"=>{"Computer Science"=>1}, "Nursing and Health Professions"=>{"Nursing and Health Professions"=>1}, "Mathematics"=>{"Mathematics"=>1}, "Unspecified"=>{"Unspecified"=>2}, "Arts and Humanities"=>{"Arts and Humanities"=>1}}, "group_count"=>2} http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.111039 http://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.07.124 http://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2015.06.038 http://doi.org/10.3179/jjmu.37.437 http://doi.org/10.1038/srep38618 http://doi.org/10.1097/HPC.0b013e31823a31f0 http://doi.org/10.1515/med-2018-0078 http://doi.org/10.11622/smedj.2014091 http://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2015.03.011 http://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.110.586222 http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehj.2014.01.003 http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcmg.2013.11.014 http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2013.04.042 http://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1408553 http://doi.org/10.5551/jat.10728 http://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/33.2.177 http://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2377-13-7 http://doi.org/10.1253/circj.CJ-18-1046 http://doi.org/10.31728/jnn.2018.00025 http://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyr013 http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfma.2018.01.009 http://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.4873 http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2019.08.005 http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122745 http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-1331.2011.03510.x http://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114912 http://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2261-12-66 Europe PMC Citations 1713 Mar 01:46 UTC PubMed Central 114 May 03:57 UTC {"@_fa"=>"true", "link"=>[{"@_fa"=>"true", "@ref"=>"self", "@href"=>"https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/55649087094"}, {"@_fa"=>"true", "@ref"=>"author-affiliation", "@href"=>"https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/55649087094?field=author,affiliation"}, {"@_fa"=>"true", "@ref"=>"scopus", "@href"=>"https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=55649087094&origin=inward"}, {"@_fa"=>"true", "@ref"=>"scopus-citedby", "@href"=>"https://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=55649087094&origin=inward"}], "prism:url"=>"https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/55649087094", "dc:identifier"=>"SCOPUS_ID:55649087094", "eid"=>"2-s2.0-55649087094", "dc:title"=>"Carotid artery intima-media thickness, carotid plaque and coronary heart disease and stroke in Chinese", "dc:creator"=>"Chien K.L.", "prism:publicationName"=>"PLoS ONE", "prism:eIssn"=>"19326203", "prism:volume"=>"3", "prism:issueIdentifier"=>"10", "prism:pageRange"=>nil, "prism:coverDate"=>"2008-10-17", "prism:coverDisplayDate"=>"17 October 2008", "prism:doi"=>"10.1371/journal.pone.0003435", "citedby-count"=>"56", "affiliation"=>[{"@_fa"=>"true", "affilname"=>"National Taiwan University Hospital", "affiliation-city"=>"Taipei", "affiliation-country"=>"Taiwan"}, {"@_fa"=>"true", "affilname"=>"National Taiwan University", "affiliation-city"=>"Taipei", "affiliation-country"=>"Taiwan"}], "pubmed-id"=>"18927612", "prism:aggregationType"=>"Journal", "subtype"=>"ar", "subtypeDescription"=>"Article", "article-number"=>"e3435", "source-id"=>"10600153309", "openaccess"=>"1", "openaccessFlag"=>true} Article Coverage Curated25 Aug 13:55 UTC Figshare 3418 Apr 07:44 UTC {"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/918478"], "description"=>"<p>Abbreviation: AUC, area under receiver operative characteristic curve; CHD, coronary heart disease; IMT, intima-media thickness; IDI, Integrated discrimination improvement; NRI, Net reclassification improvement.</p>*<p>Integrated discrimination improvement.</p>†<p>Net reclassification improvement with a priori risk categories according to (0–5%, 5–10%, 10–20%, and > = 20%).</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["comparing", "models", "imt", "chd"], "article_id"=>588926, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Neuroscience"], "users"=>["Kuo-Liong Chien", "Ta-Chen Su", "Jiann-Shing Jeng", "Hsiu-Ching Hsu", "Wei-Tien Chang", "Ming-Fong Chen", "Yuan-Teh Lee", "Frank B. Hu"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0003435.t005", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>1, "page_views"=>2, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Summary_statistics_comparing_risk_prediction_for_the_models_without_and_with_IMT_for_the_risk_of_CHD_and_stroke_/588926", "title"=>"Summary statistics comparing risk prediction for the models without and with IMT for the risk of CHD and stroke.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>3, "published_date"=>"2013-02-21 07:50:45"} {"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/918387"], "description"=>"<p>Abbreviation: CCA, common carotid artery; ICA, internal carotid artery; IMT, intima-media thickness; BMI, body mass index; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; TG: triglycerides; HDL, high density lipoprotein; LDL, low density lipoprotein.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["spearman", "coefficients", "carotid-artery", "intima-media", "plaque", "scores", "atherosclerotic"], "article_id"=>588830, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Neuroscience"], "users"=>["Kuo-Liong Chien", "Ta-Chen Su", "Jiann-Shing Jeng", "Hsiu-Ching Hsu", "Wei-Tien Chang", "Ming-Fong Chen", "Yuan-Teh Lee", "Frank B. Hu"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0003435.t002", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>0, "page_views"=>9, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Adjusted_Spearman_Correlation_coefficients_of_carotid_artery_intima_media_thickness_plaque_scores_and_various_atherosclerotic_risk_factors_/588830", "title"=>"Adjusted Spearman Correlation coefficients of carotid-artery intima-media thickness, plaque scores and various atherosclerotic risk factors.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>3, "published_date"=>"2013-02-21 07:50:12"} {"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/918343"], "description"=>"<p>Model 1: adjusted for age groups (35–44, 45–54, 55–64, 65–74, > = 75 years old) and gender.</p><p>Model 2: Model 1 plus body mass index (<18, 18 to 20.9, 21 to 22.9, 23 to 24.9, or > = 25 kg/m<sup>2</sup>), alcohol intake (nondrinker/regular), exercise (yes/no), marital status (single, married or divorced), education level (<9 years, ≥9 years), occupation (no work, manual work, or professional), and family history of coronary heart disease (yes/no).</p><p>Model 3: Model 2, adding baseline hypertension, diabetes, continuous HDL-C and LDL-C variables.</p><p>Model 4: Model 3, adding metabolic syndrome (yes/no).</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["risks", "intervals", "coronary", "maximal", "cca", "imt", "quartile", "carotid"], "article_id"=>588787, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Neuroscience"], "users"=>["Kuo-Liong Chien", "Ta-Chen Su", "Jiann-Shing Jeng", "Hsiu-Ching Hsu", "Wei-Tien Chang", "Ming-Fong Chen", "Yuan-Teh Lee", "Frank B. Hu"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0003435.t003", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>0, "page_views"=>4, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Median_level_incident_rates_relative_risks_and_95_confidence_intervals_of_coronary_heart_disease_and_stroke_in_the_study_participants_according_to_maximal_CCA_IMT_quartile_and_carotid_plaque_/588787", "title"=>"Median level, incident rates, relative risks and 95% confidence intervals of coronary heart disease and stroke in the study participants according to maximal CCA IMT quartile and carotid plaque.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>3, "published_date"=>"2013-02-21 07:49:54"} {"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/918441"], "description"=>"<p>Abbreviation: CCA, common carotid artery, ICA, internal carotid artery, IMT, intima-media thickness.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["2190", "enrollment", "quartiles", "maximal", "ica", "intima", "thickness", "plaque", "stenosis", "severity"], "article_id"=>588881, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Neuroscience"], "users"=>["Kuo-Liong Chien", "Ta-Chen Su", "Jiann-Shing Jeng", "Hsiu-Ching Hsu", "Wei-Tien Chang", "Ming-Fong Chen", "Yuan-Teh Lee", "Frank B. Hu"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0003435.t001", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>1, "page_views"=>4, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Characteristics_of_the_2190_study_participants_at_enrollment_according_to_quartiles_of_maximal_ICA_intima_media_thickness_and_plaque_stenosis_severity_measurements_/588881", "title"=>"Characteristics of the 2190 study participants at enrollment according to quartiles of maximal ICA intima media thickness and plaque stenosis severity measurements.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>3, "published_date"=>"2013-02-21 07:50:27"} {"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/918519"], "description"=>"<p>Model 1: adjusted for age groups (35–44, 45–54, 55–64, 65–74, > = 75 years old) and gender.</p><p>Model 2: Model 1 plus body mass index (<18, 18 to 20.9, 21 to 22.9, 23 to 24.9, or > = 25 kg/m<sup>2</sup>), alcohol intake (nondrinker/regular), exercise (yes/no), marital status(single, married or divorced), education level ((<9 years, ≥9 years), occupation (no work, manual work, or professional), and family history of coronary heart disease (yes/no).</p><p>Model 3: Model 2, adding baseline hypertension, diabetes, continuous HDL-C and LDL-C variables.</p><p>Model 4: Model 3, adding metabolic syndrome (yes/no).</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["intervals", "jointed", "sd", "imt", "plaque", "chd"], "article_id"=>588969, "categories"=>["Medicine", "Neuroscience"], "users"=>["Kuo-Liong Chien", "Ta-Chen Su", "Jiann-Shing Jeng", "Hsiu-Ching Hsu", "Wei-Tien Chang", "Ming-Fong Chen", "Yuan-Teh Lee", "Frank B. 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__label__cc	0.584201	0.415799	Category: In A Nut Shell Trust Yourself! Self-doubt, lack of confidence, not believing you are good enough, and aiming for perfectionism can block you from attempting anything. It can create a fear of failure. This fear holds you back and you might not even have the courage to try. When you don’t try, you inevitably always fail. It is a negative feedback loop, because when you fail, it is confirming your self belief that you aren’t good enough and again you will not ontinue to try. Luckily the opposite is also true. When you believe you are good enough, you don’t strive for perfection but just to be enough. You are hopeful and give it a go. Even if you then fail, you had a chance at success and you would have always learned from it. As Brene Brown says, when you are not sure if you should or shouldn’t do something, ask yourself: Is it worth doing, even if I fail? Jesus was not sent here to teach the people built magnificent churches and temples amidst the cold wretched huts. He was sent to make the human heart a temple, the soul an altar and the mind a priest. It’s not the moon that I miss. It’s the idea of something radiating, That makes the darkness a less darker. Just as you wear your earrings penetrating your skin, Similarly your feelings pierced inside my heart. No doubt it made my soul look adorable just as your face, But it hurt every single time you tried to detach it. I thought you wore it as a symbol of your pride and existence, But I was fooled until you changed it. Then I realized you have one for every occasion. I realized what remained constant was the hole on your earlobe and the hole in my heart. Bookoholic The synopsis seemed good, the cover too looked nice, you opened the book and began a new life. You found yourself a new home, you met some new friends, you continued reading, hoping it would never end. You flipped through the pages, you read out loud the words you felt their joy, their pain and hurt. The pages cut your fingers, and the words cut your heart, Felt as if the author had a knife, and was tearing your soul apart. You laughed with the characters, with them, you cried, you lived with them, too And with them, you died. Before We Go! Recently I watched this movie Before We Go and I loved it indeed. Outstanding performance of Alice Eve and Chris Evans witnessing a number of adventures together. Not only did they came close in the process but also got to know a number of things about themselves which helped them make some life changing decisions. Here are a few power-packed lines from the movie which I genuinely loved- Nick – “God. Why is it that any one decision always seems too small to be the biggest decision of your life.” Brooke – “I don’t know but sometimes you have to just make the choice and jump.” “This is no perfect. There will always be struggle. You just need to choose who you wanna struggle with.” Brooke – “It’s possible, isn’t it? It’s possible that you could meet somebody who’s perfect for you even though you’re committed to somebody else.” Nick – “No, no, see, I think if you’re committed to somebody, you don’t allow yourself to find perfection in someone else.” Nick – “And at the end of the night, you’re gonna want to say some things, but don’t. Don’t ruin it. It’s nothing she doesn’t already know. Just give her a kiss. Wish her good luck. And, uh… thank her. Thank her for showing you that you can love more than one person in this life.” The fate of Oliver Twist Oliver is born in a workhouse in a small town near London, England in the early part of the 19th century. His mother dies almost immediately after his birth. Oliver is brought up at a “child farm” in the country until he is about eight years old. At this point, the parish officials running the child farm decide it’s time for him to start working, and they send him back to the workhouse. But Oliver commits the offence of asking for more food when he is close to starving, so the parish officials offer five pounds to anyone who’s willing to take Oliver on as an apprentice. The parish officials eventually send Oliver off with a coffin-maker. Oliver gets in trouble there and after being abused some more decides to set out for London on foot. He falls into wrong hands and is wrongfully accused of pick pocketing a gentleman who later takes kindly to him and takes him to his home and cares for him The thieves manage to abduct Oliver once more and try to turn him into a criminal and on one of his assignments is badly injured. Fortunately, Oliver is picked up by the people who shot him, a family that turns out to be as nice as Mr. Brownlow. While Fagin and the criminals distress, Oliver learns to read and write with his new friends, the Maylies. He’s also reunited with his first friend, Mr. Brownlow. (Adapted – Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens) The Namesake – By Jhumpa Lahiri This novel revolves around the Ganguli family with the opening scene of a hospital in Massachusetts, where Ashima Ganguli is about to give birth to a baby. The husband Ashoke Ganguli names the baby Gogol in honor of the famous Ukranian author Nikolai Gogol. He had a deep relation with the name as he had been reading a short story collection by Gogol just before his accident, many years back. The Ganguli couple names their son as Nikhil in school but he wanted to be called Gogol. But by the time he turned 14, he started hating his name. Before leaving for college, he changed his name to Nikhil Gogol Ganguli. He went to Yale for further studies and adopted the American culture. While taking a train home for summers, the train was suddenly stopped as a man had jumped in front of the train and committed suicide. Ashoke becomes very concerned and he then tells him about the significance of his name. Gogol is troubled and starts regretting his decision of changing his name. After graduating, he gets a job in NYC and moves in with a girl Maxine. Gogol introduces her to his parents. Shortly after the meeting, Ashoke dies of a heart attack in Ohio. Eventually, Gogol withdraws from Maxine and breaks up with her. Ashima suggests him to meet Maushmi, one of his childhood friends, who has just broken up from her wedding. Gogol is reluctant but somehow agrees. They both are attracted to each other and get married. But Maushmi feels tied up and regrets her marriage. She has an extra marital relationship with Dimitri. When Gogol comes to know of it, he leaves her. He finally comes to accept his name and picks up a collection of the Russian author’s stories that his father had gifted him many years back.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line252
