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Aemilia (gens) Imperial-era consular fasti listing several Aemilii The gens Aemilia, originally written Aimilia, was one of the greatest patrician families at Rome. The gens was of great antiquity, and claimed descent from Numa Pompilius, the second King of Rome. Its members held the highest offices of the state, from the early decades of the Republic to imperial times.[1] The Aemilii were almost certainly one of the gentes maiores, the most important of the patrician families. Their name was associated with two major roads (the Via Aemilia and the Via Aemilia Scauri), an administrative region of Italy, and the Basilica Aemilia at Rome. Several stories were told of the foundation of the Aemilii, of which the most familiar was that their ancestor, Mamercus, was the son of Numa Pompilius. In the late Republic, several other gentes claimed descent from Numa, including the Pompilii, Pomponii, Calpurnii, and Pinarii. A variation of this account stated that Mamercus was the son of Pythagoras, who was sometimes said to have taught Numa. However, as Livy observed, this was not possible, as Pythagoras was not born until more than a century after Numa's death, and was still living in the early days of the Republic.[1][2] This Mamercus is said to have received the name of Aemilius because of the persuasiveness of his language (δι᾽ αἱμυλίαν λόγου), although such a derivation is certainly false etymology.[1] A more likely derivation is from aemulus, "a rival".[3] According to a different legend, the Aemilii were descended from Aemylos, a son of Ascanius, four hundred years before the time of Numa Pompilius. Still another version relates that the gens was descended from Amulius, the wicked uncle of Romulus and Remus, who deposed his brother Numitor to become king of Alba Longa.[1] In the late Republic, a number of minor families claimed descent from the figures of Rome's legendary past, including through otherwise unknown sons of Numa. Modern historians dismiss these as late inventions, but the claim of the Aemilii was much older, and there was no corresponding need to demonstrate the antiquity of a gens that was already prominent at the beginning of the Republic.[4] In any case, the Aemilii, like Numa, were almost certainly of Sabine origin. The praenomen Mamercus is derived from Mamers, a god worshipped by the Sabelli of central and southern Italy, and usually regarded as the Sabellic form of Mars. At Rome, this name, and its diminutive, Mamercinus, were known primarily as cognomina of the Aemilii and the Pinarii, although the Aemilii continued to use it as a praenomen.[1][5] A surname of the later Aemilii, Regillus, seems to be derived from the Sabine town of Regillum, better known as the ancestral home of the Claudian gens, and perhaps alludes to the Sabine origin of the Aemilii. PraenominaEdit The Aemilii regularly used the praenomina Lucius, Manius, Marcus, and Quintus, and occasionally Mamercus. The Aemilii Mamercini also used Tiberius and Gaius, while the Aemilii Lepidi, who had a particular fondness for old and unusual names, used Paullus, presumably with reference to the family of the Aemilii Paulli, which had died out nearly a century earlier. An obscure family of uncertain date seems to have used Caeso. The daughters of the Aemilii are known to have used the numerical praenomina Prima, Secunda, and Tertia, although these were frequently treated as cognomina, and placed at the end of the name. Branches and cognominaEdit The oldest stirps of the Aemilii bore the surname Mamercus, together with its diminutive, Mamercinus; these appear somewhat interchangeably in early generations. This family flourished from the earliest period to the time of the Samnite Wars. Several other important families, with the surnames Papus, Barbula, Paullus, and Lepidus, date from this period, and were probably descended from the Mamercini. The most illustrious of the family was undoubtedly Mamercus Aemilius Mamercinus, three times dictator in the second half of the fifth century BC. The Aemilii Papi occur in history for about a century and a half, from the time of the Samnite Wars down to the early second century BC.[6] Their surname, Papus, like Mamercus, appears to be of Oscan origin.[7] The name Aemilius Papus occurs again in the time of the emperor Hadrian, but properly speaking these appear to have belonged to the Messia gens, and probably claimed descent from the more illustrious Aemilii through a female line.[8] Barbula, or "little beard", occurs as the surname of one branch of the Aemilii, which appears in history for about a century beginning in the time of the Samnite Wars, and accounting for several consulships.[9][10][11] Paullus, occasionally found as Paulus, was an old praenomen, meaning "little".[12] As a praenomen, its masculine form had fallen into disuse at Rome, although the feminine form, Paulla, in various orthographies,[i] was very common.[13][14] As a surname, Paullus appeared in many families down to the latest period of the Empire, but none were more famous than the Aemilii Paulli. This family was descended from Marcus Aemilius Paullus, consul in 302 BC, and vanished with the death of Lucius Aemilius Paullus, the conqueror of Macedonia, in 160 BC. His sons, though grown, were adopted into the families of the Fabii Maximi and the Cornelii Scipiones. The Aemilii Lepidi revived the name toward the end of the Republic, when it was fashionable for younger branches of aristocratic families to revive the surnames of older, more illustrious stirpes.[15] The cognomen Lepidus belongs to a class of surnames derived from the habits of the habits of the bearer, and evidently referred to someone with a pleasant demeanor.[16] The Aemilii Lepidi appear only a generation after the Aemilii Paulli, beginning with Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, consul in 285 BC, and produced many illustrious statesmen down to the first century AD. In the final decades of the Republic, they revived a number of names originally belonging to older stirpes of the Aemilian gens, including Mamercus as a praenomen, Regillus as a cognomen, and Paullus as both. The last generations were related by marriage to the imperial family.[17] The Aemilii Scauri flourished from the beginning of the second century BC to the beginning of the first century AD. Their surname, Scaurus, referred to the appearance of the feet or ankles; Chase suggests "swollen ankles".[18][10] The cognomina Regillus and Buca apparently belonged to short-lived families. Regillus appears to be derived from the Sabine town of Regillum, perhaps alluding to the Sabine origin of the gens. The Aemilii Regilli flourished for about two generations, beginning at the time of the Second Punic War.[19][20] Buca, probably the same as Bucca, referred to someone with prominent cheeks, or perhaps someone known for shouting or wailing. The Aemilii Buci are known chiefly from coins, and seem to have flourished toward the end of the Republic.[21][10] As with other prominent gentes of the Republic, there were some Aemilii whose relationship to the major families is unclear, as the only references to them contain no surname. Some of these may have been descended from freedmen, and been plebeians. Aemilii with a variety of surnames are found in imperial times. MembersEdit This list includes abbreviated praenomina. For an explanation of this practice, see filiation. Aemilii Mamerci et MamerciniEdit Lucius Aemilius Mam. f. Mamercus, consul in 484, 478, and 473 BC. Tiberius Aemilius L. f. Mam. n. Mamercus, consul in 470 and 467 BC. Gaius Aemilius Mamercus, dictator in 463 BC, according to Lydus, but found in no other sources; perhaps an interrex.[22] Mamercus Aemilius M. f. Mamercinus, dictator in 438, 433, and 426 BC. Manius Aemilius Mam. f. M. n. Mamercinus, consul in 410 BC, and consular tribune in 405, 403, and 401. Gaius Aemilius Ti. f. Ti. n. Mamercinus, consular tribune in 394 and 391 BC. Lucius Aemilius Mam. f. M. n. Mamercinus, consular tribune in 391, 389, 387, 383, 382, 380, and 377 BC. Lucius Aemilius L. f. Mam. n. Mamercinus, consul in 366 and 363 BC. Lucius Aemilius L. f. L. n. Mamercinus, magister equitum in 352 BC. Lucius Aemilius L. f. L. n. Mamercinus Privernas, consul in 341 and 329 BC, and dictator in 335 and 316 BC. Tiberius Aemilius Ti. f. Ti. n. Mamercinus, praetor in 341 and consul in 339 BC. Aemilii PapiEdit Marcus Aemilius Papus, dictator in 321 BC. Quintus Aemilius (Cn. f.) Papus, consul in 282 and 278 BC. Lucius Aemilius Q. f. Cn. n. Papus, consul in 225 BC. Marcus Aemilius Papus, curio maximus, died in 210 BC. Lucius Aemilius Papus, praetor in 205 BC, received Sicily as his province. Marcus Messius Rusticus Aemilius Papus, father of the consul of AD 135, and a comes of the Emperor Hadrian.[23] Marcus Cutius Priscus Messius M. f. Rusticus Aemilius Papus Arrius Proculus Julius Celsus, consul in AD 135.[24] Marcus Messius M. f. Rusticus Aemilius Afer Cutius, brother of the consul of AD 135.[23] Aemilii BarbulaeEdit Quintus Aemilius Q. f. L. n. Barbula, consul in 317 and 311 BC. Marcus Aemilius Q. f. L. n. Barbula, dictator in an uncertain year between 292 and 284 BC.[25] Lucius Aemilius Q. f. Q. n. Barbula, consul in 281 BC, and conqueror of Tarentum. Marcus Aemilius L. f. Q. n. Barbula, consul in 230 BC. Aemilii PaulliEdit Marcus Aemilius L. f. L. n. Paullus, consul in 302 BC, defeated Cleonymus of Sparta. The following year he was appointed magister equitum by the dictator Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus, who sent him against the Etruscans, but Aemilius was defeated.[26] Marcus Aemilius M. f. L. n. Paullus, consul in 255 BC, during the First Punic War. He and his colleague, Servius Fulvius Paetinus Nobilior, led a Roman fleet to Africa, and won an important naval victory over the Carthaginians, but much of their fleet was wrecked in a storm on their return.[27][28][29][30][31][32][33] Lucius Aemilius M. f. M. n. Paullus, consul in 219, triumphed over the Illyrians. Consul for the second time in 216 BC, early in the Second Punic War, he opposed engaging Hannibal at the Cannae, but fought bravely and was slain in battle.[34][35][36][37][38][39] Lucius Aemilius L. f. M. n. Paullus, afterward surnamed Macedonicus, consul in 182 and 168 BC. The most illustrious of his family, he triumphed over Perseus of Macedon in 167 BC; but his two elder sons were adopted into other gentes, and his younger sons died within days of his triumph, leaving no sons to carry on his name.[40][41][42][43][44][45][46] Tertia Aemilia L. f. M. n. Paulla, the sister of Macedonicus, married Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, the conqueror of Hannibal. Her daughter, Cornelia, was the mother of the Gracchi, and when she died, her property passed to her adoptive grandson, who was also her nephew, Scipio Africanus Minor.[47][48][49][50][51] Lucius Aemilius L. f. L. n. Paullus, afterward Quintus Fabius Q. f. Q. n. Maximus Aemilianus, the eldest son of Macedonicus, he was adopted into the Fabian gens. Aemilius L. f. L. n. Paullus, afterward Publius Cornelius P. f. P. n. Scipio Africanus Aemilianus, or "Africanus Minor", was the second son of Macedonicus, and was adopted by his cousin, Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, whose father had defeated Hannibal. Aemilianus was consul in 147 and 134 BC. Prima Aemilia L. f. L. n. Paulla, married Quintus Aelius Tubero, who served under her father, Macedonicus, in the war with Perseus.[52] Secunda Aemilia L. f. L. n. Paulla, married Marcus Porcius Cato Licinianus, who also served under his father-in-law in the war with Perseus. Tertia Aemilia L. f. L. n. Paulla, when a little girl, gave her father a favorable omen, when following his election as consul for 168 BC, in order to conduct the war with Perseus, he returned home to find Aemilia crying because her dog, also named Perseus, had died.[53][54] Aemilius L. f. L. n. Paullus, the elder of two sons of Macedonicus by his second wife, died at the age of fourteen, three days after his father's triumph in November of 167 BC. Aemilius L. f. L. n. Paullus, the youngest son of Macedonicus, died at the age of twelve, five days before his father's triumph. Aemilii LepidiEdit Obverse of a denarius of Aemilius Lepidus the triumvir Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, consul in 285 BC. Marcus Aemilius M. f. M. n. Lepidus, consul in 232 BC, and perhaps consul suffectus in 220. Marcus Aemilius M. f. M. n. Lepidus, praetor in 218 BC. Lucius Aemilius M. f. M. n. Lepidus, son of the consul of 232 BC. Quintus Aemilius M. f. M. n. Lepidus, son of the consul of 232 BC. Manius Aemilius M'. f. Lepidus, praetor in 213 BC. Marcus Aemilius M. f. M. n. Lepidus, consul in 187 and 175 BC. Marcus Aemilius M'. f. M' n. Lepidus, consul in 158 BC. Marcus Aemilius M. f. M. n. Lepidus, military tribune against Antiochus III in 190 BC. Marcus Aemilius M. f. M. n. Porcina, consul in 137 BC. Marcus Aemilius M. f. M. n. Lepidus, consul in 126 BC. Quintus Aemilius M. f. M. n. Lepidus, probably son of the military tribune of 190 BC. Marcus Aemilius Q. f. M. n. Lepidus, consul in 78 BC. Mamercus Aemilius Mam. f. M. n. Livianus, consul in 77 BC. Manius Aemilius Mam. f. M. n. Lepidus, consul in 66 BC. Lucius Aemilius M. f. Q. n. Lepidus Paullus, consul in 50 BC. Marcus Aemilius M. f. Q. n. Lepidus, the triumvir, consul in 42 BC. Aemilius (M. Lepidi f. Q. n.) Regillus, mentioned by Cicero. Paullus Aemilius L. f. M. n. Lepidus, consul suffectus in 34 BC. Marcus Aemilius M. f. M. n. Lepidus, son of the triumvir; conspired to assassinate Octavianus in 30 BC. Quintus Aemilius Lepidus, consul in 21 BC. Lucius Aemilius Paulli f. L. n. Paullus, consul in AD 1; conspired against Augustus. Marcus Aemilius Paulli f. L. n. Lepidus, consul in AD 6. Aemilia Paulli f. L. n. Lepida (b. 22 BC) Manius Aemilius Q. f. Lepidus, consul in AD 11. Aemilia Q. f. Lepida, wife of Publius Sulpicius Quirinus, accused of various crimes and condemned in AD 20. Marcus Aemilius L. f. Paulli n. Lepidus, put to death by Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus, AD 39. Aemilia L. f. Paulli n. Lepida, the first wife of Tiberius Claudius Drusus. Aemilia M. f. Paulli n. Lepida (d. AD 36), wife of Drusus Julius Caesar. Aemilii RegilliEdit Marcus Aemilius Regillus (d. 205 BC), Flamen Quirinalis and unsuccessful candidate for the consulship in 214 BC. Lucius Aemilius (M. f.) Regillus, praetor in 190 BC, during the war against Antiochus III. Marcus Aemilius (M. f.) Regillus (d. 190 BC), brother of Lucius Aemilius Regillus, died in the course of the war against Antiochus. Aemilii ScauriEdit Lucius Aemilius Scaurus, an officer in the Roman fleet during the war against Antiochus III in 190 BC. Marcus Aemilius Scaurus, consul in 115 and 107 BC, censor in 109, and princeps senatus. Marcus Aemilius M. f. Scaurus, praetor in 56 BC. Aemilius Scaurus M. f. Scaurus (d. 101 BC), fought against the Cimbri under Quintus Lutatius Catulus. Marcus Aemilius M. f. M. n. Scaurus, supporter of Marcus Antonius. Mamercus Aemilius M. f. M. n. Scaurus, orator and poet, twice accused of majestas. Aemilii BucaeEdit Denarius issued by Aemilius Buca the moneyer, depicting the laureate head of Julius Caesar, and on the reverse Venus holding Victoria and sceptre Lucius Aemilius Buca, quaestor in the time of Lucius Cornelius Sulla. Lucius Aemilius L. f. Buca, triumvir of the mint in 54 BC. Gravestone of freedmen (liberti) with the nomen Aemilius, from Emerita Augusta, Roman Spain[55] Aemilia, one of the Vestal Virgins, who miraculously rekindled the sacred flame with a piece of her garment.[56][57] Aemilia, a Vestal put to death on the charge of incest in 114 BC. Two others, Marcia and Licinia, were acquitted, on the grounds that Aemilia had instigated the crime, but they were condemned to death by Lucius Cassius Longinus Ravilla.[58][59][60][61] Caeso Aemilius K. f. Varrius, a military engineer of uncertain date.[62][63] Marcus Aemilius Avianus, a friend of Cicero, and the patron of Avianus Evander and Avianus Hammonius.[64] Aemilius Macer, a poet who flourished during the early decades of the Empire, and wrote upon the subjects of birds, snakes, and medicinal plants. Aemilius Macer of Verona, a poet who wrote upon Homeric subjects He flourished toward the end of the reign of Augustus. Aemilius Rectus, governor of Egypt in AD 15, was rebuked by Tiberius for returning more money to the treasury than had been requested; Tiberius replied that he wanted the governors to shear his sheep, not shave them.[65][66] Aemilius Sura, annalist, probably a contemporary of Marcus Velleius Paterculus. Aemilius Rufus, prefect of the cavalry under Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo in Armenia. Aemilius Pacensis, tribune of the city cohorts at the death of Nero in AD 69; perished fighting against Aulus Vitellius. Quintus Aemilius Laetus, Praetorian Prefect under Commodus. Aemilius Asper (late 1st century), grammarian and commentator on Publius Terentius Afer and Publius Vergilius Maro. Aemilius Asper Junior, a grammarian who flourished during the second century, and the author of Ars Grammatica. Aemilius Papinianus, a jurist of the late second and early third century. Aemilius Macer (3rd century), a jurist who lived in the time of Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander. Marcus Aemilius Aemilianus, governor of Pannonia and Moesia, was proclaimed Emperor in 253, but slain by his soldiers. Aemilius Magnus Arborius, a fourth-century poet, and a friend of the brothers of Constantinus. Aemilius Parthenianus, a historian who gave an account of the various persons who aspired to the tyranny. Aemilius Probus, grammarian of the late fourth century, to whom the Excellentium Imperatorum Vitae of Cornelius Nepos was erroneously attributed. Blossius Aemilius Dracontius a fifth-century Christian poet. FootnotesEdit ^ In addition to Paulla, the form Polla, was common in Latin, and either could be spelled with one 'l' or two. There were three distinct pronunciations of the vowel, which can be seen from Greek inscriptions, including Παυλλα, Πολλα, and Πωλα. The same variation was probably characteristic of the masculine Paullus, as with other Latin names, such as Claudius, which was frequently spelled Clodius, although this came to be regarded as a plebeian spelling. List of Roman gentes Aemilius (disambiguation) Basilica Aemilia ^ a b c d e Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. I, p. 30 ("Aemilia Gens"). ^ Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, i. 18. ^ Chase, pp. 122, 123. ^ Cornell, The Beginnings of Rome, p. 10. ^ Chase, pp. 114, 140, 141. ^ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. III, p. 120 ("Papus"). ^ Birley, The Fasti of Roman Britain, pp. 242, 243. ^ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. I, p. 461 ("Barbula"). ^ a b c Chase, pp. 109, 110. ^ New College Latin & English Dictionary, s. v. barbula. ^ Kajava, Roman Female Praenomina. ^ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. III, p. 153 ("Aemilius Paulus"). ^ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. II, p. 762 ("Aemilius Lepidus"). ^ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. III, pp. 735, 736 ("Scaurus", "Aemilius Scaurus"). ^ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. III, p. 642 ("Regillus"). ^ Chase, p. 113, 114. ^ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. I, p. 516 ("Buca"). ^ Broughton, vol. I, p. 35. ^ a b Birley, The Fasti of Roman Britain, pp. 242-244. ^ Birley, p. 243. ^ Broughton, vol. I, p. 187. ^ Livy, x. 1-3. ^ Polybius, i. 36, 37. ^ Eutropius, ii. 22. ^ Orosius, iv. 9. ^ Diodorus Siculus, xxiii. 14. ^ Zonaras, viii. 14. ^ Niebuhr, History of Rome, vol. iii. p. 591. ^ Arnold, History of Rome, vol. ii. p. 593, note 67. ^ Polybius, iii. 16-19, iv. 37. ^ Appian, Bella Illyrica, 8. ^ Livy, xxii. 35, xxiii. 21. ^ Horace, Carmen Saeculare, i. 12. ^ Valerius Maximus, i. 3. § 3. ^ Plutarch, "The Life of Aemilius Paullus". ^ Livy, xxxiv. 45, xxxv. 10, 24, xxxvi. 2, xxxvii. 46, 57, xxxix. 56, xl. 25-28, 34, xliv. 17-xlv. 41, Epitome, 46. ^ Polybius, xxix.-xxxii. ^ Aurelius Victor, De Viris Illustribus, 56. ^ Valerius Maximus, v. 10. § 2. ^ Velleius Paterculus, i. 9, 10. ^ Orelli, Onomasticon Tullianum, vol. ii. p. 16. ^ Polybius, xxxii. 12. ^ Diodorus Siculus, excerpta, xxxi. ^ Valerius Maximus, vi. 7. § 1. ^ Plutarch, "The Life of Aemilius Paullus", 2. ^ Livy, xxxviii. 57. ^ Plutarch, "The Life of Aemilius Paullus", 28. ^ Cicero, De Divinatione, i. 46, ii. 40. ^ Année Epigraphique 2003.881. ^ Dionysius, ii. 68. ^ Plutarch, "Quaestiones Romanae", p. 284. ^ Livy, Epitome, 63. ^ Orosius, v. 15. ^ Asconius Pedianus, In Ciceronis Pro Milone, p. 46, ed. Orelli. ^ Karl Julius Sillig, Catalogus Artificium (1827), Appendix, s.v. ^ Desiré-Raoul Rochette, Lettre à M. Schorn, p. 422, 2nd ed. ^ Cicero, Epistulae ad Familiares xiii. 2, 21, 27. ^ Cassius Dio, lvii. 10. ^ Orosius, vii. 4. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). "article name needed" . Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Polybius, Historiae (The Histories). Marcus Tullius Cicero, De Divinatione. Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica (Library of History). Quintus Horatius Flaccus (Horace), Carmen Saeculare. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Romaike Archaiologia (Roman Antiquities). Titus Livius (Livy), History of Rome. Marcus Velleius Paterculus, Compendium of Roman History. Valerius Maximus, Factorum ac Dictorum Memorabilium (Memorable Facts and Sayings). Quintus Asconius Pedianus, Commentarius in Oratio Ciceronis Pro Milone (Commentary on Cicero's Oration Pro Milone). Plutarchus, Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans; Moralia, including "Quaestiones Romanae" (Roman Questions). Appianus Alexandrinus (Appian), Bella Illyrica (The Illyrian Wars). Lucius Cassius Dio Cocceianus (Cassius Dio), Roman History. Eutropius, Breviarium Historiae Romanae (Abridgement of the History of Rome). Paulus Orosius, Historiarum Adversum Paganos (History Against the Pagans). Sextus Aurelius Victor, De Viris Illustribus (On Famous Men). Joannes Zonaras, Epitome Historiarum (Epitome of History). Johann Caspar von Orelli, Onomasticon Tullianum, Orell Füssli, Zürich (1826-1838). Barthold Georg Niebuhr, The History of Rome, Julius Charles Hare and Connop Thirlwall, trans., John Smith, Cambridge (1828). Thomas Arnold, History of Rome, B. Fellowes, London (1838-1842). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, William Smith, ed., Little, Brown and Company, Boston (1849). George Davis Chase, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina", in Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, vol. VIII (1897). Friedrich Munzer, Roman Aristocratic Parties and Families (1920). T. Robert S. Broughton, The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, American Philological Association (1952). Anthony R. Birley, The Fasti of Roman Britain, Clarendon Press (1981). Mika Kajava, Roman Female Praenomina: Studies in the Nomenclature of Roman Women, Acta Instituti Romani Finlandiae (1994). Timothy J. Cornell, The Beginnings of Rome: Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (c. 1000-264 BC), Routledge, London (1995). John C. Traupman, The New College Latin & English Dictionary, Bantam Books, New York (1995). Retrieved from ""

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Diplomacy (game) (Redirected from Diplomacy game) Diplomacy is a strategic board game created by Allan B. Calhamer in 1954 and released commercially in 1959.[1] Its main distinctions from most board wargames are its negotiation phases (players spend much of their time forming and betraying alliances with other players and forming beneficial strategies)[2] and the absence of dice and other game elements that produce random effects. Set in Europe in the years leading to the Great War, Diplomacy is played by two to seven players,[3] each controlling the armed forces of a major European power (or, with fewer players, multiple powers). Each player aims to move his or her few starting units and defeat those of others to win possession of a majority of strategic cities and provinces marked as "supply centers" on the map; these supply centers allow players who control them to produce more units. Following each round of player negotiations, each player can issue attack orders and take control of a neighboring province when the number of provinces adjacent to the attacking province that are given orders (written down and declared in advance) to support the attacking province exceeds the number of provinces adjacent to the province under attack that are given orders to support the province under attack. Allan B. Calhamer Diplomacy was the first commercially published game to be played by mail (PBM); only chess, which is in the public domain, saw significant postal play earlier. Diplomacy was also the first commercially published game to generate an active hobby scene with amateur fanzines; only science-fiction, fantasy and comics fandom saw fanzines earlier. Competitive face-to-face Diplomacy tournaments have been held since the 1970s. Play of Diplomacy by e-mail (PBEM) has been widespread since the late 1980s.[4] Diplomacy has been published in the United States by Games Research, Avalon Hill, and Hasbro; the name is currently a registered trademark of Hasbro's Avalon Hill division. Diplomacy has also been licensed to various companies for publication in other countries. Diplomacy is also played on the Internet, adjudicated by a computer or a human gamemaster. In its catalogue, Avalon Hill advertised Diplomacy as John F. Kennedy[5] and Henry Kissinger's favourite game. Kissinger described it as his favourite in an interview published in a games magazine.[6] Authors Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury,[7] and American broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite were also reported to be fans of the game.[8] British journalist, broadcaster, and former Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister Michael Portillo is known to have played the game whilst studying at Harrow County School for Boys.[9] The idea for Diplomacy arose from Allan B. Calhamer's study at Harvard of nineteenth-century European history under Sidney B. Fay inter alia, and from his study of political geography.[2] The rough form of Diplomacy was created in 1954, and its details were developed through playtesting until the 1958 map and rules revisions. Calhamer paid for a 500-game print run of that version in 1959 after rejection by major companies.[1] It has been published since then by Games Research (in 1961, then a 1971 edition with a revised rulebook), Avalon Hill (in 1976), by Hasbro's Avalon Hill division (in 1999), and now by Wizards of the Coast (in 2008) in the USA, and licensed to other boardgame publishers for versions sold in other countries. Among these are Parker Brothers, Waddingtons Games, Gibsons Games, Asmodée Editions.[10] Basic setting and overviewEdit The board is a map of 1914 Europe plus portions of Western Asia and North Africa. It is divided into fifty-six land regions and nineteen sea regions. Forty-two of the land regions are divided among the seven Great Powers of the game: Austria-Hungary, England, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and Turkey.[11] The remaining fourteen land regions are neutral at the start of the game. Thirty-four of the land regions contain "supply centers", corresponding to major centers of government, industry or commerce (e.g., Vienna and Rome); twenty-two of these are located within the Great Powers and are referred to as "home" supply centers. The remaining twelve are located in provinces which are neutral at the start of the game. The number of supply centers a player controls determines the total number of armies and fleets a player may have on the board, and as players gain and lose control of different centers, they may build (raise) or must remove (disband) units accordingly. A Diplomacy board, showing the different land and sea territories, starting borders and the location of supply centers The land provinces within the Great Powers which contain supply centers are generally named after a major city in the province (e.g. London, Moscow) while the other land provinces within the Great Powers are generally named after a region (e.g. Bohemia, Apulia). Neutral land provinces are generally named after countries (e.g. Serbia, Belgium). Finland and Syria are both parts of Great Powers as Finland was part of the Russian Empire and Syria was part of the Ottoman Empire in 1914. Tunis is used rather than Tunisia on most boards and North Africa is a single province covering parts of Algeria and Morocco. Although for game purposes the game starts in 1901, the map generally reflects the political boundaries of Europe in 1914 just before the outbreak of the Great War, with Bosnia already annexed to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Balkans reflecting the results of the wars of 1912 and 1913 in the region (except that Montenegro is shown as part of Austria-Hungary). On the other hand, North Africa and Tunis start the game as neutral, despite these regions being part of the French colonial empire in 1914. All players other than Britain and Russia begin the game with two armies and one fleet; Britain starts with two fleets and one army, and Russia starts with two armies and two fleets (making it the only player to start the game with more than three units). Only one unit at a time may occupy a given map region. Balancing units to supply center counts is done after each game-year (two seasons of play: Spring and Autumn). At the beginning of the game, the twelve neutral SCs are all typically captured within the first few moves. Further acquisition of supply centers becomes a zero sum dynamic with any gains in a player's resources coming at the expense of a rival. Comparison with other war gamesEdit Diplomacy differs from the majority of war games in several ways: Players do not take turns sequentially; instead all players secretly write down their moves after a negotiation period, then all moves are revealed and put into effect simultaneously. Social interaction and interpersonal skills make up an essential part of the game's play. The rules that simulate combat are strategic, abstract, and simple - not tactical, realistic, or complex - as this is a diplomatic simulation game, not a military one. Combat resolution contains no random elements - no dice are rolled, no cards are drawn. Each military unit has the same strength. It is especially well suited to postal play,[2] which led to an active hobby of amateur publishing. Internet Diplomacy is one of the few early board games that is still played on the web. GameplayEdit Diplomacy proceeds by seasons, beginning in the year 1901, with each year divided into two main seasons: the "Spring" and "Autumn/Fall" moves. Each season is further divided into negotiation and movement phases, followed by 'retreat' or 'disband' adjustments and an end-of-the-year Winter phase of new builds or removals following the Autumn adjustments. Negotiation phaseEdit In the negotiation phase, players communicate with each other to discuss tactics and strategy, form alliances, and share intelligence or spread disinformation about mutual adversaries. Negotiations may be made public or kept private. Players are not bound to anything they say or promise during this period, and no agreements of any sort are enforceable. Communication and trust are highly important for this strategy game. Players must forge alliances with others and observe their actions to evaluate their trustworthiness. At the same time, they must convince others of their own trustworthiness while making plans to turn against their allies when least expected. A well-timed betrayal can be just as profitable as an enduring, reliable alliance. Cheating can be a large part of certain diplomacy games. Some hosts allow for players to submit false copies of sheets for other players, thus changing their moves. This only works if the person who has their moves replaced is not paying attention when the host is reading out the moves. Movement phaseEdit After the negotiation period, players write secret orders for each unit; these orders are revealed and executed simultaneously. A unit can move from its location to an adjacent space, support an adjacent unit to hold an area in the event of an attack, support another unit to attack a space into which it could move itself, or hold defensively. In addition, fleets may transport armies from one coast space to another when in a chain called a "convoy". Armies may only occupy land regions, and fleets occupy sea regions and the land regions that border named seas. Only one unit may occupy each region. If multiple units are ordered to move to the same region, only the unit with the most support moves there. If two or more units have the same highest support, a standoff occurs and no units ordered to that region move. A unit ordered to give support that is attacked has those orders canceled and is forced to hold, except in the case that support is being given to a unit invading the region from which the attack originated. Certain countries on the board have two coasts and if this is the case a player must specify which one of the coasts he wants his fleet to occupy. A fleet of a specific coast can only move to coasts and oceans that border the coast that it is on. For example, a fleet occupying the southern coast of Bulgaria cannot move into Rumania or the Black Sea, but a fleet on the east coast could. End-of-year and supply centersEdit After each Autumn move, newly acquired supply centers become owned by the occupying player, and each power's supply center total is recalculated; players with fewer supply centers than units on the board must disband units, while players with more supply centers than units on the board are entitled to build units in their Home centers (supply centers controlled at the start of the game). Players controlling no supply centers are eliminated from the game, and if a player controls 18 or more (that is, more than half) of the 34 SCs, that person is declared the winner. Players may also agree to a draw; this also happens when (infrequent) stalemates occur. VariantsEdit Several boardgames based on Diplomacy have been commercially published. Additionally, many fans of the game have created hundreds of variants of their own, using altered rules on the standard map, standard rules on a different map, or both. Rulebook provision for fewer than seven playersEdit The rules allow for games with two to seven players, closing parts of the standard board, but these are used only in casual play, and are not considered standard Diplomacy in tournament, postal, or most forms of online play. For example, if there are six players, everyone plays one country and Italy is not used; for five players, Italy and Germany are not used. The original rules did not include additional guidelines, but the Avalon Hill set included suggestions, such as individual players using multiple countries, and additions. Another approach to solving the problem of fewer than seven players is the use of the Escalation Variant Rules by Edi Birsan: Players start with no pieces on the board Players put one piece down on the board in any province one at a time (starting with the youngest player) After reaching the maximum number of pieces the players start the game with ownership of their starting provinces. At the end of Autumn 1901 with their adjustments players write down their three HOME centers for the rest of the game. This is done without negotiations and may result in two players declaring the same province. However, in order to build there they still must own it and the province must be open. Players may choose any supply center as a HOME for example: EDI, DEN, ROM It is suggested that for the number players the following starting pieces are used: Two - 12 units Three - 8 units Four − 6 units Five - 5 units Six - 4 units It is also suggested that for games with 2-4 players that the 'Gunboat' rule applies which means that there are no discussions. For 4 or 5 players, it is suggested that the 'Wilson' or 'Public Press' rule applies which means that all discussions must take place in the open at the table with no whispers or secret signals. For 5 or 6 players, it is suggested that regular negotiation rules apply. The following are the current official suggestions: Alternative way to playEdit The following is an alternative way to play the game of Diplomacy when fewer than seven players are present. Six Players: Eliminate Italy. Italian units hold in position and defend themselves, but don't support each other. Units belonging to any of the players can support them in their holding position. If Italian units are forced to retreat, they're disbanded. Five Players: Eliminate Italy and Germany (as described for Italy above). Four Players: One player plays Britain, and the other three play the following pairs: Austria/France, Germany/Turkey, and Italy/Russia. Three Players: One player controls Britain/Germany/Austria; the second, Russia/Italy; and the third, France/Turkey. Or one player plays Britain/Austria; one plays France/Russia; one plays Germany/Turkey. In this version Italy is not played. Three Players (alternative[12]): One person plays Russia while the other two control Britain/France/Germany and Austria/Italy/Turkey. Two Players: This version can be played as a World War I simulation. One player controls Britain/France/Russia while the other plays Austria/Germany/Turkey. Italy is neutral and Italian territory can't be entered. The game begins in 1914. Before the Autumn 1914 adjustments, flip a coin. Italy joins the winner of the toss in Spring 1915. The first player to control 24 supply centers wins. This is also a way for two new players to learn the rules. In games for 2, 3, or 4 players, supply-center ownership is computed for each individual country, even though the same person plays more than one country. As with the regular rules, adjustments must be made by each country in accordance with its supply-center holdings. Commercially published Diplomacy variantsEdit There have been six commercially released variants of Diplomacy - Machiavelli, Kamakura, Colonial Diplomacy, Hundred, Ard-Rí and Classical. Imperial is a boardgame with enough similarities to be described as a Diplomacy variant by some. MachiavelliEdit Main article: Machiavelli (board game) Machiavelli was published by Battleline Publications, later taken over by Avalon Hill. Set in Renaissance Italy, the board is controlled by the Republic of Florence, the Republic of Venice, the Duchy of Milan, the Kingdom of Naples, the Papacy, Valois France, Habsburg Austria, and the Ottoman Turks. The game introduces many rules changes such as money, bribery, three seasons per year, garrisons, and random events such as plague and famine. It features scenarios tailored for as few as four and as many as eight players. KamakuraEdit Kamakura was published by West End Games in the early 1980s. Its setting is feudal Japan. Colonial DiplomacyEdit Published by Avalon Hill in 1994. It is set in Asia in the late 19th century, and much of the board is controlled by various colonial powers: the United Kingdom, the Russian Empire, the Empire of Japan, Holland, Ottoman Empire, China, and France. The game introduces three special features: The Trans-Siberian railroad extends across Russia from Moscow to Vladivostok. The railroad can be used by Russia to move armies anywhere along the railroad. The TSR may only be used by Russia. Russian armies are allowed to move through other Russian armies, but foreign armies can block the passage of armies on the TSR. The Suez Canal is the only way to move between the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea. Use of the Suez Canal is controlled by whoever is in control of Egypt. The use of the Suez Canal increases in importance later in the game as expansion becomes both more important and more difficult. The ownership of Hong Kong counts as a supply center for any country except China. This map was used as the basis of the Imperial Asia expansion map.[13] HundredEdit Hundred is a map for three players by Andy D. Schwarz based on the Hundred Years' War created in 1996 and published by Stupendous Games in 2000.[14][15] Ard-RíEdit Ard-Rí is a map by Stuart John Bernard based on pre-Christian Ireland (though it anachronistically includes Vikings), created in 1998, and published by Stupendous Games in 2000.[16][15] Ard-Rí happens to also be the name of a hnefatafl variant played in Ancient Ireland. ClassicalEdit Classical is a map by Andy D. Schwarz and Vincent Mous based on the ancient world after the death of Alexander the Great, created in 1998, and published by Stupendous Games in 2000.[17][15] Diplomacy of the Three KingdomsEdit Based on the Three Kingdoms in Ancient China, it was created by Edi Birsan to introduce the basic ideas of the main game to a Chinese audience with a setting more close to their own historical experience. It was published by MJS Creations in 2008. Diplomacy variants not commercially publishedEdit A wide range of other variants of Diplomacy have been created and played without being commercially published.[18][19] These include settings such as the ancient and renaissance world. Some variants use new maps and rules, whilst others simply vary the original game, such as the Fleet Rome variant which replaces the starting Italian army in Rome with a fleet. One of the most notable non-commercially published is the Youngstown variant which is an extension of the normal map, including Asia and colonies there. For example, in addition to the usual home centers, France starts with a fleet in Saigon (in Cochinchina).[18] Three new Powers were added - India, China, and Japan - with powers without historical Asian colonies being given more home centres. The variant was named after the city of Youngstown, Ohio where the variant was invented.[18][20] TournamentsEdit Further information: International prize list of Diplomacy Diplomacy is played at a number of formal tournaments in many nations. Most face-to-face Diplomacy tournaments longer than one day are associated with either a Diplomacy-centered convention (such as DipCon or Dixiecon) or a large multi-game convention (such as the Origins Game Fair or the World Boardgaming Championships). Some conventions are centered on the games and have a highly competitive atmosphere; others have more focus on meeting and socializing with other players from the postal or e-mail parts of the hobby. Tournament playEdit In some tournaments, each game ends after a specified number of game-years, to ensure that all players can play in all rounds without limiting the tournament structure to one round per day. At other events, a game continues until a winner is determined or a draw is voted. Tournaments in Europe are generally played with a specific end year whereas tournaments in North America more often are played until someone wins or a draw is agreed. Major championship tournamentsEdit The World Diplomacy Convention (WDC or World DipCon) is held annually in different places in the world. The winner of WDC is considered to be the World Champion of Diplomacy. WDC was first held in 1988 in Birmingham, England, and was held at two-year intervals before becoming an annual event. WDC's site moves among four regions: North America, Europe, Australasia, and the rest of the world, with a requirement that successive WDC's are always held in different regions.[21] The North American Diplomacy Convention (DipCon) is held annually in different places in North America, to determine the North American Champion of Diplomacy. DipCon was first held in 1966 in Youngstown, Ohio.[22] DipCon's site rotates among West, Central, and East regions.[23] The European Diplomacy Convention (Euro DipCon) is held annually in different places in Europe, to determine the European Champion of Diplomacy. Over a dozen other countries hold face-to-face national championship tournaments.[24] Other major face-to-face tournamentsEdit Many of the larger multi-game conventions, such as the World Boardgaming Championships, Gen Con, Origins, ManorCon, TempleCon, and Dragonflight also host Diplomacy tournaments. On occasion, WDC or DipCon will be held in conjunction with one of these conventions. In addition, many of the larger local and regional clubs host tournaments on an annual basis and always encourage visitors from the local area as well as any travelers from around the globe. Major play-by-email tournamentsEdit The play-by-email field is constantly changing. There are numerous tournaments generally associated with different websites. As of 2008 there were no official events sanctioned by the manufacturer (Wizards/Avalon Hill). There have been and continue to be events with various sizes and self designated titles such as: World Masters - every two years in the Worldmasters E-mail Tournament composed of both team and individual events Diplomacy World Cup - modeled after a Soccer World Cup (players are in teams competing by countries), there have been two world cups so far and a third is under way. The first took place 2007-9 and was won by France, the second 2010-12 and was won by Ireland, and the third version started in January 2013. Winter Blitz - The 4th Annual Winter Blitzis became open to join in 2011. Other ways to playEdit Despite the length of face-to-face Diplomacy games, there are people who organize ad-hoc games, and there are also various clubs that have annual tournaments and monthly club games. To overcome the difficulty of assembling enough players for a sufficiently large block of time together, a play-by-mail game community has developed, either via Postal or Internet Diplomacy, using either humans to adjudicate the turns or automatic adjudicators. Postal play and postal hobbyEdit Since the 1960s, Diplomacy has been played by mail through fanzines. The play-by-mail hobby was created in 1963 in carbon-copied typed flyers by John Boardman in New York, recruiting players through his science fiction fanzine Knowable. His flyers became an ongoing publication under the Graustark title, and led directly to the formation of other zines. By May 1965 there were eight Diplomacy zines.[25] By the end of 1967 there were dozens of zines in the USA, and by 1970 their editors were holding gatherings. In 1969, Don Turnbull started the first UK-based Diplomacy zine, Albion.[26] By 1972, both the USA and UK hobbies were forming organizations. In the 1980s, there were over sixty zines in the main list of the North American Zine Poll, peaking at 72 zines in 1989;[27] and there were nearly as many in the major Zine Poll of the British part of the hobby. In the 1990s and 2000s, the number of postal Diplomacy zines has reduced as new players instead joined the part of the hobby that plays over the internet via e-mail or on websites. In April 2010, Graustark itself ceased publication. As of 2011, there are only a few active postal zines published in the USA, one each in Canada and Australia, and several in the UK and elsewhere. In order to reduce postage and printing costs, as well as for environmental reasons, several zines (e.g. 'Western Front', 'Maniacs Paradise' ) are distributed to subscribers via emailed links to the zine's web page when a new issue appears, or are emailed out as pdf files, for subscribers to read on screen, or print out as they choose. Some zines maintain a dual existence as paper and digital publications. OnlineEdit Main article: Internet Diplomacy Diplomacy has been played through e-mail on the Internet since the 1983 debut of The Armchair Diplomat on Compuserve.[25] From 1986-1990, Peter Szymonik started and moderated dozens of simultaneously running Online Diplomacy games on the GEnie Network with hundreds of players worldwide. This later included the first online Colonia variant games and later branched into and gave birth to Jim Dunnigan's related Hundred Years War Online multiplayer wargame. Adjudication by computer started in 1988. A multitude of play-by-email (PBEM) communities and online tournaments were developed over the coming years, and recent online Diplomacy sites such as webDiplomacy and PlayDiplomacy also allow entirely web-based games of Diplomacy.[28] In addition to e-mail and web-adjudicated games, numerous variations - ranging from player numbers and slight differences (such as placing an extra Italian fleet in Rome) to entirely fictitious maps set in worlds from pop-culture exist, played with either messaging servers or forums, often hosted by the Diplomacy sites themselves.[29] There are also apps available for mobile devices, such as Conspiracy, which is designed to play just like Diplomacy. It is developed by badfrog team.[citation needed] Another app named Subterfuge is a more modern adaptation of Diplomacy. Diplomacy computer gamesEdit Screenshot from the Paradox computer game Avalon Hill released a computer game version of Diplomacy in 1984 for the IBM PC. Computer Gaming World in 1994 described it as "a flop".[30] Hasbro Interactive released a computer game version of Diplomacy in 1999 under the MicroProse label, and developed by Meyer/Glass Interactive. A major fault, like with the Avalon Hill version, was that the computer AI was considered poor, one reviewer remarking "Gamers of any skill level will have no trouble whatsoever whaling on the computer at even the highest difficulty setting."[31] Paradox Interactive released a new computer version in 2005, which was given negative reviews, partly due to the odd grunts the game used to express the reactions of the AI players during the Movement phase.[32][33][34] None of the computer games supported either text or voice chat, which limited the possibilities for complicated alliances. Larry Harris commented: "I am convinced that Allan Calhamer's masterpiece should be part of every high school curriculum. Don't tell the kids, but it teaches history, geography, the art of political negotiation, and something else - some healthy critical skepticism. By the time you get into high school, you have a pretty good idea that not everyone always tells the truth. But a good game of Diplomacy helps you to understand how skillful some people can be at fooling you!"[35] Diplomacy was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design Adventure Hall of Fame in 1994.[36] Diplomacy World Internet Diplomacy Lepanto opening Slobbovia ^ a b Calhamer, Allan (January 1974). "The Invention of Diplomacy". Games & Puzzles (21). Archived from the original on 2009-09-10. ^ a b c Parlett, David. The Oxford History of Board Games. Oxford University Press, UK, 1999. ISBN 0-19-212998-8. pp. 361-362. ^ "Diplomacy Rules 4th Edition (2000)" (PDF). Avalon Hill. Retrieved 18 December 2012. ^ Miller, Millis. "What is njudge?". diplomatic-pouch.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. ^ McClelland, Edward (April 20, 2009). "All in the Game". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved October 27, 2017. ^ Games & Puzzles magazine, May 1973. ^ "DP F2012R: Diplomacy Strategy and Tactics, Secrets of My Old Age". diplomatic-pouch.org. Archived from the original on 2016-08-08. Retrieved 2016-06-14. ^ McClellan, Joseph. "Lying and Cheating by the Rules," Washington Post, June 2, 1986. ^ Gilligan, Andrew; Sweeney, John (November 27, 1994). "The making of Pretty Polly". The Guardian. Retrieved October 27, 2017. David Mitchell, British comedian, actor, writer and television presenter commented on an episode of Would I Lie to You, that he played Diplomacy with an imaginary friend Stephen Tatlock, (a painted face on a bucket, which was a stand-in for his real friend, Stephen Tatlock), and that sometimes imaginary Stephen Tatlock would win. However, the story was in fact, a lie. ^ "Diplomacy". BoardGameGeek. Retrieved January 25, 2008. ^ Gordon, David. "Diplomacy, Part 1". Retrieved 30 April 2012. ^ Rules for Diplomacy, 2nd Edition/Feb. 1982, p. 9 ^ "Imperial - Asia Expansion Map and Rules - Imperial - BoardGameGeek". . ^ "Diplomacy: Hundred Variant - Board Game - BoardGameGeek". . ^ a b c Szykman, Simon. "Three Variants Reviewed". diplomatic-pouch.org. Archived from the original on 2016-08-02. ^ "Diplomacy: Ard-Ri Variant - Board Game - BoardGameGeek". . ^ "Diplomacy: Classical Variant - Board Game - BoardGameGeek". . ^ a b c Sharp.R (1978) 'The Game of Diplomacy Chapter 13 (available online). ^ ^ "Youngstown". 2008-01-06. Retrieved 2017-07-03. ^ Peery, Larry. "A History of World DipCon". Diplomatic Corps. ^ At John Koning's home, August 31st 1966 ^ Birsan, Edi; et al. "The DipCon Story". Diplomatic Corps. ^ "World Diplomacy Database". North American Diplomacy Association. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2017. ^ a b Meinel, Jim. Encyclopedia of Postal Diplomacy Zines. Great White North Productions, Alaska, USA, 1992. ^ Sharp, Richard. The Game of Diplomacy. Arthur Barker, UK, 1978. ISBN 0-213-16676-3. ^ "1989 Runestone Poll Results", Diplomacy World, Issue 56 (Fall 1989), pp. 69-71. ^ Online Diplomacy is also available on the social networking site Facebook ^ "Online diplomacy screenshot". . ^ Coleman, Terry Lee (July 1994). "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Sovereign". Computer Gaming World. pp. 110-111. ^ "Diplomacy (1999) Review". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved October 27, 2017. ^ Kosak, Dave (November 10, 2005). "GameSpy: Diplomacy". GameSpy. Retrieved October 27, 2017. ^ "GameSpot review". Archived from the original on 2005-10-24. ^ Clare, Oliver (November 28, 2005). "Diplomacy • Eurogamer.net". Eurogamer. Retrieved October 27, 2017. ^ Harris, Larry (2007). "Diplomacy". In Lowder, James (ed.). Hobby Games: The 100 Best. Green Ronin Publishing. pp. 81-85. ISBN 978-1-932442-96-0. ^ "Origins Award Winners (1993)". Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design. Archived from the original on 2008-01-05. Retrieved 2008-01-19. Calhamer, Allan. "Diplomacy" chapter of The Games & Puzzles Book of Modern Board Games. Games & Puzzles Publications, London, UK, 1975. ISBN 0-86002-059-2. pp. 26-44. Sharp, Richard (1979). The Game of Diplomacy. London: Arthur Barker. p. 192. ISBN 0-213-16676-3. Retrieved 8 October 2008. Kostick, Conor. The Art of Correspondence in the Game of Diplomacy. Curses & Magic, Dublin, Ireland, 2015. ISBN 978-0993415104. Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: Diplomacy Wikiquote has quotations related to: Diplomacy (game) Diplomacy at BoardGameGeek "World Domination: the Game" - article in the Washington Post, November 14, 2004 Retrieved from ""

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Fox squirrel The fox squirrel (Sciurus niger), also known as the eastern fox squirrel or Bryant's fox squirrel,[2] is the largest species of tree squirrel native to North America. Despite the differences in size and coloration, they are sometimes mistaken for American red squirrels or eastern gray squirrels in areas where the species co-exist.[3] Fox squirrel [1] Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[2] Order: Rodentia Family: Sciuridae Genus: Sciurus Subgenus: Sciurus S. niger Sciurus niger Linnaeus, 1758 S. n. niger - southern fox squirrel S. n. avicinnia - mangrove fox squirrel S. n. bachmani - upland fox Squirrel S. n. cinereus - Delmarva fox squirrel S. n. limitis - Texas fox squirrel S. n. ludovicianus - pineywoods fox squirrel S. n. rufiventer- western fox squirrel S. n. shermani - Sherman's fox squirrel S. n. subauratus - delta fox squirrel S. n. vulpinus - eastern fox squirrel Fox squirrel's range (excludes introduced populations) The squirrel's total body length measures 45 to 70 cm (17.7 to 27.6 in), tail length is 20 to 33 cm (7.9 to 13.0 in), and they range in weight from 500 to 1,000 grams (1.1 to 2.2 lb).[4] There is no sexual dimorphism in size or appearance. Individuals tend to be smaller in the west. There are three distinct geographical phases in coloration: In most areas the animals upper body is brown-grey to brown-yellow with a typically brownish-orange underside, while in eastern regions such as the Appalachians there are more strikingly-patterned dark brown and black squirrels with white bands on the face and tail. In the south can be found isolated communities with uniform black coats. To help with climbing, they have sharp claws, developed extensors of digits and flexors of forearms, and abdominal musculature.[5] Fox squirrels have excellent vision and well-developed senses of hearing and smell. They use scent marking to communicate with other fox squirrels.[5] "Fox squirrels also have several sets of vibrissae, hairs or whiskers that are used as touch receptors to sense the environment. These are found above and below their eyes, on their chin and nose, and on each forearm."[5] The dental formula of S. niger is 1.0.1.31.0.1.3 × 2 = 20[6] Fox squirrel foraging in the grass in Indianapolis, Indiana. DistributionEdit The fox squirrel's natural range extends throughout the eastern United States, north into the southern prairie provinces of Canada, and west to the Dakotas, Colorado, and Texas. They are absent (except for vagrants) in New England, New Jersey, most of New York, as well as northern and eastern Pennsylvania. They have been introduced to both northern and southern California,[7] Oregon,[8] Idaho,[9] Montana,[9] Washington,[9] and New Mexico.[9] While very versatile in their habitat choices, fox squirrels are most often found in forest patches of 40 hectares or less with an open understory, or in urban neighborhoods with trees. They thrive best among oak, hickory, walnut, and pines, storing their nuts for winter. Western range extensions in Great Plains regions such as Kansas are associated with riverine corridors of cottonwood. A subspecies native to several eastern US states is the Delmarva fox squirrel (S. n. cinereus).[4] Fox squirrels are most abundant in open forest stands with little understory vegetation; they are not found in stands with dense undergrowth. Ideal habitat is small stands of large trees interspersed with agricultural land.[10] The size and spacing of pines and oaks are among the important features of fox squirrel habitat. The actual species of pines and oaks themselves may not always be a major consideration in defining fox squirrel habitat.[4] Fox squirrels are often observed foraging on the ground several hundred meters from the nearest woodlot. Fox squirrels also commonly occupy forest edge habitat.[11] Fox squirrels have two types of shelters: leaf nests (dreys) and tree dens. They may have two tree cavity homes or a tree cavity and a leaf nest. Tree dens are preferred over leaf nests during the winter and for raising young. When den trees are scarce, leaf nests are used year-round.[12][13] Leaf nests are built during the summer months in forks of deciduous trees about 30 feet (9 m) above the ground. Fox squirrels use natural cavities and crotches (forked branches of a tree) as tree dens.[12] Den trees in Ohio had an average diameter at breast height (d.b.h.) of 21 inches (53 cm) and were an average of 58.6 yards (53.6 m) from the nearest woodland border. About 88% of den trees in eastern Texas had an average d.b.h. of 12 inches (30 cm) or more.[10] Dens are usually 6 inches (15 cm) wide and 14-16 inches (36-41 cm) inches deep. Den openings are generally circular and about 2.9 to 3.7 inches (7.4 to 9.4 cm). Fox squirrels may make their own den in a hollow tree by cutting through the interior; however, they generally use natural cavities or cavities created by northern flickers (Colaptes auratus) or red-headed woodpeckers (Melanerpes erythrocephalus). Crow nests have also been used by fox squirrels.[13] Fox squirrels use leaf nests or tree cavities for shelter and litter rearing.[10] Forest stands dominated by mature to over mature trees provide cavities and a sufficient number of sites for leaf nests to meet the cover requirements. Overstory trees with an average d.b.h. of 15 inches (38 cm) or more generally provide adequate cover and reproductive habitat. Optimum tree canopy closure for fox squirrels is from 20% to 60%. Optimum conditions understory closure occur when the shrub-crown closure is 30% or less.[10] Fox squirrels are tolerant of human proximity, and even thrive in crowded urban and suburban environments. They exploit human habitations for sources of food and nesting sites, being as happy nesting in an attic as they are in a hollow tree.[14] DietEdit Backyard fox squirrel searching for a location to bury its acorn, in Berkeley, California Manipulation of food items by paws and head Eating a Santa Rosa plum in Fullerton, California Food habits of fox squirrels depend largely on geographic location.[15] In general, fox squirrel foods include mast, tree buds, insects, tubers, bulbs, roots, bird eggs, seeds of pines and spring-fruiting trees, and fungi. Agricultural crops such as corn, soybeans, oats, wheat, and fruit are also eaten.[4][10][13][15] Mast eaten by fox squirrels commonly includes turkey oak (Quercus laevis), southern red oak (Quercus falcata), blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica), bluejack oak (Quercus incana), post oak (Quercus stellata), and live oak (Quercus virginiana).[4] In Illinois, fox squirrels rely heavily on hickories from late August through September. Pecans, black walnuts (Juglans nigra), osage orange (Maclura pomifera) fruits, and corn are also important fall foods. In early spring, elm buds and seeds are the most important food. In May and June, mulberries (Morus spp.) are heavily used. By early summer, corn in the milk stage becomes a primary food.[15] During the winter in Kansas, osage orange is a staple item supplemented with seeds of the Kentucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioicus) and honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos), corn, wheat, eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides var. deltoides) bark, ash seeds, and eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) berries. In the spring, fox squirrels feed primarily on buds of elm, maple, and oaks but also on newly sprouting leaves and insect larvae.[15] Fox squirrels in Ohio prefer hickory nuts, acorns, corn, and black walnuts. The squirrels are absent where two or more of these mast trees are missing. Fox squirrels also eat buckeyes, seeds and buds of maple and elm, hazelnuts (Corylus spp.), blackberries (Rubus spp.), and tree bark. In March, they feed mainly on buds and seeds of elm, maple, and willow. In Ohio, eastern fox squirrels have the following order of food preference: white oak (Quercus alba) acorns, black oak (Quercus velutina) acorns, red oak (Quercus rubra) acorns, walnuts, and corn.[15] In eastern Texas, fox squirrels prefer the acorns of bluejack oak, pecans, southern red oak (Q. falcata), and overcup oak (Q. lyrata). The least preferred foods are acorns of swamp chestnut oak (Q. michauxii) and overcup oak. In California, fox squirrels feed on English walnuts (J. regia), oranges, avocados, strawberries, and tomatoes. In midwinter, they feed on eucalyptus seeds.[15] In Michigan, fox squirrels feed on a variety of foods throughout the year. Spring foods are mainly tree buds and flowers, insects, bird eggs, and seeds of red maple (Acer rubrum), silver maple (Acer saccharinum), and elms. Summer foods include a variety of berries, plum and cherry pits, fruits of basswood (Tilia americana), fruits of box elder (Acer negundo), black oak acorns, hickory nuts, seeds of sugar (Acer saccharum) and black maple (Acer nigrum), grains, insects, and unripe corn. Fall foods consist mainly of acorns, hickory nuts, beechnuts, walnuts, butternuts (Juglans cinerea), and hazelnuts. Caches of acorns and hickory nuts are heavily used in winter.[15] BehaviorEdit Fox squirrels are strictly diurnal, non-territorial, and spend more of their time on the ground than most other tree squirrels. They are still, however, agile climbers. They construct two types of homes called "dreys", depending on the season. Summer dreys are often little more than platforms of sticks high in the branches of trees, while winter dens are usually hollowed out of tree trunks by a succession of occupants over as many as 30 years. Cohabitation of these dens is not uncommon, particularly among breeding pairs. Fox squirrels will form caches by burying food items for later consumption.[16] They like to store foods that are shelled and high in fat, such as acorns and nuts. Shelled foods are favored because they are less likely to spoil than non-shelled foods, and fatty foods are valued for their high energy density.[17][18] They are not particularly gregarious or playful, in fact they have been described as solitary and asocial creatures, coming together only in breeding season.[19] They have a large vocabulary, consisting most notably of an assortment of clucking and chucking sounds, not unlike some "game" birds, and they warn of approaching threats with distress screams. In the spring and fall, groups of fox squirrels clucking and chucking together can make a small ruckus. They also make high-pitched whines during mating. When threatening another fox squirrel, they will stand upright with their tail over their back and flick it.[5] They are impressive jumpers, easily spanning fifteen feet in horizontal leaps and free-falling twenty feet or more to a soft landing on a limb or trunk. Female fox squirrels come into estrus in mid-December or early January then again in June. They normally produce two litters a year, however, yearling females may only produce one.[15] Females become sexually mature at 10 to 11 months of age and usually produce their first litter when they are a year old.[15] Gestation occurs over a period of 44 to 45 days. Earliest litters appear in late January; most births occur in mid-March and July. The average litter size is three, but can vary according to season and food conditions.[15] Tree cavities, usually those formed by woodpeckers, are remodeled to winter dens and often serve as nurseries for late winter litters. If existing trees lack cavities, leaf nests known as dreys are built by cutting twigs with leaves and weaving them into warm, waterproof shelters. Similar leafy platforms are built for summer litters and are often referred to as "cooling beds."[20] Tree squirrels develop slowly compared to other rodents. At birth, the young are blind, without fur and helpless. Eyes open at 4 to 5 weeks of age and ears open at 6 weeks. Eastern fox squirrels are weaned between 12 and 14 weeks but may not be self-supporting until 16 weeks.[13][15] Juveniles usually disperse in September or October, but may den either together or with their mother during their first winter.[12] MortalityEdit Fox squirrel pausing from building its nest in an attic in Berkeley, California. In captivity, fox squirrels have been known to live 18 years, but in the wild most fox squirrels die before they become adults.[5] Their maximum life expectancy is typically 12.6 years for females and 8.6 years for males. Because of overhunting and the destruction of mature forests, many subspecies of fox squirrel (the Delmarva fox squirrel for example) are endangered.[5] Another major cause of fox squirrel population decline is mange mite (Cnemidoptes sp.) along with severe winter weather.[15] Relatively few natural predators can regularly capture adult fox squirrels. Of these predators, most only take fox squirrels opportunistically.[4] Fox squirrel predators include: bobcats (Felis rufus), foxes (Vulpes spp. and Urocyon spp.), red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), red-shouldered hawks (Buteo lineatus), great horned owls (Bubo virginianus), barred owls (Strix varia), and dogs (Canis lupus familiaris).[4][12][15] Nestlings and young fox squirrels are particularly vulnerable to climbing predators such as raccoons (Procyon lotor), opossums (Didelphis virginiana), rat snakes (Elaphe obsoleta), and pine snakes (Pituophis melanoleucus). In those states where fox squirrels are not protected, they are considered a game animal.[4] Fox squirrels were an important source of meat for European settlers in the 17th and 18th centuries. They are still hunted over most of their range. [4] Overhunting has been reported from small woodlots and public shooting areas in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana.[15] Mammals portal Eastern gray squirrel Western gray squirrel This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Department of Agriculture document "Sciurus niger". ^ Thorington, R.W., Jr.; Hoffmann, R.S. (2005). "Sciurus (Sciurus) niger". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic reference (3rd ed.). The Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 754-818. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 26158608. ^ a b Linzey, A. V.; Timm, R.; Emmons, L. & Reid, F. (2008). "Sciurus niger". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2008. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 2009-01-06. ^ Graham, Donna. "Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger)". Northern State University. South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks. Retrieved 2013-12-07. ^ a b c d e f g h i Van Gelden, Richard George. (1982). Mammals of the National Parks. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press ^ a b c d e f "Sciurus niger page". University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Retrieved 2009-04-23. ^ Koprowski, John L. (1994-12-02). "Sciurus niger". Mammalian Species (479): 1-9. . ISSN 0076-3519. JSTOR 3504263. . ^ "Southern California Fox Squirrel Page". . Retrieved 2008-04-25. ^ "Mammal Species of Oregon - Squirrels". Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved 2014-03-29. ^ a b c d "TREE SQUIRRELS AS INVASIVE SPECIES: CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS" (PDF). . Retrieved 2014-10-08. ^ a b c d e Allen, A. W. 1982. Habitat suitability index models: fox squirrel. FWS/OBS-82/10.18. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service ^ Dueser, Raymond D.; Dooley, James L., Jr.; Taylor, Gary J. (1988). Habitat structure, forest composition and landscape dimensions as components of habitat suitability for the Delmarva fox squirrel. In: Management of amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals in North America: Proceedings of the symposium; 1988 July 19-21; Flagstaff, AZ. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-166. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station: 414-421 ^ a b c d Banfield, A. W. F. (1974). The mammals of Canada. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press. ^ a b c d MacClintock, Dorcas. (1970). Squirrels of North America. New York: Litton Educational Publishing, Inc. ^ "Wild Care: Meet the Fox Squirrels". ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Chapman, Joseph A.; Feldhamer, George A., eds. 1982. Wild mammals of North America. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press ^ Koprowski, John L. (1994-12-02). "Sciurus niger". Mammalian Species (479): 1-9. . ISSN 0076-3519. JSTOR 3504263. ^ Preston, Stephanie D.; Jacobs, Lucia F. (2009). "Mechanisms of Cache Decision Making in Fox Squirrels (Sciurus niger)". Journal of Mammalogy. 90 (4): 787-795. JSTOR 27755064. ^ Kotler, Burt P.; Brown, Joel S.; Hickey, Michael (1999). "Food Storability and the Foraging Behavior of Fox Squirrels (Sciurus niger)". The American Midland Naturalist. 142 (1): 77-86. JSTOR 2426894. ^ Carraway, Mike. "Fox Squirrel, North Carolina Wildlife Profiles" (PDF). The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. n.p. Retrieved 2013-12-07. ^ "DNR: Fox Squirrel". . Retrieved 2015-09-29. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sciurus niger. Wikispecies has information related to Sciurus niger "Sciurus niger". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2006-03-26. Enature treatment: Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) American Society of Mammalogists: Mammalian species account of Sciurus niger Smithsonian: Eastern Fox Squirrel article Digimorph: 3D visualization of a Fox Squirrel skull The Squirrel Project - UIC study of territorial interleavings of Grey and Fox Squirrels, in urban Chicago Retrieved from ""

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Harding County, New Mexico Harding County is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 695,[1] making it the least populous county in the state, and the 14th-smallest county by population in the United States. Its county seat is Mosquero.[2] The county is named for United States President Warren G. Harding, and was created (from parts of Union and Mora Counties) on the day of his inauguration as president on March 4, 1921. Mosquero post office Location within the U.S. state of New Mexico New Mexico's location within the U.S. Mosquero Largest village 2,126 sq mi (5,506 km2) 0.4 sq mi (1 km2), 0.02% Population (est.) • (2016) 0.3/sq mi (0.1/km2) Mountain: UTC−7/−6 The only incorporated cities in Harding County are Roy and Mosquero. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,126 square miles (5,510 km2), of which 2,125 square miles (5,500 km2) is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km2) (0.02%) is water.[3] It is divided between a high, nearly treeless prairie to the northwest (the southern limit of the High Plains), and a lower semi-desert rangeland to the southeast, by the eastern portion of the steep Canadian Escarpment. The Canadian River, in a deep and narrow canyon, forms the western border with Mora County; the southwest border runs along the edge of the Bell Ranch land in San Miguel County. The eastern part of Harding County is underlain in part by the Bravo Dome carbon dioxide gas field, which is commercially extracted. Union County - northeast Quay County - southeast San Miguel County - south Mora County - west Colfax County - northwest Kiowa National Grassland (part) 1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7] 2000 censusEdit As of the 2000 census,[9] there were 810 people, 371 households, and 231 families residing in the county. The population density was 0.38 people per square mile (0.15/km²). There were 545 housing units at an average density of 0.26 per square mile (0.1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.32% White, 0.37% Black or African American, 1.36% Native American, 10.62% from other races, and 3.33% from two or more races. 44.94% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 371 households out of which 22.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.60% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.50% were non-families. 35.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.84. In the county, the population was spread out with 20.20% under the age of 18, 4.60% from 18 to 24, 18.80% from 25 to 44, 28.10% from 45 to 64, and 28.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 102.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $26,111, and the median income for a family was $36,667. Males had a median income of $22,750 versus $15,750 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,240. About 12.90% of families and 16.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.30% of those under age 18 and 11.30% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2010 census, there were 695 people, 349 households, and 213 families residing in the county.[10] The population density was 0.3 inhabitants per square mile (0.12/km2). There were 526 housing units at an average density of 0.2 per square mile (0.077/km2).[11] The racial makeup of the county was 86.9% white, 1.2% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 10.2% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 43.0% of the population.[10] In terms of ancestry, 11.0% were German, and 2.2% were American.[12] Of the 349 households, 15.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 39.0% were non-families, and 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 1.99 and the average family size was 2.49. The median age was 55.9 years.[10] The median income for a household in the county was $33,750 and the median income for a family was $56,563. Males had a median income of $36,167 versus $29,111 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,684. About 9.1% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 24.7% of those age 65 or over.[13] CommunitiesEdit Mosquero (county seat) Presidential elections results 2016 59.0% 311 29.6% 156 11.4% 60 1924 42.1% 721 41.7% 714 16.1% 276 National Register of Historic Places listings in Harding County, New Mexico ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2013. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2015. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 2, 2015. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-01-24. ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-01-24. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES - 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-01-24. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS - 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-01-24. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-04-01. Coordinates: 35°52′N 103°49′W / 35.86°N 103.82°W / 35.86; -103.82 Retrieved from ""

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The Musical Times (Redirected from Musical Times) The Musical Times is an academic journal of classical music edited and produced in the United Kingdom and currently the oldest such journal still being published in that country. It was originally published as The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular from 1844 until 1903.[1][2] Its title was shortened to its present name from January 1904.[3] The journal originally appeared monthly but is now a quarterly publication. It is also available online at JSTOR and RILM Abstracts of Music Literature Full Text. Former name(s) The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular Musical Times Publications (United Kingdom) ISO 4 (alt) · Bluebook (alt1 · alt2) NLM (alt) · MathSciNet (alt ) Music. Times MIAR Past editors include F. G. Edwards (1897-1909),[4] Harvey Grace, Stanley Sadie (1967-1987) and Eric Wen. ^ Publisher Information: Musical Times Publications Ltd. Retrieved 9 August 2009. ^ "Front Matter". The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular. 44 (730): 769-776. 1903. JSTOR 904250. ^ "Volume Information". The Musical Times. 45 (731): i-viii. 1904. JSTOR 903288. ^ "Frederick George Edwards. Born, October 11, 1853. Died, November 28, 1909" . The Musical Times. 51 (803): 9-11. January 1910. JSTOR 907487 - via Wikisource. The Musical Times on Blogger; The Musical Times from 1845 to 1854 at the Emeroteca Digitale Italiana. Wikisource has original text related to this article: Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular. This journalism-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from ""

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Romani people in Greece (Redirected from Roma in Greece) The Romani people of Greece or Romá (Greek: Ρομάνι/Ρομά) are called Arlije/Erlides (Greek: Ερλίδες), Tsiganoi (Greek: Τσιγγάνοι), Athiganoi (Αθίγγανοι), or the more derogatory term Gyftoi (Greek: Γύφτοι) (Gypsies). The number of Roma in Greece has been estimated to be up to 300,000 people.[1] On 8 April 2019 the Greek government stated that the number of Roma people in Greece is around 110,000.[2] The Romani people originate from the Northern India,[3][4][5][6][7][8] presumably from the northwestern Indian states Rajasthan[7][8] and Punjab.[7] Linguistic evidence has shown that roots of Romani language lie in India: the language has grammatical characteristics of Indian languages and shares with them a big part of the basic lexicon, for example, body parts or daily routines.[9] Arrival into the BalkansEdit The history of Roma in Greece goes back to the 15th century. The name Gypsy(Gyftos=Γύφτος) sometimes used for the Romani people was first given to them by the Greeks, who supposed them to be Egyptian in origin.[10][11] Due to their nomadic nature, they are not concentrated in a specific geographical area, but are dispersed all over the country. The majority of the Greek Roma are Orthodox Christians who speak the Romani language in addition to Greek. Most of the Roma who live in Western Thrace are Muslims and speak a dialect of the same language.[12] SettlementsEdit The Roma in Greece live scattered on the whole territory of the country, mainly in the suburbs. Notable centres of Romani life in Greece are Agia Varvara which has a very successful Romani community and Ano Liosia where conditions are poorer. Roma largely maintain their own customs and traditions. Although a large number of Roma has adopted a sedentary and urban way of living, there are still settlements in some areas. The nomads at the settlements often differentiate themselves from the rest of the population. They number 200,000 according to the Greek government. According to the National Commission for Human Rights that number is closer to 250,000 and according to the Greek Helsinki Watch group to 300,000.[12] As a result of neglect by the state, among other factors, the Romani communities in Greece face several problems including high rates of child labour and abuse, low school attendance, police discrimination and drug trafficking. The most serious issue is the housing problem since many Roma in Greece still live in tents, on properties they do not own, making them subject to eviction. In the past decade these issues have received wider attention and some state funding.[12] On two occasions, the European Committee of Social Rights found Greece in violation of the European Social Charter by its policy towards Roma in the field of housing.[13][14] Furthermore, between 1998-2002, 502 Albanian Roma children disappeared from the Greek Foundation for children Agia Varvara.[15] These cases were not investigated by the Greek authorities until the European Union forced an investigation, which only led to the recovery of 4 children. The children who were sold were presumably sold to human traffickers for sexual slavery or organ harvesting, according to a report submitted by the Greek government to the European Commission.[16][17] ReligionEdit The majority of the Greek Roma are Orthodox Christian and have taken a Greek identity (language, names) while a small part of them, the Muslim Roma concentrated in Thrace have adopted Turkish identities. Music and danceEdit Roma in Greece are known for the zurna and davul duos (analogous to the shawm and drum partnership common in Romani music) and Izmir-influenced koumpaneia music. Koumpaneia has long been popular among Greek Roma and Jews (the latter being some of the most popular performers before World War II). Notable Roma from GreeceEdit Kostas Hatzis Manolis Angelopoulos, singer Paola Foka, singer Kostas Hatzis, singer and musician Irini Merkouri, singer Christos Patsatzoglou, Greek international football player Vassilis Saleas, clarinetist Eleni Vitali, singer and composer Sotis Volanis, singer Giorgos Giakoumakis, footballer Minorities in Greece ^ "Greece NGO". Greek Helsinki Monitor. LV: Minelres. ^ "Premier Tsipras Hosts Roma Delegation for International Romani Day". greekreporter. LV: Nick Kampouris. ^ Hancock 2002, p. xx: 'While a nine century removal from India has diluted Indian biological connection to the extent that for some Romanian groups, it may be hardly representative today, Sarren (1976:72) concluded that we still remain together, genetically, Asian rather than European' ^ Mendizabal, Isabel (6 December 2012). "Reconstructing the Population History of European Romani from Genome-wide Data". Current Biology. 22 (24): 2342-2349. . PMID 23219723. Retrieved 12 December 2012. ^ Sindya N. Bhanoo (11 December 2012). "Genomic Study Traces Roma to Northern India". The New York Times. ^ Current Biology. ^ a b c K. Meira Goldberg; Ninotchka Devorah Bennahum; Michelle Heffner Hayes (28 September 2015). Flamenco on the Global Stage: Historical, Critical and Theoretical Perspectives. p. 50. ISBN 9780786494705. Retrieved 21 May 2016. ^ a b Simon Broughton; Mark Ellingham; Richard Trillo (1999). World Music: Africa, Europe and the Middle East. p. 147. ISBN 9781858286358. Retrieved 21 May 2016. ^ Šebková, Hana; Žlnayová, Edita (1998), Nástin mluvnice slovenské romštiny (pro pedagogické účely) (PDF), Ústí nad Labem: Pedagogická fakulta Univerzity J. E. Purkyně v Ústí nad Labem, p. 4, ISBN 978-80-7044-205-0, archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016 ^ "Roma in Greece: Tough Life, Segregation and... Crimes - GreekReporter.com". greece.greekreporter.com. ^ "Αθίγγανοι, Ρομ, τσιγγάνοι ή γύφτοι και από πού κρατούν οι ρίζες τους - ". . ^ a b c "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 14 September 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2007. CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link) ^ "La Charte sociale européenne" (PDF). Coe.int. Retrieved 21 May 2016. ^ Mariam, Nicky (29 August 2013). "Agia Varvara Children Still Missing | GreekReporter.com". Greece.greekreporter.com. Retrieved 21 May 2016. ^ "Hopiema" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2016. ^ "Children, Racism and the Greek State |". 2ndcouncilhouse.co.uk. 19 October 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2016. Roma in Greece, 1999 Retrieved from ""

