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nd keeping up a murderous fire on the troops as the latter body laboured to destroy the barricade. This battalion also was unable to fight its way back, as barricades had been erected behind it as it passed. Its companion battalion at the market place awaiting its return found itself hemmed in, with barricades rising rapidly in all the surrounding streets, and a merciless fire pouring in on it at every opportunity. At last in despair it was resolved to send out a messenger for help.
An aidedecamp shaved off his moustache, got into the clothes of a market porter, and succeeded in getting through the insurgent lines with a message to the commanderinchief of the Paris district. Help was sent in the shape of another battalion which had to fight its way in. At the market place the forces united, and fought their way out with great loss.
The fourth column was directed to reach the City Hall, p.472 the Hotel de Ville. It was divided in two. One part marching across a suspension bridge was attacked by the insurgents, |
but bringing up artillery and receiving reinforcements of another battalion fought its way through, and reached its objectiveHotel de Ville and adjacent Place de Grev. The insurgents barricaded all the surrounding side streets, and kept up a fire from all the corners and windows. One writer says
The guns attached to the guards were found to occasion only embarrassment.
Eventually finding the place untenable they fought their way out, attacked all the way by the people who closed in like a sea as the troops passed.
The end of the day's fighting found the people everywhere in possession. Next day fresh troops arrived from the country outside Paris, but great preparations had been made to receive them.
Streets had been torn up, and pavements converted into barricades. Great mounds were placed across the streets, barrels filled with earth and stones; planks, poles, and every conceivable kind of obstacle utilised to create barricades. Carts, carriages, hackney coaches, drays, wheelbarrows had been seized and over |
turned, and trees cut down and used to improvise street fortresses.
Then a peculiar thing took place. The troops refused to advance into the streets, and in turn fortified themselves in their positions. This gave the insurgents opportunity to organise themselves and plan their fight more systematically. When they advanced against the troops, after some fighting the soldiery were driven from their central positionthe Louvre, some of the regiments of the line surrendered, and the city was abandoned by the troops.
The Revolution had won.
Like the fighting in Brussels narrated in a previous issue the chief characteristic of the Paris fighting in this revolution was the elusive nature of the insurgent forces. The conquest of a street by the royal troops was not worth the blood it had cost them, for as soon as they passed onwards fresh barricades were erected in their rear on the very ground they had just p.473 conquered. No sooner did they fight their way in than it became necessary for them to fight their way out |
again. They only commanded the ground they occupied, and the surrounding barricades shutting off their supplies and communications made the position untenable. To have successfully resisted the revolution would have required an army sufficient to occupy in force every inch of the ground they passed, with another force massed at some tactical point strong enough to assist any part of the long drawn out line at any point where it might have been attacked.
July 12th 1915.
7. Lexington
The first bloodshed in actual fighting in the American Revolution was shed at Lexington, Massachusetts on April 19th, 1775. Then was fired the shot heard round the world, the shot whose echoes were as bugle calls summoning a nation to life.
The dispute between the British Parliament and the American colonists had been gradually drawing to a head. The town of Boston which had led in the agitation against the oppressive action of the British Government was filled with British troops intended to intimidate the Americans, and these la |
tter had begun to collect arms and ammunition and to store them in various places inland in order to be prepared for any eventuality. At that time the odds seemed so great against the Americans that few of them dreamt of asserting the independence of the thirteen colonies.
The colonies were but thinly populated, means of communication were very imperfect, roads were bad, and no real bond of cohesion existed. The British had a great fleet dominating the Atlantic sea coast, and able to hurl an army at any point where resistance might be contemplated and crush it before it could attain to any strength. The bad roads, sparse population and almost trackless wilds on the other hand made it difficult to unite the Americans sufficiently to oppose the British expedition. Also large sections of the p.474 population were ultra loyal, and resolved to stand by England against their fellow colonists. Owing to all these factors there was still some hope of a peaceful issue of the dispute until the occurrence we are about to |
describe swept the talkers and doubters aside, and placed the issue in the hands of armed forces.
On the night of the 18th and morning of the April 19th, the British General Gage in command at Boston sent an expedition into the interior for the purpose of destroying certain stores of arms and ammunition the Americans were gathering at the village of Lexington. This expedition embarked secretly on boats at Boston, and were rowed up the Charles River to a landing place known as Phipp's Farm. From there they pushed hurriedly on to the town of Concord, which they reached about five in the morning. Every effort had been made to keep their movements secret, mounted officers and scouts scoured the country and arrested every inhabitant they found upon the roads to keep them from giving the alarm. But the alarm had been given; one mounted citizen, Paul Revere, having ridden ahead of them and spread the alarm far and wide. Bells were rung, fires lighted and guns fired in order to rouse the sleeping inhabitants by thos |
e who received the word as Revere passed on his way.
On reaching Lexington the soldiers found the American militia drawn up to receive them. The Officer in command ordered the Americans to disperse; these latter refused, and the soldiers fired, killing eight men and wounding several others.
The Americans fled and the soldiers then proceeded to Concord, sending six companies ahead to seize two bridges beyond the town that they might cut off the retreat of any armed forces opposing them. The American militia at this point retired and the main body of soldiers took possession of the place. At once they set about destroying all stores; three guns, a quantity of carriages, and a large accumulation of powder and ball were thrown into the river. A number of barrels of flour were also thrown in the same place and spoilt. All this time the bells had been summoning the people, bonfires were on every hill, and couriers were speeding along every road with the news that the soldiers were on the warpath. The farmers and to |
wnspeople were hurrying from all quarters to the scene.
Upon completion of their work of destruction the army p.475 commenced to retire. But here the first real fighting of the day began.
As the Infantry prepared to leave the town they tried to destroy the bridges behind them. A company of militia strove to cross in order to save some of their stores, but the soldiers fired killing two men. The Americans returned the fire, and the regulars were forced to retreat, leaving behind them some killed and wounded, and a lieutenant and a number of soldiers taken prisoners.
As the army retired the whole countryside rose around them. Skirmish followed skirmish, houses, walls, hedges, woods, ditches were lined by riflemen who never ventured into close quarters, but kept up the pursuit, tracking the soldiers as hunters track game. At Lexington the retreating army was reinforced by Lord Percy with 16 companies of infantry, a detachment of marines, and two cannon. From Lexington to Boston is sixteen miles and all the way t |
he troops had to fight. The people closed in to firing distance only, crawled along the ground in their rear, lay in wait behind hillocks, trees, and hedges, firing upon the troops, and never exposing themselves.
For the soldiers it was a terrible experience, as their enemy seemed to rise out of the ground. Front and rear and flanks were alike engaged all the time, and every moment required every sense to be on the alert. Eventually the soldiers reached Charleston, and boats took them off to Boston under the shelter of the fleet.
The British admitted the loss of 273 men killed and wounded, and 2 lieutenants and 20 men taken prisoners. Amongst the seriously wounded were Colonel Smith, the commander of the expedition, a lieutenantcolonel and several other officers. The total American loss was only 60 killed and wounded.
The battle of Lexington was a victory for the British, inasmuch as they succeeded in their object, viz., to destroy the stores of ammunition at Lexington. But it was also a victory for the rebel |
s, as they held the ground after the battle, compelled the enemy to retreat, and inflicted more loss upon him in the p.476 retreat than they had suffered in the battle. In this respect Lexington was like all the battles of the War of the Revolution. In practically all of those earlier battles the regular soldiers won, but after each of them the American Army gained in strength and discipline. Lexington destroyed the belief in the invincibility of the regular solders, gave courage to those who dreaded them because of their perfection in mechanical drill, and gave faith to those doubters who failed to recognise that no nation can be enslaved if its people think death less hateful than bondage.
In February 1848, the monarchy of Louis Phillippe was destroyed by an insurrection in the streets of Paris, supported by risings in various parts of the country. This insurrection, like all previous risings of the same description, owed its success principally to the determined fighting of the working class. But whereas i |
n previous insurrections the working class after doing the fighting were content to let the middle class reap the harvest, it resolved this time to demand certain guarantees for itself.