__label__cc	0.702539	0.297461	Africa: Cash Drain from Poorest Countries By Magnus Taylor AfricaFocus Bulletin May 26, 2011 (110526) (Reposted from sources cited below) The 48 countries classified by the United Nations as LDCs [Least Developed Countries], 33 of which are in Sub-Saharan Africa, lost a cumulative total of $246 billion in illicit financial flows over the period from 1990 to 2008, according to a new report from Global Financial Integrity prepared for the UNDP. Six of the top ten countries in cumulative outflows were in Africa, including Angola (#2), Lesotho (#3), Chad (#4), Uganda (#7), Ethiopia (#9), and Zambia (#10). While these data are admittedly estimates, and do not allow tracking where the money goes, they provide substantive evidence that the sums involved are of a high order of magnitude, almost certainly over $20 billion a year by 2008. These flows have left this set of countries with a net financial outflow (including other “licit” financial transfers, such as aid, investments, loans, and debt repayments) of $197 billion over the same period. It is much more difficult to estimate where the money goes, but reports last year, also from Global Financial Integrity, note that they go not only to offshore financial centers but also to banks in developed countries, both identified as “secrecy jurisdictions” because of lack of transparency of data on financial transactions. According to a March 2010 report, excerpted in another AfricaFocus Bulletin not sent out by e-mail but available on the web at http://www.africafocus.org/docs11/iff1105b.php, the top three recipients of such funds were the United States, the Cayman Islands, and the United Kingdom. For a previous report on illicit financial flows from Africa, not limited to LDCs, see “Profiling Cash Drains,” at http://www.africafocus.org/docs10/fin1004.php For previous AfricaFocus Bulletins on economic issues, visit http://www.africafocus.org/econexp.php ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Alert to readers: Please note that AfricaFocus Bulletin is sometimes erroneously identified as spam by over-eager spam filters set off by the use of certain words. A number of you may have missed the last issue on AIDS treatment, for example. If you did, then you can find it at http://www.africafocus.org/docs11/hiv1105.php All AfricaFocus issues are posted on the website shortly before being e-mailed to subscribers, and can always be found at http://www.africafocus.org ++++++++++++++++++++++end editor’s note+++++++++++++++++ Illicit Financial Flows from the Least Developed Countries: 1990-2008 E-mail: poverty.reduction@undp.org and dgg@undp.org Web site: http://www.undp.org/poverty and http://www.undp.org/governance This Discussion Paper has been commissioned by UNDP as a contribution to the United Nation’s IV conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Istanbul, Turkey in May 2011. UNDP warmly welcomes feedback from interested stakeholders on any aspect of the research and conclusions drawn. It has been written by Dev Kar, formerly a Senior Economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and now Lead Economist at Global Financial Integrity (GFI), Center for International Policy. This paper explores the scale and composition of illicit financial flows from the 48 Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Illicit financial flows involve the cross-border transfer of the proceeds of corruption, trade in contraband goods, criminal activities and tax evasion. In recent years, considerable interest has arisen over the extent to which such flows may have a detrimental impact on development and governance in both developed and developing countries alike. This issue has been recognised by the UN as important for development and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Illicit capital flight, where it occurs, is a major hindrance to the mobilisation of domestic resources for development. In many cases, it significantly reduces the volume of resources available for investment in the MDGs and productive capacities. Through the United Nations, the international community has committed to strengthen national and multilateral efforts to address it. As the deadline for achievement of the MDGs draws closer, it is vital understand more about the nature of this problem and to explore possible policy solutions, especially for those countries furthest off-track towards the MDGs. The study’s indicative results find that illicit financial flows from the LDCs have increased from US$9.7 billion in 1990 to US$26.3 billion in 2008 implying an inflation-adjusted rate of increase of 6.2 percent per annum. Conservative (lower-bound) estimates indicate that illicit flows have increased from US$7.9 billion in 1990 to US$20.2 billion in 2008. The top ten exporters of illicit capital account for 63 percent of total outflows from the LDCs while the top 20 account for nearly 83 percent. Trade mispricing accounts for the bulk (65-70 percent) of illicit outflows from the LDCs, and the propensity for mispricing has increased along with increasing external trade. Empirical research on illicit flows indicates that there are three types of factors driving illicit flows í¢â‚¬” macroeconomic, structural, and governance-related. The ratio of illicit outflows to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) averages about 4.8 percent but there is wide variation among LDCs. Of the top 10 countries with the highest illicit flows to GDP ratio, four are small island countries, two are landlocked, and four are neither. In some LDCs, losses through illicit capital flows outpace monies received in official development assistance (ODA). Estimating illicit flows from some LDCs is problematic because the underlying macroeconomic or partner-country trade data are either non-existent or spotty due to widespread on-going or recent conflict and/or weak statistical capacity. Complete macroeconomic and partner-country trade data were available for 34 LDCs, while 11 report partial data to the IMF and 3 are nonreporters. The report thus presents an estimate of illicit flows from some of the non-reporting and partially reporting countries based on the assumption that illicit flows from these countries are in the same proportion to GDP as are outflows from other reporting LDCs with complete data. The results of this study are indicative but demonstrate a clear need for further research in this area given the scale of the development challenges which currently face the Least Developed Countries and the need to ‘think outside the box’ and find innovative development solutions. The paper presents a number of useful measures LDCs may wish to consider to curtail the generation and transmission of illicit financial flows. The international community must also play its part. However, even where policy measures are well designed and targeted, lasting improvements in this area can only be achieved when there is the sufficient political will and leadership to tackle corruption and some of the root causes of illicit financial flows. For the Least Developed Countries, policy recommendations include measures to address trade mispricing through for instance systematic customs reform and the adoption of transfer pricing regulations with commensurate increase in enforcement capacity. The implementation of specialised software which helps governments to identify possible incidences of transfer pricing may also be useful to some governments. Measures to reform the tax base through the progressive strengthening and widening of the tax base in order to reduce dependence on indirect taxes which are more difficult to manage and have built-in incentives for tax evasion may also be beneficial. Ultimately tax is the most sustainable source of finance for development and the long-term goal of poor countries must be to replace foreign aid dependency with tax self-sufficiency. However taxation reform must be seen as equitable and fair and must not unduly burden the poorest. The international community must also support LDCs’ efforts to curtail the illicit outflow of capital. This includes specific measures to support LDCs to improve the systematic exchange of tax information between governments on non-resident individuals and corporations while the adoption of globally consistent regulations for transfer pricing could encourage multinational companies to modify their behaviour towards more transparency and accountability. The UN’s Model Income Tax Treaty refers to the importance of automatic exchange of information between national tax authorities in different jurisdictions. In order to stem tax avoidance by multinational corporations, the international community could support the development of an international accounting standard requiring that all multinational corporations report sales, profits, and taxes paid in all jurisdictions in their audited annual reports and tax returns. UNDP stands ready to support LDCs and other developing countries in their efforts to curtail illicit financial flows in support of the MDGs. In particular, it can support countries to exchange practical information, experience and lessons learned on ways to tackle this problem. This paper explores the possible scale and composition of illicit financial flows from the 48 Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Illicit financial flows involve the cross-border transfer of the proceeds of corruption, trade in contraband goods, criminal activities, and tax evasion. In recent years, considerable intellectual interest has arisen over the extent to which such flows may have development, governance or other consequences for both developed and developing countries (e.g., Baker (2005); Ndikumana and Boyce (2008), among others). The paper has been commissioned by UNDP as a contribution to the United Nations IV High Level Conference on the LDCs in 2011. Its objective is to assess the extent to which illicit financial flows may represent a significant problem in some LDCs, and if so, to consider more broadly the policy options available to governments and the international community to curtail such flows. It is intended to stimulate further public policy discussion and its results are indicative only given numerous difficulties associated with robust data collection and divergent views over which methodological approach best captures the true scale of illicit financial flows. The outcome document from the United Nations 2010 Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) recognises the importance of this issue for development and the MDGs and commits the international community to í¢â‚¬Å“implement measures to curtail illicit financial flows at all levels, enhancing disclosure practices and promoting transparency in financial information.í¢â‚¬ The recommendations made in the outcome document of 2010 are in line with the UN’s Monterrey Consensus and Doha Declaration, which recognise the importance of domestic resource mobilisation in countries’ efforts to raise more resources for the MDGs and commits governments to address the problem of illicit financial flows through multilateral and national efforts. Since the 1960s, the UN has recognised the particular weaknesses, vulnerabilities and development challenges faced by the LDCs. There are currently 48 countries classified by the United Nations as LDCs, 33 of which are in Sub-Saharan Africa, 14 in Asia and one in Latin America and the Caribbean. Many LDCs share similar structural characteristics, for instance 16 LDCs are landlocked, 10 are small islands, while 22 are neither (Appendix III, Table 1). LDCs satisfy three separate criteria: (i) an income per capita of less than US$905 per annum (ii) a low level of ‘human assets’ based on indicators of nutrition, health, education and literacy (iii) and a high degree of economic vulnerability measured in relation to population size and remoteness, dependency on agriculture, forestry and fisheries, exposure to natural disasters, export concentration and instability in exports.6 The three criteria together seek to capture the multifaceted nature of development and underscore the many diverse challenges faced by the world’s poorest governments to develop their economies and improve the lives of í¢â‚¬” and opportunities for í¢â‚¬” their citizens. For several reasons, many LDCs are lagging behind in achieving the UN’s MDG targets. Intuitively, one can argue that the outflow of illicit capital may hamper governments’ abilities to marshal resources for economic development, to fund important social programmes, and to bring better balance between government expenditures and tax revenues. In addition, illicit flows are typically absorbed into developed country banks and offshore financial centres. This paper also explores the issue of potential net resource transfers out of LDCs í¢â‚¬” the very same group identified by the United Nations as most in need of special support measures from the international community to develop. While the magnitude of the problem of net resource transfers varies from one LDC to the next, there is strong evidence that net transfers from the group are significant and present a serious challenge for fostering economic development. 2. Why Least DeveLoped Countries are Vulnerable to Illicit Flows In his Keynote Address at a senior Policy Seminar on Implications of Capital Flight for Macroeconomic Management and Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, South African Reserve Bank, October 2007, Prof. Njuguna Ndung’u, Governor, Central Bank of Kenya noted that: Paradoxically, the accumulation of external liabilities in the region is mirrored by massive outflows of resources in the form of capital flight í¢â‚¬” the voluntary exit of private residents’ own capital for safe haven away from the continent. The latest estimates published by UNCTAD suggest that capital flight from Sub-Saharan Africa is fast approaching half a trillion dollars, more than twice the size of its aggregate external liabilities. While Governor Ndung’u was referring to developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, most LDCs share certain characteristics which may be facilitating the cross-border transfer of illicit capital. A lower domestic savings rate relative to more developed emerging market countries mean that they are even more dependent upon external sources of capital to finance economic development and to fund poverty reduction efforts. Some researchers have also found a significant link between the growth of external debt and capital flight í¢â‚¬” the so-called revolving door effect. On the one hand, most LDCs have poorly diversified economies and rely extensively on a few commodities to generate revenues, which are in turn subject to large price fluctuations internationally. On the other, LDCs tend to import a wide variety of goods due to the poor diversification of domestic industry. Customs duties on imports and on extractive mineral exports (where applicable) therefore contribute significantly to government revenues particularly given that direct income taxes are low due to a narrow tax base. This has led the IMF to conclude that: í¢â‚¬Å“For the foreseeable future, in any event, the central lesson is clear: for many developing countries, and especially the poorest of them, tariff revenue will continue to be a core component of government finances for many years to comeí¢â‚¬. The IMF report notes that smuggling, defined as importation or exportation contrary to the law and without paying (or underpaying) applicable duties, will continue as long as tariffs are levied. The continuing importance of trade taxes in developing countries, particularly in the LDCs, thus creates a significant risk of smuggling. Furthermore, LDCs typically have limited fiscal space to mitigate the impact of crises on the poor (such as increasing joblessness), nor the resources to launch large-scale new investments in infrastructure to stimulate the economy when there is an economic downturn. Additionally, significant fiscal deficits may spur the tax evasion component of illicit financial flows because higher deficits signal to private markets and high net worth individuals that taxes would probably have to be raised to close the revenue gap in the near future. The threat of higher taxes may result in larger tax evasion through illicit financial flows from LDCs into tax havens. However, as Sheets (1997) and others have noted, the empirical evidence on the adverse impact of fiscal deficits on illegal capital flight is not very clear. There are other drivers of illicit financial flows from LDCs that are by no means unique to them. Kar (2011) found that a skewed and worsening distribution of income can drive illicit flows because of the expanding number of higher net worth individuals in economies with a relatively narrow tax base and weaker or more corrupt tax collection agencies compared to those operating in developed countries. The high net worth individuals then resort to the cross-border transfer of illicit capital in order to not only shield their growing assets from applicable taxes but to accumulate, in a clandestine manner, wealth far in excess of what declared incomes could have generated. The other important driver of illicit flows is the size of the underground economy. A recent comprehensive study of the underground economy by the World Bank found that it is quite large in many LDCs. These estimates are likely to be understated because they typically do not include criminal activities such as burglary and robbery or trade in contraband goods such as drugs. Nevertheless, available empirical evidence point to the fact that the underground economy in LDCs can be a significant driver of illicit financial flows. 