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This article is about the artist. For his self-titled album, see Sean Kingston (album). KiSean Paul Anderson (born February 3, 1990)[2], known professionally as Sean Kingston, is a Jamaican-American singer, songwriter, rapper and record producer whose first album, Sean Kingston, was released in 2007. Kingston performing at the 2009 Shout Awards at Stadium Putra Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Kisean Paul Anderson (1990-02-03) February 3, 1990 (age 29) Miami, Florida, U.S. Kingston, Jamaica Reggae fusion R&B[1] Beluga Heights Iyaz J.R. Rotem R. City Born Kisean Anderson in Miami, Florida, Kingston was the first of three children born to Janice Turner.[3] Kingston's family moved to Kingston, Jamaica, when he was six.[4] Kingston attended Ocho Rios High School in Ocho Rios for three years before migrating back to the United States.[5][6] His grandfather was the noted Jamaican reggae producer Lawrence Lindo,[7] who worked under the stage name Jack Ruby.[8][4][9] 2007-08: Sean KingstonEdit Kingston was discovered on Myspace by Matt Tobin at Beluga Heights, and signed to the label in a partnership deal with Sony.[10] In an interview with HitQuarters label head and producer J.R. Rotem described this process with regards to Kingston: Sean Kingston was a rapper when we found him and it was a development process to get him more melodic. At Beluga we essentially refine the talent so that it's more of a marketable product.[10] In a venture between Epic Records and Koch Records, Kingston recorded and released the single "Beautiful Girls" in May 2007.[11] The song peaked at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. "Beautiful Girls" was a success internationally, topping the charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, Spain and the United Kingdom. In the latter country, the song spent four weeks at the summit of the UK Singles Chart.[12] In 2007, Kingston was the opening act for Gwen Stefani's The Sweet Escape Tour and for select dates on Beyoncé's The Beyoncé Experience Tour. In 2008, he was one of the opening acts for the Australian leg of Kelly Clarkson's My December Tour.[13] Since Sean was a Jamaican singer, he got his stage name from the capital of Jamaica called Kingston. 2009-10: TomorrowEdit Kingston performing in 2009. The album Tomorrow was released on September 22, 2009. Producers involved in the album included former Fugee Wyclef Jean; RedOne (of recent Lady Gaga fame); plus Sean's original mentor, J. R. Rotem.[14] "Fire Burning" and "Face Drop" were released as singles. Additionally, five promotional digital singles were released leading up to the album. Kingston co-wrote Jason Derulo's "Whatcha Say". He also found the R&B-reggae singer Iyaz on MySpace and signed him to J.R. Rotem's record label.[15] He also recorded the track "Miss Everything" for the UK girl-group Sugababes studio album Sweet 7 which was released March 15, 2010, in the UK. Kingston and DJ Khaled are being featured on Bow Wow's new single "For My Hood", from the movie, The Lottery Ticket.[16] He had a performance in the O2 Arena where he was supported by Mumzy Stranger.[17] 2010-2013: Back 2 Life, King Of Kingz "Lee Strike" and other projectsEdit The album features T-Pain, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, Flo Rida, Soulja Boy, Wyclef Jean, Cher Lloyd, Akon and Dr. Dre.[18][19] The first single from the album is "Eenie Meenie" featuring Justin Bieber, released on March 23, 2010,[20] which is also included on Bieber's My World 2.0 album. The second single from the album is "Letting Go (Dutty Love)", which features a verse from Nicki Minaj. It was released on iTunes August 3, while the third is "Dumb Love" and was released on iTunes September 8. Sean Kingston's new song "She Moves" samples Irena Cara's "What a Feeling" from the film Flashdance. This has not been release as a single. A fourth single "Party All Night (Sleep All Day)" was released on December 21, 2010. Kingston represented the continents of North and South America to sing the Official Theme Song of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games, "Everyone". He collaborated with four other artists representing their continent, South African Jody Williams representing Africa, Singaporean Tabitha Nauser (Asia), Briton Steve Appleton (Europe) and Australian Jessica Mauboy representing Oceania.[21] However, Kingston was unable to attend the Singapore Youth Olympics 2010 opening ceremony due to passport mix-ups.[22] Sean was invited to be featured with Cash Money Records/former So So Def member Bow Wow on his single "For My Hood". He performed it with him and DJ Khaled on BET's television program 106 & Park the day after release. Kingston planned to release a mixtape with pop star Justin Bieber, called Our World. It featured about 12-14 songs and included their versions of songs like "Pretty Boy Swag", Eagles hit single, "Lyin Eyes" and "Billionaire". The mixtape was completed and Kingston showed his fans a preview on uStream on August 19, 2010, .[citation needed] However, the album was never released. Kingston also went on to perform on the first leg of Bieber's tour. Kingston released his first mixtape, King of Kingz, on February 3, 2011, as a free download only. The mixtape includes guest appearances by Akon, Flo Rida, Soulja Boy, Justin Bieber, B.o.B and Tory Lanez. Kingston has announced that his new album will be called Back 2 Life.[23] He also said in an interview with MTV that he would be completely re-doing the album and that the previous singles will not be on it. Kingston linked up with T.I. on the set of the video for "Back 2 Life", the street single off his upcoming album of the same name. The two shot the video in Los Angeles with comedian Mike Epps. In November 2012, Kingston performed in the Dubai Caribbean Carnival at Downtown Dubai with Jason Derülo and Bow Wow. On April 13, 2013 iTunes put up the preorder of Back 2 Life, its cover art and track listing as well as a release date of September 10, 2013.[24] 2013-present: Upcoming fourth studio albumEdit In March 2013, Kingston announced plans for his upcoming fourth studio album while stating that he will be recording with Disney and pop star Zendaya. At the same time, he said that they're both recording a song titled "Heart on Empty", which Kingston described as "a soulful ballad that you all will be sure to remember." In November, Kingston also guest-starred, along with Chance the Rapper, Debra Wilson, Erykah Badu, Mel B, Rochelle Jordan, David Alan Grier and Christopher "Kid" Reid, in the Bob Marley episode of Black Dynamite on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. In March 2015, Kingston posted on Instagram a picture with Swedish record producer RedOne, confirming that they were working on the album.[25] In May 2015, Sean Kingston posted a snippet of the then-upcoming lead single from his fourth studio album.[26][27] On September 14, 2015, Kingston premiered his first single in two years titled "Wait Up", the lead single off his upcoming fourth studio album.[28] Music videos were released for "One Away" and "All I Got" in January and March 2016, respectively. In March 2017 he announced the release of the "Made in Jamaica" mixtape, preceded by the single "Chance" that featured Vybz Kartel.[29] In 2018 he participated with Italian singer Giusy Ferreri on the vocal part of the single "Amore e capoeira", by Italian record producers Takagi & Ketra.[30] ActivismEdit Kingston filmed a public service announcement with Do Something to encourage teens to become active in their communities by forming a Do Something club.[31] In 2010, he appeared with one of his dogs in an ad for PETA, encouraging people not to chain their dogs outside.[32] Jet-Skiing accidentEdit In June 2010 Kingston was involved in a near-fatal jet-skiing accident off Miami, Florida. He was immediately rushed to the hospital. Kingston was cited by Miami police for "careless operation", and required to pay a 180-dollar fine.[33] By 2018, he had begun to ride jet skis again.[34] CriminalEdit In 2010, Kingston and his bodyguard were accused of gang rape, with a 19-year-old victim. The case was settled outside of court in 2013.[35] Main article: Sean Kingston discography Sean Kingston (2007) Tomorrow (2009) King of Kingz (mixtape) (2011) Back 2 Life (2013) Awards and nominationsEdit Image Awards 2008, Outstanding New Artist (Nominated) MOBO Awards 2007: Best Reggae Ever Acts (Win) MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2013: Best Reggae Video "Back 2 Life (Live It Up)" (Nominated) 2007: Choice R&B Track "Beautiful Girls" (Win) 2007: Choice Summer Track "Beautiful Girls" (Nominated) 2009: Choice Summer Song "Fire Burning" (Nominated) ^ "Sean Kingston in stable condition following jet ski crash in Miami". ABC7 Los Angeles. Retrieved 14 June 2015. ^ ^ Richie, Nik (8 February 2017). "EXCLUSIVE: Sean Kingston - The Kingston Family Tradition, Momma Kingston Janice Turner Loves To Chargeback". The Dirty. ^ a b Jeffries, David. "Sean Kingston > Biography". allmusic. Retrieved June 15, 2010. ^ "Jamaica Observer Limited". Jamaica Observer. ^ Lewis, Pete (February 14, 2008), "A Beauuutiful Interview with Sean Kingston", Blues and Soul (1003), retrieved June 15, 2010 ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Jack "L. Lindo" Ruby > Biography". allmusic. Retrieved June 15, 2010. ^ Lewis, Pete (August 17, 2009), "Sean Kingston: Fired Up", Blues & Soul (1023) ^ Lucci, Amanda (August 3, 2010). "Sean Kingston talks about touring, third album". Star-News. Retrieved March 6, 2011. ^ a b "Interview With JR Rotem". HitQuarters. April 4, 2010. Retrieved April 8, 2010. ^ Garrity, Brian (August 12, 2007). "No Rap Turf War Here". New York, New Zealand, Southern Hemisphere, Earth, Milky Way Post. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2007. ^ "UK Singles Chart". January 9, 2007. Retrieved December 19, 2014. ^ "Sean Kingston At Rod Laver Melbourne". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-01-03. ^ Stephen Clark - Design. "Sean Kingston: Fired up!". bluesandsoul.com. Retrieved 14 June 2015. ^ "Iyaz: 'Replay'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 14 June 2015. ^ "Interview: Bow Wow, Brandon T. Jackson and Naturi Naughton of "Lottery Ticket"". ARTISTdirect. Retrieved 14 June 2015. ^ "Mumzy to support Sean Kingston". DesiHits. 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2010. ^ Koroma, Salima (July 20, 2010). "Dr. Dre Makes Beats For Justin Bieber | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 11, 2010. ^ "Two New Lil Wayne Songs To Be Looking Out For + Rebirth Album Pushed Back?". Lil Wayne Fansite - Weezy Blog. Retrieved 14 June 2015. ^ Bartolomeo, Joey (March 4, 2010). "LISTEN: Justin Bieber and Sean Kingston's New Jam". People. Retrieved March 4, 2010. ^ Singapore Youth Olympics 2010 Archived 2011-03-07 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 4, 2010. ^ No Kingston at YOG due to passport mix up. Retrieved August 17, 2010. ^ "New Album Title..." Facebook. Retrieved 2011-11-25. ^ "iTunes - Music - Back 2 Life by Sean Kingston". iTunes. Retrieved 14 June 2015. ^ "Ultimate Music - Sean Kingston's fourth studio album - Working with RedOne". Ultimate Music. Retrieved 14 June 2015. ^ "Instagram". Instagram. Retrieved 12 August 2015. ^ "Sean Kingston "Speaking Tongues" [New Music] - BeatCog". beatcog.com. Retrieved 12 August 2015. ^ "Instagram". Instagram. Retrieved 6 September 2015. ^ "Sean Kingston Celebrates Jamaican Roots in Video for 'Chance,' Feat. Vybz Kartel: Exclusive Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-03-17. ^ "Takagi & Ketra: E' uscito "Amore e capoeira", nuovo singolo feat. Giusy Ferreri & Sean Kingston - radioufita.it". ^ "Start a Do Something Club - Sean Kingston". Youtube. ^ "Sean Kingston: Chill With Your Dogs," ABS-CBNnews.com, 15 September 2010. ^ "SEAN KINGSTON Jet Ski Accident Caused By Inattention, Inexperience". TMZ. Retrieved 2018-08-19. ^ "SEAN KINGSTON JET SKIING AGAIN After Near-Fatal Accident". TMZ. Retrieved 2018-08-19. ^ Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sean Kingston. 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Speculator, New York Speculator is a village in Hamilton County, New York, United States. The population was 324 at the 2010 census.[6] 2,966-foot (904 m) Speculator Mountain rises just south of the village. Location in Hamilton County and the state of New York Munro Collie Smith[2] 47.2 sq mi (122.3 km2) 1,739 ft (530 m) 7.26/sq mi (2.80/km2) UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) 12164, 12812[5] Speculator is the only incorporated village within Hamilton County and is within the town of Lake Pleasant.[1] The village includes the northeastern end of a lake, also called Lake Pleasant.[5] The local inhabitants sometimes refer to the village as the "Four Corners", referring to the intersection of NYS Route 8 and NYS Route 30 in the middle of the business district.[citation needed] Speculator is within the Adirondack Park.[1] Native AmericansEdit Archeological evidence of Native Americans has been found in arrowheads and spearheads near the shores of Lake Pleasant. Many historians believe Speculator was the hunting and fishing grounds of both Mohawk and Algonquin tribes. These Native Americans would only travel to the Adirondack Mountains to hunt during the warm months, while their villages were located in the Mohawk and Hudson Valley regions. There was a Mohawk, who named himself Captain Gill, who lived in a wigwam at the outlet of Lake Pleasant, during the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth century. He had a wife named Molly, who had a daughter named Molly Jr., although Capt. Gill didn't claim the daughter as his own. Old Capt. Gill was a trail guide for the first settlers. He would show them places to hunt and fish. Capt. Gill was most famous for his storytelling of the Iroquois Nation, such as the Flying Head.[7][8][9] Newton's CornersEdit The small settlement at the outlet of Lake Pleasant was part of the town of Lake Pleasant. In 1864 Joel Newton built a small store and hotel in the center of town and secured a post office with the name "Newton's Corners". At that time Page Hill and Page Street were included in Newton's Corners. Joel Newton's structure burned in 1870, and in 1872 the Newton's Corners post office was reopened in Satterlee's store. Henry Dunning built a hotel in 1882 where Newton's hotel had been and the post office had moved there, and in 1896 the community received a new name, "Speculator", after the mountain seen across the lake. Becoming SpeculatorEdit In 1892, a few ambitious and industrious business leaders felt they needed to update and modernize their facilities. Speculator was a "booming Mecca" for tourists. With the support of the voters in 1925, the village of Speculator was incorporated with a mayor and two trustees, which later changed to four trustees. The village of Speculator purchased a small water system of Dexter Slack and expanded it. The village had a generating plant and waterwheel installed at Christine Falls, and by 1926 they had electricity. Age of tourismEdit Growth escalated in the Victorian era between the mid-1800s and the early 1900s. Entire families spent their summers enjoying the mountain hospitality and fresh air. Several more hotels were built to accommodate them, and eventually more stores, homes and several cottages were built. Around the 1850s, city sportsmen began to come to the Adirondack Mountains to hunt, fish, and enjoy expeditions into the deep woods. They hired local men to be guides, who provided food and crude lean-tos for shelter. Hunting shanties were later widely used. With these sportsmen came their whole families to use the many hotels and boardinghouses in Lake Pleasant and Speculator. Private summer camps and cottages were built and along came the established family and children camps. Camps such as Camp-of-the-Woods, Camp Setag for girls, Kamp Kun-ju-muk for boys, the YMCA Camp Agaming, and Deerfoot Lodge for boys were established around the shores of local lakes. After World War I, famous athletes came to practice in the isolated communities, such as Gene Tunney, Max Schmeling, and Max Baer who arrived to train for their heavyweight championship fights at various times. [10] Age of lumberingEdit In the beginning, small sawmills provided lumber for local use. After the Civil War, large lumber companies formed and mills were built near the Glens Falls area. At first logging was prevalent along the upper Hudson River which was used to float the logs to the mills. Later, logging operations moved into Lake Pleasant, and the Sacandaga River, the outlet of Lake Pleasant, was used to float logs to Glens Falls as the state of New York designated rivers as public highways for moving logs to the larger companies. Many local farmers found winter employment as lumberjacks, and also supplied the companies with potatoes, meat, animal feed and dairy products. The lumber companies bought large parcels of land for their timber. Some of this land was later abandoned and became state land. This was the beginning of the Adirondack Park as designated in 1892. Speculator is located at 43°31′37″N 74°21′47″W / 43.52694°N 74.36306°W / 43.52694; -74.36306 (43.526920, -74.363185).[11] According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 47.2 square miles (122 km2), of which 44.7 square miles (116 km2) are land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2), or 5.46%, are water. Speculator Mountain, with an altitude of 2,966 feet (904 m), is south of the village. Lake Pleasant and Sacandaga Lake are west of the village.[5] The Sacandaga River assumes its riverine nature from the outflow of Lake Pleasant at Speculator, although much of the water flows from Sacandaga Lake through the Sacandaga Lake Outlet into Lake Pleasant underneath NY-8 southwest of the village.[citation needed] NY 8 and NY 30 intersect and combine in the village. The entire village is located within the Lake Pleasant Central School District.[5] As of the census of 2000, there were 348 people, 163 households, and 94 families residing in the village. The population density was 7.8 people per square mile (3.0/km²). There were 484 housing units at an average density of 10.8 per square mile (4.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.26% White, 1.72% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 1.15% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.72% of the population.[3] There were 163 households out of which 17.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% were non-families. 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.61.[3] In the village, the population was spread out with 14.7% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 26.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.6 males.[3] The median income for a household in the village was $33,393, and the median income for a family was $43,750. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $20,417 for females. The per capita income for the village was $25,089. About 4.3% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.[3] Additional informationEdit 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. (April 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Speculator calls itself the "All Season Vacationland". A public beach is located in the village on the north lake shore. Free parking is available across the street from the beach. There is a baseball field, basketball court and large pavilion next to the parking lot. There is also a nature walk behind the pavilion. Speculator Mountain, for which the village was named, lies just south of the village on Gilmantown Road, and is visible from most of the village. Oak Mountain is the location of the Oak Mountain Ski Center, located just north of the four corners. The Grace Methodist Church Complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.[13] ChoppedEdit Two chefs from Speculator,[citation needed] Steven Tempel and Lance Nitahara, were featured on the Food Network show Chopped in the episode "Crunch Time", which aired on July 6, 2010.[14] Tempel was eliminated after the appetizer, but Nitahara held on until the dessert, at which he was eliminated.[citation needed] Nitahara later returned to the show in a special Chopped Redemption episode and subsequently won. ^ a b c "Welcome". Hamilton County, NY. Retrieved April 5, 2011. ^ "Government". Town of Lake Pleasant. Retrieved April 5, 2011. ^ a b c d e "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31. ^ a b c d Hamilton County Online Mapping System (Map). variable. Retrieved April 5, 2011. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Speculator village, New York". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 16, 2017. ^ Weaver, Anne A., and Beverly Hoffman. "Introduction." Lake Pleasant and Speculator in the Adirondacks. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub., 2010. 7-8. Print. ^ Aber, Ted, and Stella King. Tales from an Adirondack County. Prospect, NY: Prospect, 1981. Print. ^ Aber, Ted, and Stella Brooks King. The History of Hamilton County. Lake Pleasant, NY: Great Wilderness, 1965. Print ^ "Welcome!". Town of Lake Pleasant. Retrieved April 5, 2011. ^ "National Register of Historic Places". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 2/09/15 through 2/13/15. National Park Service. 2015-02-20. ^ ""Chopped" Crunch Time (TV episode 2010)". IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved April 5, 2011. This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (April 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Lake Pleasant and Speculator in the Adirondacks by Anne Weaver and Beverly Hoffman. Arcadia Publishing, 2010. Speculator Chamber of Commerce Speculator information Gene Tunney at Speculator Brief history of area Retrieved from ""

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World News in Brief: January 10 Thursday, 2019-01-10 10:35:31 Cambodia dispatched the eighth batch of 184 peacekeepers to Lebanon on January 9 to replace the seventh group, whose one-year United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon has come to an end. * Myanmar will launch Mekong-Lancang Cultural Exchange Youth Camp with the use of Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Fund, aiming at enhancing cooperation between cultural groups and youth artists from six Mekong-Lancang countries, Myanmar News Agency reported on January 10. * The Republic of Korean President Moon Jae-in welcomed the offer by Kim Jong-un, the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), to resume inter-Korean cooperation projects during his New Year press conference on January 10. * The DPRK leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping had in-depth discussions on how to "jointly study and steer" the situation on the Korean peninsula and denuclearisation talks, DPRK's state media KCNA said on January 10. * Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel replaced his transport and finance ministers this week in his first cabinet reshuffle since forming his own government in July and amid a cash crunch and growing discontent with the island's transport sector. * Britain's finance minister Philip Hammond said it would be against British people's interests to leave the European Union without an exit deal, but declined to say how the government would respond if parliament refused to back its Brexit plans. * Mexican authorities will meet with Central American officials to prepare for the arrival of a planned new caravan of migrants headed to the United States next week. * Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, a state-owned Israeli technology company, announced on January 9 that it has sold the US military "Trophy" protection systems for vehicles in a deal worth US$200 million. * Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on January 9 called on the public to be patient and cooperative as the government's strategy to combat fuel theft disrupted supplies to gas stations, leading to long lines of vexed motorists. * German officials are racing to bolster cyber security after a far-reaching data breach carried out by a 20-year-old student laid bare the vulnerability of Europe's largest economy ahead of a critical European Parliament election in May. * Democratic Republic of Congo's electoral commission on January 10 declared opposition candidate Felix Tshisekedi the winner of the Dec. 30 presidential election. * The US-led coalition fired 15 missiles on the last two towns controlled by the Islamic State (IS) group in the eastern Euphrates River region in eastern Syria on January 9, a war monitor reported. * The UN humanitarian chief on January 9 called for progress on the humanitarian front in Yemen following the implementation of a ceasefire that largely restored Hodeidah to calm. * Morocco produced 35 percent of its electrical power in 2018 from renewable energy sources, said here on January 9 Moroccan Minister of Energy, Mining and Sustainable Development Aziz Rabbah. Xinhua, Reuters New EU sanctions against Iran elevate tensions in the Middle East (Jan 11, 2019 12:38:41)

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Music Notes: September 2012 September 30, 2012 at 8:01 pm (Uncategorized) The fall edition... 1. The XX - Coexist I confess, I can never remember which XX song I'm listening to whenever the album is playing. They all have a dreamy vibe to them. The second album is no different, except it does seem more confident in its setting. Somehow more roomy. Perfect for Saturday night or Sunday morning. 2. All Tomorrow's Parties Named for the Velvets song, this film and the music festival for which it was named, is certainly worth checking out. The basic principle is that each year a group is named to "curate" the festival, which makes for a pretty interesting selection of artists every year. The film takes the form of a series of interviews and snippets of live performances. Not really much direction, but some very fine bands. And to think it usually takes place at British Holiday camps. 3. The Smiths - s/t Never owned a copy of this until a few weeks back. A local used CD shop was having a sale, and I picked this up. Really a terrific record - a great balance of Johnny Marr's guitar nad Morrissey's miserableness. "Suffer Little Children" (the song about the Moors Murderers still sends chills up my spine) 4. Townes Van Zandt - Live at the Old Quarter, Houston Texas A live 2 CD set containing highlights from Townes' 1973 shows. Simply a marvellous, fucked-up songwriter and story-teller. I saw Townes in Toronto a few years before his death, along with what seemed like most of Toronto's country-folk establishment in the audience (inc the Cowboy Junkies and Blue Rodeo). That was a great show too. This set features a younger, more vital Townes. Go find it. 5. Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols Ah, it's the 35th anniversary of this one, so expect all sorts of nostalgia along with the re-issue package. It's easy to forget in all of the time that has passed and in all the subsequent reunions accompanying cynicism, just how dangerous this record was. No, not really dangerous, but there was such hatred for this band. I was a little young to fully appreciate this until the moment had passed, but still a stunning record. Whatever followed, this was the real thing. 6. The Pogues - Poguetry in Motion I'm working my way through The Wire and am halfway through season three. At the ed of an episode, there's a wake for a fellow officer. "The Body of an American" is the song they sing along to. The rest of this EP is quite wonderful as well. Whatever mood you're in, the Pogues make you feel better. 7. One Direction - "Live While We're Young " No I haven't gone soft, but I do have a 12 year-old daughter. For the past, oh I don't know, forever, One D have been a staple in my house. And as much as I detest boy bands, I'll admit that the lads aren't the worst - "What Makes you Beautiful" is a well-crafted pop song. However, boy bands tend to have an expiry date, and with their new album a matter of weeks away, talk turns to whether or not they still have "it." This new single, in my opinion, doesn't. It's not terrible. It just sounds like one of those songs that end up as outtakes on the deluxe edition of the album. Countless One D-ers may disagree, so we'll see. Just sounds a bit samey to my ears. 8. Non-"Intro/Total War" Dating back to 1992, this song appears on the free CD given away with the September issue of Mojo magazine. The theme of the CD is electricity and is selected by Mute's Daniel Miller. Hard to really describe except to say it has a suffocating intensity. Miller writes on the liner notes: I ended this compilation with [it] because it's a track that can't be followed." Uh huh. 9. Le Tigre - "Deceptacon" No, not the autobots sworn enemies. Hadn't listened to this in ages, but the track is featured in last week's episode of the mediocre "The Mindy Project." Interesting. (Actually prefer the DFA remix though). 10. Sam Sniderman The passing of Sam the Record Man founder Sam Sniderman marks an end of some kind of era. Sam's was the first record store I went into in Canada (probably the one in Niagara Square - think I bought Lou Reed's Rock n Roll Animal). The big Sam's on Yonge Street was one of the first mega-stores in Toronto, and you could easily while away hours there. Never the coolest record chain (can a chain ever be cool?), its disappearance a few years back in the digital age made me reminiscent about the days when you lined up outside the store to buy the new record from your favourite band. Downloading just doesn't have the same thrill. Goodbye Sam. PS Saw First Aid Kit last week. Review coming soon. Michael Cho: Back Alleys and Urban Landscapes September 29, 2012 at 5:56 pm (Uncategorized) (arts, illustration, michael cho) On Thursday, I went down to Gallery 129 on Ossington Avenue to see a small exhibition of Michael Cho's work from his book Back Alleys and Urban Landscapes. The book is a collection of Cho's paintings of, well, back alleys and urban landscapes in Toronto. Cho has an arresting style which to me calls to mind those phrases about the lonely city. It's striking the almost total absence of people in these paintings. Haunting. Unfortunately, the exhibition ends today, but have a look at his stuff at his blog The book is published by Drawn and Quarterly. Exchanges on South Africa South Africa has become a news fixture again since the recent massacre of miners. There's a good exchange of Internationalist Perspective's blog on recent events and the character of South Africa. It's a bit long to re-post, but head on over to IP's blog. Back to the Grind Following an all to brief liberation, I've had to return to wage slavery, which accounts for the lack of posts this month. Sorry. Will try to rectify that. Still, on a Sunday, I'm reminded of the lyric from the Smiths' "Still Ill" : "and if you must go to work tomorrow well, if I were you I wouldn't bother for there are brighter sides to life and I should know because I've seem them but not very often..." Which is all very nice if you can afford to be off work. For most people, work is a deeply unpleasant, alienating activity, the only alternative to which is quite often even more unpleasant. New Aufheben (2012) September 13, 2012 at 9:35 pm (Uncategorized) (politics) The UK communist journal has changed its publishing schedule. Up to now, the collective has always published its annual issue in late October in time for the London Anarchist bookfair. Now it's earlier. This is a bit of a problem if you rely on me to get your copy at the Toronto, Hamilton or Montreal anarchist bookfairs. The issue arrives after they've taken place. This issue contains four articles: An editorial on workfare, green capitalism, the Euro crisis and a piece on the Arab Spring written by the German group Friends of the Classless Society. The issue is a bit thicker than usual and a bit more expensive - $8. Get in touch with me if you're interested in touch. Language is a Virus (again) I was dropping my kid off for the school bus the other morning when a curious scene unfolded in front of me. A group of other children were waiting for the bus too, but entertaining themselves with an inpromptu game of long jump. "Get a choc rock" said one of them. Initially I thought I had misheard. Maybe shakra? OK, that's a bit unlikely for 9 year olds. Chocolate rock , a new type of candy? I listened further. Turns out it was chalk rock (to mark where they landed). I don't think I've ever heard "chalk" and rock rhymed before. I grew up in England, and while my accent is considerably more Canadian than it was when I was a child, it still bears the scars of an English upbringing: Chalk for me is always has that "or" sound it in not an OH sound (sorry, couldn't find IPA symbols). Does it matter? In the UK, accent was and is always a matter of judgement. Does it matterin the US? Have a read through this piece from last Sunday's Times. Interesting. Especially since Obama is criticized for being too black and not black enough elsewhere - also because a goodly number of white kids effect "black" speak. Obama and the Racial Politics of America. TWO aspects of President Obama's acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention on Thursday night were of linguistic interest. The first was "signifying" - the use of indirect humor as critique, and a much discussed feature of black speech. "My opponent and his running mate are ... new ... to foreign policy," he said, adding the two pauses for great comedic effect. The second, and more familiar, was the soaring crescendo, beginning with "in the words of Scripture, ours is a future filled with hope," in which Mr. Obama demonstrated his strongest mode of linguistic performance - the black preacher style - to end his remarks ("knowing that providence is with us and that we are surely blessed"). "Artful," the Republican strategist Steve Schmidt called it. "Literary," said the liberal commentator Rachel Maddow. Language played a notable role in the last election cycle, when President George W. Bush and Joseph R. Biden Jr., now the vice president, called Mr. Obama "articulate," and the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, observed that Mr. Obama spoke "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." Language is playing a role in this electoral season, too, but in ways most observers have overlooked. Because language is a primary factor in shaping whether a politician is seen as "likable" or "relatable," the stark differences in speaking styles between Mr. Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, are probably contributing to the persistently higher marks for "personality" that Mr. Obama has gotten in numerous polls. Mr. Romney's manner of speaking is essentially the verbal equivalent of his public persona: flat, one-dimensional, unable to connect. It is striking that he sounds almost the same in every speech, regardless of the audience. Observers have chronicled the wooden, monotonous nature of his delivery, the lack of tonal variation, the multiple hedges, the forced laughter, the "Leave It to Beaver"-era "gosh"-ness of his speaking. A painfully awkward example: his attempt to interact with black youngsters, at a parade in Jacksonville, Fla., for Martin Luther King's Birthday in 2008, where he dully barked: "Who let the dogs out? Woof, woof." During the primary campaign this year, he was mocked as inauthentic for throwing in some "y'alls" while stumping in the South. This linguistic judgment is not based on race or party. Our last three presidents have all been able to shift their speaking styles - an ability that is distinct from eloquence or empathy. Both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were known for speaking in a "folksy" manner: Mr. Clinton with black and Southern audiences, and Mr. Bush with Southern and Latino audiences (he would even switch into Spanish in his speeches). Before them, Lyndon B. Johnson was perhaps the president most notable for variation in speaking style. More recently, the blunt (and occasionally profane) style of Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, and the strategic sprinklings of Spanish by Gov. Susana Martinez of New Mexico and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, have contributed to their rising profiles in the Republican Party. In 2008, Mr. Obama took the linguistic flexibility of his predecessors to new heights. Take, for example, his style-shifting during a visit to Ben's Chili Bowl, a well-known Washington eatery, days before his inauguration in 2009. In a scene captured on YouTube, Mr. Obama declined to accept the change from a black cashier with the statement "Nah, we straight." These three short, seemingly simple, words exhibited distinct linguistic features associated with African-American ways of speaking. First was the rendering of "no" as "nah." The vowel sound in "no" is like the one in "note," while the vowel sound in "nah" is like the one in "not" (not to be confused with the way some whites say "nah" as in "gnat," or the way some Southerners say "naw" like the vowel sound in "gnaw"). Second was Mr. Obama's use of "straight" in the sense of "O.K.," "fine," "all right." Observers have noted Mr. Obama's use of black slang in relation to hip-hop culture, his use of words like "flow" (the mapping of rhymes onto a beat) or "tight" (cool, hip). In his memoir "Dreams From My Father," Mr. Obama also used words and phrases that are not as widely known outside the black community, like "trifling" (lazy and inadequate) and "high-yella" (a reference to light-skinned blacks). Third was Mr. Obama's omission of the word "are." The removal of forms of "to be" - what linguists call copula absence - is one of the most important and frequently studied features of black English. MR. OBAMA'S embrace of the black preacher tradition is also reflected in his use of call-and-response. A quintessential example was his speech to a predominantly black crowd in South Carolina in 2008. He fired up the audience by slowly walking around the stage and then called them with words associated with Malcolm X: Obama: They're tryna bamboozle you. Audience response: Yes! Obama: It's the same old okey-doke. Audience: That's right! Mr. Obama's ability to bring together "white syntax" with "black style" played a critical role in establishing his identity as both an American and a Christian. It also has a multilingual dimension. In his 2011 visit to Puerto Rico, for example, he got cheers for using "boricua" to describe residents of the commonwealth. In "Dreams From My Father," he described learning enough Spanish in Harlem to "exchange pleasantries" with his Puerto Rican neighbors; noted that his Kenyan father spoke with a British accent; explained that he learned some Hawaiian Creole from his maternal grandfather; and claimed that it took him "less than six months to learn Indonesia's language, its customs, and its legends." Later in life, Mr. Obama wrote about greeting some of his Kenyan relatives in Luo. In March, The Washington Post even reported on his sign-language interactions with a deaf community college student. While Mr. Obama's linguistic flexibility is a political asset, his style-shifting is not without its critics. There are some who read his "chameleon-like" speaking skills as not quite authentic, or as slightly patronizing - a sort of linguistic pandering. Some African-American critics have strongly objected to Mr. Obama's use in the public sphere of phrases deemed to be part of black private discourses. In June 2008, when Mr. Obama criticized absent black fathers, his style-shifting was read as a coded message to white voters that he could be tough on his own people, and prompted the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson to grumble that Mr. Obama was "talking down to black people." For their part, right-wing critics have observed Mr. Obama's linguistic fluidity with a mix of admiration and outrage. "Obama can turn on that black dialect when he wants to, and turn it off," Rush Limbaugh once fumed. Regardless of who wins in November, Mr. Obama's linguistic legacy will have implications for both education and politics. It's still true, as Mr. Obama wrote in his book "The Audacity of Hope," that "members of every minority group continue to be measured largely by the degree of our assimilation." But while racial and ethnic minorities (and working-class whites) must continue to learn "standard" American English - the country's dominant language - all children surely need to learn to understand and appreciate the nuances of America's diverse ways of speaking. In a multiethnic, multicultural America where Hispanics are the largest ethnic minority and Asians are the fastest-growing minority, national politicians also will have to be fluent in multiple ways of speaking. For too long, sounding presidential meant sounding like a white, middle- or upper-class straight man (with modest leeway for regional accents). In 2012 and beyond, it's going to take a lot more than that to win over the hearts and minds - and ears - of the American people. H. Samy Alim, the director of the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Language at Stanford University, and Geneva Smitherman, a professor of English at Michigan State University, are the authors of "Articulate While Black: Barack Obama, Language, and Race in the U.S." VMA Blues September 11, 2012 at 1:38 am (Uncategorized) (celebrities, entertainment, Music, video music awards) Wanna feel old? Watch MTV's Video Music Awards with your (pre) teenage daughter. Last week's VMAs confirmed for me how much I dislike much of what is popular among "the kids." That's OK, my kids hate most of what I listen to as well. I do like music, and like to think myself being informed about music. I still attend concerts and buy new music- while the music of my formative years (late 70s punk/post-punk) will probably always be dearest to my heart, I like to think I 'm not one of those geezers for whom music ended when the Beatles broke up. I guess I just don't like pop music (come to think of it, a lot of music in the charts in those halcyon days of 1977 was rubbish too). I am looking forward to 2:54 in November (and OK, the Rezillos too) Still the interesting thing about watching awards shows is trying to guess who will still have a career five years from now. My daughter thinks that One Direction may be the best thing since sliced bread (maybe even better than sliced bread), but the chances are, 1D's best before date is fast approaching. The lads have new album, Take Me Home, out on November 12, but it seems unlikely to inspire the same near-hysteria as the first. Rihanna, probably. Taylor Swift, yup. A$AP Rocky, somewhat less likely. The fickleness of fame? But more than that, the music industry needs fresh product. A continual need to re-invent, then to package and sell. This year's crop of winners should enjoy the moment. In five years time, most of them won't have a career. Labour Daze September 3, 2012 at 2:26 pm (Uncategorized) (education unions) Probably the last Labour Day event I went to in Toronto was 2001. Maybe. I had been to an IWW General Assembly in Boston a few weeks earlier, and was handing out some or other piece of IWW literature. I joined the IWW at the urging of my friend Ed of The Bad Days Will End. A week or so later came the World Trade Center bombings, Ed disappeared and I lost interest in the Toronto branch (actually so did the other members - there is a new branch, but I don't have any contact with it) But I used to go every year when I was a Trotskyist. In fact all of the Trotskyist left, (IS, TL, BT, Usec, NSG, etc) made a big deal of selling there. Not sure we ever sold too many copies, and there were always plenty of copies of the leftist littering University Avenue as the march left to make its way to the final day of the Canadian National Exhibition (free entry if you were on the march!) The march represented that layer of politicized union members who were probably also the NDP foot soldiers in any campaign. An average size march was between 10 and 25,000 depending on what was happening in the outside world. The years when Mike Harris was premier obviously pushed the numbers up, but after the Conservatives replacement with the "labour friendly" Liberals numbers began to drop again. This year should be up. In advance of a couple of by-elections this month, the Liberals have decided to re-invent themselves as financial conservatives. They are in the process of passing a wage freeze (and strike ban) on teachers for two years (with possibility of extension), and eying other public servants for the same treatment. It's mildly comical though to watch the unions in their role, but also trying to mouth words of class struggle. At a rally last Tuesday in Toronto, education unions gathered at the front of Queen's Park to protest government legislation. The tough talk would have been more plausible if the secondary teachers unions OSSTF hadn't already agreed to the wage freeze and called off its strike votes. But then, the unions aren't really about class struggle, are they? Labour Day has been celebrated in Canada since the 1880s, and actually predates the US adoption. However, it's more closely associated as the last weekend of summer. A time to close up the cottage, have a final picnic, fireworks and get the kids ready for the start of school the following day. Hard times coming round again.

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News Room Archive " Radio Commentary " The successes and failures of fashion retailers The successes and failures of fashion retailers Listen to interview " Larry Williams: Alright, retail tonight - fashion retail. Tell us about David Jones taking over Kirkcaldies - what do you think? Carmel Fisher: Indeed! Yeah look, the news came out last week and I was interested because I have always had a soft spot for Kirkcaldies in Wellington. While it hasn't been a very profitable store - in fact it hasn't been profitable the last seven years - it is New Zealand's oldest department store and arguably they've done well to survive, given our changing shopping habits and the growth of online retailing. For David Jones to come into New Zealand and choose Wellington for their first store I just thought was quite a surprise, rather than choosing Auckland. Secondly, they said that in taking over Kirks they are going to be stocking and positioning the store differently than their Australian stores - so it makes it something of an experiment for them. In terms of Wellington versus Auckland, you could argue that they chose Wellington because the opportunity arose and Kirks already had a presence there as a major department store, but it is still something of a punt and it's quite contrary to what we've seen elsewhere. In Auckland, we've seen other big retail brands such as Topshop and the likes of Louis Vuitton and Gucci, they've chosen to focus on Auckland first before establishing themselves elsewhere in New Zealand. As the chief of Topshop said when opening their Queen St store earlier this year; "Location is absolutely crucial - having the right space in the right retail area." I think it's going to be interesting to see whether Lambton Quay proves the right retail area for David Jones. It would be more obvious to position themselves in Queen St, where you've got all the big designer brands - whereas Lambton Quay in Wellington, it's literally on its own. So good luck to them! With the likes of David Jones and I guess Myers across the Tasman, it's not exactly glory days at the moment is it? No, not at all! They're having to work really hard just to establish themselves, because it used to be that every major city had a department store and it was a real sort-of destination shop, but people just don't shop that way now. The other challenge I think for David Jones coming to New Zealand is the variety of merchandise - that's really why you go to a department store, rather than a single store. David Jones stocks 1700 brands and typically have large stores with the biggest being 55,000 sqm, whereas the Kirkcaldies store is only 6000 sqm, so they are going to have to pick and choose which brands they stock. The David Jones CEO was quoted as saying; "It's not a huge store so if anything we'll err to the premium end". Now I think that is a really interesting position to take, because the premium end of the New Zealand retail scene is pretty skinny and I would argue it's a tough nut to crack. So good luck to them, look I hope it works - but interesting. Now what about Pumpkin Patch finding no takers - what are your thoughts on that? I'm really sad about that actually - I've owned Pumpkin Patch shares for a long time and it was sad that after courting a number of interested parties, Pumpkin Patch just couldn't find anyone to buy or recapitalize the business. So instead, they said they're going to focus on "performance improvement initiatives" to try and deliver value to shareholders. It doesn't surprise me that the share price fell 20% on this news because the price had rallied on the thought that a new owner could come in and reverse the trend of this downward path that Pumpkin Patch has been on for several years, but I think that pursuing performance improvement initiatives in an environment in which the company says it remains challenging, it sounds like hard work and there has been nothing in recent times to give us confidence that the company will be able to get some traction. I think it's a really disappointing outcome for a company that was once lauded as an international fashion success story. It went from making a full year profit of $30m in 2007 to losing $30m in six months in 2012. I remember when we sold out of our shares in November 2008, seasoned retailers Rod Duke and Jan Cameron (from Kathmandu) could both see the potential of Pumpkin Patch and Rod Duke said at the time that he thought Pumpkin Patch was a "world class company with the smell of success about it. They just do their category very, very well." Well yes they did, which is why I found it particularly disappointing that the company has found itself in the position it is in today. What about the Zara juggernaut? They have stores everywhere around the globe. They do indeed - and I thought we've got to finish on a good story about fashion retail! The founder of Zara has just overtaken Warren Buffett to become the world's second-richest person, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Amancio Ortega is the Spanish magnate who founded Inditex, which is the world's largest clothing retailer, with brands including Zara, operating out of 6,600 stores around the world. His net worth has increased 17% this year to $71 billion, overtaking Warren Buffett whose fortune is just $70 billion. It's hard to imagine, for me anyway, that a clothing retailer might make such a fortune when we all know how fickle the fashion industry is and we also know that while brands might become established and well-known, they don't always translate into sales, profits and wealth for the owners. In the case of Ortega, he decided to differentiate his Zara business, not by the clothing it produces but in the way the business is run. He set up what is now known as "fast-fashion retail", with the idea being to deliver what customers want, as quickly as possible. Zara stores receive new stock twice a week and the whole supply chain is many times faster than other fashion competitors. While in most fashion stores, customers look forward to seeing next season's range, Zara customers look forward to seeing next week's range or next month's range. What do they do with the stuff they can't sell in that time? That's the wonderful thing, Zara's store managers are empowered to respond to their customer's needs. If they have items that aren't selling, they just get rid of them and replenish them with popular items. So stores are always changing their stock over. As a result, customers visit a Zara store 17 times per year on average (compared to 3 times per year for most fashion retail stores), because you've got to buy today, as the stock won't be there tomorrow. It's an incredible story. Orders are delivered within 48 hours - this enables Zara as a bricks and mortar company to compete head-on with online fashion websites. Arguably Zara is at the opposite end of the retail spectrum to David Jones and Kirkcaldies, because they sell affordable items quickly and in volume. So far, Zara seems to have found the magic formula to succeed as a mass market fashion retailer. They have no plans to stop, with 8-10% expansion in store numbers planned for the next three to five years. I enjoyed learning of this success story in what is otherwise an incredibly challenging and competitive industry. " previous article next article " Australian Share Market Financial Planning/Advice International Share Market NZ Share Market Radio Commentary Have investing insights delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to receive

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Martin Luther King Jr: The Quest for Justice and Peace Fifty years ago today, the world lost a prophet of justice. Known as a champion of civil rights, during his final years, Martin Luther King Jr. focused much of his attention on the plight of the poor. His final book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?, focused on fighting poverty. This was also a major theme of his Nobel Peace Prize address. At Oslo, Dr. King shared that in addition to racial injustice, "a second evil which plagues the modern world is that of poverty. Like a monstrous octopus, it projects it's nagging, prehensile tentacles in lands and villages all over the world. Almost two thirds of the peoples of the world go to bed hungry at night. . .Most of these poverty-stricken children of God have never seen a physician or a dentist. . .Poverty is one of the most urgent items on the agenda of modern life." Here is an excerpt from his lecture at Oslo on December 11th, 1964. Audio from the Nobel Prize Organization and Norsk Rikskringkasting. Photos from the Public Domain. Music by Kevin McLeod. Past the Edge. Creative Commons 3.0. By attribution Tagged: Martin Luther King, Justice, Peace Newer PostHappy Mother's Day - Meet Moms of South Sudan Older PostThe Parable of the Talents: A Visual Journey

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What In The Hell Happened in Alaska? Nov. 6, 2008 , at 2:04 AM Although Ted Stevens holds a small lead in Alaska and is the favorite to retain his seat, the outcome is not as inevitable as it might appear to be. Stevens currently holds a lead of 3,353 votes, or about 1.5 percent of the votes tallied so far. But, there are quite a large number of ballots yet to count. According to Roll Call, these include "at least 40,000 absentee ballot, 9,000 early voting ballots, and an undetermined number of questionable ballots". Indeed, it seems possible that the number of "questionable" ballots could be quite high. So far, about 220 thousand votes have been processed in Alaska. This compares with 313 thousand votes cast in 2004. After adding back in the roughly 50,000 absentee and early ballots that Roll Call accounts for, that would get us to 270 thousand ballots, or about a 14 percent drop from 2004. It seems unlikely that turnout would drop by 14 percent in Alaska given the presence of both a high-profile senate race and Sarah Palin at the top of the ticket. But even if Begich were to make up ground and win a narrow victory, this would seem to represent a catastrophic failure of polling, as three polls conducted following the guilty verdict in Stevens' corruption trial had Begich leading by margins of 7, 8 and 22 points, respectively. The emerging conventional wisdom is that there was some sort of a Bradley Effect in this contest - voters told pollsters that they weren't about to vote for that rascal Ted Stevens, when in fact they were perfectly happy to. Convicted felons are the new black, it would seem. The problem with this theory is that the polling failures in Alaska weren't unique to Stevens. They also applied to the presidential race, as well as Alaska's at-large House seat. In each case, the Republican outperformed his pre-election polling by margins ranging from 12 to 14 points: Contest Projection Result Delta AL-ALL Berkowitz +6.4 (i) Young +7.7 GOP +14.1 AL-Sen Begich +12.9 (ii) Stevens +1.5 GOP +14.4 AL-Pres McCain +13.9 (iii) McCain +25.3 GOP +12.4 (i) Pollster.com Trend Estimate (ii) FiveThirtyEight Polling Average (iii) FiveThirtyEight Trend-Adjusted Estimate There are three plausible explanations I can think of to explain this discrepancy. The first and most likely is that the Democratic vote became complacent and did not bother to turn out. The outcome of the presidential contest was not going to be close in Alaska, and Barack Obama's victory in the Electoral College was apparent as of about 4 PM local time. Begich supporters, moreover, may have looked at the polls and concluded that their candidate was far enough ahead that they didn't have to bother to vote. Meanwhile, the Republican base was going to turn out no matter what because of their enthusiasm for Sarah Palin. There seems to be a sort of danger zone at about 10 points wherein a candidate is far enough ahead that many of his supporters assume the race is in the bag, but not so far ahead that he is immune to poor turnout (a similar dynamic affected then-Governor Jim Blanchard of Michigan in his 1990 race against John Engler). The second possibility is that a substantial percentage of the Democratic vote is tied up in the early and absentee ballots that have yet to be counted. We know that Barack Obama overperformed among early voters in many states, and Alaska may be no exception. (Although, I would guess that the absentee vote is predominately rural, whereas Begich's base is in Anchorage). The third possibility is that a lot of those "questionable" ballots are Democratic ones, and that there have been irregularities in the voting tally. Although this is the least likely possibility, Alaska is a provincial state with some history of corruption, and Democrats ought to be making sure that too many of their ballots haven't been disqualified. Senate (275 posts) Alaska (63)

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JCRC Humanity In Harmony RiegleCSAE Jewish Community Services Hebrew Free Loan J Care Israel at 70! Concert The concert was a musical revue of the history, culture, and achievements of Israel and which featured Hadar Orshalimy on vocals and keyboard accompanied by Sheldon Low and Gregg Monteith. Prior to the concert, a Middle Eastern dinner was catered by Annabel Cohen, caterer and food columnist for the Detroit Jewish News which included wines from Israel. Hadar Orshalimy is one of the most highly sought after cantorial soloists and children's music educator in New York, regularly leading Shabbat and holiday services at Temple Israel of the City of New York, Temple Emanu-El of New York City, and at communities all across the New York Metro area. Hailing from Tel Aviv, Hadar's early singing career included numerous appearances on national Israeli broadcasts including being featured on the Children's Channel, commercials and radio, televised basketball games, and the first season of Israeli Idol. In 2004, Hadar moved to the US to attend the Berklee College of Music where she graduated with honors. After Berklee, Hadar has become involved in Jewish music, performing with Jewish rockers Josh Nelson and her life-partner, Sheldon Low, and has co-written and performed on 5 of Low's albums. Hadar served as the music specialist and musician in residence at both Larchmont Temple and Park Avenue Synagogue and most recently, Hadar and Low have created a new secular music band called "We Are The Northern Lights". The band is beginning to achieve national acclaim, thanks to their singles "I'm Still Here" and "Sunshine", both being featured on the TV series, Startup, starring Adam Brody and Martin Freeman. In January Hadar performed at Temple Emanu-El Manhattan at a reception for Barack Obama. Sheldon Low continues to establish himself as a prominent voice in contemporary Jewish music. He has released 5 full-length albums and received placements on three Ruach compilations to date. A self-proclaimed road warrior, Low performs over 100 concerts, services, and workshops around North America each year. In addition to becoming a mainstay of congregational life, Low's music has become the soundtrack of the lives of hundreds of thousands of children around the globe, thanks in part to PJ Library distributing two of his children's albums and appearances on countless other compilation albums. Beyond his acclaim as a Jewish musician, Low is a highly regarded Jewish educator and published author. Low is currently the artist-in-residence at Temple Israel of the City of New York and lives in Harlem with his wife and musical partner, Hadar Orshalimy. Together they are known as the pop-folk duo "We Are The Northern Lights. Look for Sheldon's podcast jewishsongwriter.com. Gregg Monteith has performed throughout the world as a drummer/percussionist for numerous Broadway productions. Most recently, he performed at Madison Square Garden with the hit musical Elf. Gregg is also a filmmaker working with brands like Sharpie, Lowe's and Breathe For Change. Love to Karen. View Photos on Facebook Presented by the Flint Jewish Federation Made possible with generous support by the Ravitz Foundation Recent Posts Select Month May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 October 2018 August 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 November 2017 September 2017 August 2017 June 2017 March 2017 August 2016 May 2016 April 2016 February 2016 January 2016 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 May 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 June 2013 Terrorist group Hezbollah linked to 30 mosques/centers in Germany Over a million people RSVP to Facebook event to 'Storm Area 51' My Word: Deleting history; deleting Tweets Hillel's Tech Corner: Dayzz app helps you sleep Texan arrested for living with dead mother's corpse How Israel became a leader in drone technology Partner Organizations: Jewish Federations of North America Jewish Agency Joint Distribution Committee

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Pegaso Z102 - "The Spanish Ferrari" Ted Marcus Probably, this is the best Spanish car that you never heard about. It's Pegaso Z102 that in 1950 was titled the fastest vehicle in the world. Beating Jaguar, Ferrari and other industry giants is a never-ending quest for many. Pegaso, which was a government-controlled company, had the same ambition. Between 1951 and 1958, it made only 84 cars, and that's why today they are a little-known rarity. The company's manager was an experienced engineer Wilfredo Ricart, who also worked for Alfa Romeo before WW2. Back then, he created some memorable racing cars for Italians like Alfa Romeo Tipo 512. He was also a fierce competitor to Enzo Ferrari. These two tempers didn't go well together, so eventually, Ricart went back to his homeland Italy. 1958 Pegaso Z-102 SSP Spyder Serra © Wikimedia Commons Pegaso Z-102 Serra Spider After that, he decided to avail of a local truck company Enasa, which also acquired a manufacturer Hispano-Suiza in 1946. The company was later known as Pegaso. Wilfred was keen to challenge Enzo Ferrari once again. Even the chosen name brand suggests: if Ferrari's horses would prance, then the Spanish horses would fly. Wilfred Ricard created Pegaso Z102, incredibly innovative and thrilling car that surpassed all the standards at the time. The alloy bodies were supplied by such coachbuilders as Serra, Carrozzeria Touring or Saoutchik. The car chassis and other parts (except the bodywork) were built in-house at the Pegaso factory in Barcelona. Pegaso Z102 Coupé 1955 Pegaso Z102B Berlineta Touring The vehicle had a V8 engine that could be of different power. There were two choices of engines - 2.8-liter or 3.2-liter options that could reach from 175hp to 360hp respectively. The engine power of a five-speed gearbox drove the rear wheels. At the time, Pegaso Z102 was one of the fastest cars in the world. It could reach up to 243 km/h (or 151 mph) speed. Pegaso Z-102 "Berlineta Saoutchik" Serie 2 Pegaso Z-102 Cabriolet Saoutchik Series 2 Buyers could choose between coupe and cabriolet models. However, Z102 was incredibly expensive. It would cost two times more than competitor's cars from Ferrari and four times more than Jaguar XK120. The Spanish government eventually cancelled the project when they realized how expensive it is to build such a vehicle. 1954 Pegaso Z102 Coupe Saoutchik Pegaso Z-102 cockpit Today, Pegaso cars are collectibles that cost a lot of money. For example, the 1954 Pegaso Z-102 Berlinetta Series II was sold for USD 880,000 in 2016 RM Sotheby's Monterey auction. The same year's Pegaso Z-102 3.2 Berlinetta by Touring was sold for USD 742,500 in 2015 in New York. Pegaso Z-102 Pierre Bardinon - A Collector Admired by Enzo Ferrari Himself What Do Enzo Ferrari and the Peugeot 404 Have in Common? Ferrari and Three Red Letters - GTO Maranello Connections: Non-Ferraris with Ferrari Engines

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Some thoughts on China Edmond Chan · Mar 27, 2009 · Leave a Comment As mentioned, I went into China with some preconceptions, many with a degree of negativity and probably arising from years of exposure to Western media and also from the Hong Kong part of my heritage. In the West, China is usually painted as slightly sinister, repressive, and unaligned with collective Western interests, particularly as seen by its long-held tacit and not-so-tacit alignment with the more reprehensible regimes in the world such as Mugabe's Zimbabwe. Every Chinese action is heavily scrutinised; from its handling of domestic issues such as Tibet, the 2008 Olympic Games and the recent upheaval in Xinjiang to Chinese foreign policy (such as their handling of North Korean nuclear disarmament) and even to her handling of her currency and her alleged deliberate devaluation of the Renminbi (RMB) (as if other countries don"t do the same). It's not just the West; Hong Kong people are also generally uneasy about their future with China. Prior to the handover to the Chinese in 1997, Hong Kong had been under British control for around 150 years and the island saw phenomenal growth under colonial rule. Despite China's assurance that Hong Kong"s status and institutions would remain stable for at least 50 years post-handover, Hong Kong fears China"s perceived gradual neglect of its interests in favour of its economic rival, Shanghai. Further, on a less self-interested note and on a more prejudicial note (as we have seen), Hong Kong people have many negative perceptions of people from the mainland; principally that mainlanders lack sophistication, both in manners and in taste. Needless to say, prior to my visit, all of the above had permeated my consciousness to some extent. However, thankfully, all of the above negativity was challenged, re-evaluated and overturned during my time there; I"ll try my best to explain why. Let's have a closer look at some of the charges made against China. China has many critics worldwide, particularly from many parts of the Western media; nearly every human rights organisation; and most Western governments, to a greater or lesser extent. She comes under criticism and scrutiny for, amongst other things, her human rights record, her handling of domestic unrest (witness Tibet 2008, Beijing 1989, Xinjiang 2009), and her financial affairs (alleged devaluation of her currency to maintain her export driven economic model). Recently, heavy scrutiny of China came during the Beijing Olympics 2008. The media chose to focus on the alleged "forcing" of child athletes into extreme training programmes for years in order to ensure the biggest medal tally; on the wider treatment of Tibetans and foreign journalists covering the contemporaneous unrest in Tibet, and on whether the fantastic pyrotechnics of the opening ceremony would be possible under a multi-party state etc. Underpinning all this negative press and scrutiny is, I think, the fact that China is a one-party state and (to exacerbate this in the eyes of the West) there's the fact that she is not a natural ally (China holds a veto on the UN Security Council and the US, the UK and France are generally not able to "count" on China's vote. (They can't count on Russia's either but Russia may be held to a lesser standard of scrutiny as today Russia is, to a greater extent than China at least, democratic and perhaps viewed as more of an ally to the West). Worse, in the West's eyes, China often aligns itself instead with unsavoury regimes such as Zimbabwe). Now I'm not passing judgement on China"s human rights track record or any of the above, but I think it's only right that, in the absence of any forthcoming defence, the debate be given some proper context. It probably winds the West up more when it appears that China just doesn't really seem to care what the West thinks. China never looks to defend or explain herself and her recent history goes some way to explaining its refusal to listen to the West. Since the end of the Ming and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty in the 1600s, China had been in relative decline to emerging world powers, (the newly industrialised powers of Europe and the US and also (later) in the modernised, militarised and resurgent Japan). China's military weakness and insularity was exploited by the British who forced the opium trade upon the Chinese (effectively creating markets in China), with the resultant epidemic drug dependence further weakening the nation. The Chinese desire to rid itself of the drug trade led to conflict with Britain and to the First Opium War. China's defeat and the resulting settlement meant that Britain had exclusive rights to continue the opium trade and also to receive sovereign rights over Hong Kong. Shanghai eventually became controlled by the British, the Americans and the French. Imagine the national sense of humiliation of losing a war that was forced upon you and then having major parts of your country controlled by foreign nations. In 1895, China lost further face when she lost the Sino-Japan War (further evidence of relative decline). Further humiliation came with the Versailles Treaty in 1919 when Germany"s territorial interests in China were not returned to China but instead were given to Japan. Before and during the Second World War, Japan invaded, occupied and committed countless atrocities against the Chinese population. In light of all this conflict and deeply felt humiliation heaped upon her by foreign powers, it is little wonder that China, to this day, might distrust outside influences, and view unsolicited criticism as unreasonable interference. This history goes a long way to explaining China's current diplomacy and foreign policy for, psychologically, how does one overcome a sense of humiliation? Through self-analysis and confident self-assertion without the aid of others, particularly when those "others" played a big part in that perceived humiliation. This is the prism through which much Chinese action and policy should be viewed. I was just leaving China as the Xinjiang (a province in western China) riots in the summer of 2009 were blowing up. Tensions between the minority (in China as a whole) Uyghurs and the majority (in China as a whole) Han Chinese exploded resulting in at least 200 dead. Much of the world's media reported this as an inevitable result of Chinese policy towards its minority groups, such as that of the recent mass migration of Han Chinese to Xinjiang. This policy on its own may not have led to tension but the perception amongst Uyghurs is that there is bias towards the Han from policymakers and that the economic mushrooming which has benefited vast swathes of the country has passed them by. Comparisons with the situation in Tibet were inevitable in the outside press and world opinion. There"s no easy solution to this issue but again I think it's useful to consider the history and the particular circumstances of China as a nation before judging the policy. China has always been made up of disparate and diverse peoples and cultures and she was only unified in around 221 BC after great struggle. Keeping it together and maintaining racial and cultural harmony has been a struggle ever since, with a return to the Warring States from around 300 AD to the 12th Century. Just think about it: China has a huge population; with easily 1.3 billion people. That"s more than 20 times the population of the UK. To exacerbate the obvious difficulties of governing this massive country and the vast lands within her borders, China is comprised of around 56 ethnic groups. Many speak their own dialects, the problems of which are obvious even to the extent that Mandarin had to be standardised during the 20th Century. This is the context that global calls for Tibetan autonomy and the growing calls for Han withdrawal from Xinjiang have to be addressed in light of. The concept of "One China" has been around for millennia. The current policy towards the minorities is driven by an ancient history of keeping all the elements of China under one umbrella; it is not driven by persecution but by a deep-rooted desire for harmony and union. Indeed, it's often overlooked that there are actually various positive discrimination initiatives to help minorities such as exemptions from the "one-child, one-family" policy that holds in most other parts of China. All of which raises the old debates surrounding self-determination. Should Tibet be granted independence if it wants it? Should Xinjiang be treated in the same way? Oddly, the West is strangely silent when it comes to the same issues at play within the borders of its allies. How else to explain the global silence regarding the Catalan issue in Spain? Nobody calls for the Spanish Government to grant the Catalan province independence. To do so would be considered unreasonable interference in internal affairs. The same goes for the internal rifts in Belgium between the Flemish and the Walloons, the not insignificant movement for independence from nationalist elements in Scotland, the French Canadians in Quebec, the Chechens in Chechnya etc.; outsiders don"t interfere with these states. It seems though that China is considered fair game. Why? I think it"s because it"s a one party state etc. something that"s seen as a bit morally suspect, with the consequence that its policies are seen to have less legitimacy. Now I"m not advocating the one-party state over the multi-party system (!) but whilst I was in China, I didn"t see an oppressed, unhappy people. I saw people who were going about their daily lives trying to make their way in the more open economy of recent decades. People don"t live in fear of the thought police either; witness the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, where many have been openly critical of the Government particularly in respect of allegedly poorly constructed buildings that collapsed in the massive tremors. When people say that there"s no free press in China; well that"s true probably in terms of criticising the government but otherwise the same preoccupations concern the press in China as they do in other countries, with pages devoted to sport, movies, music, celebrities etc. topics about which reportage is unfettered. One thing that did concern me, however, was the state surveillance of the internet. I was there during the spat that China had with Google in around June 2009 (an issue which has since exploded again in January 2010), to the extent that Google was disabled in China for a few days. Foreign media websites are clearly vetted before the page opens (as there"s a lengthy time lag with sites such as the BBC and The Times) and some story pages don"t open, citing server issues. Whilst some censorship may be necessary in all societies (such as in the interests of national security), this type of information censorship is clearly not a good thing. However, it's not such a stretch to imagine that multi-party democratic states also monitor the internet, and if they do, then maybe the state in question is just far more judicious as to the sites that are vetted and disabled. Regardless, the extent to which the internet in China can actually be controlled by the state will inevitably decrease as vast numbers of its huge population are online with so many of the users being active bloggers, social networkers, instant messengers, etc. who'll all become harder to monitor and control, just as the real-time reporting and information that pinged around the world during the 2009 Xinjiang rioting demonstrated. China is on the way to becoming a fully open society; it will just take some time. In terms of any snide prejudices about the people themselves, particularly from the Hong Kong perspective as described above, from my first contact in China, through Nanning and then on the train from Hong Kong to Beijing, I found any hitherto held opinions to be completely unfounded. Chinese people are incredibly friendly and kind. From train staff to food sellers to fellow hostel guests to other shoppers, the people were just lovely. Encounters I remember particularly fondly were the staff at Nanning train station who kindly waited with me through the night, the great hot-pot stall lady in the next hutong down from the one we stayed in Beijing, animated taxi-drivers, and friendly fellow customers in restaurants and street stalls who implored (read dared) us to take on more and more chilli or eat sheep's testicles! Like anywhere in the world, people outside the cities may lack a certain worldliness but the charges of a lack of sophistication definitely cannot be levelled at the people in Beijing and Shanghai who are, for the most part, cultured, confident and achingly urbane. I absolutely love it in China; I love the culture, I love the food and I love the people; I'm definitely going back. This is what my perfect restaurant experience would... The biggest obstacle I can see that might block mass...

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What Would The World Be Like If Video Games Didn't Exist? Boring! Have you ever wondered what would the world be like if video games didn't exist? For some, a scary thought, for others a matter of indifference. I know it's a bit silly to wonder about it when video games do exist and we should not dwell on what ifs but I thought that it'd be fun to look into it in one of my posts. In short, there's no way of knowing. But if video games didn't exist, there would be other media to consume. However, the world would lose a great art form and many long-lasting friendships would not exist. Let's look into how video games have changed the world and what it would be like without them. Whether you are a fan of video games or not, you have to admit that video games created a whole new culture on top of already established entertainment such as TV, movies and theatre. That brings me straight to point one. Entertainment substitutes If video games didn't exist, people would still stick with what they know: TV, board games, movies, theatre, music, fashion and with the vastness of the internet, social media and entertainment portals like Youtube. Some people would pick out a new hobby (sports, musical instruments, crafts, writing, drawing), some would pick up more books as a result. Some people believe that children would be playing outside a lot more but I think that's debatable. With social media and TV, they could still sit for hours on end, substituting video games for TV shows and youtube videos. Video games as an art Those who say that video games aren't a form of art may have never touched a video game. Like books, movies, comics or TV, video games tell an engaging story with beautiful visuals. Not only that but they make the player a part of the story, allowing them to make decisions that can change the course of the game. Video games can provoke joy, sadness, grief, anger and everything in between, much like other media do. They make you think of your actions and their consequences, make you ask questions and maybe even see the world in a new light. Not only that, but video games have inspired many artists to draw or write about their favorite characters, creating derivative works and expanding on the franchise. Just look at the stunning illustration of Ellie from The Last of Us! A lot of hardware manufacturers would not be spending billions of dollars on making their products better and better. Graphic cards, while for everyone, are specifically marketed to gamers for great performance and best graphics. This is not limited only to graphic cards but also processors, headphones, gaming keyboards and mice. Technology advancement in this field develops very quickly. Playing video games no longer carry (or should not carry!) the stigma of making people asocial. Nowadays video games can be an activity for the whole family or a group of friends. Not only that, thanks to online multiplayer games, we meet new people, socialize and bond over common interests, creating new friendships. Many of these friendships are formed over long distances and in a world where video games wouldn't exist, we most likely would never meet the same people. The fact that these friendships have been forged online makes them no less valuable or less "real". I'm very thankful for video games; because of them I've met some of my closest friends and also my best friend. In fact, my friend wanted to make a post about his experience meeting friends online, which you can find here. Of course there are people who prefer their own company to other people on most days and that's okay. Being introverted isn't necessarily a bad thing. And chances are if you're introverted and love to play video games, you'd be introverted even if they didn't exist. Some people may find the thought that video games can help people ridiculous. There are many ways in which they can: Career choices - some people may find inspiration for their career paths in their favorite fictional characters or even become a video game developer or writer. Sure, such characters also exist in movies, TV and books. Questionable choices - Video games can often help people from making poor life choices (turning to alcohol, drugs to escape) Ambition - Video games provide a lot of rewards and achievements, which can motivate people in their careers to strive higher. Interest in various subjects - many video games have dealt with history and mythology and as such they made more people interested in these topics better than a school would. Battling mental illness - Agoraphobia and anxiety disorder can be very limiting to a person to the point of isolation. With the mobile game Pokémon: GO, people with these disorders report that for the first time in a long time, they look forward to going out among others. Such idea before this may have seemed unfathomable. Escape from real life - If a person is going through a tough time, battling depression or even abuse, playing video games can provide an escape, forgetting their problems for a while. I've read this touching (and horrifying) story of Scott, whose life was saved by video games by escaping abuse. Move more/work out - When you picture a gamer, you just imagine a person sitting down for hours on end. While that may be true for some people, there are also games that promote working out, using motion controllers or Kinect sensors to interact. Such games can be dancing games (Zumba, Dance Dance Revolution) to fitness games on Nintendo Wii. Charity - A number of gamers who support various charities are on the rise. Large influencers use their reach to raise money for charity. Youtubers like Markiplier, Pewdiepie, Jacksepticeye, and others have raised millions of dollars for various charities and continue to do so to this day just by live streaming themselves playing a video game. There are charities helping people play video games or making custom controllers for people with limited mobility (for example AbleGamers, Child's Play). My friend Ian has done 5 or six 24-hour charity live streams, raising a lot of money in the process. Video games made into broader entertainment As I mentioned above, video games are an art form of their own. Video games have been taken and adapted for big screens, into novels and comics. Notable examples of movies based on video games: Some may argue that these movies were really bad. While that may be true, at least there was a lesson learned from them. Video games are important Whatever your stance on video games or gamers in general, the truth is that video games have become a large and integral part of our modern culture. So what would the world be like if video games didn't exist? I dare to say it'd be very different. Characters and stories that we love and play time and time again would not exist and some people would have never met in real life and become friends or even significant others. What do you think would happen if video games didn't exist? I'd love to hear your opinion, so make sure to comment down below! Controller photo © by Mack Male @ Flickr Unboxing Action Figures and Memorabilia...or Not? shannon fowler I know my fiancé uses them to destress. He is a plaintive care doctor, and his work is emotionally demanding. Without them he doesn't bounce back after a really hard day as easy Yes, that is very true, they're very good at destressing. Until you can't move past a certain point in a game and you get stressed even more. 😀 But even then I wouldn't change it for the world. Thank you for your comment, Shannon! 🙂 Heather way Before video games, I was obsessed with Monopoly board game and wanted to be the world champ Emily Conway I have such fun and fond memories with my brother playing video games (particularly Rock Band and the Elder Scrolls: Oblivion) in Elder Scrolls, we would be cracking up as we chased a deer in the woods and punched it to death. If that didn't exist, I am not sure we would have too much common ground. TV is fine, but it is not interactive and you aren't working together. There is an element missing from it. Leave a Reply to Emily Conway Cancel reply

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How to file a complaint about an att store... asteele I want to complain about an authorized dealer att store in Carmel, IN. They are dishonest and scam your customers. I have a phone that died - the battery wouldn't take a charge any more. I went in and they basically lied to me. **Back story - Two years ago the same thing happened to me; when I went to a different AT&T store, they told me with my protection plan, all I had to do was file the claim, which they did in the store, and I could get a new phone. They will give you the same model you have (new) or if they no longer carry it, they give you the next level. All you pay is the deductible of $100. I ended up getting a new phone that was upgraded from the Active 4 to the 6. ** Yesterday, I went to the AT&T store on Michigan road with the same issue. I expected the same easy process. I went in, and the guy lied and told me the insurance company never give new phones but a pre-owned refurbished phone that is the same exact phone. He said, "you can't just keep filing claims and upgrade your phone." I told him of my experience two years ago, and he said the policy had changed, and I really need to keep up-to-date on changes. He said I needed to buy a new phone if I wanted something nice instead of a crappy refurbished phone. I asked what the point of the insurance was then because if your phone breaks, and you pay the monthly fee, they should replace it with a new phone. He said you could file a claim, but they wouldn't provide me with the "latest model" or a brand new phone. He tried to sell me a $700 phone. I told him I wasn't interested, and he said "I'm just here to sell you a phone." I told him last time they filed the claim in the store and gave me a phone, and he said he wouldn't sit there and fill out paperwork for me. After being berated by him, I decided to leave and call AT&T myself. I went home and logged in on-line, went to the claims page. It took me less than 2 minutes to fill it out, I got upgraded from a Samsung Active 6 to an 8 - brand new phone; the 9 is the newest but who cares. I pay the $112 deductible, and it arrives today. I even called the insurance department and asked them what constitutes an insurance claim, and she said even if your battery life is just slow, the phone does not have to be totally broken, you can file a claim and they replace it. Of course, you only get 2 claims a year, but I have only filed 2 claims in 2 years. Totally worth it. I then called the store to tell them they were wrong, and a different guy who answered still argued with me that they hardly ever see that happen, and I must have been lucky. Well I must have been lucky twice because this is the second time in 2 years this has happened to me. Plus, he said, "It isn't the latest phone." My response - who cares; it didn't cost $700. They need to be investigated for fraud. sarebear705 Re: Re: How to file a complaint about an att store... I would like to file a complaint against the Paseo Nuevo AT&T store in Santa Barbara, CA. Today was a stressful day in our community due to flooding closing the 101 freeway in both directions. I live in Carp (south of SB) and ended up stuck in SB for hours. In that time, my cell phone was almost dead. I visited this store to purchase a cable for my car charger, and asked the representative, Joey, if i could charge my phone for a bit in the meantime because I didn't have anywhere else to go. He stated this was fine, was very courteous and professional, and plugged my phone in for me. There was one other person in the store who was doing the same thing for the same reason. NO other customers came in or out of the store for the approximate 15 minutes I was in there. Joey's manager, Emilio, emerged from the backroom after the 10-15 minutes and without so much as a greeting immediately told me and the other person charging his phone that we had to leave. I explained that I had made a purchase but it was for my car and I needed to charge my phone for a bit because I was stranded in SB and unable to go and didn't want to be without a phone (the phone was at 8%). He stated he couldn't have me "loitering in his store." Emilio clearly lacks the intelligence to understand the meaning of the word, as I had made a purchase and was a customer, but worse, he lacks the decency to understand his customer was in a tight spot and wasn't willing to help like his more professional coworker. Emilio barely looked at me while he was talking and when i asked if I could speak to a manger he stated "well, no because I am the manager." AT&T, you clearly missed the mark when promoting this person to an authoritative role as he lacks any semblance of understanding customer service, and instead presents as rude and arrogant. There wasn't a single person in the store that needed helping! I was not a distraction or keeping them from doing their jobs. Perhaps he wanted me to leave so he could finish the rated R movie, Baby Driver, that was playing on the TV behind the register. This movie had a lot of foul language and violence, so it's probably best there weren't any customers present, particularly ones with children. Emilio doesn't seemed concerned about his customers or presenting himself in a professional manner, so I wanted to make you aware of it so in the future you can be more selective with your management candidates. The day was stressful enough not being able to use the freeway, backroads, or train to go home, but now the added stress of having a phone on a low percentage when I didn't know how long I would be stranded (6 hours total). I've been debating switching to Verizon for some time now, and this incident might be the push I needed to move in that direction. archer120964 im going though the same kind of service i got talked into buying a new 1000 dollar note 9 with the promise i would get a new note 9 free well the manager didt put the order in so now i dont get my phone even thouth ATT said i was elgeble but their sorry their manager didt do her job [Per Guidelines: Keep it Relevant and Appropriate]. cmaitski I was at the AT&T store at 7727 S. Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando last Monday. My son's phone had gone dead and I wanted them to look at it. We were greeted by a young lady and told to have a seat, and someone would be with us shortly. She was taking care of another customer about four feet away from us, and I could hear the conversation between them. So we waited. I have been to AT&T stores before, and had never seen a transaction take so long. There was another family that had been there before us, and they were waiting as well. There were no less than five AT&T employees in the store, but no one was coming to us to offer to help us; or even to ask what we were there for. About 45 mins into our wait, someone with an Ipad came over and took our name, and we were put into a cue, but again he did not ask why we were there. About an hour in, four young men in hoodies walked in, two of them ripped phones and Ipads out of the display counter and ran away. We had now been witnesses to a robbery. The police came, and for the next 45 minutes they were walking in and out and talking to the employees, but no one was talking to us. The family who had been there before us, got up and left in exasperation. Finally, after sitting there for close to two hours, someone finally came over and attempted to help us. After hearing our story, he talked about paying off the phone, to which I said its insured. He then got a pamphlet and told us we could make a claim online or over the phone. Had someone asked us why we had come in, we could have received that information and been on our way in two minutes. Instead, we were made to wait for two hours without anyone from AT&T trying to help us, and were involved in a robbery which could have potentially threatened our lives. It was the absolute WORST customer service experience I have ever had. While we were waiting, we searched reviews of that store, and there were several very bad reviews. I can honestly say that this store definitely lived up to its extremely bad reputation. MicCheck ACE - Master @cmaitski wrote: You could have found out how to file an insurance claim online, but you said you wanted someone to "look at it," which meant you had to wait in line, and nothing would have been different had you told them that immediately. Surely you can't fault the store for a robbery occurring while you were there. I get why you're frustrated, but given the circumstances, I think being understanding is the least you can do. Patriot1951 I have a complaint about your Valdosta, GA store. We pay our AT&T bill by check on time every month. Frequently when I go in to make the payment, the kiosk is down. This time when we went to the Norman Drive store to pay by check as usual, the girl (sorry, I did not get her name) told me that the kiosk was down again, she would not take my payment and I would have to "come back tomorrow". She told me I could pay by credit card or cash. The problem is the payment was due today, 5/28/2019, and if I paid tomorrow, May 29, there would be fees and penalties. In utter frustration, I tossed the check and bill over my shoulder and said "This is ridiculous". I did not curse or threaten the employee. The manager, Mike, stepped in while I was getting out the cash to pay the bill and he told me they would not take the money, I had no right to talk to the employee "that way" and to leave the store. They did not offer any apology for the kiosk being down again, nor did they offer me any payment alternatives. My wife then went in and talked to Mike, and he told her "You shouldn't have waited so late pay your bill". I have never been treated so shabbily by any company employee! We do not have any choice but to use AT&T for our wireless and Data, but you can bet if we have any other payment options by check, we will never darken the doors of this AT&T store again. @Patriot1951 wrote: If you insist on using a check, you can pay by check online. You can also use a credit or debit card online or mail in the check (allowing plenty of time for delivery). If you know the payment kiosk has frequent issues, why did you wait so long to pay? ATTCares Hi, we would like to look into this. Please send us a private message with more details, such as the time and date of your visit, your full name and contact information. Thank you. Ask a question to get help from the AT&T Community or support from AT&T specialists. If this reply helped you please use Accept solution to mark it as an Accepted Solution. How to file a complaint with the Corporate Office How to file an official complaint about ATT servic... How to File a Complaint About an ATT Store? I will be filing a Complaint!!!