Education had progressed rapidly, and in addition the relative numbers of the workers were greater than at any other similar crises. Hence, after the victory, whilst arms were still in its hands, it demanded that the new government establish in its social constitution some provisions making for social wellbeing. The government consented reluctantly but with great show of zeal for the cause of labour, and established National Workshops, guaranteeing work to all comers.
This proposition was, of course, economically unsound and bound to fail, but it placated the workers for the time. The Republican Government got time to mature its plans against republicanism, and to organise its military force against labour. Thousands of workers were taken on in the workshops, and middle class poets talked enthusiastically and sang p.477 ecstat |
ically about the Era of Labour. But all the time the government was quietly drafting its forces into Paris, removing from Paris all the city regiments and replacing them with battalions from remote country districts, perfecting its artillery, and calmly preparing to crush the workers should they persist in their idea that the Republic ought to regard them as its children, not as its slaves. Eventually when all was ready the government began to dismiss men in thousands from the National Workshops, and to form brigades of workers to be removed from Paris ostensibly to work at canal construction in the provinces.
One of these brigades was formed of 14,000 men, almost all of whom were Parisians, and members of various local Labour clubs. In addition to this wholesale removal of workers to unfamiliar provinces, the government on June 22nd, 1848, summarily dismissed 3,000 more on the pretence that they were not born in Paris, and ordered them to leave the city at once. Money and tickets were supplied to them to pay |
their lodgings along the road to their birthplaces.
Out of this deportation sprung the Insurrection of June 1848.
About 400 of the deported workmen returned to the city that evening and paraded the streets, calling upon their comrades to resist the plot of the government to destroy the Labour forces. In the morning the sound of the generale, the popular drum beat to arms, was sounded, and barricades began to be erected in the streets. All the working class districts rapidly rose, and the insurgents fortified their quarters so rapidly and skilfully that it was quite evident that astute minds had been busy amongst them preparing to meet the schemes of the government.
At the Porte St. Denis the fighting began. The barricade here was stormed after the soldiers had been twice beaten off. At the Porte St. Martin and at several other points similar fights took place, at each of them the soldiery stormed the barricade. But at each of them it was found that after the barricade had become untenable the insurgents were |
able to fall back behind others that had been prepared for the purpose, and when the troops sought to pursue them they were met by a galling and terrible fire from all the side streets and houses. The insurgents had seized houses which commanded the passage p.478 of the streets, but were still so retired that they could not be swept from the front, and had prepared their house in the most scientific manner. The front walls were loopholed, the entrances were barricaded with furniture, boxes, trunks, and obstacles of all kinds, the party walls were cut through so that only one man at a time could pass, and as fast as one house was taken in desperate handtohand fighting they retired through this passage to the next.
Some of the houses were compared to rabbit warrens, full of holes and galleries, and in every corner death was waiting for the soldiers. Windows were blocked with mattresses and sandbags, and marksmen fired from behind them, and women were busy casting bullets, raining slates and stones on the heads |
of the troops, carrying arms, and tending the wounded.
Before nightfall the troops had been driven back at numerous points, and the roar of artillery was heard all over the city.
Next morning it was found that most of the barricades destroyed during the day had been erected again during the night. To enumerate here the places and districts fortified would be a useless display of names, but sufficient to say that the insurgents had drawn a huge semicircle around a vast portion of Paris, had erected barricades in a practically continuous line all along their front, had carefully prepared the houses and buildings at tactically strong points, and were now applying to their service everything within their lines that foresight or prudence could suggest.
Two great buildings served as headquarters in the various districts. The headquarters of the North were in the Temple, those of the South in the Pantheon, and in the centre the Hospital of the Hotel Dicu had been seized and held as the strategical bureau of the who |
le insurrection.
Meanwhile the soldiers in overwhelming numbers were being rushed to Paris from all the provincial centres, and as France was then at peace with all foreign powers the whole force of the army was available. General Cavaignac issued a proclamation that if at noon the barricades are not removed, mortars and howitzers will be brought by which sells will be thrown, which will explode behind the barricades and in the apartments of the p.479 houses occupied by the insurgents.
No one heeded his threat, and on the next day the fighting recommenced. But the shortage of ammunition on the part of the insurgents told heavily against them, and in addition, as the government had all along planned, the soldiers brought to Paris outnumbered the armed men in revolt, as well as being possessed of all the advantage of a secure source of supplies.
The first fighting at the Clos St. Lazare was typical of the whole and therefore the following description from the pen of an eyewitness is worth reproducing. He says
T |
he barricades in advance of the barriers were as formidable as regular engineers would have constructed, and were built of paving stones of a hundredweight each, and blocks of building stone cut for building a hospital, and weighing tons. The houses covering them were occupied. The tall houses at the barriers were occupied and the windows removed. The houses on the opposite side of the Boulevard were, moreover, in the possession of the rebels and manned with marksmen. What formed, however, the strength of their position was the perforation of the wall of the city which is twelve or fourteen feet high, at intervals of eight or ten yards for a mile in length, with several hundred loopholes of about six inches in diameter. During all Saturday and Sunday a constant and deadly fire was kept up from these loopholes on troops who could hardly see their opponents.
The defenders ran from loophole to loophole with the agility of monkeys. They only left the cover of the high wall to seek ammunition, of which they had on |
ly a scanty and precarious supply.
It was only when the insurgents' ammunition gave out that the artillery became formidable. Then it was able to pound to ruins the building in which the insurgents were awaiting their attack, and to gradually occupy the district so cleared of its defenders.
By June 28th, all fighting had ceased in Paris. The isolation of that city from all provincial support, combined with the overwhelming number of the soldiery had won the day.
On December 10th, 1848, Prince Louis Napoleon was elected President of the Republic, and four years afterwards he destroyed it by the aid of the army which the republican p.480 government had turned against the workers of Paris in the fighting just chronicled. When Louis Napoleon was destroying the French Republic its middle class supporters called in vain for the support of the brave men they had betrayed in June 1848.
The insurrection of June 1848 in Paris was the most stubbornly fought, and the most scientifically conducted, of any of the revolutio |
ns or attempts at revolutions in Paris. The lessons are invaluable for all students of warfare who wish to understand the defence and attack of cities, towns, villages, or houses. Whatever changes have come about as a result of the development of firearms and the introduction of smokeless powder have operated principally in increasing the power of the defence. In our next week's issue we propose to sum up the military lessons of all the great uprisings dealt with in these notes up to the present.
July 24th, 1915.
9. Street FightingSummary
A complete summary of the lessons to be derived from the military events we have narrated in these chapters during the past few months would involve the writing of a very large volume. Indeed it might truly be urged that the lessons are capable of such infinite expansion that no complete summary is possible.
In the military sense of the term what after all is a street? A street is a defile in a city. A defile is a narrow pass through which troops can only move by narrowing t |
heir front, and therefore making themselves a good target for the enemy. A defile is also a difficult place for soldiers to manoeuvre in, especially if the flanks of the defile are held by the enemy.
A mountain pass is a defile the sides of which are constituted by the natural slopes of the mountain sides, as at the Scalp. A bridge over a river is a defile the sides of which p.481 are constituted by the river. A street is a defile the sides of which are constituted by the houses in the street.
To traverse a mountain pass with any degree of safety the sides of the mountain must be cleared by flanking parties ahead of the main body; to pass over a bridge the banks of the river on each side must be raked with gun or rifle fire whiles the bridge is being rushed; to take a street properly barricaded and held on both sides by forces in the houses, these houses must be broken into and taken by handtohand fighting. A street barricade placed in a position where artillery cannot operate from a distance is impregnable t |
o frontal attack. To bring artillery within a couple of hundred yardsthe length of the average streetwould mean the loss of the artillery if confronted by even imperfectly drilled troops armed with rifles.
The Moscow revolution, where only 80 rifles were in the possession of the insurgents, would have ended in the annihilation of the artillery had the number of insurgent rifles been 800.
The insurrection of Paris in June, 1848, reveals how districts of towns, or villages, should be held. The streets were barricaded at tactical points not on the main streets but commanding them. The houses were broken through so that passages were made inside the houses along the whole length of the streets. The party walls were loopholed, as were also the front walls, the windows were blocked by sandbags, boxes filled with stones and dirt, bricks, chests, and other pieces of furniture with all sorts of odds and ends piled up against them.