4. Illicit Flows and the Least Developed Countries [This section includes several charts not possible to reproduce in the AfricaFocus Bulletin format. See the full report at http://www.gfip.org / direct URL: http://tinyurl.com/3jctbdv] [Top 20 excerpted from Chart 4: Cumulative IFFs from LDCs by country, 1990-2008 (US$ million) Bangadesh 34,790 Angola 34,046 Lesotho 16,823 Chad 15,436 Yemen 11,979 Nepal 9,128 Uganda 8,757 Myanmar 8,535 Ethiopia 8,354 Zambia 6,800 Sudan 6,732 Equatorial Guinea 6,503 Laos 6,062 Liberia 5,863 Guinea 4,928 Malawi 4,171 Djibouti 3,885 Mozambique 3,773 Madagascar 3,746 Congo (DRC) 3,499 ] 4.11. Chart 6 analyses the net cumulative resource transfer from LDCs to the rest of the world over the period 1990-2008 by estimating the relevant capital inflows and outflows from LDCs as recorded in countries’ balance of payments. The totality of net recorded transfers (inflows and outflows) is then compared to unrecorded outflows of illicit capital. Cumulative inflows and outflows from LDCs vis-íƒ -vis the rest of the world (keeping signs intact) can be estimated as: Net recorded transfers = Net Financial Account Balance, FDI, New loans, Repayments of principal (+US$94 billion) + Remittances (+US$118 billion) – Debt Service payments (US$162 billion) = +US$50 billion (inflow) 4. 12. If illicit outflows of US$246 billion are ‘netted-out’, LDCs show a net resource transfer of about US$197 billion into the rest of the world (mainly developed countries) over this period. This is a serious loss of resources which may be accentuating the development challenge in many LDCs. 5. The Drivers and Dynamics of Illicit Financial Flows The policy recommendations for curbing illicit financial flows from a country must necessarily flow from an in-depth study of the drivers and dynamics of these flows that are specific to each individual country. This section analyses the broad drivers and dynamics of illicit financial flows based on empirical research and is followed by an overview of policy measures governments may wish to consider in order to restrict the generation and cross-border transmission of such capital. Empirical research on illicit financial flows (see Appendix II) indicate that the factors that drive such flows can be broadly classified into three categories í¢â‚¬” macroeconomic, structural, and governance-related. 5.1 Macroeconomic Factors Owners of illicit capital, which comprise of the proceeds of crime, bribery, kickbacks, asset stripping, tax evasion, and illegal activities such as drug trafficking, are typically more interested in hiding their wealth than in maximising rates of return. They are also not likely to be worried about future taxation implied by a rising government budget deficit. That said, overall macroeconomic conditions do impact a country’s overall business climate which prompts domestic businesses to retain more capital at home while attracting foreign direct investment into the country. Ultimately, whether macroeconomic factors drive illicit flows is an empirical question which needs to be settled within the context of specific country case studies. 5.2 Structural Issues Illicit flows are much more likely to be driven by structural factors like rising income inequality, faster rates of (noninclusive) economic growth, increasing trade openness without adequate regulatory oversight, etc. Where economic growth in non-inclusive, it may worsen the distribution of income and the resulting larger number of high net worth individuals may seek to evade higher taxes if overall governance does not improve. Hence, fiscal policy measures to fund a social safety system, combined with investment in health, education and infrastructure need to be implemented so that growth benefits all income groups and not just a privileged minority. At the same time, tax reform needs to focus on widening the tax base and improving compliance (with an eye on equity) in order to reduce the tax evasion component of illicit flows. However, tax reform alone will not succeed in curtailing tax evasion if the quality of government services does not improve, that is if tax payers feel that they are not getting their money’s worth in terms of better infrastructure and better access to health, education, and social services. 5.3 Governance and Corruption Corruption distorts public policies in that resources are allocated not based on efficiency or internal rates of return but in favor of those who are willing and/or able to bribe or pay kickbacks to public officials. Weak governance spawns public corruption and encourages corporate malfeasance. Public corruption typically involves the abuse of authority or trust for private benefit. But this is a temptation indulged in not only by government officials but also by rent-seekers in private enterprises and nonprofit organisations. In general, poor governance provides greater latitude for corruption, both in the public and private sectors, so long as the corrupt are convinced that they are likely to get away with the loot. The misallocation of resources also hurts the private sector because infrastructure tends to get neglected even as the corrupt enrich themselves at the expense of the state. The impact on the poor is particularly harmful because the siphoning of funds reduces resources for social programmes and investments in the MDGs. The state of governance and the extent and type of corruption will vary considerably from one LDC to the next depending upon institutional weaknesses, cultural and historical propensities, economic structure and policies, state of bureaucracy, etc. Hence, the policies needed to strengthen governance and curtail the generation of illicit funds would also vary depending on these factors. This paper argues that certain structural characteristics such as low domestic savings and the resulting aid dependence and growth in external debt may be driving illicit flows in some LDCs. The poorest developing countries will continue to rely on tariff revenues as a major source of revenues given weak domestic taxation, and as long as such duties are levied, smuggling will continue. In addition, the significant fiscal deficits in many LDCs may well be driving tax evasion as higher deficits signal to private markets that direct and indirect taxes may have to increase in the medium term in order to close the gap. Even higher rates of economic growth achieved by some LDCs in recent years could act as a driver of illicit capital if growth is not accompanied by a better distribution of income. The method used to estimate illicit financial flows from LDCs is based on the World Bank Residual model adjusted for trade mispricing í¢â‚¬” a methodology widely used among economists. This approach was modified in two important ways. First, illicit inflows are not netted out of outflows. Second, a higher and lower estimate of illicit flows for each LDC was derived corresponding, respectively, to those that do not meet certain conditions and those that do. Based on this methodology, the study found that illicit financial flows from many LDCs are significant, both in US dollar terms and as a percent of GDP. In some LDCs, illicit financial flows outpace ODA. The results are indicative given difficulties associated with reliable data collection and the fact that various methodological approaches exist to measure and quantify illicit flows. Nevertheless, given the scale of the development challenges which face the LDCs, these preliminary results demonstrate a clear need for further work in this area, especially by the LDCs themselves in collaboration with relevant multilateral bodies. UNDP stands ready to support LDCs and other developing countries in their efforts to curtail illicit financial flows in support of the MDGs. In particular, it can support countries to exchange practical information, experience and lessons learned on ways to tackle this problem. AfricaFocus Bulletin is an independent electronic publication providing reposted commentary and analysis on African issues, with a particular focus on U.S. and international policies. AfricaFocus Bulletin is edited by William Minter. AfricaFocus Bulletin can be reached at africafocus@igc.org. Please write to this address to subscribe or unsubscribe to the bulletin, or to suggest material for inclusion. For more information about reposted material, please contact directly the original source mentioned. For a full archive and other resources, see http://www.africafocus.org ANC takes a kicking for not listening, ... CHATHAM HOUSE: Plans for an African Free ... Magnus Taylor Magnus Taylor is a Horn of Africa Analyst at International Crisis Group, the independent conflict-prevention organisation. Leaked agreement shows Tanzania may not get a good deal for gas – By Ben Taylor Photo of the WeekRwanda Photo of the Week: Hoop dreams in Rwanda Editor's PicksSociety “Do we really need them?” Four big challenges facing African think tanks	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line253
__label__wiki	0.5967	0.5967	Africa's Foreign EngagementsAidCovid-19COVID-19Debating IdeasHumanitarianismPublic Health Love (from Afar) in the Time of Covid-19: Diaspora Humanitarianism and Pandemic Response By Bashair Ahmed Paul Asquith Debating Ideas is a new section that aims to reflect the values and editorial ethos of the African Arguments book series, publishing engaged, often radical, scholarship, original and activist writing from within the African continent and beyond. It will offer debates and engagements, contexts and controversies, and reviews and responses flowing from the African Arguments books. With close links to origin countries, diasporas can mobilise quickly in a humanitarian crisis. They have access to affected communities, and they know how to deliver critical resources in areas that are difficult to access. Most importantly, they often enjoy the trust of these communities because they are engaged with them long before the onset of a crisis. Diasporas will also continue to be involved after a crisis has subsided, making them an essential partner in recovery and preparedness. For many in the international aid sector, recognition of diaspora humanitarian action has been a very recent phenomenon. However, while some will be aware of the support diasporas provide to their kith and kin in origin countries during complex emergencies, such as in Somalia or Syria, it has not been widely recognised in the humanitarian sector until the last decade or so, and it is an area that is still poorly understood. One of the gaps that we seek to explore is the phenomenon of diaspora humanitarian action, and how it is likely to continue in parallel to ‘traditional’ humanitarian actors in the response to Covid-19. With minimal recognition and even less effort to coordinate with diaspora, is it possible that diaspora are outflanking traditional humanitarian actors in the response to the coronavirus pandemic? For example, Sudanese health professionals are coordinating globally to support Sudan’s Covid-19 response, including sharing technical expertise and raising funds and Armenian health professionals are linking up with their diaspora colleagues in the US to share knowledge on how they are responding to the pandemic. We ask difficult questions as we seek solutions on how we can do better in the face of the stark and unprecedented challenges we face. In particular, we look at these challenges through the lens of diaspora and the humanitarian system(s). Will governments and International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) seek to work with the diaspora as partners, or involve them only in the role of ‘recipients’ or as a ‘financial resource’? How will diaspora humanitarian responses adapt to a world of lockdowns, travel bans, and economic recessions? Will the role being played by diasporas in response to Covid-19 and subsequent recovery be a part of a mass transformation in how humanitarian action takes place? Saving lives vs saving livelihoods Policy-makers and practitioners around the world are having to grapple with the particular challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. On the macro- and national policy levels, difficult decisions have to be taken between safeguarding public health and safeguarding the economy, and striking the most effective balance between the two has already proven challenging. In very simplistic terms, do you prioritise saving lives, or saving livelihoods? And indeed, are the two separate or intertwined? As noted by Hanage and other epidemiologists, this is in many ways a false binary: if you prioritise safeguarding economies, there will still be huge economic damage as the number of fatalities rises and health systems are overwhelmed; whereas if you prioritise saving lives, you need to effectively subsidise or even nationalise large parts of the economy, which costs large amounts of money. Countries in the Global North have largely chosen to prioritise saving lives, despite the economic, political, and indeed ideological pain this may cause them, because they have the resources to do so. The picture in the Global South looks even bleaker; the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is predicting up to one billion infections and three million deaths. For countries in the continent of Africa, however, the Global North response is not a luxury most can afford. In particular, those who are displaced or live in camp like settings have even fewer choices. Many states, for example, have adopted public health lockdowns and economic shutdowns and many of their poorer citizens who rely on finding work each day in the informal economy are suffering greatly as a result. It is not clear how sustainable this approach will be in the medium and longer-term. In addition, there is likely to be pressure on leaders in developing countries; from above, to adopt solutions developed in very different context; and also from below, to ease any economic lockdown that is hurting the poor and vulnerable. Countries in Africa will, therefore, need to develop their own home-grown responses to the pandemic. Moreover, according to epidemiological modelling experts, approaches to saving lives and saving livelihoods promise different outcomes in Africa, and will need to be fine-tuned to local contexts and led and implemented from the bottom up if they are to be successful.[1] There is already a lively global debate about the validity and applicability of ‘lockdown’ and ‘herd immunity’ approaches, and it is likely these will play out across the continent in the coming weeks and months. To complicate matters further, the World Health Organization (WHO) notes that there is currently no evidence yet confirming that surviving Covid-19 confers immunity to the virus, which may render these debates irrelevant and require different approaches to be developed. Changing the face of ‘business as usual’ in humanitarian response As we ponder the future, what is clear is that ‘business as usual’ in the humanitarian response is getting a resounding ‘not working’. For practitioners, there is also a raft of challenges to overcome. How will humanitarian agencies and INGOs deploy staff overseas safely in the absence of a vaccine and with shortages of personal protective equipment and tests? Also, how can they move their staff with various travel restrictions? How can there be feedback from the communities they serve? How are INGOs and their staff to survive the economic shutdown financially? Those who rely on public donations and lack significant financial reserves will struggle to survive for long, even with some government support. INGOs that rely on government or multilateral funding have already seen unedifying examples of national governments being slow to deliver on financial pledges to support the global humanitarian system, or even withholding, or threatening to withhold, funding for domestic political reasons. The COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan, a plan set out by the UN other international organisations and NGOs with a humanitarian mandate, is still around 70 per cent short of what has been pledged. The aid and development sectors are also in a precarious position, even if they are not forced out of lockdown as essential key workers or because of poverty. If your ‘business model’ relies on deploying staff and on reliable supply chains that allow the movement of relief supplies to areas affected by emergencies, how long you can keep your staff sitting safely at home awaiting the opening of airports and ports? And what will the humanitarian system look like after the crisis? Will the desire be to return to ‘business as usual’? Or will it be forced to adapt – as a matter of survival – and embrace the ‘localisation’ agenda? We argue that maybe this is a chance for everyone to thrive, and improve how humanitarian assistance is decided on, allocated, and provided. Diaspora responses in times of crisis How does the diaspora respond in times of crisis? A simplified summary of their interventions includes money, skills, and time. Diaspora remittances are an important form of financial support that the diaspora provides both on an ongoing basis and in times of crisis. Remittances to Africa last year through formal channels alone exceeded US$86 billion according to the World Bank, outstripping aid flows to the continent; informal remittances (cash taken by people travelling back, money raised through church and mosque collections etc.) are estimated to be almost as large as formal remittance flows. In some countries such as Somalia, remittances are the lifeline for 40 percent of the population. Indeed, it is the data showing the sheer volume of remittance flows from the 2000s onwards that first piqued the interest of policy-makers and researchers about the connection between migration and development. Remittances tend to be either counter- or a-cyclical, and flows to areas affected by natural disasters, humanitarian emergencies, and complex emergencies often increase at a time when other investment flows are reducing (i.e. capital flight). This pattern