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Edmonton city council Edmonton decides to keep property tax increase at 2.6% By Scott Johnston Reporter 630CHED A photo taken at an Edmonton City Council meeting on Jan. 22, 2019. The final number is in at Edmonton City Hall for your property tax increase. It'll stay at 2.6 per cent, the number city council landed on during budget deliberations in December. READ MORE: Council settles on 2.6% Edmonton property tax increase for next 4 years Watch below: Edmonton city councillors have approved a property tax increase of 2.6 per cent each year over the next four years. Vinesh Pratap has the details. A report heading to next Tuesday's city council meeting says council has nearly $3.8 million to work with. That's because of a mix of increased housing starts and permits that increases the total tax base. The city also has a bump of $700,000 in revenue because of the annexed area. Councillor Andrew Knack isn't surprised there is an increase between then and now, although he had his doubts that the tax rate would change. "They're often conservative in their estimates, so usually, you're talking about something that might impact the tax increase by 0.1 or 0.2 of a per cent," he said. "Usually there's additional permits and residences coming aboard that they had originally planned for, recognizing that growth while we still have been experiencing that, it's been quite small, so I'm sure they estimated a fairly low growth total." Cannabis plays a factor. The report said the budget is taking an adjustment of half-a-million dollars. "[The Edmonton Police Service] requires an adjustment of $0.5 million for cannabis costs that were originally approved on a one-time basis but are ongoing in nature," the report says. "EPS also requires an increase of $0.2 million to address additional expenditures for police-based victim services offices. This increase is offset by an additional $0.2 million in revenue from the Government of Alberta." The report also contains 22 pages of things council had the option of spending more money on when the budget was debated in December. It's not clear heading into Tuesday's meeting if they'll look at adding to the spending. The report also indicates that the province has not sent a requisition for the education portion of the property tax, so the city will have to take a guess if the figure will significantly increase over the $480 million it has been set at. If the city doesn't pay enough to the province, the difference can be made up later. Four payments of $120 million are paid every three months. No one in the city administration can remember the province not sending a bill in the last 40 years. City of Edmonton Edmonton property taxes Alberta wildfires Oilers NOW with Bob Stauffer

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Requesting Entity: Department of Agriculture Regional Field Unit XI Issues Concern: Computation of Liquidated Damages Guidance on the Proper Computation of Liquidated Damages for Infrastructure Projects The contractor incurred a 19-day delay in the construction of a farm-to-market road in Saranggani Province. Original contract period was set at 204 calendar days. The Office of the Provincial Engineer computed liquidated damages at P136,801.68, while the contractor computed it at P7,200. A comparison of the two differing computations indicates that the values used by both parties in the application of the foregoing formula are the same. Thus, both parties derived the same figure (P7,200). However, the Office of the Provincial Engineer further multiplied this amount with the total number of days in delay (P7,200 x 19 days) resulting to a higher figure of P136,801.68. However, an examination of the prescribed formula (IRR-A, Annex "E") reveals that the number of days in delay has already been factored in through the variable (ⁿ). Thus, further multiplying the resulting figure with the number of days the project is in delay becomes superfluous. More importantly, the intent of the formula is to compute the total liquidated damages, as can be seen in the meaning of TLD. Consequently, we believe that the computation for liquidated damages submitted by the contractor is more in accord with the prescribed guidelines under the IRR-A of R.A. 9184.

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Franchise Tips and Articles Franchise Consulting Services Services for Veterans Franchises by Industry Franchises A to Z Franchise Power Search FASTSIGNS International Inc., Receives 2019 Franchisees' Choice Designation By Canadian Franchise Association - Award-winning Franchisor Recognized for Seventh Consecutive Year for Its Strong Relationship with Canadian Franchisees, Extensive Franchisee Support, and Training - FASTSIGNS International, Inc., franchisor of FASTSIGNS®, the leading sign, graphics and visual communications franchise, announced today it has been recognized by the Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) as a silver recipient of the 2019 Franchisees' Choice Designation. FASTSIGNS has been recognized by the CFA for the seventh consecutive year for its strong relationship with Canadian franchisees, as well as extensive franchisee support and training. "We pride ourselves on our high level of franchisee satisfaction in every country we operate in around the world and are honored to be recognized once again by the Canadian Franchise Association for this prestigious designation," said Mark Jameson, EVP of Franchise Support and Development, FASTSIGNS International, Inc. "Systemwide, we have the highest support ratio the best of any sign and graphics franchise. As we continue to grow throughout Canada, we'll continue to allocate a significant amount of resources to ensuring our franchisees - both existing and new - have access to top-notch training and support, and we'll continue to nurture our strong franchisor-franchisee relationship that is so crucial to FASTSIGNS' success." The Franchisees' Choice designees are CFA member franchise systems who voluntarily took part in an independently-administered survey. Franchisees were asked to assess their franchisor in key areas of the franchise business model, including the franchisee selection process; franchisee information package; leadership; business planning and marketing; training and support; ongoing operations; and the relationship between the franchisor and franchisee. "I've been with FASTSIGNS for more than twelve years, and the support I've received from the franchisor, in many aspects of my business, is fantastic. From strategic direction to marketing, along with vendor relations, technology and more, the tools and resources provided have continuously contributed to my center's ongoing growth," said Craig Gibbs, who opened a FASTSIGNS center in Scarborough, Ontario in 2007. "I am very satisfied with FASTSIGNS and am a proud advocate. I look forward to our combined efforts as we strive to grow the successful organization." In the due diligence process of investigating a franchise opportunity, speaking with existing franchisees about the opportunity being explored is essential. For prospective franchisees, the Franchisees' Choice Designation identifies that a franchise brand has received solid endorsement and ratings from its franchisees. The 2019 Franchisees' Choice designees are representative of the spectrum of franchise opportunities and the diversity and excellence of CFA members. FASTSIGNS currently has over 30 centers throughout Canada, including two recent openings in Ontario and additional centers slated to open in the coming months. The brand projects opening up to five new centers each year over the next several years and is actively seeking prospective franchisees throughout the country, including a Master Franchisee to develop in Quebec. FASTSIGNS is known in the industry for equipping its franchisees with tools vital to securing the ongoing success of each individual location. In 2018, FASTSIGNS announced the launch of its partnership with 1HUDDLE, a workforce-training platform that converts unique training content into science-backed, quick-burst training games that are proven to accelerate workforce productivity. Additionally, FASTSIGNS announced the launch of a special incentive for first responders, including paramedics, emergency medical technicians, police officers, sheriffs, and firefighters, which includes a 50-percent reduction on the franchise fee - a savings of $23,750. FASTSIGNS International, Inc. was ranked the #1 franchise opportunity in its category and 95 overall on Entrepreneur magazine's 2019 Franchise 500®, the world's first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking. Acknowledged by entrepreneurs and franchisors as a top competitive tool of measurement, the Franchise 500® recognizes FASTSIGNS, the only sign, graphics, and visual communications franchise to be recognized in the top 100, for its exceptional performance in areas including financial strength and stability, growth rate, and brand power. FASTSIGNS also ranked #2 on this year's Franchise Gator Top 100 list, ranking the best franchises for 2019. FASTSIGNS also has been ranked by Franchise Business Review as one of the "Best of the Best" for franchisee satisfaction for the last 10 years. Additionally, FASTSIGNS also was named to Franchise Business Review's "Innovative Franchises" list in 2017 and a "Best-in-Category" franchise by Franchise Business Review in 2018. Last year, the Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) recognized FASTSIGNS International, Inc. with a special six-year Franchisees' Choice designation for its strong relationship with Canadian franchisees, as well as extensive franchisee training and support. About FASTSIGNS® FASTSIGNS International, Inc. is the leading sign and visual communications franchisor in North America, and is the worldwide franchisor of more than 700 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS® centers in nine countries including the United States, Canada, Chile, England, Grand Cayman, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE®). Locations are slated to open in two additional countries - Malta and Spain - in 2019. FASTSIGNS locations provide comprehensive signage and visual graphic solutions to help companies of all sizes and across all industries attract more attention, communicate their message, promote their products, help visitors find their way and extend their branding across all of their customer touch points. FASTSIGNS centers provide architectural and interior decor graphics, fleet vehicle graphics, digital signs and digital signage content, event graphics, displays, banners, posters, safety and identification signs and much more, as well as handle everything from design to project management to installation. FASTSIGNS International, Inc. has been ranked the #1 franchise opportunity in its category in Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500 for the third consecutive year and named Best-in-Category in the business services sector on Franchise Business Review's list of the top franchises for 2018. In 2018, the Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) recognized FASTSIGNS International, Inc. with a special six-year Franchisees' Choice designation for its strong relationship with Canadian franchisees, as well as extensive franchisee training and support. Learn more about sign and visual graphic solutions or find a location at fastsigns.com. Follow the brand on LinkedIn at , Twitter @FASTSIGNS or Facebook at . SOURCE FASTSIGNS International, Inc. Request your Free Franchise Consultation now! Franchise Industries We provide a free consultation service to help you identify the best franchises to meet your business ownership dreams. © 2018 - 2019 Trust Franchise Solutions, Inc. Site hosted and managed by FranServe Inc.

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Free food for Content Marketing Free News Articles Home / Business Free News Articles Global Aid and Disaster Relief / NGO seeks solutions for UN's Goals by Awarding Everyday Heroes - and those who find them NGO seeks solutions for UN's Goals by Awarding Everyday Heroes - and those who find them SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- The Global Action Network (GAN), an organization formed by activists, students, and researchers who seek new ways to reach the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals, has announced a new program which awards those who develop cutting edge solutions - and honors the finders by naming a prize after them. "The whole idea is to accelerate progress towards the Goals," says Soani Gunawan, VP of Logistics for GAN. "The probability that you or I will win a Nobel Prize is tiny. But it's not hard for me to name a Prize AFTER you - if you build awareness of your chosen goal by highlighting those who are doing the best work in the field. And the fact that you can ALSO name another Prize after your friends and colleagues makes it quite likely you will stay involved." The Network uses the UN's sub-classification of 230 Indicators, or sub-goals, which include specific things like improving education in the developing world, curing neglected tropical diseases, and reducing gender inequality. Those who join GAN, many of whom are students and researchers from Oxford, Berkeley, Yale, Cambridge, Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford, are assigned one of the goals, usually one that matches one or more of their professional, academic, or personal interests or passions. Their basic duty is to set up several social media sites publicizing the latest developments within their chosen niche, and announce awards (named after themselves) to those who have demonstrated excellence. The general expectation is that projects take an initial 3-4 hours to set up, followed by 15-30 minutes of monthly maintenance, which consists of updating social media sites and naming Award winners. In many cases Award namesakes submit their own work. In addition to the crowdsourced prizes, there are also Awards for supreme achievement named after Einstein (Science), Florence Nightingale (Health), Frida Kahlo (Art and Culture), Mother Teresa (Compassion), Gandhi (Significance), Nelson Mandela (Justice), and Sojourner Truth (Freedom). GAN founders were motivated by dissatisfaction with Governments, NGOs, Non-profits, and Corporations, which in their view have not done enough to reach the Goals. "We want to inspire grass roots action, from the ground up," says GAN's Happiness Coordinator Amy Chang. "When people receive continuous gratification for their work, they tend to stay involved." The idea of building simple to set up projects based on free web tools and smart phone apps was inherited from GAN's parent organization, The World Mind Network, which has six Nobel Laureates on its Board. Participants can also initiate online think tanks, disaster relief projects, Fair Trade programs, and crowdsourced group psychology experiments within the platform. "There's something special about the conversations we have," says Co-Founder and Program Director John Toomey. "We have fun, but we're part of a worldwide planetary improvement movement, so there's this inspirational undercurrent associated with being part of a mission." Adds Chang, "It's hard, in this day and age, to cultivate heroes of the old type - those who rescue a village from a typhoon, or leave their normal lives to found an orphanage in Africa. But it's not difficult to empower people to become 'mini-Heroes' - individuals who can develop their humanitarian instincts by creating a project on their smart phone that has the potential to help the planet in a measurable and replicable way. And once someone gets a taste of this easily accessible heroism, it's not hard for them to see that there is little they cannot accomplish." For information on the Global Action Network contact , or visit the website at Related link: This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved. May 17th, 2019 by Global Action Network | Type: Standard | Filed Under: Business, Free News Articles, Global Aid and Disaster Relief Tags: California Business, Global Action Network, Non-governmental organization, planetary improvement movement, San Francisco Business, United Nations Gulftech Acquires ABL S.p.A. - Announces Expansion into Fresh Cut Produce Market July 15, 2019 XG Communities to provide small cell program solutions for the City of Federal Way, Washington July 15, 2019 EPIC Insurance Brokers Further Expands Southwest Operations into Arizona July 15, 2019 How to Keep Kids Safe from Mosquitoes and Ticks this Summer July 15, 2019 Van Wert City Schools expects to save more than $115,000 annually through partnership with Energy Optimizers, USA July 12, 2019 Archives Select Month July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 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 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 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 July 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 African American Interests Alliances and Partnerships Apple, Mac, iPod and iPhone Boating, Marine and Maritime Business and Social Networking Corporate Social Responsibility - CSR Defense and Military Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Elections and Politics Employment, HR and Outsourcing Energy, Oil and Gas Facilities and Building Maintenance Family, Parenting and Children Fertility and IVF Fine Art and Artists Free News Articles Free Press Release Content Funding and Investment Global Aid and Disaster Relief Health, Diet and Fitness Holistic and Spiritual Hospitals and Nursing HVAC Heating and Cooling Internet and Websites Jewelry and Diamond Latino Interests Management Changes Medical and Health Products Medical Business Services Mining and Metals Movies and Film Making Music and Recording Industry Networks and Encryption NonProfit and Charities Ophthalmology and Vision Opinion and Commentary Patent and Trademark Plastics and Chemicals Police, Fire and Rescue Pop Culture and Cool Stuff Private Practice and Medical Groups Religion and Churches Restaurant, Hotel and Hospitality SaaS, CMS, and Web Software Safety and Security Solutions Senior Citizen Interests Surgery and Neurotechnology Telecommunications and VoIP Trade Shows, Fairs and Expos VAR and IT Consulting Veterinary, Animals, Pets and Zoos Water and Wastes Web Development and Outsourcing Web Hosting and ISPs ©2019 Free News Articles and NEOTROPE® | Powered By Neotrope® News Network - USA

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Tag Archive: Gareth I was Born Too Late Rye smiled as they began listening to Melina's CD. "This is one of my favorites," she whispered. The group sat quietly until the song's end. "What'd you think," she asked finally. "I liked it," Rye said. "The melody, the accompaniment and the lyrics... especially those." "I think we've all felt that it would be great to go back in time and ask famous people how we can be better in one way or another," Michael added. See now, when you told us the name of the piece, I was thinking it would be about being born in the wrong era, you know?" Gareth said. He tilted his head to one side as the others looked at him curiously. "I've often felt like I was born in the wrong era. I'm not sure which era I should have been born in though." "I've often felt like I was born in another era," Rye commented. "What... a past life?" Kevin said. He chuckled until he realized the boy was serious. "Right... well, all right then. Anyone else want popcorn?" Tags: Gareth, Kevin, Melina, Rye Howls Restrain'd by Decorum If there was anything Gareth hated, it was waiting. The auditions seemed to take forever and more people were sent away than actually sang. What if he waited for all these hours, only to be sent away the moment he introduced himself? He gritted his teeth as he listened to the woman ahead of him. She had a tolerable voice; nothing to write home about. She'd chosen a song that showed her voices strong points well enough, but he had a feeling that her lower registers could have been more sultry with the right song. At least she was better than the man who'd been ahead of her. He'd chosen a song that didn't suit his range at all. The shrilling of the upper notes had hurt his ears enough that he'd sighed in relief when the bespectacled judge had held up a hand. When it was finally his turn, Gareth bit back a snappish reply and introduced himself. If he took an extra moment to prepare himself to sing, the judges didn't seem to notice. Tags: Gareth This Place was in its Third Death "We're going to live here?" Rye asked in shock. He turned to the manager. The man was joking. The real house the band mates would share was down the road, perhaps in the next town over. The man looked down at the map then up at the decrepit building and nodded. "This is the place," he said with forced cheer. "It's got a certain character," Michael said softly as he stepped up the creaking porch stairs. Rye expected the wood to give way under his feet but it held. "When we aren't writing or rehearsing we can work on fixing up the place. When it's done it'll be beautiful." "And we'll be old men," Gareth muttered. "I'm sleeping downstairs. I don't want the floor to cave in under me while I'm out for the night." "There's a basement," Kevin remarked, leading the way into the building. "We're going to live here?" Rye repeated as he followed the older boys into the building. He cast a glance at his sister. What, exactly, had they gotten themselves into? Tags: Gareth, Hector, Kevin, Michael, Rye Where Were You When They Broke the News "You told him he was too young to have personal tragedies?" Kevin asked in shock. He shook his head and swept off to talk to the youngest of their group. Leigh smirked and shrugged. "I know we're very young and maybe it's the stage names that threw you but about two years ago our parents were killed in a home invasion robbery. We were in the house - in the safe room. We heard them get killed and there wasn't anything to do about it. I know you mean well but believe me when I say, yeah, we have personal tragedies." She stalked off toward the front porch. Louisa set her hand on her boyfriend's shoulder and leaned in close. "I love you," she whispered. Gareth closed his eyes, mumbling, "They might have told me. He might have mentioned when I said that." He sighed deeply before adding, "It's probably too upsetting to think about. I really didn't know. When I was fourteen everything was... perfect. The worst tragedy in my life was not having a date on Friday night." Louisa nodded and smiled slightly. "Is it any wonder he has nightmares?" Gareth nodded and sighed again. She knew he would make it up to the boy, somehow. Tags: Gareth, Kevin, Leigh, Louisa, Rileigh We'll be Closer Than the Stars "There are a lot of songs that talk about the stars," Rye pointed out, setting his pen aside. "I wonder why that is." "Stars have a lot of symbolism," Gareth replied. "The have a longevity that people see as nearly eternal. They glow so they symbolize light, heat, warmth and fate. Then there are phrases and sayings that have to do with stars." "Like star-crossed lovers," Mikyla pointed out. "Written in the stars," Kevin added. "That's in a musical, actually. It's a beautiful song, so poignant." "Why all the discussion about stars?" Melina asked as she entered the room. "I'm writing a song and made reference to stars," Rye replied. "Which ones?" Gareth asked. "Well, I am a twin," Rye said with a beaming grin. He glanced at his sister, who sat on the porch, reading. "Did you know in the story of Castor and Pollux, only one was meant to be immortal. They were placed in the stars when the other died. His brother didn't want to be separated." "That's so sweet," Mikyla said. "It's like how you feel about your sister." Rye smiled and nodded before returning to his writing. Tags: Gareth, Kevin, Leigh, Melina, Mikyla, Rycroft, Rye

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July 12, 2019 / 10:50 AM / 3 days ago Miner BHP releases first tender for LNG shipment of iron ore FILE PHOTO - Visitors to the BHP (formerly known as BHP Billiton) booth speak with representatives during the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) annual convention in Toronto, Ontario, Canada March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Chris Helgren LONDON (Reuters) - BHP (BHP.AX) (BHPB.L) on Friday said it had released the world's first tender for LNG-fueled transport to carry up to 27 million tonnes, or about 10 percent, of its iron ore as it seeks to position itself at the forefront of responsible mining. Apart from the quest to cut carbon emissions to curb global warming, the United Nations shipping agency is introducing tougher anti-pollution standards in the industry's biggest shake-up for decades. BHP said ships fueled by LNG (liquefied natural gas) would eliminate NOx (nitrogen oxide) and SOx (sulfur oxide) emissions and, though not a zero-carbon solution, would bring a significant reduction in CO2 emissions until other options are available. BHP, the world's biggest diversified miner, stands apart from others in the sector with its target of net zero emissions by the second half of the century, in line with U.N. carbon-cutting goals. That is a huge challenge, especially if it includes emissions related to the group's vast amounts of coking coal and iron ore for steelmaking, as well as shipping of the material. "We recognize we have a stewardship role, working with our customers, suppliers and others to influence emissions reductions across the full life cycle of our products," said Rashpal Bhatti, BHP's vice president for maritime and supply chain excellence. BHP was "fully supportive" of the International Maritime Organization's decision to impose lower limits on sulfur levels in marine fuels, Bhatti added. Reporting by Barbara Lewis; Editing by David Goodman

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Renaissance NOT revolution - Part 2 Posted by ipz | Jul 27, 2016 | Debate | 1 | In this second part, I hope to make a contribution to ideas on how a new Renaissance, post-Brexit, can take shape. As I touched upon in Part One, Britain was the home of freedom and - together arguably with French - more has been written about freedom in English than in any other language. The French went down a route of revolutionary Republicanism followed by reactionary Monarchism, one where the romantic idea of the middle-class intellectual anarchist plotting against "privilege" in the name of an underclass, then the more Germanic romantic idea of the expanding national consciousness appeared; with it, and later the Russian Communists, ideas of anarchism, and of course more social revolution, blossomed. With Socialism came endless intellectualising about social change and countless self-appointed revolutionaries. The list is now virtually endless, and we add to it Geldof and any number of others who want to blame the English (and their Empire) for virtually everything (I have a good Irish friend who has publicly apologised on behalf of all Irish for Geldof's antics!). Luckily ordinary people, from every European country, generally always know when they are being conned. The difference is in their knowing that they can change something themselves, in a fair and democratic system. My father once said to me, recounting his experience as a Desert Rat (sadly his brother was killed in action during the war) "You will never ever meet as trustworthy and loyal a friend, as the English Tommy". I believe that to be absolutely true. What makes the Common Man virtuous? It is difficult to say. Perhaps as Sir Thomas More is quoted as saying in the play A Man for All Seasons, "If we lived in a state where virtue was profitable, common sense would make us saintly". Some may be hoping that the team of newly re-constructed Tories will be virtuous, have more sense and a better connection to the people then did Mr Cameron. Boris, I feel, with his proud connections via his grandfather Ali Kemal to "freedom movements" that only succeeded at huge cost in life, is going to be central to whatever the Tories do. I like David Davis a lot. But is the "revolutionary myth" of progress towards the "ideal civic society" that the media brandish in our faces every day, going to blind them, as we have all been blinded, for the last 100+ years? One thing I feel is sure; we have seen the failures of this revolutionary approach, and we do not need further "revolution". Just look at last week's scenes in Hyde Park and compare them with 50 years ago and 100 years ago. My grandfather was a Danish seaman who settled in Parsons Green as a baker and cake decorator. I'm sure he wandered among the large crowds in Hyde Park in the '10s and '20s and '30s, and saw that large crowds did not have to mean "violence" (though there was on the continent of Europe, of course). We have seen large crowds at pop concerts (the sexual revolution of the 60s by and large was not violent, if anything, the opposite) so why do some large crowds become violent? Is it not because they are stirred to political revolution in the interests of an elite? Surely this has wrought the destruction of the civic society, not created it. In the 30s, early propagandists for crowd control (such as Edward Bernays) sought to control what, after the Depression, were thought to be dangerous signs of Revolution. This art has been elevated with the help of the Media and skilful coaching to what we now see in the so-called "Arab Spring", and in Barack Obama, someone whose "popularity" bypasses critical judgement on his actions and broken promises. People are motivated not only by the need for a roof and food; they are motivated by ideas and how to get their own ideas heard. You don't need to be an unemployed lawyer to realise that the Palaces of Gold are now occupied not by the venerable land-owning gentry or Lords, but by a new oligarchy. It is surely wrong that the House of Lords now lacks even the teeth that it used to have in being the ONE independent voice still assuring balance in our rather corrupted system, that it merely rubber-stamps the directives of globalist planning (it is not often that I agree with the Guardian!). Since 1911, and more so since the 1999 reforms, it seems to be populated more by career appointees who cannot change a single thing for the people, and this is something which it must be able to do. What we need is a Renaissance of British Constitutional Common Law, embodied in the Act of Settlement of 1701 and the Bill of Rights of 1689. Defended by the Monarch, Queen Elizabeth, who swore to govern according to the "laws and customs" of her peoples, and to adhere to Common Law in England and to such other laws as made up the body of our constitutional law, and that ensures that the people hold the power. We need an independent and proportionally-elected Second Chamber (which could I believe, as in the MEP elections, have a sizeable UKIP majority). Our Common Law should always overrides laws that seek to negate it. It should take precedence over any laws imposed upon us by the EU, and the Queen is oath-bound to defend Common Law (and the "laws and customs" of Scotland and Northern Ireland also) against those of the EU - or anywhere else - that seek to negate our Common Law. In addition, in swearing to uphold our "laws and customs", she swore in effect to uphold such constitutional laws as are embodied within the Bill of Rights, an Act of Parliament of 16thDecember 1689. The Bill of Rights declares that "No foreign prince, person, prelate, state, or potentate hath, or ought to have, any jurisdiction, power, superiority, pre-eminence, or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual, within this realm". This is what defines us, and no amount of "gradual revolution" can change it. On the contrary, its principles can be reborn in the modern world. This declaration of sovereignty, of power invested in the people, is the foundation of the democratic Renaissance and it is what inspired the rest of Europe, seeing the blossoming of industry and wealth and freedom in Britain, to follow suit. We must take care that it is not misdirected towards profiteering, nor subverted by geo-political ambitions, nor undermined by elitism, ideology, or snobbery. In a globalised world we must all agree to respect diversity elsewhere. What we must not do is follow the errors of romantics who mistake openness to revolutionary concepts and creeds for hospitality towards foreign ways that we have not chosen; where the Lower House has become too partisan, we need laws written and fully scrutinised by two chambers, the second, true "Lords of the People" - elected by the people by PR - having the power to commence and radically change things in their own name. This surely, would herald the start of a Renaissance. Photo by S∆M.I.∆M PreviousHungary - Euroscepticism goes east NextOn Leaving the EU: Immigration and Fish ipz I am a qualified coach/teacher and NLP specialist, as well as a writer, and work with high level business clients around the world, especially with presentation skills and problem-solving. Faultlines Why a Labour/SNP coalition could spell the end of Labour as a major party Where to now ? Thoughts on the April 2018 US UK French missile attack on Syria peter on August 1, 2016 at 1:10 pm I have started a petition calling for a review of the promise made by the Coalition Government, when all three of the main parties promised to take action on Lords reform in the 2010 general election, and following it the Coalition Agreement included a promise to "establish a committee to bring forward proposals for a wholly or mainly elected upper chamber on the basis of proportional representation". This "promise" has never been acted on. The EU referendum has shown that there is a division between those who support the unelected supranational collective, and those who favour a return to people power. A PR House of Lords will return power to the People where the Commons are seen to be acting outside their manifesto pledge. Indeed, we see endless cases of actions taken by successive governments that were not mandated by the People! After the 1911 Parliament Act removing executive power from the Lords, and since 1949 with further laws to prevent the Lords using delaying tactics, and in 1999 (HoL Act), 2012 (Reform Bill, started by Clegg) and 2014 (Reform Act) the government of the day could determine to elect its own new peers and rebalance the voting balance in the Lords to better reflect its majority in the Commons. The Commons became superior to the Lords not just by convention but by statute. However this has led to supranational bodies such as the EU, UN and other International Treaties, being able to influence government at the level of Head of States and below, the Commons bends its ear to all sorts of pressure from abroad, and the lack of effective blocking powers from the Lords means that statutes can be passed without due review by the Commons OR the Lords. This means that the original intention of the Bill of Rights 1689, viz. to ensure a correct balance of powers and the prevention of abuse of any one entity, Commons, Lords or the Monarch, so that the People were sovereign and free and their interests and ONLY their interests were carried out, is no longer upheld correctly and is reflected in the total disinterest and distrust in the political system that we see today. Having a PR Lords, a "People's House", would be another positive step toward the Renaissance that this country needs.

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Is Joppatowne, MD, new home community violating Fair Housing Act? Posted on October 27, 2017 by deborahgoonan Fair Housing complaint filed with HUD. Hartford County has stopped issuing building permits, and buyers cannot move in, pending outcome of lawsuit. The latest controversy circulating on social media is a Fair Housing complaint involving River Run, a 55+ retirement community in Maryland. It all started when a real estate agent filed a complaint with Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Gina Pimentel says that the developers of River Run are marketing and selling homes exclusively to members of a Muslim religious sect, excluding other potential buyers. When Hartford County learned of the HUD complaint, and conducted its own investigation into the matter, its Council decided not to issue any more building permits until the legal matter is settled. On the other hand, Faheem Younus, developer of River Run, has sued Hartford County for its refusal to issue permits, claiming that the County's actions are discriminatory against Muslims. Which viewpoint is right under U.S. law? Below are two recent reports on the controversy. Maryland Retirement Community Sold Homes Only To Muslims Religion Reporter 7:18 PM 10/24/2017 A housing development in Maryland is mired in contradicting legal grievances from city officials and residents after it marketed and sold homes only to Muslims. A developer for River Run, a housing development along the Gunpowder river in Joppatowne, Md., filed a lawsuit against Hartford county officials in September, alleging that its refusal to continue issuing building permits for the project was discriminatory against Muslims. However, defendants allege that the developers conspired to create an exclusively Islamic community by selling only to Muslims, according to the Washington Post. See also, from Washington Post Maryland development under fire after selling homes only to Muslims The River Run development is slated for about 35 wooded acres in Joppatowne, Md., a community of about 12,000 people 20 miles northeast of Baltimore. More than 56 homes were approved for the lot more than a decade ago, but the project fell into disrepair after just four homes were built when a previous developer folded. Then, last year, 46-year-old Faheem Younus, an infectious-disease doctor and an immigrant from Pakistan, teamed up with a different developer to build a retirement community for older Ahmadiyya Muslims, adherents of a branch of Islam who preach tolerance and face repression from other Muslims around the world. After a nationwide search, Younus settled on River Run. With a planned mosque and views of the river, the development offered what was advertised as a "peace village" for people 55 and older. "This will be a community of 49 spacious brand new homes (Villas) for Ahmadi Muslims with a dedicated mosque within walking distance," read a website this year advertising the community. That language was later removed, replaced with an update that touted an "audio feed from the adjacent mosque" for the daily call to prayer - before that language also was removed. The plan to market to Muslims proved successful, Younus said, and 22 units were sold within months after a lottery was held among Ahmadis who wished to buy them. Some elected officials and residents, however, complained, saying the planned community violated fair-housing laws. It would appear that Younus did advertise River Run as an exclusive community, and then sold nearly half of the housing units shortly thereafter. However, now the River Run developer claims that anyone is welcome to purchase a home in the community, including non-Muslims. Yousun points out, in his defense, that the U.S. has plenty of Christian and Jewish communities, so why not an Islamic community? Is it true that there are Christian and Jewish communities? Yes, it is. For example, just a few miles from my house there is a senior community called Lutheran Village, operated by Diakon Senior Living Services. Here's a little excerpt from Diakon's website: Diakon's senior living roots date back to 1940. Annually, Diakon serves thousands of people of all faiths, providing compassionate service, gracious hospitality and millions of dollars in charitable care. As you can see, although Diakon has a Christian mission, the community is open to and serves people of any faith. Searching online for Jewish communities, I found Monroe Village, another senior community in Central NJ, a division of Springpoint Senior Living. According to its website, Monroe Village is a diverse community originally founded by Presbyterian ministers. Our mission began in 1916, when a group of Presbyterian ministers joined together to create housing and services for elders. They founded Presbyterian Homes of New Jersey, a nonprofit organization based on the values instilled by faith. Their idea grew with the 20th century, expanding to new affordable housing and senior living communities across the state. In 2007, the organization decided to go beyond its Presbyterian affiliation, taking a new name that would embrace people of all backgrounds: PHS Senior Living. Three years later, in February 2010, the company made a more definitive move, changing its name once again, this time to Springpoint Senior Living. The key here is that, even though many senior communities, especially non-profit groups, have been founded in the faith and traditions of one particular religious group, they technically welcome people of all faiths, so long as they are able and willing to pay for the lifestyle and future assisted living or health care services in the future. It appears that many of these communities do not actually sell real property, but rather, operate as cooperatives providing a combination of community and personal services, as well as a place to live. Nevertheless, HUD policy forbids housing discrimination on the basis of protected classes, among them, religious affiliation. That puts River Run in a gray zone, with regard to the Fair Housing Act. The outcome of this legal case will have important implications for the rights of housing consumers as well as developers. But looking at the big picture, don't deed restrictions, the basis for most association-governed common interest communities, also discriminate, albeit in less obvious ways? For example, we often read about HOA, condo, and co-op association restrictions on holiday decor, display of religious symbols (even in private front yards), display of political signs, and so on. There are rules against parking certain types of vehicles - especially work vehicles commonly used by working class residents. And what about the restrictions against playing in the street, or leaving toys outside in plain view - do these not discriminate against families with children? These are equally gray areas in terms of Constitutional law, meant to uphold Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the U.S. Self-sorting? Also worth considering: is there anything wrong with people choosing to live among neighbors who share important core values? For centuries, ethnic and religious cultures have tended to set up their own neighborhoods. Think of all the Little Italy, Chinatown, and Jewish enclaves in just about every major city in the U.S. The point is, no matter how policymakers try to create diversity in communities, human nature draws people of similar cultures and values together. And even if River Run is officially open to people of all faiths, it would not be surprising if nearly every future buyer turns out to be a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim sect. This entry was posted in Constitutional and Civil Rights and your HOA, Enforcement of Rules, Covenants & Deed Restrictions, Fair Housing Acts, Federal Housing Policy & Regulation, HOA Community Association Disputes & Legal Matters, Housing Policy / Real Estate News & Trends, Religious freedom by deborahgoonan. 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Herbaria and Art: Diversity December 4, 2016 November 19, 2016 / Maura Flannery / Leave a comment Alberto Baraya, a prominent contemporary artist in Columbia, has taken up this herbarium theme in a different way than any of the artists I discussed in the last three posts. He has a long-term project called the Herbarium of Artificial Plants (Herbario de Plantas Artificiales) which he began in 2002. He collects artificial plants - made with plastic, paper, fabric - and mounts them on herbarium sheets. He includes "dissected flowers," pasting them in the lower part of the sheet much as botanical illustrators include enlargements of flower features in their drawings. In addition, there is at least one small photo of where the plant was "collected." This is a colorful group of works because these plants don't loose their color, and in that sense remain more aesthetically pleasing than herbarium specimens do. There is something eerie about this: that the artificial remains more "real." Also, it is suggestive of invasive species, since plastic-leaved ficus trees, for example, are found in hotel lobbies the world over. Baraya's method of collection - often surreptitiously lifting plants from restaurants or waiting-rooms - is reminiscent of the collections made by colonials: no permission asked. In a blog post on Columbian artists including Baraya, the art critic Tom Jeffreys notes that botanical illustration was one of the first independent threads in the development of modern Columbian art. This was largely through the work of the Spanish priest and botanist José Celestino Mutis who led a collecting expedition to Columbia and stayed there for the remainder of his life. His project, which lasted more than 30 years, resulted in sending thousands of specimens and illustrations being sent back to Spain (Bleichmar, 2011). Most of the art was done by native Columbians trained by European artists. Their work is strikingly beautiful and accurate, while definitely having a style of its own. Baraya's herbarium is in part a commentary on how botany has changed since the late 18th century when Mutis arrived in Columbia. The artificial has replaced the real, providing a poor substitute for the green world humans crave. The rich botanical environment that Mutis experienced has changed into a gaudy unreal show. Disappearance of species is also one of the messages of Mark Dion's Herbarium, a portfolio of seven photogravures the size of herbarium sheets. To create this work, Dion mounted seaweed specimens on herbarium paper that had been stamped in purple ink: "Herbarium Henry Perrine." There is also a green stamp: "Marine Algae." Each sheet has a label attached with the heading: "Ex. Herb. H. Perrine, Indian Key, Florida," but aside from this the labels are blank, no information on the specimens is given. Much of Dion's oeuvre is a commentary on the history of natural history and of collecting. Here he is alluding to Henry Perrine, an early 19th-century plant collector who died in a raid on his Florida land which also destroyed his plant collection. Dion's work suggests what Perrine's collection might have looked like, but the blank labels also tell of what was lost. While Dion's art references herbaria directly, often the relationship between plant specimen collections and art is more subtle. Paul Klee, for example, created a herbarium as reference material for his drawings. His specimens are definitely "unscientific." They are mounted on paper he has painted dark brown, several species per page, with no labels. Klee was interested in plants from an early age, doing botanical drawings at age ten. At one point, he writes in his journal that he looks forward to seeing his herbarium after being away on a trip: "It surprises me that these treasures of form have been apart from me for so long" (Baumgartner & Moe, 2008, p. 16). It is the forms, not the details, of plant structure that fascinated him, and this comes through in his art. Several hundred of his pieces relate to plant growth, including Botanical Theatre which he worked on for ten years. Two 20th-century German artists took a more direct approach and actually used pressed plants in their works. Joseph Beuys did a series of what can only be called herbarium specimens: pressed plants pasted to paper with a penciled title, Ombelico di Venere, or the umbilical cord of Venus, the name of the attached species Cotyledon Umbilicus Veneris (now botanically designated Cotyledon rupestris) (Tempkin & Rose, 1993). In some of these, Beuys must have moved the plant after pressing it to the paper because there are stains where water from the plant was absorbed. This is not good herbarium technique but it adds to the texture of the piece and is reminiscent of some of Beuys's other works where he employed plant material such as moss to color the paper's surface. The use of plant material suggests life and regeneration, important themes in Beuys's post World War II work. Anselm Kiefer, Beuys's student, uses a great deal of dried plant material in his art. The closest he comes to suggesting a herbarium, a bound herbarium, is For Paul Celan-Ukraine, a stack of lead-paged book sculptures with aluminum sunflowers sticking out from them. In earlier work, he pasted dried plants to painted canvases, in what Matthew Biro (2013) suggests is a form of biographical memorialization. In others pieces, Kiefer employed straw to suggest both death and new life emerging beneath this covering. For a very different setting, a vitrine, a pressed algal specimen sits amid gold-plated organs including a heart. Obviously the plant form is being used metaphorically, both in looking like an abstract ribcage and in implying that all life is related, that we are an amalgam of plant and animal material. What is clear in the variety of examples and contexts I've explored here and in the last three posts is that pressed plants can have multiple layers of meaning, that they are important sources of inspiration for artists as well as sources of information for botanists. I come back to the first post in this series and Victoria Crowe's ideas of fragility and timelessness, the pairing of these seems to be the essence of what makes herbaria so attractive as symbols, combined with their aesthetic appeal. While I have mentioned a wide variety of artists here, there are many more I haven't cited, including Joanne Kaar's work with the herbarium of the Scottish baker-botanist Richard Dick, John Walsh's (2016) prose/herbarium piece The Arctic Plants of New York, and M.F. Cardamone's surreal takes on herbarium sheets. Fortunately, there are many artists working in this area. Baumgartner, M., & Moe, O. H. (2008). In Paul Klee's Enchanted Garden. Ostfildern, Germany: Hatje Cantz. Biro, M. (2013). Anselm Kiefer. New York, NY: Phaidon. Bleichmar, D. (2011). Visible Empire: Botanical Expeditions and Visual Culture in the Hispanic Enlightenment. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Tempkin, A., & Rose, B. (1993). Thinking Is Form: The Drawings of Joseph Beuys. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Museum of Art. Walsh, J. (2016). The Artic Plants of New York City. New York, NY: Granary. Who Has a Herbarium? April 19, 2015 / Maura Flannery / Leave a comment I once did a presentation on "Guess Who Had a Herbarium?" This was in the early days of my herbarium infatuation, and I was fascinated by the number of non-biologists who collected plant specimens. Jean-Jacques Rousseau not only was very interested in plants, but also tutored others in how to create their own plant collections. Paul Klee kept an herbarium, though it was not very botanically correct: the plants were pasted onto black paper and were unlabeled. As a teenager, Emily Dickinson wrote to a friend and asked if she were collecting plants because "everyone is doing it." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had a collection, which isn't so surprising because he wrote about plant morphology, and it is seems only fitting that Henry David Thoreau collected plants. Two of his specimens were found a few years ago at the University of Connecticut's George Stafford Torrey Herbarium stored unnoticed among their several hundred thousand specimens until the collection was digitized. Since that original presentation, I've come across several more collectors, including John Stuart Mill, who had a herbarium of thousands of plants, and John Cage who collected mushrooms and even taught a mycology course at the New School.

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New poll: Few deny Holocaust Dated: July 8, 1994 NEW YORK - Americans have a shallow knowledge of the Nazi Holocaust but few doubt that it happened, according to an American Jewish Committee report correcting a misleading survey that caused alarm last year. "Less than 2 % deny the Holocaust in a committed, consistent way," Tom W. Smith of the University of Chicago, author of the AJC report, said Thursday. Smith, director of the General Social Survey of the National Opinion Research Center, analyzed more than a dozen surveys, including 2 Roper polls conducted for the AJC. The first poll, taken in 1992 and released in March 1993, has been widely criticized by pollsters as a case study of how one badly worded question can produce highly publicized misinformation. Burns W. Roper, whose company was responsible, has publicly apologized. The question required a cross-section of US adults to untangle a double negative: "Does it seem possible or does it seem impossible to you that the Nazi extermination of the Jews never happened?" Twenty-two % said it was possible the Holocaust never happened and an additional 12 % said they didn't know. Many must have been confused, because later polls got different results by asking the question differently. In March, Roper interviewed 991 adults in person and asked them: "Does it seem possible to you that the Nazi extermination of the Jews never happened, or do you feel certain that it happened?" One percent said it was possible it never happened, 91 % said they were certain it happened and 8 % did not know. Smith and AJC research director David Singer said the organization had acknowledged doubts about the 22 % Holocaust denial figure several months ago, but wanted to do a thorough analysis before making any statements. Everett Ladd, editor of the Public Perspective, a polling journal at the University of Connecticut, expressed dismay Friday that the AJC could not correct its error more promptly. "You don't need to have a study. That's disingenuous," Ladd said. If Holocaust denial was as high as 22 %, he said, that would mean the US population was so ill-informed "democracy would be untenable." Smith said surveys indicate 19 in 20 Americans have heard of the Holocaust but their knowledge of it is "shallow, incomplete and imperfect." Comparing 1992 and 1994 AJC-Roper surveys, he found a "modest overall gain in knowledge," including a 7-point increase in correct definitions of the Holocaust. Media attention to the openings of Holocaust museums and memorials in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., and the movie "Schindler's List" probably contributed, Smith said. Mainly, though, how much people know about the Holocaust depends on how much education they have. In the latest survey, the percentage who knew what the Holocaust was ranged from 55 % among those with less than a high school education to 92 % among those with advanced degrees. Those who lack knowledge of the Holocaust are much more likely to have doubt or unsureness about whether it occurred, Smith said. Uncertainty or doubt rises to 69 % among those who cannot correctly answer even one of 5 factual questions about the Holocaust, Roper found. "Uncertainty and doubt about the Holocaust is mostly a function of ignorance, not the absorption of the neo-Nazi party line," he said. This entry was posted in Documents. Bookmark the permalink. ← A Jew who survived six gassings 6 million did not die in the gas chambers →

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Posts Tagged 'horror' Worth Peepin'?: "The Catcher" Posted: February 5, 2010 by Brendan Wahl in Worth Peepin'? Movie Reviews Tags: baseball, david heavener, horror, joe estevez, review, the catcher Most of you right now are probably thinking to yourself, "Man, I'm hungry." But some of you may be wondering, "What in the hell is The Catcher? Is that the movie with acting god Freddie Prinze Jr.?" No, silly, that's Summer Catch. The Catcher is far, far, um, different from that film. First of all, if you do not know who David Heavener is, you should probably look that man up on IMDB and watch every single one of his films as soon as you can. As it stands, I've seen Lethal Ninja, Massacre, and now The Catcher, a "masterpiece of cinema." The plot is as follows: A former big-time baseball player in the minor leagues, David J. Walker (Heavener) is upset at his fellow teammates for bitching him out for losing their last game of the season. In one teammate's words, "I've been here six years and you screwed up my chance to get in the majors." Um, I'm pretty sure if you've been there for six years and still haven't moved up the ladder of success, one member of your team is not the one to blame. Yes, that is the entire plot. The film takes place inside a baseball stadium. ALL 76 minutes of it. Oh, I'm sorry. There's also a flashback scene at the beginning with Joe Estevez yelling at a small child for what feels like seven hours before said youngster cracks him over the head with a baseball bat and kills him. I don't even know how someone thought this would come together to make any kind of coherent film. David Heavener does what he does, I guess. I've actually talked to the man over the phone before and he's a nice enough guy, but good Lord he needs to stay away from crap like this. The other actors in the film don't even deserve mentioning except maybe the great Joe Estevez. Here's a guy who is Martin Sheen's brother, but apparently did not take any of the acting talent from his sibling at the same time. He yells, screams, and contorts his face throughout his small part in the film much to the delight of anyone without ears that has to sit through his wonderfully horrific performance. That withstanding, this film is of the horror/slasher genre, so you'd at least expect some slick kills, right? Wrong. What we get is a handful of lame death scenes, some very crappy sound effects, and only ONE cool death. Let's just say that the killer sticks the baseball bat in an orifice that no one should ever have to experience discomfort in unless your name is Rip Taylor. Not to mention that this film sports a terrible "twist" ending and some awful cinematography that would make Uwe Boll blush. I give this a: and may God have mercy on whoever has had the discomfort of watching this drivel. Worth Peepin'? If you can find it and if you enjoy the cinematic equivalent of getting slapped in the face with a hammer over and over again, yes. Worth Peepin'? - "Legion" Posted: January 26, 2010 by Brendan Wahl in Worth Peepin'? Movie Reviews Tags: action, angels, dennis quaid, doug jones, God, horror, IMDB, legion, lucas black, paul bettany, religion, review, tyrese, visual effects, worth peepin "I don't believe in God." - Bob (Dennis Quaid) As I was looking through all of my archived reviews (a whopping total of three if you count The Tonight Show), I came to the conclusion that I am going to start looking like a movie fan-boy if I just constantly see what I want and shell out praise for classics of the past. Granted, Night of the Living Dead (1990) was by no means a classic, but it was still fairly enjoyable as was Youth in Revolt. So I thought to myself, "Brendan...can I call you Brendan?" To which I responded, "No, that's Mr. Wahl to you." I then shuddered in fear at my own power over myself and responded, "I apologize, Mr. Wahl. Anyway, how are you going to write a negative review if all you do is watch good movies?" I then said, "Well, maybe I'll go see one at the theatre that could go either way." And as I was wheeled out of the pink-padded room, I thought that it would be a good idea to go see the film Legion. I'll never live that one down. So if you don't know the story, it basically comes down to this. I'll even give you the official plot summary right off IMDB.com. "An out-of-the-way diner becomes the unlikely battleground for the survival of the human race. When God loses faith in humankind, he sends his legion of angels to bring on the Apocalypse. Humanity's only hope lies in a group of strangers trapped in a desert diner with the Archangel Michael." Upon reading this I thought it might be entertaining like the movie Feast or perhaps like The Mist. With the R-rating I thought, well, at least if it sucks there will be some decent blood and gore. Well, here's the issue with that. This movie treats itself 110% seriously. The first problem with the movie lies in the acting. When Tyrese delivers the best performance in a film, it's time to seriously stop and consider what we're witnessing here. Now I'm not saying that I expected Academy Award-winning performances or anything but almost everyone in the movie was chewing the scenery like it was beef jerky! I never expected to dislike Dennis Quaid in a film, but he takes the cliche line, "I don't believe in God" and overplays it to the nth degree. We get it, you're an atheist which is ironic because the whole thing is about angels trying to attack and blah blah blah, you might reconsider your faith in the end, blah blah. The other actors are nothing special either (as mentioned before, except for Tyrese). Lucas Black overdoes his southern drawl as much as he can to remind the audience that "gosh-darn it, he's a good ole boy! Yee-haw!" Paul Bettany plays the lead (I guess) and plays an unemotional angel like...well, an unemotional human. I usually like Bettany in most things, but I think his problem here was the opposite of everyone else's. He underplayed it too much. Acting aside, the visual effects were pretty good for the most part with Doug Jones in particular (you might know him as Abe Sapien in Hellboy) looking really bad-ass as a crazy angel-possessed ice cream truck driver. Sometimes, the effects didn't work so much at all though. For instance, in a scene I'm sure everyone has seen in the trailer, an old woman enters the bar and it turns out she is also possessed by an angel and starts to crawl all over the ceiling. This is the most laughable scene in the film where it's supposed to be played for sheer shock value and scares. It just doesn't work. I think that's all I can stomach in regards to this film so let's just pull this review train to a stop. I can say vehemently that this film is DEFINITELY NOT worth peepin'. Note to Self: IMDB is not to be counted on for ratings. 5.9/10 for this mess? Yeesh. Worth Peepin'? - "Night of the Living Dead (1990)" Tags: cult, george a romero, gore, horror, night of the living dead, patricia tallman, remake, review, tom savini, tom towles, tony todd, william butler, worth peepin, zombies Most everyone I know who is any kind of a zombie freak will say that Night of the Living Dead is one of their favourite films of that genre. There were tons of films featuring zombies that preceded the cult classic, but this was the first film to really treat them seriously and present it in a coherent story with flawed characters and solid craftsmanship. Any zombie freak will probably also tell you that George A. Romero is one of their heroes, a zombie guru if you will. This is the man who took $114,000 and made one of the most influential films of the past fifty years, Night of the Living Dead, in 1968 with a small crew and a small group of talented yet unknown actors. From there, he went on to do Dawn of the Dead (probably my favourite of the series), Day of the Dead (an underrated gem), Land of the Dead, and Diary of the Dead. With all this in mind, one can only imagine that when the headline popped up (it probably read something like this: "GEORGE A. ROMERO'S CULT CLASSIC SET TO BE SHAT ON"), people were none too happy about an all-time favourite being remade into a modern film. I had my doubts too before settling in to watch this film. Were they warranted? Well, not really. The 1990 version of Night of the Living Dead was directed by horror makeup guru Tom Savini, who did a pretty admirable job in his directorial debut particularly with the moments he liked to refer to as 'chair-jumpers.' There's a good use of night scenes and moonlight to elicit the mood and Savini orchestrates these fairly well. It's also a good thing that Romero himself came back on board to write the script again (this time by himself; the original was also co-written by John A. Russo) and it definitely shows as much of the dialogue has been lifted from the original film. I won't bother going into detail about all the little nods to the original film he throws in there, but suffice to say there's quite a few of them and they're fun to spot rather than being in-your-face like some remakes. The story is pretty basic. A number of survivors set up shop in an abandoned farmhouse to escape the oncoming zombie invasion that's taken over a small area of land in Pittsburgh, PA among other locales. It pretty much follows the original film to a tee despite some minor changes which I won't bother going into detail about for fear of creating spoilers. One thing about the original that was somewhat lacking was the character of Barbara. In the 1968 classic, she is relegated to not much more than a yelping banshee rather than a character that serves any kind of real purpose in the crux of the storyline. In this version, Barbara starts out like you remember her originally entering the first film, as a fragile woman helpless towards everything, but that all ends fairly abruptly. Barbara instead becomes an ass-kicking machine that tries to point out some of the stupid logic employed by the other survivors throughout the film. She almost acts as the cynical member of the audience watching the film and almost makes it easier to digest some of the actions of the characters. It doesn't hurt that actress Patricia Tallman plays her with a lot of humanity and really nails the part. Tony Todd is someone else who deserves a mention as an actor who really nails the 'Ben' role to a tee. He has a lot of the same mannerisms and looks a lot like Ben too, but it doesn't stop there. Tony makes the character his own and imports a lot of humanity into him as well. Although one of the weaker points of this version of the film is that compared to the original incarnation of Ben, I don't care for this character nearly as much. This is probably intentional though as the real star of this version of Night of the Living Dead is Barbara rather than Ben. Besides that, there are no real downsides to his performance aside from one really strange "theatrical" moment near the beginning of the film where he seems to channel Charlton Heston and screams at the heavens. The rest of the cast is fairly okay. Tom Towles chews the scenery as Harry Cooper a little too much for my liking and William Butler does alright as another one of the survivors. Of course, you'd expect the directorial debut of a man like Tom Savini to be a film filled with blood and gore, but surprisingly the man holds back quite a bit. Even more surprisingly though, it actually helped more than it hurt in several scenes. In some scenes, however, it would've been nice to get a big gory pay-off, but the film doesn't show us diddly squat and it feels a little weak. So what to give this film as a rating? Well, despite some of the problems with the acting (excluding Patricia Tallman and Tony Todd) and the lack of gore sometimes becoming a little distracting, I give this film a rating of: If you're gonna watch either this or the original, watch the Romero classic. This one is still worth peepin' though as it does a decent job of attempting to recreate the magic from the original and bring in some new elements that don't feel too contrived for the most part.

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URGENT CARE ASSOCIATION About UCA Urgent Care Services Corporation College of Urgent Care Medicine UCAPAC Urgent Care Foundation The People Behind UCA UCA Blog UCAccess Newsletter Urgent Care Sections UCA LinkedIn Group Accreditation Process Annual Compliance Review Certification Criteria UCMC CUCMP Convention & Expo Corporate Support Partners Current CSPs Vendor Exhibits Branded Resources Member List Access Webinar Sponsorship Reports and Manuals Find an Urgent Care ResourcesCareer Center Job Seekers, Welcome to Urgent Care Jobs Organize and administers individualized age specific professional care to patients within an assigned unit of the hospital in support of medical care. Supports philosophy, objectives and the mission and vision of Saint Barnabas Medical Center and the Department of Nursing. Practices in accordance with the State Nurse Practice Act, American Nurses Association Standards of Practice, Code of Ethics for Nurses, Department of Health Regulations, JCAHO requirements and other regulatory agencies. Participates in patient teaching and discharge planning. Participates in Unit Performance Improvement evaluation activities. OUR MISSION, VISION & VALUES: Employees of Saint Barnabas Medical Center are committed to exemplifying the Standards of - Exceptional Communication, Compassionate Care, Outstanding Teamwork, Professional Integrity and Ownership & Accountability - creating an environment of C ompassionate C are, H ealthcare E xcellence and S uperior S ervice (CCHESS) for all that enter our facility. If you share the commitment, dedication and drive meet the CCHESS challenge, we welcome your application. Since 1865, Saint Barnabas Medical Center (SBMC), located at 94 Old Short Hills Road in Livingston, is New Jersey's oldest nonprofit, nonsectarian hospital. The 597-bed institution is one of the largest health care providers in the state, treating more than 35,500 inpatients and over 84,000 Emergency Department patients each year. The Medical Center and the Saint Barnabas Ambulatory Care Center provide treatment and services for more than 300,000 outpatient visits annually. The Medical Staff is comprised of more than 1,600 physicians in 100 medical and surgical specialties and there are over 3,400 employees. As a teaching institution, we have nine residency programs and one fellowship in Mammography and a shared Nephrology fellowship with Newark Beth Israel. There are a total of 154 residents and fellows. Among Saint Barnabas' nationally recognized facilities are The Burn Center, the only certified burn treatment facility in the state; the Barnabas Health Care System Renal and Pancreas Transplant Division, one of the most active transplant programs in the country; The Saint Barnabas Heart Centers, a world-class cardiac surgery program in affiliation with Newark Beth Israel Medical Center; The Neurology and Neurosurgery Program which is the only program in New Jersey to be ranked by US News and World Report as a Top Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. It is led by an unprecedented team of experts dedicated to diagnosing and treating disorders of the brain and nervous system; the Regional Perinatal Center, providing care for high-risk and critically ill infants in New Jersey's leading Level III, a 56-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; comprehensive Pediatric Services including a dedicated intensive care unit; The Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence, designated by the American Society of Bariatric Surgery; a nationally accredited Chest Pain Center, The Center for Sleep Disorders; The Comprehensive Stroke Center at Saint Barnabas; extensive services in robotic and minimally-invasive surgery, The Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science at Saint Barnabas, the widely recognized assisted reproductive technology program; and comprehensive cancer programs and services that includes one of the largest Radiation Oncology programs in northern New Jersey and a highly-specialized Gastrointestinal Cancer Center of Excellence. SBMC is an equal opportunity employer. 28600 Bella Vista Pkwy, Suite 2010 Warrenville, IL 60555 D: 331-472-3739 E: Message Title goes here Message goes here...

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The Institute of Sociological Studies (ISS) offers BA, MA, and doctorate programmes in both sociology and public and social policy, along with BA and MA in social anthropology. ISS graduates are educated in high-level analysis in social, political, economic, and cultural issue, alongside gaining valuable expertise in public opinion polls, market research, and anthropological investigation. Department of Public and Social Policy The Institute of Sociological Studies (ISS) offers the highest quality B.A., M.A., and PhD programs, taught in English, in Central or Eastern Europe, covering all fields of social sciences. Attending Charles University gives prospective students the opportunity of obtaining a degree from one of the oldest, largest, and most prestigious universities in the world. Admission Exams The Institute of Sociological Studies offers programmes in sociology, social policy, social anthropology and public policy at B.A., M.A. and postgraduate levels. Academic research activities at the Institute of Sociological Studies include research projects of the Institute's staff, undergraduate and doctoral students. Center of the Doctoral Studies (CDS) Sociological Seminars University Research Programme (PROGRES) Life at Institute Life at the Institute Student organization, promotional items and all student activities at the Institute of Sociological Studies. Miroslava - student organization of ISS Sociological evenings The Institute of Sociological Studies is located in the university campus building in Prague's Jinonice. Institute of Sociological Studies 158 00 Prague 5 - Jinonice Secretary: Denisa Sobotková Institute members Public and Social Policy Master Studies - Society, Communication and Media Sociology in European Context Public and Social Policy (PSP) is a two-year, English-language Master's degree programme, focusing on providing students with current relevant knowledge in the policy-making process and cultivating their analytical skills. It is taught at Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences by members of the Institute of Sociological Studies (ISS). In addition to theoretical knowledge about policy-making process, the programme offers deeper knowledge in concrete policy domains such as social policy, health policy, educational policy, employment policy or others. Special attention will be given to research methodology and policy analysis skills. The combination of knowledge regarding policy process and methodology skills can lead to unique skills and excellent professional employment as well as further careers in research. PSP graduates acquire the knowledge and skills that enable them to effectively and efficiently perform analytical, conceptual, organizational, interactive and managing tasks in creating and implementing public and social policies within international context. By the same token, graduates will be able pursue an academic career in the Czech Republic or elsewhere in the world. In addition, graduates will be experts in concrete policy domains, such as health policy, educational policy, employment policy or others. Course Structure and Study Requirements Final State Examination All the interesting stuff happening at the faculty and beyond. Follow us at the social networks! Center of the Doctoral Studies Dean's Office: Hollar building Smetanovo nábřeží 6 110 01 Prague 1 Data box ID: piyj9b4 TIN: 00216208 VATIN: CZ00216208

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Home / Science & Nature / Earth Science / When will a volcano explode, ooze or lie silent? In Earth Science, Q & A, Science & Nature / 29 September 2014 By Micaela Jemison A Hawaiian lava field beneath a full moon. (Flickr photo by Bill Shupp) Volcanoes are a source of fascination for many, attracting a steady stream of visitors worldwide. While the danger of sudden eruptions may add to the thrill, it is a genuine risk for tourists and nearby residents. But how can one know if a sleeping volcano is about to explode? Forecasting volcanic eruptions has been thrown into the spotlight with the weekend tragedy on Japan's Mount Ontake, where more than 30 hikers are presumed dead after an eruption of toxic fumes and ash. Smithsonian Science asks research geologist emeritus and volcano expert Richard Fiske, from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, about the science of predicting explosions. How do you predict a volcanic eruption? Fiske: You can't predict the exact time when a volcano might erupt, but you can anticipate volcanic activity. There are two main ways scientists can detect potential volcanic activity using special instruments: The first is an increase in small earthquakes in the region below a volcano. These earthquakes signal the movement of magma, which is lava or molten rock underground, within the volcano. Small earthquakes, undetectable to most people, occur below the surface of the volcano as the magma rises, breaking rocks within the volcano. The second signal that scientists can detect is the inflation of the volcano. Many volcanoes inflate like a balloon before they erupt. The ground surface actually puffs up. This can't be seen with the naked eye, but with the right ground instruments and satellite imagery, scientists can detect this change in the ground. Pu'u O'o Crater Lava pond, Hawaii (Photo by Greg Bishop) Is it possible that a volcano can erupt with no previous signs? Fiske: If a volcano is monitored instrumentally, it is very unlikely that any major eruption could occur without any previous earthquakes or inflation being recorded. But there is one type of volcanic eruption that can be near impossible for scientists to anticipate. More minor eruptions can occur when groundwater gains access to the hot magma in the volcano, generating large amounts of steam. This steam can build up pressure and create a minor "phreatic" eruption, an outburst of steam, ash and rock unaccompanied by lava. This build up of steam can be constantly happening in the background, making it difficult for scientists to discern when such a minor eruption is imminent. This is what seems to have happened on Japan's Mount Ontake over the past weekend. Mount Ontake, Japan. (Photo by Atsushi Ueda) Are there other types of volcanic eruptions? Fiske: The different types of eruptions taking place at volcanoes are largely controlled by the nature and volume of the lava. If the lava is sticky, then the gases build up in it and it tends to explode. In lava that is more fluid-like, like those found in volcanoes in Hawaii, most of the gases just bubble out of it and don't cause explosions. In these kinds of eruptions, the lava just flows out of the volcano, almost like syrup, into the surrounding landscape. Lava entering the ocean in Hawaii. (Flickr photo by Bill Shupp) There are many volcanoes in Japan. Why is that? Fiske: Japan is a place where the tectonic plates of the Earth are converging and one plate is descending beneath the other plate. As that plate descends it stimulates melting of the Earth's crust and the resulting magma rises up to form a volcano. This process is called subduction. This situation is also found in the United States, where volcanoes have formed in Alaska, Washington, Oregon and northern California. The volcanoes found in Japan and the U.S. belong to a group of volcanoes called the Ring of Fire. This group contains 452 volcanoes that are located in a ring around the Pacific Ocean. This group includes more than 75 percent of the world's active and dormant volcanoes. Most of these volcanoes erupt sticky lava, which contains gases that can explode with great force. That is why volcanoes in the Ring of Fire, including the volcanoes in Japan, are known to be very dangerous. Kilauea's activity is nothing new, says a Smithsonian volcano expert A hot new island has just surfaced in the Red Sea. What's going on? Smithsonian scientists explain. Can we spot volcanoes on alien worlds? Astronomers say yes Q&A: Smithsonian volcanologist Richard Wunderman answers questions about the Aug. 23, East Coast earthquake Tags: geology, rocks & minerals, volcanoes

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By Julie Rovner April 17, 2017 Photo shows the Internal Revenue Service's form 1095-A, which will be required of individual taxpayers in order to comply with the Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare) starting with tax year 2014. Your federal income taxes are due April 18 and, likely for several million people, so is a fine for failing to get health insurance. Despite a lengthy debate, Congress has not yet acted on a bill to repeal portions of the Affordable Care Act. That means the law and almost all of its regulations remain in force, for now. For the majority of tax filers, who had insurance through an employer or government program for 2016, all they have to do is check the box on Form 1040 that says they were covered for a full year. That's it. Under a decision by the Trump administration, however, leaving that box blank will not get your tax return kicked back to you. The IRS under President Barack Obama also did not reject returns with the box left blank last year or the year before, but it had announced it would step up enforcement of what's known as the "individual mandate" for tax year 2016. That plan was canceled under Trump's executive order calling on federal agencies to "minimize the burden" of the health law. This KHN story also ran on NPR. It can be republished for free (details). Still, those who lacked insurance for more than three consecutive months, or who bought individual insurance and got federal help paying the premiums, need to do a little more work. Those with no insurance or a lengthy gap may be required to pay what the federal government calls a "shared responsibility payment." It's a fine for not having coverage, on the theory that even those without insurance will eventually use the health care system at a cost they can't afford and someone else will have to pay that bill. Many people without insurance, however, qualify for one of several dozen "exemptions" from the fine. Nearly 13 million tax filers claimed an exemption for 2015 taxes, according to the IRS. The most common were for people whose income was so low (less than $10,350 for an individual) that they are not required to file a tax return, Americans who lived abroad for most of the year and people for whom the cheapest available insurance was still unaffordable (costing more than 8 percent of their household income). The fine for 2016 taxes is the greater of $695 per adult or 2.5 percent of household income. Fines for uncovered children are half the amount for adults. Fines are pro-rated by the number of months you or a family member was uninsured. The maximum fine is $2,676; that is the national average cost of a "bronze" level insurance plan available on the health exchanges. But most people do not pay anywhere near that much. Last year, said the IRS, an estimated 6.5 million tax filers paid a fine that averaged $470. If you bought your own insurance from the federal or a state health insurance exchange and you got a federal tax credit to help pay for that coverage, you also have to take a step before you can file your taxes. People who got those tax credits must fill out a form that "reconciles" the amount of subsidies they received based on their income estimates with the amount they were entitled to according to their actual income reported to the IRS. In 2016, 5.3 million taxpayers had to pay the government because they got too much in tax credits, compared with 2.4 million who got additional money back. But among those who underestimated their incomes and had to pay back some of those tax credits, 62 percent still received a net refund on their taxes. Julie Rovner: , @jrovner Insurance The Health Law Tax Penalties Julie Rovner, Kaiser Health News

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Alexander Mosaic facts for kids The Alexander Mosaic Mosaicist unknown 272 cm × 513 cm (8 ft 11 in × 16 ft 9 in) National Archaeological Museum, Naples The Alexander Mosaic is a Roman floor mosaic from the House of the Faun in Pompeii. It was made in 100 BC. It shows a battle between the armies of Alexander the Great and Darius III of Persia. It measures 2.72 x 5.13m (8 ft 11in x 16 ft 9in). The original is at the Naples National Archaeological Museum. The mosaic is based on a 3rd-century BC Hellenistic painting, by Philoxenos of Eretria. Alexander and Darius Modern copy The mosaic shows a battle between Alexander and Darius. Alexander won the Battle of Issus. Alexander won again two years later at the Battle of Gaugamela. The work shows the Battle of Issus. Detail showing Alexander 1893 Reconstruction of the mosaic depiction. The two main figures are easy to see. Darius has a worried expression on his face. The Persian soldiers have a stern look. The mosaic was found again on October 24, 1831 in Pompeii. It was moved to Naples in September 1843. It is in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale. Modern reconstruction of the Alexander Mosaic. In 2003 the International Center for the Study and Teaching of Mosaic (CISIM) in Ravenna, Italy, wanted to make a copy of the mosaic. The mosaic master Severo Bignami and his eight-person team took a large photograph of the mosaic. It took them 22 months to make a copy of the mosaic. The copy was put in the House of the Faun in 2005. Close up of Alexander. Close up of Darius. Centre detail of the Mosaic. Detail of the Persians on the right side of the Mosaic. Detail of a fallen sword from the bottom right of the Mosaic. Alexander Mosaic Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.

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Seaton, Devon facts for kids Seaton shown within Devon SY239900 Shire county List of places DevonLua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:mw' not found. Seaton (/ˈsitən/) is a small seaside town in East Devon on the south coast of England. It faces onto Lyme Bay, to the west of the mouth of the River Axe with red cliffs to one side and white cliffs on the other. Axmouth and Beer are nearby. A sea wall provides access to the mostly shingle beach stretching for about a mile, and a small harbour. Seaton sits on the 96-mile (155 km) long Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site, more commonly known as the Jurassic Coast. From here it is possible to visit rock strata dating from three geological periods in a 185 million-year 'geological walk through time'. Seaton has an estimated population of 7,385, proven to be 8,413 at the 2011 Census, whilst the Seaton and Beer Urban Area that includes Colyton had an estimated population of 12,815 in 2012. The Seaton electoral ward had a population of 7,096 at the above census. Twin town A farming community existed here 4,000 years before the Romans arrived and there were Iron Age forts in the vicinity at Seaton Down, Hawkesdown Hill, Blackbury Camp and Berry Camp. During Roman times this was an important port although the town's Roman remains have been reburied to preserve them. In Saxon times Seaton was known as Fluta or Fleet, the Saxon word for creek. The town of Fleet was founded by Saxon Charter in 1005 AD. The first mention of Seaton was in a papal bull by Pope Eugenius in 1146. Seaton was an important port for several centuries, supplying ships and sailors for Edward I's wars against Scotland and France. In the 14th century heavy storms caused a landslip which partially blocked the estuary, and the shingle bank started to build up. In 1868 the arrival of the railway reduced the use of the harbour. In November 2013 builder Laurence Egerton, a metal detector enthusiast, unearthed the Seaton Down Hoard of copper-alloy coins. The hoard, of about 22,000 Roman coins, is believed to be one of the largest and best-preserved 4th-century collections ever found in Britain. A team of archaeologists carefully removed and cleaned the coins over the next 10 months. Seaton was served by a branch line, opened in 1886, from Seaton Junction on the Salisbury to Exeter main line. The railway was successful and considerably assisted in the development of Seaton as a holiday destination. Seaton and Beer became the two most popular holiday destinations in East Devon. A Warners holiday camp opened in 1935 close to the station, encouraged by the ease of travel. With the increase in car ownership in the 1960s, usage of the line declined, and with many other Devon branch lines, it closed in 1966. The nearest railway station now is at Axminster, seven miles away. Part of the trackbed has been used to construct the Seaton Tramway to Colyton, a tourist attraction. The sea front In the 19th century Seaton developed as a holiday resort, which it remains to this day. Seaton lost its largest holiday camp at the beginning of 2009 when the site was purchased by Tesco who opened a major supermarket on the site in late 2011. However, Seaton still has many accommodation providers including guest houses, hotels, a camping site and a caravan park. The church on the edge of town was built in the 14th century, with a squat tower dating from the 15th century. Seaton is also notable for having one of the world's first concrete bridges, built over the River Axe in 1877, by the Seaton and Beer Railway company. This is one of the earliest concrete bridges in Britain. Many of the town buildings are Victorian, including a notable collection of large houses at Seaton Hole, but the town also has notable buildings from the 1930s and later periods, as recognised by the Seaton Town Design Statement (2009). There are 3,300 homes in the parish, of which approximately one third are of single-person occupancy. The majority of those persons are of pensionable age. Politically, Seaton is a civil parish and town, in the district of East Devon. The area to the east of the retail area to the River Axe (mainly floodplain) has been the subject of a regeneration plan formulated in 2003 and approved in detail in 2009, despite local opposition. As of early 2011, the level of the site has been raised above flood level using a million tons of sand brought in by sea. A large supermarket and filling station have been built on one half of this site: the other half is to be offered for residential development. A Jurrasic Coast Discovery Centre has also been erected nearby, being completed in 2016. A further residential development is planned along the riverside. As befits a 'gateway town' to the world heritage site, the coastal cliffs either side of Seaton have long been of interest to geologists. To the East are the characteristically red-coloured cliffs of Triassic age rocks assigned to the Branscombe Mudstone Formation, capped by younger rocks (Cretaceous) of the Upper Greensand Formation and finally by chalk. The Seaton Fault, which is visible at Seaton Hole at the western end of the beach, is responsible for the presence of significant chalk cliffs extending to Beer Head. In common with much of this coast the cliffs in this area are prone to landslip and collapse, such movement restricting coastal development and presenting a hazard to those walking the coast. The area around Seaton is rich in wildlife. The agricultural landscape supports areas of ancient woodland (often with displays of bluebells), important networks of hedges, unimproved grassland and springline mires. Around Beer there are remnants of flower-rich chalk grassland, a rare habitat in Devon. The Axe Estuary, with its areas of grazing marsh, and the River Axe itself, are of international importance for their aquatic communities. To the east lies the Axmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliffs National Nature Reserve. This large area of coastal landslides and cliffs supports important woodland and grassland habitats and is of considerable significance for its geology, as witnessed by its inclusion in the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. Otters are present on the River Axe, and at the end of 2009 are being seen regularly on Seaton marshes/Colyford Common. Dormice are present throughout the area. To the west, near Beer, are man-made caves of importance for a diversity of hibernating bats, including the very rare Bechstein's bat. The Axe Estuary and its marshes are important for wintering wildfowl and waders, such as Eurasian curlew and common redshank, while in the summer butterflies and dragonflies abound. The bird-watching and wildlife areas of the Axe Vale have been enhanced by the establishment of the Seaton Marshes Local Nature Reserve, work to establish it was carried out by the Axe Vale and District Conservation Society. In 2007, an Audouin's gull was seen here - the fourth British record of this bird. The Seaton Tramway takes visitors across country to Colyford and Colyton. It runs alongside the estuary giving views of the nature reserve on one side and the estuary wildlife on the other. At Beer, about two miles west of Seaton, is the Beer Heights Light Railway; along with numerous model railways this is part of Pecorama, a tourist attraction provided by the model railway manufacturer Peco. On 26 March 2016 the Seaton Jurassic visitor centre opened in the town which tells the story of the Jurassic Coast. Seaton has been twinned with the French town of Thury-Harcourt in Normandy since 1982. Seaton, Devon Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.