Behind such defences the insurgents poured their fire upon the troops through loopholes |
left for the purpose.
In the attack upon Paris by the allies fighting against Napoleon a village held in this manner repulsed several assaults of the Prussian allies of England. When these Prussians were relieved by the English these latter did not dare attempt a frontal attack, but instead broke into an end house on one side of the village street, and commenced to take the houses one by one. Thus all the fighting was inside the houses, and musket fire played but a small part. On one side of the street they captured all the houses, on the other they failed, and when a truce was declared the English were in possession of one side of the village, and their French enemies of the other.
The truce led to a peace. When peace was finally p.482 proclaimed the two sides of the village street were still held by opposing forces.
The defence of a building in a city, town, or village is governed by the same rules. Such a building left unconquered is a serious danger even if its supports are all defeated. If it had been fl |
anked by barricades, and these barricades were destroyed, no troops could afford to push on and leave the building in the hands of the enemy. If they did so they would be running the danger of perhaps meeting a check further on, which check would be disastrous if they had left a hostile building manned by an unconquered force in their rear. Therefore, the fortifying of a strong building, as a pivot upon which the defence of a town or village should hinge, forms a principal object of the preparations of any defending force, whether regular army or insurrectionary.
In the FrancoPrussian War of 1870 the chateau, or castle, of Geissberg formed such a position in the French lines on August 4th. The Germans drove in all the supports of the French party occupying this country house, and stormed the outer courts, but were driven back by the fire from the windows and loopholed walls. Four batteries of artillery were brought up to within 900 yards of the house and battered away at its walls, and battalion after battali |
on was hurled against it. The advance of the whole German army was delayed until this one house was taken. To take it caused a loss of 23 officers and 329 men, yet it had only a garrison of 200.
In the same campaign the village of Bazeilles offered a similar lesson of the tactical strength of a well defended line of houses. The German Army drove the French off the field and entered the village without a struggle. But it took a whole army corps seven hours to fight its way through to the other end of the village.
A mountainous country has always been held to be difficult for military operations owing to its passes or glens. A city is a huge maze of passes or glens formed by streets and lanes. Every difficulty that exists for the operation of regular troops in mountains is multiplied a hundredfold in a city. And the difficulty to the commissariat which is likely to be insuperable to an irregular or popular force taking to the mountains, is solved for them by the sympathies of the populace when they take to the |
streets.
The general principle to be deducted from a study of the example we have been dealing with, is that the defence is of almost overwhelming importance in such warfare as a popular force like the Citizen Army might be called upon to participate in. Not a mere passive defence of a position valueless in itself, but the active defence of a position whose location threatens the supremacy or existence of the enemy. The genius of the commander must find such a position, the skill of his subordinates must prepare and fortify it, the courage of all must defend it. Out of this combination of genius, skill and courage alone can grow the flower of military success.
The Citizen Army and the Irish Volunteers are open for all who wish to qualify for the exercise of these qualities.
Title uniform Insurrectionary Warfare
Author James Connolly
Electronic edition compiled by Dara Mac Domhnaill
Funded by University College Cork
2. Second draft.
Proof corrections by Dara Mac Domhnaill and Donnchadh Corrin
Publisher CELT C |
orpus of Electronic Texts a project of University College Cork.
CELT document ID E900002006
James Connolly, Military Writings or Insurrectionary Warfare, as a series of articles in The Workers' Republic, Dublin 1915.
James Connolly, Insurrectionary Warfare with an introduction by Michael O'Riordan Dublin New Books Publications 1968.
James Connolly, Collected Works Dublin New Books Publications 1987, ii 445483.
Into Arabic Beirut, Lebanon Arab Institute for Studies and Research 1972, translated by Muneev Shafeick.
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Connolly the Polish aspects a review of James Connolly's political |
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James Connolly and W. Walker, The ConnollyWalker controversy on socialist unity in Ireland Dublin 1911, repr. Cork Cork Workers Club 1986
Fifty years of Liberty Hall Dublin Three Candles 1959
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Sean Cronin, Young Connolly Dublin Repsol 1978, 2nd. ed. 1983
Noelle Davis, Connolly of Ireland patriot and socialist Carnarvon Swyddfa'r |
Caernerfon 1946
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Robert Lynd, James Connolly an appreciation, to James Connolly, Collected works 2 vols Dublin New Books Publications 1987, i, 495507 first published October 1916
Proinsias Mac an Bheatha, James Connolly and the Worker's Republic Dublin Foilseachin Nisita Teo. 1978. 90pp.
Lambert McKenna and Thomas J. Morrissey, The social teachings of James Connolly, by Lambert McKenna, ed Thomas J. Morrissey Dublin Veritas Dublin 1991
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Peter McKevitt, James Connolly Dublin Catholic Truth Society 1969. 15pp.
Priscilla Metscher, Republicanism and socialism in Ireland a study of the relationship of politics and ideology from the United I |
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Connolly Dublin Sign of the Three Candles 1948. 211pp.
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Confrence sur la scurit... Cent ans aprs, le BPC Dixmude...
UKled Joint Warrior 2014 exercise begins
The Belgian Navy's Tripartiteclass minehunter BNS Crocus M917. Photo Royal Navy.
9 October 2014 navaltechnology.com
The UKled Joint Warrior 2014, Nato's biggest military exercise, has started off the coast of Scotland.
Maritime forces from a host of Nato nations, including 22 ships and submarines and 52 fixed wing aircraft, are taking part in the exercise, which aims to enhance combat skills.
It will involve air, surface and underwater threat training, starting with military and political tension, in addition to simulated war fighting.
As part of the twoweek drill, personnel will act in response to a range of modern, realistic simulated scenarios, including antisubmarine warfare, antisurface warfare, mine countermeasures, live firing and countersmuggling and counterinsurgency, as well as electronic warfare and logistics support.
It also includes GPS denial operations, which will be executed in a confined are |
a in northwest Scotland.
The UK's Typhoon and Tornado GR4 aircraft will operate from RAF Lossiemouth, together with host fighter planes from Sweden, Belgium, and Germany.
Participating nations include the UK, the US, the Netherlands, France, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Germany, Lithuania, Belgium, Poland, Estonia, and Latvia
The US Navy's Commander Destroyer Squadron 26 has overall command of the task group.
Published by RP Defense dans Europe UK Joint Warrior 2014 Defence Dfense France USA Marine Nationale Navy Belgium |
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Dr. Baranov is a artist when it comes to bariatric surgery. There are not enough words to describe how pleased i was with him and his practice. Simply said, he's the best. He laid out a plan for me, educated me on the ins and outs of the procedure from start to finish, and his follow up after surgery was top notch. I couldn't be happier with my decision to work with him. I would...
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ... 38 39 |
Contact Susan at 7144042941
Has Your Customer Become The Enemy?
For a successful business, the strategy is never to intentionally have the customer become the enemy, but unfortunately it does sometimes seep into our companies. You know, those times when you or your employees dont want to take the call of a difficult customer, or dont want to deal with a return or refund.things like that.
Why is it important to have good customer service? What is the return on investment for customer service?
Customer service has always been and will always be important, especially for small to mediumsize companies. It is a tool we can use to differentiate ourselvesto set our company apart from the competition.
Sure, there is facetoface interaction with the customer, but there are also a number of other touchpoints along the way where our customer interacts with us. These interactions are moments of truth when the customer decides what it is like to experience your company and its service. These are all instances where the cus |
tomer mentally gives a thumbs up or a thumbs down about your company, based on the experience they are having.
These interactions can happen while they are on your website, getting an invoice or phone call from your accounting department, or even when they enter your reception area. These are all specific portals into the experience of the customer.
What can you do to first of all, map out these touchpoints, and secondly, make sure the customer is being treated well at each touchpoint and having a very positive experience?
Difficult Customers, Touchpoints
Where Does Customer Service Stand in Your Planning?
Which Is More Important Hiring the Right People or Training Them?
What Does Your Customer Mean to You?
How Do You Emotionally Engage with Your Customers?
Are You Letting Customers Know How Much They Mean to You?