has been seen across multiple regions and contexts, and the diaspora are motivated to give more in an emergency for various reasons, such as motivation to contribute to their community. Diaspora philanthropy and resource mobilisation in humanitarian crises does not just include sending money to extended family members, however. Diaspora also raise funds for relief efforts and collect and transport relief supplies to affected regions (whether clothes, food, medical supplies and equipment, educational or other materials). They volunteer their time, both ‘here’ in terms of resource mobilisation and media advocacy, and ‘there’ in terms of volunteering missions to areas where the emergency is most acute. Diaspora skills, know-how, and expertise are also applied in humanitarian crises, both on the ground, as in the case of diaspora medical professionals and engineers who provide vital services in areas affected by emergencies, and from afar, in terms of remote advice and expertise. They also provide vital access to local networks, as well as knowledge of local conditions, languages, and customs, and can serve as a vital bridge between international and local efforts to respond to humanitarian crises. Moreover, diaspora contributions span the entire spectrum of what is increasingly being recognised as the ‘humanitarian-development nexus’. They help with preparedness and resilience building, emergency response, right through to post-crisis reconstruction and helping rebuild economies shattered by emergencies with remittances and investments in affected areas. The old distinction between ‘humanitarian’ activities and longer-term ‘development’ activities is already looking increasingly threadbare. Most significantly for our argument here is that the diaspora do all of these things in parallel to more ‘traditional’ humanitarian and development systems and organisations. Hence, one of the challenges facing both ‘traditional’ and diaspora practitioners is enabling and improving coordination between them. Enjoining the good and forbidding the bad It is also essential to acknowledge concerns about diaspora action in humanitarian emergencies. Diasporas are not a cohesive or coherent group – they are communities made up of people, like any other. Many provide vital support in times of crisis, but a minority may do more harm than good. Inadequate coordination with other humanitarian actors can lead to inappropriate or wasteful interventions or duplication of efforts. Some diasporas can, directly or indirectly, end up supporting factions in civil wars and insurgencies. And while there is an essential role for the diaspora in helping debunk myths, conspiracy theories, and so-called ‘fake news’, they can also end up perpetuating these. After all, diaspora communities are no less immune to these than any other groups. We have already seen the effect of fake news – whether in attacks on 5G phone masts in the UK or the ‘film your hospital’ trend in some circles in the US – and other attempts to discredit or dismiss the pandemic. Covid-19 can infect anyone, however the response to it is not equal, rather it has shown glaringly social, economic and social inequalities and increasing racism. For example, the controversial comments made by French doctors about testing a potential treatment in Africa, which received widespread criticism, including by the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus who remarked, ‘Africa can’t and won’t be a testing ground for any vaccine’. And it extends to those fighting on the frontline, such as the high death rate from Covid-19 among medical professionals from Black, Asian and other ethnic minorities backgrounds in the UK. Communities following alternative sources of authority – traditional, religious or political – may resist restrictions. Churches, mosques and other places of congregation have already become sources of infection in Asia and Europe, and will probably become so in Africa, yet there is resistance to these measure such as in Cameroon. Insurgents are unlikely to respect government public health directives. It is for these reasons that the Head of Africa CDC at the Africa Union, John Nkengasong, has warned the pandemic risks becoming ‘a national-security crisis first, an economic crisis second, and a health crisis third’ in Africa. It is important to acknowledge these concerns and work to mitigate them. Equally, there is a risk of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, and it is just as important not to exaggerate the risks of diaspora involvement in humanitarian response. We have already seen in other health contexts such as the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa that despite initial scepticism of, or even outright hostility towards, diaspora humanitarian interventions from more traditional humanitarian organisations and actors, they carried out vital work to help defeat the outbreak. What’s next? Potential implications for the humanitarian sector Covid-19 poses enormous challenges to the international humanitarian system; it also poses challenges for diaspora humanitarian action. We suggest here some likely trends and potential adaptations to how the diaspora respond. The first area of impact is likely to be on diaspora financial flows (remittances and investments). As noted above, these tend to increase in times of crisis. Still, given the marginal position of many diasporas and migrant communities in countries of residence, they are also likely to be disproportionately affected by the outbreak both in health terms and economically. We have already seen some evidence that diaspora communities in the Global North are being impacted more severely by Covid-19, with higher numbers of deaths for these groups. But as the economic shutdown deepens into economic recession, diaspora communities will have less money available to remit or invest, or to donate. The second area of impact is likely to be travel bans. We know from previous examples of diaspora intervention that they provide support in many cases by travelling to affected regions, both to transport relief and other materials and to volunteer their time and expertise. These modalities of diaspora response will become much harder, if not impossible, while travel bans remain in place. Diaspora humanitarians are already starting to adapt their responses. Groups, networks, and individuals are mobilising to provide advice on protective behaviours to local communities in affected areas, expertise and access to networks of health and other professionals in origin countries. They are also mobilising resources (financial and material) and conducting lobbying and advocacy. Just as many people in the Global North are having quite difficult conversations with parents and grandparents about the need to take the pandemic seriously and follow government advice, so many in the diaspora are having difficult conversations with their extended family in Africa. It is not just diaspora humanitarians who will be forced to adapt in their response to Covid-19; the same is also true for the international humanitarian sector as a whole. Operating in silos is no longer an option; collaboration based on evidence is critical. We are seeing elements of this, but there is much more work to do. The pressures on both the INGO sector and the diaspora humanitarian sector are likely to grow, as resources become even scarcer in the economic recession. This will require both sectors to work together more effectively and collaborate, rather than compete. We urge INGOs and humanitarian agencies, therefore, to build partnerships with diaspora groups and networks involved in humanitarian response to Covid-19, in ways that the comparative advantages of each are complemented and built on for the benefit of all. Overcoming this pandemic will only be possible through a massive, concerted effort involving local communities and national governments in African countries, international humanitarian and development agencies, multilateral donors, and of course diaspora humanitarians. Diaspora groups and networks can also play an essential role in supporting the development of local, bottom-up responses to the disease in Africa that are effective and sustainable. Challenges and opportunities for more effective humanitarian response We should also consider what the future of humanitarian response can look like, both in response to this global pandemic in the near-term, but also in the longer term when we come out of it. The world humanitarian system was arguably under unprecedented pressure even before the coronavirus outbreak, with a growing gap between the needs of vulnerable people on the one hand, and the resources and systems to respond to these. This trend looks set to increase during and after this current crisis. Beyond the Covid-19 pandemic, there will likely be significant changes to how the humanitarian sector operates, with a greater emphasis on ‘localisation’, i.e. relying more on local staff in countries affected by humanitarian crises, rather than flying in foreign aid workers. And digital technology will be at the heart of this shift, with Africa already leapfrogging on the Fintech front. There is opportunity and risk here in terms of closer collaboration with diaspora humanitarian responses. The danger is that INGOs have already used localisation as a reason not to work with diaspora, in part because they seem to struggle conceptually with the extent to which the diaspora are active both ‘here’ and also ‘there’, and they may try to do so yet again. However, there is also an opportunity for the humanitarian sector and for diaspora humanitarians to collaborate more effectively together to improve outcomes. Diaspora humanitarians often instinctively grasp the importance of the ‘humanitarian-development nexus’ and have expertise and experience in delivering interventions that span the full spectrum of responses, from resilience-building to emergency response, and from this to post-emergency reconstruction and longer-term development efforts. Equally, diaspora local knowledge and access to networks of trust mean they are well-placed to help INGOs implement localisation programmes. History has shown that the diaspora will continue to respond to humanitarian crises, irrespective of whether or not the humanitarian sector recognises or seeks to work with them. The challenge and opportunity for the humanitarian sector, therefore, is how it can work along the grain of diaspora humanitarian response, rather than against it, to improve how they help the world’s most vulnerable people. Again, closer joint-working is key – humanitarian actors need to communicate, coordinate, and collaborate closely with diaspora humanitarians to improve the impact of both. [1]See, inter alia, https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/modelling-suggests-suppression-strategy-will-save-more-lives-covid-19-poor-countries; https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/197093/what-covid-19-pandemic-means-africa-malaria/;https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30411-6/fulltext;https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7159847/ TagsCovid-19Diasporahumanitarian sector Freetown just implemented a new tax system ... Gifting and the Capable State in Times ... Bashair Ahmed Paul Asquith Bashair Ahmed is the Executive Director of Shabaka, a UK based social enterprise supporting diaspora and migrants' engagement in development and humanitarian preparedness. Bashair also submitted her PhD thesis titled: Reasons for Giving Back?: Motivations for Engaging in Transnational Political Activism by Adult Children of Migrants from the Horn of Africa. Online/social media: Twitter: @bashairbitzakia and @shabaka_org \| Website: www.shabaka.org Paul Asquith works as Engagement and Policy Manager for the African Foundation for Development (AFFORD UK), a leading UK-based diaspora organisation, and is also a Consultant to Shabaka. He is also a Research Associate at the Centre of African Studies (CAS) at SOAS, University of London, where his research interests include diasporas, migration and development, as well as education and development in North Africa and the Horn of Africa. AAP#1: Electoral Politics in the DR Congo with Jason Stearns Boko Haram’s Gwoza ‘caliphate’ demonstrates group’s increasing power – By Omar Mahmood Can Hollywood Save Darfur? Debating Ideas is a new section run separately from the main African Arguments site. It aims to reflect the values and editorial ethos of the African Arguments book series, publishing engaged, often radical, scholarship, original and activist writing from within the African continent and beyond. It will offer debates and engagements, contexts and controversies, and reviews and responses flowing from the African Arguments books. debateideas@africanarguments.org Follow IAI on twitter	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line254
__label__wiki	0.88443	0.88443	DUBAL Holding, a subsidiary of the Investment Corporation of Dubai, acquires a 60% stake in the Emirati aluminum extrusion company OSE Industries. Saudi Arabia’s crown prince announces that the Public Investment Fund will inject $40 billion annually into the country in 2021 and 2022. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund invests $1.3 billion for a 2.04% stake in Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd., India's largest retailer. Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala integrates two of its technology portfolio companies into Group 42 in return for a minority stake in the local artificial intelligence company. Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala announces a $855 million investment in India’s Reliance Industries Ltd.’s retail unit. Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company and Russia’s Sberbank sign a strategic agreement to encourage opportunities for cooperation between the UAE and Russia. Kuwait’s National Assembly approves law making transfers of state revenue to the Future Generations Fund conditional on budget surpluses. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund establishes a real estate subsidiary, Roshn, to help meet the country’s increasing local demand for housing. Abu Dhabi launches the Khalifa University Space Technology and Innovation Centre to support the UAE’s space missions, build capabilities, and create a space hub for training and research. Saudi Ports Authority signs an agreement with Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company to develop the country’s largest grain terminal in Yanbu Commercial Port. Qatar Investment Authority assumes an undisclosed stake in the German vaccine maker CureVac. Saudi Real Estate Refinance Co agrees to buy a $799.8 million mortgage portfolio from the Saudi Public Pension Agency to provide liquidity to the real estate financing market. Oman Investment Authority merges three fishery investment initiatives – Blue Water, Al Wusta Fishery Industries, and Oceanic Shrimp Aquaculture – into the Oman Fisheries Development. Oman's sultan issues a royal decree establishing the Oman Investment Authority, which will combine the State General Reserve Fund and the Oman Investment Fund and oversee Ministry of Finance investments. Edamah, the real estate arm of Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund, waives 1 month of rental fees for its retail and food and beverage tenants. Al Hosn Investment Company, a joint venture between Qatar Holding and the Oman Investment Fund, signs a $6.5 million agreement to expand its warehouse facilities at the Sohar Free Zone. Mubadala Investment Company leads a $4.33 million round of Series A funding into Zihipp. The United Kingdom-based biotech company specializes in diabetes and obesity treatments, which are of particular interest to the Emirati health care sector. The UAE agrees to invest $22.8 billion in Indonesia’s energy and infrastructure sectors through a new sovereign wealth fund established by Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala invests in Spanish delivery startup Glovo, which reached a $1 billion valuation after its latest round of funding. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund establishes a $1.07 billion investment arm, Jada, that will invest in venture capital and private equity funds that target SMEs and startups. The UAE and Egypt announce plans for a $20 billion joint investment in economic and social projects, which will be facilitated by the Abu Dhabi Development Holding Company and Egypt’s sovereign wealth fund. Masdar wins a contract to develop the first public-private partnership solar project in Uzbekistan, which will have a capacity of 100 megawatts. SABIC signs an agreement with the Russian Direct Investment Fund and ESN Group to invest in a methanol plant in eastern Russia as part of the Saudi petrochemical firm’s global expansion. Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company signs an agreement to invest up to $500 million in Cologix, a U.S.-based data center company. Saudi Arabia-based firm ACWA Power partners with Mubadala to build Abu Dhabi’s first water desalination plant constructed independent of a power plant. Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund announces that it will invest $600 million in ADNOC’s pipeline infrastructure. Mubadala Petroleum acquires a 20 percent stake in two offshore Indonesian concessions in the unexplored North Sumatra Basin. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund acquires a 40 percent stake in Jasara, a joint venture between Aramco and Jacobs Engineering Group, a U.S.