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" Children And Materials Bernie Wohl & Morris Eisenstein At Summer Camp " David Orr's Environment, Education & Democracy One answer is that we were not paying attention when we might have helped to move our politics in a better direction. While we were writing brilliant articles and books, they were taking over school boards and city councils. While we were holding great conferences in beautiful places, they were taking over state legislatures and governor's offices. While we were doing science, they were doing politics taking over Congress, the Senate, the court system, and learning the arts of manipulation by television, radio, internet, and social media. While we were growing school gardens and talking about exciting possibilities for renewable energy and ecological agriculture, they were steadily forcing our politics to the right and taking over the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Eisenhower. While we were getting in touch with our inner selves, they were staffing up on K Street. While we were trying to make peace with capitalism, they were at Davos advancing the cause of neoliberalism and working to make the rich much richer and the poor that much poorer. While we were trying to be bi-partisan, they were doing zero-sum politics, that is to say heads they win tales we lose. While we were most often right about the issues, they were taking power. While we were trying to be reasonable, they were cultivating and exploiting resentment. While we were reading Aldo Leopold and Rachel Carson, they were marinating in the bizarre philosophy of Ayn Rand. And, perhaps most important, while we were doing our eco-thing, Richmond attorney and future Supreme Court Justice, Lewis Powell was drafting the memo to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (1971) that became the battle plan for a massive corporate counter attack against environmentalism and progressive movements. In the fevered politics of those turbulent years, his memo sparked the creation the organizations charged with legitimizing and justifying the politics of a new era of Robber Barons. Who are they? Whatever else they may be, they are not conservatives in the mold of Edmund Burke or Richard Weaver or even Barry Goldwater. Many are descendants of the far-right of American politics with roots in the South with its long history of opposition to the Federal government as a countervailing force to racial discrimination and unbridled corporate power. Their agenda includes a hodge-podge of ideas such as "getting government off our backs" (but leaving predatory corporations there), ending Social Security, further enlarging the military, terminating a woman's right to choose, eliminating environmental protections, defunding social programs, ending restrictions on gun ownership, freedom from public obligations, and always more tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy. In other words, they don't like government regulations, taxes, uppity women, assertive minorities, national forests, public parks, the Postal Service, science, a fact-checking, investigative media, controls on gun ownership, and, of course, "liberals." They include neo-Nazis, white supremacists, internet trolls, tea-partiers, climate change deniers, extreme evangelicals, FOX news true believers, Limbaugh "ditto-heads," Ayn Rand libertarians, free market ideologues, and some well-heeled people who really ought to know better. Disproportionately, they're angry white guys and their enablers who are aren't as angry but are adept opportunists who know how to make money from those who are. They are well-armed, noisy, and increasingly well-organized. They are inclined to the kind of self-righteousness that justifies means by the unquestioned self-anointed holiness of the ends. They now control what remains of the Republican Party that once stood for the kind of conservatism that included a commitment to fiscal integrity, personal probity, a regard for facts, public decency, balanced budgets, common sense, and the kind of patriotism that could cost you something. Donald Trump gave voice to their inchoate rage and created a world-class model of a kakistocracy, an ancient Greek word that means government run by the worst, least qualified, and most unscrupulous. They are a minority but an intense, highly organized, and well-funded minority and sometimes that is all it takes to cause political havoc. The political immune system necessary to counter ignorance, fanaticism, gullibility, fear, misogyny, racism, and violence, begins early on in classrooms where the young learn the basics tenants of democracy: honesty, fairness, empathy, non-violence, and collaboration. None of this comes easily or naturally. The young must be educated to be citizens of a democracy and to know the costs of careless and indifferent citizenship. They must learn to see themselves as citizens of the community of life as well. As citizens of a democracy, they must understand the intimate relationship between democracy, human rights, dignity, justice, peace, and the human prospect and so must become knowledgeable about history, politics, the law and the workings of government. As citizens in the ecological community, they must understand ecology, natural cycles, and the web of life. As citizens of human communities they must be learn to value of the wider community and the common good. In other words, they must learn the intimate and reciprocal relationship between politics and our ecological prospects. "The point is that environmental education has been predominantly about everything but the politics that got us into our predicament and might yet be the path out of it. Our environmental education in particular has mostly excluded civics and the role of politics and governance in our predicament. Often we did so to avoid controversy and the charge of partisan bias. In doing so we were in effect supporting the status quo and the forces that prefer a passive and ecologically illiterate public; consumers not citizens. Alas, there is no way to be apolitical or non-political. In Dietrich Bonhoeffer's words, there is no such thing as "cheap grace."

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JC students win Diamond Entrepreneur Challenge semi-finals Seniors Sunny Lu and William Du traveled to Wilmington, Delaware, to compete in the semi-final round of the Diamond Challenge for High School Entrepreneurs against 11 other high school teams. The result was a first place finish as 6 judges selected their business plan and investment presentation over the other teams. The Diamond Challenge is in its second year and is supported by the Horn School of Entrepreneurship at the University of Delaware and Delaware Technical and Community College. These students as well as others competed throughout the State of Delaware over the last two weeks in semi-final competitions to qualify for the finals at the University of Delaware on April 28, 2014, for a first prize of $25,000 to start their new business. The John Carroll students impressed the judges in three important areas: the feasibility of their Business Model, a well- constructed written business plan and a compelling presentation in front of serial entrepreneur investors. William Du and Sunny Lu are international students from China who came to John Carroll two years ago. Their goal was to experience all aspects of the high school program at John Carroll, and to strengthen their academic position to enter U.S. colleges after graduating. Du has also kept an eye on business opportunities along the journey. His Entrepreneur Coach Larry Dukes states, "William approached me about the Diamond Challenge through his senior project advisor Mrs. Louise Geczy. He had several solid ideas that seemed viable and he had done extensive research to make his case. After reviewing several we settled on the current business plan because both students had lived the experience." Their company, Love Delivery, LLC, was conceived. At the center of the students' business model is the delivery of personal items and gift packages from home to international students studying in the U.S. "Sunny Lu is my perfect business partner. She complements my thinking regarding the profitability by creating an emotional appeal. Mrs. Geczy and Sunny came up with the company name. Sunny understands exactly what the Chinese students in the U.S. and their families appreciate. She constructed a great set of gift packages and the components of a website to order them. We also allow the families to see the delivery video," commented Du. The judges approved and awarded Love Delivery the highest scores of the competition. While several colleges offer gift packages to students during exams, for birthdays and for other special occasions, none cater to the ever-growing international population. Elated with the accomplishment of her students, John Carroll Principal Madelyn Ball commented, "This is what our international program is all about - our students learn about each other, understand how the world can be a better place and build solutions to make a difference. William and Sunny are examples of what it means to grow in several ways in line with our mission statement. We are proud of their success in this round and are confident that they will find success in their business."

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When & How to Use APA Citation I. What is APA Citation? A citation is a quotation or an explicit reference to a source of information. When writing a paper of any kind, it is vital that you cite your sources accurately. The APA is the American Psychological Association. Over time, they have developed a generally accepted style of writing papers and citing sources used throughout the scientific and social scientific worlds. An APA Citation is a citation written in this style. II. Examples of APA Citation There are many manuals that detail how to use the APA Citation style. I have used one of these in researching this article. It is titled A Writer's Reference by Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers. If I were to cite that book using the APA Citation method, it would look like this: Hacker, D., & Sommers, N. (2011). A Writer's Reference (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's. I have also used an online tutorial to learn more about using this citation format. Much of the information shared here is a summary of the information within this tutorial. Here is the reference to that tutorial in APA Citation format: APA Format. (n.d.). APA Book Citation. Retrieved July 12, 2015, from III. Types of APA Citation APA Citations are used mainly for publishing research in the social and behavioral sciences. These fields include the social sciences, such as psychology, linguistics, sociology, economics and criminology, as well as fields such as business and nursing. This style of citation can be used for many different publications, such as: theoretical articles methodological articles and case studies (American Psychological Association, 2015) IV. The Importance of using APA Citation APA (American Psychological Association) style and citations were developed by social and behavioral scientists in order to set a standard for scientific writing. When informative papers are formatted in a standard way, it allows readers to focus on ideas and research without being distracted by unfamiliar formatting and stylistic choices. It creates a system of publishing which is efficient in distributing ideas because less time is spend locating and navigating information. Familiar structure sets up easy and efficient searching and reading. On a different, note, information and ideas are precious. To steal them is as serious a crime as stealing a car or anything else. The name for stealing someone else's ideas is "plagiarism" and it carries heavy penalties in the academic world. When you show the progression and development of your ideas through quotation and citation, you increase your reliability and credibility as an author and researcher. If your readers are able to trace and confirm where your ideas came from, they will be able to trust you and your work and then build upon it themselves. V. APA Citation in Literature APA Citation format is usually used for scientific writing. If you are writing or reading papers about literature, you will most likely use the MLA format (Modern Language Association), or the CMS format (Chicago Manual of Style). VI. APA Citation in Popular Culture Researchers come from all countries and cultures and speak all languages. Therefore, there is an incredible amount of information available in the world today, and just as much research about people, their behaviors, and society. Thankfully, there is also an incredible number or organizations attempting to keep all of that information in order and accessible. By developing a standard of style of documentation, the APA has made scientific writing simpler, easily accessible, and understandable by anyone, whether they are doing research in order to build on it, or just wanting to learn. By standardizing the way research is reported and distributed, the APA has made it easier for researchers to make their work available. VII. Related Terms MLA Citation: citations written in the style standardized by the Modern Language Association. This style is used in the humanities fields, such as literature and language arts. You can learn more about this style from their website: . You can also use a tool to help you create the citation such as: CMS Citation: citations written in the style standardized by the Chicago Manual of Style. CMS style is also used in the humanities, but more commonly in the historical fields. You can learn more about this style from their website: There are many other citations styles, each specific to its own field of research and study. APA, MLA and CMS are the three most commonly used in schools and universities.

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When & How to Write a Thesis How to Write a Thesis In order to write a thesis statement, it is important to be aware of the essay's main goal and of the details which support that goal. Think of an argument. Support the argument with main points. Create a sentence which introduces the argument and its supporting points. For example, imagine you are writing an anti-smoking essay. Smoking is bad for you and you should not do it. Supporting Details Smoking causes health problems like cancer and emphysema. It also harms people other than the smoker through secondhand smoke. Because smoking causes harm to both the smoker and others, it should be avoided. In this thesis statement, the writer clearly states the argument of the paper and its focus: harm caused to the smoker and people around the smoker. For a second example, consider an essay about J.D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye. The Catcher in the Rye examines a main theme of isolation. Holden isolates himself by calling others phonies. Holden feels lonely and sad due to isolation. Holden feels isolated because he is not a child but he is not an adult. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger examines isolation through Holden's distrust of others, depression and loneliness, and a difficult stage of life. In this example, the main theme of the novel is clearly expressed with numerous supporting points to be examined more in-depth throughout the essay. When to Use a Thesis Thesis statements can be used in formal essays, research papers, nonfiction pieces, narratives, and even pieces of fiction. Oftentimes, documentaries argue a main point in film similar to a thesis in writing. Thesis statements should be expressed early on in the composition, most often in the first paragraph, the introduction paragraph. Because thesis statements are very formal, they will not be found in creative writing such as short stories, poems, and songs.

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Major rebrand for popular venue, The Derby Conference Centre Added by Love Business East Midlands | 28 June 2019 The Derby Conference Centre is a stunning Grade II-listed building based in a central location in Derby. Due to unprecedented business growth and a desire to diversify, the centre has recently undergone a complete rebrand, incorporating a new website and logo, focusing on the initials DCC. Whilst the centre will maintain the name 'The Derby Conference Centre', the owners have made a conscious decision to make its logo more generic, moving the emphasis away from the term 'Conference Centre'. The striking new logo is simple, but effective, and works as part of the overall rebrand, which also incorporates a pallet of 6 modern colours. These colours represent their '6 core services'; Hotels, Meetings, Events, Weddings, Offices & Conferences. By using the initials 'DCC', the venue was able to cleverly introduce the use of an '@DCC' when referring to these services. For example Hotel has become [email protected] , Weddings are [email protected] and Events are [email protected] etc. Historically recognised as being mainly a conference centre, the venues rebrand now brings to the fore all the other services the centre has to offer. The rebrand comes 12 years after a successful relaunch in 2007, with the aim of creating a venue that will appeal to a wider audience. For more than a decade the already versatile venue has welcomed in business and leisure users by providing a hotel, conference rooms and hosting events. But more recently they have added to their portfolio with wedding facilities, a monthly comedy club and regular organised themed evenings. The new brand now reflects the flexibility and diversity of the centre. The Derby Conference Centre were eager to use the expertise of external agencies to bring to life the rebrand. Using their existing marketing agency, 'Mocha Marketing' along with specialist branding agency 'Think Plus Ink' the teams were able to put their heads together and deliver on the centre's brief. The vision was to create a modern brand which could work as an umbrella to all the different services the venue has to offer whilst keeping a subtle nod to the centre's history. When asked about the rebrand and why they are doing it now, Matthew Hutchings, the Managing Director said 'I am delighted with the result of this rebrand and the new website. We wanted something that would bring an equal emphasis to all of our services, that was modern and future proof. We feel our new brand does all of these things and we couldn't be happier. The rebrand is just the start, throughout 2019 we are upgrading our facilities, to include a new restaurant, new meeting rooms and new décor and furniture. We have an amazing team, that really understand the vision and commitment we are bringing to Derby. We are one venue but so much more than just a conference centre.' To find out more on The Derby Conference Centre and what is has to offer you, visit their new website at: /thederbyconferencecentre.com You can also get in touch via email at: [email protected] or call them on 01332 861842.

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Kira Thurman Emeritus / Emerita Faculty Current Grad Students Undergraduate Peer Mentors Assistant Professor of German Assistant Professor of History Faculty; Graduate Faculty PhD, History, University of Rochester (2013) ON LEAVE, 2019-2020 Kira Thurman is an assistant professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures and History at the University of Michigan. A classically-trained pianist who grew up in Vienna, Austria, Thurman earned her PhD in history from the University of Rochester in 2013 with a minor field in musicology from the Eastman School of Music. Her research, which has appeared in German Studies Review, Journal of the American Musicological Society (JAMS), Opera Quarterly, and Journal of World History, focuses on two topics that occasionally converge: the relationship between music and German national identity, and Central Europe's historical and contemporary relationship with the black diaspora. She is the recipient of many awards and fellowships, including a Fulbright fellowship to Germany and the Berlin Prize from the American Academy of Berlin (Fall 2017). Her article, "Black Venus, White Bayreuth: Race, Sexuality, and the De-Politicization of Wagner" won the German Studies Association's prize for best paper by a graduate student in 2011 and the DAAD prize for best article on German history in 2014. She is currently writing her first book, which is called Singing Like Germans: Black Musicians in the Land of Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. She teaches courses on a wide variety of subjects, including Music and German National Identity; Germany and the Black Diaspora; Global Cultural Encounters Since 1800; and Performing Race, Gender, Nation (grad seminar). A newcomer to the digital humanities, she has become interested in applying geo-spatial technologies and data visualization tools to history and musicology, and has taken on two different digital history projects as a result: the first visualizes black biographies in Central European spaces, and the second maps the German musical diaspora around the world. Fields of Study: Modern Central Europe Music and Sound Studies Nationalism and racism Transatlanticism and transnationalism U-M Affiliation: History Award(s): American Academy in Berlin Fulbright Program German Academic Exchange Program (DAAD) Dietrich Botstiber Foundation Austrian-American Studies The National Humanities Center Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin IFK Wien German Historical Institute, Washington, DC. Black Central Europe AAS 358-008 Topics in Black World Studies HISTORY 208-001 Topics in History Singing the Civilizing Mission in the Land of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms: The Fisk Jubilee Singers in Nineteenth-Century Germany Journal of World History (Special Issue: "Preaching the Civilizing Mission"), Volume 27, No. 3 (Fall 2016). The German Lied and the Songs of Black Volk Invited Contributor "Colloquy: Studying the Lied: Hermeneutic Traditions and the Challenges of Performance" in Journal of the American Musicological Society, Vol. 67, No. 2 (August 2014). Black Venus, White Bayreuth: Race, Sexuality, and the De-Politicization of Wagner in Postwar West Germany German Studies Review, Vol. 35, No. 3 (October 2012). Wagnerian Dreams, Grandiose Visions: Lawrence Freeman's Opera, Voodoo, at the Miller Theater at Columbia University Review Essay Opera Quarterly, Volume 32, No. 2 (Fall 2016). 'Black Germany: The Making and Unmaking of a Diaspora Community, 1884-1960,' by Robbie Aitken and Eve Rosenhaft H-German (Spring 2016). 'Germany and the Black Diaspora: Points of Contact, 1250-1914,' edited by Mischa Honeck, Martin Klimke, and Anne Kuhlmann Canadian Journal of History, Volume 50, No. 2 (August 2015).

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Uganda, Lake Bunyoni and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Posted on September 30, 2016 by vmartin555 So we got our Gorilla permits sorted, but we still had a bit of time to kill, so after Queen Elizabeth NP, we decided to head for Lake Bunyoni in the South of the country and chill out for a bit. On the climb out from QENP we past the stunning series of Crater lakes that are at the top of the hills here. Some appear to be just normal lakes that come right up to the road side, whereas others have very steep sides, and the water's a long way down, but all are crystal clear and beautiful in the early morning low light. This was the start of the tea growing area for Uganda, and it was strange to see both large scale growing of tea, and also small scale (tiny plots owned by individual families), they sell the tea to large factories. At the town of Kabale, we turned off onto the dirt track that takes you up over the mountain and then back down to Lake Bunyoni, this is quite steep in places, but it was dry and we had decent grip. Then after about 10 km we drove through the small village and into the camp at the lake side. This really is a beautiful place, and is quite popular as a stop over for the overland tour trucks (each with up to 25 guests on board). With this in mind, we managed to drive right down to the lake shore, and parked up (not particularly level, but definitely in the best spot), less that two metres from the water. Lake Bunyoni was formed when a volcano erupted and the lava flow blocked the end of the valley, and this is the highest lake in Uganda at 6,500 feet above sea level. It has a lot of history surrounding the place, from both colonial times, and before, some quite dark too! But today the lake is used mostly by local people for getting around, as the banks all round the lake are very steep and the water is the easier way round. There is a market every Monday and Friday, and on these days the dugout canoes are packed with either goods or people or both, some have tiny outboard motors but most just use a paddle. Obviously we visited the market, and of course it was mayhem! But we managed to get some fresh fruit and veg, but as usual the vast majority of items sold at the market were old second hand European clothes. Piles and piles of clothes. This has been the same in most Sub-Saharan African countries, bundles of clothes opened up on the ground and sold on, nice and cheaply. This is most definitely the rainy season in Southern Uganda, and virtually every day we have seen rain. Usually it doesn't rain until late in the day, and it involves massive violent thunderstorms, with torrential rain, so we tried to time it with a walk to the bar! But most of the time we just chilled out and read lots of books (well Kindle), caught up with jobs on Colonel K, and did all our washing. A very relaxing place, and we ended up staying here for eight nights. The staff were very friendly and the locals, as else where in Uganda were extremely welcoming. We decided one day to take a tour of the lake for a few hours, the lake was as flat as a mill pond, and it was a really nice morning. We were taken around the various Islands on the lake, including one Island that has not only a school, but also a hospital. Then there was Leper Island that was used to deposit anyone with Leprosy on it in years gone by. But the "highlight" of every boat trip here is a circle around "Punishment Island". This tiny island (shown in the background on the photo below), was where unmarried women or girls were taken if they fell pregnant, they were dropped off here with no food, and left to die. If there was a possibility that they might be able to swim to the shore or another island, they were taken up the hill and thrown off the top of a water fall. Jac asked our guide "if this is what happened to the girls, then what happens to the bloke that made the girl pregnant?", to this he stuttered a bit, and then replied "we don't do this to the girls anymore", I don't think Jac was satisfied with the answer! Lake Bunyoni is a great place to sit and watch the wildlife and every single day we were there we watched the otters, driving down and swimming around, but they are a nightmare to photograph. There are also lots of birdlife including, Sunbirds, Kingfishers, Ibis's, and Crowned Cranes. Our Gorilla Permits were for Wednesday, so we decided to leave Bunyoni on Monday morning, just in case we had a problem (the two permits cost us $1,200 so didn't want to miss the date). So after negotiating the steep hill again we drove into the nearby town of Kabale to fill Colonel K up, and try to seek out a "supermarket" to stock up with a few items. If you are wondering what a Ugandan "supermarket" is like, this is a photo of the main one in Kabale, it is Jac shopping at "Good times Supermarket" in the main street (smaller than most corner shops in England) Whilst I was sitting in the truck waiting for Jac to come back from the "Good times", I was watching the security at the Bank opposite, and couldn't resist taking these photos. I especially love the one with the woman guard, that looks very alert with her rifle across her lap, and the guy with the AK47 sharing a funny video on his phone with her. Every bank, however large or small in Africa has at least one armed guard, even if they are closed. You get used to these things and don't think anything of it after a while. When we booked our Gorilla Permits we decided the best place in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for us to see them would be at the most northerly place which is Buhoma. We did this for two reasons, firstly we knew that we could camp at the Community Camp and it was right next to the meeting point at the start of the tracking, and secondly we thought we would be coming into Bwindi from the North. Instead as we were coming from Lake Bunyoni, we found that we were coming from the south east of the forest. This meant that we had to drive the full length of the rain forest and up and over the various mountains, but on a plus point we had heard that the road had been upgraded. In Uganda (or indeed anywhere in Africa) 'upgraded' could mean anything, but we were hoping that it might mean that it had been tarmac'ed. Only one way to find out I guess. After turning off of the main tarmac road, and following our Tracks4Africa software, we followed a very small track that was getting smaller all the time. It was then that Jac realised that our paper maps were in the back, so on the edge of a small village we stopped so Jac could retrieve the maps. It was here we had a stroke of luck, Jac started talking to a young guy that spoke very broken English and explained that much further up the track a bridge had been washed away and it was completely impassable. If we hadn't of stopped there we would have carried on all the way to the collapsed bridge and that would have been the day gone! We had to drive on for another few kilometres before we could find a place to turn the truck around. Back at the tarmac road, we had a quick look at the map and saw that there was another track that went in the direction that we wanted about 15km further along. When we got to the turning there was actually a UWA signpost showing Buhoma off that way, so this was looking good, perhaps this was the upgraded route after all. Well it wasn't tarmac but it was a quite a good dirt track so far, though Buhoma was 80km up this track. For the first 15km everything was going swimmingly, then we hit Ugandan roadworks. There was a massive digger in the middle of the track and it was scooping out large amounts of dirt and rock right across from one side to the other to put in an underground culvert to take away the rain water. It was also digging away the bank on the right hand side, this was peoples access to their houses on the top, and check out the woman and the child standing on the mud bank as he is still digging. A guy came over to us and said that the road will be closed for about 40 minutes (I knew it was going to be longer, but we had to wait it out), so we switched Colonel K off, and settled down to watch as people walked around the digger as it was swinging around, climbing down in the ditch it was digging, and then climbing out the other side, just so they could carry on their daily lives. No health and safety here! As usual within minutes we were surrounded by local kids, and many of these kids had never met a 'mazungu' (white man) before, and a few of them were petrified of us (well me anyway). But it wasn't long before these lovely kids started to get more used to us, and Jac was dancing with them and of course they all got a toy each (as donated by my great nephews and nieces back home). As you can see these kids are very poor, and many tourists visiting Uganda don't see children like these from very rural areas, they have very little. This really struck home when we had to show them how to actually play with these toys, whether its a car, or a plane, or a doll. We ended up with fourteen of these kids with us and they all had a little toy each, and we had some good fun with them, you soon see which ones are the cheeky ones, or the 'cool' ones etc, these kids are no different from those at home. Two hours later, we were told we could carry on!!!! This is a stunning landscape and we were very quickly into the rain forest, yes it was steep (needing the low range gears for the whole time), but it was still dry and so quite grippy on the dirt track. Then just after entering the National Park the heavens opened and it started pouring down! Let me tell you, dirt tracks are a different thing altogether in the pouring rain, and it was very slow going, (10 tonnes is not easy to slow down on a muddy surface) we eventually got to Buhoma late in the afternoon, and parked in the very small Community Camp car park. It was a long day and we decided to eat in their small "restaurant" that evening. But sitting there having a cheeky beer we realised that we were in a very special place indeed. This was our view from our drinking hole, overlooking the vast rainforest in front of us, with the mist rising and blowing gently away, "gorillas in the mist"? As we still had another day before our long awaiting tracking experience, we decided to go on a 3 hour 'village walk' with a guide, this seemed a really touristy thing to do and usually we don't do this sort of thing, but all the money ($25 each) goes into the community in Buhoma, and it looked quite interesting. The walk turned out to be a fantastic and quite a personal experience, we saw how the tea and coffee was picked and told how it was sold to quite large factories back down in the valley . A truck comes up every day and takes each persons tea from their own tiny plantation. Then we walked past a couple of guys that were hand carving wooden gorillas with nothing more that a machete, mallet and a chisel. This was way out in a field, then they sell them to the shops in the village. The walk through these fields was stunning, everywhere is so lush and green. Next we visited the village healer, who uses natural remedies, he was a real character, and he also works in collaboration with the local hospital.Taking his patients there if they do not improve. He explained the "Dosing" marks on his containers and showed us how he rolls up banana leaves to get medicine into a child's mouth and in a very animated way how he uses this method for ears, nose and bottoms ! He didn't speak any English, so our guide translated, but you really got the idea, especially when he was explaining his remedies for constipation and diarrhoea. "Morgan Freeman?" But the thing that made me laugh was the posters that he had up in his "consulting room", "Black Blood takes over", "Barak Obama with Africa's Strong Presidents" and in true Ugandan style "Arsenal FC". Then we went to the local banana brewing site, where we tried the local Banana Gin, YUCK!!!!, but it was interesting. Samuel our guide then took us to the local school, which was perhaps for us the best part of the day. This school has 600 pupils, in eight classes, with the lowest classes having well over 100 pupils in a class. The children in Uganda have to pass an examination before they can proceed to the next classroom level, so you could have a wide range of ages in each class, it's dependant on that pupils ability to pass an exam. One of the teachers came out to meet us and took us into a few of the classrooms, which the children found highly amusing, especially when the "muzungu" decided to sit on their desks with them. We were then taken into another classroom where the kids cleared the desks away and then started singing and dancing for us, I noticed that Jac had a tear in her eye, as these two stupid white people were treated to an extraordinary show of perfect singing and super high energy dancing, the kids really genuinely seemed to enjoy themselves. Then we were taken to see the head master's office (last time I was taken to the head master I was given the cane!), but first we were shown the school library, this is the sum total of text books for all 600 pupils. We spent about 20 minutes in with the Head who was passionate about improving the education of these children, but he also explained that there was still pressure from many families for their children to withdraw from education altogether, many many children in Buhoma don't go to school at all. There are at least 3 schools in Buhoma, so this give an indication of the number of children just in this village and the surrounding areas. Next Samuel took us to the local Batwa Community, these are a tribe of Pygmy's that have been removed from the rain forest in part to protect the Mountain Gorilla's there. I'm still not sure what I feel about these people having their way of life taken from them, and being placed in a "normal" rural community.Samuel our guide explained that they were actually happy, as they now had houses to live in, easier access to food and shelter, but they may all not feel the same way. It was interesting to see them but we both felt quite awkward. It was a great day, with lots of walking and a torrential down pour, and there was also lots of different feelings felt, depending on where we were and with whom. The weird thing about the day was, that we had a guy called Edward follow us around all day with a Kalashnikov machine gun, in the brewery, with the Pygmy's, even at the school! We have always felt very safe and secure walking around in Uganda (even in Kampala), and when we asked Samuel why we had an armed guard, he just said it was to stop the kids from pestering us! Blimey, even I don't think kids are that bad! Later when we got back to the community camp I noticed a discrete stone memorial plate on a wall of one of the buildings, with the names of 6 young people on it that lost their lives on that spot in 1991 (4 English, and 2 from New Zealand). When I asked what happened we were told that some armed guys came across from the DRC (Congo), and robbed and shot the campers, then fled. Perhaps thats why we had an armed escort. Tomorrow we go Mountain Gorilla Tracking. Category: Uncategorized Tags: Bumoho, Bwindi, Lake Bunyoni, Leyland Daf, T244, Uganda ← Uganda, north to south Uganda, Mountain Gorilla Tracking →

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The Lexington Episcopalian Articles linked to the website of Grace Episcopal Church (formerly R.E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church) Farewell Sermon Delivered All Saints Sunday, November 5, 2017, by the Rev. Tom Crittenden, rector of Grace Episcopal Church. At the end, the sermon and Tom were given a prolonged, emotional standing ovation. Farewell sermons are hard, even in the best of circumstances. Much has been accomplished over my ten years at Grace Episcopal Church... and much still needs to be done. At the heart of what needs to be done is healing and reconciliation, a healing and reconciliation that will truly transform this parish, bringing it together for God's mission going forward. I pray that you will continue to implement the Discovery and Discernment Committee's recommendations, all of them. Last April, the Vestry "tabled" some of the recommendations. People of God, we don't, we can't table the work of the Holy Spirit! My experience here motivated me to strengthen myself in areas I thought I was adequate. This has been and will continue to be a good thing for my ministry. I pray you will so utilize and benefit from your experience here in this family of saints the last few years, especially as embodied by the Discovery and Discernment Committee's recommendations, ever growing in the wisdom of and strength from the Holy Spirit. Father Tom Crittenden, helping flood victims in W. Va., 2016 Since announcing my resignation, I've received comments, calls, notes, emails, even visits from fellow pastors and people of other churches in town praising our church and me for our participation and leadership in this community. Ecumenical services, gatherings, and programs have increased and flourished over my ten years here, and this congregation has been at the heart of this abundant ecumenism, this Spirit-filled collaboration of the saints in Lexington. We like to call Sharon Massie, your Program Director, Lexington's Ecumenical Officer! I pray that this will continue. A significant impact of this church on this community is our historic facilities. The beauty of our church and grounds - renovated, restored, and greatly enhance during my rectorship - inspires and ministers to not only us church members but countless students and other citizens and their families, community organizations, and a constant flow of tourists (who will no longer be poking their heads into the church office to ask where Lee is buried.) I pray that you will continue your faithful stewardship of this place and, in particular, carry out the renovation of the undercroft for the enhancement of our music program and the provision of dedicated space for our substantial ministry of hospitality to community organizations and ministries. When I arrived ten years ago, I was impressed by the compassion shown to fellow parishioners, a compassion tapped into and expanded through our ACTS pastoral care teams - kudos again to your Program Director. But I have also experienced an alarming degree of partisanship around issues faced by this congregation, partisanship that in too many of the saints became deeply divisive and destructive to our unity and ministry in Christ. Jesus is absolutely clear in John chapters 13 and 15 - we are to love one another. This does not mean that we have to always agree with one another but it does mean that we always seek and serve Christ in the other; that we always respect the made-in-God's-image dignity of the other; that we prayerfully listen to one another and, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, discern God's will, God's plan, God's purpose in whatever issues we face. God has called each of us into this fellowship of believers, this specific communion of saints. You are called to be here. The friend next to you in the pew with whom you agree is called to be here. The parishioner kneeling with you at the altar with whom you disagree is called to be here. Jesus' commandment that we love one another is not selective, much less optional. Faith, hope and love abide. But the greatest of these is love. I pray that you aspire ever to obey Jesus' commandment and out-do one another in your love for one another. I've been referring to you as saints because that is what you are, saints of God. The New Testament calls all believers saints. The Greek word we translate saint is hagios, which literally means "set apart." For what, or I should say, for whom are we set apart? For God and for God's kingdom work. How are we set apart? - by baptism through faith in Jesus Christ. We are made saints at our baptism, set apart for God, becoming members of this glorious communion of saints that we celebrate today - the company of baptized encompassing us gathered here, fellow Christians throughout Lexington, Virginia, the Nation, throughout the world and a glorious communion encompassing all the baptized who have come before, who now worship before the very throne of God in Heaven. This morning at 8:00 we added two saints to this glorious communion, Colin and Jasper Murphy. We set them apart for God. And great was the celebration in Heaven when they were baptized! What is this kingdom work for which we are set apart? Jesus commissions us to go make disciples, loving God and neighbor, and evidencing to the world that we are set apart. How do we evidence that we are set apart for God? By our love for one another. This loving one another is what Grace Episcopal Church needs now to focus upon, allowing the Holy Spirit to heal, restore and guide you in the kingdom work God sets before you. I close with two verses from Paul's letter to the church in Philippi: Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about* these things. 9Keep on doing [these things as] you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. And I leave you with this charge, also from Paul: Walk in love as Christ has loved us, a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God. Discovery & Discernment focus groups March 8, 2017, UPDATE. The Vestry held a special meeting Tuesday, March 7, to decide on a negotiated compromise on the final cost and timing of this consultant-guided process. The Vestry voted unanimously to support continuing work by the consultants, even though this will cost up to an additional $4,000 (for a total of $16,000 maximum). Here's the background. Some six weeks ago, the D&D committee completed its first phase, the "Discovery" part. The committee presented an eight-page report to the Vestry and to parishioners summarizing the feelings of all the church members who participated in 13 focus groups led by pairs of D&D members. Organized as themes or answers to eight questions, the report noted many good feelings and some serious problems. On Feb. 20, a letter from the two consultants arrived just minutes before the Vestry meeting, and copies were circulated. Due to "unforeseen issues" that drove up their expenses and the time involved, they wrote, the $12,000 the Vestry had agreed on last April is not enough to complete the process. They said they expected it would take as much as $6,000 more than the original estimate to complete the job. It was supposed to be completed in March, but now they said it looks like it could go as late as May. The Vestry was concerned. That seemed quite a cost overrun - 50 percent. Also, it was hard enough waiting for recommendations until March, and now it might take an additional two months? The Vestry discussed the matter and decided that Keith Gibson, the Vestry member serving on the D&D committee as liaison, should negotiate a less expensive conclusion. He and Anne Hansen (a D&D member now also on the Vestry) arrived at a compromise with the consultants. There would be a work day with the consultants in March and a final recommendation for the Vestry by April 6. That additional charge for the consultants would be as much as $4,000, making the total maximum $16,000 - not $18,000. Driving up the cost and the time was not the consultants' doing, but the result of the seriousness that the D&D committee brought to this endeavor. Anne and Keith underscored that point at the Feb. 20 Vestry meeting. The six D&D members, in addition to the focus group sessions they led, have met almost every other Thursday night for two hours since last June. Apparently, they were more serious and thoughtful than the consultants anticipated. They have held back nothing, but in a covenant of trust they have kept their work confidential and agreed to speak as a group, despite differences of opinion. Anne laughed to say she probably knows the others better than she knows anyone. Keith made a similar point. The committee is to come up with "action items." But more important may be the model they have pioneered - a bond of Christian love that transcends differing opinions. The consultants speak not of conflict "resolution" but conflict "transformation." Dec. 14, 2016, UPDATE. The information-gathering phase is over. The Discovery & Discernment team is now preparing an interim report to be shared with the Vestry at its annual retreat Jan. 13-14. Col. Keith Gibson, the Vestry's liaison on the D&D committee, thanks parishioners for an excellent participation level of approximately 100 adults. The report will be shared with the congregation after the Vestry receives it. Work on recommendations will begin in January, he says, adding this: Please continue to be in prayer for the committee and the process. "Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob; listen to Israel your father." - Gen. 49:2 By Doug Cumming One evening last week, Libby and I escaped the rash noise of this very political October to spend a calming two hours in the new upper room of our Parish House. It was our turn to attend one of the twelve focus group sessions that our Discovery and Discernment Committee has been holding all month. I am on the Vestry that voted unanimously to hire the two consultants who got this ball rolling. I chaired the ad hoc committee that picked the members of the team that came to call itself the Discovery and Discernment Committee. I felt a lot was at stake for our church, and I hoped my expectations weren't too high. I was put at ease from the start of the session, but not just because I was among Christian friends. What accounted for the sweetness of this experience, I wondered. It was not just the setting, although that large new room that has been made over for college ministry has a contemporary simplicity that promises a whole new feeling for ministry at our old church. I think, finally, the secret of the evening's peace was a little object that the D&D facilitator explained with an air of mischief, holding it high. It has magical powers, he said. The person who holds it becomes the only one in the room who can speak. All others are to listen. We laughed, but this was the serious business of the focus groups as described in the letter of Sept. 8 that went out to the whole parish - "open, respectful communication." I remember from the Vestry retreat last winter this game of passing around a Speaker's talisman. The two consultants from Eastern Mennonite Church were there and introduced it to us. At that time, we went around the circle speaking from the heart and being listened to. The magic object then was a lovely slice of polished stone - with no particular meaning. This time it was of similar material, but it was a cross. Having permission to be quiet and listen, and a chance to speak and be heard - what a powerful alternative that is to the uncivil discourse of our Election season, cable TV rants and the way we all talk and talk and talk. I am thankful to the members of the Discovery and Discernment Committee for spending many hours over the summer to bring this process to us now. Members of the committee are Keith Gibson, Anne Hansen, Tammi Hellwig, Greg Lemmer, Ann Nay, and Steve Shultis. If you haven't signed up for a focus group, it's not too late. Phase II Is Underway MARCH 8, 2018 - The renovation of our historic Undercroft is starting now and will last through the summer. The transformation may be temporarily inconvenient, but it's also mighty exciting! Two years ago, it seemed a risky act of faith to begin a capital campaign. Woody Sadler and Tom Gosse working on Undercroft and Capital Campaign plans Now in Phase II of the campaign, we are bringing back to life the space that was once the social center of our 1883 church building. The donations to this phase of the capital campaign are on the way to covering the restoration, scaled back to an estimated cost of no more than $325,000. We haven't reached that goal yet, but if we count on pledges so far and if the momentum continues, we'll have enough. In addition, parish leadership is applying to two foundations for funding, one aimed at making the space available for community-building around the Presiding Bishop's theme of "Pursuing the Blessed Community" and the other as a project of historic Episcopal church preservation. The work will begin Monday, March 12, with a week of asbestos removal. Then demolition will take another three weeks. Construction by Lexington-based Phoenix Construction (Pat Hennis, owner) is expected to last through the summer. The parking lot will be closed for the work. Please leave open the few on-street parking spaces that will be temporarily added for church staff. When the work is finished, the Undercroft and adjoining community room behind the red door will reclaim ground-level space for our choir, altar and flower guilds, and church and community meetings. It will be an attractive, clean, comfortable, and useful place that retains key architectural features that are historically significant. Capital Campaign and Property Committee volunteers are your contacts should you have questions, suggestions, or concerns during the project. We are all looking to the future as we navigate the present with God's guidance and collective patience. Special thanks to John Dickerson, Gordon Woodcock, Steve Shultis, the Altar Guild, the Flower Guild, Sharon Massie and James Keane for their help in relocating and making temporary spaces for everyone affected by the construction. Sunday Tours of Our (Future) Undercroft Please come to one of two "show & tell" tours of the Undercroft on Sunday, Nov. 19, at 9 a.m. and at 12 noon. Architect's rendering, proposed Undercroft The Capital Campaign Committee, led by Senior Warden Woody Sadler and Tom Gosse, will explain the renovations designed to smarten-up the space under the church nave and chancel. The contractor, Patrick Hennis of Phoenix Construction, will be at the 9 a.m. tour to answer questions. BRW Architects of Charlottesville has designed an airy and acoustically balanced area for choir rehearsals and recitals. In addition, the design creates practice rooms, a choir-robing room, handicap-accessible restrooms and inviting space for meetings by community groups. Scaled back from the original design for renovating the Undercroft, the current plan is estimated to cost about $300,000, or possibly up to $320,000 - a reduction of nearly half since it was first unveiled two years ago. Funding the Undercroft renovation is the highest priority of Phase II of the current Capital Campaign, now underway. Phase I raised about $600,000 in pledges, fully covering the costs of the new elevator, the Canterbury Room, and other improvements in the Parish House. We have already raised about $100,000 in donations and pledges for Phase II. We need to raise $200,000 more. Pledges may be spread out over as much as five years. The tours on Nov. 19, one after each of the two Sunday services, will incorporate our usual Coffee Hour and include special food. The contractor and Capital Campaign Committee will answer questions about the redesign and its financing. 'Stewardship is our life's work' The lay sermon of Anne Hansen, Oct. 15 Good morning! It is so wonderful to see all of us here together in this joint service. Today is an important day, and we have a lot to talk about. The worship committee has brought us all together this morning to corporately inaugurate a season of renewal and healing. This morning we also celebrate the completion of a 72-hour straight-through cover-to-cover reading of the whole Bible, organized by the Christian Education committee. That reading was a tangible demonstration that we take the word of God seriously. And we all participated in it. At the beginning of the service we read together the final chapter of Revelation, marking the end of our 72-hour vigil. We will read Genesis chapter 1 at the end of the service, because the reading of God's word is never finished. And also today we kick off our annual stewardship season. We do have a lot to talk about. But my assignment is to reflect for a few minutes on the topic of stewardship. I can tell you, it's a very dangerous assignment to give a stewardship homily! You're likely to discover that you need to change your ways. In pondering the subject I've uncovered a number of errors in my own approach to stewardship, and it looks like I'm going to have to change my ways. My first error was easy enough to remedy. I was thinking that in order to give a stewardship sermon I needed a classic stewardship text from the Bible. You know the ones, something like the widow with her 2 mites, or Jesus' teaching to "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven." I was disappointed that today's gospel didn't give me much of a jumping-off point. But then I read it again. And I saw that today's gospel is, in fact, directly about stewardship. It's a negative example of stewardship to be sure, and a pretty terrifying one. I don't want to lead right off with it, but we'll come back to in in a few minutes. With today's gospel reading turning out so unexpectedly to be about stewardship, the question posed itself: how many other stealth stewardship passages are there? Well, I can tell you. I was the overnight helper for the MIQRA on Thursday night, and I listened to ten hours of Bible reading. Maybe it's because stewardship was on my mind, but I'd have to say just about all of it is about stewardship! That's because stewards is what we are. That was my second error. I had been thinking of stewardship as a choice that we make. We can do it or not, a little or a lot; it's up to us. The fact is, my friends, stewardship is not a choice. We are stewards. We were created as stewards; stewardship is our life's work. We can be good stewards or bad stewards; but we can't be not stewards or partly stewards or a little bit stewards. If I am a steward, as I believe we all are, I'm responsible for the things that have been entrusted to me. So what are those things? Well, in a few minutes we're going to read Genesis Ch. 1, in which humankind is created in the image of God and given dominion over all the living things of the earth. We're familiar with our stewardship of the earth, but shouldn't we stop to think about our stewardship of the image of God? How are we doing with that? A few chapters later, we learn by the negative example of Cain that we are, in fact, our brothers' keeper: we are stewards of each other. Perhaps we might want to spend some time on that. Going further, we are stewards of all that God has taught us through the law and the prophets about justice, truth, mercy, and faithfulness. We are stewards of the revelation of Jesus Christ, stewards of the ever-expanding Kingdom of God, and stewards of the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are stewards of the hope of Revelation 22. And then there's the personal: We are stewards of all our faculties. When was the last time we considered the stewardship of our eyes and ears; of our strength and of our intellect and of our affections? How about the stewardship of our tongues? The epistle we read today spoke of guarding our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. And of renewing our intellect by setting our minds on the things that are true and honorable, just, pure and praiseworthy. That is stewardship of the faculties God has given us. Our gospel reading today was the third of a group of parables in Matthew 21 and 22. We've been reading them over the last 3 weeks. Jesus told these parables to an audience of chief priests and Pharisees. They understood that Jesus was talking about them. They also understood the message: that the kingdom of God had been taken away from them. Jesus said it to them explicitly in last week's gospel: He said, "The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom." Why? Because they have utterly failed in their stewardship. In the first parable, which we read 2 weeks ago, they are sons, but they do not believe or obey. In the second parable, which we read last week, they are compared to tenants in a vineyard who, instead of producing fruit, beat the servants and kill the son of the landowner. And in today's gospel they are invited guests who disregard the invitation of the king and mistreat the servants who bring it. Sons, tenants of a beautiful vineyard, invited guests: they have been given everything. But they fail to honor what has been entrusted to them. And so God takes it all away. My dear friends, this is a sobering message and it would be very foolish of us to ignore it. By now the stewardship committee is getting anxious and wondering if I am going to say something about money. Having talked about all this other, it seems to me frankly that money is the lowest rung on the stewardship ladder. But we have to start somewhere. And sadly, if I hear the scriptures correctly, you can't get to the higher rungs of stewardship without first mounting this one. It's not like we're going to be good stewards of God's image or of faithfulness or of our own affections while we're guarding our money. And, as it happens, my third error was about money. If you remember, my first error was thinking that only a few passages are about stewardship. My second error was thinking that stewardship is a choice. My third error is the most insidious and possibly the most significant of the 3. So listen up. Every year at this time I think, "What's our income, and what percent of it am I going to put in the little envelopes every week?" That's not a bad question of itself, but the assumption behind it is just embarrassing. What I'm actually thinking is, "Here's my money. I've added it up. Now, how much am I going to give to God?" In effect, "What will I make God's allowance this year?" Yikes! My assumptions are all wrong and in the worst possible way! I am God's steward. The question is not what should be HIS allowance from my money, but what should be my allowance from His? What portion of the wealth God has entrusted to my use should I claim for my own living expense? It's true that my thinking is full of errors and often I haven't done it right. That is why we need the scriptures and prayer and worship and the wisdom of each other and those who have gone before us. It's not too late. The stewardship committee has given us this beautiful quote for the stewardship season, "Take heart, get up; He is calling you." Friends, it is not too late. Let us indeed take heart and get up. He is calling us. Let us follow and obey. A Pastoral Letter from Bishop Bourlakas The Vestry voted at its Sept. 18 meeting to change its name from R.E. Lee Memorial Episcopal to Grace Episcopal Church, a compromise recommended after a 9-month study by parish's Discovery & Discernment Committee. The compromise restores the historic name and finds appropriate ways to honor our parish history, including Lee's personal role in it. Bishop Mark Bourlakas subsequently sent this pastoral letter to the congregation. The 16th Sunday after the Day of Pentecost Dear members and friends of Grace Episcopal Church: As your bishop, I am proud of and encouraged by the recent return to the historic name of this parish church. Your return will allow for the parish to renew its collective focus on the forward mission of the Gospel that we share in Christ Jesus. Nothing can distract us from this commission. I am currently in Alaska at the House of Bishops' Meeting of our Church. Bishops from all over our country have expressed to me their admiration for the name change and offered ongoing prayers for the healing of your community in the coming months. Our Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, shared with me his gratitude for your courage and is holding your community and our diocese in his prayers. I realize that this return to the historic name of Grace is not the path every member embraced. It will take patience, forgiveness and most of all love to heal the various divisions that have taken place over the last couple of years. At this moment, this work might seem insurmountable. However, as those baptized in Christ, we know that our discipleship always calls us into the deeper places where others, because of hardness of heart, refuse to go. Jesus calls on us to pattern our lives on his example of reaching over division and prejudice to embrace neighbors who are different and challenging to us. If we can not model this love of neighbor within the community of faith , then we have very little hope of offering God's grace to those beyond our parish borders. I now pray that what unites us to each other as baptized members of the One who loves, forgives and redeems each one of us is far greater that the temporal concerns that divide us. I want you all to know that I will be with you in the months of challenging reconciliation that are now before us. Let us each begin by laying aside our personal sense of righteousness and grievance. These negative feelings hurt ourselves and infect the body. I have heard those of you on either side of this recent struggle express your love for this parish. If you truly love this parish, then I ask that you show forth that love by praying for the Holy Spirit to give you the strength, grace and peace which surpasses all of our limited understandings. +Mark The Right Rev. Mark A. Bourlakas, Bishop The Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia A Visit from Our Bishop on Thursday Bishop Mark Bourlakas and the Rev. Canon Jonathan Harris are coming to meet with members of the parish on Thursday, Sept. 7, at 5:30 p.m. in the church sanctuary. All members of the church are invited. The bishop wishes to continue the conversation he began with the Vestry last Wednesday regarding our Discovery & Discernment committee's recommendation on "Identity." Please read and reflect on that section of the Discovery & Discernment report before the bishop's visit. "Identity" from D&D report Final Report - Identity Vestry Statement on Charlottesville and Robert E. Lee This statement was unanimously approved at the monthly meeting of the Vestry Aug. 21, voted on by all 11 present, and supported via email by the two who were absent. We, the members of the vestry of R. E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church: - Deplore in the name of Christ white supremacy, anti-Semitism, and racism in all its forms. We denounce the violence committed in word and deed against our brothers and sisters in Charlottesville. We believe that all humans are of one stock, created by God, and that Christ breaks down all racial and social barriers. We are working for the day when all creation will rejoice together before Him. - Object strenuously to the misuse of Robert E. Lee's name and memory in connection with white supremacy, anti-Semitism and similar movements that he would abhor. Lee was widely admired in both the North and the South as a man of virtue and honor and as among the leading reconcilers of our fractured land. We do not honor Lee as a Confederate. Nor do we subscribe to neo-Confederate ideas in honoring him. We honor Lee as one of our own parishioners, a devout man who led our parish through difficult years in post-Civil-War Virginia. More importantly, we find our identity in Christ, the lover of all humankind, and we seek on-going renewal in Him. - Recognize that in the current political climate, Lee has become a touchstone for controversy and misunderstanding and a rallying symbol for hate groups. We acknowledge that the best hope for Lee is the Gospel of grace, through which we are all forgiven sinners. Our commitment is not to Lee, but to that gospel which is his hope and ours. We invite all to share in it, and we aim to let nothing stand in the way of our proclaiming it with integrity. The Vestry of R.E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church An organ crawl: Lexington to Georgetown Ted Bickish, our choir director and organist, gave this report in church May 14, 2017: "This past week, the Organ Committee helped put together a trip made up of several parishioners in which we had the chance to visit a new instrument in a parish of similar size to our own, built by the company we hope to have build for us, Casavant. "We started the day here at R. E. Lee by hearing two pieces, singing a hymn, and then taking a trip inside of our instrument. We inspected the collapsing pipe work, not-up-to-code wiring, warping keyboards, and other various mechanical problems. "We then headed to St. John's Episcopal Church in Georgetown to see their new Casavant organ. We heard the same two pieces, sang the same hymn, and inspected the inside of the instrument. The difference was truly remarkable and I believe all those who attended were impressed with it." Pictures are all from that trip.

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The Non-Toxic Cleaning Solution For Every Surface By Meridian Living Well The Dawn of Greater Religious Liberty in Saudi Arabia? By Daniel C. Peterson · August 9, 2018 To read more insights from Daniel C. Peterson, check out his blog, Sic Et Non. Cover image: The Abu Dhabi Stake Center in the United Arab Emirates. I've just read a short but interesting article in the latest issue - 4 August 2018 - of the Economist, titled "Hosannahs in the sand?" It seems that Muhammad bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, who has broken with tradition by allowing cinemas to open, open-air pop concerts to be held, and, most amazing of all, women to drive, is thinking about permitting the opening of churches within the boundaries of Saudi Arabia. In October 2017, he indicated that he wants his nation to be "open to all religions, traditions, and people around the globe." He has even hosted the Maronite Christian patriarch, as well as a papal emissary (Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran), in the royal palace. Why is this so shocking? It has often been argued that churches were banned from the Arabian Peninsula in the days of the Prophet Muhammad himself, or very, very soon thereafter - which is to say, fourteen centuries ago. And Saudi Arabia has barred the construction of churches since the establishment of the Saudi state in 1932. "Elsewhere it's no problem," the Economist quotes a senior Saudi prince as commenting, "but two dins [singular din, pronounced deen], or religions, have no place in the Arabian peninsula." (He is paraphrasing a purported hadith or saying of Muhammad.) In other words, Muhammad bin Salman may well face opposition from within his own extended ruling family if he chooses to permit the construction of Christian churches within the Kingdom. However . . . Out among the date palms and the sand dunes near the eastern oil fields and the city of al-Jubayl, fenced off by the Saudi antiquities authority and surrounded by guards, lie what seem to be the ruins of a seventh-century Christian monastery, which suggests that seventh-century Islam permitted the construction of churches on the Arabian Peninsula. Additionally, early Arab chroniclers record the existence of a Christian synod in a diocese called Beit Qatraye, near al-Jubayl, in AD 676, fully forty-four years after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. Moreover, all six of the other countries that share the Arabian Peninsula with the Saudis have allowed the building of churches within their boundaries. Qatar, which follows the same rigorous Wahhabi version of Islam that the Saudis do, permitted the construction of a new Christian church about a decade ago. Bahrain did the same already in 1906 and, this year, allowed ground to be broken for a new cathedral to be called Our Lady of Arabia. (The article doesn't mention the rather spectacular new Latter-day Saint stake center in Abu Dhabi, within the United Arab Emirates, shown above.) The Economist reports that at least some Saudi theologians think that the Prophet's prohbition of two dins in Arabia has been misinterpreted. They want to argue that the word refers not to religions as such, but to religious authorities. They also point to the so-called "Constitution of Medina," which seems to me very promising territory and which I think I'll treat at greater length in another blog entry sometime. Joop ScholteAugust 12, 2018 I lived in Saudi Arabia in the 70's. At the time we operated as the LDS Morale Group, like the Catholics operated as the St. Christopher's Morale Group. We met in a school building at Dhahran's Aramco Compound. keith ivyAugust 12, 2018 what???? There is a STAKE in UAE?????

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Martin Flaherty Martin S. Flaherty is Leitner Family Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Leitner Center for International Law and Justice at Fordham Law School. A graduate of Columbia Law School, he served as the Book Review & Articles Editor of the Columbia Law Review. After law school, Professor Flaherty served as a Law Clerk first to Hon. John J. Gibbons, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (1988-89) and then to Hon. Byron R. White, Supreme Court of the United States (October Term 1990). He is also Visiting Professor at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, where he was Fellow in the Program in Law and Public Affairs and recently served as a Visiting Professor at target Columbia Law School (Spring 2011). Abroad Professor Flaherty has taught at China University of Political Science and Law and the National Judges College in Beijing.

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Benjamin Russell Ben Russell is a violinist, vocalist and composer who has played all over the world with all sorts of people. He was a founding member of Bryant Park Quartet and is a member of multiple groups including American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME), Founders, and Wordless Music Orchestra. Russell has recorded a solo album of Appalachian-influenced original songs, performed on albums by Arcade Fire, Sufjan Stevens and Max Richter, and has shared the stage with Björk, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Jonny Greenwood, and Paul McCartney. Studying violin performance at Amsterdam Conservatory and receiving his Masters from New England Conservatory, he now lives in Peekskill, NY with his wife Anna and can often be found in his garden.

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Beliefs • Culture Muslim Christmas celebrations gain a toehold Zeyna Ahmed, with daughters Nadyah Abdul-Majid, 13, Hadyah Abdul-Majid, 11, during Christmas. Photo courtesy Zeyna Ahmed Omar Sacirbey (RNS) A generation or two ago, when America's Muslims were new immigrants who made up an even smaller minority of Americans than they do today, the lights, trees, carols, gifts and festive spirit of Christmas were viewed by many Muslims as a threat to their children's Islamic faith. But these days, a growing number of Muslims celebrate Christmas, or at least partake in some ways, even if they don't decorate their homes with trees and a light show. Indeed, many Muslim families have created their own unique Christmas traditions. "I teach my three children, who attend public school and happen to be born into an interfaith Christian-Muslim family, that we absolutely do celebrate Christmas because we are Muslim," Hannah Hawk of Houston wrote in an email. Rather than putting up a tree or lights, "we celebrate the reason for the season, Jesus, by studying all that is written about him in the Quran and by examining historical theories." The Hawks also give to charity, bake treats for neighbors, invite them to dinner, and wish friends, colleagues and teachers "Merry Christmas" with cards and phone calls. Hawk's kids get together with Christian friends to perform various good deeds. This year, they will play songs (violins, viola, trumpet, cellos, bells) at a local community hospital for patients recovering from surgery. To be sure, some Muslim leaders still criticize Christmas celebrations as assimilation gone too far. Imam Muzammil Siddiqi, a former president of the Islamic Society of North America, has argued that Muslims should not celebrate Christmas because the holiday commemorates the birth of a figure revered by Christians as the Son of God, which violates Islamic beliefs. "We should tell our children that we are Muslims and this is not our holiday," Siddiqi said in comments posted at the website OnIslam.net. "This is the holiday of our Christian neighbors and friends." To protect their children from the attraction of Christmas, he said, Muslim parents should take advantage of Islamic camps and conferences established at this time of year for this very reason. But others see a new generation of Muslims born or reared in the United States who feel secure enough to view Christmas as another tradition they can relate to, and to celebrate it in a wide variety of ways - as do their Christian neighbors. "Muslims should join their Christian neighbors to celebrate Christmas," said Rizwan Kadir, a financial adviser who is active in his Muslim community in suburban Chicago. "We also believe in Isa," Kadir added, using the Arabic name for Jesus, "and he has a very special place in Islam." While Muslims don't believe Jesus was crucified or that he is part of the triune Godhead, they do believe in the Virgin birth, and claim Jesus as a prophet - a predecessor to Muhammad - who ascended to heaven, and will return as part of the Second Coming. Kadir adds that Muslims shouldn't retreat from Christmas festivities. His family doesn't put up a tree or lights, but Kadir does go to holiday parties at work, wishes friends and neighbors a "Merry Christmas," and watches "It's A Wonderful Life," and "Home Alone" - a Kadir family tradition. "To me, those are just fun things that people do around this time of year," said Kadir. "It doesn't make you a Christian. It doesn't mean you're compromising your faith." That view, however, has taken time to evolve. Zeyna Ahmed, the American-born daughter of Egyptian parents, remembers that her mother liked some aspects of Christmas. But her father "stifled it." "Their way of holding on to their heritage was just pushing everything that was Muslim," said Ahmed, who lives in Easton, Pa. When her four children started asking why the family doesn't celebrate Christmas, she felt it wasn't adequate to say, "because we're Muslim," since "we also believe in Jesus," Ahmed said. So, for the last seven years, Ahmed, who is divorced, has celebrated Christmas with a tree, lights, and acts of charity. She also gets a menorah for Hanukkah and cooks a big meal on the last night. "I want to expose them to different traditions," Ahmed said, referring to her kids. "I feel like if you respect their holidays, they'll respect our holidays. It develops mutual respect." Hawk agreed. "Christmas, like Ramadan, is the perfect interfaith footbridge for Muslim-Christian fellowship," she wrote. "Both are the perfect times to hold interfaith vigils, pray together for peace, and pledge to uphold God's message to spread goodwill and reach out to and help the less fortunate in our society." Some Islamic leaders have come on board, too. Imam Talal Eid of Quincy, Mass., a former member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, cited the 13th verse of the Quran's 49th chapter, which states that God created "peoples and tribes that you may know one another." And, he added, at a time when some Christians and Jews in America have fasted in solidarity with Muslims during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Muslims should reciprocate. "This is not about theological details," said Eid. "This is a matter of fellowship and social activity. There is nothing wrong with exchanging gifts and participating." YS/AMB END SACIRBEY Tagsassimilation celebrate Christian Christmas decorations Islam Muhammad Muslims Second Coming Virgin Birth New social media vetting for visa applicants can hurt American Muslims, advocates say Amid Ramadan celebrations, Jordanians fear an uncertain future During Ramadan, growing Muslim philanthropy enters the spotlight Omar Sacirbey is a Boston-based correspondent for Religion News Service and other publications. A celebrity photographer's faith-driven cause Philanthropist Edgar Bronfman Sr. devoted his life to Jewish survival