Susan Smith 2017 |
CHISHORTY
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The Very Reverend Katie Churchwell, Dean
Dean Churchwell came to St. Paul's in August of 2020 hello Covid lockdown!, proving she believes that God's presence is with us always, especially when we take big risks for God and neighbor!
A lifelong Episcopalian, Dean Churchwell has served in churches in Arizona, Oregon, Virginia, Texas, and Florida before making St. Paul's her spiritual home.
As Dean of the Cathedral, Dean Churchwell is responsible for the spiritual health and vitality of the cathedral, serves as Head of Staff for clergy and laity, chairs the Vestry the lay leadership team of the Cathedral, and spends equa time bent over the Bible as she does spreadsheets.
For |
fun Dean Churchwell spends time with her family; husband Logan and their three children Addison, Crawford, and Collins. She reads, naps, and enjoys the ritual of a good cup of coffee enjoyed with a side of good conversation. You can find her cheering loudly at swim meets, roaming the aisles at Trader Joe's, or jogging downtown between meetings.
Want to schedule a meeting with Dean Churchwell? Click here
The Reverend Sarah Smith
Sarah is a sixth generation Oklahoman. She comes from a long line of Okies dating back to the inception of the state in the early 1900s. Growing up in northwest Oklahoma City, she attended Heritage Hall High School.
Sarah was recruited around the country to play softball and landed at the University of Notre Dame. At Notre Dame she played left field for the Fighting Irish and completed a degree in Catholic Systematic Theology. After undergraduate studies, she completed a master's degree in Sports Administration at the University of Northern Colorado where she was a volunteer assistant |
softball coach and a ski instructor at Winter Park Mountain.
Following her year in Colorado, Sarah moved back to South Bend to work in the Office of Student Welfare and Development in the Athletics Department at Notre Dame for four years. She helped studentathletes with their holistic development including career and leadership programs, alcohol and drug education, and community service projects. She also served as the advisor to the StudentAthlete Advisory Council and Notre Dame Christian Athletes.
Sarah soon felt called back to school to study theology and work on social issues near to her heart. She wanted to help make the church a safer place for LGBT people. At Vanderbilt University, Sarah worked as a seminarian intern at St. Ann's Episcopal Church in Nashville for two years funded by the Arcus Grant. Her ministry focus was homelessness. She assisted in the creation of Launch Padgrassroots shelters in urban churchesfor young adults experiencing homelessness in Nashville.
Sarah completed a master's in The |
ological Studies at Vanderbilt University with a Carpenter Certificate in Religion Gender and Sexuality in May 2016. After, Sarah served as the Director of Media Technology for the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma and the Head Softball Coach at Casady School. In November 2017, she started the Theosophia Podcast, a platform for women's voices in theology.
In December 2021, Sarah was ordained to the transitional diaconate. She completed a diploma in Anglican Studies at the Seminary of the Southwest in May 2022 and immediately started her curacy at St. Pauls Cathedral in OKC in June. She was ordained to the priesthood on June 24th, the Feast Day of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.
In her role at St. Pauls, Mother Sarah will oversee adult formation, community outreach and assist in all liturgical and pastoral responsibilities of a priest.
The Reverend Canon Tim Sean Youmans
Clergy Canon
Father Tim Sean Youmans serves as the Vicar of St. Edward the Confessor Chapel and Chair of the Religion Department at Casady |
School. Additionally, Father Tim Sean is the Bible Instructor for the Diocesan Iona School for Ministry. He serves the Cathedral as Canon for Youth and Families, bringing experience, joy, ad creativity to our community. A native of Wyoming, Father Tim Sean is married to Dr. Karen Youmans, Honors Director and Associate Professor of English at Oklahoma City University. Tim Sean came into the Episcopal Church after 20 years as a Baptist youth pastor. He earned a degree in English and History from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1991, a Master's of Divinity at Southwestern Baptist in 1994, and Anglican Studies at Nashotah House in 2011. He is the author of Blessed to Bless An Introduction to the Bible, a survey of the scriptures geared toward teenagers and the biblically uninitiated. Tim Sean is a folk musician and songwriter, and tinkers at the banjo. Tim Sean and Karen have a son in college, Noah.
The Reverend Gerald Butcher
Gerald Butcher was appointed by the Bishop to serve St. Pauls Cathedral in 2013. Gerald |
's primary service is Community Outreach. A native Oklahoman, Gerald is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and has worked for Western Farmers Electric Cooperative for nearly four decades as an Environmental Regulatory Affairs Coordinator. His wife Debra is a registered nurse BS, BSN, MSN, CHN and is employed at Mercy Hospital. Gerald and Debra have three adult daughters who also work in the healthcare industry. Daughter Catherine is a radiation therapy clinic and technical manager at the University of Texas Medical Center in Dallas, Rebekah is a nurse supervisor for Mercy Home Health and Jennafer is a dietitian supervisor at the OU Medical Center in Edmond. Five grandchildren light up Debra's and Gerald's lives. Deacon Butcher loves working in the community where he has served as a coach for youth soccer, softball and basketball, serving on the board of directors for Chickasha Youth Soccer. Additionally, Gerald served on the National Rural Electric Environmental Association board and as a Grady County Co |
urt Appointed Special Advocate CASA. Today, he continues to serve on the Environmental Federation of Oklahoma board of directors and is a volunteer with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Recently, the Bishop appointed Gerald to the Oklahoma Prison Commission.
The Reverend Marilyn Robertson
Deacon and Cathedral Nurse
St. Paul's has been Marilyn's church home since the 1990s. During that time, she has led various mission trips, both to Mexico and locally. She's served as the parish nurse for many years and additionally as a Deacon at the Cathedral for more than a decade. The health team at St. Pauls offers a Health Fair every October. As well, the health team also supports various church functions. Marilyn enjoys horses and being out in the country. Her family is very important; giving her strength and enriching her soul. Marilyn feels blessed to serve the Cathedral community where she sees the true Spirit of Christ through the words and action of the loving and caring people who make up the parish. Conta |
ct Marilyn at deaconrobertsonstpaulsokc.org
The Right Reverend Poulson Reed
Bishop of the Diocese of Oklahoma
Joseph Ripka
Canon Musician and Diocesan Music Missioner
Ashley Ozan
Children, Family Cathedral Life Minister
Caroline Dennis
Lauren Bass
Terry Jenks
AudioVisual Coordinator
Jani Hill
Pastoral Care Coordinator
Philip Newcomer
Youth and Communications Minister
Todd Olberding
Facilites Manager
Joseph Ripka is an internationally respected and acclaimed organist, recognized for his virtuosity and expressiveness. He was the rstprize winner of the Dublin International Organ Competition, the Fort Wayne National Organ Playing Competition, and the San Marino Elizabeth Elftman National Organ Competition.
Joseph is in demand as a concert organist and has performed recitals throughout the United States. He received high praise in a review from the Boston Musical Intelligencer for his performance at Holy Cross College in Worcester Massachusetts on the renowned Taylor and Boody Opus 9 instrument. Joseph has perfor |
med with the New World Symphony, the Boston Philharmonic, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra under conductors Michael Tilson Thomas, Benjamin Zander, and Alan Gilbert. Mr. Ripkas recitals have been aired on American Public Media's Pipedreams several times; he was invited by Michael Barone to be the featured artist for the 25th anniversary celebration of Pipedreams in 2008 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During the summer of 2009, Joseph made his European concert debut with recitals at St. Sulpice in Paris, Bavo Kerk in Haarlem, Oude Kerk in Amsterdam, and Hooglandse Kerk in Leiden, Netherlands. Joseph has since played recitals at Westminster Cathedral in London, St. Michaels Church in Dun Laoghaire, St Paul's Cathedral in London, St Columb's Cathedral in Derry, Noorderkerk in Amsterdam, and many more. Josephs acclaimed YouTube videos have received hundreds of thousands of views and have earned rave comments from around the world.