-based firm providing construction management services for infrastructure projects. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund agrees to terms for a $10 billion loan from a group of international banks. Mumtalakat, Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund, announces a substantial decrease in annual profits from $560.1 million in 2017 to $148.2 million in 2018. Abu Dhabi establishes the $145.7 million Ghadan Ventures Fund to promote startup businesses in the emirate. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund expects to raise up to $13.73 billion in dollar- and riyal-denominated debt over 2019. Saudi Real Estate Refinance Company, a subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund, plans to issue up to $1.07 billion of long-term sukuk in 2019. The Abu Dhabi Retirement Pensions and Benefits Fund agrees to invest $300 million in Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s midstream pipeline assets in return for a 3 percent stake in the pipelines. Mubadala Investment Company, one of Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth funds, opens its second U.S. office in New York City. Saudi Aramco announces a $69.1 billion share purchase agreement to acquire a 70 percent majority stake in Saudi Basic Industries Corporation from the Public Investment Fund. Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih expects the Saudi Aramco IPO to happen by 2021. Japan’s SoftBank Group provides nearly $200 million for the new $400 million technology-focused European fund announced by Mubadala Ventures. Saudi Arabia's Shura Council approves draft law giving its largest sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, a greater degree of financial and administrative independence. Saudi Arabia has shelved a $200 billion joint venture project with Japanese conglomerate SoftBank to build the largest solar power plant in the world. ACWA Power International, which is partially owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, has delayed plans for an IPO. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has taken out an $11 billion international syndicated loan, the first of its kind for the fund. Saudi Arabia's government-owned refinance firm plans to issue Islamic bonds to fund its mortgage drive, based on selling sharia-compliant mortgage-backed securities. The scheme is backed by the kingdom's largest sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund is reportedly in talks with Tesla on a buyout plan just a few days after the fund purchased a stake in the battery and electric car company. Saudi Arabia has launched a new home mortgage scheme, backed by the Public Investment Fund, to boost its housing market and mitigate risk for financial institutions offering cheaper, fixed-term loans. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund is targeting an estimated $6-8 billion in bank loans by September to help finance the kingdom's economic reform agenda. Aramco has announced its interest in acquiring shares of SABIC, the world's fourth largest petrochemical company, ahead of its own planned IPO. Aramco is in discussions with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which owns a 70 percent stake in SABIC. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund asked lenders to participate in a multibillion-dollar loan, expecting participating lenders will form the core banking group for the fund and its plan for expansion. Mubadala announced plans to launch a $400 million fund to invest in European technology firms. Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE plan to invest in new domestic technology hubs, via Mubadala and the SoftBank Fund, and in Saudi Arabia, via the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority and a fintech initiative. Mubadala will take control of the Abu Dhabi Investment Council, merging both sovereign wealth funds. Market Watch: U.S.-Saudi Economic Ties: Why Saudi Arabia Matters Saudi Arabia and the United States are linked by investment ties, energy markets, and a shared interest in the stability of the global economy. The Qatar Investment Authority and its property investment arm, Qatari Diar, continue the sell off of some holdings. ACWA Power International, which will soon be partially owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, plans an IPO, which could raise more than $1 billion. Abu Dhabi's Mubadala plans to offer a stake in Emirates Global Aluminium, one of the UAE's largest companies, in an IPO later this year. Investment Corporation of Dubai plans to raise $1 billion in a 5-year loan to partly refinance existing debt of $2.55 billion, from 2013, that matures in June. Saudi Telecom, 84 percent state-owned through the Public Investment Fund and other institutions, purchases rights to broadcast soccer games of local league and cup competitions, in addition to Saudi national team games. Oman's State General Reserve Fund receives government approval to launch $1 billion infrastructure fund. Emirates Global Aluminum (jointly owned by Abu Dhabi fund Mubadala and Investment Corporation of Dubai) plans IPO. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund considers selling part of its 74% stake in SEC to investment partner, SoftBank. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will create a subsidiary investment fund for small and medium sized enterprises. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, UAE’s Mubadala, and Russia's Sovereign Wealth Fund to co-invest in Russian transport and infrastructure. Aramco and Saudi Public Investment Fund plan to create construction company to deliver major infrastructure projects in Kingdom; ownership to be equally split between Aramco, PIF, a local contractor, and an international contractor. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will launch Future Investment Initiative to invest in entertainment sector, with initial capital of 10 billion riyals ($2.67 billion). Saudi Arabia plans to incorporate and transfer its airports to SWF in preparation for privatization. The Bridge: Abu Dhabi Share-Swap Deal with BP Forges New Contract Model by Diane Munro Abu Dhabi capped a year of unprecedented change at state oil company Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) with a landmark $2.2 billion share-swap with legacy partner BP. The unique model for a joint venture gives Abu Dhabi a 2 percent stake in BP in exchange for a 10 percent share in the country’s main onshore oil concession. Saudi Arabia dips into its reserves to fund the Public Investment Fund an additional 100 billion Saudi riyals ($27 billion). FX Sales Emirati sovereign wealth funds, International Petroleum Investment Company and Mubadala, to merge Market Watch: Smart(er) Money in the Gulf With smarter money, even in a time of diminished fiscal revenue, the GCC states could become formidable investors. Kuwait Investment Authority intends to sell its stake in nuclear group, Areva. Abu Dhabi state fund Mubadala aims to sell a $500 million, seven year bond in late May. Market Watch: “Monetizing Assets” – Has a Great Gulf Sell-Off Begun? by Karen E. Young Oil and gas producing states in the region have started to sell off their assets in order to offset the declining energy prices.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line255
__label__wiki	0.842281	0.842281	Norwegian painter Born: Adalsbruk, Norway “From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am in them and that is eternity.” ―Edvard Munch Edvard Munch is best known as being a Norwegian born, expressionist painter, and printer. In the late 20th century, he played a great role in German expressionism, and the art form that later followed; namely because of the strong mental anguish that was displayed in many of the pieces that he created. Edvard Munch was born in Norway in 1863, and was raised in Christiania (known as Oslo today). He was related to famous painters and artists in their own right, Jacob Munch (painter), and Peter Munch (historian). Only a few years after he was born, Edvard Munch’s mother died of tuberculosis in 1868, and he was raised by his father. Edvard’s father suffered of mental illness, and this played a role in the way he and his siblings were raised. Their father raised them with the fears of deep seated issues, which is part of the reason why the work of Edvard Munch took a deeper tone, and why the artist was known to have so many repressed emotions as he grew up. In 1885, Edvard Munch traveled to Paris, and was extremely influenced by impressionism artists Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, and followed by the post-impressionism artists Van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, and Gauguin. In fact, the main style of Munch’s work is post-impressionism, and focused on this style. From about 1892, to 1908, Munch split most of his time between Paris and Berlin; it was in 1909 that he decided to return to his hometown, and go back to Norway. During this period, much of the work that was created by Edvard Munch depicted his interest in nature, and it was also noted that the tones and colors that he used in these pieces, did add more color, and seemed a bit more cheerful, than most of the previous works he had created in years past. The pessimistic under toning which was quite prominent in much of his earlier works, had faded quite a bit, and it seems he took more of a colorful, playful, and fun tone with the pieces that he was creating, as opposed to the dark and somber style which he tended to work with earlier on during the course of his career. From this period, up to his death, Edvard Munch remained in Norway, and much of his work that was created from this period on, seemed to take on the similar, colorful approach which he had adopted, since returning home in 1909. A majority of the works which Edvard Munch created, were referred to as the style known as symbolism. This is mainly because of the fact that the the paintings he made focused on the internal view of the objects, as opposed to the exterior, and what the eye could see. Symbolist painters believed that art should reflect an emotion or idea rather than represent the natural world in the objective, quasi-scientific manner embodied by Realism and Impressionism. In painting, Symbolism represents a synthesis of form and feeling, of reality and the artist’s inner subjectivity. Many of Munch’s works depict life and death scenes, love and terror, and the feeling of loneliness was often a feeling which viewers would note that his work patterns focused on. These emotions were depicted by the contrasting lines, the darker colors, blocks of color, somber tones, and a concise and exaggerated form, which depicted the darker side of the art which he was designing. Munch is often and rightly compared with Van Gogh, who was one of the first artists to paint what the French artist called “the mysterious centers of the mind.” But perhaps a more overreaching influence was Sigmund Freud, a very close contemporary. Freud explained much human behavior by relating it to childhood experiences. Munch saw his mother die of tuberculosis when he was 5, and his sister Sophie die of the same disease when he was 14. Munch gives the By the Death Bed and Death in the Sickroom a universal cast by not specifically depicting what he had witnessed. Several versions of The Sick Child are surely his sister. Edvard Munch passed away in 1944, in a small town which was just outside of his home town in Oslo. Upon his death, the works which he had created, were not given to family, but they were instead donated to the Norwegian government, and were placed in museums, in shows, and in various local public buildings in Norway. In fact, after his death, more than 1000 paintings which Edvard Munch had created were donated to the government. In addition to the paintings that he had created during the course of his career, all other art forms he created were also donated to the government. A total of 15,400 prints were donated, 4500 drawings and water color art was donated, and six sculptures which Edvard Munch had created, were all turned over to the Oslo government, and were used as display pieces in many locations. Due to the fact that all of this work which Edvard Munch had created, was donated to the Norwegian government, the country decided to build the Munch Museum of Art. This was done to commemorate his work, his life, and the generosity which he showed, in passing his art work over to the government, so that it could be enjoyed by the general public, rather than be kept locked up by the family. Although the art which he did donate, was spread throughout a number of museums and art exhibits, a majority of them were kept in Oslo. And, most of the works which were donated by Munch, were placed in the Munch Museum of Art, to commemorate the work he did, as well as the unique style, and the distinct movements which he introduced to the world, through the creations which he had crafted. Source: www.edvardmunch.org	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line257
__label__cc	0.687402	0.312598	R&D Facility Set-up Mose O'Griffin President, Principal and APROE founder Jennifer O'Griffin Andrew Damele Prototype Manager Lara Grant Senior Project Manager \| Education & Shop Set-up Nam Nguyen Roman Mardoyan-Smyth Tackett Austin Sara Greenberg Bookkeeper & Accounting Professional Alex Mehrer CAD Specialist Claude Noriega Technical Researcher Deborah Nuccitelli Connor Raymes Molly O'Griffin Donnie Gonzales R&D Facility Team Manager Ed Wright Tony Rojas A P R O E – Advanced Prototype Engineering, LLC \| 150 Hooper Street, Unit 102 \| San Francisco, CA 94107\| P 415.660.9945 © Copyright – 2020 Advanced Prototyping Engineering, LLC. All rights reserved. Mose O’Griffin President, Principal and APROE founder Mose O’Griffin is a mechanical engineer with 20 years of experience designing and building. Prior to founding APROE, Mose led prototype engineering and fabrication teams at wind power startup Makani Power and the San Francisco Exploratorium Museum. Over the course of his career Mose has developed a unique mixture of cutting-edge design skills and mechanical fabrication knowledge. Mose earned his BSME at the Colorado School of Mines. Mose teaches numerous classes under our Education & Training program focusing on how to properly design for efficient manufacturing. Jennifer O’Griffin Jen is an Industrial Designer with a background in Human Factors and Ergonomics. She holds a master’s degree in Industrial Design from Pratt Institute, and a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Psychology from Tufts University. Her professional experience includes over ten years in the product design industry including 3+ years running her own small business, designing and producing ceramic tableware. At APROE she leads the shop set-up team and helps the prototyping team with product prototypes. She brings experience with spatial design, consumer research and resource management to APROE. Andrew is a mechanical engineer with 12 years experience designing and building. Prior to working for APROE he has worked in many fields including renewable power generation, waste management, and product manufacturing. Andrew leverages his diverse background to lend broad experience while leading the engineering team to novel solutions. In his free time Andrew can be found either working on his farm in Petaluma, or exploring the mountains and deserts of the west with his wife and daughter. Senior Project Manager / Education & Shop Set-up Lara’s professional experience lies at the intersection of design, fabrication, and education. She holds a master’s degree from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) and a bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design. She’s worked in various shops designing and building a variety of projects including costumes, spacesuits, wearable technology products, and exhibits. She loves learning how to work with new materials and designing educational curricula. At APROE she manages the educational department and various aspects of shop setup. Nam is an architectural planner with a background in retail design and construction. His career development began as an architectural designer. He later transitioned to becoming a store design manager for a large retail company. Following his tenure as a store design manager, he worked in his family’s hardwood flooring business — managing a crew for installation and refinishing. Nam holds a B.Arch from UC Berkeley, enjoys building custom bicycles, and relaxing with his family in their shipping container home. Roman began his career as a GIS analyst working for the New York City Parks Department collaborating with the Planning, Forestry, and Operations divisions. He earned his BA in Geography from Middlebury College in the beautiful state of Vermont. After moving out west, he worked for several years at Rivendell Bicycle Works wearing many hats including product development and marketing. Outside of work you can find him on a bike, with a camera in hand, or processing film in his kitchen sink. Beginning his career as a middle school teacher, Tackett later worked as a fabricator in a vintage race car shop, a company that makes fancy water fountains for big casinos in Las Vegas, and a special effects shop, all in Los Angeles. He moved to the greener pastures of the Bay Area to first become the shop manager for a reality TV show that built futuristic prototypes and then as Director of Education for the makerspace chain TechShop. Tackett holds a