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" The Second Sino-Japanese War/CBI Theater " Battle of Nanjing and the Rape of Nanjing Battle of Nanjing and the Rape of Nanjing 9 Dec 1937 - 31 Jan 1938 ww2dbaseJapanese troops marched for Nanjing, the capital of China, almost immediately after capturing the city of Shanghai on the coast. Along the way, the exhausted Chinese troops failed to hold positions east of Nanjing. The town of Kunshan in Jiangsu Province was lost in two days, the Wufu defensive line had collapsed by 19 Nov, and the Xicheng Line was overrun on 26 Nov. Among the Chinese leadership, two sides existed regarding the defense of Nanjing. General Li Zongren thought deploying troops to Nanjing would be a waste of resources; he proposed declaring Nanjing an open city, meanwhile the troops should be tasked to destroy anything that could be used by the Japanese after Nanjing became captured. General Bai Chongxi and advisor General Alexander von Falkenhausen of the German Army voiced support for Li's plan. Chiang Kaishek, however, overruled his officers, citing that a lack of effort to defend the political capital would have severe consequences to the morale of the troops and China's international prestige; "I am personally in favor of defending Nanking to the death", said Chiang, placing former rival General Tang Shengzhi in charge of the city's 100,000-strong defense. Tang, who knew well that most of his troops were untrained recent conscripts, was not confident in his newfound responsibilities, but he put on a strong public face. In a press conference on 27 Nov, he enthusiastically announced that his men would stand the ground against any Japanese attack, but urged the westerners in the city to depart. Meanwhile, he also ordered all buildings and wooded areas to be cleared about a mile from the perimeter of the city, to eliminate any cover for the Japanese troops; this would prove to be a controversial order as it increased the number of refugees crowding the city, and the charred walls of hastily burned homes offered as much protection for the Japanese as intact ones. Behind the scenes, however, Tang sought alternative means to save the city, including a busy week working through the westerns in Nanjing to both persuade Chiang to allow him to declare Nanjing an open city and negotiate a truce with the Japanese; both efforts would fail. ww2dbaseOn 1 Dec, the Chinese government left the city, setting up the temporary capital at Chongqing several days later; Chiang and his family did not leave Nanjing until 7 Dec. As the troops prepared the defenses, the civilian side of government was left to the international committee headed by German businessman John Rabe. As the Chinese government left, the troops continued to destroy buildings and infrastructure within the city just as they had done outside the city walls days earlier; in total, this scorched earth policy caused between US$20,000,000 to US$30,000,000 worth of damage during the period between the fall of Shanghai and the start of the Battle of Nanjing. After the government officials departed, the civilians began fleeing the city en masse, creating mass panic. Tang controversially closed off all routes to the civilian to stem the panic, going as far as burning the boats on the Yangtze River to prevent further unauthorized evacuations. ww2dbaseBattle of Nanjing 10-13 Dec 1937 ww2dbaseWhen the Japanese troops arrived at the outskirts of Nanjing in early Dec, Tang realized that his defenses, untrained and demoralized to the point that many were simply abandoning their posts, had no chance of winning. Chiang maintained that Tang, previously enthusiastic but now realizing the impossibility of winning, should continue to stage the defense. On 7 Dec, the Japanese Army announced internally that soldiers who commit "illegal acts" and "dishonor the Japanese Army" during the conquest of Nanjing would be severely punished. Early on 9 Dec, the Japanese Army arrived at the Nanjing's city wall, and demanded surrender within the following 24 hours. No Chinese envoy appeared, and at 1300 hours, General Iwane Matsui and Lieutenant General Prince Asaka (Yasuhiko) concluded that the Chinese were not interested in negotiating, and gave the order for attack. ww2dbaseThe Japanese 36th Infantry Regiment of the 9th Division attacked the heavily-defended Guanghua Gate at 1400 hours, which was manned by some of the few experienced troops at Nanjing. During the course of the afternoon, the Chinese troops at Guanghua Gate increased to 1,000. Concrete pill boxes, tankettes, and the usage of fire inflicted large numbers of casualties among the Japanese, but greater firepower eventually overwhelmed the Chinese. By nightfall, Japanese mountain guns had destroyed part of the gate, and the Japanese troops poured in and drove out the last of the defenders. Knowing that morale had been low to begin with, Tang gathered his divisional commanders at his headquarters, and the group unanimously decided that winning was impossible. Tang refused to be the sole blame for losing the battle, thus he had everyone sign the document from Chiang noting that retreat was only permitted when absolutely necessary. On 12 Dec, Tang decided to extract himself later that day, Yijiang Gate in the north was the only gate still in Chinese control; he left the city without officially announcing the surrender of the city, and the uncertainly soon led to the retreating completely breaking down. Many men found their commanding officers disappearing, and began to flee in all directions in panic. As organization broke down, so did discipline; American journalists Frank Tillman Durdin of the New York Times and Archibald Steele of the Chicago Daily News reported witnessing Chinese troops looting shops, while others threw away their uniforms and weapons in an attempt to disappear into the civilian population. The retreat became even further disrupted when the troops of the Chinese 36th Division at Yijiang Gate, still holding on to orders to block any retreat (Tang never revoke his previous order before he fled the city), confronted the units attempting to pass through the gate. Thousands of Chinese troops crowded inside the Yijiang Gate, and it was not before long that many began to force their way through, and the 36th Division troops opened fire on those they considered deserters. Some began to push in even greater panic, and many were trampled to death. ww2dbaseAt 1327 hours on 12 Dec, American gunboat USS Panay and three tankers were in the Yangtze River, upstream from Nanjing. Though Panay flied American flags, they came under attack by three B4Y Type 96 bombers and nine A4N Type 95 fighters. Panay sank at 1554 hours with three deaths. The gunboat was the first American ship lost in WW2. The Panay Incident caused some tension between Japanese-American relations, though officially it was settled on 24 Dec 1937 when the Japanese government apologized and paid over US$2,000,000 for what was said to be the result of a mis-identification. ww2dbaseAt 0300 hours on 12 Dec, Tang met with his staff officers and ordered a small group of troops to evacuate across the Yangtze River while the remainder was to conduct a break out attack on the Japanese lines in the south. By the time he met with his officers again at 1700 hours, however, dire situations changed his mind, and he increased the size of the river evacuation to include 5 divisions worth of men. At 1800 hours, the evacuation was in full swing, but in utter chaos. Thousands of troops and even more refugees crowded the routes to the docks, with the movement slowed even further by abandoned military equipment and civilian carts. Hundreds, if not more, were trampled to death, while accidental fires consumed many others. Tang, having been ordered to leave the city by Chiang, made it to the docks in a staff car at 2100 hours and boarded a small coal-powered launch, safely reaching the opposite shore. ww2dbaseIn the morning of 13 Dec, men of the Japanese 6th and 114th Divisions entered the city, followed by the men of the 9th (via Guanghua Gate) and 16th (via Zhongshan and Taiping Gates) Divisions; these four divisions numbered about 50,000 men. That afternoon, two small Japanese river flotillas arrived at Nanjing's ports. By nightfall, the Japanese had declared the battle a victory. ww2dbaseThe Rape of Nanjing 13 Dec 1937-31 Jan 1938 ww2dbaseAfter the Japanese sacked Nanjing, the conquering troops engaged in a six-week long orgy of violence. Depending on various sources, somewhere between 50,000 to over 300,000 Chinese, mostly civilians and prisoners of war, were killed. Those who had bullets ripping through their bodies as they ran away could have been said the lucky ones, as many other victims suffered worse fates. Deaths resulted from bayoneting, burning, crushing by tanks, burying, and decapitation were common. Even worse were those who bled to death by after being nailed to telephone poles or doors, castrated, delimbed, or disemboweled. And then there were the over 20,000 cases of rapes, victims of which crime ranged from girls under 10 years of age to over 80 years of age; many of those who were raped, itself a grotesque crime, were further tortured by the Japanese troops by impalement of their vaginas with everything from beer bottles to bayonets. Few but not unseen atrocities were committed by the most sadistic, who tore out fetuses from pregnant women with bayonets and forced sons to rape their mothers. In 1938, a 16-millimeter film made by Episcopal missionary John Magee was smuggled out of China and eventually made its way to the United States. It was shown anonymously to certain US Congressmen, US Army, and Red Cross members. The original films were found in the 1990s after being lost for more than fifty years, documenting aftermath of the atrocity. Over time, many Japanese veterans of the war stepped forth and admitted to the atrocities that took place, confirming the widespread violence. ww2dbaseJournalist Edgar Snow provided the following eyewitness account: Thousands of men were led out of the [Nanjing International Safety] Zone, ostensibly for labour battalions, and lined up and machine-gunned. Sometimes groups were used for bayonet exercises. When the victors grew bored with such mild sport they tied their victims, poured kerosene over their heads, and cremated them alive. Others were taken out to empty trenches, and told to simulate Chinese soldiers. Japanese officers then led their men in assaults to capture these 'enemy positions' and bayoneted the unarmed defenders. ww2dbaseProperty damage to the city of Nanjing was also extensive. Unlike the many other cities that were devastated during WW2, which were largely damaged by either aerial bombing or by fierce fighting, only about 1% to 2% of the damage done at Nanjing were caused by military actions. Almost all of the damage were done during after Chinese troops had departed, and most of the damage were caused by systematic torching of entire neighborhoods by Japanese troops. ww2dbaseMany of the women who survived the rapes would commit suicide. Months later, many infant babies, drowned or choked to death, were found around the city; speculations held that they were children conceived by the raped women. ww2dbaseThere were some who claim that the atrocities were not as widespread as reported by the Chinese and the westerners. There were eyewitnesses from Nanjing's International Safety Zone who said that the atrocities were isolated (even Rabe estimated only 50,000 to 60,000 deaths), while interviews with Japanese junior officers and soldiers present at Nanjing during these months sometimes resulted in testimonies that either noted the city of nearly deserted thus the death toll could not have been as high or claimed that the conduct of the Japanese troops in general were honorable. While the true death toll could never be verified, it would still be likely that, in the span of a few weeks, the number of Chinese deaths rivaled the number of Japanese killed by the two atomic blasts near the end of the war. Iris Chang, The Rape of Nanking WWW Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre Last Major Update: Apr 2009 Battle of Nanjing and the Rape of Nanjing Interactive Map Battle of Nanjing and the Rape of Nanjing Timeline 15 Aug 1937 Japanese Army General Iwane Matsui, en route from Tokyo, Japan for China where he would pick up his newly assigned command over the Shanghai Expeditionary Force, noted to War Minister Hajime Sugiyama that "[t]here is no solution except to break the power of Chiang Kaishek by capturing Nanjing. That is what I must do." 21 Sep 1937 Prince Naruhiko ordered the Japanese Army Air Service to begin a renewed air offensive against the Chinese capital of Nanjing. 11 Nov 1937 The Japanese army began to advance on Nanjing, China. 16 Nov 1937 Chiang Kaishek ordered Chinese government ministries and agencies to depart from the capital city of Nanjing within the next three to four days. 19 Nov 1937 The Wufu defensive line between Shanghai and Nanjing in China was overrun by Japanese troops. to the rear, Lieutenant General Shun Tada ordered Lieutenant General Heisuke Yanagawa to stop the Japanese 10th Army's advance toward Nanjing, but Yanagawa did not comply with the order. 20 Nov 1937 The order for Chinese government ministries to evacuate the capital city of Nanjing to Hankou, originally ordered by Chiang Kaishek on 16 Nov 1937, was publicly announced at 1200 hours. 22 Nov 1937 The Japanese Central China Area Army requested Tokyo the permission to assault Nanjing, China. 25 Nov 1937 From Nanjing, China, German businessman John Rabe sent a message to Adolf Hitler, appealing for the German leader to voice concern over the atrocities committed by the Japanese in China. 26 Nov 1937 The Xicheng defensive line between Shanghai and Nanjing in China was overrun by Japanese troops. 27 Nov 1937 During a press conference, Tang Shengzhi, the Commander-in-Chief of all forces in Nanjing, China, advised foreign residents in Nanjing to depart but stressed that his troops would defend the city against the impending Japanese attack. 1 Dec 1937 The Imperial General Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan ordered the Japanese Central China Area Army to advance toward Nanjing, China. On the same day, several top Chinese cabinet level advisers departed from the capital. 2 Dec 1937 The officials of the Nanjing Branch of the Palace Museum of China ordered the treasures stored at the Taoist monastery Chaotian Gong, which had arrived from Beiping and Shanghai in Dec 1936, to be moved westward ahead of the Japanese attack. 3 Dec 1937 Japanese 16th Division and 9th Division began an attack on Chinese 83rd Corps and 66th Corps east of Nanjing, China. 7 Dec 1937 Chiang Kaishek departed Nanjing, China by plane. The civilian administration of the city was left to an International Committee led by John Rabe. Outside the city, several villages were set ablaze by Chinese troops to prevent them from being used by the approaching Japanese troops. 7 Dec 1937 Iwane Matsui suffered a bout of tuberculosis while in China. Nevertheless, he ordered the siege of Nanjing, China. 8 Dec 1937 Chinese Air Force squadrons departed Nanjing, China for airfields to the west, leaving the capital city without fighter defense and with little modern communications equipment. 9 Dec 1937 In the morning, Japanese troops reached the outskirts of Nanjing, China. At 1200 hours, Japanese aircraft dropped leaflets into the walled city, urging surrender within 24 hours, with the offered terms expiring at 1200 hours on the following day. Chinese commanding officer Tang Shengzhi publicly rejected the demand, but in private he, urged on by the international community in Nanjing, considered negotiating for a ceasefire; such negotiation would be pending Chiang Kaishek's approval. 10 Dec 1937 Chiang Kaishek rejected Tang Shengzhi's request to negotiate with the Japanese for an evacuation of Nanjing, China. Having received no response to the ultimatum issued on the previous day that expired at noon, the Japanese began the assault at 1300 hours. General Iwane Matsui's order to attack included the wording "[y]ou are to observe military regulations to the letter, to set an example for the future.... Anyone who loots or starts a fire, even accidentally, will be severely punished." 12 Dec 1937 At 0300 hours, General Tang Shengzhi, commanding officer of Chinese forces in Nanjing, China, having learned that Japanese naval vessels were heading up the Yangtze River, ordered his officers to prepare a small group of men to retreat across the river while the bulk would gather for an offensive to break out of the Japanese line. During the day, troops of the Japanese 114th Division wooed 1,500 Chinese troops into surrendering at the southern side of the city wall, promising to spare them their lives; they were all executed by the end of the following day. In the afternoon, Japanese bombers sank the American gunboat USS Panay in Nanjing, China at 1554 hours. At 1700 hours, Tang met with his officers again (several of whom were absent, having fled the city without permission) and was told that the Japanese were advancing faster than anticipated. He decided to increase the size of the Yangtze River evacuation to 5 divisions of troops. Tang would depart via the Yijiang Gate on the northern side of the city at 2100 hours, crossing the river on a small launch. 13 Dec 1937 The Japanese Sabae Regiment occupied the Guanghua Gate in Nanjing, China after two days of heavy fighting. In the afternoon, Chinese forces twice attempted to attack the headquarters of the Shanghai Expeditionary Force at Tangshuizhen, but the Japanese was able to repulse the attacks. Later in the day, Zhongshan Gate and Taiping Gate were captured by the Japanese as well, while Japanese Navy warships began to arrive to provide support. By nightfall, the Chinese capital city was declared as captured. German businessman John Rabe, who was in Nanjing, noted the diary entry on this date "It is not until we tour the city that we learn the extent of destruction. We come across corpses every 100 to 200 yards. The bodies of civilians that I examined had bullet holes in their backs. These people had presumably been fleeing and were shot from behind. The Japanese march through the city in groups of ten to twenty soldiers and loot the shops.... I watched with my own eyes as they looted the café of our German baker Herr Kiessling. Hempel's hotel was broken into as well, as almost every shop on Chung Shang and Taiping Road." On this day, troops of the Japanese 16th Division massacred over 3,000 Chinese people, military and civilian, attempting to flee the combat near Guanjiangan and Jiangli areas of Nanjing. Troops of the Japanese 114th Division captured over 1,000 Chinese during its mop up operations, most of whom would be executed within days. Vessels operated by the 11th Task Force of the Japanese 3rd Fleet fired on Chinese refugees attempting to cross the Yangtze River. 14 Dec 1937 Japanese 9th Division began to conduct mop up operations in secured areas of Nanjing, China, occupying, among other buildings, the National Central Hospital. Nearby, at Xianhe Gate and Yaohua Gate of the city wall north of Zijin Mountain, 38th Company of the Japanese 16th Division killed 7,200 Chinese people, military and civilian, during mop up operations; those who were able to flee claimed that some sections of the moat were filled with dead bodies. Near Xuanwu Gate, troops of the Japanese 16th Division executed 500 Chinese civilians. Second Lieutenant Nakamura of the 6th Cavalry Company of the Japanese 6th Division executed 300 prisoners of war. As reported by the International Committee later, Japanese troops entered civilian homes in Nanjing and raped or took away women. 15 Dec 1937 Troops of the 23rd Company of the Japanese 6th Division executed over 1,000 captured Chinese military and civilians and over 400 police personnel (all captured in the city legislature building area where a temporary refugee camp was located) outside of Hanzhong Gate of Nanjing, China; their 2,000 bodies were burned. At Yijiangmen at about 1400 hours, Japanese troops rounded up 300 residents of the Jiang estate, killing them by machine gun fire and buring. On the Yangtze River, gunboats Futami and Seta of the Japanese Navy 3rd Fleet fired on Chinese refugees attempting to cross the river; nearby, Japanese naval personnel began executing many of the 9,000 captives they held. As reported by the International Committee later, "a number Japanese soldiers entered the University of Nanking buildings at Tao Yuen and raped 30 women on the spot, some by six men." 16 Dec 1937 Japanese 9th Division killed about 6,500 Chinese people, both military in civilian, in Nanjing, China during two days of mop up operations. 20th Company of the Japanese 16th Division massacred more than 7,000 Chinese east of Zijin Mountain. Chinese troops launched a failed counterattack at Qilin Gate of the city wall; 200 Chinese troops who were captured during the failed counterattack were executed by bayoneting by men of the 38th Company of the Japanese 16th Division. On the shore of the Yangtze River, the Japanese 13th Division began to execute large numbers of the 20,000 Chinese captives it held. As reported by the International Committee later, "seven girls (ages ranged from 16 to 21) were taken away from the Military College"; only five of them were able to return on 18 Dec; some of them reported being raped six or seven times daily by Japanese soldiers. 17 Dec 1937 At the Sancha Fangsheng Temple and the nearby orphanage in Nanjing, China, Japanese troops massacred 400 to 500 civilians. At a dock on the Yangtze River, Japanese troops massacred over 3,000 prisoners of war, civilian workers of the power plant, and other civilians. German businessman John Rabe, who was in the Chinese capital of Nanjing, noted the diary entry on this date "In one of the houses in the narrow street behind my garden wall, a woman was raped, and then wounded in the neck with a bayonet. I managed to get an ambulance so we can take her to Kulou Hospital.... You hear nothing but rape. If husbands or brothers intervene, they're shot. What you hear and see on all sides is the brutality and bestiality of the Japanese soldiers." 18 Dec 1937 Japanese troops executed over 300 Chinese people, military and civilian, on a road outside of Nanjing, China by machine gun. As reported by the International Committee later, at 1600 hours on this date, "at No. 18 I Ho Lu, Japanese soldiers wanted a man's cigarette case and when he hesitated, one of the soldier crashed in the side of his head with a bayonet. The man is now at the University Hospital and is not expected to live." 19 Dec 1937 Men of the Japanese 13th Division, having executed tends of thousands of refugees and prisoners of war in Nanjing, China by machine gun, bayonet, and fire since 16 Dec 1937, began to burn the remains; the ashes were dumped into the Yangtze River. Reverend James M. McCallum, who was in Nanjing, noted in his diary "Never I have heard or read such brutality. Rape! Rape! Rape! We estimate at least 1,000 cases a night, and many by day.... Women are being carried off every morning, afternoon and evening. The whole Japanese army seems to be free to go and come as it pleases, and to do whatever it pleases." 20 Dec 1937 The Japanese Domei News Agency reported that life in Nanjing, China, which was recently captured by Japanese troops, was returning to normal, and refugees who had fled the city prior and during the battle were starting to return. 28 Dec 1937 The Japanese occupation forces in Nanjing, China began registering men. 31 Dec 1937 The Japanese occupation forces in Nanjing, China began registering women. 8 Jan 1938 A Japanese-controlled newspaper in China published that the residents of Nanjing, China welcomed Chinese troops with joy, and the Japanese Army offered food and other aid to those in need. 17 Jan 1938 Japanese Foreign Minister Koki Hirota's message to a diplomat stationed in the United States was intercepted by the Americans. In this message, he made note of the atrocities happening in Nanjing, China and compared the Japanese Army in Nanjing to those serving under Attila the Hun. 19 Jan 1938 George Fitch, an American missionary, departed Nanjing, China for Shanghai with 16-millimeter film containing scenes of Japanese atrocities secretly sewn into the lining of his jacket. 30 Jan 1938 As reported by the International Committee later, in the Chinese capital of Nanjing at about 1700 hours, Mr. Sone of the Nanjing Theological Seminary was overwhelmed by several hundred women seeking shelter. "One old woman 62 years old went home near Hansimen and Japanese soldiers came at night and wanted to rape her. She said she was too old. So the soldiers rammed a stick up her. But she survived to come back." 4 Feb 1938 Japanese troops inspected the buildings of Ginling College, a school for women, in Nanjing, China, and took at least 20 women for their comfort houses. 5 Feb 1938 By this date, the International Committee had forwarded to the Japanese embassy a total of 450 cases of murder, rape, and other crimes committed by Japanese soldiers which were observed by American, British, and German nationals in Nanjing, China and reported by their respective embassies. 7 Feb 1938 Japanese General Iwane Matsui made a speech during a memorial service for troops of the Shanghai Expeditionary Force who were killed in combat. The speech included his order to "put an end to various reports affecting the prestige of the Japanese troops", referring to reports of atrocities committed by Japanese troops in Nanjing, China. Later on the same day he made an entry in his dairy noting that "I could only feel sadness and responsibility today, which has been overwhelmingly piercing my heart. This is caused by the Army's misbehaviors after the fall of Nanjing and failure to proceed with the autonomous government and other political plans." 18 Feb 1938 The Nanjing Safety Zone International Committee was renamed the Nanjing International Rescue Committee. 7 Mar 1938 American surgeon Robert O. Wilson of the American-administered University Hospital in the Safety Zone in Nanjing, China wrote to his family, noting that "a conservative estimate of people slaughtered in cold blood is somewhere about 100,000, including of course thousands of soldiers that had thrown down their arms". 8 Jun 1938 German businessman John Rabe sent a letter, a detailed report, and a roll of film (shot by US missionary George Fitch) to Adolf Hitler in the hopes that Germany would be able to influence Japan to cease the brutal treatment of the Chinese population. Rabe was unexpected threatened by the Gestapo several days later, warning him to remain quiet on this topic. See all 53 photographs of Battle of Nanjing and the Rape of Nanjing Visitor Submitted Comments 1. Anonymous says: 17 Apr 2007 01:30:37 PM 18 Apr 2007 10:54:45 AM 3. Thank You says: 24 May 2007 06:53:09 PM 4. Kana says: 18 Jul 2007 07:49:31 PM I like this! Amazing !! Good Work !! 13 Jun 2008 04:51:22 PM Give show links for this history: 4 Feb 2009 08:40:51 PM to bad 7. Gregg Heilman says: 11 Dec 2009 10:08:38 AM I have read the book written by Iris Chang. She asked that you read it and pass it on and on. Also I have both the DVD the movie and the documentary. This link has everything you could know about this terrible crime against the Chinese and humanity. The second worse crime is that so many got a way with this crime. Its' path of guilt and knowledge went all the way to the Emperor of Japan. He had family involved with the occupation of Nanjing. The third worse crime is the United States and our Allies did little to bring justice for this poor victims. 11 Dec 2009 05:41:33 PM John Rabe, the Oskar Schindler of China The Nazi Leader of Nanking who Saved Over 200,000 People Apr 4, 2009 Michael Streich A newly released German film recounts the heroic exploits of John Rabe as the Japanese occupied Nanking in China, popularizing a forgotten part of history. In the annals of twentieth century genocide and atrocities, heroes emerged that put their own lives on the line to save others. Men like Raoul Wallenberg and Oskar Schindler are well known for their courageous attempts in saving Jews. The newly released German film on the war-time activities of John Rabe in China during the infamous "Rape of Nanking" offers yet another portrait of selfless courage, yet this time the hero was the leader of the Nanking Nazi organization. John Rabe in China At the time Japanese forces entered Nanking in 1937, Rabe had been in China for thirty years as the chief manager of Siemens. Born in Hamburg in 1882, Rabe had traveled to Africa before settling in China. Revered in China as "the living Buddha of Nanking," Rabe was also, however, the leader of the Nanking Nazi organization. In many ways, this helped him to eventually save the lives of over 200,000 Chinese civililians that had taken shelter in his "International Safety Zone." As a Nazi and a citizen of Japan's ally, Rabe was respected by the Japanese military and suffered no indignities, unlike those of other western nationalities like the Americans. According to his diary entries, just the flash of his swastika armband was often enough to stop acts of cruelty taking place by small groups of marauding soldiers. Writing in the German news magazine Spiegel, Lars-Olav Beier recounts how Rabe's German-speaking chauffeur was killed by Japanese soldiers. Bargaining with a Japanese officer, Rabe demanded twenty men, "who had already been sentenced to death..." thereby saving twenty lives. Rabe's meticulous diary entries remained unknown until Historian Iris Chang, author of the monumental Rape of Nanking, found them with Rabe's grandchildren in Germany. These writings recount the chilling days of late 1937 when a forgotten holocaust began in China, and Rabe's tireless role in trying to save as many civilians as possible. Rabe Returns to Germany Returning to Berlin in 1938, John Rabe made the mistake of sending his findings of the atrocities, including a film made by a colleague in China, to key Nazi leaders including Adolf Hitler. Arrested by the Gestapo, he was eventually released and sent by Siemens to work in Afghanistan. As the war ended and Rabe returned home, his Berlin residence was destroyed by allied bombing. Following the defeat of Germany, Rabe was interrogated by the Soviets and the British in conjunction with his role as Nazi leader in Nanking. Eventually de-nazified, Rabe found himself unemployed and destitute. As his story reached the people of Nanking, a massive effort was undertaken that resulted in financial support and regular packages of much needed food. The Chinese had not forgotten John Rabe who was now in great need himself. Rabe died in 1950. John Rabe, the Movie For an international community still outraged by the Holocaust, any movie positively reflecting the Nazis is understandably suspicious, particularly in Germany. As Iris Chang wrote years ago, "...in the immediate postwar years it was simply not politically correct to...boast about his accomplishments, however worthy they might have been." This is also the gamble Beier analyzes in his piece, "The Good Nazi?" Beier argues that although "Schindler's List" was about a German who saved Jews, it is "the sort of subject only American directors have taken on in the past." He also cites the success of "Valkyrie," which lionized Claus von Stauffenberg. John Rabe joins the ranks of men like Raoul Wallenberg, people that find themselves in the midst of great human calamity and put aside all personal matters in order to confront evil. For this reason alone, films like "John Rabe" should continue to be made. Sources: Lars-Olav Beier, "The Good Nazi? German Films Delve Into Difficult History," Spiegel Online, April 3, 2009. Iris Chang, The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II (Basic Books, 1997) see pages 109-121 and 187-197. Susanne Nolden, "Ein Mann mit vielen Talenten," Frau Im Spiegel, No. 14, March 25, 2009, p 54-55. Read more at Suite101: John Rabe, the Oskar Schindler of China: The Nazi Leader of Nanking who Saved Over 200,000 People | Suite101.com When I read Iris Chang's book "The Rape of Nanjing" I did a Internet search and the Chinese News Digest came up. It has a complete site of the photos and first hand stories from the Rape of Nanjing. I wrote them that my father was shown some of these films smuggled out of China before his 11 BG H left for the Pacific Theater. His Unit had survived the Attack on 12/7/1941 at Hickam in Hawaii. Their Commanders thought it was important their crews knew what to expect from the Japanese if captured. My father never forgot the images of the Chinese Solider POWs being used for live bayonet dummies. Nor did he forget the thousand being buried alive and the be-headings. This was posted on the CND site, even worse was how the Japanese were never brought to account for this and their Unit 731. Unit 731 did dissections of awake and living American and Allied POWS and thousands of Chinese citizens and soldiers. Instead the American Authorities traded the results of Unit 731's hideous medical experiments for the freedom of those who carried them out. These things were known to the Emperor of Japan who remained after the War as a result of the American Authorities at that time. 10. CHINESE says: THANKS FOR YOU SELL THE WESTERN PEOPLE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN CHINA DURING WW2! THE JAPS WERE MUST EVIL AND CRUEL THAN THE NAZI DURING WW2! 11. Anonymous says: 17 Aug 2010 10:10:11 AM 12. Factfinder says: In WW2, the Australian and Dutch soldiers captured in Java by the Japanese are treated in a special way. With their wrists tied together behind their back they are kicked and pushed into bamboo baskets designed to transport Pigs. Then they are stacked on trucks and transported long distance in the full tropical sun without any water to drink. When these convoys stop and take a break somewhere, eyewitness heard the captured soldiers begging for water. The experience was that if someone else gives them water, the *** will shoot him dead after he give them to drink water. Probably this is their manner to say thanks. This life cargo is finally taken on a boat or taken to the coast where they are being dumped into the sea to feed the sharks. This atrocity is dubbed and known as "The Pig Basket Affair" which Japanese also denied. They are very good at denying, even up to now when they slaughter the Whales near the South Pole under the disguise of "Research Whaling". Maybe it is time to stop buying Sony & Toyota and switch to Samsung & Hyundai. 13. ASM says: 9 Nov 2011 09:37:13 AM Just watched City of Life and Death. Was totally unaware of the Rape of Nanjing until watching this film. Regardless of how accurate the context of this film, it still brings home the true nature of war, in particular the atrocities to both women and children. I do believe in going to war for the correct reasons (if there ever are!) but maybe Im just naive to think that war could be settled without involving innocents,alas I suppose both go hand in hand. Just makes you think about the madness that takes over people during war! Would recommend that people watch the City of Life and Death if intrested in this subject and I challenge anyone not to be moved by some of the scenes in the film. when was this written? 16 Nov 2012 07:59:40 PM Japan should not occupy china island again. This recall world war 2. If they do it again. they are just like begining of word war 2. They might start to occupy other countries. why US helping them? Babarian Government. selfish and racism. 23 Nov 2012 10:39:27 AM it's sad that now after all this, china's heading towards imperialism... (tibet, south china sea, senkaku/diaoyu island dispute) 18. CB says: So sad to read of these atrocities by the Japanese. With the time table given, where was the American help? were the Flying Tigers there to stop this invasion? Why so is America at odds with China to this day? I know most (if not all) wars are fought by Bankers and Businesses but for America to let China go through this massacre over so many years? As well, China and Japan are like the Hatfields and McCoy's, fighting for centuries and probably centuries to come. 19. JIRO says: Poor pretty Iris Chang committed suicide after some of the mistakes in her book were exposed. She was betrayed by her Cimmunist sources. EVERY Japanese textbook admits a massacre at Nanking, and about 800 Japanese Class B war criminals were executed for war crimes after the war. Conversely, no source that is not Chinese affirms "300,000" Chinese dead at Nanking -- there were about 200,000 people in Nanking, and photographs and thank-you notes indicate that many of them were actually FED by the Japanese Army. The beheading photo in Chang's book shows the sun casting shadows in two different directions at the same time. Could it be fake? The bayoneting photograph shows Chinese civilians in SUMMER clothes CHEERING while the Japanese bayonet Chinese soldiers. Nanking fell in DECEMBER. Could this photo be a fake too? What actually happened? Chiang Kai-shek ran out on his own men but ordered that Nanking be defended against the advice of his NAZI military advisor, Alexander von Falkenhausen. Chiang's designated Chinese commander also ran out on his men. When the Japanese attacked, some of the Chinese soldiers out up a good fight while others ran and hid. The Japanese killed everybody who even looked like a soldier, except for some Chinese who had the presence of mind to surrender in full uniform. (A half-million former Chinese soldiers turned coats after their own officers had run out on them and soldiered for the Japanese, who said that many of them were excellent soldiers once they received pay and leadership by men who were not cowards. In the aftermath, dim-witted Japanese drunks raped several HUNDRED -- not thousand -- Chinese women and murdered a handful of them. These were crimes against humanity -- but burial parties who reported to Americans and Germans, including the NAZI John Rabe, said they buried about 25,000 Chinese, most of them killed in battle, and that only 1.2 per cent of the dead were women. Eiropeans counted 360 actual rapes, some multiple, and about 40 homicides against obvious civilians. The Japense loe iof they say there qwas NO murder or rape at Nanking but the Chinese numbers are crimes against history to cover a flawed defense or to explain away the vastly larger number of Chinese murdered by other Chinese. As the the Japanese being "worse than the Nazis," this is dumb white racist hokum. The Japanese accepted and protected 40,000 Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany and refused to hand them back even after Hitler declared war on the United States. Many Korean men were murdered during demonstrations where Japanese were al;sop killed and many girls were raped in Korea -- but the Japanese also built Korea's first public schools and railroads and chaotic, strife-torn Korea citca 1905 was handed to Japan by Theodore Roosevelt as the price of having the Japanese help control China and keep the Russians out of the Pacific. There are now aboutr two million Koreans living in Japan and they have no desire to go home. A million bright, productive Chinese also live in Japan and feel the same way. Count the numbers in the Philippines and you will find that the Americans circa 1898 - 1903 and the Japanese circa 1941 - 1945 murdered about the same number of Filipinos. Troops from both nations raped a lot and tortured too. Nothing Japan did to whites justified the napalm and nuclear bombings of 1945 -- recognized as war crimes in every country of the world except China and the United States. I once asked a Chinese girl two yeara out of Beijing what she thought about the Rape of Nanking. "Some of the rapes were real but the numbers are fake," she said. "You can't trust us with numbers -- we know nobody outside China cares what happens to us, so whenever something bad happens we inflate the numbers." She said it -- I didn't. 20. Bob says: 3 Jun 2013 05:31:38 AM I am sorry, Jiro, but your outrageous and lie packed comment attempting to absolve the Japanese of their murderous behavior in WW2 and then try to say everyone else did the same thing and by the way since America bombed Japan so everything is even. Nonsense! Japan, like Germany, started a world war and murdered millions. I repeat this for you again, millions. They were a killing machine and had to be stopped at all costs. The fact that Japan had to be bombed to end the war, your country brought about all on its own. The murderous regime was over. The fact that you can't admit the reality of what happened says volumes about you, not history itself. P.s. it is likely the owner of this website is Chinese, and so your wacky denial is doubly insulting. 20 Jun 2013 01:33:42 AM No.12 The pig baskets Affair In 1941 I saw a transport of 5 open trucks loaded with bamboo baskets. In those baskets were military screaming for water and help. I gues that they were Australians and Dutch. I was 15 yrs old and with my father. 22. Elizabeth says: Refering to No 12: I grew up in the former D.E.I. and was 15 yrs old (1942) when my father and I saw five open trucks loaded with bamboo baskets. In the baskets we could see military and they were crying for water and help. I have the Dossier 5284 in Dutch and I translated it all in "my" English. Please answer? 23. Victor says: 1 Aug 2013 12:26:08 PM To Jiro: Comment # 19 Filipinos know what the Japanese did in World War II. We know that few of the people from that generation are still alive up to now. Because of this I do not blame the people ( Japanese ) who are living now (post world war 2) for the sins of their grandfathers or fathers. Now, I am mostly concerned regarding your governments attempt to white wash the extent of Japan's war crimes. The real facts of World War 2 are not being taught in Japanese schools. Instead they are being taught only a fraction of the Pacific War. In some places composed of three events 1. The Japanese attack in Pearl Harbor 2. The Battle of Midway and 3. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Whatever is happening to Japan is most alarming Jiro, you must relaize that we have to learn from history to avoid making the same mistakes allover again. 1 Dec 2013 05:01:01 AM should have nuked all of japan,the *** are still arogant,like the nazis...complete low life In honor of the people who protect the homeland! At the rape of Najing 74th anniversary All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB. More on Battle of Nanjing and the Rape of Nanjing " Yasuhiko " Kashimura, Kanichi " Liu, Cuigang " Luo, Yingde " Matsui, Iwane " Tani, Hisao Ship Participant: " Panay " The Rape of Nanking " Yang Dapeng: Remembrance of a Martyr in Nanjing 1937 Battle of Nanjing and the Rape of Nanjing Photo Gallery

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Peter Erskine Snapchat (with Lars Danielsson & Peter Erskine) Iiro Rantala 2016 Each Breath (feat. Peter Erskine, Vardan Ovsepian & Damian Erskine) Peter Erskine New Trio 2017 Voyage (with Lars Danielsson & Peter Erskine) Bob Mintzer, Gerald Veasley, Jaco Pastorius Big Band, Peter Erskine & Randy Brecker 2006 Choral (with Lars Danielsson & Peter Erskine) Little Wing (with Lars Danielsson & Peter Erskine) About Peter Erskine A highly skilled, versatile drummer, Peter Erskine has anchored big bands and jazz-rock fusion groups. He's known for sophisticated rhythms, distinctive accompaniment, and powerful, rippling solos. Erskine began drumming at three, and participated in Stan Kenton's National Stage Band Camps from the age of six. He studied with Alan Dawson and Ed Soph, attending the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and Indiana University. He played with Kenton from 1972 to 1975, then from 1976 to 1978 with Maynard Ferguson. Erskine joined Weather Report in 1978, and was their drummer and percussionist until 1982. He also did several West Coast sessions in the late '70s, and was a member of Steps and Steps Ahead. During the '80s he worked with John Abercrombie's groups and the quartet Bass Desires. He's also worked with Joe Farrell, Marc Johnson, Mike Brecker, Randy Brecker, John Scofield, Bob Mintzer, Lew Soloff, Kenny Kirkland, Mike Mandel, and Kenny Werner, among others. As a leader, he debuted with Peter Erskine in 1982 on Contemporary, followed by several well-received efforts for Denon. During the '90s, he developed a good relationship with ECM, releasing such albums as 1992's You Never Know, 1995's As It Is, and 1998's Juni. Also during the '90s, Erskine founded his own Fuzzy Music label, delivering such albums as 1995's From Kenton to Now with tenor saxophonist Richard Torres and 1998's Lava Jazz. In the 2000s, Erskine continued to release albums via Fuzzy Music with 2002's Badlands, 2005's The Lounge Art Ensemble: Music for Moderns, and 2016's Dr. Um, which introduced his Dr. Um Band featuring keyboardist John Beasley. In 2017, Erskine reunited Beasley and the Dr. Um Band for Second Opinion. ~ Ron Wynn Somers Point, NJ Tony Williams Trio Mike Mainieri

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The Princess 2012 The Sun (feat. Graham Candy) The Demon Diaries 2014 Step Two (feat. Lilja Bloom) The Burning Spider 2017 Booty Swing The Paris Swing Box - EP 2010 Demon Dance The Burning Spider (feat. Lightin Hopkins) About Parov Stelar During the '90s, Marcus Füreder DJ'd in nightclubs, which led to production and label operation. Under the name Plasma, he released the 2001 album Shadow Kingdom on his Bushido label. A few years later, the Austrian first used the new and more lasting alias Parov Stelar, the name credited with an impressive quantity of recordings released during the 2000s and 2010s, primarily on his Etage Noir label. His "electro swing" sound, enhanced with clever sampling, proved to be popular in the compilation and DJ-mix market, including Stéphane Pompougnac's Hôtel Costes series. During the mid 2010s, Stelar took home several Amadeus Austrian Music Awards, including a trio of them in 2013 for Best Electronic Act, Best Live Act, and Best Album, the latter for The Princess. The Parov Stelar Trio and Parov Stelar Band continued to tour extensively and performed at festivals such as Glastonbury and Zurich OpenAir. Stelar linked with Island for 2013's The Art of Sampling, his second album to peak within the Top 10 of the Ö3 Austria Top 40 chart. The Demon Diaries followed in 2015. ~ Andy Kellman Klangkarussell Sam Irl AKMusique Tape Five

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Andre Schurrle to undergo a medical at Fulham July 25, 2018 July 25, 2018 Triple A 0 Comments fulham, transfer news Borussia Dortmund forward Andre Schurrle is flying to London on ahead of a medical at Fulham on Wednesday, according to Sky sources. We understands that Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic has secured the signature of Schurrle ahead of a number of interested clubs, including Crystal Palace and AC Milan. The Germany international was released from Dortmund's tour of the United States to discuss the move. We have been told that the 27-year-old chose Fulham having been an admirer of the team's passing style during last season's successful Sky Bet Championship campaign. Schurrle has experience of playing in the Premier League, winning the title with Chelsea in 2015 after joining from Bayer Leverkusen in 2013. He spent a season and a half at Stamford Bridge before a return to the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg in February 2015. He moved to Dortmund the following year. He was part of the Germany squad that won the World Cup in Brazil in 2014. ← Malcom joins Barcelona Diego Rico signs a four-year deal with Bournemouth →

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MIMO Home 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.'-Cheesiness At Its Best Yes, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is cheesy. Yes, it's totally a throwback to the 1960s, not just in content but in style. Yes, it's predictable and unrealistic. And yes, if you like spy movies, you should totally go see it. Not because it's artful, but because it's fun-as was the 60s TV series from which it hails. If you want a movie with style, action and a bit of comedy, [...] The Emmys Don't Matter The Emmy's have long been the strange, slightly gangly, socially awkward cousin in the award show family. They don't really matter. They're there. They're at the table. They're frequently seen around at family functions. But most people don't like them. They're certainly not the Oscars. The pride and joy of the family. The accomplished and good looking favorite child. They're not even the Golden Globes, the stocky, slightly less accomplished [...] Check Out The First Seven Minutes of Star Wars Rebels A few months ago news broke that almost all of the Star Wars Extended Universe material was going to be discarded by the now Disney owned Lucasfilm. Yes, that's right. Yes, Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command are now out of continuity. Along with countless other video games, novels, and comics. Disney has decided that only the six feature films, and the cartoons will be [...] Mad Max: Fury Road Appears To Be Worth The Wait Reboots, rehashes, relaunches, and remakes are a dime a dozen these days. They're everywhere. Every major studio is attempting to grab another piece of whatever franchise you loved as a younger human. Sometimes these remakes are good, sometimes they're bad, and sometimes they're VERY BAD. In the case of Mad Max there have been rumors and failed stop and start attempts at breathing new life into the franchise for years [...] Ridley Scott Is Irrelevant Ridley Scott has been the reigning overlord of the movie industry for almost thirty years. He's been haled as a visionary director and one of the last true auteurs in western cinema. He's created some of the most important films of this century. He's an uncompromising man with an uncompromising view on narrative. And now... he's old. Ridley Scott is so very, very old. Ridley Scott has officially stepped over [...] New Doctor Who To Go 'Into Darkness' Dr Who fans have been waiting for a long time to see some real footage from the new series. Well, now they have it. Dr Who series 8, starring Peter Capaldi, is about to be released on the world and this trailer showcases just how awe inspiring it is going to be. The tone of the next series of the long running Who franchise appears to be slightly darker than [...] Ridley Scott Talks Prometheus and Blade Runner Sequels August 26, 2014 by Dave Baker Ridley Scott has a line of projects that seems to circle the block. He's wrapping up Exodus: Gods and Kings, then he's moving on to The Martian, with Matt Damon, and then he'll finally be getting around to the films that everyone wants him to make Blade Runner 2 and Prometheus 2. Scott recently sat down with EW and had a few things to say about each of the upcoming sequels. First up he discussed Blade Runner: "It's written and it's damn good," of course it involves Harrison, who is a survivor after all these years - despite the accident (referring to Ford's "Star Wars" injury). So yes, that will happen." And then of course moved on to Prometheus, which is still a ways away. Scott still has The Martian and Blade Runner 2 to get off his plate. "That's the problem, I've got a lot of ducks in a row. But they're all written." I'm nervous about both of these sequels. Ridley Scott is aging and he's not the director he once was. It's slightly worrisome. But like every other Blade Runner and Alien/Prometheus fan, I'll show up in the theater and hope that the films are good. Fingers crossed. Dave Baker on MUSIC IS MY OXYGEN WEEKLY. Dave Baker, originally from the drug-infested wasteland that is Arizona, lives in Los Angeles. He has a degree in Visual Communications with an emphasis in Illustration. Logically, he makes a living as a writer. Dave has written comic books and the moving pictures. Dave also enjoys talking about himself in the third person, not cooking, and taking long walks around his apartment. If you'd like to read more of his writing or comics they can be found at Posted in: Film, Miscellaneous, Movie Rumors, Sci-Fi Movies Film Is My Oxygen is funded by The Film Connection Film Institute as a public service.

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Home / 2017 / June / Astronomy Lick Observatory kicks off popular Summer Series An eminent UC astronomy facility for research and training, Lick Observatory has been offering an annual summer series for the public for three decades By Jennifer Pittman Natalie Batalha earned her doctorate in astrophysics from UC Santa Cruz. She was recently name by Time magazine as one of the world's 100 most influential people Once the sun set on amateur astronomers enjoying solar flares from their tailgate parties atop Mt. Hamilton last weekend, scientists from NASA and University of California Observatories invited the public to peer into distant worlds. They announced new discoveries of potentially habitable earth-sized planets at the edge of what can be known. If our galaxy, the Milky Way, was the size of the United States, one of these planets would be just a few minutes walk from here, said Natalie Batalha, a research astrophysicist for NASA Ames and project scientist for the exoplanet-finding Kepler Mission. It's not, of course - the real size of the galaxy is estimated at between 100,000 and 200,000 light-years in diameter and the distance of one of these Earth-like planets is closer to 10 light-years or 60 trillion miles from the mountaintop. Batalha, who earned her doctorate in astrophysics from UC Santa Cruz, was the keynote scientist on the second evening of the 37th annual Summer Series at the Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton, a popular evening program that includes Evening with the Stars on Fridays and Music of the Spheres on Saturdays. Both nights include astronomy lectures and views through the telescopes. Friday programs add lectures on the history of the observatory and its contributions while Saturday programs include live music and, for VIP ticket holders, a walking tour. Tickets for the event, which went on sale in April, sold out within hours. For visitors, the evening started with a bit of history about the iconic facility, the first observatory built at high elevation that, for many years, harbored the biggest telescope of its kind. For decades it was the world center for observational astronomy. On Saturday, VIPs joined a tour with resident astronomer Paul Lynam and Batalha, who was recently named by Time magazine as one of the world's 100 most influential people. The group wound along the ridgetop home of several white, rounded observatory buildings and scientists' dormitories. They toured the dome of the 3-meter Shane Telescope, the mountain's largest telescope, and shared dinner before settling in for some live music. The White Album Ensemble, a popular Beatles cover band, sang "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" while the sun set over Silicon Valley. After Batalha's humbling, mind-bending astronomy talk, visitors were invited to peer at Jupiter through the 40-inch Nickel Reflector telescope and at Messier 5, a globular cluster visible through the historic 36-inch Great Lick Refractor telescope. Observatory offers hands-on learning Lick Observatory, atop 4,265-foot Mt. Hamilton, overlooks the east side of Silicon Valley. It is primarily a research and technology development facility and remains the premier UC training observatory. It is operated by UCO with headquarters in the Interdisciplinary Sciences Building at UC Santa Cruz. UCO is also a managing partner of Keck Observatory in Hawaii, operates technical labs at UC Santa Cruz and UCLA, and is the center of UC participation in the multinational Thirty Meter Telescope project. Student astronomers can use the equipment from a remote observation station at UC Santa Cruz, as well as from other stations throughout the UC system, and even from further afield such as Seoul, South Korea. Grad students are eligible to apply for telescope time as principal investigators. From afar, they gain valuable hands-on experience that is difficult to come by anywhere else. This year, UC Santa Cruz researchers have been scheduled to observe, using multiple telescopes and cameras, an average of 20 times per month. "I've been able to get a lot of observing experience which is really difficult to get on some of the larger sized telescopes," said Tiffany Hsyu, a third year UCSC doctoral student. Hsyu is using Lick telescopes remotely to confirm candidate dwarf galaxies that may offer insights into early conditions of the universe. "Every time I get to use a telescope I think, I'm one of just few people who get to do this. It's pretty awesome." New UC Santa Cruz astronomy and astrophysics grad students make an inaugural pilgrimage to the mountain and enjoy an annual student campout atop the mountain as well. A rich history of discovery connects UC Santa Cruz, a leading center for observational and theoretical research in astronomy and astrophysics, and the Lick Observatory. To name just a few groundbreaking discoveries with significant UC Santa Cruz leadership, there is the Automated Planet Finder instrument project headed by UCSC astronomer Steve Vogt; the major upgrade to the Kast Spectrograph at Lick Observatory, made possible in part through the fundraising work of Michael Bolte, a UCSC professor and former director of UCO; the development of new standards relating to the evolution of galaxies by Sandra Faber, a UCSC astronomy professor and former UCO director; and Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics technologies, created by Claire Max, UCO director and UCSC astronomer. Up to 200 astronomers are trained annually at Lick Observatory and about 40 scientific papers are published each year. "We're training the next generation of world-class scientists and instrument builders," Lynam, said. "The other facilities are not training observatories. Lick Observatory gives students hands-on time to explore and also to tinker." The event kicked off NASA's week-long Kepler conference during which Batalha and the Kepler team announced a catalog of planet candidates, 10 of which are near-Earth size and share several key characteristics that could potentially host microbial life. Much stargazing also happens outside the observatories, thanks to amateur astronomers who are invited to set up their telescopes in the parking lot so visitors can glimpse into space. From one such telescope, viewers watched three moons circle Jupiter, making hundreds of millions of miles feel not quite so far away. "I think Mr. (James) Lick would be very proud," Lynam said, of the benefactor who set up a trust in the 1870s to build the world's largest refracting telescope in 1888. It became operational in January 1888, 12 years after Lick's death. A completed Lick observatory was donated to UC in June 1888.

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Two Pepperdine Regents Named Campaign Cochairs Two University Regents will lead 110 alumni and community leaders as the Campaign for Pepperdine goes public on May 14. George Pepperdine College alumna Marylyn M. Warren ('58) and former ambassador to Jamaica Glen A. Holden have been named the campaign's cochairs, representing volunteer ambassadors in support of the largest campaign in Pepperdine's 75-year history. Warren, retired senior vice president of eHarmony.com and former vice president for financial development at the Huntington Library, has also worked in public relations and special events for the Los Angeles Music Center. Her husband and Pepperdine College sweetheart Neil Clark Warren ('56) founded eHarmony.com, one of the country's most popular relationship websites. Holden, founder and CEO of The Holden Group, an insurance holding corporation, is active with the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, the Music Center of Los Angeles, and the Council of American Ambassadors. He and his wife Gloria are the generous benefactors to Pepperdine student scholarships and namesakes of the University's educational center in Argentina. Pepperdine Magazine Spring 2011News Visionary in Chief Evolution of a Mascot Hearing Her Story

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An Abundant Community October 17, 2017 /in Contemporary Culture /by Linda Kurtz Each month, we post a series of blogs around a common topic. This month, Jessica Tate is curating a series that will reflect experiences of living in diverse community. Over the course of the month, we'll notice practices that enable diverse communities to thrive and we'll reflect on the promise of Christ in whom there is no Jew nor Greek, no male nor female, no slave nor free and what that promise means for our lives today. We invite you to share your own thoughts on Facebook and Twitter! by Sarah Dianne Jones Community is, by and large, difficult. It doesn't matter what kind of community it is - anything built upon the basis of human reality is going to be difficult! And yet, community is what we long for. Brené Brown reminds us in her writings that all humans long to belong to something. It's within the very nature of who we are, and still it is difficult. Throughout my year with the Young Adult Volunteer program, community was a theme that came up time and time again. As someone who finds comfort in the pages of a book, I found myself reading a book about the nature of community in John McKnight and Peter Block's book The Abundant Community. Published in 2010, the book looks at how we might engage in our communities differently than generations past have been able to. Where is the room for an abundant, diverse, thriving community in the midst of busier than ever schedules, technology that sometimes seems to have taken over our lives, and the expectation that one is available 24/7? From the First Presbyterian Church, Arlington Facebook page. The book, first and foremost, explores the idea of stepping back and reassessing an individual's role in community. We must be willing to encounter the world differently, at least in terms of expectations upon ourselves, in order to truly be in community with those in our midst. This means we cannot be content with the status quo when it comes to our communities, and must instead reach out to those around us in order to get to know them on a deeper level. McKnight and Block write that we must move from critique to possibility - it is easy to see the places in our communities that need to work, and certainly easy to make broad statements about the "fix" for a problem. McKnight and Block instead ask that one looks for the possibility in a situation, not just the problems. Where is the possibility in a congregation that hasn't yet formed ties to its neighborhood? Where is the possibility in a neighborhood with a school that is struggling to get by, surrounded by families whose children have all grown up? Our communities are built up not by seeing these occasions as cause for alarm or as an example of scarcity, but rather as an abundance. Perhaps it isn't the abundance one was hoping for, but it is certainly enough as it is. There are countless possibilities for an abundant community in both of the above examples - think of the joy that could come from the steps a congregation can take to begin getting to know its neighborhood, recognizing that sometimes ministry doesn't mean trying to raise the numbers of attendees in worship but rather being present for all those encountered along the way? Or the possibilities for community in a neighborhood that feels its best days are behind it? Our communities must be rooted in the desire to truly know those whom we encounter in our lives. Everyone carries their own story, their own experience that lends itself to the creation of an abundant, diverse, thriving community. Without creating the space to build these relationships, community will not have the chance to embrace its possibilities, and those possibilities are too great to let slip by. Sarah Dianne Jones serves as the Director of Children and Youth Ministries at First Presbyterian Church in Arlington, Virginia. She previously worked with NEXT Church through the Young Adult Volunteer program. Tags: abundance, abundant community, christian, community, congregation, diverse community, diversity, minister, ministry, neighborhood, neighborhood engagement, pcusa, possibilities, presbyterian, scarcity and abundance 200 398 Linda Kurtz /wp-content/uploads/sites/55/2016/01/NEXT-Logo-FINAL-Horizontal_lato-1030x229.png Linda Kurtz2017-10-17 07:01:272017-10-16 15:26:35An Abundant Community MINISTERIO AGAPE Ministry: I Think We Need a Bigger Box The Stupendous Promises of God A New Reformation? Trading Away God's Creation Jobs Are a Holy Thing Nurturing Diversity in Preaching A Safe Space to Gather

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Hotel Mumbai (2019) Review!! February 27, 2019 · by Mirza Baig · in Drama, History, Movie Review, Thriller. · Synopsis - The true story of the Taj Hotel terrorist attack in Mumbai. Hotel staff risk their lives to keep everyone safe as people make unthinkable sacrifices to protect themselves and their families. My Take - For Indians all over the world, the date 26/11 has been marked with blood in recent history. As on the night of Nov. 26, 2009, a group of 10 young members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamic terrorist organization based in Pakistan, carried out a series of 12 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks that lasted four days across Mumbai, leaving 164 people dead and hundreds more injured. While the rest of the world considered it a secondary news, for Indians, even a decade later, the ripple effect of the tragedy can still be felt. Premiering at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, and based on the 2009 documentary 'Surviving Mumbai' by Victoria Midwinter Pitt, here, Australian film director Anthony Maras, takes us through a fictionalized yet terrifying and powerful recreation of the events that took place at the opulent Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. While fictionalizing events might tend to end up mixing it up a little bit for the sake of amusement, this film, it should go without saying, is harrowing to the extreme. Almost unbearable, in fact. While writer/director Anthony Maras largely sticks to the dramatization playbook, he does so in an effective, affecting and empathetic fashion. Even though, it would be impossible to do justice to the true stories of the hundreds of people involved, this film succeeds as a best case scenario, by being a tightly constructed piece of film-making that's truly human and away from tired Hollywood pitfalls. For most, that will be enough to be entertained and horrified by this thriller at the same time. The film begins right off by showing the 10 terrorist arriving on their inflatable speedboat on the city shores, and splitting off for their respective destinations and begin their onslaught in a few minutes starting with the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. From there the story follows Arjun (Dev Patel), a low-ranking Sikh employee of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, who is clearly having a rough day; his sick baby made him late to work, and he's lost a shoe on the way. While he is almost sent home for his misconduct by Hemant Oberoi (Anupam Kher), the head chef, who prides on how the five-star luxury resort embodies excellence, but considering Arjun's financial condition, he lets him stay. However, his luck doesn't extend to a high-tipping post attending to Vasili (Jason Isaacs), a sleazy Russian businessman, who hosts wild parties and ends up giving out huge tips. Meanwhile, Zahra (Nazanin Boniadi), a member of a affluent and rich family also checks into one of the hotel's most opulent suites with David (Armie Hammer), her American husband, their newborn baby and Sally (Tilda Cobham-Hervey), their Australian nanny, all hoping to spend a quite holiday together. However, at the Leopold Cafe, Aussie backpackers Eddie (Angus McLaren) and Bree (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) become the surviving witnesses to an early gun fire as the attacks escalate across the city, and unknown to them, some of the gunners have followed them and managed to enter the Taj hotel lobby. The film charts the occurrences of the evening - from guests unassumingly enjoying their dinner, to the first attacks, then the very hospitable hotel staff moving the guests from one safe space to another, to the final arrival of the special forces unit which managed to kill all the terrorists present and bring an end to the firing. This is an ensemble piece where director Anthony Maras weaves various perspectives into a tightly constructed narrative. Most importantly, the drama is white-knuckle intense and unrelenting. For all its subplots, director Maras keeps a tight leash on the film's narrative strands as we watch characters move in and out of each other's stories. The use of real news footage on background televisions is a clever way of dealing with exposition, allowing the plot to move briskly along. I'm astounded that this is director Anthony Maras' first feature-length film. He's a master of building tension through a combination of building up characters that we care about and putting them in horrific jeopardy. The most affecting aspect of the film is how it handles and stages said attacks. Here, director Maras shoots them in a conventional manner, but his depiction is so brutal it is unnerving. In fact, as the picture goes on it simply becomes too brutal. There's a line for an audience between conveying the true horror of what occurred and being excessive and director Maras barely avoids the latter. There are very few times when the film lets the killing occur off camera (which can be harrowing in and of itself) and it simply becomes numbing. You cannot argue, however, that both he and his editor, Peter McNulty, show deft skill in cinematically splicing it all together. Another thing I liked a lot about the film is that it doesn't go out of its way to artificially construct heroes in the way that an American production might have been tempted to do. As a viewer, you feel as though you are a fly on the wall as everything is happening. You can see the pain and fear in the eyes of all these innocent people who are being held prisoners inside this hotel. You want them to survive, but unfortunately, not all of them do. People attempt heroic actions and are just gunned down in cold blood. The police are mostly ineffective. In the face of horror like this, your indomitable spirit isn't going to save you. There are numerous scenes where a person is shot in the head with the camera remaining on the victim as he or she is shot. There are at least 30 to 40 people killed on-screen by these men throughout the film. In a typical Hollywood film, we know our heroes are going to survive. Not so here, and the result is more akin to a horror film than any traditional drama. I want to applaud the screenwriters for not being afraid to write likable characters that end up being killed because it is the harsh reality of what occurs during an attack like this one. Seeing the attacks on the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel play out does not make for a pleasurable film-going experience but one that is very hard to watch and impossible to forget. However, what's most disturbing about the film is the strange depiction of the terrorists themselves. Here, director Maras makes an unusual decision in giving much of the narrative space to the four gunmen, seemingly in an attempt to humanize the terrorists. One, in particular, is shown speaking to his father on the phone and holding back tears when he's told the money the terrorist organization promised his family hasn't arrived. It's a strange juxtaposition to convey that some of these killers deserve sympathy because they carried off these attacks for financial means. There is clearly no justification for their actions, but it's such a bizarre and frustrating choice. Especially considering this particular character's actions later on. In one of the film's rare humorous moments, one of the men takes a bite of a pizza until he's told by his brother-in-arms that it's pork. Spluttering wildly, he's laughed at saying they're just vegetables. It's funny until they turn and shoot a woman in the head. It's in these moments of jarring tonal shifts where the film's otherwise tight pacing and structure begins to unwind. Thankfully this tone is saved by the ensemble cast who are excellent. Dev Patel, who gets the meatiest part, manages to deliver a subdued yet a particularly moving performance and receives ample support from Armie Hammer and Anupam Kher who bring in yet another compelling and dominating turn to their roles. Jason Isaacs does fine work too, but I have to admit that I had a hard time accepting him as a Russian. It may be that I'm too familiar with his work and I could never quite suspend disbelief. I wish they had cast an actual Russian in the role, but on the other hand, he being in the film is one of the things that made me want to see it. Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Angus McLaren, and Natasha Liu Bordizzo are compelling too. However, its Nazanin Boniadi's spectacular performance that holds everything together. There is this scene where Imran, one of the gunmen, played by a very effective Amandeep Singh, is ordered to kill everyone in the room. After seeing several people being shot, Zahra begins to pray which causes Imran to freak out and question his actions. This is a compelling moment because it is the first time that you see one of the men ask what they are doing and wonder if they should kill someone who believes in the same god that he does. This was easily one of the most powerful scenes in the entire film. On the whole, 'Hotel Mumbai' is an excellent edge-of-the-seat thriller that will shake you to the core. Directed - Anthony Maras Starring - Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi Rated - R Run Time - 125 minutes Tags: #AnupamKher, #ArmieHammer, #DevPatel, #HotelMumbai, #JasonIsaacs, #NazaninBoniadi, #TildaCobhamHervey ← 'Hotel Transylvania 4' In the Works at Sony Pictures Animation!! 'The OA' Season 2: First Trailer Makes Good on Prairie's Promise!! Check It Out!! → One response to "Hotel Mumbai (2019) Review!!" Pingback: Win 20 Invites to 'Hotel Mumbai' Premiere!! For U.A.E Residents Only!!! | Welcome to Moviz Ark!·

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Russia boycott will cost NL €300m By Maxime Zech on August 19, 2014 - 13:59 Russia's boycott on The Netherlands will cost the country more than €300 million, according to The Netherlands Central Bureau for Statistics (CBS). Last year, the worth of the goods exported to Russia, now boycotted, amounted to more than €500 million in export worth. The Netherlands earned €300 million from this, which is because €200 million was paid for foreign goods and services. There were also around five thousand jobs attached to this export. Agriculture and food industries will especially suffer, as they profited the most from these now-boycotted goods. These industries produced and processed the vegetables, fruit, dairy products and meat that is on the black list. All the middle-men and industries providing services to these exports are also affected. In 2013, The Netherlands was an important supplier of the boycotted goods for countries close to Russia as well, such as Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. Some of these goods were meant for these countries, but some were also transported on to Russia, though the quantity is unclear. According to the CBS, if these countries did not produce goods such as tomatoes, peppers and grapes themselves and if the Dutch share in their export of each boycott product is the same as their own import, then this amounts to €700 million. This means that The Netherlands would lose another €300 million and five thousand jobs. Central Bureau for Statistics Dutch goods

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"Viet Nam" "Bennett, L. Howard" Motion pictures 4 Vietnam War, 1961-1975 4 Arlington County 4 Camp Hansen 4 H? Chí Minh, Thành Ph? 4 Okinawa 4 5708 Arundel Ave. 3 Montgomery County 3 Bowser, Pearl 4 Garrett, Kent 4 Greaves, William 4 National Educational Television 4 The Black G.I. Black Journal segment 16mm motion picture film of The Black G.I. [Black Journal segment] Garrett, Kent, American, born 1941 Greaves, William, American, 1926 - 2014 National Educational Television, American, 1954 - 1970 Bowser, Pearl, American, born 1931 Bennett, L. Howard 16mm Film (a): acetate film Length (Film): 1,800 Feet motion pictures (information artifacts) Place filmed H? Chí Minh, Thành Ph?, H? Chí Minh, Viet Nam, Asia Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Asia Arlington County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America The Black G.I. is a two-part documentary episode of the television series Black Journal. It focuses on the experiences of African-American soldiers in the Vietnam War. This film features frank and open discussions from soldiers, ranked officers, and politicians about the racism that defined the different experiences black soldiers had in this war. This 16mm color film is an hour-long documentary segment of Episode No. 22 of the NET (National Educational Television) television program, Black Journal; a weekly public television newsmagazine in the late 1960s/early 1970s that examined the many issues pertinent to the black American experience at the time. It was originally broadcast on March 30, 1970, and is believed to have been filmed over the course of 1969. Episode No. 22 of Black Journal was directed by Stan Lathan, while the "Black G.I." segment was directed by Kent Garrett. Executive Produced by William Greaves. Contains: 16mm Film (a), Original 1,600 foot Film Reel (b), and Original 1,600 foot Film Canister (c). 2012.79.1.51.1a: 16mm film. This film opens with a narration over images of African American men in the history of the US military. The first moving image section shows African American men fighting during World War II. The narrator discusses the irony of African American men fighting for freedom in Europe while not enjoying the same freedoms in the US. There are multiple shots of the Tuskegee Airmen. Eleanor Roosevelt pins (unknown) medal on African American soldier. Next, newsreel footage of Joe Louis arriving at an airbase and greeting black troops. The narrator then talks about the desegregation of the US military during the Korean War and points out the lack of black soldiers in leadership positions. Color footage marks the transition of the narration to coverage of the Vietnam War. Two African American soldiers in civilian clothing with soul power patches can be seen dapping. Series of brief excerpts from interviews of black soldiers play, each stating their position on being black and in the military during the Vietnam War. The narrator reveals the disproportionate percentage of black men who are killed in action versus their white counterparts. There are multiple shots of combat and post-combat footage in Vietnamese rice fields and footage of riverside villages. Two sailors patrol a river and discuss their experience in Vietnam thus far and what they'll do when they get home. They discuss their mission and how to be black while being in the military. A girl group performs at the USO in Saigon. Tanks and amored personnel carriers patrol suspected enemy locations along border with North Vietnam. Sailors on a patrol boat open fire at the river bank and a confederate flag can be seen flying from a flag pole on board. Black sailors discuss cultural challenges of being in the Navy and the lack entertainment geared towards black musical tastes of the time. One sailor talks about being disciplined for getting into an altercation after a white sailor ripped his tape player from the wall for playing soul music. The narrator reveals that an all white court martial found the sailor, Bobby Jenkins, guilty of assault, demoted him and docked his pay. A sailor relays that he and other African Americans met with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for civil rights to discuss their poor treatment and were promised changes by the Assistant Secretary. The sailors talk about how some local Vietnamese have adopted some of the negative perceptions of African Americans, which some black sailors believe they learned from some white members of the military. The sailors discuss how their hands are tied when it comes to standing up for their rights as sailors on a patrol boat dap and salute the camera with black/soul power fists. Air Force fighter pilot, John Bordeaux, discusses his personal experience of not facing the same discrimination expressed by other African American military personnel. Two black career Army officers, Davis and Rogers, discuss the systematic discrimination they've faced; in particular, they recall incidents of being passed over for promotions despite strong credentials. Brigadier General Frederick E. Davison, the first African American combat general, rejects the assertion that an African American who succeeds in the military is an Uncle Tom and discusses the many actions that the Army has taken to ensure equal treatment and opportunities. A cover of "Sittin' on a Dock in the Bay" plays over a montage of black soldiers in the field. A group of black Marines in a mess hall at Camp Hansen, Okinawa discuss the unfair treatment they've experienced, such as being forced to wear a collared shirt with their dashikis and not being allowed to wear their hair in an afro. One marine relates an incident in which they were violently confronted after returning from a USO show that primarily featured soul music. There is a series of shots of shops in Koza "Four Corners", Okinawa geared towards African American soldiers. Another group of soldiers discuss their dissatisfaction with being drafted to fight in Vietnam despite social and economic discrimination at home, and being harassed and targeted as being "troublesome" if they decide to attend country music night at local clubs. L. Howard Bennett, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, discusses how black soldiers complaining about the lack of soul music are expressing grievances beyond simply entertainment selection and dissatisfaction with communcation in the chain of command. He also states his opinion that black soldiers fighting for the US puts them in a better position to demand equal rights at home. 2012.79.1.51.1b: Original 1,600 foot film reel. 2012.79.1.51.1c: Original 1,600 foot film canister. The metal film canister has two sticker labels; each from a different film services company. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Pearl Bowser 2012.79.1.51.1a © National Educational Television Pearl Bowser Collection 5708 Arundel Ave., Rockville, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, North and Central America This preservation 16mm color film is an hour-long documentary segment of Episode No. 22 of the NET (National Educational Television) television program, Black Journal; a weekly public television newsmagazine in the late 1960s/early 1970s that examined the many issues pertinent to the black American experience at the time. It was originally broadcast on March 30, 1970, and is believed to have been filmed over the course of 1969. Episode No. 22 of Black Journal was directed by Stan Lathan, while the "Black G.I." segment was directed by Kent Garrett. Executive Produced by William Greaves. 2012.79.1.51.2ab

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Shocker: For 1 Japanese Solider World War II Didn't End Until 1974 March 11, 2019 Topic: Security Blog Brand: The Buzz Tags: JapanWorld War IIMilitaryPacific War Suzuki told Onoda what he had heard so many times before. The war was over, and he should surrender. Onoda refused. When asked why, he stated his long-held conviction that he had been given orders to remain on the island, harassing the enemy and gathering intelligence. He would not surrender unless he had specific orders from his old chain of command to do so.= by Warfare History Network In 1996, Onoda returned to Lubang to revisit his old haunts, apologize to islanders (he and his fellow holdouts had killed some of the locals over the years), and donate a scholarship of $10,000 to island children. He would never be able to reconcile himself to modern Japan. In a 1997 speech he said, "At the time of the war, we were all dedicating our lives to the state of Japan, believing we would be enshrined and honored at Yasukuni Shrine (Japan's war memorial) after our deaths. But now Japan has thrown away its pride as a nation...." The Japanese empire was a fine place for young Hiro Onoda. In 1939, at age 17, he hired on with a lacquerware company that posted him to Hankow (Wuhan) in Japanese-occupied China. There, he visited suppliers by day and danced the night away with obliging Chinese women. (This first appeared several years ago.) His idyllic world, along with that of countless others, came to an abrupt end in December 1941. Japan opened up a new front in her war against the rest of the world. The Army desperately needed manpower. Onoda was called up in May 1942, and after basic training he was accepted into officer's candidate school. Upon graduation, he was promoted to 2nd lieutenant and selected for special training in a pacification squad, a type of commando unit. In December 1944, with the American enemy growing in strength and resolve, Onoda was sent to the Philippines. There, he was ordered to connect with a local Japanese garrison and conduct reconnaissance of enemy strength and dispositions. He was also instructed to conduct guerrilla warfare after the expected American invasion. Under no circumstances was he to give up or commit suicide. Of the millions of combatants of every nation in World War II, no soldier was more faithful to his orders than Lieutenant Hiro Onoda of the Imperial Japanese Army. Onoda and 21 other newly minted commandos arrived by air at Clark Air Base. The Americans had already landed in Mindoro and were interfering with Japanese movements on Luzon with continuous strafing and bombing. On December 26, Major Yoshimi Taniguchi gave assignments to the newly arrived commandos. They were expected to conduct guerrilla warfare against the enemy in different parts of the archipelago. Onoda was the single operative assigned to the nearby island of Lubang, southwest of Manila. Before leaving for their assignments, the commandos were addressed by Lt. Gen. Akira Muto, chief of staff of the 14th Area Army. General Muto gave the guerrillas a pep talk. Onoda remembered clearly that the general looked straight at him and said, "You are absolutely forbidden to die by your own hand. It may take three years, it may take five, but whatever happens we'll come back for you." Onoda would remain faithful to his general's orders for the next 30 years. On December 30, a reluctant Filipino captain, traveling during the relative safety of night, ferried Onoda to his new home on the island of Lubang. Lubang is about 30 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide. Much of it is heavily forested with tropical vegetation. Onoda would come to know every inch of it. On his arrival, he found a Japanese garrison of 150 men divided into four commands (Army, Air, Navy, and Intelligence). He did not have authority over any of them. He could only advise and consult, but had little time for either. On February 1, 1945, the Americans came. Most of the Japanese garrison died in futile charges or by their own hands. Not Onoda, because he was forbidden to die and had to live to prepare for the day when the Japanese Army would return victorious. The few survivors retreated into the mountainous jungle where Onoda had the foresight to cache rice and some rifles for a protracted guerrilla struggle. The little band of holdouts engaged in firefights with the Americans and Filipinos, but by January 1946 Onoda's command was down to four men. In 1949, one of them deserted and gave himself up. After that, Onoda's family in Japan knew that he was still alive. Ito Masashi's fate was not too dissimilar. Drafted along with his boyhood friends from a small fishing village in January 1942, Masashi was sent to the Manchurian border. He was assigned to defend against Japan's longstanding European enemy, the Soviet Union. The Attack on Pearl Harbor Meant the Beginning of a 19-Year War for Ito Masashi Japan had already fought three wars with Russia in the 20th century, and the Army's pre-war planning called for a strong presence on the Soviet border. Events in Europe changed all that. Japan's European ally, Nazi Germany, invaded Russia in the summer of 1941, and the Soviets quickly stripped their Siberian defenses in a desperate bid to stop the German onslaught. Suddenly, Japan had no Soviet enemy to worry about. In addition, by occupying Holland and France and locking England into a life-and-death struggle, Germany had created a power vacuum in the Far East where those countries had important but defenseless colonies. The only force that could prevent Japan from filling that vacuum was the U.S. Navy, anchored menacingly in Hawaii. In December 1941, Japan moved to eliminate that threat. The attack on Pearl Harbor changed everything. For Ito Masashi it meant the beginning of a 19-year war. Masashi's initial posting to the Manchurian border to guard against Russians who were no longer there soon changed. He was transferred to a rear area in the war with China. In March 1944, now a lance corporal, Masashi got urgent new orders. He was assigned to a hastily assembled outfit and transferred again. This time he was sent to the island of Guam (called Omiya-jima by the Japanese) to face the real enemy, the United States. Steaming across the ocean in a 13-ship convoy, he landed on the island to reinforce the existing Japanese garrison. Days were easy at first as the new troops settled in. They spent their time fishing in the abundant local waters to augment their meager military diet. It was the calm before the storm. In early June, they witnessed a flight of American bombers overhead. Masashi soon lost count of their number. The Japanese garrison on Guam was safe for the moment; the countless planes they observed were on their way to bomb Saipan, 200 miles to the north. A few days later, Masashi and his mates heard the rumble of distant guns over the horizon. The noise came from American battleships pounding Saipan with their 16-inch guns in preparation for landing. Guam's turn came on July 21. Masashi remembers that Japanese command and control broke down after the initial American bombardment, and local units had to act on their own. The invasion went smoothly for the Americans, and by August 8 organized resistance came to an end. Many Japanese, including Masashi, were bypassed by the rapidly advancing Americans. The surviving Japanese stragglers (as they were called by the Americans) had to be rooted out by patrols and hard fighting. Masashi and his few surviving mates moved from place to place to avoid detection. He could hear other pockets of Japanese soldiers being killed by the Americans, or worse, by the patrols of local militia. The Chamorro natives of Guam had suffered cruelly under Japanese occupation and set upon the survivors with a savage fury. Soon Masashi had only one remaining companion, Private Minakawa Bunzo. They were like hunted animals in the twisted jungles of the island. They were not alone. Unknown to Masashi, Sergeant Shoichi Yokoi was also hiding in the uncharted jungles. Yokoi had also served in Manchuria and was assigned to a supply company on Guam. He did not expect to be involved in the fighting. When independent groups of Japanese soldiers made suicidal charges against the Americans, he did not participate and so lived. For 20 years, he and two others survived on the mountainous island. When they ran low on food, his two fellow holdouts moved their camp a short distance away to be less conspicuous (or because they did not get along). They visited each other occasionally. In 1964, Yokoi found the bodies of the others who had apparently died of starvation or food poisoning. He lived alone in a cave that he dug out himself for the next eight years. The Japanese Soldiers Feared the Disgrace, Dishonor, and Humiliation of Surrender

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Amid Khashoggi Affair, Fred Fleitz Leaves White House October 17, 2018 Topic: Security Region: Americas Some administration allies worry, after Jamal Khashoggi, about a White House poised to take its eye off the ball on Iran and political Islam. by Curt Mills Follow CurtMills on Twitter L Fred Fleitz is on his way out the White House. Fleitz, the short-lived National Security Council chief of staff, has a fiery and hardline reputation (full disclosure: we've tangled), befitting the national security advisor he serves. He'll return to Frank Gaffney's Center for Security Policy; Fleitz has alternated as chief of staff to National Security Advisor John Bolton or Gaffney in various capacities, dating back to Bolton's days of haunting the UN. He will now take over for Gaffney. "Throughout his career, Fred Fleitz has been one of the center's most admired allies and, in recent years, one of its most accomplished staff members. I'm thrilled that he agreed to my request to wrap up as swiftly as possible his latest stint of public service in the Trump White House, and succeed me as president of the Center for Security Policy," Gaffney said, announcing the move. The Center for Security Policy announced that Gaffney will take over the role of executive chairman, and that Fleitz will helm "the Center's Second Thirty Years." Still, some worry in the wake of the probable murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, that the White House is poised to taper back from its bellicose commitments against political Islam and the regime in Iran. Much has been made of how integral the Saudis are to the counter-Iran strategy, but less attention has been given to the fact the Trump administration, until now, viewed Riyadh as the leading light against barbarism and Islamic extremism. "We will make history again with the opening of a new Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology - located right here, in this central part of the Islamic World," President Trump said in Saudi Arabia in 2017. "This groundbreaking new center represents a clear declaration that Muslim-majority countries must take the lead in combating radicalization, and I want to express our gratitude to King Salman for this strong demonstration of leadership." That anti-Islamic extremism tact was a broad stance, encompassing an opposition not only to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, the Sunni extremists responsible for most of the radical Islamic terrorist attacks against the United States, but also political Islamist groups with a broader base of support in the region, namely: Hamas, Lebanese Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood. Some restrainers have long attacked such a strategy as foolhardy, arguing that it isolates the United States in the Middle East. "I'm not talking about talking to Al Qaeda. I'm not talking about talking to dead-enders, Jacobites, revolutionaries, people who want to burn it down" says Mark Perry, the author of Talking to Terrorists. Perry said: "Al Qaeda doesn't have a constituency. They're just a revolutionary network. The people I'm talking about talking to are Hamas, Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood, the three most powerful and influential organizations in the Middle East: the great, middle ground of Islam." And Scott McConnell, founding editor of The American Conservative, has argued to me: "I think there's substantial consensus that Hezbollah is a sort of state within a state of Lebanon, confessionally divided with weak central government. . . . What we typically call Shi'ite terrorism more resembles what the IRA did, well organized strikes against political or military targets, than more random suicide strikes at civilians on the Al Qaeda or ISIS model." But this administration, and many of its allies, have disagreed. Trump's political rise owed itself, in part, to two large, often-competing political impulses. Candidate Trump and now-President Trump combined non-interventionist sentiments with a deep and abiding suspicion of Islam. Trump's "American First" and "bring the troops home" sentiment has been swiftly countered, even contradicted, with remarks such as "I think Islam hates us." Administration fans counter that Trump has always been an offensive realist, not a noninterventionist, and in that respect, Bolton is the perfect national security advisor for him. Perceptions to this effect created ample space for Saudi Arabia and the Gulf monarchies to swoop in during the early days after Trump's 2016 victory. On a press call in 2017, a senior administration official explained to reporters that the president was travelling to Saudi Arabia on his first international trip and making it the anchor of his Middle East strategy because "they approached us" first during the transition. But all that threatens to fray now amid the grisly Khashoggi affair. Sens. Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham, two of the upper chamber's most hawkish, traditionally pro-Saudi voices, have each said in recent days that the Saudis must pay a price for the Washington Post columnist's likely assassination. Some supporters of the administration's strategy in the Middle East appear worried that Trump could take his eye off Iran and political Islam, in a potential pull-back from the relationship with Riyadh. "US and Saudi interests are aligned," Walter Russell Mead writes in the Wall Street Journal. "Even as he responds with appropriate gravity to a serious provocation, [Secretary of State] Pompeo must give Saudi authorities the confidence that sober and sensible policies will bring continuing American support for the kingdom's independence and reform. . . . The Muslim Brotherhood, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the ayatollahs of Iran are huddled over the corpse, hoping to turn a political profit from the death of an innocent man." But some fans of the status quo aren't too worried. They remain confident that Trump will keep hold of the flame. The president's recent statements pointing to possible rogue agents and emphasizing the importance of arms sales to the Kingdom lend credence to such confidence. "I don't expect the White House to cave to this newest moral panic," David Reaboi of the Security Studies Group texted me Wednesday morning. He implicitly compares the Khashoggi affair to the Kavanaugh affair, as Trump reportedly done, as well: "You know you're in the midst of a moral panic when even asking for evidence or a legitimate investigation gets you shouted at. Open advocacy and bullying is now the default setting of the American media, and the president has shown that he's impervious to what is obviously a pressure campaign." Says Reaboi: "If the administration is pressured into some kind of retaliation against the Kingdom, it's really America's interests that will suffer. Is there a more robustly pro-American leader waiting in the wings if the pressure on KSA leads to the fall of MBS?" Still, some in this contingent are uneasy. It's not likely his departure was directly related, but Fleitz was perhaps the leading agitator in the administration against the Muslim Brotherhood, a hobby horse of the Center for Security Policy. As I reported in September, the NSC, under Fleitz's administration, was weighing labeling the Brotherhood a terrorist organization. After Khashoggi, are some in the the administration preparing to pivot away from the hardliners? "Why would Fleitz leave Bolton?" a source close to Gaffney texted me Wednesday. So far, however, Trump has not altered his approach. Curt Mills is a foreign-affairs reporter at the National Interest. Follow him on Twitter: @CurtMills. Image: Reuters

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Published on The National Interest () Home > War in the South China Sea: Not Worth It War in the South China Sea: Not Worth It April 21, 2016 Topic: Security Region: ChinaSouth China SeaVietnamMalaysiaJapanSouth Korea Blog Brand: The Buzz Tags: AlliancesSouth China SeaDefenseSecurityWarMilitaryChina Military China's man-made islands do not imperil U.S. national security. So why are we the first line of defense? by Charles V. Peña The latest in tensions between the United States and China is the landing of a Chinese military aircraft on Fiery Cross Reef, one of several man-made islands built by China in the Spratly Island chain in the South China Sea. The Chinese claim the landing was for a humanitarian operation to evacuate three ill workers, but the Pentagon is troubled that China used a military plane instead of a civilian one and wants assurances from China that it has no plans to deploy or rotate military aircraft in the Spratlys, as previously promised. The U.S. concern over Chinese actions revolve around the some $5 trillion in oceanic commerce that passes through the South China Sea and the need for unimpeded navigation that is crucial to the economies of Japan, South Korea, Australia and other countries in the region. If China does pose a threat to trade routes (itself a questionable proposition given China's position as both a supplier and consumer in international trade), why should the United States - whose homeland is thousands of miles away - take the lead and risk military confrontation with China? As an option of last resort, the America can play a supporting role, but the primary responsibility should rest with those nations in East Asia who are more directly threatened and stand to lose the most. Unfortunately, those countries have no incentive to shoulder that burden as long as the United States is willing to bear the expense and incur the risk via forward deployed forces. Just as is the case in Europe, U.S. allies in East Asia have minimal incentive to pay the costs for their own security and will free ride as long as Uncle Sam foots the bill. With over $19 trillion in national debt - China being largest foreign debt holder, owning about $1.2 trillion of U.S. debt according to the Department of Treasury - the United States cannot afford to protect and police the entire world, particularly when American interests are not directly at stake. Still, Washington sent the USS John C. Stennis carrier strike group (CSG) to the South China Sea as a show of force. The acquisition cost of a CSG is on the order of $13 billion, and it costs $6.5 million a day to simply operate a CSG. These are not costs the United States should bear. Indeed, U.S. allies in the region are more than capable of underwriting military expenditures for their own collective security needs. The combined economy of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia - all of whom have a stake in what happens in the South China Sea - is on the order of $9 trillion, which compares favorably to China's $14 trillion economy. Arguably, Thailand (GDP $1 trillion) and India (GDP $2.4 trillion) also have an interest. There is also this to consider: China is America's second-largest trading partner, and the United States is China's largest trading partner. In other words, both countries have every reason to avoid needless confrontation. Ultimately, China's man-made islands in the South China Sea do not imperil U.S. national security. Certainly, they are not worth the possibility of U.S.-Chinese military confrontation. Instead of being the first line of defense and directly involved in a regional dispute, the United States would be better off untangling itself from a needless entanglement. Charles V. Peña is a senior fellow at the American Security Initiative Foundation. He has more than twenty-five years of experience as a senior analyst and program manager, supporting both the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security. Peña is the former Director of Defense Policy Studies at the Cato Institute and author of Winning the Un-War: A New Strategy for the War on Terrorism (Potomac Books). Image: Boats in the South China Sea off Vietnam. Wikimedia Commons/MikeRussia. CC BY-SA 3.0. Source URL:

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Home/Celebrity Net Worth/Business/Al Reynolds Net Worth Al Reynolds Net Worth Al Reynolds Net Worth 2019: Wiki Biography, Married, Family, Measurements, Height, Salary, Relationships 111 1 minute read Micheal Reynolds net worth is Micheal Reynolds Wiki Biography Al Scales Reynolds was born in June 1968 in Horsepasture, Virginia, USA; the specific date of his birth is unknown in the media. He is a businessman and investment banker, but who is probably best recognized for being the ex-wife of television personality Star Jones. He is also a professor at Florida Memorial University. So, have you ever wondered how rich Al Reynolds is, as of mid-2017? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that the total size of Al's net worth is over $5 million,which he has accumulated not only through his involvement in the business industry as an investment banker, but also through his career as a teaching professor. Another source is coming from his appearances in several television shows. Al Reynolds Net Worth $5 Million Al Reynolds spent his childhood in his hometown, and upon matriculation he enrolled at the University of Virginia. He later transferred to become a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Speaking about his career, Al is known as a businessman and investment banker, who worked more than ten years on Wall Street, which added a considerable amount to his net worth. In 2005, he became the President of Champion Advisors LLC, and he has been active at Sirius XM Radio Inc. as its Executive Vice President since 2015. According to sources, he currently works as a professor at Florida Memorial University. Al gained huge popularity when he began dating Star Jones, a television personality who is also the co-host of the show "The View". In 2004, he proposed to her during the NBA All-Star Game, and they married in November of the same year. They subsequently appeared together in several TV series, including "E! True Hollywood Story" (2007-2008) and "Entertainment Tonight" (2008). Unfortunately, the couple divorced in September of 2008, and he appeared in the TV show "Life After" in the following year, which as the title suggests, follows the lives of celebrities who have broken-up with their partners. All of these appearances also increased his wealth. Regarding his personal life at the moment, Al Reynolds is now single following his rather public divorce from Star Jones; he is believed to be dating Nicole Hutchison, but meantime divides his time between his residences in Miami and New York City. In his spare time, he is active on his official Instagram and Twitter accounts. Date Of Birth June 1968 Place Of Birth Horsepasture, Virginia, USA Profession Businessman Education University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Virginia Nationality American Spouse Ex Spouse: Star Jones Partner Nicole Hutchison Twitter Instagram LinkedIn 1 Graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 2 Former investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Life After 2009 TV Series Himself Entertainment Tonight 2008 TV Series Himself E! True Hollywood Story 2007-2008 TV Series documentary Himself Life After 2009 as Himself $5 million 1938-02-151 1968 1968-06 Al Reynolds Net Worth American Editorial Department Ex Spouse: Star Jones Horsepasture June 1968 Micheal Reynolds Nicole Hutchison producer Star Jones University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of Virginia USA Virginia Visual effects Kimberly Guilfoyle Net Worth Erik Prince Net Worth Jay Grdina Net Worth Howard Winklevoss Net Worth Steven Anthony Lawrence Net Worth Lorraine Kelly Net Worth Montell Jordan Net Worth Sam Waterston Net Worth Danilo Medina Net Worth

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Sabre Appoints Abdul-Razzaq Iyer As Vice President, STNME New regional leader will help drive business growth for agency customers in the Middle East Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR), the leading technology provider to the global travel industry, has appointed Abdul-Razzaq Iyer to lead its Sabre Travel Network Middle East business. The new appointment will help drive business growth for both Sabre and its customers in the regions. Since joining Sabre in 2008, Iyer has held various positions in business consulting and sales. Most recently, he has worked as a senior director in the Strategic Business Development team in Sabre's Singapore office. Leading a substantial sales organisation, he helped achieve significant growth for Sabre in APAC, working across many diverse markets. In his new role, Iyer will be responsible for increasing Sabre's footprint in the Middle East, including high-growth markets such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. He will help drive growth for Sabre and its customers in the Middle East's dynamic and diverse regions and provide unrivaled expertise to Sabre's travel agency customers. "Abdul-Razzaq has unique experience and success working in our APAC region, which draws many parallels to the Middle East," said Roshan Mendis, chief commercial officer, Sabre Travel Network. "He has achieved sustainable growth within a complex region that is made up of many very diverse markets. His global expertise and intricate understanding of the agency community will be an asset to Sabre's customers in the Middle East, and will open doors for travel companies in the region." Prior to Sabre, Iyer held positions at BNP and Ernst & Young. His experience spans various regions, having previously worked in the Middle East, Far East and Europe, as well as leading several large-scale global projects. Iyer has a Bachelor of Arts in business education from Trinity University in Texas, and also studied at Beijing University in China. About Sabre Corporation Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR) is the leading technology provider to the global travel industry. Sabre's software, data, mobile and distribution solutions are used by hundreds of airlines and thousands of hotel properties to manage critical operations, including passenger and guest reservations, revenue management, flight, network and crew management. Sabre also operates a leading global travel marketplace, which processes more than US$120 billion of global travel spend annually by connecting travel buyers and suppliers. Headquartered in Southlake, Texas, USA, Sabre serves customers in more than 160 countries around the world. The Oaklander Hotel Opens in Pittsburgh Green Lodging News Launches Green Suppliers Spotlight E-blast