Joseph holds bachelors degrees in both organ and piano performance from St. Cloud Stat |
e University, masters degrees in organ and piano performance from the University of Kansas, the Artist Diploma in organ performance from Oberlin College and a masters degree in organ performance from Yale University. His principal teachers were James David Christie, Webb Wiggins harpsichord, Derek Remes thoroughbass, Martin Jean, James Higdon, Charles Echols, Jack Winerock and Carmen Wilhite, and Yakov Gelfand. He has coached with Olivier Latry, Marie Claire Alain, Wilma Jensen, JeanBaptiste Robin, John Scott, and Phillipe Lefebvre as well.
Mr. Ripka is the Canon Musician at St. Pauls Cathedral in Oklahoma City, OK. At St. Pauls, Joseph is director of a comprehensive choral and music program, including two adult choirs and the Cathedral Chorister program, which he inaugurated in the fall of 2021. He also serves as Diocesan Music Missioner for the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma.
An internationally recognized organist, Mr. Ripka is also a performing pianist and harpsichordist, He has performed professionally as |
a pianist in numerous duo recitals and chambermusic concerts and as a continuo harpsichordist in concerts and recitals with Baroque ensembles and soloists. Joseph has conducted numerous complete performances of Handels Messiah and cantatas of Bach, Buxtehude and Schutz. His repertoire as a keyboardist, conductor and teacher extends from the late Renaissance and early Baroque to the 21st century. Joseph serves as instructor of harpsichord and director of the Early Music Ensemble at Oklahoma City University.
www.josephripkaorganist.com
Ashley is the mom to Amelia, Charlotte and George. Ashley and her family usually attend the Rite I service. She has been active not only in the undercroft teaching many classes over the past years, but has also served as the Altar Guild director, Wedding Chair and an acolyte. Ashley comes to us from the First Presbyterian Preschool where she has been a teacher and manager of the preschool for over 9 years. She is looking forward to developing stronger relationships with each fami |
ly and building our undercroft programs in this new season of change.
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Mar 19 The Very Reverend Katie Churchwell, Dean
The Fourth Sunday after Lent
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The Third Sunday in Lent
Mar 5 The Very Reverend Katie Churchwell, Dean
The Second Sunday in Lent
Feb 26 The Reverend Sarah Smith
The First Sunday of Lent
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Great Restaurants in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina is a popular location for tourists. The beautiful city is set on the coast, offering a lovely place to escape and enjoy the beauty of the area. Along with the amazing views, the area is home to incredible history and a host of delightful... |
February 7, 2009 by Bethe
You know youre sick when
You wear the same clothes for three days in a row, and you dont even care.
Im trying to muster the energy to get off my couch and change into something a little more fresh. But at the moment, this may seem like an unreachable goal.
Previous Post Im kind of a big deal
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Home Our Partners Holland Knight
The law firm of Holland Knight joined the List Project as its founding partner in 2007 and has had over 100 participating attorneys and paralegals around the world. They have been assigned the caseload of Iraqis who have already fled to neighboring countries and are therefore technically considered refugees. This caseload represents approximately 65 of the Iraqis on the List, with refugees scattered across the region in Syria, Jordan, U.A.E., Egypt, Lebanon, and other countries.
For its work with the List Project, the firm received the 2008 National Law Journal Pro Bono Award and was a 2010 Beacon of Justice Award recipient. The attorneys in the firm have dedicated thousands of pro bono hours in counseling hundreds of Iraqis who are working their way through the complicated, multistep application process.
Background on Holland Knight LLP
Holland Knight is nationally known for its commitment to pro bono work. In 1990, the firm established its Community Services Team CST t |
o more effectively marshal its resources to provide legal representation to those who cannot afford it. The CST is a structured, institutionalized department within the firm, drawing on all of the firms resources and is the largest law firm fulltime pro bono practice group in the nation. Public Counsel, the largest pro bono organization in the world, awarded Holland Knight its prestigious 2007 Law Firm Pro Bono Award. This award is presented annually to a law firm or corporate legal department for leadership and advocacy on behalf of those who are indigent, vulnerable and victimized. The American Bar Association Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities awarded its second Pro Bono Service Award to Holland Knight for supporting the sections mission of securing and protecting human rights, civil liberties and social justice by providing countless hours of legal service.
The CST lawyers and Smith Fellows concentrate their efforts on cases with significant issues affecting large numbers of people. They |
are frequently assisted by other lawyers throughout the firm. This institutionalized commitment to pro bono work has produced significant results. Holland Knight has represented thousands of people with legal problems who otherwise would have been denied access to the legal system. |
War Against Melanoma
Stage IV Melanoma Survivor Story
I was 26 years old in November, 2000 when I decided to have a mole located on the inner portion of my upper arm in the bicep area looked at by a dermatologist. Now I admit that I waited too long to have it checked out, because while I have a lot of freckles, I really don't have any moles and should have known something was up when a weird shaped mole just started to grow and develop on my arm. I went to the dermatologist and he assured me that it was just a form of dead skin. But just to ease my worries, he took a small biopsy of the mole and sent it off to pathology. Two weeks later, I got a call telling me that the mole was actually melanoma!
Due to the size and anticipated depth of the molelesion on my arm, I was diagnosed with Stage II Melanoma. The general surgeon determined that it would be best to perform a sentinel node biopsy to determine if the melanoma had spread to the lymph nodes. The mole and surrounding tissue were surgically removed, togeth |
er with the sentinel lymph nodes. Pathology results came back negative, meaning that the melanoma had not spread to my lymph nodes. My surgeon advised me that melanoma often reoccurs and that I should routinely have my skin examined by a dermatologist. So I began to regularly see a dermatologist and keep a close eye on my skin for any abnormalities, vowing to catch any reoccurrence early. I lived a normal life for the next five years, but little did I know that the melanoma wasn't reoccurring on the outside on my skin, but in the words of my oncologist micrometastasizing all the while on the inside.
On Valentine's Day 2006, I woke up and just felt kind of offbalance. I just continued on thinking maybe it was just vertigo or something else that would go away in a few days. It didn't go away and started to get worse. After being treated for an inner ear infection and a viral infection of the inner ear with no success, my condition continued to worsen and I began to even slur my speech.
So on Sunday, February 26 |
, 2006, with my wife 8 months pregnant and having some small contractions, we went to the emergency room. A CT scan revealed a brain tumor! My life stopped on a dime! 31 years old, a father of a 15month old son and another baby ready to be born, and I had a brain tumor. My wife and I were simply devastated and could not believe this was happening! I was immediately admitted to The Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center James Cancer Hospital "The James", and five days later on Friday, March 3, 2006, I underwent successful brain surgery to remove the tumor. My son was born six days later.
While in the hospital, CT scans were performed on my chest, abdomen and pelvis to determine if the cancer had spread to any organs or other areas in these regions. I was referred to an oncologist at The James, Dr. Thomas Olencki, and was scheduled to meet with him later in March. At my appointment, Dr. Olencki informed us that I had a tumor the size of an orange in my lymph nodes located between my lungs, as well as two smal |
l tumors on my right lung.We never imagined that we could get worse news than the brain tumor news, but we did. Although numb from the news, my doctor advised us of our limited options, telling us that surgery to remove the tumors, at that point was not an option, but that surgery should be my goal. He said that to get to surgery or even get a surgeon to consider surgery, my tumors would have to at a minimum been stable preferably shrunken and show no evidence of growth or spreading for a significant period of time.
I sought a second opinion and confirmed that my treatment options were limited. I elected to undergo highdose Interleukin2 "IL2" treatment at The James. But I could not start IL2 treatment until after I had completed radiation treatment on my brain. So I went through 12 rounds of radiation, at first cruising through without any issues, but quickly deteriorating as I went through my final few rounds and side effects set in. I was extremely fatigued and, yes, the hair finally fell out it did grow ba |
ck!.
I then began IL2 treatment, which required me to be admitted to the hospital for about a week, home for a week, back in the hospital for treatment for a week, and then home and off of treatment for 8 weeks. This cycle constituted 1round of treatment. During each week in the hospital, my goal was to obtain a maximum of 12 doses per week. At the end of each 8 week period, I would have CT scans of my chest, abdomen and pelvis to determine if I obtained any response to treatment.