Master’s degree in Education from University of Oregon. He currently lives deep in the forest in Southern Oregon in a small house connected to a large shop. Sara is a bookkeeper and accounting professional. She holds degrees in Accounting, Political Science and International Relations and has over ten years of experience working with small engineering design and manufacturing startups and large public firms. In 2015, she started her own bookkeeping practice, The Bookkeeping Babe, where she helps innovative companies, like APROE, fulfill their bookkeeping & accounting needs. Chris is a Bay Area transplant from Birmingham, Alabama. He received his BA from Auburn University and worked for several years as an architectural designer of restaurants and high-end homes. In his free time he likes to build furniture and gawk at old motorcycles. Chris’ love for industrial design and fabrication led him to APROE in 2019 where he continues to work as a machine shop designer and collector of unneeded hand tools. Alex is trained in architecture and began his career in Berkeley working on sustainable and high-performance housing and renovation projects. He is excited about the intersection of technology and design and how we can use computers as tools to construct a better world. Claude rediscovered his love of workshops when he returned to his birthplace, San Francisco. He joined a local makerspace, eventually teaching hundreds of introductory classes in multiple disciplines at workshops throughout the Bay Area. His primary interest is in Additive Manufacturing, and he worked for an AM start-up before joining APROE. He enjoys reading technical manuals in his spare time. Deborah is a project manager with extensive experience managing complex projects in a wide range of environments. Her professional experience includes nearly 10 years honing her skills for experiential and spatial design as the event manager for tech and non-profit events globally. She also ran her own electronics ecommerce small business for several years. In her free time she enjoys the mountains, or working on a personal creative project making LED or sewn products. Connor is a chemical engineer turned mechanical designer. He received his BSChE from Northeastern University in Boston, where he started his career in material science working on design of high temperature electrolysis reactors. His experiences have since ranged deeply into mechanical design and prototyping, from product design to industrial automation. Outside of building stuff, you can find him on a mountain with a bike or skis. Molly O’Griffin Molly is a clinical psychologist with a background in Women’s Studies. She holds a PsyD from John F. Kennedy University and a degree from CU Boulder in Women’s Studies and Psychology. Her professional experience includes over three years running her own practice, and more than five years specializing in disability rights advocacy. She’s currently helping develop APROE’s product viability research division. After completing his BArch at CCA(C), Donnie began his professional career as a designer and project manager focusing on high end residences and boutique retail. He went on to explore product development, bespoke vending, international retail operations, and corporate real-estate development. APROE has offered him the opportunity to blend multiple passions — team work, technical details, creative problem solving, and a limitless amount of learning and creativity. When not at his computer, you will likely find him outside (running, cycling, swimming), tinkering on a project, or on the couch reading about whales. Ed brings to APROE his years of experience working as an architect for prestigious international firms and as a project manager for high-end retail, including flagship stores in Puerto Rico, London, Dubai, and major U.S. cities. He holds a Bachelor’s degree (Architectural Engineering) from Cal Poly and a Masters in Architecture from the University of Maryland. Recently, Ed enjoyed a 3-week intensive course at The Krenov School of Fine Furniture in Fort Bragg where he combined his love of woodworking and enjoyment of the California coastline with his dog, Coltrane. A Bay Area transplant from Florida, Tony developed his organizational design and complex-problem-solving skills while running his own successful courier service for over 20 years. Having worked with APROE as a client, Tony now brings his managerial expertise and love for working with his hands in-house, as the Production Manager. When not navigating the intricacies of water jet machinery, Tony can be found connecting with his roots surfing Ocean Beach, playing and recording music, or as an infielder for the Mission Baseball Club.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line263
__label__wiki	0.884037	0.884037	https://apnews.com/article/3f82cf9bc4514492a26f407c3c3c1060 Instagram story aims to engage new generation with Holocaust By ISAAC SCHARF and AUDREY HOROWITZApril 30, 2019 GMT This photo shows a 13-year-old Eva Heyman photographed in Hungary months before she was murdered in a Nazi concentration camp in 1944. An Instagram account based on Heyman’s real-life journal is generating buzz as an innovative way to share Holocaust testimony with youth, as global understanding of the genocide declines and the community of eyewitnesses dwindles. (Yad Vashem via AP) JERUSALEM (AP) — For seven decades, survivor testimony has been the centerpiece of Holocaust commemoration. But with the world’s community of aging survivors rapidly shrinking and global understanding of the genocide that killed 6 million Jews declining, advocates of Holocaust remembrance are seeking new and creative ways to share witnesses’ stories with younger generations. Much as Anne Frank’s diary gripped the older generations, an Instagram account based on a true 13-year-old Jewish victim’s journal, called Eva.Stories, is generating buzz among the young. “If we want to bring the memory of the Holocaust to the young generation, we have to bring it to where they are,” said the project co-producer, Mati Kochavi, an Israeli high-tech billionaire who hails from a family of Holocaust victims, survivors and educators. “And they’re on Instagram.” Kochavi and his daughter, Maya, have created a series of 70 Instagram stories that chronicle the downward spiral of Eva Heyman’s life in the fateful spring of 1944 when the Nazis conquered Hungary. Heyman was one of approximately 430,000 Hungarian Jews who were deported to Nazi concentration camps between May 15 and July 9, 1944. Of the estimated 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust, around 568,000 were Hungarian, according to Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. Heyman’s tale, produced as a Hollywood-style movie with a cast of foreign actors and multi-million dollar budget, will stream throughout Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins at sundown Wednesday. The installments appear as if Heyman had owned a smartphone during World War II and was using Instagram to broadcast her life updates. The story goes live Wednesday afternoon, opening with Heyman’s happier adolescent experiences then darkening as night falls. The Nazis tighten their hold on Hungary’s Jews, confiscating her family’s business, belongings and home, deporting Heyman to the ghetto and ultimately to the Auschwitz death camp. The story’s climactic event is timed to follow Israel’s two-minute siren that wails nationwide on Thursday, bringing the country to a standstill at 10 a.m., in annual commemoration of Jewish Holocaust victims. Even days before the series’ release, the account had amassed over 180,000 followers. One of them was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who posted a video to Instagram on Monday urging Israelis to follow the account and spread stories of survivors via social media in order to “remind ourselves what we lost in the Holocaust and what was returned to us by the creation of the state of Israel.” “What if a girl in the Holocaust had Instagram?” asked the trailer, released on Sunday. The brief film shows simulated cellphone footage of Heyman’s fictionalized life, from dancing with friends and a birthday with her grandparents, to Nazi troops marching through the streets of Budapest. Dozens of Holocaust victims kept diaries of their experiences, with the best known work written by Anne Frank. The Kochavis pored over scores of the diaries before deciding on Heyman, who, Maya Kochavi said, is the kind of girl “a modern kid in 2019 could connect to,” with an unrequited middle school crush, family drama and grand ambitions to become a news photographer. They hope Heyman’s firsthand account will engage otherwise disinterested or uninformed youth. Yet the concept is not without controversy. While the bulk of the feedback appears to be positive, some critics fear the story, with its internet lingo, hashtags and emojis, risks trivializing Holocaust atrocities. “A cheapening of the Holocaust compressed into Boomerang,” one Instagram user, Dor Levi, wrote in Hebrew in response to the trailer. He facetiously remarked that “the place for commemorating the Holocaust and getting the message across is on Instagram, between the butt of a random model and a video of a chocolate cake.” Maya Kochavi said she anticipated backlash. But she defended Instagram as a place where “lots of very intense and very powerful movements are happening,” with potential to convey history’s relevance at a time when anti-Semitism is surging in parts of the world, and Holocaust deniers are amplifying their dangerous messages online. “It is frightening but quite clear to me. We might be the last generation that really remembers and cares about the Holocaust,” said her father. The Kochavis said that as part of their work, they found that a tiny fraction of social media conversations about the Holocaust in the U.S. and Europe are young people. Their research resonates with recent studies by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany revealing significant gaps in Holocaust knowledge among American millennials. As physical relics disintegrate and human memories fade, Eva’s Instagram story contributes to a growing push by Holocaust museums and memorials to capture young people’s attention with interactive technology, such as video testimonies, apps and holograms. The efforts aim, Maya said, “to make monumental historical events tangible and relatable,” and to preserve stories of witnesses in perpetuity.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line273
__label__wiki	0.774108	0.774108	Intro to Audio George Kelly, Jr. will forever love Atlanta because he didn't move to the city with hopes of following his dreams; he and his dreams were born there. On September 15, 1981 at Grady Memorial Hospital, George introduced himself to his parents and everyone in the delivery room with a cry so loud he startled himself. He didn't know it then, but that was his first lesson in acoustics and sound surveying a room. George was raised in a family that is deeply rooted in the Christian faith. It was through countless gospel concerts and musicals that George developed a strong appreciation of music and a great respect for live musicianship. He and his 3 siblings attended church with their parents every week. On any given Sunday, George could be found sitting in the sound booth attentively watching his Dad as he monitored the mixing board during services. This planted a seed in young George, a seed that would grow to become the driving force behind many of his future achievements in audio production. George is passionate about audio technology. With over 15 years of professional experience that includes owning and operating a full-service recording studio for 4 years, working as a monitor engineer at the esteemed Beulah Missionary Baptist Church for 11 years, and numerous live sound gigs as a freelance "sound man" -- his desire to diversify his craft and venture into the world of television and film lead him to the Art Institute of Atlanta where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Audio Production. Currently, George is a Front of House & Post Production Mix Engineer at the world-renowned World Changer Church International, he also does freelance Sound Design and Mix to Picture work within the growing film industry in Atlanta, GA. He enjoys living his dreams in the city of his birth with his wife, singer/songwriter Gabbie McGee and their 3 children. The Pursuit of Passion "I have always loved Audio Production, but sadly growing up on the Southside of Atlanta, not too many guidance counselors were encouraging young black men to pursue careers in the Production Arts. I enrolled in college at 33 years old. I graduated and worked as an intern for a post-production house at 35 years old. I did all of this while also balancing my responsibilities as a husband and father. I feel it's never too late to trade your blueprint for God's plan because He is the giver of dreams and visions. I also feel following your dreams doesn't have anything to do with your age. You should never be ashamed to be the oldest person in a room full of dreamers. You should only be ashamed if you never give your dreams a try." -George Kelly I had an opportunity to do production sound for my hometown heroes THE ATLANTA FALCONS! Matt Ryan, waiting behind the scenes Did some sound design work for the film Bad Dad Rehab! It was an honor to work with Rogger Bobb & Bobbcat Films! Roger Bobb & George Kelly at the premiere of Bad Dad Rehab Wanna Hear From Me? “I've always been proud of my city. Now, I am especially proud to be able to do what I love where I was born. It's an exciting time for the entertainment industry in Atlanta and as an audio professional I am grateful for opportunities that enable me to lend my talents to the mix.” — George Kelly Sound By George Kelly 2020 & Beyond	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line274
__label__cc	0.697256	0.302744	SCC to hear case about search and seizure of laptops and cell phones Ottawa – The Supreme Court of Canada will be hearing arguments on March 27, 2013 in R. v. Vu. The Court will look at whether a search warrant for documents can also allow the search and seizure of personal computers and mobile phones found inside a home. In this case, a warrant was issued to search for evidence related to the possible theft of electricity at a house in Langley, B.C. The police found pot plants in the basement and two computers and a cell phone in the living room. The police examined and seized the computers and the phone. The police later arrested Mr. Vu because of information found on the computers and the phone. The BCCLA will argue that applying the ordinary rules of search and seizure to new technologies will greatly expand police search power and chip away at privacy rights. The BCCLA will argue that a warrant must specifically authorize a computer search for the search to be lawful. The BCCLA is represented by Gerald Chan and Nader Hasan of Ruby Shiller Chan Hasan. The BCCLA’s argument in the case is available here >> What: Supreme Court of Canada will hear oral arguments in R. v. Vu When: Oral arguments begin on Wednesday, March 27 at 6:30 am PST / 9:30 am EST Where: Supreme Court of Canada (Ottawa, Ontario) Who: Lawyers for the BCCLA available for comment	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line284
__label__wiki	0.823802	0.823802	Galaxy S9 expected to be Samsung’s worst-selling Galaxy S phone since 2012 Image source: Zach Epstein, BGR Samsung will unveil its next-generation flagship smartphone, the Galaxy Note 9, during a press conference on August 9th in New York City. The reveal in early August will be well ahead of schedule when compared to Samsung’s Galaxy Note series phone unveilings in previous years, and the Note 9 is expected to be released much earlier than its predecessors as well. Some reports had suggested that Samsung’s motivation in pushing up the schedule was an effort to give the phone more time on store shelves before Apple’s upcoming new iPhone lineup is announced in early September. Others have said Samsung is adjusting its release schedule for Galaxy Note and Galaxy S smartphones like the Galaxy S10 in order to make room for a new third flagship phone series, the foldable Galaxy X. According to a new report published on Wednesday morning, however, neither of those theories are accurate. Instead, the Galaxy Note 9 will reportedly launch earlier than expected because sales of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ have been so bad that Samsung’s mobile division needs a boost as soon as possible. Digitimes on Wednesday morning published a new report in which it claims to explain why Samsung was “forced to accelerate” its rollout schedule for the new Galaxy Note 9 flagship phone. Citing inside information from Taiwan-based sources in Samsung’s supply chain, the report claims that the Galaxy Note 9 will launch early in order to “rekindle its smartphone momentum as sales of its latest flagship models Galaxy S9 and S9+ have been lower than expected.” There is precious little questions that Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are two of the best Android smartphones in the world right now. The problem is that they look almost exactly like last year’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, and they don’t offer anything at all in the way of exciting new features. Instead, they offer more power, faster speeds, and a better camera, all wrapped in the same housing as last year’s Galaxy S flagship. As a result, smartphone shoppers