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WishesWish Stories Sam patiently waited for puppy love " The most rewarding part is seeing the joy Sam has, not only when he received Kai, but every day. " - Sam's mom Darien Sam , 7 I wish to have a Labradoodle puppy , I wish to have a puppy , dog , pet Anticipation is a familiar concept. It takes place in small forms, like hoping the red light turns green soon, waiting for a small injury to bruise over, or counting down the minutes until you're off the clock for the weekend. There are also big, demanding moments of anticipation, like getting engagement photos for your wedding day, picking out clothes for your unborn baby, or waiting to receive your college diploma in the mail. Sam would live a life of anticipation, except there weren't any small doses of it. All by the age of 6, Sam would await a liver transplant, the birth of his baby sister and the granting of his one-true wish: a puppy. The moment Sam was born on August 13, 2010, he appeared to be a happy and healthy baby boy. It wasn't until a few months later at a routine wellness visit that Sam's parents, Josiah and Darien, would receive the unexpected news that in order for their son to survive, he would need a liver transplant. Through their anxious anticipation of finding the perfect match, to their relief, Josiah, was the perfect match. Sam received a liver transplant from his father at just 13-months-old. By the age of 6, most kids are familiar with knee scrapes or other pain in the form of an occasional boo-boo. But as Sam endured all that he did at such a young age, there was also another thing that set Sam apart. Sam would receive his life-transforming wish to have a puppy to call his own. Sam's wish for a puppy originally began in New York, when he and his family were living there a few years ago. Sam stated that his one-true wish was for a puppy, but he would settle for a trip to Walt Disney World if he had to. Due to his father receiving deployment orders to Afghanistan, and the birth of his baby sister, Sam's wish to have a puppy was forced to be put on hold. Though moving is a forceful push towards change, one thing remained the same: Sam's wish. "He was very patient and he never changed his mind," said Josiah, Sam's dad. Shortly after his father received transfer orders, which brought him back to the states, Sam's wish appeared to be within reach. On October 28, 2016, after much anticipation, Sam's wish finally came true. Josiah drove to pick up the dark brown labradoodle, weighing only 6 lbs. Sam would name his very own puppy "Kai" after a character from Lego Ninjago. Sam's mother, Darien, said that Sam's love for dogs began when he was very young during Josiah's first deployment. Sam would attend a program called "Paws for Kids" which was a program designed for families that had a mom or dad deployed overseas. Darien said they would go there once a week to visit the therapy dogs and Sam would take them on walks or give them treats. "That's what sparked his wish for a puppy," said Darien. Though Sam still undergoes blood draws every 3-4 months, clinic visits every 6 months with his liver team, yearly biopsies, and ultrasounds, something significant has changed in his life. Well, a few things. One is that Sam is getting older. Along with growing up comes an increasing awareness of what is happening to you and around you. When explaining her son's medical journey and where he is today, Sam's mother stated, "Sam is getting to the age now where he understands what's happening. In some ways it makes it a little bit easier because we're able to explain to him what he has to get done and what he has to go through and why. But at the same time, it makes it a little more difficult because now he knows what's coming and he does get upset. It's not just, 'I'm nervous or scared because I'm going to get a blood draw or poke,' but, 'I'm nervous about the whole process and what's going to happen to me.'" But along with this awareness and newfound fear is simultaneously the relief and joy his wish continuously brings him. Josiah and Darien shared a recent moment of this impact: "The night before Sam had to go in for a biopsy, a moment when fear and sadness are fresh, he lost it. He was scared and nervous for the whole process of it all. He was sobbing." Sam's parents determined Kai's sleeping arrangements from the beginning, but on this night, they decided to break their own rules. Usually Kai goes into a crate at bedtime upstairs, but other than that, Kai isn't allowed upstairs. On this night, they let Kai go upstairs into Sam's room and immediately Sam changed. "He got happy and was laughing and it was exciting because Kai was in his room and he's never in his room." From stealing Sam's socks to letting Sam enjoy his fluffiness, Kai provided comfort, giggles and a distracting relief. "It completely brought him out of his worries and his fears and he was laughing and went to bed happy." Darien compared taking care of a puppy to having a newborn. And aside from the family sharing the responsibility that comes along with Kai, like Sam's siblings helping throw the ball for Kai, Sam's wish tremendously impacted everyone in the family in more ways than one. "He wasn't just thinking of himself (when he wished for a puppy) but thinking of the whole family and something that everybody could enjoy," said Darien. These days, aside from Tae Kwon Do, gymnastics and playing soccer, Sam loves to draw and paint. At a birthday party, when prompted to do a canvas painting, the result was strikingly familiar. Josiah and Darien are hoping to get Kai trained as a therapy dog and Sam has already started going to training classes with Kai to learn how to best interact and train him. Josiah and Darien talked about the continuous joy this has brought, through this journey of raising Kai. "It's not a trip that we took and now it's over, but he sees Kai every day. The most rewarding part is seeing the joy Sam has, not only when he received Kai, but every day. It's a continuous joy." Of all the things Sam has had to wait to receive, they all have one thing in common. They were all worth the wait. This story makes me feel Christina Fishburne We love you so much, Sam! Sarah Castro Beautiful story of a beautiful family. Sign up to receive e-mail from Make-A-Wish® Missouri & Kansas. Make-A-Wish® Missouri & Kansas 13523 Barrett Parkway Dr ©2006- Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri is a Missouri nonprofit corporation exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Wish Impact & Facts Wish Blog Wheels For Wishes Gift Card Donation Monthly Giving Society Season Of Wishes > Volunteering Wish STL Wish KC Community Wish Partner Youth Leadership Council Summer of Wishes

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I was born ideologically, politically, and spiritually in June 1967 - settler/ambassador Dani Dayan Philip Weiss on June 19, 2017 24 Comments Israeli consul general to NY, Dani Dayan, at Israel at a Crossroads conference, June 11, 2017, NY. On June 11, I heard a forceful speech: Israeli consul general Dani Dayan's reflections on his spiritual rebirth in 1967. Speaking to Zionist groups in New York at a conference on "Israel at a crossroads on the anniversary of the 1967 War," Dayan said that the most important weeks of his life were when he was 11 and experienced the deaths of his grandparents and the 1967 war and committed himself to a nationalist political vision that would take him from Argentina to Tel Aviv and on to be a colonist in the West Bank. "The winner takes all, by force. And we won. Thank god," he said, summarizing the war. I pass Dayan's speech along (absent the afterthought, which I already quoted), because it shows how deeply-ingrained the rightwing settler way of thinking is in Israeli politics and U.S. Jewish life. You would think Dayan is an outlier. In March 2016, Brazil rejected Dayan as an ambassador because of his settler ideology. Just a year ago Dayan savaged liberal Zionists as "un-Jewish." Five years ago he wrote on the op-ed page of the New York Times that a two-state solution was "unattainable" and represented a "disaster." Yet liberal Zionists have now embraced the famously-charming ambassador. The Forward editor did last year. The June 11 conference that I attended of mostly liberal Zionist groups welcomed him. Rick Jacobs, the president of the Reform Jews, the "most powerful force" in US Jewish life, praised Dayan to the skies (below) and was twice mentioned in the speech. Let us hear Dayan: I'm very glad to be here. You know what I'm going to say now is true. It's not fake news. I don't know if you heard but this morning in the Kotel [western wall plaza in Jerusalem], a naked woman strolled around the Kotel till she was taken into custody. It seems to be a woman with mental problems- But I wonder whose purpose in the Kotel was fulfilled. [Laughter] And I have some ideas about it... We are celebrating now the 50th anniversary [of Jerusalem unification]. The 25th anniversary was celebrated in the White House, when President Bush 41 received Mayor Teddy Kollek, the great builder of Jerusalem, of Ramot and all those neighborhoods, and celebrated.... That shows that in politics the variable is larger than the constant, or surely larger than we tend to believe. Now luckily for me, since I was asked to speak personally, luckily for me the personal and the national and the political and the philosophical are so intertwined that I can under the pretext of speaking personal also speak politics. Actually I'm now celebrating a kind of birthday these days. I think that I am celebrating my ideological birthday. I was born biologically in November 1955, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. But I think that politically, ideologically and in some sense spiritually, I was born in June 1967 after a long three weeks of labor, from May, late May to early June. Because for me as an 11-year-old child in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in a very Jewish, although nonobservant, but staunchly Zionist family- the product of the amazing Hebrew education system also that the Jewish congregation of Argentina built that was second to none- speaking Hebrew- those were my formative ideological days. Also it was intertwined as I said with a very, very personal happening. My grandparents whom I lived in the same house with, my mother's parents, decided to go to visit Israel for Yom Ha'atzmaut 1967 [Israel independence day] and they had a terrible road accident, a few days after Yom Hatzmaaut [May 15]. My grandfather passed away immediately. My grandmother struggled in the hospital for a few days more. My mother immediately flew to Israel. When she came, she came for the funeral of my grandmother. What was happening in Israel in those days was also political, Jewish and completely personal. And I remember - you know, today you can rewrite history. But I always say that the only advantage I can find of not being young is that I remember. I assume that at a certain stage I will start to forget, but that's another issue. I remember the exasperation, I remember the agony, I remember the feeling- you could touch the feeling of anguish, of exasperation, that barely 20 something years after the Shoah it might happen again. And today when I read these accounts about Israel, the expansionist grand design of the Zionists in 1967, I really don't know if to laugh or to cry. Because we remember; we remember the explicit chilling statements by all Arab leaders, Nasser in Egypt, Shukeiri of the PLO, and Attasi in Damascus and others, about what the fate of our brethren in Israel will be. And then of course the spiritual innovation - when we returned to the places that I read and learned so much in Hebrew school. Not only Jerusalem, by the way, also Hebron and Shiloh and Beit El, and other places that are the cradle of Jewish civilization, the cradle of Jewish history. I think if at a certain point- I am a non-observant Jew, I'm a 100 percent Jew but quite nonobservant. I always say that my relationship with God is... one of the things I live to examine after I retire. Maybe I will ask Rabbi Jacobs to be my counselor on that after I retire. But if I was at a certain point close to become an observant Jew in the orthodox sense of the word, those were those days. And add to that, the amazing spiritual uplifting of coming to live in Israel three and a half years later, and to see the places and to fulfill it personally. And those are for me no doubt the most significant days of my life. And I made a decision, no doubt I made a decision those days that I am still loyal to, that as far as I was concerned, Israel will never return to that vulnerable situation it was in 1967. That as far as I am concerned I will do whatever I can to prevent Israel's enemies to have such a wonderful chance to fulfill their dream of destroying Israel. And that decision that I made as an 11 year boy in Buenos Aires, a year and a half before my bar mitzvah- is still my ideological guidance. It's very important for me to tackle two points. Again, they are the personal and ideological intertwined. The first one... In 1988, I, a very urban guy, a guy that loved city life, that was born in a very big city, Buenos Aires, and grew up in Tel Aviv, decided to move to a small community in the hills of Samaria - Ma'ale Shomron- for purely ideological reasons. We had both of us, my wife and I, very good positions. I was chairman and CEO of a large information technology company. My wife was a senior executive in an advertising agency, one of the most trendy agencies in Tel Aviv of those days. Since then they went bankrupt- but nothing to do with the fact that my wife left them. We enjoyed the cultural scene of Tel Aviv, the shopping of Tel Aviv. And as you can see, we enjoyed too much the gastronomic scene of Tel Aviv. Nevertheless we decided to leave and live in Samaria. And the question I want to tackle is, Did we do as is often portrayed, an immoral act by doing that, or not? And for me that's the most crucial question. It's much more important than the question if we did a politically wise move. Because for in order for a political move to be wise, it has to be first and foremost moral. I'm a person that tries to live his life by high moral standards, strict moral standards. I never visited South Africa before 1994, I always preferred to spend my shekels in another place, not in a racially segregated regime. So is it immoral, like persons claim- what I am doing? No! It is not. And I want to devote a few minutes to explain this. Look, there are two national movements, legitimate national movements, in the patch of land that we Jews call Eretz Israel and the Palestinians call Falastin. The Jewish national movement, the Zionist movement is legitimate, the return to our homeland after 2000 years of dispersion, forced dispersion, in which every single day we yearned to do that. And then a gigantic statesman... Theodor Herzl converted that yearning into a political movement, into a national liberation movement- And there are the Palestinians who were there when we arrived. Yes, they were there when we arrived, and their claim is also legitimate and makes sense. For sure it is genuine, it's sincere. So how do you resolve a conflict like this, morally, ethically? I must admit even if it's painful for me to say that the only way that makes sense may be partition. But what happens when partition is proposed time and again, time and again, and the only constant pattern in the political aspect of the Jewish Palestinian conflict, the Zionist Palestinian conflict, the Israeli Palestinian conflict- call it what you whatever name you want- is this: the Zionist movement, Israel, the Israeli government accepts partition, in some cases proposes partition, the Palestinian national movement rejects it. That is the only constant pattern since 1936 to 2017. Actually to be on the safe side I used to say that the last time it happened was in 2008, during Ehud Olmert's administration, but yesterday, Haaretz published the details of the Kerry proposal. John Kerry, 2014. And we learn from there, that Netanyahu accepted Kerry's proposal of partition and Abbas rejected it... It happened in '36, in the Peel Commission, and in 47. Whatever happened on November 29 of 47? By the way, November 29 is my biological birthday, in '55. What happened? The Jews of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Netanyah, New York, Buenos Aires, they went into the squares to dance the Horah and they attacked us. That's the only reason the state of Palestine doesn't celebrate its 69th anniversary in May 2017. The only one. What happened from 1948 to 1967. My academic education is not in politics, political science or international relations. My master's degree is in finance. In finance, you say that if you own a stock or a share, every day you do not sell it actually you made a rational decision to buy it. Because you can sell it in the market. If you keep it, it's equivalent to making the decision to buy it. The parallel is that every single day in those 19 years in which the Palestinian national movement decided not made a make peace with Israel in the pre-1967 borders they made the rational decision that they prefer the annihilation of Israel to a two state solution. And then came '67. In 1967 there was the blatant attempt to destroy Israel. The Palestinians, the Arabs set the rules of the game: The winner takes all, by force. And we won. Thank god. That Rabbi Jacobs will tell me how to - never mind. I am being recorded, and they love me- the haredi in Israel- as you know. And yes we have a right to live there. We have a right to live in those disputed territories that we were ready to relinquish but we were attacked. Yes, I will say more than that. Yes: Israel did, does, and most probably will continue to do its share of injustices. Yes, of course! I don't know if any other nation that in such an entrenched conflict, did not, including this country. Yes, Israel did, does, and most probably will do its share of stupidities. Yes! I don't know if any other nation in such an entrenched conflict did not. But when I take a look at the big picture, my conscience is clear. We have by far the moral upper hand, including in residing in Judea and Samaria. No settlement was established over the ruins an Arab village, in Judea and Samaria. Yes there are some local disputes about ownership, this place that place, but never a settlement was established on the ruins of an Arab village. Dayan and Rabbi Rick Jacobs seem to have a real friendship. The Reform movement president says he told Benjamin Netanyahu that Dayan was a "flamethrower" when he was appointed, but Jacobs now praises Dayan for being a very responsive consul general, and for presenting the other side at this liberal conference. The other side? That conference featured no anti-Zionists. And just one Palestinian, a conservative. As for revising history: for the facts on the '67 war, both the alarm beforehand and the ease of the victory, read Norman Finkelstein here, as well as the reflections of I.F. Stone, Avigail Abarbanel, Vivienne Porzsolt, and Joel Kovel here. Lastly, Dayan insists he is not religious. My definition of religion includes deeply held communal beliefs. Like Dayan's "spiritual" belief in a Jewish civilization that was "cradled" in the West Bank, then scattered. Ossinev on June 19, 2017, 2:17 pm "The Jewish national movement, the Zionist movement is legitimate, the return to our homeland after 2000 years of dispersion, forced dispersion, in which every single day we yearned to do that. And then a gigantic statesman... Theodor Herzl converted that yearning into a political movement, into a national liberation movement" It`s always a difficult call with these cuddlier Zionist freaks - whether to puke or laugh. On balance I would say that Dayan definitely creases me up ( not with vomit but with laughter) eljay on June 19, 2017, 2:34 pm Zionism is a powerful supremacist ideology: It can make the natives of Argentina who choose to hold the religion-based identity of Jewish believe that they are actually ancient Israelites who are entitled: - to establish a religion-supremacist "Jewish State" in as much as possible of Palestine; and - to do unto others acts of injustice and immorality they would not have others do unto them. US Citizen on June 19, 2017, 3:37 pm This man lives in denial and truly thinks Israels failed apartheid policies will prevail. A good debate in London. The Palestinian woman who speaks clearly makes him uncomfortable. No wonder Venezuela rejected him and shame on those who made him Consul General in New York. Head to Head - Israeli settlers: Patriots or invaders? wondering jew on June 19, 2017, 5:19 pm There is an interesting interplay of politics and morality involved in the settling of the west bank. If Israel had annexed the west bank and given the residents citizenship and the right to vote, then the moral right of the jews to settle the west bank would not go against the morality of disenfranchising a population. but israel did not annex and did not offer the vote to the residents and thus the act of settling amounted to an antidemocratic act. (a side note: democracy is on the decline with trump as us president. his minority of the popular vote contributes to the decline of democracy in the world. is democracy a moral value. i believe it is.) Talkback on June 19, 2017, 6:44 pm Yes Yonah, Jews have the moral right to disenfranchise a Nonjewish population and violate their right to self determination by illegaly annexing and illegaly settling their territory. And that's not an antidemocratic act, because Jews are asked what they want. Like in 1948. Who cares what Nonjews want. Anything else you have learned from the Herrenrasse, Yonah? || yonah fredman: ... If Israel had annexed the west bank and given the residents citizenship and the right to vote, then the moral right of the jews to settle the west bank ... || Had Israel annexed the West Bank, Israelis - not "the Jews" - would then have been entitled to settle in the West Bank. || ... is democracy a moral value. i believe it is.) || I agree that democracy is a moral value. However, supremacism - including religion-based "Jewish State" supremacism - is not a moral value. But you believe it is. RoHa on June 19, 2017, 10:35 pm "democracy is on the decline with trump as us president. his minority of the popular vote contributes to the decline of democracy in the world." Because never before has a president or prime minister gained office on a minority vote. Trygve on June 20, 2017, 11:47 am In the United States, Donald Trump is the fifth President elected to that office despite losing the popular vote. The United States was not a real democracy before the 1960's when blacks gained the right to vote in the Southern States. The fact that the Trump victory was the second time in 5 elections that the minority of voters elected the president is significant in regards to the feelings of Democratic voters in large states that their votes don't count as much as Republican voters in sparsely populated states. The electoral college undercuts America's claim to democracy. But indeed there are many particulars about Trump that make his presidency a particularly vulgar assault on democracy. Democracy is a fragile system and Trump with his attempts to disqualify a Mexican judge, his midnight tweets and his attempt to get the head of the FBI to declare loyalty, is a particular specific threat to democracy. The electoral college victory (despite the popular vote loss) is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the threats that Trump poses to the ideas of democracy. (How can I tell Israelis that they should be ashamed of the Netanyahu premiership, when the US is led by Donald Trump, whose demagogic impulses far outweigh his democratic impulses?) annie on June 20, 2017, 2:32 pm minority of voters elected the president is significant in regards to the feelings of Democratic voters in large states that their votes don't count as much as Republican voters in sparsely populated states. The electoral college undercuts America's claim to democracy. important point yonah. here's another; not sure if you've been following the news about recent state's dem conventions (calif, florida and mass come to mind), but there's a deep crevasse in the dem party right now. lots of democrats are blaming the dem party, they don't think their votes count unless they are supporting the establishment candidate. in fact, there is a class action lawsuit against the dem party going on right now in florida and last i checked the news the defendants' attorney just told the court the dem party had the right to choose their candidates behind closed doors if they wanted to. just thought i'd mention. Mooser on June 20, 2017, 3:25 pm "(How can I tell Israelis that they should be ashamed of the Netanyahu premiership,when the US is led by Donald Trump?" "yonah" even if our standing as Americans is tarnished, we still have moral and ethical obligations as Jews. RoHa on June 20, 2017, 7:21 pm And the "first past the post" system undercuts the British claim to be a democracy. You should all adopt the Very Wonderful Australian Preferential Vote system that has led to Australia being run by sagacious, honest, far-sighted statesmen whose only concern is the well-being of the people of Australia. Real democracy requires sausages. gamal on June 20, 2017, 10:15 pm "Real democracy requires sausages" its the Wurst, but extrawurst is the rod polse as Churchill says. Keith on June 21, 2017, 10:33 am ROHA- "Real democracy requires sausages." Vegetarian sausages? Seriously though, I have come to doubt that real democracy is even possible inasmuch as it goes against the hierarchical nature of tribal life which seems to have a genetic component. People tend to identify themselves as leaders (a few) struggling for power or followers (most) seeking reward as loyal group members. The notion of everyone exercising leadership prerogatives as citizens is not in evidence anywhere. So what you have in the US is capitalist democracy where the elites choose representative candidates who represent their interests and the citizens get to vote for their favorite in an electoral marketing extravaganza. In any event, real power lies with the financial institutions and other corporations who effectively run the political economy. One cannot even conceive of anything approaching democracy in any meaningful sense as long as wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of the elite. All talk of electoral reforms are a joke without a MASSIVE redistribution of wealth downward. And I can't see that happening. Bont Eastlake on June 21, 2017, 11:28 am Your spot on with regards to the dynamics of eager leaders and loyal followers in any functioning society. Both elements will always be separate but need each other in order to survive. The most important aspect of this relationship is the delicate balance between the needs of both sides. You cant have a population with hetegenous followers and homogenous leaders, or vice versa like we have in most Western societies. Bont Eastlake on June 21, 2017, 12:00 pm Also in an ideal society, we will have a constant competition within the two classes for meeting their respective needs. The followers will try to best each other in being the most loyal, most supportive and most rewarded by their leaders through novel metrics. Likewise the leaders will also be in constant competition with each other for being the most loved, most helpful, most bountiful etc. This constant state of warfare of sorts fulfill the highest needs of every member of society, their self actualisation as human beings. The two classes will never compete with each other, just among themselves. But when relatively distinct members are introduced into society, the dynamics shifts to either assimilate the newcomers or to exterminate them, inviting a new set of dynamics into the system. Thus any form of resistance toward assimilation or extermination by the newcomers will lead to departure from ideal state of society, introducing inequality and dysfunction within its members. "This constant state of warfare of sorts fulfill the highest needs of every member of society, their self actualisation as human beings." Well, I know you are all ready for that "constant state of warfare", but do yourself a favor, don't enter any spelling bee's. Say, can you spell "glibertarian"? Keith on June 21, 2017, 2:56 pm BONT EASTLAKE- "This constant state of warfare of sorts fulfill the highest needs of every member of society, their self actualisation as human beings." Surely you jest. gamal on June 21, 2017, 3:37 pm "Also....dysfunction within its members." the merest prod and you are off into word salad, you were doing so well for a while no one noticed that you are a total nutter, it reads like bf skinner channeling ayn rand, you blew it again, time to regenerate. Long Live the Revolution you mug. lonely rico on June 19, 2017, 8:08 pm Thanks US Citizen for the link to Head to Head video. The wonderful Dr. Ghada Karmi on Palestinian national aspirations - "Just get out of my land ... Dani Dayan, you represent common thieves, live on stolen land, you drink stolen water, you eat stolen fruit, you farm stolen farms" And you murder, torture, and destroy Palestinian men women and children. US Citizen on June 20, 2017, 11:53 am I loved it when she pointed out that he was born in Argentina, was from the Ukraine but felt he had more of a right to be in her country. Very good insight into the mind of these messianic, racist settlers. JLewisDickerson on June 19, 2017, 10:23 pm I'm not certain in exactly what ways, but I am convinced Dayan is in some ways very much like "Ken Doll"(who is originally from Brazil). ■ Rodrigo Alves: The Human Ken Doll | This Morning Broadcast on 16/05/2016 Rodrigo Alves has spent over £300K on plastic surgery in order to attain his perfect look. He tells Holly and Ben why, even after his nose collapsed, he's still not stopping. ■ Head to Head - Israeli settlers: Patriots or invaders? A UN report says Israeli settlements violate human rights and could be prosecuted as war crimes, but many Israeli settlers consider themselves patriots. So what hope is there for peace in the Middle East?In a country where settlers are now one of the biggest and strongest political movements, Dani Dayan, a Netanyahu advisor and the outgoing chairman of the Yesha (Settlers) Council, says there is no two-state solution to the conflict and that he is happy with the status quo.Dayan has been a major in the Israeli army, a successful IT entrepreneur, and a University lecturer. In 1999 he became an executive committee member of the Yesha Council, which represents the settler movement, and in 2007, its chairman until February 2013. He completely revitalised the movement until his resignation to campaign openly for Binyamin Netanyahu.Mehdi Hasan goes head to head with Dayan at the Oxford Union, discussing whether Zionism is a colonialist project, whether the so-called apartheid roads are just an urban legend - and more importantly, what is the solution to this protracted conflict?Dayan claims settlements are irreversible but preaches in favour of dismantling the wall. With a lively audience and robust debate from the expert panel, Head to Head is tackling the hard issues surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Are the settlements a natural extension of the Israeli state or the single biggest obstacle to peace in the Middle East? Will the Palestinians ever be able to build an independent and viable state?Joining our discussion are: Dr Ghada Karmi, an academic and the author of The Palestinian Exodus (1999), In Search for Fatima (2002), and Israel's Dilemma in Palestine (2007); Sam Westrop, a former director of the British Israel Coalition, and a fellow of the New York-based Gatestone Institute; and Hannah Weisfeld, the director of Yachad, a pro-peace, pro-Israel NGO based in London. ■ Israel is destroying itself with its settlement policy MOTION: "Israel is Destroying Itself With its Settlement Policy: If Settlement Expansion Continues Israel Will Have No Future" Filmed at the Royal Geographical Society on 15th January 2013. Patriacide. Nationcide. Whatever you want to call it, that is what Israel is doing with its settlement policy: it is killing itself. If ever greater numbers of Jewish settlers are installed on land regarded by Palestinians as the basis for a state of their own, the possibility of a two-state solution grows ever more remote. Yet the single state alternative, involving annexation of the West Bank, would result in a country where Arabs vastly outnumber Jews and then you won't have a one-state or a two-state solution: you'll have a no-state solution. For those who love Israel and wish to preserve a democratic Jewish homeland, as much as for those who hate it, the settlements must stop. That's what many left-wing Israelis and their friends say. But defenders of the settlements see things very differently. The two-state solution has long been a dead letter in their view: why stop building settlements in the name of a peace plan that is frankly unattainable? Whatever the eventual solution - it could even be a West Bank jointly governed by Jordan and Israel - there is no good reason why both Israelis and Palestinians shouldn't both expand their settlements in the interim before an eventual peace deal. "Yet liberal Zionists have now embraced the famously-charming ambassador" I generally think of Dayan as a wannabe Zionist comedian who sees his role as one of soft selling Israeli racist and Apartheid policies. Having watched and compared the two videos above I am not so sure anymore. In the IQ2 address he verges on the apoplectic at times. Could however simply be a build up of Ziohasbara constipation. Having said that however he still comes across as a lot less unhinged than the seriously spooky and deranged Glick who long ago burst her Ziohasbara constipation dam. Just imagine being marooned on a desert island with these two weirdos.

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The Prayer of Cornelius At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, "Cornelius." -Acts 10:1-3 The shortest prayer service of the day takes place in the afternoon, or at least just before sunset, and is called Mincha. -Rabbi Berel Wein "Mincha: the afternoon prayer" moshe.gorin: The KSA says the ikar time for mincha is mincha ketana (9 1/2) hours after sunrise but the Rebbe davened before then. If you're davening alone, when is best? Torah613: The Rebbe davvened earlier (probably) because he davvened with the Yeshiva's minyan, which was daily at 3:15. Straight halacha would imply that Mincha Ketanah is better, so if it isn't a question of davvening betzibur, MK is better. Disaclaimer: As in all halachik questions, a competent Rov should be consulted. mosheh5769: Whether we pray alone (bediavad) or with a Minyan (betzibbur), the prefered time for Mincha is Mincha K'tanah. Some say that if you pray in Mincha Gedola, you are still Yatza, but Lechatkhila, it is proper to pray at the time of Mincha K'tanah. I don't know where and who, but I have no doubt Taryag will help, there is a Posek who ruled that it is better to pray Mincha K'tanah alone than to pray Mincha Gedola with a Minyan. Why, I don't remember, and I don't know if other Poskim poskened in the same way. Anyway, the best time to pray is at the time of Mincha K'tanah and not earlier. But of course, if a Shul has the custom to pray earlier (like the Yeshiva's Minyan as it has been explained by Taryag) and if there need you to complete the Minyan, even if it is not your custom, you should complete the Minyan and daven earlier. -from the discussion thread "Best time for Mincha" Archived thread at Chabadtalk.com We don't know much more about the late Second Temple figure Cornelius than what we read in the verses I quoted above. He was what we call a "God-fearer;" a Gentile, a Roman centurion who, by definition, would have been a pagan polytheist, and who, during his assignment in the land of the Hebrews, came to realize that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was and is the God; the One and Unique Creator of the universe. Coming to that realization alone must have taken great courage and conviction. His actual response to his realization was certainly astounding, given who he must have been and where he had come from. We know he "gave alms generously to the people", who we assume to be the Jews among whom he lived. The messengers sent to bring Peter to Cornelius after the Centurion's vision referred to him as "an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation" (Acts 10:22). And oh wow! Cornelius was so favored by God that this happened. And Cornelius said, "Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.' So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord." -Acts 10:30-33 Incidentally, the ninth hour is at about 3 p.m. in the way we tell time today, about the time of the Mincha prayers. But why is that important? So who taught Cornelius to pray the Mincha prayers. Ok, there's nothing to say that he was truly praying Mincha, but here's why I think he was. Consider this. The Roman Centurion Cornelius comes to faith in the One true God of the universe. Now what does he do? We know that he gives alms, probably to the poor among the Jews. Whatever else he did resulted in Cornelius being "well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation", which is no small thing since he was also part of the Roman occupying army. As far as we are able to understand, that group of non-Jews who were called "God-fearers" worshiped on Shabbat among Jews in the synagogue. Where would he have learned the prayers and how to worship? What was the only available model Cornelius could have used to worship a God who was virtually unknown in the Greek and Roman world? I'm not suggesting that Cornelius "lived as a Jew" in the sense of fully taking on Jewish customs including the various religious and identity markers. It is doubtful (but what do I know) that he would have shown up in the Court of the Gentiles at the Jerusalem Temple. After all, he had to consider appearances and what would the troops in the Italian Cohort have said if one of their Centurions was seen in such a public place among the Jews. On the other hand, his reputation preceded him among the Jewish people based on his being a devout and charitable man. Desiring to worship God above all other considerations, what would he have done? He would have consulted his Jewish mentors as to how to approach God. Prayer offered to the God of Israel is available to everyone, Jew and Gentile alike. "Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for the sake of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm, when he comes and prays toward this house, hear from heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name. -2 Chronicles 6:32-33 Even in the days of King Solomon, a non-Jew could come to Jerusalem, pray facing the Temple, and expect to be heard by God. Why couldn't the Jews among whom Cornelius lived and worshiped have taught him the same thing? How did Jews pray during the Second Temple period? I'm no expert, but assuming the Jews in the time of Cornelius and Peter had similar traditions about prayer to those of Jewish people today, they would have prayed as Jews pray now. They would have prayed the Shacharit (morning), Mincha (afternoon), and Maariv (evening) prayers. If Cornelius wanted to learn how to pray from the Jews, they would have taught him how to pray the way that they prayed, with perhaps only a few variations, because Cornelius was not Jewish. In those days, siddurim (prayer books) were not used and the prayers were generally memorized. That means, Cornelius would have had to say the prayers by memory, probably in Hebrew or Aramaic (given that the Centurion was posted to a foreign land, it's not inconceivable that he was bi-lingual or multi-lingual). He also would have prayed at the times set by halacha for prayer which, in the afternoon, meant around 3 p.m. or the ninth hour. Why am I writing this and why should you care? What does it matter to a Christian in the 21st century if a Roman centurion, who came to faith in Jesus almost 2,000 years ago, happened to worship and pray in a manner similar to the Jews? Have you ever wondered why Christians don't pray in the same manner as the Jews today? I'm not saying that we must pray morning, afternoon, and night (though it wouldn't be a bad idea). I'm saying that there's nothing stopping us from considering where we come from as a faith. However you pray and however you worship in your church, your way isn't the only way. In fact, if you go back more than a few decades or a few centuries, the way you may consider "Christian" and "holy" probably wasn't practiced, as least in a manner you'd recognize. Go back far enough, like 2,000 years, and the way a God-fearer and a Christian prayed and worshiped wouldn't be much different than the way a Jew prayed and worshiped. We tend to take prayer and worship for granted because we can always pray and worship anytime we want. But in many ways, the church considers prayer and worship as optional or at least voluntary. We get to choose our own way and manner of doing things. However, for believers and God-fearers like Cornelius, that privlege and honor to worship the King may have come with a commandment attached, maybe at the level of rudimentary "halacha" for non-Jews who had faith. Today's amud discusses the halachah regarding hearing the Torah reading when one is in prison. Although today in many places things may be different, it used to be that most prisons would not allow a sefer Torah inside - even for an important person or a minyan of prisoners. When the Vilna Gaon spent about four weeks imprisoned it was impossible for him to fulfill the mitzvah of hearing the Torah reading. After he left prison he called a baal koreh to read for him all four parshios he had missed while in prison. Although missing so many weeks is very unusual, many greats were meticulous to make up the reading that they had missed that day. Mishna Berura Yomi Digest "The Prisoner's Duty" Siman 135, Seif 11-14 Our Gemara reviews a series of Mishnayos where the obligation to fulfill mitzvos is taught to be more inclusive than plainly stated. Regarding the mitzvah to read the Megillah on Purim, R' Yehoshua b. Levi teaches that the expanded inference is meant to include women. Although this rabbinic mitzvah is one that is restricted to time, and women are generally exempt, here woman are obligated because "they were also included in the miracle." Rashi explains that women are obligated in the mitzvah to read the Megillah to the extent that a woman may read the Megillah for her husband or other men. "Women's obligation in reading and hearing the Megillah" Arachin 3 The level of "commandedness" which defines Jewish tradition, worship, and prayer seems very "heavy-handed" to most Christians and the spectre of "man-made rulings" is generally disdained in the church (and among many Gentile believers to call themselves "Messianics"). And yet, how would an "upright and God-fearing man" like Cornelius have seen his responsibilities to God as taught to him by his Jewish mentors? Would the Jewish sense of halacha have meant to him what it meant to the Jews? We don't know. But imagine if we, as Christians, could experience some of the sense of duty and obligation to God, to the prayers, to our way of worship, as Cornelius may have? How much more would God be a part of our lives today? How much more would God be our lives today? One of the functions of tradition and halacha in the life of a Jew is to make every act holy. You cannot eat without blessing God and considering the food on the plate sitting in front of you (or even without considering the plate). You cannot wake up in the morning without gratefully thanking God for returning your life to you. You cannot go to bed at night without asking God to send his angels to guard your soul as you sleep. You cannot progress through your day without ceasing your labors at specific hours in order to devote yourself to God in prayer. And for one day a week, you cannot do many things as you do them on the other days of the week, but instead, you cease labor entirely and dedicate the day to family, prayer, worship, and God. I'm still not saying that as Christians we should live like Jews, but consider what we're missing by not taking tradition more seriously. Tradition can be like a straight-jacket or a pair of wings. It can bind us inescapably to a collection of actions and rules that threaten to smother us, or it can send us free into flight away from a mundane world and into the presence of God with practically every move we make. Maybe this is why the Jews considered the foreigner Cornelius an "upright and God-fearing man". Maybe this is why God found that Cornelius merited a vision of an angel, and made him and his household a bridge between God-fearers and disciples of Christ. While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, "Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. -Acts 10:44-48 acts 10ChristianitycorneliusGodhalachaJesusJudaismprayertraditionworship Previous PostThe Mystic Mirror Darkly: Messianic Divinity Part 3Next PostWaiting for Spring: Messianic Divinity Part 4 13 thoughts on "The Prayer of Cornelius" Great post, James. I have some questions for you: In Acts 10 it says "...Then Peter said, [47] "Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." My question: Why would Second Temple Era Jews have prevented uncircumcised men from being immersed with water in the first place? What about their laws would've suggested to them that it was wrong to "baptize" the uncircumcised? What did Second Temple Era Jews believe a "baptism" signified? And what was it about the manifestation of the Holy Spirit that would then require the Jews to "baptize" the uncircumcised men? I've generally understood the practice of John the Baptist and Peter performing baptisms as being related to the mikvah. We've seen a number of commandments in the Torah where the Children of Israel were required to be immersed under certain circumstances, usually to become clean after some event, such as touching a corpse, a man having a seminal emission, or a woman after her monthly period (see Leviticus 14 and 15 for some examples). Modern Orthodox Judaism maintains the mikvah traditions with many synagogues having a mikvah "in-house", so to speak, or having access to a facility that can act as a mikvah. The modern mikvah is used to purify an individual after they have entered a state of uncleanness and is part of the process of teshuvah or repentance from acts of sin. When a Gentile undergoes conversion to Judaism, the final act of the conversion process is to be immersed in the mikvah. The person goes down into the mikvah as a Gentile and rises up as a Jew. My understanding is that Jews would not have immersed Gentiles prior to Matthew 28:19-20 because they were not part of the covenants of God, particularly the Sinai covenant. Since immersion was specifically tied to various Torah commandments, it wouldn't have occurred to any Jew to immerse a pagan Gentile or even a non-Jewish "God-fearer". There was no precedent to do so. There was also no precedent for a Gentile to receive the Holy Spirit, which is why Peter and his Jewish companions were absolutely astounded when they witnessed Gentiles receiving the Spirit of God, just as the Jewish Apostles did in Acts 2. The events at the end of Acts 10 were absolutely pivotal in the lives of all Gentiles because they signified that all the peoples of the world could also have access to the God of Israel through the Jewish Messiah. It had never, ever happened before, but God in His infinite wisdom and compassion, allowed His grace to be poured out on the rest of us. Oh, the term "uncircumcised men" just meant "Gentiles". "My understanding is that Jews would not have immersed Gentiles prior to Matthew 28:19-20 because they were not part of the covenants of God, particularly the Sinai covenant." Are you saying that, post-resurrection, the uncircumcised Believers are part of the Sinai covenant? No. Not even close. I'm saying that before Jesus gave the "Great Commission" to his Jewish disciples to make disciples of *all the nations*, the idea that Gentiles could be baptized into the name of the God of Israel, the Spirit, and the Moshiach wasn't even "on the table". Jesus opened the door for Gentile access to God through the Messianic covenant. It doesn't link us back into Sinai. I only mentioned the Mosaic covenant because the Torah obligates *Jews* to undergo the mikvah under certain circumstances. Because those commandments don't apply to Gentiles, no one would have thought in their wildest dreams that a Gentile should undergo the mikvah. Not sure where you got the idea I was talking about the resurrection. I guess I was just puzzled why you referenced the resurrection chapter given the syntax of your sentence. I'm confused. The "resurrection chapter?" I tend to think of Matthew 28:19-20 as Jesus giving a directive to "evangelize" to the people of the world. We must look at this command in two very different lights. The root of the miscommunication (on my part) was that multiple things happen in Matthew 28. I didn't realize you were referring to the Great Commission which happens towards the end of the chapter. I'm curious: why do you think we interpret the Great Commission "in two very different lights"? I guess because you referred to Matthew 28:19-20 in terms of resurrection. I couldn't figure out where you were getting that from these verses. Oh, I checked and I did specifically address verses 19 and 20 in my original comment. Not trying to be mean, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't misleading in my previous statements. As they say, "all's well that ends well in the inkwell" (from Max Fleischer's Koko the Clown cartoon). Pingback: Review of "The Gentile Believer's Obligation to the Torah of Moses" | Morning Meditations Pingback: Restructuring Meaning | Morning Meditations Pingback: I Will Awake the Dawn! | Morning Meditations

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Polar Law Textbook II Natalia Loukacheva Developments in the Arctic and Antarctica continue to be the subject of growing public interest and academic, political, scientific, and media discourse. The global magnitude of the changes that are currently taking place in the Polar Regions, also influence legal developments. Furthermore, the growing importance of both the Arctic and the Antarctica in various areas of global, regional, national and sub-national development requires further inquiry into the role of law in dealing with many of the current and emerging issues relevant to both Poles. Although law is not a panacea for all issues, it has its own role to play in dealing with many of them. A broad overview of Polar law issues was presented in the pioneering Polar Law Textbook, N. Loukacheva ed. Copenhagen: Nordic Council of Ministers, Tema Nord 538: 2010 ().This textbook represents the outcome of a cooperative process between an international group of well-known experts in the area of Polar law and related studies. Polar Law Textbook II further draws upon Polar law as an evolving and developing field of studies which is gaining increasing recognition and intersects with many other areas in the social sciences and humanities. It explores a variety of legal issues in the Arctic and Antarctica (i.e., questions of human rights law, environmental law, law of the sea, continental shelf, climate change, energy law, resources, indigenous peoples rights, etc.,) but also covers the relevant aspects of geopolitics, security, governance, search and rescue, biodiversity, devolution, institutions (e.g., the Arctic Council) and political developments.

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Review - Ferdinand December 14, 2017 FILM REVIEWDaniel M. Kimmel FILM REVIEW - FERDINAND. With the voices of John Cena, Kate McKinnon, Bobby Cannavale, Anthony Anderson, Peyton Manning. Written by Robert L. Baird and Tim Federle and Brad Copeland. Directed by Carlos Saldana. Rated PG for rude humor, action and some thematic elements. 106 minutes. Whether by coincidence or design, both the major studio animated offerings this season feature Hispanic characters. "Coco," the box office hit from Pixar/Disney, is set in Mexico and has been justifiably praised as one of the best films of the year. However, with school vacation coming up, it's helpful to have some other family-friendly movies, and this year FERDINAND fills the bill. Based on the classic children's book by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson, it tells the tale of a bull who is raised to battle matadors to-the-death but has no interest in that. Rather than fighting, he prefers to smell the flowers. Needless to say, this does not earn him the respect of the other bulls. In this rendition (the story was previously animated as a Disney short) Ferdinand (voiced by John Cena) escapes and is adopted by a little girl. However, after an incident in the proverbial china shop, he is mistakenly deemed a wild animal and returned to the very place he escaped, where bulls are prepared to fight. Given that the film is from Blue Sky, whose greatest success are the unending series of "Ice Age" movies, one doesn't have high expectations here. Yet as the film proceeds, it shows both a surprising depth and some inventive zaniness, which proves to be an entertaining combination. The depth comes from the competition among the other bulls to be selected for the ring, not realizing that it's not a fair fight and that it inevitably ends in the death of the bull. (While older bulls we meet in the prologue are doomed, parents should know that the characters who are fully developed may be in danger, but all make it to the happy ending.) The zaniness really takes off with Ferdinand's return, when a hyperactive goat (voiced by Kate McKinnon) tries to put Ferdinand in training. Even nuttier are the snobbish horses with German accents in the next enclosure, who look down on the plebian bulls. This leads to a competitive dance contest that is the highlight of the movie. In the end "Ferdinand" is about being true to one's self, instead of conforming to someone else's idea of what you "ought" to be, and if that means being a bull who likes to sniff flowers, so be it. The message may resonate even more today than it did at the time the book was published. It's solid fun for the kids and entertaining for the adults who have to accompany them.••• Daniel M. Kimmel is a veteran movie critic and author of a host of film-related books. His latest novel is Time on My Hands: My Misadventures in Time Travel. He lives in Somerville, Massachusetts. ← Review - Coco Review - Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi →

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Home Europe Austria 100 Schilling 1949 100 Schilling 1949, Austria Signatures: Generalrat: Herr Fritz Miller, Präsident: Dr. Hans Rizzi, Generaldirektor: Dr. Franz Bartsch Serie: 1949 - 1954 Issues Printer: Oesterreichische Banknoten und Sicherheitsdruck, Wien Unknown woman - Idealportrait. In the description of this note there are many mysteries. I wrote to the Austrian Museum of Money, which is open at the Bank of Austria, in Vienna. There works Herr Michael Grundner, who always helps me with descriptions of Austrian banknotes. Here's what he said to me: "Sg. Herr...., 1)Die kindliche Figur ist ein Putto - in Wien und Österreich gibt es gefühlt Tausende davon. Es ist nahezu unmöglich herauszufinden von Welchem Schloss, Kloster, Kirche, Gemälde oder Brunnen die Vorlage stammt (wenn überhaupt). Der Entwerfer hat dazu nichts hinterlassen. 2)Der Frauenkopf ist noch ein Idealportrait, wer dafür Modell gestanden hat oder auf welcher Vorlage es basiert ist ebenfalls nicht überliefert. 3)Die Meerjungfrau wird normalerweise als Donauweibchen aus österreichischen Sagen interpretiert. Der Gestalter Erhard Amadeus-Dier hat sich sicher von den vielen in Wien vorhandenen Barockfiguren inspirieren lassen. Von den vorkommenden Figuren her käme ein Brunnen im Park von Schloss Schönbrunn als mögliche Vorlage in Frage, allerdings für die Banknote stark adaptiert. Die Nixe ist jedenfalls die einzige (halb)nackte Frau auf einer österreichischen Banknote. Im Hintergrund ist der berühmte Blick auf Wien von Schloss Belvedere aus zu erkennen und rechts die Donau. Mit freundlichen Grüßen.." "Dear Mr. ...., 1) The childlike figure is a putto - in Vienna and Austria there are felt thousands of them. It is almost impossible to find out which castle, monastery, church, painting or well the original is (if any). The designer has left nothing behind. 2) The woman's head is still an ideal portrait, who has stood for model or on which template it is likewise not handed over. 3) The mermaid is usually interpreted as Danube woman from Austrian legends. The designer Erhard Amadeus-Dier has certainly been inspired by the many baroque figures in Vienna. A fountain in the park of Schönbrunn Palace might be considered as a possible model, but it was strongly adapted for banknotes. The mermaid is at any rate the only (half) naked woman on an Austrian banknote. In the background you can see the famous view of Vienna from Belvedere Palace and to the right is the Danube river. Best regards.." Here's what I managed to find, in addition: Across the field an ornament of stylized flowers and acanthus leaves. Below, just to the left of the center, is Putto with a double oboe. Most likely, the designer saw a similar Putto in the Upper Belvedere Castle, but I have not yet been able to find there even a bit similar Putto (pictured). Why from Upper Belvedere Castle - please read about next object on banknote!!! A putto is a figure in a work of art depicted as a chubby male child, usually naked and sometimes winged. A putto is often called a cherub (plural cherubs) although unlike the Biblical cherub (plural cherubim) in form and symbolism: cherubim have four faces of different species and several pairs of wings, and are sacred, whereas putti are secular and represent a non-religious passion. However, in the Baroque period of art, the putto came to represent the omnipresence of God. A putto representing a cupid is also called an amorino (plural amorini). In the center, behind the face value in words, is a pattern, the prototype of which was, presumably, the pattern on the wall of the Upper Belvedere castle, near the steps, made from the Kaiser stone (particularly strong limestone from a quarry in Eastern Austria, near the Hungarian border). In top left corner is the coat of arms of Austria. The current coat of arms of Austria, albeit without the broken chains, has been in use by the Republic of Austria since 1919. Between 1934 and the German annexation in 1938 Austria used a different coat of arms, which consisted of a double-headed eagle. The establishment of the Second Republic in 1945 saw the return of the original (First Republic) arms, with broken chains added to symbolise Austria's liberation. The blazon of the Federal Arms of the Republic of Austria reads: Gules a fess Argent, escutcheon on the breast of an eagle displayed Sable, langued Gules, beaked Or, crowned with a mural crown of three visible merlons Or, armed Or, dexter talon holding sickle, sinister talon holding hammer, both talons shackled with chain broken Argent. The symbols and emblems used in the Austrian arms are as follows: The Eagle: Austria's sovereignty (introduced 1919) The escutcheon Emblem of Austria (late Middle Ages, reintroduced 1915) The mural crown: The middle class (introduced 1919) The sickle: Agriculture (introduced 1919) The Hammer: Industry (introduced 1919) The broken chains: Liberation from National Socialist dictatorship (added 1945). Denominations in numerals are in lower right corner, on background by small numbers numerously and centered, in words centered. The banknote shows the Danube mermaid (Donauweibchen or Donaunixe) together with Putto, which are sure to accompany all fountains in the Baroque style. To the right of the mermaid is the bank of the Danube river. On the photo is the fountain, in the park of Belvedere Palace, which, theoretically (as I already wrote above) could serve as a prototype for the image on the banknote. However, the image was heavily modified. Differences are many - the main thing - the mermaid in the fountain has two legs, each of which ends with a fin (on the third photo), on the banknote is a real mermaid, with one tail. In Austria there are several legends about the Danube mermaid, here is one of them: "The Danube Mermaid. At the hour when the evening ended calmly, when the moon shines in the sky and pours its silver light on the earth, is a lovely creature in the midst of the Danube waves. Light curls framing a beautiful face adorn a wreath of flowers; Flowers are also snow-white. The young enchantress then sways on the shimmering waves, then disappears in the river depth to soon again appear on the surface. At times the mermaid leaves cool waters and wanders in the moonlight over the dewy coastal meadows, not even daring to appear to people, peers into lonely fishing huts and rejoices at the peaceful life of their poor inhabitants. Often, she warns fishermen, telling them about the imminent danger: ice jams, high water, or severe storms. She helps one, the other doesomed to die, enticing her with seductive singing into the river. Surrounded by a sudden yearning, he follows her and finds a grave on the river bottom. Many centuries ago, when Vienna was still a small town and where the tall houses are now adorned, low fishing lodges were littered to each other, an old fisherman and his son sat in a poor winter home on a frosty winter night, at a burning hearth. They repaired the networks and talked about the dangers of their craft. The old man, of course, knew a lot of stories about water and mermaids. "At the bottom of the Danube," he said, "there is a huge crystal palace, and the river king lives there with his wife and children. On large tables are his glass vessels, in which he holds the souls of drowned people. The king often goes out for a walk along the shore, and woe to him who dares to call him: he will at the same moment drag him to the bottom. His daughters, mermaids, all as for the selection of a beauty and very much eager for the young handsome guys. Those who manage to charm them, in speed, must certainly drown. So beware of the mermaids, my son! They are all pretty, sometimes they even come to dance with people and dance all night, to the first cocks, and then hurry back to their water kingdom. The old man knew many stories and stories; The son listened to his father's words with disbelief, for he had never before seen a mermaid. Before the old fisherman could finish his story, the door of the hut suddenly opened. The interior of the poor dwelling was lit up by a magical light, and on the threshold a beautiful girl appeared in a white flickering garment. In her braids, shining like gold, were interwoven white water lilies. - Do not be scared! Said the beautiful guest, fixing her damp blue gaze on the young fisherman. "I'm just a mermaid and will not hurt you." I came to warn you about the danger. A thaw is approaching; The ice on the Danube will crack and melt, the river will come out of the shores and flood the coastal meadows and your dwellings. Do not lose time, run, otherwise you will perish. The father and son were exactly petrified with astonishment, and when the strange vision disappeared and the door quietly shut again, they could not say a word for a long time. They did not know if this happened to them in a dream or in reality. Finally the old man took a breath, looked at his son and asked: "Did you see it, too?" The young man shook off his torpor and silently nodded. No, it was not an obsession! In their hut was a mermaid, they both saw her, they both heard her words! Father and son jumped to their feet and rushed out of the hut, on a frosty night, hurried to their neighbors, other fishermen, and told them about a miraculous incident. And there was not a single person in the village who would not believe in the prophecy of a good mermaid; All tied their belongings to knots and left the dwellings that same night, carrying with them whatever they could carry, and rushed to the surrounding hills. They knew perfectly well what a sudden thaw would threaten them if a frozen stream suddenly broke their fetters. When the morning dawned, they heard a dull crackle and a thunder from the river; The bluish transparent blocks of ice piled on top of each other. The next day coastal meadows and fields covered a bubbling and frothy lake. Only the steep roofs of the fishermen's huts were lonely rising above the still-flowing water. But no man and no beast drowned, all had time to retire to a safe distance. The water soon subsided, the stream returned to its course, and everything became as before. But is it all? No, one person has lost his peace forever! It was a young fisherman who could not forget the beautiful mermaid and the gentle gaze of her blue eyes. He always saw her before him; Her image persecuted the young man persistently, whether he was fishing or sitting in front of the fire. She appeared to him even at night in a dream, and in the morning, waking up, he could not believe that it was just a dream. More and more often he went to the bank of the Danube, for a long time sat alone under the willow willows and gazed into the water. In the noise of the stream, his beckoning voice seemed to him. The most adventurous thing he did was go out in his boat to the middle of the river and thoughtfully admired the wave game, and every silvery fish that passed by seemed to purposely tease him. He leaned over the edge of the boat, extended his arms to her, as if wanting to grab her, grab and hold her for ever. However, his dream was not destined to come true. Day by day, his eyes grew sadder, and all was bitter in his heart when he returned to his dwelling in the evening. One night his longing became so unbearable that he secretly left the hut, went ashore and untied his boat. He did not return back. In the morning, his boat, alone, without a swimmer, swayed on the waves in the middle of the river. No one has ever seen a young fisherman again. For many years since that time the old father was sitting alone in front of his hut, looking at the river and crying about the fate of the son, whom the mermaid carried with him to the bottom of the Danube, into the crystal palace of the water king." In lower right corner is the music lyre, as symbol of poets. Right behind the lyre is Rusty cliff fern (Woodsia ilvensis). It, commonly known as oblong woodsia, is a fern found in North America and northern Eurasia. Also known as rusty woodsia or rusty cliff fern, it is typically found on sunny, exposed cliffs and rocky slopes and on thin, dry, acidic soils. Its distribution is circumpolar and is most abundant in Scandinavia, the Ural and Altai mountains and the eastern United States. It is also found in Japan, Alaska, Canada, coastal Greenland and various European locations including the Alps. The plant was first identified as a separate species from specimens collected in Scotland in Bolton's 1785 publication Filices Britannica. Bolton distinguished between Acrostichum ilvense and Acrostichum alpina, now Woodsia ilvensis and Woodsia alpina respectively, which had previously been conflated. The genus Woodsia was established in 1810 by Robert Brown, who named it named after the English botanist Joseph Woods. "Ilvensis" is the genitive form of the Latin name for the island of Elba. The leaves are typically 6 inches long and 1 inch wide, with stiff, erected pointed tips and cut into 12 nearly opposite stemless leaflets. The underside of the leaves are covered in white woolly fibres, which later turn rusty brown. In lower left corner is the famous view of Vienna from the Upper Belvedere (through its park). The Belvedere is a historic building complex in Vienna, Austria, consisting of two Baroque palaces (the Upper and Lower Belvedere), the Orangery, and the Palace Stables. The buildings are set in a Baroque park landscape in the third district of the city, on the south-eastern edge of its centre. It houses the Belvedere museum. The grounds are set on a gentle gradient and include decorative tiered fountains and cascades, Baroque sculptures, and majestic wrought iron gates. The Baroque palace complex was built as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy. The Belvedere was built during a period of extensive construction in Vienna, which at the time was both the imperial capital and home to the ruling Habsburg dynasty. This period of prosperity followed on from the commander-in-chief Prince Eugene of Savoy's successful conclusion of a series of wars against the Ottoman Empire. The construction of the Upper Belvedere began as early as 1717, as testified by two letters that Prince Eugene sent from Belgrade to his servant Benedetti in summer 1718, describing the progress of work on the palace. Construction was so far advanced by 2 October 1719 that the prince was able to receive the Turkish ambassador Ibrahim Pasha there. The decoration of the interior started as early as 1718. In 1719 he commissioned the Italian painter Francesco Solimena to execute both the altarpiece for the Palace Chapel and the ceiling fresco in the Golden Room. In the same year Gaetano Fanti was commissioned to execute the illusionistic quadratura painting in the Marble Hall. In 1720 Carlo Carlone was entrusted with the task of painting the ceiling fresco in the Marble Hall, which he executed from 1721-1723. The building was completed in 1723. The Sala Terrena, however, was at risk of collapsing due to structural problems, and in the winter of 1732-1733 Hildebrandt was forced to install a vaulted ceiling supported by four Atlas pillars, giving the room its current appearance. Salomon Kleiner, an engineer from the Mainz elector's court, produced a ten-part publication between 1731 and 1740 containing a total of ninety plates, entitled Wunder würdiges Kriegs- und Siegs-Lager deß Unvergleichlichen Heldens Unserer Zeiten Eugenii Francisci Hertzogen zu Savoyen und Piemont ("Wondrous war and victory encampment of the supreme hero of our age Eugene Francis Duke of Savoy and Piedmont"), which documented in precise detail the state of the Belvedere complex. The garden had a scenery enclosed by clipped hedging, even as the Belvedere was building, in the formal French manner with gravelled walks and jeux d'eau by Dominique Girard, who had trained in the gardens of Versailles as a pupil of André Le Nôtre. Its great water basin in the upper parterre and the stairs and cascades peopled by nymphs and goddesses that links upper and lower parterres survive, but the patterned bedding has long been grassed over; it is currently being restored. On the background of Vienna, St. Stephen's Cathedral is clearly visible. St. Stephen's Cathedral (more commonly known by its German title: Stephansdom) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, OP. The current Romanesque and Gothic form of the cathedral, seen today in the Stephansplatz, was largely initiated by Duke Rudolf IV (1339-1365) and stands on the ruins of two earlier churches, the first a parish church consecrated in 1147. The most important religious building in Vienna, St. Stephen's Cathedral has borne witness to many important events in Habsburg and Austrian history and has, with its multi-coloured tile roof, become one of the city's most recognizable symbols. Denominations in numerals and in words are on top, on background, numerously, in small numbers. Designer: Erhard Amadeus-Dier. Erhard Amadeus Dier, named Amadeus-Dier (born February 8, 1893 in Vienna, Austria, died September 25, 1969 in Klosterneuburg, Lower Austria) was an Austrian painter and graphic artist. Dier studied from Camillo Sitte and Josef Jungwirth at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and traveled to Switzerland, Italy and Spain. He began his artistic career as an illustrator. He created designs for Austrian banknotes, tapestries, wallpapers and church windows. He also painted portraits and animal paintings and worked as a graphic artist and porcelain painter. During the period of national socialism, he was active in the Austrian resistance movement. Obverse and reverse engraver: Rupert (Ruppert) Franke. Born 1888 in Vienna, died 1971 in Vienna. Graphic artist and copper engraver. Pupil of Alfred Cossmann. He was not only active in the banknotes design for the Austrian-Hungarian Bank and the Austrian National Bank but also designed numerous Pengo notes for the Hungarian banknote printing company.

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CB 11 narrows candidate list for new district manager By Max Mitchell It may be a while before there's a new district manager at Community Board 11, but the process is steadily moving along. The selection committee received 31 applications to replace John Fratta, who has been leading the district for 15 years. Recently the committee narrowed the field to 12. "We have some very qualified people applying," said selection committee member Joe Thompson. "We're fortunate to have the quality of applicants we have. It's going to be a very difficult choice." District officials declined to name any of the candidates, but state that professionals from various fields, like attorneys, psychologists and educators, have all applied for the position. Current board members and representatives of local elected officials are vying for the position as well. These candidates were automatically asked to interview before the selection committee because of their experience, Thompson said. The board was expecting anywhere from 20 to 40 applications for the position, and competition remains fierce. "It's a coveted position," Thompson said. "Especially with the job market the way it is, and managers being one of the professions that have taken a big hit." The board will select either one or two candidates from the 12 who will go before the entire board. Each of the roughly 50 members will give an up or down vote on the candidate. Thompson said the board is choosing the final applicants based on their past experience and knowledge of community boards. "We're trying to find a balance of the most qualified, with a person that can work within this type of system. And someone who knows what a community board is and how it works," Thompson said. "We got some highly-educated people, but their background didn't fit. We're going for the whole package. They didn't have the qualities or background that we needed." The selection committee plans to begin the interviews by early December, and to have a candidate before the board at the next general meeting on December 16. The new district manager will replace Fratta, who has worked in city government for 35 years, and gained a reputation as a strong fighter and fair repersentative of the district. Before joining the board Fratta was a youth coordinator for CB 7, and a clerk at the Comptroller's office before that. He also served on the Campaign Finance Board. "The process is going smoothly," Fratta said, who will not be able to cast a vote for his replacement. "There are some really good candidates that applied, and I think they're going to get a good district manager." Football boosts 161st Street businesses

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An Interview Of Joe Giambrone. On November 25, 2017 By Jerry AlataloIn Awareness, Earth Matters, Government Lies / False Flags, Higher Consciousness, Interview Series, Propaganda, Spirit Matters, Syria, The Media, War and Peace6 Comments r. Joe Giambrone, editor of Political Film Blog here on WordPress, has kindly agreed to participate in an interview after receiving our invitation. Thank you Joe for sharing your insights in the following words. Question 1: What was your primary motivation for entering the world of blogging? The main force driving The Political Film Blog (PFB) is all that wholesale lying we get from corporate media and from politicians. It's an anti-propaganda blog. The truth is out there, but not compiled into any sort of narrative that regular people can digest. You have to pull from numerous sources over a long time to get an accurate picture of the world, and the media is expert in doing the exact opposite. Thus, the population is uninformed or misinformed about the most important issues affecting humanity: war, environmental destruction, threats to health, and the utter illegitimacy of the political system. I began Political Film Blog () as a simple storage place for the many shocking news articles that are not propelled into the national news cycles, the facts that slip through the cracks. It has a great search feature, too, and over 6,000 posts spanning eight years. I tied in film reviews to attract more readers, as Counterpunch did with film and book reviews. I also invited other writers to post, as Counterpunch did. That was my model. I remember a political argument with my wife's family. My father-in-law said one of the most astounding things I've ever heard in a political discussion. He was an Orange County Republican, in the oil industry, and prone to fly around to oil fields globally. It was the midst of the political upheaval of 2000, the rise of the Green Party and Ralph Nader speaking truth to power. Here's what my wife's father said: "Corruption is not a problem in America." My jaw may have hit the floor, how anyone could possibly believe such a thing when the entire system is literally legalized bribery, it is pay to play in Washington, arguably the most corrupt place on earth. They fly in from around the empire to "lobby" and bribe our politicians, the Saudis, Israelis, Turks, Stans, even the Russians, allegedly. US politicians are bribed every day of the year to betray their constituents and to act in the service of their paymasters. While low-level bureaucrats are not openly taking bribes as in third world countries, those on television screens are only there because they take bribes to the tune of billions of dollars! Corruption is THE problem with America. The PFB was intended to counter that sort of willful blindness. It provides easy recall of the news articles that refute such muddleheaded thinking. In the years since, I have used the blog as a research tool on numerous topics such as illegal NSA spying, the proxy wars against Syria and Ukraine, 9/11 and other hot-button controversies. The more a subject is flooded with disinformation and emotional baggage the more desperate is the need for clear verifiable facts at your fingertips. That's why I continue to post entries. Question 2: How would you describe yourself with regard to spirituality? I have no imaginary friends. I'm agnostic on the question of the supernatural. It's quite simple, to me. I can't prove or disprove supernatural phenomena. Neither can today's physicists. They have no absolute answers, merely more questions. That's good enough for me. I'd prefer some sort of bonus prize for this life, but I'm not banking on it. Question 3: What were some of the most memorable transforming points across the years (books, personal contacts, mystical experiences, etc.) in the developing of your current spiritual perspective? In my 20s I got into psychology in an effort to heal my own mind. I noticed similarities between Zen meditation and Primal Therapy. These each end up giving adherents a more present-moment mindfulness. They calm the mind and channel attention into the current sights, sounds, tactile sensations. In studying psychology I began to doubt the veracity of my previous religious delusions. Being introduced to religion in the 7th grade, I already had formed my own personality without a need to defer to some religious mumbojumbo in every new situation. Now a teenager, I found the Catholic religious instruction stifling, oppressive, creepy, and unnecessary. I did, however, buy into it eventually. Maturing stresses the brain, and we grasp for answers, particularly answers about death. It's a powerful motivator to believe things that don't have any basis in empirical research simply because everyone else is doing it. Religion is the worst peer-pressure offender. Question 4: What is your greatest wish for readers as a consequence after reading/considering your writings? Most of the time I'm simply a proponent of the truth, seeking to dispel lies and champion the facts. Unfortunately, Americans largely don't care about facts. They care about propaganda that helps their cause and demonizes their opponents - and nothing more. I run into this every day. The news has long been weaponized, and we have the "liberal" news and the "conservative" news. Neither of which is the news at all, but that's what people want, the only thing they want. I don't play that game. I've said many times: Trump bad don't make Clinton good. I have yet to meet a Democrat who could compute that statement. The US political system is a glaring sham, and I've got the thousands of articles tagged and bagged on the blog to prove it. So, my wish at the blog is always to set the record straight and dispel the delusions that make up people's warped imperial worldview. The blind nationalism is a huge component. They actually believe that America can bomb the world with impunity if only their team is in charge. This is a Nazi view. This is what World War Two was fought over. This is why we hung people at Nuremberg: Crimes Against the Peace. But in the imperial delusion, none of that, no history matters to them. They are the ones controlling the big military now, and as long as people like themselves push the buttons it's perfectly acceptable for them to kill... Millions? We are surrounded by immoral people in an immoral, rapacious military empire, and that's not okay with me. It should not be okay with anyone. Question 5: Can you offer any advice to people having a difficult time dealing with government and media lies, especially as it pertains to so many average citizens who hold erroneous perceptions on important events and situations around the Earth? I remember the film compilation, "What I've Learned About US Foreign Policy." () This should be what children study in grammar school, what the US actually does around the world, today, the real world. That is not what is on the agenda, however. Americans don't learn much relevant to our military empire at all. I find the average American completely ignorant of the most important events of the past fifty years. Current events are clouded by propaganda with foundations and paid henchmen spinning them endlessly for money and power. The CIA is also an interested player in giving a one-sided history of the world as things like Project Mockingbird and Udo Ulfkotte's admissions revealed. You can prove US corporate media censorship, unequivocally, with two words: Operation Gladio. You cannot find one investigation by any US corporate media entity regarding this forty-year long spree of false flag terrorism attacks across Europe! The US press is completely under the control of US intelligence, on certain topics. This happens to be the ugliest, and it was exposed by nation states and buttressed with major investigations, such as-surprisingly-by the BBC. So there is no counterargument to spin it away. The CIA blew up civilians across Europe to demonize European Leftists. That happened for four decades (at least)! But, no one in America, save for a handful of the types who read my blog, know anything whatsoever about it. If the public knew that the CIA engaged in false flag terrorism regularly, as a matter of statecraft - they also did it in Iran in 1953 and elsewhere - would they be so quick to dismiss accusations of state-sponsored false flag terrorism today? Does anyone think the CIA and the true Deep State suddenly found morals? When did that happen exactly? These are foundational concepts. The "Strategy of Tension" is how it is sold as a good thing, to keep the public in a state of "tension" so that they approve of new state measures, power grabs, to combat the terrorism that the state itself allows to occur. It's so sick, and yet here we are. It's why even though we're in a purported "war on terror" the US government and its allies/arms customers can protect and help terrorists in Syria, Libya and elsewhere. It's only "terror" if they kill an American. That's their practical working definition. The US tends to play both sides, or multiple sides in conflicts. That's why it's so difficult to decipher their policies. They bomb ISIS, for example, in some places, but not in others. They have repeatedly bombed the Syrian government forces who were fighting against ISIS at the time, thus helping those ISIS units. After a major research initiative in 2015, I began to make sense of their Syria policy. That one is here: But getting back to the question: what advice? Be suspicious of any breaking news stories, spread widely, which demonize one of America's official enemies: Iran, Venezuela, North Korea, Syria, Russia. When the news machine acts in unison they are being guided by the US Deep State. That is a certainty, and the contrary facts tend to emerge over the next several days or weeks. Take everything the media screams loudly about with a grain of salt. I've seen it discredited over and over again, such as with Bashar Al Assad "gassing his own people." Assad has never gassed his own people, not once in the entire war, and no credible evidence proves that he did. It was America's proxy allies using the gas. Those revelations were not screamed about in the media, but instead censored out. Thank you again, Joe. Peace. An Interview Of Santosh Krinsky. On November 24, 2017 November 24, 2017 By Jerry AlataloIn Higher Consciousness, Interview Series, New Thought, Solutions, Spirit Matters, Spirituality And..., Sri Aurobindo, War and Peace3 Comments r. Santosh Krinsky, editor of Sri Aurobindo Studies here at WordPress, has kindly given a positive response to our invitation to participate in an interview. Thank you Santosh for sharing your thoughts in the following words. Question 1...) What was your primary motivation for entering the world of blogging on the worldwide web - on the internet? Having heard for years how difficult it was for many people to delve into the writings of Sri Aurobindo, and their consequent lack of knowledge about the issues raised and covered in those writings, and having personally determined that I wanted to find a way to deepen my own appreciation by a steady, systematic review, I combined the intention of a daily study session with the idea of blogging to allow others to participate if they felt so inclined, in this process. Question 2...) How would you describe yourself with regard to spirituality? What were some of the most memorable transforming points across the years (books, personal contacts, mystical experiences, etc.) in the developing of your current spiritual perspective? I distinguish spirituality from any form of religious practice. For myself a spiritual life is about recognizing the oneness and inter-connectedness of all life and existence, and then working to transform thoughts, emotions, and actions to express the recognition of that oneness. During that process, the essential mystical experience is one that opens the heart and mind to the beauty and underlying harmony of existence, which can arise at any time and under any circumstances, whether in solitude walking in a forest, or in the midst of activity of daily life. As to memorable transforming moments, the first time I was given a copy of Sri Aurobindo's The Life Divine certainly counts as one of those moments. When I opened it randomly and read the first few paragraphs, I suddenly recognized a connection which has continued now for over 46 years! Another was when I was residing for a period of time at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry India in 1973 and experienced the Mahasamadhi of Sri Aurobindo's co-worker The Mother in November 1973. The events of that time went deep into my psyche and helped me to take a new direction and attitude in my life. Question 3...) What is your greatest wish for readers as a consequence after reading/considering your writings? In the end, no amount of reading can replace the actual inner opening and practice of the spiritual principles. The daily blog post may be a way for readers to step out of their normal hectic lives for a few moments to reflect on how to integrate their spiritual quest in their lives, and if it has that result, I would be gratified. Question 4...and final) Can you offer any advice to people having a difficult time dealing with government and media lies, especially as it pertains to so many average citizens who hold erroneous perceptions on important events and situations around the Earth. I find this message from Sri Aurobindo to be essential: "live within, be not shaken by outward happenings". The evolution of consciousness on the planet continues, just as life evolved out of matter, and mind evolved out of life, the next phase of development of consciousness is underway. One of the hallmarks of this process is the revealing and exposure of the falsehoods and deceptions that have built up under the framework of physical denseness, vital aggressiveness and mental separation. As the awareness of oneness takes hold, secrets get revealed and all people and institutions of society are impacted. Those holding power try to hold on using "any means necessary" which causes considerable short-term suffering. The ongoing force of the spiritual transformation however eventually will be able to gain the upper hand and usher in a new vision that treats the planet with respect, and which recognizes the oneness of all people and does not get bogged down in the mental distinctions of race, religion, gender, class, etc. which so burden all of humanity in today's world. Eventually the deceptions must be revealed. What is occurring in the modern world is essentially no different than what has happened throughout the vital and mental phases of human evolution, only that the powers of mass media and corporatism provide added leverage to those seeking to hold power over others and undertake the "self-dealing" that creates enormous suffering in the world for those who are prevented from having access to the world's resources. Yet we see an ever growing force of "truth-consciousness" which is beginning to peel back the layers of obscuration and deception so that we become more aware of it. Awareness is the first stage for any real change of consciousness. Thus we can see that persistence and patience, understanding and goodwill, and providing an example of action from the state of oneness are the powers that each person who awakens at this critical juncture needs to put into practice. Speak truth, act with honor, hold goodwill and compassion in one's heart, and have confidence that the evolutionary process proceeds apace to spread a new power of consciousness that will be able to bring forth the harmony that is so desperately needed in the world. Actually one thing occurred to me that people everywhere can do along these lines: People can take active steps to recognize the oneness of all of humanity by building bridges between people of different cultures and religions, sharing and appreciating what strengths each of them bring with them, and looking behind the differences to see the common humanity. This may involve visiting, participating in and honoring the practices of various religions or spiritual paths, reaching out to people who are disadvantaged and working actively to ease their suffering, as well as acting as a thought-leader in one's own circles to counter-act bigotry and racism, class consciousness and prejudice with a deeper conviction and insight into the common circumstances of all humanity. Similarly, working toward respecting all species who share the planet, and working toward respecting the planet itself and supporting actions that heal rather than destroy, that bring harmony rather than dissension, are all things that people of good will can do. Thank you again, Santosh. Peace. An Interview Of Alfred Gluecksmann. On November 15, 2017 December 9, 2017 By Jerry AlataloIn Interview Series15 Comments r. Alfred Gluecksmann, editor at Argentum Post here on WordPress, was kindly willing to take part in a short question and answer interview after we made the request. This is the first published interview here at The Oneness of Humanity, and we wish to do many more with men and women from across the Earth. Any readers wishing to participate in an interview and sharing thoughts can simply let us know, and we'll easily make the arrangements. Thank you Alfred for contributing your thoughts in the following words. Question 1.) What was your primary motivation for entering the world of blogging on the worldwide web - on the internet? This one requires the most comprehensive reply, but I shall be as succinct as possible. As the son of parents who were declared stateless and who escaped the Nazi crimes against the humanity of Jews and others, my German father and Austrian mother were forced by circumstances to separate temporarily since my mother and her parents had problems leaving Berlin in 1938 due to her mother's illness, so she insisted my father leave immediately for Bolivia (the only country which offered refugee status to him) and so he did, with only $ 10.00 in his pocket in a non-passenger freighter he boarded in Marseilles for Callao, Peru wherefrom he would have to take a train to LaPaz, Bolivia - which is a landlocked country. Upon arriving in the port city of Callao however , my father was barred from disembarking to take the train to La Paz because of the undue influence of the World Zionist Organization over corrupted politicians in Lima, Peru which according to the immigration official issued the order that be returned on the same freighter to Marseilles because he was needed for the Palestine colonization project. This order would have meant a death sentence for my father, as explained infra. Well, a synergy of luck, kindness of an immigration official in Callao, and adrenaline gave my father the energy to run for his life into an area where the freight train yard was, and there he jumped onto a freight wagon and managed to make it to La Paz. Had it been up to the Nazis and then up to the Zionists, my father would have been sent back to Marseilles and by then the Nazis would have already moved into position in France to have arranged for him to be shipped to an extermination camp and hence I would not have been writing this report since I was born later in 1944 in Cochabamba, Bolivia. My father wound up working at the house of the former Bolivian President Tejada Soriano as a butler and when the President's wife asked him if he was married he explained that he was, but that his wife who managed to escape to Paris with her parents with the help of a German military officer who had helped them, risking his own life, to cross the border into Belgium and henceforth into France. At that time however she and her parents were stuck in Paris soon to come under the Nazi occupation. Luckily my mother got it touch with the very decent Jewish organization called the Joint Committee and found out that a visa had been telexed to her and her parents by the intervention of said wife of the former President of Bolivia and the Bolivian embassy in Paris handed it to her and thus she and her parents were saved thus my mother, father, and grandparents were finally reunited in a safe place in La Paz, Bolivia. In utero, I believe I sensed the stress, fear, and anger my parents felt and this was transmitted to me throughout our journey from La Paz to Buenos Aires and finally to São Paulo during the years of my infancy and adolescence. Then to boot, again dark clouds gathered in the political climate and again my parents felt a need to pack up and leave and this happened close in 1963, just before the last democratically elected government of the populist João Goulart was overthrown by a right-wing military coup which used the pretext of President Goulart's trip to the PRC to tag him as a "communist". What ensued was a 20 year of dictatorship and torture. Sadly, the United States supported the crushing of democracy in Brazil just as on 9/11, 1973 the United States again supported the crushing of the Chilean democracy. Nevertheless, my parents and I managed to get a visa to emigrate from Brazil to the U.S. where we finally adjusted to a normal life but not before, I was at 18 drafted for the war on Vietnam even though I was a German citizen. Bottom line, the primary motivation to enter the blogosphere was my constant and relentless anti-war, anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-classism, and pro peace, justice, equality, and democratic socialist ideals activism which from my academic, professional, and post-professional life had me marching in countless pro genuine, transparent, participatory democratic governance, and anti-war demonstrations in San Francisco, New York City, and Washington, DC. As a research chemist turned chemical science and technology intellectual property protection investigator and agent (after passing the patent bar exam), I became adept at searching for the facts and writing accurate and precise reports wherever the truth would take me. After retirement, three journalist friends suggested that I take up writing, about my passion for justice and peace, and that motivated me to launch the Argentum Post in October of 2013 which became my main literary activism medium. Question 2.) How would you describe yourself with regard to spirituality; what were some of the most memorable transforming points across the years (books, personal contacts, mystical experiences, etc.) in the developing of your current spiritual perspective? I was never asked by my parents to embrace any religion even though my mother was a kind of a progressive spiritual in the Judaic sense and since I loved her and she asked me for the memory of her family, most of which perished in concentration camps and/or were executed there, that I undergo the Bar Mitzvah ceremony and I did that in São Paulo, Brazil. I also went to a Catholic, and a Lutheran school during my junior high school years in São Paulo, not because of religious reasons but because these were the best schools in the closest proximity of our residence. My paternal grandfather was a non-theist, socialist, and engineer who left Berlin in 1935 for the USSR and after the war in 1945 moved on to Haifa, Palestine where he had secular, Jewish, Muslim, and Christian friends and therefore became a Palestinian citizen. In 1948 though, as a result of what he considered the utterly unacceptable way that Palestine was violently partitioned, he move to London and therefrom to join my parents and I in São Paulo, Brazil. My father was likewise a non-theist, and a socialist. So, once I came to the United States, I looked for company and friends who would share with me a value system based on secular humanist guidelines and later I discovered and joined the Washington Ethical Society, then I immersed myself in literature such as "Free Inquiry" (inter alia) which I discovered through the American Ethical Union movement. M ore recently I discovered that progressive, humanist, theists such as those of the Unitarian Universalist Church (where I volunteered for social services for the homeless), of the progressive "theology of liberation" Christians, and of the progressive reform Jewish universalist Torah values guided movement such as the prestigious American Council for Judaism , Rabbi Lerner's Tikkun teachings, Jewish Voice for Peace, and even the sweet and peace loving Neturei Karta Orthodox Jews who I demonstrated with on the occasion of the intrusion by collusion into Congress of the Zionist misleader of Israel, Netanyahu, to sabotage the Iran nuclear talks - all inspired me to broaden my scope and realize that ultimately it is not what one believes , or does not believe , that matters, as much as what one does with said beliefs to enrich he value of wholesome life . Hence one can say that I am a secular humanist who embraces religious humanist since we all have humanist values as a common denominator and we don't do to others what we would not want done to us. Question 3.) What is your greatest wish for readers as a consequence after reading/considering your writings? My greatest wish is to penetrate and burn through the fog generated by omission, suppression, distortion, or lack of proper contextualization as regards to events of global ramifications by the corporatized mainstream media and educational institutions and expose thereby genuine historical reality by the provision of objective contextualization of current events and/or historical relevances and by going where said media and said institutions in their brazen and tendentious dereliction of duty to objectively inform neglect to go, thereby violating the public's right to learn and know, a right which is as important as the right to free speech. Question 4.) Can you offer any advice to people having a difficult time dealing with government and media lies, especially as it pertains to so many average citizens who hold erroneous perceptions on important events and situations around the Earth? It is easier said than done, but the advice is, search with a wide-lens approach, the most varied sources of information and that means broadening as wide as possible, time permitting, the informational literature sources. This should be coupled to interacting on a personal basis with humans throughout the global sphere, and demanding and practicing the right to travel to societies which are vilified during certain eras, such as the Soviet Union societies were, and such as Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, and yes North Korea currently is. Coupled to that, support as much as possible the outlets of independently arrived at information such as Free Speech TV (only carried by DirecTV), Democracy Now, Sputnik radio (105.5 FM), Link TV, Deutsche Welle, France 24, Al Jazeera, RT, BBC, CNC, plus consider listening to short-wave radio receivers. And do not believe it all, or be disappointed when some of the information seems not so objective. Main thing in that case is - since as a function of this intellectual curiosity energized exercise - the marksmanship of the research becomes increasingly dramatically improved to the point that vetting (or "snoping" ) frequency necessity is gradually decreased as the initial choice of approved sources predominates. Alfred Gluecksmann Thank you again, Alfred ... Peace. The Public Bank Option - Safer, Local and Half the Cost On November 4, 2017 November 5, 2017 By Jerry AlataloIn Earth Matters, Money / Banks, New Thought, Public Banking, Solutions4 Comments If Phil Murphy wins the New Jersey governorship and succeeds in establishing a New Jersey state-owned bank, expect a wave of public banks to follow, as more and more elected officials come to understand how banking works and to see the obvious benefits of establishing their own. Phil Murphy, a former banker with a double-digit lead in New Jersey's race for governor, has made a state-owned bank a centerpiece of his platform. If he wins on November 7, the nation's second state-owned bank in a century could follow. A UK study published on October 27, 2017 reported that the majority of politicians do not know where money comes from. According to City A.M. (London) : More than three-quarters of the MPs surveyed incorrectly believed that only the government has the ability to create new money. . . . The Bank of England has previously intervened to point out that most money in the UK begins as a bank loan. In a 2014 article the Bank pointed out that "whenever a bank makes a loan, it simultaneously creates a matching deposit in the borrower's bank account, thereby creating new money." The Bank of England researchers said that...