As for IL2 treatment, my doctor warned me of the side effects and advised me that they were going to be aggressive with my doses of IL2 based upon my age and otherwise good health. Without fail, during every round of treatment, I experienced practically every known side effect of IL2, including vomiting, diarrhea, extreme chills, high fevers, low blood pressure, loss of appetite, skin rashes, etc. Treatment kicked my butt, and that is putting it nicely.
After my first round of treatment, CT scans revealed that my tumors had shrunk b |
y almost 30! We could not believe it! It was the best possible news we could hope for at that time. I then proceeded on to my second round of IL2 treatment, during which I again encountered all of the severe side effects described above. But also again, I responded to treatment and CT scans after my 2nd round of treatment showed that my tumors had shrunk another 10! I then went through 3 more rounds of treatment, each wearing me down and beating me up a little more and more. CT scans after my 3rd, 4th and 5th rounds showed no significant shrinkage, but most importantly, did not reveal any growth or spreading!
After 5 rounds of treatment over approximately 13 months, I met with a thoracic surgeon to discuss the possibility of having surgery to remove any remaining tumors from my chest and lung. The surgeon was reluctant to perform surgery, and it wasn't until my oncologist walked him through my entire history and provided evidence that my tumors had been stable for over a year and had even shrunk, that he relu |
ctantly agreed to perform surgery.
So on July 7, 2007, approximately 16 months from my initial diagnosis, I underwent successful surgery to remove the remaining tumors from my chest and lung and my tumors were sent off to pathology for analysis. On August 2, 2007, my oncologist notified me that the pathology report indicated that the remaining tumors removed from my chest and lung were 100 necrotic dead!!! He told me that I was officially considered to be in clinical remission with no evidence of disease! It was unbelievable! I did it! I survived! It was a true miracle!
Since then, repeated MRIs of my brain and CT scans of my chest, abdomen and pelvis continue to show no reoccurrence and no evidence of disease.
Miracles can happen. I am living proof. Stay positive, pray and always believe that you will survive! The power of prayer and positive thinking is endless. Nothing is impossible with God.
And, always remember, in the words of the late great Jim Valvano, former college basketball coach and founder of Th |
e V Foundation for Cancer Research, "DON'T GIVE UP, DON'T EVER GIVE UP!" Click here to see Jimmy V's motivating speech announcing the formation of The V Foundation for Cancer Research
The WAM Foundation
1478 Sunflower Street Lewis Center, OH 43035
Email infothewamfoundation.org
August 2012 5 Years Cancer Free |
Thanksgiving Day 2006
November 23, 2006 at 858 am Filed under Uncategorized
A cold snap has descended upon us here in central Florida. Yesterday was the coldest day weve seen, barely reaching 60 with gray skies coming and going. The heat pump in the Airstream has been cycling for 16 hours a day for several days.
It was a good day to get some work done, since things are somewhat quiet in the world of US commerce. I did a bit of that, and then in the afternoon Emma and I took a four mile walk along the Upper Tampa Bay Trail with Bert and Janie. This trail follows Channel A a 1960sera flood control project, which was later recognized to be an environmental mistake. It caused as many problems as it solved, so it was later modified to slow the flow of water and have some wetlands buffers as well.
Now its a great place to spot birds, as we discovered. Eagle eye Emma was the birdspotting champ, picking out three black Anhingas against dark backgrounds that the rest of us would never have seen. We also spotted a Gre |
at Blue Heron, two Little Blue Herons, Turkey Vultures, and several ducklike birds that we havent yet identified.
Eleanor spent most of the day at Bretts apartment, preparing who knows what well find out today. All I know is that there seems to be enough food there to choke an elephant. Emma and I will head over later this morning and join Barry, Bert, Janie, Brett and Eleanor.
This is the second Thanksgiving weve spent on the road. If youve started reading this blog in the past few months, you might be interested in how we spent Thanksgiving last year. Last year we were in Benbow CA, which is along the Redwood Highway Rt 101 in northern California. I like the variety of having holidays in different places around the country, but it is more fun this year with some good friends to join us.
Thanks for joining us on the blog, too. Happy Thanksgiving to you!
No Thanksgiving for alligators, if you dont swim. Sign of the week! |
Tag Archive for function
Have we already seen this number? deja vu again
I had a phone interview for a Python job the other day. It started out really well, he was very impressed with my CV and called me a rocket scientist. But then we got down to the technical questions and my brain decided to go out to lunch, and yet again I managed to snatch defeat
Popular Sorting Algorithms
Sorting is probably the most common type of algorithm in programming. A sorting algorithm puts elements of a list in a certain order. The mostused orders are numerical, and alphabetical. Its extremely useful in many applications, because sorted data can be searched or merged very quickly e.g. by binary search. A sorted data set is one where every item
Binary Search
Binary Search is one of the most fundamental computer algorithms. Given an ordered list of some data names, numbers, find out if it contains a particular item. For example, consider the list 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12. If we ask if it contains the number 5, the algorithm should |
return 2 counting |
Statistical modelling of the relationship between learner support intervention and matric pass rates in Letlhabile area, NorthWest Province of South Africa
Matshego, Joseph Nkashe
This study used statistical methods to determine the relationship between matric pass rates and interventions in the schools in the Letlhabile area. Nine schools were identified in this area. Five years 2007 to 2011 were looked at. Regressions methods were tried in which various forms of relationships were compared. The methods were linear, curvilinear quadratic to polynomial of 4th power, exponential and power regressions were used in the tentative models investigated. The measures of bias and precision were used to compare the models. Multicollinearity was also investigated where it was possible. Time series analysis was used to illustrate the trend patterns of the pass rates in the various schools as well as the pattern of the numbers of interventions. In most of these schools the numbers of interventions increased over the five |
years and in only a few schools the number of interventions decreased over these years. . A highlight of this study is that more interventions enhanced the matric pass rates. It was also evident that in the years in which the interventions decreased, the pass rates also de.creased. The regression methods investigated were all showing to be applicable in the prediction of pass rates from the numbers of interventions. This was concluded from realising that thelneasures of bias, precision and quality all ratified them. The methods were compared in order to select the best one based on the measures. The linear regression in which the pass rates.areregressed on the number of interventions came out as the leading model in terms of all the criteria used.
Thesis MScStatistics University of Limpopo Medunsa Campus, 2012.
Name JNkasheMatshego MSc ... |
That Speech By Giuliani
A lot of the blogs have been talking about this, and it caught my attention, too; Rudolph Giuliani gave a speech the other day with a couple of discussable tidbits in it. These are the kinds of thing that you hear all the time; I'm taking a few lines out of context just to give us a minute to pause and think them through.
As Americans, we're not sure we share values. We're sometimes even afraid to use the word values. We talk about teaching ethics in schools people say, "What ethics? Whose ethics? Maybe we can't." And they confuse that with teaching of religion. And we are afraid to reaffirm the basics upon which a lawful and a decent society are based. We're almost embarrassed by it. 'Freedom Is About Authority' Excerpts From Giuliani Speech on Crime
OK, that's a handful right there. I'd have to put the pronouns "we" and "they" and the noun "people" in the category strawmen.
Who is afraid to use the word "values?" You? Me? I don't think so. Teach the Facts, for instance, is all about |
values, the values of kindness, truthfulness, clear critical thinking, fairness. The CRC is also about values, different values from ours, of course but that's what this whole controversy is about. Not sure we share values? That's an understatement. It's perfectly clear we don't share values.
And who are "they" who confuse ethics with religion? Well, there are those who believe that only God can provide knowledge of right and wrong. The rest of us are just fine with understanding ethics as a system of human judgments. Do you get the deal about being embarrassed to "reaffirm the basics upon which a lawful and a decent society are based?" Yeah, me either. I believe, like our Founding Fathers, in taking a good, reasoned, skeptical view of human nature, bracing for the worst, and living the best. What's embarrassing about that?
But, rich as that paragraph was, there's more here.
We look upon authority too often and focus over and over again, for 30 or 40 or 50 years, as if there is something wrong with authorit |
y. We see only the oppressive side of authority. Maybe it comes out of our history and our background. What we don't see is that freedom is not a concept in which people can do anything they want, be anything they can be. Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do.
Interruption by someone in the audience.
You have free speech so I can be heard.
Another interruption.
Wow, beautiful. You have free speech so I can be heard. Rudy's a master, nothing less, a master of irony.