have been reluctant to upgrade and signs of poor consumer response have been present since the phones were first released. In fact, both the Galaxy S9 and the S9+ received unprecedented price cuts at three major carriers within one month of their release. Perhaps the most troubling part of the Digitimes report is a reiteration of a report from China Times earlier this month. The newspaper, which has reliable inside sources that have provided accurate information many times in the past, said that Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are on track to sell fewer than 30 million units in 2018. If that indeed ends up being the case, the Galaxy S9 series will end up being Samsung’s worst-selling Galaxy S phone series since 2012. Tags: Galaxy Note 9, galaxy s9, Samsung 5 Twitter’s decision to ban President Trump’s account is already paying off Insider says Apple’s most exciting new iPhone of 2018 may be delayed Can you guess the most corrupt state in the United States? By Mike Wehner 21 hours ago ‘GTA 6’ might get smarter NPCs than we’ve ever seen in a game By Jacob Siegal 24 hours ago	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line287
__label__cc	0.725223	0.274777	Home » 24 Ways to Improve Your Teaching From the series: 24 Ways to Improve Your Teaching PREVIOUS PAGE \| NEXT PAGE 8. Using Buzz Groups in Your Teaching Apparently the method known as “buzz groups” was first used by Dr. Donald Phillips at Michigan State University. He would divide his large classes into six-member clusters asking them to discuss a certain problem for six minutes. As you might guess, it was not long until the new approach became known on campus as the “Phillips 66” technique. Now the use of buzz groups is quite popular, and varying formats and arrangements have been introduced to add a great deal of flexibility to this type of discussion teaching. Because, of the flexibility, buzz groups cannot be narrowly defined. The name certainly can be applied whenever a large assembly of people is divided into small groups (usually of no less than three and no more than eight) which for a limited time simultaneously discuss separate problems or various phases of a given problem. If possible, recorders from each of the groups report their findings to the reassembled large group. This technique can be effectively used as early as the Junior Department and increases in significance up to young and middle adulthood. Frequently buzz groups will follow a lecture, panel, or some other teaching form which has been used to transmit certain basic information about a given subject. The groups can be assigned questions raised by the speaker, or unresolved issues which emerge from the first part of the teaching period. I’ll never forget a situation in which I used buzz groups with a young adult class. As I explained what we would be doing that morning their eyes filled with terror. This new approach seemed threatening to them, and they would much rather have had me take care of all of the performance. The plan was to have them study certain verses of Scripture for about 20 minutes in their buzz groups and then report to the wider group. Things started slowly, but at the end of the 20 minutes when I informed them that they should “wrap up their findings” and prepare for reports, I had a mini-rebellion on my hands. “Quit? Wind up? Ready to report? Why, we just got started.” The thrill of learning had set in. They were hooked. Some of those folks had entered into group Bible studies seriously for the first time in their adult lives. Herbert A. Thelen, in his book Dynamics of Groups at Work (University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Ill.), suggests, “the buzz group offers a natural and useful transition from the listening situation to the decision of each individual to act. It is an intermediate step in the movement of responsibility from the officials (leaders) to the small groups to the individual.” He also suggests four other valuable uses for this approach in teaching and group work: 1. To get a meeting started on significant problems with the members assuming considerable responsibility 2. To set up an agenda for a meaningful learning experience 3. To overcome a feeling of helplessness or apathy and to redirect the group toward action 4. To test a set of ideas, and to increase communication between speaker and audience Flexibility and variation are important factors in the use of buzz groups. Let us look at a Sunday School teacher who exemplifies these qualities. Jim T. is the teacher of a young adult class. After coming back from a Sunday School convention last month, he decided to put into practice the things he learned in a workshop on buzz groups. His class numbers about 30 and meets in a little prayer chapel. His lesson for Sunday focuses on the personal witnessing techniques of Christ as seen in John 4:1-38. Jim plans to approach his teaching hour this way: 9:45—9:50 Welcome, announcements, and opening prayer. 9:50—10:10 Give a brief explanation of the setting of John 4. This will include showing something of the geographical setting of Samaria in relation to Judea and Galilee. To do this Jim intends to use an overhead projector with prepared maps. He will also briefly touch on the nature of the Samaritans: who they were, where they came from, and what they believed. 10:10—10:15 Explain the following six questions for discussion: 1. What specifically did Christ mean by his reference to “living water?” 2. Why did Jesus bring up the subject of this woman’s husbands? 3. What kind of diversion does the woman raise in verse 20, and how does our Lord handle it? 4. What is the meaning of verse 24, and what implications does it have for our worship today? 5. What did Christ mean by His statement, “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (v. 35)? 6. According to verse 38, how were the disciples involved in this ministry? 10:15—10:30 Chairs will be rearranged into six circles of approximately five people each. A group leader will be appointed whose task it is to keep the discussion on target and involve au the members of the group. He is not to teach or to dominate discussion. Each group will immediately select its own recorder or secretary, who will be responsible for the report. 10:30—10:45 The groups will reassemble, and each reporter will have approximately two minutes to share the findings of his group in answer to the question assigned. Jim may make one or two closing remarks at the end of the hour and then dismiss the class with prayer. Several things are assumed in Jim s lesson plans. First of all, the Adult Department in his Sunday School has wisely given up its old system of “opening exercises.” Each class goes immediately to its classroom, and any preliminaries are taken care of there. Jim does not have to worry about passing around any kind of attendance lists since the class secretary sits in the back of the room and checks the attendance during the first few minutes. Jim also has the advantage of a room with some privacy and folding chairs which can be moved anywhere he wants to put them. In addition, he has a small enough class so that division into smaller groups is quite workable. But remember the flexibility angle. Suppose Jim had 60 students instead of 30. If the chairs were still movable and the room large enough, he could have retained his lesson plan with one exception: be would have assigned two groups to each question rather than one. But let us assume for the moment that Jim bad to meet his class in the sanctuary, where they sit in pews rather than folding chairs. Could he have used buzz groups? Yes, assuming he has had the foresight to bring all of the class members together in one comer of the auditorium rather than letting them spread out. He will still use his same lesson format and the same questions. But now he will go to a variation of buzz groups called either “neighbor nudging,” “triads,” or “diads.” This is a technique which involves two or three people sitting together and discussing a question among themselves. There is no appointed leader, and the teacher may select any one of the two or three to give the informal report. If his class numbers 60 and Jim wants to keep his original six questions, he might decide to use triads, thus giving him 20 small discussion groups. He would have at least three groups on each question and four groups on two of the questions. The major deficiency here is that he will surely not have time for all of the reports so he will have to select a representative sample. The advantage is that he can use diads or triads with almost any type of room furniture and arrangement in a class of almost any size. Perhaps the diagram on page 47 will more clearly establish the buzz group arrangements discussed above. Values of Buzz Group Teaching Buzz group teaching, like other forms of discussion, takes advantage of that significant teaching principle, interaction. The class confronts the subject matter firsthand rather than passively receiving what a teacher has to say. Jim could have answered any of his questions in a lecture, but the answers will be much more meaningful if the class members can find them in the text. Some of the class members would never participate in a discussion if the whole class were listening to their contribution. In the small group, however, the threat is minimized, and people find it easier to express themselves and share their understanding of scriptural issues. Adaptability is a plus factor for this teaching method. We saw how Jim could adapt if the Sunday School superintendent suddenly moved him into the auditorium. The subject matter is also a flexible item. Buzz groups can deal with interpretation of Scripture, discussion of topical matters, controversial questions raised by a guest speaker, implementation of ideas by the members of the group, and many other types of learning. Sometimes patience and tolerance develop as group members are forced into a situation of listening to what someone else has to say on the subject. Do not forget the factor of leadership development. Although the roles of group leader and recorder-reporter may not seem very significant at the time, this exposure to the sharing of responsibility for the effectiveness of the class is an important ingredient in the process of training classmembers to be leaders themselves. Problems in Using Buzz Groups Sometimes the use of buzz groups will threaten a class. As a matter of fact, the first time you use the technique you should expect your class members to be somewhat afraid of the group interaction. But soon they will discover that learning is enjoyable when the learner is directly involved. Sometimes the groups will not arrive at the conclusions which the leader might have desired. If he has left himself some time to “pull together” the issues, he may be able to solve this problem. But an honest discussion should not predetermine what conclusions the group is to reach. The process should be as inductive as possible. Sometimes a weakness shows up in the selection of the group leader. If the leader fails to take the responsibility to keep his group on the subject and to catalytically draw out each member, then the effectiveness of the technique will be in danger. Buzz groups also take time. Just as in any other kind of discussion teaching, the teacher must plan to invest more time to cover the same amount of material than if he were teaching monologically. But again, the emphasis should be on creating learning in the minds and lives of the students, not necessarily in covering the greatest amount of material in the shortest time. Principles for Effective Buzz Groups Some pitfalls can be avoided if the teacher will carefully observe some basic principles which facilitate the effectiveness of buzz group teaching. Plan the classtime to allow for moving chairs, explaining the technique, and hearing reports. These items will usually take longer than you anticipate. Make clear to the class what the roles of group leader and recorder should be. This is done before the entire group so that everyone will know how he is to react to the leader and recorder in his group. Set a definite time limit for discussion. The general tendency is to think that groups will be able to do more in a certain amount of time than they can actually handle effectively. If five group members have 15 minutes to deal with their question, each member of the group can speak to the question only three minutes. The teacher should “float” from group to group to motivate better involvement, help them over any hurdles, and generally spread enthusiasm around the room. Gather the notes from the reporters, and prepare a mimeographed sheet of the total findings of the class. The recorders will probably be speaking so fast that no one can take notes. Furthermore, this sheet will give the class a symbol of their own effectiveness in discussion and Bible study. The leader can also add his own comments at the end so that such a report sheet will be helpful as a reference item long after the class is over. Related Topics: Teaching the Bible Kenneth O. Gangel Dr. Gangel was the Scholar-in-Residence at Toccoa Falls College in GA and the Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Christian Education at Dallas Theological Seminary as well as Adjunct Faculty of Columbia Biblical Seminary and School of Missions. He was involved in pastoral ministry, lectured in ins... More	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line288
__label__wiki	0.512857	0.512857	Q & A with Polly Trottenberg, Asst Sec of Transportation Policy at the USDOT Posted by Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) on December 20th, 2011 at 8:17 am Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation Polly Trottenberg speaking at the Sellwood Bridge Project groundbreaking last week. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland) Last week I sat down with Polly Trottenberg, the Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Asst. Sec. Trottenberg was in town to deliver a $17.7 million check for the Sellwood Bridge Project. I caught up with her at Clever Cycles on SE Hawthorne Blvd. We talked about the role of activists, the new era of highway funding, the CRC project, and more. Below is the transcript of our conversation. What’s your role at the DOT? “For us, the real measure of success is when complete streets and integrated roadway design is part of how we do business in this country.” “The policy shop has a big portfolio, one of the biggest things is we run the TIGER program [Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery] and it’s been a fantastic experience. It’s given us a chance — because it was a new program and Congress gave us a lot of flexibility in how to do it — for us to really push some of the policies we really care about. We also spend a lot of time thinking about how we should re-design the current federal transportation programs. What can we do now in our time to improve the existing programs? When that debate really gets underway in Congress we’ll be very involved and trying to push things in the right direction.” Speaking of debates, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently called for a nationwide ban on cell phone use while driving. Why did that come from the NTSB and not the USDOT? “As you know, Secretary LaHood has been at the forefront on the issue of distracted driving. The difference is the NTSB is in charge of investigating accidents and then afterwards making recommendations about what they think should be done. They are, to some degree, free from having to consider cost and practicalities in a way that we do at the DOT; we’re more the implementer of rules. We have to work with the Office of Management and Budget and we’re more charged with having to take those things into account.” So, what do you make of their big announcement? “It’s been very interesting since [NTSB] Chairman [Deborah] Hersman made that recommendation. If you’ve listened to the debate back-and-fourth, a lot of people said, ‘Of course we need to do this nationwide,’ but there’s also been push back from different quarters saying, ‘This is government overreach, we’ll never get people to do this, people are too attached to their cell phones.’ Other people are saying that’s what people felt about drunk driving, but look what we’ve accomplished. I’m particularly proud of DOT and Secretary LaHood for really bringing this issue to the forefront. Obviously, he’s very focused particularly on cell phones, but distraction behind the wheel is much bigger than that. When you get in your car you’ve got your GPS, radio, smartphone… a lot of gizmos.” Can we expect a follow-up to the NTSB’s recommendation from the DOT? “Secretary LaHood has sort of said versions of that in the past… I think right now we’re going to be part of that debate and see where it goes. We are two independent agencies, obviously, we think the work they [the NTSB] do is tremendously important and we try to carry out their policies; but we don’t do all of them.” Let’s switch gears back to the TIGER grant program: There are concerns that it specifically calls out almost every conceivable mode of transportation as being eligible for funds — except, “bike and ped” projects. Am I correct in assuming that it’s just the new normal that all roadway projects include adequate access for people to walk and bike? “New normal is a wonderful way to put it. When the Obama Administration first came in, we’d have people say, ‘You should have a separate bikes and pedestrians mode like you’ve got a highways mode!’ And you know, we thought about it — and you know we’re true believers [in biking and walking] — but we said, ‘You know what, we shouldn’t separate it out, because really, it should be part of federal highways and it should be part of every roadway we design that it’s just part of what goes into them. And actually, let’s not ghettoize it and make it its own category. Instead, it should be an integrated part of all the roadway planning that we do.’ And one thing that has been fascinating to us in terms of TIGER is, pretty much everyone now who applies to TIGER makes that assumption. That’s the mark of success, when it’s baked into the way state DOTs do their regular business. We do like the separated bike network projects and we’ve done some of those in TIGER; but for us, the real measure of success is when complete streets and integrated roadway design is part of how we do business in this country.” OK. I get how it works with TIGER; but that’s an exception. What about other funding pots where you don’t have as much control and oversight about what gets funded? Are you concerned that state DOTs and other agencies who don’t see “bicycling and pedestrian projects” in a list may see that as a sign that it doesn’t need to be a priority? And that they’ll spend in a way that doesn’t match your vision? “The vision of spending around the country is all over the place. It depends on where you go. Typically as a federal agency, we try and leave as much as we can but we’re also a creature of politics in the whole country. And look, TIGER is just one piece of what we’re doing. As you probably know, we’ve done a lot at the design level with the new manual [the NACTO guide to developing bikeways is strongly supported by the USDOT] and a lot of the policy statements that we do at DOT to make it clear that we feel bikes are an equal mode and basically, that you have to include them in your design. “There is such tremendous political energy and enthusiasm from the bike front… so that’s also part of how the change is going to come.” So I think we’re trying to engage in culture change as well. Culture change is slow. We have some very willing partners and we have some partners that think the whole thing is stupid and wish they’d never have to deal with it but we’re a big, decentralized country so you sort of have to work it that way. The goal is to integrate bikes, pedestrians and complete streets into projects from the start. It was interesting today hearing people talk about the Sellwood Bridge. Someone said to us, for all the old bridges here this will be the first time we get the bike and pedestrian into the design from the start instead of having to do a retrofit and we’re really going to get it right. That’s our real goal. There’s no question it takes time and it’s not just up to DOT, we need the help of the activist community on the ground in communities all over the country. That’s part of how local projects get designed and how state DOTs decide what they’re going to do — they hear from people on the ground. There’s only so much they can take from Washington, they also need to hear it locally. You know this because you’re part of it. There is such tremendous political energy and enthusiasm from the bike front… so that’s also part of how the change is going to come.” You mentioned culture change, I want to ask you about the Columbia River Crossing (CRC). I was critical of Sec. LaHood in a recent editorial, saying that he can’t have it both ways when it comes to support the CRC and being for livability and a new vision for transportation. Seems to me if you truly believe in livability, at some point you have to take the tough stand and just say “No” to a highway widening mega-project. Do you think its fair to accuse the USDOT of trying to have it both ways? “It’s a fair question. And look, we’re very familiar with that project and all of the controversy and the pros and cons. And you know, look, I mean honestly, transportation is a complicated business. On the one hand at the federal level you want to lead; on the other hand, pragmatically, you also have to respond to the local political desires and of course there are conflicts there. I know there is a lot of division on that project. Look, there’s a lot of political momentum behind that project and a lot of people support it and a lot of people who have very sensible critiques against it. I think, at the federal level, you want to help culture change but to some degree you have to respond to what folks around the country want to do. In particular, the federal transportation program is very decentralized. If you go to other countries they’re amazed. In other countries the federal level of government has the bulk of the funding and makes the bulk of decisions about projects. That’s not how it works in the U.S. The bulk of transportation spending comes from the state level. The federal piece is smaller than the state pieces. We have some influence but our influence isn’t infinite and it certainly isn’t dictatorial. That’s [the CRC is] a tough project, no question, and people feel pretty strongly on both sides of it. I think from Secretary LaHood’s point of view, he is also just, in addition to believing in livability, his political background is one of real belief in bipartisanship and working together. When a lot of local leaders and elected officials in a region come together, that’s important to him. So, I think in the case of the CRC that’s something he thought was pretty important, knowing full well there are people who totally disagree with him.” Do you think there’s danger that the USDOT’s strong support for the project — even if it’s just verbal at this point — actually impacts the politics and the project’s momentum and that your support helps move a project forward that doesn’t mesh with your goals? “Look, again, it’s a fair question. The one issue with that project is that the funding is still not in place. Whether our blessing of the next step of it will make the funding emerge… We’ll have to see.” So the funding of the project will be another decision point for your office? “The truth is, one thing we’re seeing all over the country is there are still a lot of places that want to see a lot of big and grand projects and the scale of funding that’s available at the state and national level is just not what it used to be. So that bigger conflict is looming in places all over the country. Certainly with the CRC that’s been the issue all along.” So, what happens with a large project like the CRC? Are you saying this is the end of an era in terms of mega-projects? “We’ll have to see how the politics shake out. Certainly, one thing that’s been interesting in the TIGER program is we got some really big applications to finish huge pieces of interstate highways, particularly down south. One of the things they say in that region of that county is that a lot of the Sunbelt grew up in the post-interstate era. One of their complaints is, ‘We don’t have the same level of interstate connections in some of our major cities as other parts of the country.’ There’s some truth to that — whether you think they lucked out or not is a different story — but building interstates on the scale that we did in the heyday of the the 50s and 60s, it’s just not clear that the federal and state resources will be there. Unless the politics and fiscal situation around transportation changes dramatically and we’re greatly raising gas taxes or looking for other big revenue sources.” What if that happened? What if you pulled the economic realities of today out of the picture? What if we had all the money we wanted? “That’s a nice hypothetical, but I don’t see it happening any time soon.” How important is that economic piece in talking about which vision you think is the most important? “We believe in the vision regardless of the economics of it. Again, in a field like transportation, which is pretty traditional and slow to change, the economic realities are certainly making communities all over the country re-think their really big plans. And look, I wouldn’t just say it’s on the big highways, sometimes it’s on the big transit plans too. There are cities around the country that are realizing, ‘We’re struggling to keep the existing system running and operating well, maybe we can’t do that expansion.’ This is a problem across all modes. This country’s going to have to be smarter about transportation. I just don’t see in the foreseeable future we’re going to have gushing new revenue sources. It seems unlikely.” I’d just correct you when you say “across all modes.” If we were making dedicated bikeway infrastructure, it wouldn’t be anywhere near the cost of transit lines or highways. “Of course. I would say with bikes, there’s an area where you’re seeing tremendous expansions. In a lot of cities now, you know Janette Sadik-Khan and others are joking, ‘All I need is a bucket of green paint and I’ve made bike infrastructure happen.'” So, do you think those economic realities make dedicated bikeway projects more feasible? More politically possible? “Oh, I definitely think so. Particularly, in a lot of big cities there is no more place for capacity, you can only better utilize the capacity you have… And you may not have a lot of money to do it, so of course you’re going to look to more buses, more bike lanes etc… And you know, a lot of other cities are doing that right now. Portland led the way and now other places are catching up.” Is there anything else you’d like to share? “One thing that’s been so interesting for us at DOT for the past few years is, we travel around the country and find that so much of the political energy and enthusiasm is coming out of bike advocacy. It’s amazing. We went to LA for this re-authorization visit. This is LA, which people think of as the car city, and 300 bicycle activists showed up and took over the meeting. I just see that’s where the political energy is in transportation right now. Thanks to you and folks like you that have helped bring that to the fore. It really matters in Wahsington. We need it. We’re going to have some tough fights ahead I think. On the one hand, as you point out, economically constrained times may make people think creatively but there’s also the backlash: ‘We can’t do frivolous things like bikes!’ There are competing tensions that come out of having constrained resources. I think we need continued political energy on bike and pedestrian projects in how important they are and talking about their benefits and showing, particularly, that it’s not just the product for the elites but that there’s widespread support for these projects.” What do you think accounts for that energy and enthusiasm you saw in LA? “You have a mode of transportation that’s inexpensive to build and inexpensive to operate in which you burn no oil and you emit no carbon. It helps reduce obesity, people who engage in it reconnect with their communities and they loove it! It’s a really unique form of transportation. So it’s not surprising, since we’ve started to re-accommodate it once again in our streets, of course people are taking to it… It’s just strength in numbers. It’s a nice synergy: As cities have grown more accommodating of bikes, the number of people riding increases; and as the number of people riding increases, they love it and they become passionate and engaged and that political energy is genuine and important. There was a hearing Secretary LaHood went to when he and Congressman Latourette (R-OH) got into a back and forth on bikes and the Congressman said something like, ‘Bikes are stupid and a waste of money.’ He was set upon by the bike supporters in his district — I don’t think he knew he had so many and he basically kind of backtracked. That’s really, really, really important and you’ve got to do it. In Washington, we’re fighting, you’ve got to be in it for the long run and keep up your energy even when times get dismal.” — Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter or jonathan@bikeportland.org. — Get our headlines delivered to your inbox. — Please support this independent community media outlet with a one-time contribution or monthly subscription. Front Page, Interviews, News interviews, national politics, Politics, polly trottenberg, usdot After a decade of less driving, federal forecast shifts to match reality January 7, 2015 Obama picks Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx for USDOT Secretary - UPDATED April 28, 2013 The LaHood Era is over: A look back and a look ahead January 29, 2013 Saltzman staffer Brendan Finn hired by Governor Brown as transportation policy advisor April 25, 2018 Very nice comments from US DOT. Its encouraging to to see that people are finally getting it. That it’s not fair, smart, nor supportive of Freedom, to have only one transportation option. In my opinion it’s a basic human right to transport yourself by your own power (e.g. walk somewhere if you wish. I also feel human power should have priority over all other forms of transport on any LOC -‘line of communication’). Sounds reasonable, right? But in many places in the US this isn’t possible. You have to drive to walk, or drive to ride. And its simply because of the design of the infrastructure. We are so lucky here in Portland. You nailed it on the head with the freedom comment – people should be able to walk, bike, and drive in safe environments without worrying about being killed. That’s what always puzzles me when certain groups (usually groups that claim to love “freedom” the most but want to use the government to regulate things they don’t like or deem immoral) have blinders on when it comes to transportation freedom. Anything that isn’t driving is somehow this crazy communist plot to get rid of cars. But putting walking and cycling on a more level playing field is increasing the overall freedom people have to move about as the wish. Locking people into the single auto mode is more akin fascism. As someone who loves cycling, I just want to see it made safer for everyone who wishes to enjoy being out there on a bike. I don’t want to take the choice to drive away from other people. I drive myself – but I’d certainly enjoy driving LESS, as I dislike spending loads of money on gas and maintenance. Anyways, I digress. Good interview Jonathan. some of us are. please realize there are large areas of this city that have not seen the light of day when it comes to good bike infrastructure. Nice interview, Jonathan. But I have to say I’m very disappointed that she is so willing to waffle on questions of federal leadership. What happened to the LaHood who made a strong impassioned pitch for bicycles early on? Her words about wanting to lead but respecting local voices (w/r/t the CRC) ring hollow. The funding (or lack thereof) provides such an obvious opening to the Feds to lead – away from big unfundable highway expansion mega-projects. Hopeless. q`Tzal … leadership. What happened to the LaHood who made a strong impassioned pitch for bicycles early on? Her words about wanting to lead but respecting local voices … The problem is public education that bicycling is not a waste of time and money. It is so obvious to us here in Portlandia that we hardly even get why it is a problem elsewhere. So I looked up more on Congressman Steven LaTourette. The best link was LaTourette supports Complete Streets; receives League award from Ohio delegation; at the bottom are three other links to stories about him chronicling his conversion from bike hater to bike supporter. There are unfortunately 435 representatives and 100 senators. Odds are less than 10% understand that bicycles are important. The USDOT does not have the funding nor infrastructure to educate all those in power that truly need a whack with the Clue Bat or the Cluehammer 40,000. Lois Moss Congressman LaTourette became enlightened and educated because we tailored the message to him. He understood bicycles being used for recreation, but he didn’t comprehend that people in northern climates could actually want to use bicycles for transportation. Rather than talk about lowering pollution, health benefits and livable communities, we talked about cycling being low cost to the user and to the community. The thing that seemed to tip his opinion the most was an issue of “Minnesota Business Magazine” with a cover story about the millions of $$ generated by bicycle companies, tour companies and retailers in MN. PorterStout At least they’re talking the talk, and that shows great progress. I wonder if Jonathan would have even gotten an interview 10 years ago. Of course, we could step back 10 years (or 50) depending on the outcome of the next election. But changes to our transportation infrastructure seem inexorable at some point. Good interview. Darren Flusche Very good interview. Joe Rowe Awesome interview. Voters need to make the democrats back track on the CRC. Ms. Trottenberg forgets this local slogan: If we don’t build now we lose Federal funding. The bike community should demand that Earl Blumenauer amend the jobs bill to remove the CRC. Earl will never do that. Earl silently supports the CRC. What’s worse? His friends with the Bike Walk Pac will not send him the CRC questionnaire. They say the race is not competitive. Vern Levy Bikes are only one form of transportation. People and commerce need to get across the Columbia River. Mia Birk nice interivew Jonathan. « Dark Green Specialized Hard Rock Unk Metro’s latest ‘Opt In’ transportation survey draws ire » Steve C 2:00 PM	cc/2021-04/en_head_0024.json.gz/line289

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