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Press Release: Michael Kaeshammer - February 23 Gesa Power House Theatre presents Michael Kaeshammer in concert on Friday, February 23, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. Michael Kaeshammer is a Canadian jazz & boogie-woogie pianist, vocalist, composer, arranger and producer with an international following. He's a piano virtuoso with a technical mastery of many different styles, an eloquent singer/songwriter, and a charming and engaging performer. "For me the performance is as much about the energy coming off the stage as the energy coming from the audience," says Kaeshammer. "It's about being myself, writing from the heart and showing my love for life." Kaeshammer's goal during a live performance is to entertain, inform, and include the audience. As the Montreal Gazette's Bernard Perusse says: "He's a showman. And showmanship is what makes people talk... If you haven't seen him live, you haven't really experienced him in his true element." Kaeshammer first made his own mark as a young piano prodigy. Growing up in Offenburg, Germany, he studied classical piano for seven years prior to falling in love at 13 with the boogie-woogie and stride piano stylings of such greats as Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson, and Meade Lux Lewis. A quick study, Michael soon became skilled enough in this style to perform it in clubs, concerts and festivals through Germany and beyond. When his parents moved the family to British Columbia, Canada, Kaeshammer quickly attracted a following there, becoming popular on the jazz and blues festivals circuit. With his recording career now spanning two full decades, Kaeshammer has emerged as a truly original artist at the very top of his game, and one in love with the creative process. He last performed at Gesa Power House Theatre in 2013. Reserved seating tickets ($45-$40) are available online () or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500. The 2018 Season is supported in part by: KAPP-KVEW, Coldwell Banker First Realtors, Foundry Vineyards, Courtyard Marriott, Inland Cellular, Pacific Power, McCurley Integrity Toyota of Walla Walla. About the Gesa Power House Theatre The historic Gesa Power House Theatre is a 300-seat performing arts venue, located in downtown Walla Walla. The 120-year-old building was once the Walla Walla Gas Plant, built to produce coal gas used to light the streets, businesses, and homes of Walla Walla. In 2011 the Gesa Power House Theatre building was transformed into a state-of-the-art playhouse for live performance. The interior design of the theatre was inspired by Shakespeare's own intimate Blackfriars Theatre in London, England. The Gesa Power House Theatre is on the Washington State Building Preservation Commission list of State historic buildings and on the National Register of Historic Places. The venue also hosts a variety of other cultural events, musical concerts, and private events (including weddings). For additional marketing and media information, including interviews and hi-res images, contact: Bradley Nelson Gesa Power House Theatre 111 North Sixth Ave. Walla Walla, Washington 99362

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Terahertz spectroscopy - the new tool to detect art fraud by Roger Lewis, The Conversation The pigments can look very different when viewed with terahertz 'eyes'. Credit: Shutterstock/Garry0305 When we look at a painting, how do we know it's a genuine piece of art? Everything we see with the unaided eye in a painting - from the Australian outback images of Albert Namatjira or Russell Drysdale, to the vibrant works of Pro Hart - is thanks to the mix of colours that form part of the visible spectrum. But if we look at the painting in a different way, at a part of the spectrum that is invisible to our eyes, then we can see something very different. As our recently published research shows, it could even help us detect art fraud. A matter of frequency The electromagnetic spectrum ranges from very high-frequency gamma rays down to the extremely low-frequency radiation of just a few hertz. Hertz is the unit of measurement for frequency. The frequency of colours in the visible spectrum range from blue, at about 800 terahertz (THz), through to red at about 400THz (1 THz = 1012 or 1,000,000,000,000 hertz). If we drop to frequencies below the visible spectrum we find the near-infrared at about 300THz and then the mid-infrared at about 30THz. Then comes the far-infrared and at last we meet the frequencies around 1THz. Continuing even further brings us to microwaves and radio waves where frequencies range from the gigahertz down to kilohertz. Thus the terahertz part of the electromagnetic spectrum lies between the radio and the visible parts - in other words, between electronics and photonics. Things can look very different when viewed with "eyes" that can see in the terahertz range. Some things that are transparent to visible light, such as water, are opaque to terahertz light. Conversely, some things that visible light won't penetrate, such as black plastic, readily transmit terahertz radiation. Intriguingly, two objects that have the same colour when viewed by the unassisted eye may transmit terahertz radiation differently. So their terahertz signal can be used to tell them apart. Pigments and colour This points to the potential use of terahertz radiation in differentiating paints and pigments. Terahertz spectroscopy can distinguish different pigments with similar colours. We recently used terahertz spectroscopy to distinguish between three related pigments. All come from a family of chemical compounds called quinacridones. These are used widely in producing stable, reproducible pigments that range in colour from red to violet. Measurements at the University of Wollongong provided the experimental data in the range of 1THz to 10THz. Numerical modelling at Syracuse University (New York) reproduced the experimental data, and gave physical insight into the origin of the features observed. The combined experimental and theoretical work, published last month in the Journal of Physical Chemistry, unequivocally demonstrates that terahertz spectroscopy is able to distinguish three different quinacridones. This brings us to the subject of art authentication - or more importantly, detecting cases of art fraud. Art fraud Museums, galleries and collectors are typically very protective of their art collections, but terahertz spectroscopy is well suited to examining their works. While terahertz spectrometers are often located in laboratories, there are also portable models. The terahertz (1012) region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Credit: The Conversation, CC BY-ND Unlike an analysis that requires removing and consuming some material (by reacting it with chemicals, or burning it), there is no contact made with the material, and thus no harm done to the artwork. The terahertz radiation simply shines on the painting, and the transmitted radiation is measured. The low energy and low density of terahertz radiation means that the painting is not damaged in any way. This all makes it suitable for examining art in a way that does not damage it and can be performed where it is located - in a gallery, or home, or almost anywhere. From theory to practice So how can terahertz spectroscopy assist in detecting art fraud in practice? Here's an example. Let's say terahertz spectroscopy picks up a quinacridone pigment in a painting. Quinacridone is an artificial material that was first synthesised in 1935, so the painting must date from 1935 or later. Any claim that the painting is a work by Leonardo da Vinci (who died in 1519), Vincent van Gogh (died 1890) or Claude Monet (died 1926) could therefore be dismissed. Any claim the the work was by an artist who worked after 1935 could not be so easily disproved on this basis. Of course, other physical methods than terahertz spectroscopy may be applied to analyse paintings. One direct way to analyse art work is by sophisticated, quantitative measurements of the visible spectrum. Artworks may also be interrogated by other species of light that lie above the blue end visible spectrum. Here the ultraviolet (uv) photons are higher in energy than visible photons. That means they can put energy into a material that is re-radiated as visible photons. This is the phenomenon of fluorescence, and uv-fluorescence is an established tool in art conservation. Moving further above the ultraviolet, X-rays may be used to examine works of art. For example, X-ray fluorescence at the Australian Synchrotron has been used to find hidden layers in works by Degas and Streeton. A genuine fake? There are many aspects to authenticating an artwork, the physical examination being but one of them. Nonetheless, technical analysis of the materials used - the paints, the canvas, the frames - plays a fundamental role, and that is where terahertz spectroscopy contributes. But other approaches also play a role. For example, documentation such as records of sales may provide key evidence, as may the more subtle appraisal of style by art historians. The perceptions of people who assess and buy art is itself an important factor. The word of the artist might be thought to be definitive, but even this has been overruled by expert opinion, as in the case of Lucian Freud. Finally, the legal dimension is critical, as has been reported recently in the quashing of the art fraud convictions of Peter Gant and Mohamed Siddique. These related to the paintings Blue Lavender Bay, Orange Lavender Bay, and Through the Window. At issue was whether the paintings were the work of Brett Whiteley. Of course, art fraud is just one application of terahertz spectroscopy. There are many more. Able to penetrate paper and cardboard, terahertz radiation can be used to look inside envelopes for contraband, or inside packaged food for contamination. Terahertz methods have been used to assess burns and to monitor the hydration of plants. As better terahertz sources, detectors and components are developed, the range of applications will further expand. Researchers nearly double the continuous output power of a type of terahertz laser Provided by The Conversation Citation: Terahertz spectroscopy - the new tool to detect art fraud (2017, May 15) retrieved 15 July 2019 from Does the Earth "really" revolve round the Sun? Fingerprint of dissolved glycine in the Terahertz range explained Designing sensors to detect foreign bodies in food Towards mastering terahertz waves? Wave of the future: Terahertz chips a new way of seeing through matter New device converts DC electric field to terahertz radiation

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63 posts categorized "Youth Development" 'College Means Hope': A Path Forward for the Justice-Involved "Former gang members make incredible students. The same skills that made me a good drug-dealer - resiliency, hustle, determination - I now use on campus to succeed in school," Jesse Fernandez tells the audience attending our panel discussion at this year's Gang Prevention and Intervention Conference in Long Beach. I was on stage with Jesse as co-moderator for the first education-focused panel in the conference's history. (The Michelson 20MM Foundation convened the panel, tapping Jesse, Taffany Lim of California State University, Los Angeles, and Brittany Morton of Homeboy Industries to share their experiences.) Only 25, he has come a long way from the gang life he once knew. Today, he interns for Homeboy Industries, helping other students on their path to college, has finished an associate's program in Los Angeles, and has studied abroad at Oxford University. He may not look like a typical college student, but he speaks with the certainty and eloquence of someone who has been in school for years. "College means hope. It means understanding your identity. For me, it was learning about my indigenous heritage, what it means to be Chicano, and how my community has been affected by violence and loss." I first met Jesse over a lunch of chilaquiles (with salsa verde) and agua fresca (Angela's Green Potion is a "do not miss") at Homegirl Café, an L.A. staple since the 1990s. The café is run by former gang members and offers a safe space for people coming out of prison, providing many of them with their first job, creating a pipeline to sustainable employment. It's so popular that Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and other politicians on the national stage have stopped in for a bite while in town. Jesse is one of thousands of justice-involved students attending college in California. The exact number is unknown, as public colleges in the state do not require the disclosure of a criminal history. Many students choose to self-identify in order to take advantage of resources specific to the justice-involved population. Others, says Morton, academic program coordinator for Homeboy, are still trying to overcome the perceived "stigma" of having been incarcerated. "Imagine getting released from prison after twenty-plus years on the inside, and you've never used a computer before. Then you get to campus, and every form, assignment, and application is online. It's intimidating for people and there is a lot of shame connected to these experiences." It's estimated that 53 percent of formerly incarcerated people have a high school diploma or GED, yet fewer than 5 percent have completed college (Vera Institute of Justice). Persistence in postsecondary education is fraught with challenges, especially for non-traditional students. The typical formerly incarcerated person has served more than two years in prison, has at least one minor child, and is over the age of 30. In the year after their release, they earn around $9,000 in wages. A year of community college in California costs around $10,000, putting postsecondary opportunities squarely out of reach for most people who have served time. That's where peer-led organizations like Homeboy Industries, Project Rebound, and Underground Scholars come into play. All three not only provide a physical space and financial resources to help justice-involved students graduate, they also cultivate a sense of belonging and deserving that stretches far beyond campus. "The first thing people think when they hear about college opportunities for 'felons' is, why?" says Morton. "Why waste your resources on people who have messed up time and time again. Why focus on college when people with a criminal record can't even find jobs or stable housing. Why? My response is always, why not? Why not give people who have been let down by our education system a first chance at success? Why not help them become leaders, change-makers, peer mentors. Why not give them a sense of hope that they can strive higher and make an impact." What's more, the programs have proven to be successful - for students, colleges, and even for taxpayers. Initial outcomes data demonstrates that programs for justice-involved students help keep students enrolled, out of incarceration, and on a path to economic stability. They also save money. For every $1 invested in correctional education, there is a resulting $4 to $5 return in avoided costs from reduced recidivism and increased employment. While California has led the country in providing resources to justice-involved students, we still have a long way to go. Recent legislative efforts in Sacramento have helped catalyze a new push for expanded postsecondary opportunities. If enacted by the state legislature, the Smart Justice Student Fund would provide an additional $25 million to community colleges in support of justice-involved students both on campus and in prison. This winter, Jesse Fernandez will be continuing his education at the University of California, Berkeley, where he hopes to major in Chicano Studies. He says he has already connected with other students on campus who were formerly incarcerated - and that has made it "easier to imagine the day-to-day of being a full-time college student at a place like Berkeley." In a few years, Jesse will be part of a new generation of justice-impacted college students who strive to become leaders and visionaries in the fight for criminal justice reform in the United States. The first step is helping the public understand that people who are incarcerated deserve opportunities to better themselves above and beyond the limitations and barriers our systems have placed on them. Allison Berger is program officer for the Michelson 20MM Foundation's Smart Justice program. Criminal Justice Education Higher Education Minorities Philanthropy Public Affairs Racial Equity Youth Development TAGS: Criminal Justice Education Higher Education Minorities Philanthropy Public Affairs Racial Equity Youth Development | Comments: (0) Youth Apprenticeship: Accelerating a Path to College and Career Success We seem to have reached a consensus that, in today's economy, it's nearly impossible to secure a quality job and get on the path to economic stability without postsecondary education. But the reality of student loan debt and surveys which show college graduates don't feel prepared for their career of choice challenges the narrative that a successful future is intrinsically linked to a college degree. Reality is also hitting employers' bottom lines as businesses of all sizes and in a variety of fields, including information technology, manufacturing, finance, and healthcare, struggle to fill good-paying positions. The pipeline that used to lead young people through high school and, ultimately, to the skills needed to secure those jobs is broken - and it might not have ever worked equitably, anyway. It's clear our country needs additional, widely accessible postsecondary options that provide young people with the foundational skills, experiences, and credentials they need to thrive in a rapidly changing economy. K-12 systems, institutions of higher education, and industries alike have been searching for solutions that reflect the current and future state of work, with little success. For decades, philanthropy has been investing to improve educational outcomes and college access, and it, too, recognizes that new approaches are needed, and fast. That's why we funded the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA), a multi-stakeholder New America-led initiative to promote more equitable and sustainable pathways to economic mobility. PAYA aims to do this by partnering with educators and employers to build more scalable long-term solutions that have been proven to help youth acquire the skills they need to navigate the rapidly changing world of work. Youth apprenticeship aligns the needs of young people with the talent needs of employers. It builds on what is working in K-12, higher education, and work-based learning. Young people earn a high school diploma, gain paid real-world work experience, and earn college credit and credentials, at no cost to them or their families. Far from an alternative to college, these programs can be a direct and less costly route through college, expanding rather than limiting students' future options. Apprenticeships can expand career options and economic opportunity for young people of color and others for whom it's mostly out of reach. Apprenticeship also keeps youth engaged in school and the workplace while earning a wage. There is growing evidence that paid work experience really matters, especially for youth from underresourced communities. A recent analysis by the Brookings Institution and Child Trends underscores the importance of paid work-experience in connecting students to mentors and networks early in their careers, setting them on a path to long-term success. We know we're onto something. In March 2019 we issued an RFP for PAYA's high-quality youth apprenticeship grants and received more than two hundred applications from forty-nine states and Puerto Rico. We have been floored by the response from states, cities, and regions across the country that have expressed real interest in launching or expanding youth apprenticeship programs. In May 2019, PAYA awarded nearly $1.2 million in initial grants to expand pathways for high-school age youth to succeed in college and the workforce. The grants will support local employers, educators, community partners, and policy leaders who are working to build high-quality youth apprenticeship programs that promote inclusive economic development and create new opportunities for young people. By connecting these innovators, we hope to capture and disseminate best practices for students, employers, and communities that help them dramatically accelerate the pace of implementation. We see youth apprenticeship as a rare and promising combination of the past and the future. Reinvented to address student disengagement, the need for greater diversity, and accountability to low-income students and students of color, youth apprenticeship deserves support from private funders, governments, and industry. As funders and believers in finding solutions to our ongoing struggle to provide educational and economic opportunity, we're planting a flag and invite others to join us in the cause. This post represents the views of funders of the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship, which include Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Ballmer Group, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and the Siemens Foundation. To learn more about the initiative, see the PAYA website. Children and Youth Corporate Philanthropy Philanthropy Workforce Development Youth Development TAGS: Children and Youth Corporate Philanthropy Philanthropy Workforce Development Youth Development | Comments: (0) Building the Power of Immigrants and Youth of Color Services, Immigrant Rights & Education Network (SIREN) - Bay Area has spent the last several years building the political power of immigrant and youth voters with the aim of shifting the political landscape in the region and across the state. In 2018, we doubled down on our commitment to building this political muscle by registering more than fifteen thousand new immigrant and youth voters, contacting a hundred and sixty thousand already-registered voters, and mobilizing more than two hundred volunteers. In the 2018 midterm elections, our efforts helped generate one of the highest turnouts in state history for a midterm and resulted in the passage of critical local and state ballot measures, as well as the defeat of House members opposed to immigrant rights. One of SIREN's youth leaders, Miguel, participated in phone banking and door-to-door canvassing of Spanish-speaking voters. Although Miguel and his family cannot vote because of their immigration status, the day after the election he told us: "The community was my voice at the polls yesterday. Immigrants and youth came out and demonstrated our power in Northern California and the Central Valley. Through our voting power, we are passing policies in our state and region that are impacting our families, and we will carry our momentum into 2019 to fight for immigrant rights and protections for immigrant youth." Civil Society Human/Civil Rights Immigration Latinos/Hispanics Public Affairs Youth Development TAGS: Civil Society Human/Civil Rights Immigration Latinos/Hispanics Public Affairs Youth Development | Comments: (0) Don't Wait Until 2020 to Invest in Youth Leaders For anyone interested in increasing youth civic engagement, the midterm elections are a cause for celebration. In the election, 31 percent of youth (ages 18-29) voted - according to at least one source, the highest level of participation among youth in the past quarter-century. Traditionally, support for youth civic engagement declines at the end of an election cycle and resumes as the next cycle starts to heat up - along with thought pieces about why young people don't vote. To break this pattern, I offer a suggestion: increase investment in youth organizing groups now; don't wait until 2020. The country is in the middle of a massive demographic shift, with young people of color the fastest-growing segment of the population. The key to developing a robust and inclusive democracy that reflects this shift is to support the active civic participation and leadership of this group. And the best way to do that is not to wait until the start of the next election cycle to pour millions of dollars into advertising to reach young voters. Instead, we should support organizations led by young people of color that are engaged in year-round organizing around both voter engagement campaigns and efforts to address issues in their local communities. Issue campaigns focused on quality schools, immigrants' rights, ending mass incarceration, and preserving reproductive rights are what motivate young people to become engaged in the world around them and, by extension, the electoral process. Take the Power U Center for Social Change and Dream Defenders, youth organizing groups in Florida that have been organizing to end mass incarceration and the school-to-prison-pipeline. In the lead up to the midterms, both groups worked tirelessly in support of a ballot measure to restore voting eligibility to formerly convicted persons, and as a result 1.4 million people in Florida have had their voting rights restored. If those ex-offenders are organized effectively, most of them will vote - and in ways, hopefully, that strengthen their communities. From where I sit, there are three reasons to double down on investments in youth organizing groups: Youth organizers are good at engaging voters of all ages. Some youth organizing groups have focused on engaging young voters; others are organizing whole communities. Power California, a statewide alliance of more than twenty-five organizations, works to harness the power of young voters of color and their families. Between September and November, the organization and its partners worked in forty counties to get young Californians to head to the polls and make their voices heard on issues that affect them. Through phone calls, texting, and targeted social media, the organization talked to more than a hundred and fifteen thousand young voters and registered and pre-registered more than twenty-five thousand young people of color. Other organizations such as Poder in Action in Phoenix, Arizona, engaged young people in their communities because these young people are knowledgeable and passionate about the issues in play and serve as highly effective messengers. Our takeaway: investing in youth leaders generates results, now and for decades to come. Engaging the pre-electorate now increases civic participation in the future. Many of the young people organizing and canvassing with grantees of the Funders' Collaborative for Youth Organizing were ineligible to vote because they hadn't turned 18. But while they weren't old enough to cast a ballot, many of them were active in knocking on doors and making calls to encourage others to vote. Today's 16- and 17-year-olds will be voting in 2020, and we should be supporting organizations working to engage them. These organizations are a vital resource for developing the next generation of civic leaders. Youth organizers play a vital role in connecting issues and voting. Over the last several years, we've seen the emergence of a number of organizations that are organizing young people of color around issues in their communities and helping them engage electorally as part of a broader goal of creating a just and equitable society. These groups are developing the next generation of young leaders, organizing campaigns aimed at improving quality of life in their communities, and encouraging people, young and old, to get out and vote. Recent research shows that this kind of organizing is one of the best ways to support the academic growth, social and emotional development, and civic engagement of young people, and these groups are our best hope for actively engaging young people today, as well as developing a pipeline of leaders equipped to solve future challenges. Unfortunately, funding for this work has been sporadic, often showing up - in insufficient amounts - just before elections and then disappearing as soon as the last vote has been counted. To build a just and inclusive society, we must make a significant, long-term investment in the leadership of young people of color willing to organize around issues and engage voters, both young and old. The 2018 election cycle has come to an end. Our investment in youth organizing shouldn't. It is time to get serious about supporting the next generation of leaders. By 2020, it'll be too late. Eric Braxton is executive director of the Funders' Collaborative on Youth Organizing, a collective of social justice funders and youth organizing practitioners that works to advance youth organizing as a strategy for youth development and social change. African Americans Civil Society Current Affairs Latinos/Hispanics Leadership Millennials Public Affairs U.S. Democracy Youth Development TAGS: African Americans Civil Society Current Affairs Latinos/Hispanics Leadership Millennials Public Affairs U.S. Democracy Youth Development | Comments: (0) 5 Questions for... David Egner, President/CEO, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation Established by the late owner of the NFL's Buffalo Bills with more than a billion dollars in assets, the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation plans to spend those assets down, with a focus on western New York state and southeastern Michigan, by 2035. David Egner was appointed president and CEO of the foundation in 2015, having served prior to that as president and CEO of the Detroit-based Hudson Webber Foundation. A fixture in Michigan philanthropy for decades, first as an executive assistant to longtime W.K. Kellogg Foundation CEO Russ Mawby, then as director of the Michigan Nonprofit Association and executive director of the New Economy Initiative, Egner is using his extensive knowledge, experience, and connections to make the Detroit and Buffalo metro region better places to live and work. PND recently spoke with Egner about Ralph Wilson and his vision for the foundation and the two regions he loved and called home. Philanthropy News Digest: Who was Ralph C. Wilson? And what was his connection to Buffalo and southeastern Michigan, the two regions on which the foundation focuses most of its giving? David Egner: Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. was a tremendously successful businessman and the beloved founder and former owner of the National Football League's Buffalo Bills. The four life trustees he appointed to lead the foundation decided to focus its giving in the Detroit and Buffalo regions - southeastern Michigan and western New York - where Mr. Wilson spent most of his life and was the most emotionally invested. He had called metro Detroit home since he was two, and Buffalo became a second home after 1959 through his ownership of the Bills. But above all, he's remembered for being a lover of people and of everyday difference makers. We want the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation to be a testament to his spirit, and that ethos helps guide who we are, what we do, and how we help shape communities. PND: Why did Mr. Wilson, who lived to be 95, decide to structure the foundation as a limited lifespan foundation? DE: It was a very personal decision. First and foremost, it was born out of his desire to have an impact on everything he touched. Doing so ensures that the foundation's work will be completed within the lifetimes of the people who knew him best, our four life trustees, and that its impact will be immediate, substantial, and measurable. author-Matt Sinclair Community Improvement/Development Economic Development Education Philanthropy Science/Technology Workforce Development Youth Development TAGS: author-Matt Sinclair Community Improvement/Development Economic Development Education Philanthropy Science/Technology Workforce Development Youth Development | Comments: (0) [Review] 'You Can't Be What You Can't See: The Power of Opportunity to Change Young Lives' Concrete, practicable solutions to society's urgent challenges are rare, in part because the debate around such issues too often is driven by philosophical differences and partisan political calculation. What is needed instead are compelling stories that explain those challenges through the eyes of the people affected and suggest possible solutions based on their lived reality. You Cant Be What You Can't See, by Milbrey W. McLaughlin, tells one such story. In the book, McLaughlin, the David Jack Professor Emeritus of Education and Public Policy at Stanford University and founding director of the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities, documents what happened to more than seven hundred young people from Chicago's Cabrini-Green public housing project who participated in CYCLE, an out-of-school-time tutoring program started in 1978 in the basement of Cabrini-Green's LaSalle Street Church. Over the next decade and a half the program evolved into a comprehensive afterschool and summer support program for neighborhood youth, the history of which McLaughlin traces through the lives of the young people who participated. Along the way, we learn, through the kids' own voices, how the program altered the trajectory of their lives for the better. For much of its existence, Cabrini-Green - which comprised the Frances Cabrini Row-houses and the William Green Homes - was portrayed by the national media as a sort of urban version of the Wild West, a place where crime, drugs, and guns were all-too-common and lawlessness prevailed. Like many narratives, this one was overly simplistic. McLaughlin starts her story at the beginning, in the early 1940s, when the Chicago Housing Project built Cabrini-Green "to replace the crime-ridden slum widely known as Little Hell with clean, family-friendly, affordable housing" for (mostly) white families. As those families grew more prosperous in the post-WWII boom and began moving to suburbs, low-income black families, many on public assistance, moved in. The 1950s and 1960s were "a time of hope and relative racial calm" in Cabrini-Green. The two-story row houses were a great option for low-income families with children, and major high-rise expansions of the complex in 1958 and 1962 meant that more low-income families could afford to live there. "It was paradise compared to what you had before," remembers Craig Nash, a CYCLE alum who became coordinator of CYCLE's I Have Dream scholarship program. "When the high-rises first went up, they were beautiful. There were trees, there were families - mother, father, children, working families." But over time, the effects of the "redlining" practices that were common at the Chicago Housing Authority during the period began to shift "the make-up of Cabrini-Green from the 1960s-era community of two-parent, working families to, by the late 1970s, "an economically, racially, and socially segregated" series of projects comprising thousands of units, mostly occupied by struggling black single mothers. "Neighborhoods are not accidents," Tim Huizenga, an early CYCLE board member, told McLaughlin. "They are the products of systematic sorting processes....For a while, the high-rises were decent places to live. But, for a variety of reasons, eventually they became the place where people that just had no options were living." As the condition of the buildings and in the neighborhood declined along with expectations, gang violence, teenage pregnancy rates, and social and institutional isolation increased, creating a toxic dynamic that fed on itself. African Americans Children and Youth Education Youth Development TAGS: African Americans Children and Youth Education Youth Development | Comments: (0) CBMA Turns 10: A Decade of Daring Work for Black Male Achievement This month, the Campaign for Black Male Achievement (CBMA) marks ten years of progress: catalyzing more than $200 million in investment in black male achievement while building a national movement to eliminate barriers to the success of African-American men and boys. From the beginning, we committed to building beloved communities across America where black men and boys are healthy, thriving, and empowered to achieve their fullest potential - that is our core mission and rallying cry. Leaders in philanthropy, government, and business were not always as focused on mobilizing the necessary investment to ensure that black men and boys - and boys and men of color more broadly - were recognized as assets to our communities and country. That's why in 2008, at the Open Society Foundations, we launched CBMA in response to the growing need we saw in cities and communities across the nation where outcomes for black men and boys lagged far behind those of their white counterparts in all areas, including education, health, safety, jobs, and criminal justice involvement. Over the last decade, together with our partners, we have catalyzed multiple national initiatives, including the Executives' Alliance for Boys and Young Men of Color, the BMe Community, and Cities United. We played an instrumental role in helping former President Barack Obama launch My Brother's Keeper, an initiative developed in the wake of his speech in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the murder trial of Trayvon Martin - asking ourselves, "How should philanthropy respond to Obama's speech on black men and boys?" CBMA was spun off from OSF as an independent entity in 2015, and today our work resides at the intersection of movement and field building, bolstered by a membership network of more than five thousand leaders and three thousand organizational partners. Our network includes inspired individuals like Robert Holmes, who directs the Chicago Aviation Career Education Academy at the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals. In partnering with CBMA, Holmes has widened the reach of his efforts to create an educational pathway for young black men interested in becoming pilots, helping diversify a critical industry that has little to no black male representation. African Americans Civil Society Community Improvement/Development Criminal Justice Education Health Human/Civil Rights Philanthropy Racial Equity Youth Development TAGS: African Americans Civil Society Community Improvement/Development Criminal Justice Education Health Human/Civil Rights Philanthropy Racial Equity Youth Development | Comments: (0) It's Time to Invest in Youth Leaders In the months since the tragic mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, the response of youth activists has captured the attention of the nation. What has largely gone unnoticed, however, is that across the country a dynamic youth-organizing field has emerged. Over the past twenty years, groups - many of them led by low-income young people of color - have been organizing to improve education, end the school-to-prison pipeline, protect immigrant rights, and address other critical issues. New research demonstrates that not only does youth organizing result in concrete policy changes, it also promotes positive academic, social/emotional, and civic engagement outcomes. Yet despite recent investment in youth organizing from funders like the Ford Foundation and the California Endowment, overall funding remains modest. That's unfortunate, because even as a new generation demonstrates its willingness to take on some of our toughest issues, the need for investment in the leadership of young people, especially those most impacted by injustice, has never been more important. According to the Funders' Collaborative on Youth Organizing's National Youth Organizing Landscape Map, there are more than two hundred youth organizing groups across the country, the majority of them focused on middle and high school students of color. These groups support the development of young leaders and organize campaigns to address inequity in their communities. In Los Angeles, Inner City Struggle and Community Coalition led the campaign to ensure a rigorous college preparatory curriculum for all students. Groups such as Communities United in Chicago, Padres y Jovenes Unidos in Denver, and the Philadelphia Student Union have gotten their school districts to create policies that address racial disparities in school discipline, resulting in changes that have benefited hundreds of thousands of students. Advocacy African Americans Current Affairs Education Gun Violence Millennials Native Americans Philanthropy Racial Equity Social Good Youth Development TAGS: Advocacy African Americans Current Affairs Education Gun Violence Millennials Native Americans Philanthropy Racial Equity Social Good Youth Development | Comments: (0) Cities Are Raising the Bar and Building Beloved Communities Where Black Men and Boys Can Thrive To build beloved communities across America where black men and boys are healthy, thriving, and able to achieve their fullest potential - that is the Campaign for Black Male Achievement's (CBMA) core mission and rallying cry. CBMA's work is driven by the unwavering belief that black men and boys are assets to our communities and our country, that they possess untapped potential and brilliance, and that they thrive when given opportunities to succeed. We cannot truly prosper as a nation when any group is left behind and forced to exist on the fringes of society. The well-being of black men and boys is directly connected to the well-being and strength of our families, communities, and nation as a whole. Over the past decade, CBMA has supported leaders in cities across the United States who are working to accelerate positive life outcomes for black men and boys and whose efforts are moving the needle in measurable ways. To chart and track the progress happening in these cities, in 2015 CBMA developed the Black Male Achievement (BMA) City Index, which scores cities based on their level of engagement with and investment in black men and boys. In conjunction with the new index, we released Promise of Place, a first-of-its-kind report series that assessed commitments and targeted initiatives across fifty cities focused on supporting black men and boys. A few weeks ago, we released a follow-up report, Promise of Place: Building Beloved Communities for Black Men and Boys, that explores whether those cities are keeping their promises. Encouragingly, we have found that most cities have in fact increased their investments and actions in support of black men and boys. The new Promise of Place report finds that, since 2015, 62 percent of the cities included in the index have ramped up their efforts to support black males across a variety of focus areas and needs, with scores based on five key indicators: demographic mix, commitment to black men and boys, presence of national initiatives supporting black men and boys, targeted funding supporting black men and boys, and CBMA membership. Detroit and Washington, D.C., remain the two highest scoring cities, each with a score of 95, while Jackson (Mississippi), Seattle (Washington), Omaha (Nebraska), and Mobile (Alabama) saw the greatest improvements in their scores. Cities not captured in the first report - including Denver and Yonkers, New York - have since become highly engaged in leading black male achievement efforts. To be clear, the BMA City Index is not a ranking of which cities are doing the best with respect to this work. Rather, it is meant to serve as a starting point to see what commitments and engagements cities are making to black men and boys. It is imperative that city and community leaders hold their cities accountable to these commitments and continue to collaborate on measuring the impact of their efforts. African Americans Philanthropy Public Affairs Racial Equity Youth Development TAGS: African Americans Philanthropy Public Affairs Racial Equity Youth Development | Comments: (0) [Review] 'Teach to Work: How a Mentor, a Mentee, and a Project Can Close the Skills Gap in America' When you're able to do something that sparks your passion and leverages your skill set, it feels pretty good. When you can make a living doing it, it's even better. But getting to that place can be hard; you have to have opportunities to learn a new skill or stretch a new muscle, learn from the experience, and improve. I've been lucky to have had some great mentors, informal and formal, who have guided me through such learning experiences - from a cross country coach who taught me that slow and steady will get you to the finish line (if not always win the race), to entrepreneurial friends who offered marketing tips for my side hustles, to my parents, who stressed to me the importance of writing thank-you notes. Many young people, however, aren't as lucky to have received the kind of coaching that can give them the confidence and skills to tackle new or unexpected challenges. That's where mentoring programs can provide significant value; they provide learning opportunities to young people who may not otherwise have them. Patty Alper is a seasoned mentor with fifteen years of experience mentoring inner-city high school students. She's "adopted" classrooms through Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), an international nonprofit organization that I first learned about in the Mary Mazzio documentary Ten9Eight. The film showcases the transformational learning that happens when students are given the opportunity to create a business, benefit from a curriculum that allows them to dive into critical skills, and have a supportive adult serve as their mentor during the process. As an NFTE donor and board volunteer, Alper wanted to "allow supporters [of the organization] to go beyond financial giving and share their knowledge as well," so she created an Adopt-a-Class program that recruits professionals to sponsor an entrepreneurship class, work with teachers, and commit to mentoring students for a full academic year. I remember being struck by how many of the kids featured in Ten9Eight went from expressing little hope about their future to confidently tackling and successfully delivering a big on-stage presentation about the businesses they had created. Seeing the obvious pride and sense of accomplishment in these young people, it's easy to overlook the other piece of the story, which, I confess, I had done until I picked up Alper's new book, Teach to Work: How a Mentor, a Mentee, and a Project Can Close the Skills Gap in America. But once I started reading, it didn't take long for me to be persuaded that mentoring involves both art and science, and that done well, it can truly unlock the potential of underserved youth. For many, the act of mentoring is something one just does, based on one's hard-won experience. But in her book, Alper takes a very granular, how-to approach to mentoring, starting with this key bit of advice: one of the best things a mentor can do is to listen and not share everything she has learned over the years with her mentee. (Note: Alper relies on an adult-student framework throughout the book and, unfortunately, does not touch on any other kind of mentor-mentee relationship. As the book is based on a particular model of mentorship, so, too, does this review.) "The fastest way to turn kids off is to tell them how great you are," Alper writes. Instead, mentors should relate to their mentees as "peers." You do that, she adds, by telling them, "[Y]ou are the boss. You can accept or reject my suggestions because this is your project. What I bring to bear is experience, ideas, and support. We can brainstorm, but the ultimate decisions here are yours." That's only a start, though. There are lots of other things mentors need to be mindful of - from body language, to support systems, to hopes and dreams - and for each, Alper lays out solid advice designed to help mentors approach the challenge at hand in a manageable way. In a chapter about lesson planning, for example, there's a terrific line-by-line guide that adapts the Harvard Business School-developed case method into a ninety-minute classroom exercise. It's hard to tell accomplished adults they may not be good teachers or thoughtful lesson planners (a truth many of us are happy to acknowledge about others, though not ourselves), and so Alper doesn't try to tell us; she shows us instead with tools that no mentor ought to ignore. But while her advice is grounded in deep experience and mostly useful, there are elements of it that feel outdated. A very thoughtful section on key components to establishing a one-on-one dialogue ended up falling flat for me, as there was no mention of asking a mentee herself if she had any ground rules she'd like to suggest. Without such reciprocity, the dialogue you hope to have often ends up a one-way street. Another example: the advice in a section about preparing a student for an interview ("[W]omen should wear dress slacks or a knee-length skirt with a blouse and possibly a blazer, or a dress...also wear low heels") and, in a later section, about dressing for presentations ("What is inappropriate? Clothing that is too sexy, too baggy, too dirty, too ripped, too short, or too bare") felt too prescriptive and gendered. Like most of the examples Alper provides in the book, this one is more appropriate for "traditional" professions and contexts, even though the book purports to be about preparing students to pursue any passion and path. And finally, Alper tries so hard at times to be actionably prescriptive that she loses sight of the human touch that, as she reminds readers elsewhere, is essential to successful mentoring. (Do kids actually say, "How do you do?") That raises another question: Beyond the grateful letters from students she cites throughout the book, did Alper consult young people about what works (and what doesn't) when writing it? After all, feedback loops are embedded in the mentorship process for mentees, but I wonder whether the same can be said for mentors, or whether the inevitable power differential in any mentor-mentee relationship makes that difficult. And how might authentic feedback be obtained and heard? While there's a nice suggestion for reflective debriefing at the end of each program (a group meal outside the school setting, with some reflective questions kept handy on an index card), it doesn't seem to provide sufficient space for meaningful critique. And still another question I had is whether the pay-to-mentor model she discusses actually limits the diversity of the mentor pool? While this isn't the only model Alper discusses, it is prominent and many examples in the book seemed to refer to careers in which mentors likely could afford to sponsor a class. Which begs the question: Is there a bias in favor of mentoring among people who are paid well, have lots of social capital, and have the wherewithal to be flexible with their time and choices? And how well does such a pool of mentor candidates reflect students' passions and needs? Those questions aside, Teach to Work left me with a renewed sense of gratitude for the mentors I've had, and pride in the mentoring I've done. There are lessons in the books that anyone - young or old, accomplished or with as-yet-unrealized potential - will find relevant to them in some way. And perhaps most powerful is the assertion implied by the book's subtitle: that the mentoring young people receive can be a lever to help close America's skills gap and bring increased diversity and talent to the workforce. As Alper's book describes and the aforementioned Ten9Eight brings to life, project-based mentorship can be transformational, and, done at scale, there's no doubt it would be a gamechanger. And, besides, this millennial is into placing big bets on solutions that will make the world a better place. To volunteer as a mentor - and commit to doing it well - is about wanting to create change and catalyze potential. I would suggest there's an added value proposition: maybe mentoring a young person isn't so much a one-way learning opportunity as it is a way for us all to get smarter. Alper certainly acknowledges how much she has learned and grown from her experiences in the classroom. And as I've seen through any number of youth grantmaking programs, philanthropy as a sector has much to learn from students in terms of how they approach community needs assessments and discussions of impact. What more could we learn and apply to our own careers by pairing up with a young person who is wrestling with difficulties in her life and, with our help, coming up with her own solutions to those challenges? Jen Bokoff is director of stakeholder engagement at Foundation Center. For more great reviews, visit the Off the Shelf section in PND. Career Development Children and Youth Education Reviews Social Good Youth Development TAGS: Career Development Children and Youth Education Reviews Social Good Youth Development | Comments: (0) 5 Questions for...Alma Powell, Chair, America's Promise Alliance America's Promise Alliance, the nation's largest network dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth, is marking its twentieth anniversary on April 18 with a Recommit to Kids Summit and Promise Night Gala in New York City. PND spoke via email with Alma Powell, the network's chairwoman, about its work, the progress it has made toward its goals over the last twenty years, and what every American can do to help. Philanthropy News Digest: A lot has changed since America's Promise was founded twenty years ago. Are the Five Promises to America's children and youth announced at the Presidents' Summit for America's Future in Philadelphia in April 1997 - caring adults, safe places to learn and play, a healthy start, an effective education, and an opportunity to serve - as relevant today as they were twenty years ago? And what, if anything, would you add to those five promises? Alma Powell: The Five Promises are just as relevant and necessary today as they were twenty years ago. I can't imagine that ever changing. They are rooted in both sound social science and common sense and represent the minimal conditions that every child, in every neighborhood, has a right to expect. If these objectives aren't met, it is not the fault of children; it is a collective failure of adults in this country. I wouldn't add another promise to the five. When it comes to young people, we don't need to reinvent the wheel. We need to summon the will. PND: Of the five commitments that form the core of the organization's mission, which has been kept most successfully, and where has progress been unexpectedly difficult? AP: Thanks to the work of researchers and youth development experts, we know a lot more about what young people need to thrive. Better data helps us pinpoint educational problems by school district, school, and student, enabling us to focus help exactly where it is most needed. At the same time, more nonprofits and other organizations are involved in this work than ever before; advances in neuroscience have opened new windows into how children learn and have underscored the importance of the early childhood years; and scientific breakthroughs on the impact of adversity, high levels of stress, and trauma have taught us a lot about why some students struggle and how they might be helped. All that has led to progress. Today, infant and child mortality rates are lower, rates of smoking and alcohol use among teens are lower, and high school graduation rates are up. More young people are living in homes with parents who graduated high school, and more students are attending college. But there's more work to do. The child poverty rate is about the same as it was twenty years ago, snd social and economic mobility has stagnated. If we're to help more young people get on a more sustainable path to the middle class, we need to address the issues behind generational poverty and its long-term effects on young people. African Americans author-Matt Sinclair Children and Youth Education Youth Development TAGS: African Americans author-Matt Sinclair Children and Youth Education Youth Development | Comments: (0) Moving the Needle on Youth Violence According to the Giving USA Foundation and Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Americans gave as generously as ever in 2015, setting a record for the second year in a row with total giving of $373.25 billion. That wasn't enough, however, to prevent problems such as income inequality, racism, and, here in Chicago, gun violence, from becoming even more entrenched. Which is why it is so important for donors and funders to do whatever they can to ensure that their charitable donations are making a measurable difference in addressing these and other challenges. At Get IN Chicago, we use an evidence-based approach to move the needle on youth violence and, since 2013, have provided feedback and capacity-building support to community-based organizations providing a range of youth-focused services and interventions, from mentoring and parenting programs to community sports leagues and trauma-focused therapy. Thanks to over two years of research and data collection and our work with more than sixty community organizations, anti-violence experts, and donor partners, we have developed five key recommendations for organizations looking to fund anti-violence initiatives and maximize the impact created by that support. Using these criteria to ensure programs' effectiveness, in 2017 we will be collaborating with more than twenty agencies to bring intensive case management, intake, mentoring, and cognitive behavioral therapy programs to high-risk youth in seven Chicago neighborhoods. Based on that work, here are our recommendations for funders and donors: 1. Make sure the program you are thinking about funding actually addresses the needs of the target population you want to help. Our research shows that while most anti-violence programs work with at-risk youth, participants in those programs are not all subject to the same type or level of risk (i.e., violence or gang activity). That's why we have worked with programs to focus their efforts specifically on acutely high-risk youth - those at the greatest risk for gun violence, based on such factors as school absenteeism rates, mental health issues, justice system involvement, and the presence of a previously or currently incarcerated parent. Along the way, we've learned that it is essential to clearly define the population you are looking to help - not least because it makes it easier to develop a tailored strategy with respect to recruiting, engaging, and retaining participants from the target group, boosting your chances of success. African Americans Children and Youth Community Improvement/Development Gun Violence Juvenile Justice Youth Development TAGS: African Americans Children and Youth Community Improvement/Development Gun Violence Juvenile Justice Youth Development | Comments: (1) Philanthropy's Responsibility to Listen Last month, the Pittsburgh Foundation released a new report, A Qualitative Study of Youth and the Juvenile Justice System: A 100 Percent Pittsburgh Pilot Project, which calls on human services staffs, law enforcement authorities, and school officials to provide youth involved with the juvenile justice system not just a seat but a bench at the table where prevention and diversion programs are shaped and developed. We expected the report, which builds on a substantial body of research by giants in the field such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation, to generate dialogue among our regional human services, philanthropic, and academic partners. But we were surprised that it prompted not only a local newspaper editorial but also requests for republication from an international juvenile justice organization in Brussels and a Boston-based journal that covers the nonprofit sector. As one local advocate put it, "Who knew that talking to people would be so novel?" The outside attention reinforces what we learned in our direct engagement with young people: their voices, which carry knowledge and authority from personal experience with the system, have been missing from the body of research on the system. The focus on amplifying the voices of people directly affected is a core value of our 100 Percent Pittsburgh organizing principle, which we adopted in 2015 to address inequality in our region. Despite significant advances in Pittsburgh's economy, at least one-third of the regional population struggles with poverty. Research, including this 2014 Urban Institute study we commissioned, shows that youth between the ages of 12 and 24 and single women raising children are at the top of the list of groups most at risk. Young people with justice system involvement are particularly vulnerable. African Americans Children and Youth Education Juvenile Justice Social Justice Youth Development TAGS: African Americans Children and Youth Education Juvenile Justice Social Justice Youth Development | Comments: (0) A National Day of Racial Healing on January 17 Will Help Americans Overcome Racial Divisions Just five days before the inauguration of Donald Trump as the country's 45th president, millions of Americans on January 16 will celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. For many, memories of the civil rights icon revolve around his momentous "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, in which Dr. King called for an end to racism and for the expansion of economic opportunities for all Americans. Dr. King's brilliance - his strategic leadership of the civil rights movement and unparalleled courage and integrity - is often overshadowed by the speech that many scholars hail as the most important public address by an American in the twentieth century. Unfortunately, the dream of equality King articulated in 1963 remains unfulfilled in many communities today - a reality that underscores the persistent structural inequities and racial bias at the root of the widespread disparities in social conditions and opportunities for people of color. Dr. King said, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." That's the America many of us have long been working to create but, despite progress in some areas, are still seeking to realize. The divisive rhetoric and raw emotions that raged across the country over the past year pulled the scab off a persistent wound in the American psyche, bringing the issue of race front and center and exposing the divides in our society. What can we do about it? How do we move forward on a path toward racial equity that facilitates racial healing, dismantles structural racism, and lifts vulnerable children onto the path to success? To be sure, America has made progress over the decades. Government and the courts have enacted statutes and rulings, from Brown v. Board of Education to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the Fair Housing Act of 1968, that outlawed public discrimination while purportedly guaranteeing equal opportunity for all Americans. Yet, in too many cases, these rulings only addressed the effects of racism, not its foundations. The passage of time has made clear that government and courts can enact and uphold laws, but they can't change hearts, minds, and souls. African Americans Criminal Justice Education Gun Violence Human/Civil Rights Juvenile Justice Latinos/Hispanics Minorities Native Americans Philanthropy Poverty Alleviation Race Relations Youth Development TAGS: African Americans Criminal Justice Education Gun Violence Human/Civil Rights Juvenile Justice Latinos/Hispanics Minorities Native Americans Philanthropy Poverty Alleviation Race Relations Youth Development | Comments: (0) 5 Questions for...Cecilia Clarke, President and CEO, Brooklyn Community Foundation As grassroots movements like Black Lives Matter have emerged in recent years, the issue of racial equity has come into sharper focus. In 2014, the Brooklyn Community Foundation launched an effort to engage more than a thousand Brooklyn residents and leaders in envisioning the foundation's role in realizing "a fair and just Brooklyn" - an effort that in 2015 earned BCF the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy's Impact Award for its community-led approach. Earlier this month, the foundation announced that, in alignment with its commitment to advancing racial equity across all aspects of its work, it would divest from industries that disproportionately harm people of color. PND spoke with Cecilia Clarke, the foundation's president and CEO, about BCF's focus on racial justice, its decision to divest its portfolio of industries that disproportionately harm people of color, and the post-election role of philanthropy in advancing racial equity. Philanthropy News Digest: Before joining BCF, you founded and led the Sadie Nash Leadership Project. Tell us a little about the project and what it sought to accomplish. Cecilia Clarke: Sadie Nash Leadership Project is a feminist social justice organization for low-income young women in all five boroughs of New York City and Newark, New Jersey. I founded it in 2001 in my dining room here in Brooklyn, and today it's a nonprofit with a $2 million annual budget serving over two thousand young women annually. One of the organization's working assumptions is that young women are ready to be leaders in their communities right now, and Sadie Nash is there to help shape that leadership through what it calls its "sisterhood model" - providing a safe space, active leadership opportunities, education, and hands-on mentorship and role modeling by leaders who look like the young women themselves. At Sadie Nash, young women serve on staff and on the board as real voting members, and - in addition to the organization's flagship summer institute program - participate in afterschool programs, fellowships, and internships. And in everything they do for and through the organization, they are paid for their leadership, because it underscores the concept that they are leaders today. Sadie Nash is not training these young women for some hoped-for future; it's important that, given their identity and their experience, we all understand that they can be a force for social change in their communities right now. PND: In announcing its intention to divest from industries that disproportionately harm people of color, BCF specifically mentioned private prisons, gun manufacturers, and predatory lenders. What kind of impact have these industries had on communities of color and low-income communities in Brooklyn and beyond? And how do you see the divestment process playing out? CC: To back up a bit, when I first came to BCF, it was a foundation that had only recently transitioned from being a private bank foundation to a community foundation, and it hadn't done a lot of community engagement work. Sadie Nash was very committed to engaging its constituency, and I brought that experience with me to the foundation. So, pretty early on we launched a community engagement initiative called Brooklyn Insights through which we spoke with more than a thousand Brooklynites. And what came out of that process was that there were very clear racially biased policies and practices and traditions in the community that the people who spoke with us believed had helped create and reinforce many of the other issues we were discussing, particularly around young people and criminal justice. As a community foundation, we felt we had to be responsive to what we were hearing and to look at the issues that oppress communities of color - which make up 70 percent of Brooklyn's population. To that end, we created a Racial Justice Lens as an overarching focus for every aspect of the foundation's work and management, not just our programming or grantmaking. And that meant we needed to look at our investments. We decided on the three areas of divestment you mentioned after multiple conversations, but I want to make clear that we are at the beginning of the process, not at the end. We chose those three areas to begin with because they were very closely related to our program areas and our mission, especially our focus on young people and racial justice. Given our commitment to youth justice, the private prison industry was an obvious area of divestment. Gun violence is still an enormous problem in Brooklyn, with a huge number of guns being trafficked into the borough, so we felt very strongly about gun manufacturers. And looking at the significant economic inequity and lack of opportunity in our neighborhoods, we saw that check cashing and other predatory financial services were making a profit off of inequity. All three of these industries profit from racial injustice and racial inequity, and we felt very strongly that we cannot be a foundation that stands for racial justice and allow these industries to remain in our financial portfolio. The foundation doesn't invest in individual stocks, so it isn't as if we remove private prisons and replace it with X. Our investments are managed by Goldman Sachs, and Goldman chooses different fund managers with various portfolios of stocks and different investments. So what our divestment means is that we've signaled to our fund managers that these three industries cannot be included in our portfolio, and our finance committee is working very closely with the team over there to make sure that happens. The restrictions we've communicated to them work like proactive insurance to ensure that, going forward, our portfolio will be "clean" of these investments. In a way, the stars sort of lined up for us, because Goldman is getting more and more requests for socially responsible investment choices and has created a new department to do just that. So that's an instrument we can take advantage of while further promoting conversations about aligning our investments with our mission. Advocacy African Americans author-Kyoko Uchida Children and Youth Community Improvement/Development Criminal Justice Education Gun Violence Immigration Philanthropy Social Justice Women & Girls Youth Development TAGS: Advocacy African Americans author-Kyoko Uchida Children and Youth Community Improvement/Development Criminal Justice Education Gun Violence Immigration Philanthropy Social Justice Women & Girls Youth Development | Comments: (0)

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Gutmann awarded international fellowships International collaboration established to study complex genetic disorder David H. Gutmann, MD, PhD, the Donald O. Schnuck Family Professor and director of the Neurofibromatosis (NF) Center at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship, Germany's highest academic award for researchers outside the country, and has been named an Einstein Visiting Fellow by the Berlin Institute of Health. While continuing to lead his laboratory and the NF Center at the School of Medicine, Gutmann also will travel regularly to Germany to work with Helmut Kettenmann, PhD, at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin. Gutmann and Kettenmann will co-lead a team investigating the relationship between a type of brain cell, known as microglia, and neurological diseases, including brain tumors and autism. For these studies, they will leverage Kettenmann's expertise in microglia and Gutmann's clinical and research experience with the neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) genetic disorder. Although the German awards are designed to bring international expertise to Germany, Gutmann expects the collaboration will expand the overall understanding of brain tumors and autism in NF1, providing new insight into the causes of these common problems in the general population. "What we're going to learn and bring back to Washington University in terms of approaches, technologies and general knowledge will move us closer to understanding and treating neurofibromatosis," Gutmann said. Judy Martin Finch, Director of Media Relations

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Earth organizations French Resistance The French Resistance was an underground movement opposing the German occupation of France during World War II. In a holoprogram set in the French village of Sainte Claire in September 1944, several characters, including Brigitte, Mademoiselle de Neuf, and two more (a bartender, played by Tuvok, and a baker acting as courier, played by Neelix) were members of the local Resistance movement, which was led by Katrine. The resistance had been scrutinizing German troop movements since the Occupation, focusing on doing this and remaining undetected as opposed to more violent tactics. They used the restaurant Le Coeur de Lion as a base, and relayed information to the Allies via radio from there. The cell received messages from Allied High Command via messages encrypted in British radio transmissions, decrypted using code keys physically smuggled in. They had also hidden weapons across the city, the guns mostly stolen from the Germans and the explosives bought on the Black market. (VOY: "The Killing Game, Part II") When US troops attacked the city, the Resistance was supposed to disable German communications and help the Americans free Sainte Claire. (VOY: "The Killing Game", "The Killing Game, Part II") To Commandant Karr, however, Katrine claimed that the Resistance may have been active in Paris, but not in a small town like Sainte Claire. (VOY: "The Killing Game") One part of the French resistance was called the "Maquis," a name which was adopted by the 24th century movement. "French Resistance" was, according to the Star Trek Encyclopedia (4th ed., vol. 1, p. 285), the name of the holodeck simulation program in "The Killing Game". In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novel Trapped in Time, the French Resistance help Miles O'Brien, Jake Sisko, and Nog find a Changeling posing as a Nazi officer. Tuvok as a waiter in the French Resistance Neelix as a member of the French Resistance in a holographic simulation in 2374 Add an image to this gallery French Resistance at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works French Resistance at Wikipedia Retrieved from ""

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Assistant and second unit directors Lauren Pasternack Lauren Pasternack (born 15 May 1983; age 36) is an up-and-coming filmmaker who worked on 2009's Star Trek as part of the Directors Guild-Producer Training Plan. She was part of the Training Plan's class of 2006, as was her fellow Star Trek DGA trainee Nicole Treston Abranian. [1] Pasternack is an alumni of the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC). While there, she directed a short film entitled Found Umbrellas, which was screened at the UCSC Chautauqua Festival in 2004. [2] She was also a member of the UCSC sketch comedy group Prank the Dean.[3] In addition, she was the casting director for the 2005 short films Black and White and Praxis for Food for the Moon productions. She also appeared in Black and White. [4] [5] More recently, she was a member of the production staff on the television drama series Brothers & Sisters, starring John Pyper-Ferguson. External link Edit Lauren Pasternack at IMDb Lauren Pasternack at MySpace.com Retrieved from "" Memory Alpha production staff pages without an image

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Elena Luchian , May 6, 2019 / 0 Mercedes-Benz EQC enters series production. How much does it cost? Home Auto news Mercedes-Benz EQC enters series production. How much does it cost? Mercedes-Benz EQC is ready for launch. The electric model has already entered series production at the Bremen plant and is available for order. The first variant to hit the assembly line is the Mercedes-EQC 400 4MATIC, with a range of 445 - 471 km according to the NEDC standard. The model is available for order with a starting price of €71,281, including VAT. The net basic price is below €60,000, a cost that makes it eligible for the environmental bonus offered by the German government. The model is manufactured at the production center where the C-Class family, the GLC and the GLC Coupe see the light of day as well, a solution that makes the building procedure ever more efficient. The team is thus assisted by digital solutions such as sophisticated mobile devices, driverless transport systems and the 'paperless factory'. Despite the high-tech manufacturing process, the human operators remain irreplaceable. "Flexibility and efficiency are decisive pillars of the strategy in our global production network at Mercedes-Benz Cars. Production of the EQC is perfect proof of this. The staff in Bremen have many years of experience in the production of vehicles with a wide range of drive types. We are building on this know-how in the electric age, too," states Markus Schäfer, Member of the Divisional Board Mercedes-Benz Cars, Production and Supply Chain. Meanwhile, the Sino-German production joint venture Beijing Benz Automotive Co. Ltd. (BBAC), part of the global production network of Mercedes-Benz Cars, is planning on starting the production of the f the EQC for the Chinese market. The EQC is also produced at the Mercedes-Benz plants in Rastatt (Germany), Sindelfingen (Germany), Tuscaloosa (USA) and Hambach (France). Batteries are provided by the Daimler subsidiary Accumotive at its site in Kamenz (near Dresden) and delivered partly charged. The standard equipment offers the MBUX artificial-intelligence-based system, which integrates the Widescreen Cockpit comprising two 10.25″ displays and touchscreen control. It also brings the touchpad located in the center console onboard. The Driving Assistance package is optionally available for €2,296.70 with Active Brake Assist, Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC and Active Steering Assist. An AMG Line exterior can also be ordered for €1,606.50, while the AMG Line interior costs €1,082.90, that brings the multifunctional sports steering wheel in nappa leather, with flattened bottom section and perforated grip area, together with the sports seats with AMG-specific seat upholstery layout. Mercedes also offers various service packages, such as the "Maintenance Service", "Pick-up & Delivery Service", "Vehicle Warranty Extension", and "Wear Parts Package". The "Maintenance Service" comprises all required maintenance for a period of up to six years or 150,000 kilometres. It can be purchased in combination with the "Pick-up & Delivery Service", that includes the collecting of the vehicle for maintenance work over a period of six years (or up to six times) and returning it upon the the customer's request. The "Vehicle Warranty Extension" service package covers unexpected repair costs beyond the standard Mercedes-Benz new car warranty up until the vehicle is six years of age, while the "Wear Parts Package" offers the the replacement of the most important wear parts for a period of up to six years. A "Holiday Mobility Package" can be purchased by the customers across the home market, in Germany, that brings care-free holidays. The owners can benefit from a Mercedes-Benz rental vehicle with a traditional combustion engine with a 10% discount. A special edition, the EQC Edition 1886 with special features can be ordered for €84,930.30. Tags: Mercedes-Benz EQC Razvan Magureanu, October 14, 2014 Mercedes-Benz Concept SUV Coupe: A Better X6 Razvan Magureanu, February 23, 2015 Mercedes C 63 AMG S first official video Elena Luchian, March 21, 2019 Leaked - Mercedes-Benz G 400 d arrives this year Trouble for the Mercedes-AMG One? Its Formula 1 derived engine fails emission tests Good-bye rear-wheel drive: Mercedes-AMG will offer only 4×4 models at customer demand Elena Luchian

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2900 4-6-0 GWR Churchward Saint 2902-2989 Power Classification 4P Introduced 1902 - 1913 Designer Churchward Company GWR Weight - Loco 72t 0cwt Tender 40t 0cwt Driving Wheels 6ft 8.5ins Boiler Pressure 225psi superheated Cylinders Outside - 18.5in x 30in Tractive Effort 24,395lbf Valve Gear Stephenson (piston valve) Between 1897 and 1902 when Churchward was he was formally appointed as the Chief mechanical engineer of the GWR he had in fact been for all practical purposes in charge of the department because of the failing mental health of Dean. This allowed Churward to undertake some experimental work which resulted in the construction of the Kruger and Saint class locomotives. The Kruger class was introduced in 1899 with two prototypes being built. One design was a 2-6-0 locomotive and the other a 4-6-0 engine. Only one 4-6-0 was built but a further eight 2-6-0 locomotives were completed up to 1903. Kruger 2-6-0 introduced in 1899 There were many issues with these engines and they had very short lives which varied between three and six years. Although the Kruger was unsuccessful Churchward learnt many lessons including that if engines were to be introduced of far higher efficiency than had been obtained in the past (incorporating long stroke, long valve travel, small piston clearance and higher boiler pressure) then a new basic layout was required. The inside cylinders had to go. The need to rethink the design resulted in development of the tapered boiler which led to the development of another experimental engine being introduced in 1902. This locomotive which was to become the forerunner of a long line of 4-6-0 express engines. This was number 100 which in 1912 was named Dean (later William Dean) renumbered 2900 in 1912. 100 William Dean as introduced in 1902 It had a high running plate and large domeless parallel boiler, raised Belpaire firebox and outside cylinders. This was the first GWR locomotive to have outside cylinders. The piston valves were driven by rocking levers actuated by the expansion link of Stephenson valve gear which looked unusual at the time. The parallel boiler was later replaced with a half-cone boiler, then the first superheated half-cone boiler in 1910. Churchward had studied American boiler design, but he was also influenced by continental practice in efficient motion design. A Glehn 4-4-2 compound engine was ordered from Societe Alsacienne de Constructions Mecaniques for comparison trials on GWR. Churchward insisted the locomotive was purchased so that he could undertake a true comparison with his own locomotives. Locomotive built specifically for the GWR by Société Alsacienne de Constructions Mécaniques on the de Glehn principles and delivered in October 1903. This locomotive was numbered 102 and named La France. The second (number 98) was built with a half-cone boiler and a re-designed valve gear layout and cylinders. The valve dimensions were increased from 6.5inch to 10inch. In 1906 it was re-boilered with a 225psi boiler to correspond with the third prototype. It was named Vanguard in 1907 but soon renamed Ernest Cunard. In 1912 it was renumbered 2998. 98 As built at Swindon in March 1903 The third prototype (number 171) was built as a 4-6-0 in December 1903 but was soon converted to 4-4-2 for the De Glehn trials. It was given the name Albion in 1904 .The boiler pressure was increased to 225psi. Whilst the trials were taking place another nineteen locomotives were ordered which were to be built to a similar design with thirteen built as 4-4-2s and six as 4-6-0s. The superior adhesion of the 4-6-0s set the pattern for the future and 171 was converted back to a 4-6-0 in July 1907 and all the Churchward Atlantics were converted to 4-6-0s in 1912-13. 171 was renumbered 2971 in 1912. 171 Albion as after being converted to 4-4-2 The de Glehn du Bousquet 4-4-2 locomotives of the Nord Railway in France were considered by many to be the finest express engines in the world. Their reputation for fast and economical running was such that they were widely copied elsewhere including on the Pennysylvannia Railroad in the USA. Churchward insisted that a locomotive (102 La France) built on the de Glehn principles be purchased from the Société Alsacienne de Constructions Mécaniques so that he could undertake a true comparison between it and his own locomotive - 171 Albion. In a series of trials Albion proved to be as powerful and just as fast as La France and surprisingly slightly more economical in coal consumption. It would have been expected the French compound would have been more fuel efficient than the simple two cylinder Churchward engine. The excellent valve gear of the simple locomotive made it possible to run at 22%-25% whereas the compound on similar work needed about 55%. In addition the compound was more expensive to build and maintain. Some people thought that the superior performance of the Churchward engine might be because the performance of 102 La France was somehow unrepresentative of that of the class generally. In 1905 Churchward obtained two more French compound engines (103 President and 104 Alliance) which were slightly larger and more powerful than 102 La France. It was found that any improvement in performance was insufficient to justify Churchward changing his ideas although he did adopt features of the bogies from the French locomotives. He also used the French pattern big-end for the inside connecting rod on his four cylinder engines. The early Churchwardlocomotives were rebuilt from 1903 onwards with new superheated boilers and the remainder were built as such. Successive batches were named after Ladies, Saints, Courts and names connected with the novels of Sir Walter Scott. They were collectively known as the Saint class. There were many variants of the class. Some had inside steam pipes, while others had outside steam pipes. Some earlier engines had the raised running plate extended to the back of the cab. In 1924 2925 Saint Martin was rebuilt with six feet wheels and renumbered 4900 to become the prototype of the 4900 Hall class. 2935 had Caprotti valve gear and it was the only locomotive ever to run on GWR with poppet valve. In total seventy seven locomotives were built, the first being withdrawn in 1931. 2900 itself was withdrawn in 1932. It has been claimed that in May 1906 locomotive 2903, which was fresh out of Swindon Works, was taken for a trial run light engine from Swindon to Stoke Gifford. The intention was said to be that after turning the locomotive on the Filton-Patchway triangle to have a "sharp run" back to Swindon. After experiencing signal checks the locomotive was stopped at Chipping Sodbury until a clear line to Wootton Bassett was available. After the restart from Chipping Sodbury down the 1 in 300 from Badminton to Little Somerford some fast running was achieved. Whilst the objective was to demonstrate that a locomotive straight from the works could achieve 100 mph it was purportedly reporting as achieving a top speed of 120 mph. Collett, who was on the footplate at the time was happy that the run demonstrated that 100 mph was possible he thought the 120 mph timings could not be regarded as accurate. The last surviving Great Western Railway Saint class locomotive (2920 Saint David) was scrapped in 1953, long before the standard gauge steam railway preservation movement got under way. The class incorporated many revolutionary advances in design and the 'Saints' are now acknowledged to have had a profound influence on almost every aspect of subsequent steam locomotive development. The Belphaire boiler developed by Churchward had no excessive flat surfaces which had plagued earlier versions. The firebox tapered from front to rear, and the barrel from back to front, giving an ample space for the circulation of water and release of steam where it was most needed, around the firebox tupeplate. This type of boiler proved remarkably successful throughout the life of GWR and later Western Region steam. It was equally successful on the LMs onwards, and later on the British Railways standard locomotives. The design is more expensive to produce but proved cheaper in maintenance than other types. It solved the problem of using higher pressures without incurring excessive boiler maintenance costs. On other railways the fear of the level of costs inhibited the use of anything more than 180psi for many years. Back to GWR 2999 Lady of Legend Back to New Build

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scenes from a fall afternoon It's beautiful outside today. I don't feel cold at all. I've been out once, and though I don't really have anywhere else to go, I'm thinking of going there anyway, just to be out, just to be. Of a sudden, the yellowed leaves are falling so quickly from the tree outside my window that I keep being surprised it has any left. The wind doesn't seem too strong, but it appears to be just right for fomenting this leafalanche. Buddha is on the sill, trying to watch every single leaf fall. The sheer numbers make this a practical impossibility, and it's transformed him into a creature made of twitch. It's funny to watch, though it's calmed down some since I opened the blind for him - until then, he kept falling off in bursts of panicky flailing. The open blind is allowing Nona to watch the show as well from the comfort of the bed. Around most of the buildings, the lawns are still bright green and mostly bare of leaves. The grounds crew have been hard at work all day, raking the leaves into piles and then snorking them up with what looks like a cross between a golf cart and an anteater. I imagine they'll be taken somewhere to be made into mulch. It's work for the crew, and I guess I approve of mulch, but there's a bleak tidiness to the ground they leave behind. I prefer looking out on this small cache of untamed autumn, and I wish it were larger, even if it did mean leaves drifting into the foyer. Later in the season I'd wish for their absence, but I figured that's why we have mulching mowers. 10/21/09 09:17 pm (UTC) Yay kitty leaf adventures!