I do want to dwell on this paragraph for a minute, because it seems to me that 1.it stands reality on its head and 2.a lot of people will agree with him.
Freedom is about authority.
This sentence is a work of art. Here, Giuliani has crystalized the culture wars into one clear, short, fourword slogan. For many people, the liberty our Founding Fathers fought for and crafted for us was the liberty to obey. Our freedom is the |
freedom to "cede to lawful authority." We are free to do as we are told.
Let me spell it out this is exactly the opposite of what the word "freedom" means. The freedom of our forefathers was freedom from authority, from a king who was an unjust and harsh ruler. Freedom doesn't suddenly mean something new, it's always meant the same thing Webster says
1 the quality or state of being free as a the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action b liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another...
There's nothing ambiguous about that.
Look, we grew up with this stuff in the fifties and early sixties, during the McCarthy years. Conformity was an ideal and obedience to authority was an ideal, and the kooks were suspected to be communists, leading us all toward a depersonalized robotic totalitarian state with their nonconformity. I really used to think that America had passed that stage, that we had learned our lesson and would never go back to that. But here it is in a nutshe |
ll, this guy is running for President on the United States talking like this.
Let me try a generous interpretation. Let's say he means that we are free to choose to obey authority. Whaddya think? Of course he doesn't mean that. He may think he means that, but how does he feel about those who actually exercise their choice, and refuse to accept authority? Of course he rejects the validity of that option. It's not a choice.
Why is this worth talking about? It's because these kinds of statements ring happy bells for many people. These are some soulstirring slogans here, people will get worked up about this sort of thing, but when you get down to it they are selfinvalidating statements. Freedom is not obedience. Values are not embarrassing. American values are not homogeneous, and diversity even diversity of belief is not dangerous.
These are times when you need to listen with your mind. You need to be careful to think about what these guys are saying they're counting on you not to.
posted by JimK at 654 AM
Rov |
e just resigned. I have no idea how far from the power center he will go, but this is a good thing. And I believe the 1984speak of Guiliani has had its day. This is the guy who, after all, put the city's emergency communications center, after the 1993 WTC bombing, back in the WTC.
Rudy's Arrogant Quote
This is not a mayor or a governor or a President who's sitting in an ivory tower. I was at Ground Zero as often, if not more, than most of the workers. I was there working with them. I was exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to. So in that sense, Im one of them.
Why is this worth talking about? It's because these kinds of statements ring happy bells for many people. These are some soulstirring slogans here, people will get worked up about this sort of thing, but when you get down to it they are selfinvalidating statements.
I am not sure if it gets me worked up, but it does appear to have set you on edge...
Freedom is not obedience.
Are you sure this was not a speech given by Bush? This is a rat |
her clumsy, awkward, inexact way of expressing a moral truth that us conservatives understand.
Freedom is a value, but without direction either self imposed, or imposed by some external entity it is an empty value though I am not sure I am expressing this quite right with words at the moment.
Freedom to do what? How about the freedom to light up and smoke? The freedom to smoke is a value that in the name of science and public health is being increasingly circumscribed. And ask anyone that has been smoking for awhile if they feel "free" to stop at any time...
Another freedom is the freedom of speech...another value that thanks to McCainFeingold has also been limited, which ironically applies to the area of human speech the Framers were most concerned about not limiting, political speech. But let us suppose you want to express disgust, disdain and contempt on an important American symbol, then in the name of an ambiguous "freedom of expression" the deliberative judgments of 50 state legislatures must be set asi |
de, all in the name of freedom.
Values are not embarrassing. American values are not homogeneous, and diversity even diversity of belief is not dangerous.
And liberals wonder why...yes, why so many Americans consider liberalism a dirty word...little wonder.
I do listen...both to Giuliani and you, Jim. Personally it is hard for me to read of Giuliani waxing rhapsodical about ethics, values, etc. in light of what we do know about Rudy's family life; while nobody is perfect, Bill and Hillary Clinton are better representations of "traditional" family values than Rudy and Judy. Those that would advocate this approach should first consider the power of leading by example. In this regard it would appear that Giuliani is lacking...not to mention hypocritical.
While I am not sure how to express my reservations with your weltanshuuang, I think it perhaps can be expressed in your blog entry on you, your son and serving alcohol in the public sphere to those under age. Indeed, if there is a motif a usually recurring sal |
ient thematic element in your body of writing on this blog it can be neatly summarized in two words
Question Authority
Ok, that is a good thing...however, when does this bumper sticker slogan became an excuse from ever accepting any authority besides one's own whim? I am not sure I have the answer to that question, though I am reminded of an observation by one of my professors in college, upon seeing the bumper sticker "Question Authority" on a car in a parking lot; he added, "but defer to your better".
Orin, the problem with questioning authority is that it gives too much authority to authority. If I had the opportunity to summarize my own core message, it would more likely be "Listen to your heart."
I disagree with both you guys. The history of freedom and liberty is very dense and complex, and I would recommend Isaiah Berlin, particularly for his distinction between positive and negative liberty.
But there is no question in my mind that Giuliani is an authoritarian he was as mayor of New York, and there i |
s no reason to believe he would not be the same as president. In a choice between civil liberties and control, I expect he would come down on the authoritarian side almost each time. That way leads to warrantless wiretapping, Abu Ghraib, Fredo Gonzalez and the rest.
I have no problem with restricting some liberties in a time of war, but it should be a very carefully calibrated dance. My family knows only too well what can happen when the totalitarian personality takes control of the mind of the people and then the state. The risk is simply too great.
And it would help if we were fighting a war of necessity against the appropriate enemy. I am in no mood to sacrifice any of my rights and liberties in the name of a war of selfaggrandizement.
Orin, the problem with questioning authority is that it gives too much authority to authority.
Jim, what do you mean here?
When you define yourself as antisomething, that "something" controls you. I respect the opinions of wellinformed and thoughtful people, and follow norms |
and standards that facilitate interindividual coordination or guide my personal behavior in productive and enlightening ways, but opposing people, e.g., "authority," is generally a waste of time and energy. This group and web site, unfortunately, have been formed in order to oppose an attempted coup in our community, and so a lot of what we do and say is framed in relation to those who have tried to capture our educational process, but in general that is not an ethos that guides me or any of us in our daily lives. The positive thing, which I have described as listening to your heart, sometimes requires opposing repressive forces, but the opposition is epiphenomenal, that's not what it's about primarily.
Sabe?
You said "Another freedom is the freedom of speech...another value that thanks to McCainFeingold has also been limited, which ironically applies to the area of human speech the Framers were most concerned about not limiting, political speech."
Many of us believe that there is an important distinction be |
tween the freedom of speech established by the framers and the limitations on "speech" that you seem to find in McCainFeingold.
It is far from outrageous to maintain that a person's freedom of political speech should be wielded verbally or in writingtraditionally via tracts or opeds, but not neccessarily by writing checks.
It is still troublesome to many that a corporation is the legal equivalent of a person, and that a bulging bank account effectively entitles some to more "speech" than available to those of limited means. While that is presently a legal reality, it is one that Congress is entitled to attempt to deal with via campaign finance legislation. Conservatives, who are so famously opposed to judicial activism and who villify "trial lawyers", immediately sue.... the Supreme Court eventually does it's thing, and the Congress takes another swipe at it. No likee? Try VenezuelaHugo Chavez is working on the antidote to that messy balance of powers problem.
After 911, Rudy wasn't a rescue worker he was a |
Yankee
"Aug. 18, 2007 On Friday, a New York Times story examined Rudy Giuliani's schedule in the months after 911 to verify his controversial claim that, like rescue workers, he'd spent long hours at ground zero, and so was "in that sense ... one of them." In fact, the Times found, he only spent 29 hours at the terror site between Sept. 17 and Dec. 16.
What was he doing instead? Giuliani's beloved New York Yankees made it to the World Series in 2001. We decided to compare the time he spent on baseball to the time he spent at the ruins of the World Trade Center.
The results were, considering the mayor's longstanding devotion to the Bronx Bombers, unsurprising. By our count, Giuliani spent about 58 hours at Yankees games or flying to them in the 40 days between Sept. 25 and Nov. 4, roughly twice as long as he spent at ground zero in the 60 days between Sept. 17 and Dec. 16. By his own standard, Giuliani was one of the Yankees more than he was one of the rescue workers."
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GINO EMPRY Press Agent To The Stars
Posted by Waterfront Apr 10, 2015 Arts Entertainment
By Virginia Munroe
He arrives for the interview amidst a flurry of activity. Hes searching for Julie Wilsons file. You know who Julie Wilson is, of course, he announces casually. Shes the preeminent cabaret singer of our time. The phone is ringing. There are people at his door. The fax is singing, the emails are relentless.
He is Gino Empry, legendary public relations man. House Press Agent for the Royal Alexandra Theatre for over twentyfive years. Entertainment Director for the august Royal York Hotels Imperial Room during its golden age. Tony Bennetts representative. Public relations man to the OKeefe now Hummingbird Centre and the C.N.E. Hes handled the Junos, the Famous People Players, Playboys Playmates carefully, and over a thousand more. Emprys client list reads like a Whos Who of the entertainment industry.
It is said that God is in the details, and details abound in his delightful book, I Belong to the Sta |
rs. In it are twentytwo richly drawn and intimate portraits of clients and friends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee, Rosemary Clooney and Glenda Jackson. Empry describes renting the perfect Toronto house for Peter OToole; celebrating Christmas in Rosemary Clooneys Beverly Hills home; a policeescorted dash from the airport to the C.N.E. with Bill Cosby, who simply must pay a visit to his favourite Toronto tailor en route to the show. There are opening night triumphs with Ella, attending Broadways Tony Awards on the arm of Miss Peggy Lee. He trades quips and confidences with the likes of Duke Ellington and Jack Lemmon. Hes booking hotel rooms, securing publicity and lots of it!, arranging catering and flowers and the more prurient indulgences of certain unnamed luminaries. Why, he even scores a little smoke in Washington, D.C. for an alcoholic Peter OToole, who is too frightened to perform without it, since climbing on the wagon. And when Frank Sinatra and his private plane arrive perilously lat |
e to the airport, Empry pulls out all the stops to get his surprisingly gracious client fed and to the Exhibition grounds on time. Its all in a days work for this Press Agent to the Stars.
Jim Carrey? I ask him. Yes, yes, were good friends. I booked him into the Imperial Room on a couple of different occasions to do his impressions. I knew then that he would be big. Clint Eastwood? I did publicity for him here in Toronto. He exudes a raw sexuality, without even knowing it. Hugh Hefner? Of course, Playboy is one of my favourite clients.
How long were you Tony Bennetts representative? I was with Tony for twelve years, from 1976 to 1988, longer than anybody else. In the end, they wanted me to move to New York. I turned them down. Here in Toronto, Im a big fish in a little pond.
One of the most interesting chapters in Emprys book is the one on Ed Mirvish and the Royal Alexandra Theatre. It was Mirvish who gave Gino Empry his first big break. Mirvish asked me to do public relations for him, but he actually wanted |
me to do group sales. I began picking the brains of the public relations people who travelled into town with the shows, and I started to do that all on my own. By the time Ed found out what I was doing, it was too late. I was House Press Agent at the Royal Alexandra Theatre for the next twentyfive years. To this day, he and Mirvish remain close friends.
Empry still carries a fulltime client load, but where he once kept twelve staff people working around the clock, today he employs freelancers. Do you ever see yourself retiring? I ask him. He gives another of his characteristic shrugs. No, not really. Id like to concentrate on a few things that I enjoy and that I do well. Do a couple of big shows with a couple of big stars. I want to write another book, of course, and do some more travelling. Ive been around the world eight times. Im a trained actor; as a matter of fact I just recently did a role in a film. Maybe one day in the future Ill slow down, take things easy, get some rest.
But right now hes off to an |
swer the phone. Another fax is coming in. And somebody else is knocking at his door.
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May, we hardly knew ye. Seriously. I guess well just call this the Late May Issue, eh, kids? Id call it the June Issue, but there are people out there paying by the month to read this on Kindles and Nooks and iPhones and iPads and iLordknowswhat other satanic devices, and |
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There is, however, a case to be made for not updating this site at all, ever. I have come to the reluctant conclusion that it is, in fact, my frantic attempt to stick to something resembling a monthly schedule that has actually caused a recent series of disasters around here. It started a few years ago when I took a break from formatting this site to go downstairs and install a window air conditioner and was promptly struck by lightning. Then, just a few weeks ago, I was sitting on the couch in my office, again working on this site, when a sudden windstorm knocked half a large tree into the side of the house, missing the window behind me by about six inches. In late May I took a break from finalizing this issue to mow the lawn, and the mowing deck on the tractor went kafloozie, necessitating my spending several days on my face in the driveway trying to fix the damn thing, which |
isnt fun when you have only limited use of your left arm and you really need said left arm to pull an idler pulley against a big spring so you can get the goddamn drive belt back on the deck. I ended up wrapping a steel cable around the pulley and getting Kathy to stand ten feet away and pull on it real hard. That was a separate ordeal, incidentally, from the day I spent unwinding the steel cable from the blades last month. Then the guy from DirecTV showed up to replace the satellite dish and turned out to be a major jerk who glared at us silently while he bent our brandnew gutters. Then the basement flooded and I had to stay up all night pumping it out through a garden hose. Then the well pump died on a Friday afternoon, and by the time we got it replaced we were a very thirsty and b in the hole for 1100 just to get back to where wed been 36 hours earlier. And that appears to be the theme around here even the most modest status quo cannot hold. If we could box and market highspeed entropy, wed be rich, but |
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In moments of reflection, which I do my best to avoid, Kathy and I often pine for our old fourthfloor walkup on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, an insanely cheap at that time duplex with a terrace, half a block from Central Park. She came up with a good, if very depressing, analogy a few days ago. Living in this 1860s house with all this land is like being responsible for the physical state wiring, plumbing, roof, etc. of our entire old apartment building plus being charged with the grooming of a sizable chunk of Central Park, trees and shrubs included. Its nuts. No one without pots of money and a fulltime lawn crew could manage it properly.
But hey, we now have a bunch of deer living in the big thicket of brush down by the road. I sit out on the front porch in the morning and wave at them. And I know where the chipmunks burrows are and where the snakes live. Its just like the Upper West Side, except that all the people are wearing fur suits. Or feathers. Or scal |
es.
Lastly, thanks as always, for your financial support of this site, and a special myjawdropped thanks to whoever sent me the nifty Acer netbook. It is truly awesome and very useful. In fact, I plan to use it to update this site next time, from a coffee shop safely miles away from here at Disaster Central.
p.s. It came with Windows XP installed, but I set it up to dual boot with Ubuntu Linux Netbook Edition, and its truly a thing of beauty.
And now, on with the show.
July 28th, 2010 Category columns, May 2010, readme Leave a comment
Snoot Full
Tee many martoonies.
Dear Word Detective Whenever I drink alcohol, which has become all too often as of late, my nose always becomes stopped up for lack of a better term. One night I told my husband that I know where the term snoot full came from because my nose was congested I found a better term after all. I was just joking at the time but then began to ponder where the term actually did originate. Can you help? Sally.
Ill sure try. But Im operating at a disabil |
ity, I realized when I read your question, because Ive done it again. First I forgot to get into sports, then I forgot to watch TV to the extent Im supposed to 129 hours a week, I gather, and now I realize that somewhere along the way I forgot to take up drinking. It sounds like fun. So, if youll bear with me, Im going to pop out to the truckstop and pick up some joy juice.
Im back. Hey, this gin stuff aint bad. But is the room supposed to tilt like this? My feet feel funny. Why is the cat looking at me that way? You got a problem, cat?
Just kidding, of course. I have something better than booze, namely a brand new book by the always entertaining and awesomely erudite Paul Dickson. In Drunk The Definitive Drinkers Dictionary Melville House, 2009, Mr. Dickson notes that English has more synonyms for drunk than for any other word, and then proceeds to list more than 3,000 of them, complete with fascinating annotations and admirably strange little illustrations. Its impossible to pick a favorite from such a rang |