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K. Michael Conaway & Michele Bachmann Compare the voting records of K. Michael Conaway and Michele Bachmann in 2013-14. K. Michael Conaway Represented Texas's 11th Congressional District. This was his 5th term in the House. He is a current member of Congress. Represented Minnesota's 6th Congressional District. This was her 4th term in the House. She left the House in 2015. K. Michael Conaway and Michele Bachmann are from the same party and agreed on 91 percent of votes in the 113th Congress (2013-14). But they didn't always agree. Out of 1089 votes in the 113th Congress, they disagreed on 93 votes, including 11 major votes. Sept. 17, 2014 - McKeon of California Part B Amendment On Receding from the House Amdts, and Concurring in the Senate Amdt with Amdt Sept. 30, 2013 - Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to the joint resolution (H.J.Res. 59) making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2014, and for other purposes, and waiving a requirement of clause 6(a) of rule XIII with respect to consideration of certain resolutions reported from the Committee on Rules June 20, 2013 - Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act Jan. 23, 2013 - To ensure the complete and timely payment of the obligations of the United States Government until May 19, 2013, and for other purposes Dec. 11, 2014 - Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to H.R. 83, to require the Secretary of the Interior to assemble a team of experts to address the energy needs of the insular areas of the United States and Freely Associated States through the development of energy action plans aimed at promoting access to energy Passed by a margin of 2 votes. Dec. 10, 2014 - Dec. 3, 2014 - July 16, 2014 - Blackburn of Tennessee First Amendment July 10, 2014 - Hudson of North Carolina Amendment July 10, 2014 - Blackburn of Tennessee Amendment No. 22 July 10, 2014 - Quigley of Illinois Amendment July 10, 2014 - Speier of California Amendment June 19, 2014 - Fortenberry of Nebraska Amendment June 11, 2014 - Duncan of Tennessee Amendment June 11, 2014 - Royce of California Amendment No. 7 June 10, 2014 - Blackburn of Tennessee Amendment No. 1 May 30, 2014 - Bonamici of Oregon Amendment May 30, 2014 - Blackburn of Tennessee Amendment No. 14 May 22, 2014 - Schiff of California Part A Amendment No. 21 May 21, 2014 - Blumenauer of Oregon Amendment No. 1 April 2, 2014 - Feb. 10, 2014 - Jan. 14, 2014 - Dec. 5, 2013 - Rohrabacher of California Part A Amendment No. 7 Dec. 5, 2013 - Massie of Kentucky Part A Amendment No. 4 Nov. 20, 2013 - Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1900) to provide for the timely consideration of all licenses, permits, and approvals required under Federal law with respect to the sitting, construction, expansion, or operation of any natural gas pipeline projects, and for other purposes July 24, 2013 - Schiff of California Amendment No. 73 July 24, 2013 - Stockman of Texas Amendment No. 60 July 23, 2013 - Denham of California Amendment No. 47 July 23, 2013 - Garamendi of California Amendment No. 33 July 23, 2013 - Cohen of Tennessee Amendment No. 29 July 10, 2013 - Whitfield of Kentucky Amendment June 28, 2013 - DeFazio of Oregon Part B Amendment No. 8 June 20, 2013 - Huelskamp of Kansas Part B Amendment No. 101 June 20, 2013 - Radel of Florida Part B Amendment No. 49 June 20, 2013 - Walorski of Indiana Part B Amendment No. 45 June 20, 2013 - Marino of Pennsylvania Part B Amendment No. 26 June 20, 2013 - Brooks of Alabama Part B Amendment No. 18 June 19, 2013 - Royce of California Part B Amendment No. 15 June 19, 2013 - Broun of Georgia Part B Amendment No. 5 June 5, 2013 - Cassidy of Louisiana Amendment No. 1 June 5, 2013 - Garrett of New Jersey Amendment June 5, 2013 - Heck of Nevada Amendment June 5, 2013 - Polis of Colorado Amendment June 4, 2013 - First Broun of Georgia Amendment April 9, 2013 - To authorize the acquisition and protection of nationally significant battlefields and associated sites of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 under the American Battlefield Protection Program

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PSU celebrates opening of Pan-African Commons and PIAAA Cultural centers Postedby Chris May On Wednesday, Nov. 2, the Cultural Resource Centers held their Grand Opening Celebration for both the new Pan-African Commons and the Pacific Islander, Asian & Asian American Student Center. Students, faculty, staff, administrators and community leaders gathered for a celebration that included speeches and performances from those whose diversity reflects the broad coalition that made the creation of these centers possible. Among the speakers at the event was Melika Belhaj, one of the student organizers for last year's "Students of Color Speak Out," an event which has been credited as the catalyst for the urgency behind the creation of the two new Cultural Resource Centers. Being a student of color as well as working and studying full-time to earn her degree, Belhaj had some advice for students who may be struggling to find time to take advantage of the campus resources, including these new centers. "Even though I worked full time, and I was going to school full time, I made the time to go to those events because they fed me, they lifted me up," Belhaj said. "My advice would be to really be cognizant about, as individual students, how do we feel, how am I feeling on a day-to-day basis as I move through school? Does this provide me with some serenity? Does it provide me with some strength? Because that's what it provided me with, and that's how I was able to move through the rest of my education." Many of the speakers lauded the new centers as physical manifestations of the administration's commitment to diversity and reiterated the importance of having safe spaces where students could come and simply be themselves. They also emphasized the fact that while these victories are important, there is always further work to be done. CRC Executive Director Cynthia Gomez discussed the importance of having students involved in this work. "Regardless of who you are, regardless of how you want to get involved, these centers are a great place to go because they're student-centered organizations," Gomez said. "We have professional CRC staff to plug students in and help them be successful at whatever it is they want to do." Gomez also stressed that these centers are open to everyone and encouraged any student who doesn't necessarily identify with or represent a particular group but wants to be an ally or to simply better understand their fellow students to visit these centers and be part of the environment and dialogues that take place. The CRC's five-year plan also includes a student center for Middle Eastern and Arab students. Last year, the CRC hosted more than 375 events and had over 64,000 staff, students, faculty and community members visit the centers. Prior to the opening of the two new centers, the CRC included the Multicultural Student Center, the Native American Student and Community Center, and La Casa Latina Student center. The creation of the Pan-African Commons and PIAAA center was announced by President Wim Wiewel late last year, in response to increasing concerns voiced by students about discrimination and the lack of cultural spaces. Anyone interested in learning more is encouraged to sign up for the CRC's weekly newsletter, which shares information about upcoming events, as well as available leadership opportunities and ways to get involved in the ongoing process of shaping the missions of these new cultural centers. You can sign up on the Cultural Resource Centers web page or in person at any of the CRC student centers. The Pan-African Commons and PIAAA center are located in Smith Memorial Student Union 236 and 235. Cynthia Gomez Pan-African Commons Having been raised by feral pandas in the remote forests of Chengdu, China has always formed a key part of my identity. After my career as a Hong Kong film producer was derailed by tabloid journalists, I knew I had found the work that would become my life's purpose. I am passionate about journalism because it allows me to step into worlds I would otherwise never know while channeling my curiosity toward serving and informing the community. Upcoming international events Noon Concert Series review: Joe Manis quartet Sexyvents listings Postedby John Pinney On-campus events calendar: May 2-8 Postedby Matthew N. Andrews and Andrew D. Jankowski Make it rain this fall with PSU general scholarship Postedby Anamika Vaughan

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Truly Great A classic selection of five cheeses designed to make a truly great cheeseboard. Five cheeses from England and France that have been chosen for their consistent quality and taste. This collection fits perfectly in one of our stylish medium gift boxes, why not add one to your order for a complete gift experience? Stilton PDO Pasteurised Cows' Milk, Vegetarian. Stilton cheese has its origins in the early 19th Century when travellers to the Bell Inn in the village of Stilton on the Great North Road found a cheese that was much to their liking. So many people started producing similar cheeses that in 1910 the producers had the foresight to lay down strict controls on where and how it could be made, including that it may only be produced in the three counties of Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Our creamy mellow Stilton will fill the mouth with flavour but not be overpowering. The pleasant herby tang of the blue veining contrasts nicely with the rich creamy character of the paste. Westcombe Cheddar PDO Unpasteurised Cows' Milk, Traditional. Westcombe Cheddar is one of only three cheeses entitled to the Slow Food designation "Artisan Somerset Cheddar". To qualify for this the cheese must be made in Somerset using unpasteurised milk from the farm's own cows, traditional rennet and be made by hand before being matured for up to 20 months. It is made in Evercreech near Shepton Mallet and has a complex flavour and a more moist texture than some Cheddars. Berkswell Unpasteurised Sheeps' Milk, Vegetarian. The Fletcher family started making and maturing the cheese on their farm in Warwickshire in the late1980s. As the demand for the cheese has increased so has production but in a very controlled way to assure the superb quality of the cheese. Made in the style of a Pyrenean cheese, This exquisite hard sheep's milk cheese is simultaneously nutty, savoury and fruity. Camembert de Normandie PDO. Camembert became famous when it was presented to Napoleon III during the World Fair of 1855 but it was thanks to the engineer Ridel, who in 1888 created its now familiar cylindrical wooden box that Camembert was able to travel without problem. The fame of the cheese kept growing and its success encouraging numerous imitations, most of which were not of such high quality. A good Camembert should have a rippled rind with a good coating of white downy mould with some reddish pigmentation in places. The interior should be supple throughout with a creamy white colour and the smell should be earthy and cellary. The taste will fill the mouth and is often quite intense and fruity Selles Sur Cher PDO, Unpasteurised goats' milk, traditional, Selles sur Cher is one of France's more recent Appellation Controlee cheeses, being granted this status in 1975 (modified in 1996). It has however been made for centuries by farmers for their families' consumption. The recipe has been passed from generation to generation as a useful way of using their goats' milk. Produced in an area south of Blois in the Loire valley, Selles sur Cher is a small disc of cheese with a very fine coating of ash on which grows a fine blue/white mould. The interior of the cheese is fine textured, succulent and velvety. The smell is of walnuts. The lingering flavour is also nutty, slightly sour and salty with a hint of sweetness. No bundles available for the selected variant. Please select another variant for bundle offers. Sending a gift? Open bundle An error occurred while saving the bundle configuration. 1x Truly Great 1x Small Gift Box Bundle price: £44.75 Selles Sur Cher Selles sur Cher is named after the region where it was first commercialised - the Loir-et-Cher. The area of production of the cheese now comprises of a group of regions south of the Loire River where the climate is mild. These are:... Camembert De Normandie Camembert was created in 1791 in Normandy. Some sources claim it was invented by Marie Harel who was a farming woman in Camembert, Orne, who helped a fugitive priest who was escaping the "Terror". In return for refuge, he taught her... There has always been a degree of uncertainty about the evolution of Stilton Cheese, but thanks to extensive research we now have a clearer knowledge of the origins and how Stilton Cheese evolved. Texts from the 19th and 20th Century... Cheddar - Westcombe Made by Tom Calver of Westcombe Dairy in the Batcombe Vale of Somerset using the milk from the Friesian cows farmed by his father. This farmhouse cheese making business has been making its renowned cheddar since1890 and now make over... Made at Ram Hall Farm, a small dairy in Warwickshire. Now Berkswell is totally handmade by a team of six local ladies ably led by Julie. Production initially began in the 1980s by the Fletcher family and has grown over the years; they...

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Pears Foundation The following case studies illustrate the breadth and depth of our partnerships and represent just a small sample of a diverse and varied programme of funding. Centre for Philanthropy, University of Kent Many funders prefer to pay for something tangible, like a building, so we are delighted and grateful that Pears Foundation has decided to fund a lecturing post. We are confident this investment will have a positive impact beyond those who choose to study with us, but also on all those lives affected in the careers of students who go on, or go back, to leading positions in the charity and philanthropy sector. Dr Beth Breeze, Director, Centre for Philanthropy We hope this post will contribute to a better understanding of the role of private giving in contemporary society, and offer practical ways to help grow an even stronger culture of British philanthropy for the future. Sir Trevor Pears CMG Long established in the United States, Philanthropic Studies is a relatively new field of academic study in the UK. In 2016, Pears Foundation supported the establishment of the UK's first dedicated university teaching post in the field of philanthropy as part of our efforts to strengthen the field and the voluntary sector in general. The Masters course in Philanthropic Studies, developed by this post, is now an established offer at the University and is open to anyone working in the fields of fundraising and grant-making through a combination of online learning and study days on campus. Pears Foundation continues to support the Centre for Philanthropy as a leading hub for research, teaching and public engagement, ensuring that its research has practical application and is being used to inform and improve practice. Working in close partnership with the charitable sector, the Centre conducts research on a range of topics including fundraising, major donors, giving across the lifecourse, corporate philanthropy and the relationship between philanthropy and social justice. Like many of the Foundation's programmes in higher education, a key aim of our partnership with the Centre for Philanthropy is to strengthen the links between academic study and practitioners in the field. The aim is to educate students who wish to pursue a career in the charitable sector or related fields including the emerging philanthropy advisory sector, practitioners already working in the sector, and individual philanthropists who wish to gain a better understanding of the role of philanthropy and improve the effectiveness of their giving. Website: JHub Imperial War Museums Girlguiding UK NHS Trusts: Young Volunteer Programmes AfriKids Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families Pears Institute for the Study of Antisemitism Integrated Education Fund OLAM UK Task Force on issues relating to Arab citizens of Israel The Trussell Trust Foodbank Network Pears Program for Global Innovation National Holocaust Centre and Museum The Pears Family Charitable Foundation. This site uses cookies as described in our Cookie Policy. If you agree to our use of cookies, please continue to use our site. Find out more.

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Tomorrowland is the Todayland of 2014 Tomorrowland is no longer correctly named, and rumored future changes will make it even less so. While changing the iconic name of the land might be hard, it will be easier for Disney to do than to make entirely new attractions based on the theme of tomorrow. The main problem with Tomorrowland is that today's technology is progressing far too quickly for any attraction based on the technology to be relevant for more than a few months after it opens. This has been a problem since its opening. The Rocket to the Moon opened in 1955 with the park and was already outdated by 1969 when people actually did land on the moon. A 14 year run for an attraction isn't too shabby. It was replaced by Mission to Mars, and while people haven't actually made it to Mars, that attraction became Redd Rockett's Pizza Port. Looking at a list of attractions that are currently open and some that may be in development makes it clear that Disneyland hasn't even adopted the idea of looking at the future through the lens of the past. How did visionaries like Jules Verne and H.G. Wells see the future? What else could you call Tomorrowland? Therein lies the problem. EuroDisney, now Disneyland Paris, used Discoveryland as its alternative. Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland has much of the same problem as Disneyland. Pixarland, OtherMoviePropertiesland, Scifiland... There are few choices that could make any of the Disney fans happy, so maybe everyone just ignores that Tomorrowland has actually become the Todayland of Meet the Robinsons. What would you rename Tomorrowland? Go forward to Autopia and the Monorail Skip to Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage Skip to Disneyland Railroad, Space Mountain and Innoventions Skip to Captain EO and The Starcade Skip to Star Tours, Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, Astro Orbitor

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Pennews (A.P Politics) PenNews reviews on ap politics in ap politics there has two main parties play key roll known as telugu desam parti and ysrcp... ap politics ap politics: Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh is the lower house of the state and legislative council of Andhra Pradesh is the upper house. with 58 members. In the Parliament of India, ap politics has 11 seats in the Rajya Sabha, and 25 seats in the Lok Sabha. There are a total of 175 Assembly constituencies in the state. East Godavari district has the most number of constituencies with 19 and Vizianagaram districthas the least with 9 assembly seats. Whereas, the legislative council of the state has 58 seats, which is one-third of total assembly seats. Until 1962, the CPI, along with socialist parties namely Praja Socialist Party and Krishi Lok Party played an important role in the 1950s. In the 1967 state assembly elections, all socialist parties were eliminated and CPI lost opposition party status. The first Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh was Neelam Sanjiva Reddy who later served as President of India. In 1983, the ap politics won the state elections and N.T. Rama Rao became the chief minister of the state for the first time. This broke the long time single party monopoly enjoyed by the INC from 1956 until 1982. Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao is the founder of Telugu Desam party and served as the first chief minister from the party. The 1989 elections ended the rule of NTR, with the INC party returning to power with Marri Chenna Reddy at the helm. He was replaced by Janardhan Reddy in 1990, who was replaced by Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy in 1992. N. Chandrababu Naidu held the record for the longest serving chief minister (1995 to 2004). In 1994, Andhra Pradesh gave a mandate to the Telugu Desam Party again, and NTR became the chief minister again. Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the son-in-law of NTR, came to power with the backing of a majority of the MLAs. The Telugu Desam Party won both the assembly and Lok Sabha election in 1999 under the leadership of Chandrababu Naidu. After 2004 Assembly elections to win Y.S.Raja Shekhar Reddy Ruling very well and his serve to all people of Andhra Pradesh about small information about Y.S.R. Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy 8 July 1949 - 2 September 2009, popularly known as YSR, was a two-time Chief Minister of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, serving from 2004 to 2009. Reddy was elected to the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Lok Sabha from the Kadapa constituency for four terms and to the ap politics Assembly for five terms from the Pulivendula constituency. He won every election he contested. In 2003 he undertook a three-month-long paadayaatra, or walking tour of 1475 km during the very hot summer months, across several districts in Andhra Pradesh as a part of his election campaign. He led his party to victory in the following general and assembly elections held in 2004, and did the same in 2009. In ap politics 2009 - 2010 K. Rosaiah and 2010 - 2014 N.Kiran Kumar Reddy. On 2 September 2009, a helicopter carrying Reddy went missing in the Nallamala Forest area. The next morning media reported that the helicopter wreckage had been found on top of Rudrakonda Hill, 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Kurnool. The five people aboard were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Over a hundred people were reported to have committed suicide on hearing the news of his death. YSR Congress Party (Telugu: వై యస్ ఆర్ కాంగ్రెస్ పార్టీ) or Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party lit. Youth, Labour and Farmer Congress Party is a regional political party in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in India. It was founded by Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy, the son of former Andhra Pradesh politics chief minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy popularly known as YSR in 2011. Kerala High Court Lifts Life ban on Sreesanth: Big Relief to cricketerSreesanth the kerala High Court on Monday Lifted the life ban imposed on him by the Board of Control for Cricket in India in the 2013 Indian Premier League spot-fixing case. The seamer was charged alongside two of his Rajasthan Royals teammates, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, for spot fixing in IPL-6. Sreesanth was how ever, acquitted in the case in july 2015, the cricketer who has been fighting for justice since his acquittal but BCCI continued to hold out and didn't lift the life ban imposed on him. In a hearting in March, the High Court sought BCCI's stand on the plea filed by Sreesanth challenging the life ban. The bowler had then filed a petition challenging the BCCI's decision not to lift the ban despite being exonerated by the delhi High Court in 2015. The player had argued that not lifting the ban violated his constitutional rights considering BCCI had taken into account the same charges applied on hom by Delhi police for which he was later cleared by the Court.Reviewed by ap news

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Roads Kill More than 1.2 million are killed on the world's roads each year - and that number is increasing rapidly. If nothing is done to reverse this trend, the annual death toll is on course to triple by 2030. The toll is highest in the developing world. Poor countries account for 50 percent of the world's road traffic, but 90 percent of the traffic fatalities. Road accidents will soon become the fifth leading cause of death in these countries, leapfrogging past HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other familiar killers, according to the World Health Organization's (WHO) most recent Global Burden of Disease study. Highway fatalities are also a "poverty-inducing problem," according to Jose Luis Irigoyen, a highway safety expert at the World Bank. "It's costing on average between 1 and 3 percent of GDP" in low- and middle-income countries, he says, an amount that can offset the billions of dollars in aid money that these countries currently receive. In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution calling for a "Decade of Action" on road safety. The goal is to stabilize and eventually reverse the upward trend in road fatalities - saving an estimated 5 million lives during the period. The World Bank and other regional development banks have made road safety a priority, but according to Irigoyen, donor funding lags "very far below" the $24 billion that has been pledged to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. "Roads Kill" is a Pulitzer Center initiative that draws on its extensive global network of journalists to raise the visibility of this growing public health crisis. The entire project, including an interactive map and an ever-expanding roster of reports from around the world, is fully embeddable. We welcome others, including news organizations, to make use of these resources - and to contribute stories of their own. <Any>ArticleBooksE-booksField NotesAudioInteractivePhotoVideo August 12, 2013 | Pulitzer Center Crooked Cops and Decrepit Infrastructure Snarl Manila Traffic Tom Hundley No one escapes the hazards and hassles of Manila's horrible highways - not even the president of the country. Not God's Will: The Fixable Crisis of Traffic Fatalities Tom Hundley and Dan McCarey A global overview introduces a series on road safety, one of the world's biggest - and most under-reported - crises. From HIV/AIDS to malaria and tuberculosis, poor countries endure more than their share of health crises. Now they are stalked by a new nemesis on course to claim even more lives - highway fatalities. Launched: August 12, 2013 Investigative, Culture, Economy, Education, Public Health, Systems and Safety Classroom Subjects: Related Lesson Plans Telling Science Stories: Data Visualization The Dangers of Drunk Driving Roads Kill: The Dangers of Motorcycles How do you do, Timbuktu? See more lesson plans

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Category Archives: social services Children Linked To Social Services Achieve Two Grades Lower at GCSE Posted by Natasha in Researching Reform, social services A new government review suggests that children who have been in contact with a social worker at any time since the age of nine achieve on average two grades lower than their peers in each GCSE subject taken. The review data puts the number of children in England who have been in contact with social services at 1.6 million. In a press release issued by the Department for Education on 17th June, Damian Hinds, the Education Secretary said: "Overall if you've needed contact with a social worker at any time since year 5, on average you are going to score 20 grades lower across eight GCSEs... We need to improve the visibility of this group, both in schools and in the system as a whole." "We also need to improve our knowledge of what works to support and help these children. We must not lower our expectations for them - for these children it is more important that they can do their very best to make the most of their talents when they're at school." The press release suggests that the link to social services and the lower grades at GCSE for children in care is directly correlated to the assumption that every one of these children are falling behind because they have experienced poverty, abuse and neglect. The government also makes another clumsy assumption: that those children who have not had contact with social services are all being cared for adequately, and so their grades are not slipping. If that were the case, there would not be an ongoing number of children being taken into care. While the report or the data do not appear to have been made public (unless we've missed it, so please do let us know), the Education Secretary's speech which he made at think tank Reform on 17th June, offers some more information. The reasons for children who have experienced social services falling behind at school are far more complex than the government realises, and the child welfare system has played a significant part in adding further layers of disadvantage by providing third rate care for these children. The government review offers several other insights including data that suggests that the average classroom has three children who have needed support from social services at some point in the last six years. The review also suggests that disadvantaged children do better in cities than villages. The report coincides with the government's announcement that it will put new measures in place to support disadvantaged children in schools. The package includes: Improving the admissions process so vulnerable children can access a school place as quickly as possible Mental health training for teachers and social workers Better information sharing between councils and schools Tackling causes of domestic abuse, drug and alcohol misuse, mental health, serious violence, and exploitation Tackling off-rolling, absence and exclusions Implementing Timpson Review recommendations The Department for Education also said in its press release that the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers had narrowed by at least 9.5% since 2011, but does not give a reason for that reduction. A statement in the release by Sir Kevan Collins, Chief Executive of the Education Endowment Foundation suggests that the reduction may be down to the Pupil Premium, a grant given by the government to schools in England to reduce the attainment gap for disadvantaged children. As you might imagine, the Local Government Association has seized on the report, seeing it as an opportunity to push for more funding for its councils. Until the government understands the extent of the issues and improves the workforce tasked with looking after these children, no measures put into place will make much of a difference. Many thanks to Keith for alerting us to this development. Supreme Court Restores Children's Right To Sue Councils Who Fail To Protect Them Posted by Natasha in child abuse, Researching Reform, social services The Supreme Court has overturned a ruling in the Court of Appeal which prevented children who had been abused from suing alerted local authorities who did nothing to protect them. This is a very welcome development. The previous judgment in the Court of Appeal had effectively blocked claims by survivors who were known to be suffering but did not find themselves in full time state care, or subject to a care order of any kind. The ruling affected a significant number of cases and left victims feeling traumatised and sidelined. The latest decision in the Supreme Court now means that children can sue for negligence where a local authority failed to protect them from harm. Some quotes from members of the legal team and researchers who worked to help represent the claimants in the case have been published in an article by the Independent. Peter Garsden, a partner at Simpson Millar, who acted on behalf of children's charities Article 39 and The Care Leavers' Association: "This is a groundbreaking decision that has served to clarify the law as far as the duty of care that social workers have towards young people and children who are not necessarily in a care institution, but are known to be at risk. "This decision affects some of the most vulnerable members of our society and we are delighted that those affected will continue to have access to the justice that they deserve in instances where they are let down by those they have put their faith in." Carolyne Willow, director at Article 39: "We are particularly concerned about the continuing scandals of mistreatment in child prisons and local authorities' failures to take robust, protective action." David Graham, national Director of The Care Leavers Association: "We hope the courts will now quickly deal with the backlog of cases from adults who were failed as children." The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in England and Wales said they would look at the ruling and "carefully assess any implications for local authorities." New Ruling Blocks Abuse Survivors From Suing Councils - Here's How To Reverse It. LANDMARK RULING: Foster Children Can Now Sue Local Authorities For Abuse (2017) "Working with families means collaborating with rather than controlling them." - New Research Posted by Natasha in child welfare, Researching Reform, social services, social work Many social workers and their managers believe so strongly that an authoritarian approach to child protection is right that they not only feel comfortable trying to control families going through child welfare proceedings but also advocate strongly for such practices, according to research published by Dr David Wilkins, a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Cardiff University, Assistant Director of CASCADE, and project lead at the What Works Centre which assists regulatory body Social Work England. The paper argues for an inclusive form of social work, where families feel empowered and safe. Dr Wilkins explains, "Working in a participatory way with families means, at the least, seeking to collaborate with rather than control or unduly influence them." The research, which was published in 2017 in the British Journal of Social Work has been uploaded onto free research site Academia, and was co-produced with Charlotte Whittaker, the curriculum lead at social work training school The Frontline. Charlotte is responsible for developing the teaching, learning and assessment of a practice model called motivational interviewing (MI), which Psychology Today describes as a practical, empathetic, short-term counselling method which helps people find the internal motivation they need to change their behaviour while taking into account how difficult it is to make life changes. It is this form of counselling that the research paper focuses on. Dr Wilkins' research highlights positive social work practices using MI which have made a difference to families' lives while also pointing out the dangers of trying to control and coerce parents during child protection proceedings. The research also calls for ground-level reform within social work as well as structural reform to make sure that social workers can put children and families at the heart of their practice. Parents reacted to the research on social media. One mother told Researching Reform: "My Cafcass officer doesn't collaborate on any level. She won't even contact me directly. She does it through my solicitor costing me more money. Having been in a controlling relationship I definitely feel I have stepped straight into another with her." It's incredibly important to point out that we don't tolerate coercive behaviour in almost any other context - all we need to do is look at current legislation which prohibits people from using controlling behaviour in a relationship to get what they want from each other. We call that kind of conduct abusive because we know it damages adults, and children. The paper is a must-read for anyone working with families in a child protection setting, and for families too who have either experienced the child welfare system or are going through it at the moment. The research is also an important reminder that coercion never resolves an issue as families are never fully on board with an idea they haven't engaged with or feel any agency towards. It traps families inside a cycle which sees them return to the child protection system over and over again. This kind of control also creates a deep and lasting mistrust of social workers and the sector. The research makes several interesting observations about social work practice: "Participatory principles such as collaboration, empathy and the right to self-determination are embedded in many of the codes of ethics that underpin professional social work practice (BASW, 2012; Levin andWeiss-Gal, 2009). Unsurprisingly, almost all the workers we spoke to believed they embodied these principles in their work (or said they aspired to even if they were not always able to achieve them). And yet our analysis of observed practice suggests that many workers find it hard to acknowledge parents' feelings, to respect their choices or to draw on their expertise. In discussion with these workers, we found that, whilst they could explain what principles such as collaboration and empathy meant in theory, they found it more challenging to describe how they might be shown in practice." Dr Wilkins is part of a growing group of social workers who believe that working collaboratively with families is essential to excellent social work practice and that the system is there to serve families and children. Researching Reform agrees with this view. You can follow David over on Twitter at @David82Wilkins. Government Plan To Keep Children Out of Care Fails to Target Inadequate Councils Posted by Natasha in Researching Reform, social services, social work The government has launched a project which aims to keep children out of the care system. The £84 million initiative will target councils with the highest numbers of children in care across the country, but will not include bids from failing councils. The project comes at a time when the child protection sector is seeing unprecedented levels of children in care. Up to twenty councils will receive a share of the £84m set aside for the "Strengthening Families, Protecting Children" project over a period of five years. The project offers three programmes designed to improve the safety and stability of vulnerable children and to reduce the need for families to access services. Selected councils will implement one of the three featured programmes. Three 'early adopters' have already been chosen to test the project and will begin implementing the programmes in the Spring. The selected councils are Darlington, Cambridgeshire and Middlesbrough. Only councils with an Ofsted rating of 'requires improvement to be good' can make bids for the funding and take part in the project, making the project's aims questionable. The current ratings offered by Ofsted are Oustanding, Good, Requires Improvement and Inadequate. The What Works Centre for children's social care will evaluate the success of the project sometime after 2024, but as the project will not be allowing councils with an inadequate rating to join the programme, arguably councils in most need of the support, it is unclear what use the evaluation will be in assessing the viability of the programmes in the project. The Department for Education's press release offers more detail on the programmes being offered: Leeds Family Valued: working with the whole family unit and any support network to encourage long term changes at home that keep children safe, working with families rather than imposing measures on them. Independent evaluation of the project's impact on the target population shows that between 2011 and 2017, Leeds reduced the number of children on children's services Protection Plans by nearly 50% (974 in 2011 down to 515 in 2017). Hertfordshire Family Safeguarding: creates teams consisting of mental health practitioners, domestic abuse workers, probation officers and children's social workers to strengthen the bond between couples, support fathers and male partners to prevent violent behaviour. Evaluation shows this resulted in a 39% reduction in the number of days children spent in care, for cases allocated to the safeguarding team, a 53% drop in in hospital admissions for adults in that family, and a 66% reduction in contact with the police. North Yorkshire No Wrong Door: creates 'hubs' where young people at risk of going into care get targeted support to cope with the multiple issues they face, including lack of accommodation or contact with the police. Independent evaluation showed the programme saw a 38% fall in arrests of individuals involved during the first 18 months of the programme and a 57% reduction in A&E visits. The launch of the project coincides with the Children Act 1989's thirtieth anniversary. The press release can be read here. The criteria for entry onto the project can be found here. Ofsted's Local Authority Children's Social Care reports can be accessed here. Many thanks to Michele Simmons for alerting us to this project. Children's services not fit for refugees - Top Minister Senator John Le Fondré, Jersey's Chief Minister said children's services on the island were not fit for refugees, after Lord Dubs called on the Island to take in child refugees last week. At a further meeting on Friday with his Deputy, Le Fondré, said the island's child welfare services were in a "very poor state" and "not presently in the right position to deal with even [Jersey's] own children properly." He added, 'It is not just a case of money. It is about getting people in the right place, and giving stability, for example, to the social-worker workforce, so those relationships can carry on in the longer term. That is incredibly important.' Jersey's children's services have been blighted by poor practice and serous failures. After concerns were raised by the Independent Care Inquiry, Ofsted confirmed last year that it would inspect the island's social services. Ofsted's report was damning. The inspection body found that Jersey social services was not prioritising the needs of its children, that children in care on the island were falling far behind their peers at every stage of their education and that structural and cultural problems inside social services were hampering service delivery. Jersey put together an improvement plan in July 2018 to address the failures highlighted inside Ofsted's report. Little has been done to action the plan. Parliamentary Debate On Councils' Duties To Children A Labour MP is hosting a debate in the Commons this evening to draw attention to growing confusion around local authorities' responsibilities towards children. The debate, which has been brought by Kate Osamor MP, will explore the issues around access to children's services for families under the "no recourse to public funds" (NRPF) condition. Families who fall within the NRPF condition are usually migrants in the UK who are unable to access public funds, which means that they cannot access standard benefits and housing assistance. Osamor says the confusion is causing extreme suffering in the form of acute poverty along with a high risk of homelessness and exploitation for thousands of children. Although children in the UK are covered by section 17 of the Children Act 1989, which places a duty on local authorities to promote the welfare of all children in need in their local area, the condition is causing confusion among parents and councils. In some instances, Politics Home reports that councils are wilfully refusing these families the support they are entitled to. Osamor will use this evening's debate to call on councils to adopt Project 17's Children's Charter, which commits local authorities to upholding the rights of children living in families with no recourse to public funds. The debate will take place in the Commons Main Chamber at around 7pm and is an adjournment debate, which means that no formal question needs to be asked before it can be instated. Adjournment debates take place daily at the end of each day's sitting in the Commons and usually run for 30 minutes. Health Body Invites Care Experienced People To Join Committee Posted by Natasha in Research, Researching Reform, social services The National Institute For Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is hoping to recruit care experienced individuals to join its Looked-after children and young people Committee. NICE, which publishes guidelines for health technologies, clinical practice, public sector health workers and social care services, is looking for people aged 16 years and up who have personal experience of using health or care services. The committee has been set up to revise NICE's guidance on looked-after children and young people, which was last updated in 2015. There are four positions open for what NICE calls lay members of the committee: 2 care leavers aged between 18-25 1 foster carer 1 young person aged between 16-18 with experience of care NICE's website explains that it is looking for people with an understanding of looked-after children and young people and the issues which are important to them. This experience can be gained through personal experience of receiving care, personal experience of leaving care, or as a foster carer within the last 2 years. The role will involve attending committee meetings, taking part in discussions to shape the guidance, reading committee papers, commenting on documents between meetings and keeping the committee's work confidential. Selected members will be required to ensure that the views, experiences and interests of children and young people who use social care services are taken into account by the committee, identify areas of concern for children and young people using social care services and review topic information and draft guidance from a children and young person's perspective. Travel expenses are offered at a maximum of £20 per day, with attendance payments set at £150 per full-day meeting (four hours or longer) and £75 per half-day meeting (shorter than four hours). If you are applying for this position, please confirm payment with the team beforehand. The page featuring the current guidance on looked-after children and young people includes: The Guidance itself The History of the Guidance Full details including application forms, role description and information about the committee and the position can be found here. Ombudsman Sees Surge In Complaints Over Councils' Handling Of Child Protection Cases The latest decisions published by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) reveal a surge in parents complaining about the way they and their children have been treated during child protection investigations. The rise in complaints against councils and social workers involved in child protection investigations comes after the ombudsman confirmed that it could not look into matters which have been raised inside the family courts. The confirmation initially seemed to stem the large influx of complaints related to child protection social workers, however this no longer appears to be the case. Desperate families have started taking their complaints to the LGSCO once more, hoping the watchdog will provide them with the support they have been unable to get elsewhere. Several complaints were set aside as the LGSCO is prevented in law from looking into matters raised and decided in the UK's family courts, however some complaints relating to child protection cases which didn't fall into the above category were investigated by the ombudsman. Of the 59 complaints published this week by the LGSCO, 15 of those involved child protection cases. The majority of complaints focused on alleged failings over education provision, and support for SEN children. Child Protection Complaints A mother and father who lodged a complaint against Hampshire County Council were awarded £500 after the local authority cancelled two child protection conference meetings. The parents had taken unpaid leave to attend the meetings, and when a core group meeting was held the parents were not told about it. The social workers also failed to record the meeting. The ombudsman took the view that the failures to notify the parents of the meeting and record the meeting did not cause the parents any injustice, and chose to compensate them only for the cancelled meetings. Medway council also had its knuckles rapped after it confused a woman's husband for another man during a child protection investigation. The ombudsman awarded the woman and her husband £1,000 for the distress the error caused. The remaining 13 complaints involving family court proceedings were set aside by the watchdog. There were a significant number of complaints about factual errors within social work reports and councils' record keeping. One such complaint was made against Birmingham City Council. A father, who is referred to in the ombudsman decision as Mr A, alleged that the social worker carrying out a child protection assessment was biased and the report she produced was inaccurate, which in turn affected the outcome of the investigation. The father also said that the council refused his request for a different social worker without giving any explanation for the refusal. (If you would like to change your social worker, our post on ways to approach this is added here). The ombudsman issued the following reminders over what it cannot investigate: Matters that have been before a court via the statutory children's complaints procedure. Matters currently subjected to legal proceedings. An event that occurred over 12 months ago (exceptions apply). Where it is unlikely that the ombudsman would reach a sound, fair, and meaningful decision, or achieve the outcomes desired by the complainant. Events which happen inside the family courts. Complaints about social workers who produce reports for the family court and the production and contents of court reports. For further information on what the LGSCO can and can't investigate, click here. Families lodging complaints about botched child protection proceedings have our sympathy. "I likened it to arriving at the scene of a car crash". Posted by Natasha in child welfare, Foster Care, Researching Reform, social services An independent social worker involved in a case where a council placed a baby into foster care without telling the child's grandparents, likened the handling of the case to a car crash, as she gave her testimony in court. Judge Lazarus ordered the judgment to be made public after she criticised the social workers, lawyers and the child's guardian for serious failures within the child protection investigation. Lazarus joins a growing number of judges raising concerns about problems inside the child welfare sector. The case involved a baby who had been the subject of a care order by Kent County Council before being born. The mother's parents did not know about the baby until after he had been born, and were not made aware of the application to have the baby fostered. The child was sent to live with foster parents and remains with them today, after the judge decided that it would be better for the boy not to be moved as he had formed attachments with the foster parents and was thriving in their care. The judgment tells us that had the grandmother and her husband put themselves forward as potential carers for their grandson, it would have been most likely that they would have been accepted as Special Guardians for the baby. This is what Judge Lazarus says: "The local authority, the Social Worker, the Children's Guardian, and the Independent Social Worker all acknowledge that had she and her husband put themselves forward in those proceedings and been assessed it is highly likely that they would have received a positive assessment as X's proposed Special Guardians. " Judge Lazarus goes on to outline the law around external family members and investigating placement options for vulnerable children: "42. THE LAW - INVESTIGATION OF FAMILY MEMBERS a) In the case of Re R [2014] EWCA Civ 1625 the former President Sir James Munby stated: "The Public Law Outline [Public Law Outline FPR 2010, PD12A] stresses the vital importance of such potential carers being identified and assessed, at the latest, as soon as possible after the proceedings have begun ", albeit "not requiring every stone to be uncovered". b) Re R provided clarification of the principles underlying the reminders as to good practice set out in Re BS [2013] EWCA Civ 1146 and the need to pay particular heed to the factors in the relevant welfare checklist in order to approach such applications through the prism of the child's welfare interests. Those cases provided appropriate reminders of the extreme interference with Article 8 rights that these applications represent, of the rigour and exceptionality required by Re B [2013] UKSC 33 to interfere so drastically with those rights, and of the principles applicable from Y v UK (2012) 55 EHRR 33 emphasising the need to preserve personal relations and 'rebuild' families. c) In order to comply with what has become known as the ' Re BS checklist', namely the properly evidenced and reasoned analysis in care and adoption proceedings by the local authority witnesses which should include illustrating the pros and cons of the realistic options, the Local Authority's evidence must first identify those realistic options, and must then place particular emphasis on considering the factors in the relevant welfare checklist. d) The factors set out in the welfare checklist in section 1(4) Adoption and Children Act 1989 must be considered on an application for a placement order and to dispense with a parent's consent under section 52, and specifically at section 1(4)(f) requires consideration of the welfare of the child throughout their life in regard to the child's relationship with other family members, their ability to meet the child's needs, and their views and wishes and feelings regarding the child. e) Relevant duties of the Local Authority are set out in the Children Act 1989, at section 17 in particular, that: (1) It shall be the general duty of every local authority (in addition to the other duties imposed on them by this Part) - (a) to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are in need; and (b) so far as is consistent with that duty, to promote the upbringing of such children by their families, by providing a range and level of services appropriate to those children's needs. f) And at section 22C: (1) This section applies where a local authority are looking after a child ("C"). ... (5) If the local authority are unable to make arrangements under subsection (2), they must place C in the placement which is, in their opinion, the most appropriate placement available. (6) In subsection (5) " placement " means - (a) placement with an individual who is a relative, friend or other person connected with C and who is also a local authority foster parent ;...". Questions remain as to why the council failed to follow the law, and removed the newborn to put him in a foster placement. The case is likely to arouse suspicion amongst families and activists inside the child protection sector, who have long argued that councils are abusing fostering and adoption placements for financial gain. The fostering sector in the UK is currently worth £1.7 billion, and appears to be thriving despite austerity driven budget cuts and pre Brexit uncertainty. A sharp rise in the number of children being removed from parents in the UK with no clear indication as to what factors are causing these removals, is also deeply concerning. Judge Lazarus chose to put the independent social worker's quote at the top of her judgment, saying that she felt it summarised the key issues in the case perfectly. This is the quote in full: " I likened it to arriving at the scene of a car crash, and wondered what one could do about it. This situation should never have arisen. It's caused huge tension, including within any recommendation, and I've tried to keep X at the centre of it. " You can read the judgment on BAILII, which is particularly useful as it outlines the law and guidance in several important areas connected to cases like this one. This is not the first time Judge Lazarus has spoken about the treatment of vulnerable children and families. Last month, she expressed outrage over the lack of secure accommodation for children at risk of exploitation by gangs, during a hearing involving a 16 year old boy. New Study Highlights Britain's 'Cold Hearted' Social Workers A new study published in the UK by Family Rights Group, suggests that cruel treatment of families by social workers is not only common but also affects the likelihood of positive outcomes in cases. The research concludes that social care can and should incorporate humane social work practices, even when the system is under pressure. The report, "Stepping up, stepping down", was co-authored by professors Kate Morris (University of Sheffield), Brid Featherstone (University of Huddersfield), and Katie Hill (University of Nottingham) and Dr Mike Ward (Open University). The researchers collaborated with 20 families as part of the Your Family, Your Voice Alliance, which the report says is a national initiative seeking to "develop humane evidence-informed policies and practices". The report includes the views of 27 adults and 10 children. Over 80% of the families interviewed have been involved with welfare services for more than five years. The study highlights inhumane and cruel encounters families experience inside the social work sector, and offers some heartbreaking stories shared by service users: 'She saw me sobbing in reception and she walked past me twice and then said there were nothing wrong' I said to the social worker I wasn't prepared to leave because XXX was being sick, he was alone and somebody needed to be with him. But it seemed that nobody wanted to listen to what we had to say ...It was horrible. All I wanted to do was hug him and I couldn't hug him, I had to sort of hold him here because he was covered in sick; his clothes were covered in sick. It was crusted where they had not changed his clothes." "I don't feel like she had any time for us at all. I didn't feel like she wanted to listen, she had made her mind up before she had even got here. I think the thing is, because XXX's dad has got a history of drug use and prison, she formed an opinion before she met me. I have never taken drugs and have never been in prison. What happened was she came into the meeting, a child in need meeting at school, and me and (my partner) had an argument. She sat there and said, "I was driving here today in the car and I was thinking, 'shall I put this on child protection or shall I just kick it out? No, I think I will put it on child protection' ". That is exactly how she said it, in front of all the other people. I thought, 'How can you make that judgement on one...?' She met me once. Then she has made a judgement coming to work in her car. That put me off her straight away." "They released her sedated after midnight without letting anyone know, she got attacked trying to get home, staggering around with the tablets and we didn't know." The families who took part in the study were selected from the following services: A Post-adoption support project A Family Intervention Project focused on families with multiple problems including antisocial behaviour Three Local Authority (LA) Children's Services working with highly vulnerable children and families A service working with sexual exploitation and abuse A support group for survivors of domestic abuse and their children A national advice and advocacy service for families whose children were involved with children's services Two self-help organisations involving families with multiple needs. There were five key findings from the report: Services were multiple but scarce, fragmented and siloed Constant reminders that resources were scarce produced barriers between families and social services, making positive engagement much harder Not enough time spent with families and too many delays combined to create feelings of abandonment, resentment and misunderstandings Interpersonal skills are deeply valued by families Families are often left out of service design, and had negative experiences when complaining about poor service. The report also offers five key messages from these findings: Fragmented services leave families feeling demeaned, and need to be streamlined Develop everyday practices that acknowledge poverty and the impact that has on family life and work with families to try to address their financial and economic needs Demonstrate respect for families through good timekeeping and where timeliness is difficult, recognise that can also be the case for families Utilise the knowledge of families to inform professional development and to support the development of humane practice Involve families in thinking about the commissioning of services , and use the expertise of families who have experience of the child welfare system to develop and evaluate the services. We are heartened by this latest research and thrilled to see this thinking entering the mainstream. Kudos to the authors. Family Experiences In Photos, From Stepping Up, Stepping Down Report, October 2018.

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Save the Children's Child Protection Initiative and The Education Global Initiative - July 2011 Newsletter Log in to add to library This month's issue of the Child Protection Initiative (CPI) Newsletter is produced jointly with the Education Global Initiative and focuses specifically on Violence Free Schools. It includes an interview with a school student in Durres, Albania, who speaks out on violence in schools and the expert opinion contributed by Mr. Kishore Singh, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education. Also included is Save the Children's Policy Paper on violence against children in and around school, which provides recommendations for action by both Save the Children and the children themselves. View and Download Karlsson, LenaBermingham, Desmond pdf, 8p. Europe and North Asia Corporal punishment Legislation UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Bullying Child abuse Policy Schools Violence against children Children's rights Education Briefs, Fact Sheets and Brochures Save the Children's CPI Newsletter - June 2011 Save the Children's CPI Newsletter- March 2011 Save the Children's CPI Newsletter, December 2011 Save the Children CPI Newsletter - October 2012

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Concert & dinner 16.07.2019 Tue No Tickets Available 19.07.2019 Fri 20.07.2019 Sat 22.07.2019 Mon - Full Schedule Basilicas and Catacombs Visit two of Rome's most important basilicas - those of St John Lateran and of St Mary Major - learn more about the Holy Stairs and discover the ancient Roman Catacombs. After meeting up with your guide - and equipped with your earphones to hear the explanations more clearly - you will first visit the 'Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist at the Lateran', more commonly known as the Basilica of St John Lateran, which is also the cathedral of Rome and the episcopal see of the bishop of Rome (the Pope). This is Rome's most important papal basilica (the others being St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls and the Basilica of St Mary Major) and it is the oldest and most important in Western Christendom, where popes resided for ten centuries. First built in the 4th century, it was almost completely rebuilt by Borromini in the 17th century, though the main facade is the work of Galilei in the 18th century. The latter followed the style of St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, resulting in the basilica's current Baroque style. The magnificent interior is characterised by its breath-taking decorations, sculptures, marble and mosaics. After this, you will make your way to the Scala Santa (Holy Stairs), located in front of the basilica. Made of marble (with a wooden protective casing), there are 24 steps in total. It is believed that these were brought from the Holy Land by St Helen, and that they are the steps that Jesus ascended at Pilot's palace when he was condemned. In 1980, together with the Basilica of St John Lateran, the Holy Stairs were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Your guide will give you detailed information about the construction and history of the Stairs as you contemplate them. From here, you will go on to the Basilica of St Mary Major, another of the four papal basilicas and the largest basilica in Rome to be dedicated to the Virgin Mary. For a time, it was a papal residence and the tombs of some past popes can indeed be found here. Also declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980, this 5th century basilica now features diverse architectural styles, ranging from the Early Christian to the Baroque. In terms of its exterior, particular highlights are the front and rear facades, the high medieval bell tower and its Baroque domes; the interior is characterised by the quality and abundance of its mosaics and impressive side chapels. To conclude this tour, the bus will take you on to the famous Roman Catacombs - the ancient underground cemetery and once a hiding place for persecuted Christians - which are situated beneath one of Ancient Rome's most important roads, the Via Appia. The majority of the catacombs date from the 2nd to 5th centuries and contain the tombs of Christians, martyrs and even of some popes. The catacombs represent an awe-inspiring preservation of antiquity, where we would advise you to stay close to your group so as to ensure that you do not get lost as your guide leads you through its labyrinthine passages. Meeting point: at your hotel (if it is in Rome's center), or at 95 Via Vittorio Emanuele Orlando (Gray Line Rome Office / I Love Rome Office, in front of the Grand Hotel), 15 minutes before the start of the tour Finishing point: in the centre of Rome The tour includes the entrance ticket to the two basilicas and to the catacombs. Short trousers and sleeveless shirts are not permitted within the basilicas. image The Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore / Carrani Tours Rome Opera Tickets for your personal 'grand tour' of the Eternal City. Why not arrange a night at the opera with tickets for the Teatro Costanzi (Teatro dell'Opera di Roma) or an enchanting 'opera under the stars' at the Terme di Caracalla? Then, for a truly immersive experience, treat yourself to a wonderful classical concert amidst Rome's cultural treasures. Contact us & Feedback A&A Tickets Online. Some rights reserved

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Feeding the Minds of Our Future Shaya Barnett Foundation is committed to providing culinary education and resources to high school students. Through hands-on curriculum, students are able to gain the real-world skills necessary to gain experience and employment in the ever-growing culinary and hospitality industry. As a struggling student in high school, Alon Shaya wasn't sure about his future. Noticed and encouraged by Donna Barnett, his home economics teacher, he began to nourish his passion for cooking. Donna helped Alon obtain his first kitchen job washing dishes and eventually mentored Alon on the scholarship process to attend the Culinary Institute of America. Donna, now recently retired from 25 years of teaching, mentored over 6,000 students in her classroom. Alon won the James Beard Foundation Award in 2015 for Best Chef, South. Kitchen Equipment Sourcing The Foundation has partnered with Edna Karr High School in New Orleans to help provide support in the form of lesson plans and cooking equipment. The Foundation has raised enough money to acquire the equipment needed to outfit the classroom with the tools and materials for a successful school year. Equipment included everything from wooden spoons and electric mixers, to induction burners. Guest Demonstrations & Speaker Series Throughout the school year, Alon, restaurant team members, and other New Orleans restauranteurs lead lessons for students. The students love the hands-on time with chef Alon and have benefitted from the experiences they have gained in the kitchen. Teachers and instructors also benefit by gaining an insider's viewpoint on educating and motivating students from an industry standpoint. The speakers vary in focus and every demonstration emphasizes a skill set taught in the curriculum. The Foundation brings together resources from our diverse New Orleans community to strengthen the emerging student culinary arts and hospitality industry. By organizing field trips and guest speakers/lectures at Edna Karr High School, the Foundation is able to support and expand on its existing Pro Start culinary arts curriculum. In September, Houston was heavily impacted by Hurricane Harvey, and many in the service industry were affected. The Foundation partnered with vendors to host a Beans & Rice fundraiser that contributed $24,000 towards rebuilding efforts. Alon Shaya Alon Shaya really loves food. He loves cooking it, being around it, learning about it, and teaching others about it. Born in Israel and raised in Philadelphia, Alon now calls New Orleans his home. In 2016, Alon joined forces with Donna Barnett, his high school home economics teacher, to start the Shaya Barnett Foundation. He is a recipient of the "Youth Advocate Award" from Liberty's Kitchen, and was honored by InspireNOLA Schools for his work with Edna Karr Charter High School. In 2017, Alon and his wife Emily formed Pomegranate Hospitality to create a space where meaningful, lasting relationships are created, community engagement prospers, and cultural differences are celebrated. Pomegranate Hospitality hopes to foster opportunities for colleagues, partners and friends in a comfortable environment, helping all involved to achieve their personal and professional goals. They opened Saba in New Orleans in May of 2018 and Safta in Denver in August 2018. Alon has been nominated for five James Beard Awards. He has been named "Best Chef, South" in 2015, and won "Best New Restaurant" in 2016. He was named one of the "50 People Who Are Changing the South" by Southern Living magazine in 2015, and one of the "50 Most Influential Jews in America" by The Forward. Donna Barnett For 27 years Donna Barnett taught the culinary arts to high school students in suburban Philadelphia. Her excellence as an educator, entrepreneur, and as a mentor is made manifest through the awards she has received from her peers in education and the community, and the accolades and accomplishments of her students. In addition to teaching and mentoring James Beard Award-winning chef Alon Shaya, Donna also guided chef Ari Weiswasser, winner of The People's Best New Chef for California, Food & Wine. Since her retirement from teaching, Donna has focused on partnering with her former student Alon Shaya to develop a comprehensive culinary curriculum for high schools and helping students pursue their passion for careers in the food industry through the Shaya Barnett Foundation. Donna holds a Cordon Bleu Certification in Culinary Arts, a Masters of Science in Health Education/Nutrition Marketing, and a Masters of Science in Health Economics Education. Donations are being accepted to make purchases of cooking equipment and other items needed for culinary education programs in high schools. © Copyright 2017 Shaya Barnett Foundation | All Rights Reserved

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Mercedes-Benz Amazingly Finds Two Very Rare Classic Cars Re-found Treasures The 24th Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance - an annual charity automotive event in the US - back in March, is a magical place to hear about the illustrious histories of incredible cars, and the "twin" 1954 300SL Gullwings that the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center displayed was no exception. The vehicles bear successive chassis numbers, and No. 43 is a hero to the Jacksonville, Florida car show. "We found this right up the road in Jacksonville," says Constantin von Kageneck from the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Irvine, California, motioning to a grey model parked on the fairway at the The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. "The second owner bought it used and it didn't have a spare wheel, so he went to a local dealer, Platt Motors, and its tag is still on that rim. This car's been in Jacksonville its whole life." Provenance of a classic It was originally purchased by a lawyer for the Winn-Dixie corporation, who also founded the local Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), and took it for some racing fun before selling it to his mechanic, who also raced it. It was purchased in 1957 by a naval pilot stationed in Jacksonville, who later went to law school in Gainesville. He was getting ready to paint it, hence the primer gray you see here, and had taken parts off. (Indeed, a bag of rusty bits and trim are visible in the trunk.) And then, in 1965, everything just stopped and that's the last time anyone saw it. "We know that because he was in the process of re-dyeing the seats and the newspaper on the back of one of the cushions is from 1965," says von Kageneck. Amelia Island Concours founder Bill Warner had seen the car ages ago when he was 16 and informed Mercedes-Benz about it. The company ended up purchasing it in 2018 for just under US$1 million (RM4.1 million), according to von Kageneck. Gone was the original medium blue hue and the Classic Center gang found plenty of rat nests in the car, but many original touches remained, including the gooseneck shifter (something only the first 50 or so 300SLs featured), fading grey leather seats, the wheels and the "Englebert Competition" tires, and the drivetrain. On the odometer, 35,308 miles (or 56,822 kilometres) are shown. Its brother, No. 44, was a factory refresh done at the behest of the customer. The 300SL was originally delivered in fire-engine red paint with a white leather interior, but the new buyer believed the white cabin would be too hard to keep clean. He opted for a natural tan leather interior (with a matching luggage set) with a Mercedes Blue exterior. "The engine was on the dyno last Tuesday, and we power-tested it and put it in the car. It was just finished," says von Kageneck, adding they don't test it for the actual amount of power, though he believes it to be "a bit under the 240 hp (179kW) they used to advertise." As for the barn find No. 43, it's headed to the Essen auction in Northern Germany in a few weeks, and if the person who buys it wants it restored, it'll head to the Classic Center in Stuttgart. "The cost of restoration would be in excess of US$800,000 (about RM3.3 million), and it's hard to say what the car could get at auction. Unrestored cars are almost doing better than restored cars now," von Kageneck says. "Either way, today is the cheapest day to restore your car," he grins. "Tomorrow it will only be more expensive." By: Sean Evans You Can Probably Look But Can't Buy This Ferrari Monza The Mercedes-AMG C 63 S mixes thrills with gratification The Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet Mercedes-Benz examines the future of mobility with the Concept EQ

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Archive for population crisis The population control advocate behind Planned Parenthood's transition to abortion Posted in Abortion History, Alan F. Guttmacher, Forced Population Control, Forced Sterilization, Guttmacher, Illegal abortion, Lader, Planned Parenthood History with tags Abortion, abortion history, Abortion II, Abortion kills the life, Alan F. Guttmacher, American Eugenics Society, Black Genocide, black militants, black racism, coercion, Force, Fred Jaffe, Guttmacher, Human Betterment Foundation, Illegal Abortion, Larry Lader, Margaret Sanger, Mary S. Calderone, Planned Parenthood History, Planned Parenthood Pamphlet, Planned Parenthood uses Blacks, population crisis, population growth, PPFA, special affiliate, United Nations on April 19, 2018 by saynsumthn By Carole Novielli | From Live Action News This article is part two in a series on the history of Planned Parenthood. Read part one here. Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger's focus was eugenic sterilization and birth control, rather than decriminalizing abortion. But it wasn't a female eugenics crusader who rolled out the abortion agenda of Planned Parenthood - that came from Dr. Alan F. Guttmacher, a physician and past vice-president of the American Eugenics Society who was already steeped in abortion prior to his election as president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) in 1962. Guttmacher worked with Mary S. Calderone, who joined Planned Parenthood's staff in 1953 as its medical director, a post she held until 1964. Years earlier, Guttmacher had vowed to work to decriminalize abortion, eventually persuading the PPFA board to commit the procedures. PPFA president Alan F Guttmacher speaks about abortion, 1965 Planned Parenthood was initially reluctant to perform abortions - that is, until Guttmacher came on the scene. Before making millions committing abortions, Planned Parenthood admitted that abortion takes human life. A Planned Parenthood pamphlet from 1952 reads, "Abortion kills the life of a baby after it has begun." Another pamphlet from Planned Parenthood Federation of America also describes abortion as a procedure that "kills life after it has begun" and one which is "dangerous" to a woman's "life and health." In the early 1960s, abortion enthusiasts like Larry Lader bemoaned Planned Parenthood's lack of involvement with abortion, noting in his book, "Abortion II," that "Abortion never became a feminist plank in the United States among the suffragettes or depression radicals. It was ignored, even boycotted by Planned Parenthood women in those days." Lader notes in his book, "Ideas Triumphant" how, other than the National Organization for Women (NOW), few groups were willing to support abortion: "In medicine, only the American Public Health Association (APHA) had taken a stand.... The huge network of Planned Parenthood Federation clinics remained on the sidelines except for its outspoken medical committee under Dr. Alan Guttmacher." Lawrence Lader, abortion crusader Lader expounds further in his book, "Abortion II," writing, "Planned Parenthood, with hundreds of chapters and clinics throughout the country, had been a particular disappointment. Legalized abortion, I insisted from the start, was the logical measure for contraception and an essential form of birth control. Under the leadership of Dr. Alan Guttmacher, the medical committee of Planned Parenthood-World Population proposed the 'abolition of existing statutes and criminal laws regarding abortion' in 1968. After this plank was approved by the members in 1969, Planned Parenthood chapters soon started abortion referrals, and even clinics, as an 'integral part of medical care.'" Guttmacher was an avid eugenicist, who joined others of his day in voicing a concern about rising population growth. In spite of national calls for coercion to slow down the rate of population growth, Guttmacher instead advocated the decriminalization of abortion as an effort that he felt would accomplish the same result. But, although Guttmacher had learned how to finesse the rhetoric, he did not discount the use of coercion altogether. In 1966, Guttmacher compared the world population with the threat of nuclear war, telling the Washington Post that governments may have to act officially to limit families. "It may be taken out of the voluntary category," Guttmacher said. Guttmacher abortion coercion possible Population concerns drove public policy In Michael W. Perry's compilation of one of Sanger's works with others of her period, "The Pivot of Civilization in Historical Perspective: The Birth Control Classic," Perry writes of Alan Guttmacher, "In 1962, Alan Guttmacher, former vice president of the American Eugenics Association, assumed the presidency of Planned Parenthood. Soon, a 'population bomb' hysteria... was driving public policy. In 1969, a medical news magazine revealed what was really going on when it quoted Guttmacher, warning that if 'voluntary means' did not achieve the desired goals, 'Each country will have to decide its own form of coercion and determine when and how it should be employed. At present, the means available are compulsory sterilization and compulsory abortion.'" "That's what [Margaret] Sanger intended to do with birth control.... So, why should it be surprising that Guttmacher felt the same?" Perry added. This 1968 interview with Alan Guttmacher and a member of the clergy, which, according to Ball State University, originated from WLBC-TV and was (possibly) a part of a segment titled, "Week in Review," demonstrates the concern the PPFA president had about the so-called "population crisis." Guttmacher began the interview by defining Planned Parenthood as a "movement which tries to make each child a wanted child born to responsible parents...." In the interview, Alan Guttmacher, addressed the issue of population growth: "Now, I think everyone is conscious of the fact that in some areas of the world there is explosive type of population increase, unsupportable, in that it is outdistancing food, it retards economic development... and, what we are attempting to do, of course, is to encourage countries to curtail the rate of growth." He added this about the threat of a global "population crisis:" Now, I've been in this a really long time and I am encouraged because, we have governments becoming deeply involved. Each year, one or more - many governments make population control part of national policy. In 1969, after seeking government funding for "family planning" specifically for "low income Americans," Guttmacher responded to criticism from some that population growth could be reduced by "voluntary methods" rather than government coercion. "I do not share their despair," he stated. "The appropriate response, in my view, is to mobilize rapidly a total, coordinated U.S. program by government, in collaboration with voluntary health services, in an all-out maximum effort to demonstrate what voluntary fertility control can accomplish in a free society." A year later, in 1970, Guttmacher, told Boston Magazine that the United Nations should be the organization the United States used to carry out population control programs worldwide. Guttmacher explained his reasoning: If you're going to curb population, it's extremely important not to have it done by the dammed Yankees, but by the UN. Because the thing is, then it's not considered genocide. If the United States goes to the black man or the yellow man and says slow down your reproduction rate, we're immediately suspected of having ulterior motives to keep the white man dominant in the world. If you can send in a colorful UN force, you've got much better leverage. The fact is that Guttmacher understood that coercive means of population control would not be well received, especially by members of the Black community. The eugenics movement, of which he was a part, had come under criticism after the Nazis' implemented their eugenic "final solution" for a "pure race" - something many believe originated with American eugenics leaders. "So even though the plan [of coercion] may be desirable and would make us a stronger nation, a less polluted nation, I feel it would be strategically unwise at this time," the former Planned Parenthood president told Lee McCall, a reporter for the Sarasota Herald Tribune in 1966. Guttmacher Compulsory Birth Control 1970 The push for taxpayer-funded birth control for the poor and minorities Guttmacher, who also founded Planned Parenthood's research arm and "special affiliate," the Guttmacher Institute, then proposed a blueprint to force taxpayers to pay for birth control access for the poor, as Live Action News detailed previously. The plan was highly criticized by the Black community, which saw the move as a means of racist Black genocide. "Among other things, this policy has brought the Planned Parenthood Federation under attack from black militants who see 'family planning' as a euphemism for race genocide," the NYT reported at that time. So, a 1966 internal memo from Alan Guttmacher and Fred Jaffe outlined a new "community relations program" for winning over the Black community by "form[ing] a liaison between Planned Parenthood and minority organizations." The plan, according to Planned Parenthood, was to emphasize that "all people have the opportunity to make their own choices," rather than, as the memo states, "exhortation telling them how many children they should have." Image from 1940's Birth control pamphlet published by Planned Parenthood In its 1969 article entitled, "Dr. Guttmacher is the Evangelist of Birth Control," the New York Times was forced to acknowledge that many leaders sitting on Planned Parenthood's board were in favor of coercive measures of population control. While painting the picture of an agency which was pushing birth control on the "ghetto" rather than the "middle-class" who were having more than the optimal amount of children, the paper noted that a "sizable" number of Planned Parenthood's board was made up of "preponderantly white and well-to-do" people. They then quoted a Planned Parenthood board member who admitted the racist attitude of the organization when he stated, "What it all comes down to is that we want the poor to stop breeding while we retain our freedom to have large families. It's strictly a class point of view." Guttmacher and Sanger were both (as eugenicists) concerned that the world population was a threat, but, Guttmacher, much savvier than Sanger, chose to couch his agenda as a "right." He even told the paper that they were not trying to take away anyone's rights, but trying to "show ghetto families how to space their children and avoid having children they don't want." "Admittedly Guttmacher is buying time," writes the New York Times in that 1969 report. "He thinks the voluntary movement should set a deadline of 1980. If world population growth has not dropped below 1.5 percent by then, he says, 'we'll have to get tough.'" Guttmacher on coercive population control New York Times Whatever Guttmacher meant by getting "tough" never materialized, because he believed decriminalizing abortion was the solution and noted this in a 1970 interview where he stated: If we could get the abortion law liberalized, most of the 750,000 unwanted pregnancies would not lead to babies - rejected children, battered baby syndrome and illegal abortions. Proposing the availability of "unlimited abortion" to curb population growth And, in that same year, Guttmacher admitted to a 1970 Cornell Symposium, (according to an April 7, 1970, article published by the Cedar Rapids Gazette), that although he did not know when life began, he believed that "unlimited abortion" was the only way to reduce population growth, saying, "There is no question that the most effective way of reducing population growth is by unlimited abortion." According to researcher and author Mary Meehan, "Guttmacher undoubtedly believed that [abortion] helped women; in fact, he had referred patients to an illegal abortionist as early as 1941. Yet he also had other motives, indicated by his service as vice president and board member of the American Eugenics Society." The Case for Legalized Abortion Now, edited by Alan F Guttmacher In 1967, Guttmacher edited a book on legalizing abortion, where he admitted, "Today it is possible for almost any patient to be brought through pregnancy alive, unless she suffers from a fatal illness such as cancer or leukemia, and, if so, abortion would be unlikely to prolong, much less save, life." Former abortionist Dr. Anthony Levatino agrees with this, stating that there is never a valid medical reason for abortion: Guttmacher became Chief of Obstetrics at Baltimore's Sinai Hospital in 1942, eventually creating a staff committee of five to make decisions about abortion. Like Sanger, Guttmacher allegedly watched a woman die from an illegal abortion while serving as an intern in Baltimore. He later wrote of other women, "In a short period I witnessed three deaths from illegal abortions: a 16-year old with a multiperforated uterus, a mother of four who died of sepsis rejecting another child, and a patient in early menopause who fatally misinterpreted amenorrhea." Alan Guttmacher 1973 (Image credit: WGBH) For years, Guttmacher referred women to physicians for illegal abortion procedures. He once wrotehow an illegal abortionist, nicknamed Dr. T, showed him the abortion technique. "His technique was to pack one inch gauze strips into the cervix and lower uterine segment the night before he was to evacuate the conceptus," Guttmacher wrote. "After 12 hours of packing, the cervix was wide open, and he was able to empty the uterus with an ovum forceps, followed by currettage without anesthesia. In advanced pregnancies he inserted intrauterine bougies, held in place by a vaginal pack until strong contractions commenced, which not infrequently took several days." "These early medical experiences with the unavailability of abortions in reputable hospitals and the incidence of illegal abortions convinced me that permitting abortion only 'to preserve the life of the mother' was undesirable and unenforceable.... My sentiment was that as long as the law was as restrictive as it was, doctors should not breach it, but work to change the law - a position which I forthrightly espoused in the classroom," Guttmacher stated. Dr. T later attended a 1950's Abortion in the United States conference sponsored by PPFA, which focused on abortion. PPFA leader Mary Calderone writes, "Those very concerned with the problem of abortion will be full of gratitude for this report; gratitude to the P.P.F.A. for convening the conference and for the frankness of the thirty-eight participants, who comprised eminent gynaecologists, psychiatrists and a few social workers. The highlight of the proceedings was an M.D.'s testimony as a convicted (but not imprisoned) abortionist. The chairman stated that Dr. T. was his valued friend, known for nearly three decades, and described him as 'an extremely competent abortionist ... who some years ago fell into disagreement with the law and is no longer in practice".'" The PPFA group heard from abortion advocates worldwide, and in the end, Calderone indicates that there was no clarion call to push for abortion reform. In his book, "Babies by Choice or by Chance," published in 1959, Guttmacher allegedly deplored "the performance of abortion on virtual demand." But Guttmacher also noted how he had learned from experience how hospitals were "allowed to interpret and administer the abortion law of their respective states without supervision or interference from either the police, the courts or medical agencies." Babies by Choice or By Chance, by Alan F Guttmcher In 1952, Guttmacher had relocated from Baltimore to New York, where he became the first Director of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Mount Sinai Hospital, which had already been approving and performing abortions. "I was told that if a private patient was denied abortion in another institution, she frequently sought abortion at Mt. Sinai because of its well-known, relatively liberal policy," Guttmacher claimed. Alan Guttmacher appointed head of obstetrics at Mount Sinai Hospital (Image New York Times June 27,1952) By 1962, Guttmacher was at the helm of Planned Parenthood and he was positioned to put his dream of decriminalizing abortion into action. That same year, as chairman of the medical and scientific committee of the Human Betterment Foundation, Guttmacher called the existing abortion laws "archaic" and "idiotic." Guttmacher named president of Planned Parenthood, 1967 (Image: New York Times) "The idea that the fetus has a sacred right to survive from the moment of fertilization is a Judeo Christian creation," he said according to a May 2, 1962, Poughkeepsie Miscellany News report. Alan Guttmacher calls 1960 abortion laws archaic "I believe that a new abortion statute for New York and each of the other states is needed.... I think it is high time that a commission of physicians, lawyers, judges, sociologists, and religionists convened in an attempt to wrestle with the problem realistically.... The only way progress can be made is through an aroused citizenry. What we need in the United States is a uniform abortion law," Guttmacher wrote in "Babies by Choice." A few years later, during a 1965 "Abortion and the Law" BBC program, Guttmacher, then president of PPFA, put forth the infamous "health" exception for abortion, stating (36:20): Now, the law as you know is simply to preserve the life of the mother. This is wholly inadequate. Number one, I'd preserve the life or health of the mother. And, as you know, health could be interpreted quite broadly and I think it should be. In 1960, the World Health Organization gave us splendid definition of health. They said health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being. Not simply the absence of illness and disease. Second, I feel that abortion should be done, when competent medical opinion feels that there's strong likelihood of the current [inaudible] to result in the malformed or abnormal child. I think whenever pregnancy is the result of proved rape, incest, or the impregnation of a child of sixteen or less, with or without the consent, that we have legal grounds for interrupting this pregnancy. Interestingly, this language comes directly from the 1959 American Law Institute's Model Penal Code on abortion. In our next report in this series, we will learn Guttmacher's connection to that organization and detail what led up to Planned Parenthood's decision to push for the decriminalization of abortion and begin referring for the procedure. This article is reprinted with permission. The original appeared here at Live Action News. This was part two in Live Action News' series on the history of Planned Parenthood's move to committing abortions. You can read part one ,(1) part three, and part four in additional articles.

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Export to EasyBib or RefWorks Remember to duplicate the indentation, italics or underlined words when copying the required citation. Jaeger, P. (2016, December). 'tis the season? School Library Connection. Retrieved from Jaeger, Paige. "'Tis the Season?" School Library Connection, December 2016. . Jaeger, Paige. "'Tis the Season?" School Library Connection, December 2016, . Citation guidelines follow the conventions of the Modern Language Association (MLA). Although every effort has been made to adhere to MLA rules, minor discrepancies may occur. For more information on how to cite sources using MLA style, consult the MLA Handbook, eighth edition. Citation guidelines follow conventions outlined in The Chicago Manual of Style, sixteenth edition. Although every effort has been made to adhere to Chicago rules, minor discrepancies may occur. For more information on how to cite sources using the Chicago style, consult The Chicago Manual of Style, sixteenth edition. Citation guidelines follow the conventions of the American Psychological Association (APA). Although every effort has been made to adhere to APA rules, minor discrepancies may occur. For more information on how to cite sources using APA style, consult the APA's Publication Manual, sixth edition. Important Note: APA style requires sentence case titles in citations; that is, only the first word of the title and subtitle and proper nouns and acronyms should be capitalized. Since it is impossible for any automated program to correctly distinguish proper nouns from common nouns every time, you should carefully review and correct the above APA title as necessary after copying it to your bibliography.

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Exclusive: One Planet Summit showcases Africa's role against climate change (from Maria Macharia) NAIROBI, Kenya, March 9, 2019/APO Group/ -- From Maria Macharia While Africa is responsible for merely 4 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, 65 percent of the continent's estimated population of 1,3 billion people is considered to be directly impacted by climate change. It is against the backdrop of this irony that global leaders, entrepreneurs, international organizations, and civil society meet in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Thursday next week to help accelerate focus and attention on climate investments in line with the Paris Agreement objectives. The stakeholders will meet under the auspices of the One Planet Summit (OPS), which also focuses on promoting renewable energies, fostering resilience and adaptation and protecting biodiversity in the continent. "OPS, which is in its third edition, is the French initiative to engage states and global ministers to implement climate policies," said Mr Lõhmus. Nairobi will be the first first regional host of the OPS. French President, Emmanuel Macron, and his Kenyan counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta, as well as World Bank Group Interim President Kristalina Georgieva and UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed, will co-chair the conference, which will be among the highlights will co-chair the conference, which will be among the highlights of the fourth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-4) running from March 11-15. Ado Lohmus, a UNEA special envoy, this week confirmed Macron will be in the East African country next week. "On the 14th, he (Macron) will open the OPS, which will also be meeting here in Kenya alongside UNEA," Lohmus said in Nairobi this week. More than 2000 delegates from around the world have registered to attend UNEA-4 and are to be a key part of OPS proceedings. OPS is one in a series of some climate events this year leading up to the UN 2019 Climate Summit and to the 25th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 25) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In December 2018, the World Bank Group announced a major new set of climate targets for 2021-2025, doubling its current 5-year investments to around $200 billion in support for countries to take ambitious climate action. The new plan significantly boosts support for adaptation and resilience, recognizing mounting climate change impacts on lives and livelihoods, especially in the world's poorest countries. The plan also represents significantly ramped up ambition from the World Bank Group, sending an important signal to the wider global community to do the same. Ahead of the OPS, Kenya government officials assured preparations for the OPS were progressing well, with the country having previously held international events of this nature. Last year, Kenya co-hosted the first-ever global conference on the sustainable blue economy, alongside Canada. OPS is held following the realization that resources and solutions for renewable energy already exist in Africa but there is a need to speed their financing and mainstream their development. Judy Wakhungu, Kenya's Ambassador to France, and French State Minister for Ecological and Inclusive Transition, Brune Poirson, recently held meetings to finalise plans for the OPS and UNEA-4. Macron has previously spoken of his government's goal to be a strategic partner to Africa in the field of climate change adaptation. France is the largest financial contributor to the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI), alongside Germany and followed by the Council of the European Union. At the Africa-France Summit held in Mali in 2017, the French president announced that financing for renewable energy in Africa would be increased from €2 billion to €3 billion, implemented by the Agence Française de Développement (French Development Agency) over the 2016-2020 period. "Africa, from the shores of Lake Chad to the Congo Basin, is being hardest hit by the effects of climate change but it can also be at the forefront of solutions. It can succeed where Europe has not always been able to," Macron prominently said during a state visit to Burkina Faso in late 2017. This week, the World Bank, a partner for the OPS, stated cities in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Nairobi, could inform global action on climate change. Nairobi already has a strong private sector presence as the eighth most attractive city in Africa for foreign direct investment, according to the global institution. "As such, it can share important lessons learned with other cities in the region and around the world. The One Planet Summit provides the perfect space to do just that by actively inviting new partners to collaborate and launch new initiatives," the World Bank stated. - CAJ News

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Tag Archives: Varahamihira What are Rahu and Ketu? 31/08/2012 Blogs (Articles)Aryabhata, Buddha, calamity, graha, Ketu, Mahabharata, navagraha, planet, Rahu, utpata, VarahamihiraRajesh Kochhar Rahu and Ketu are two astro-mythological terms of Vedic vintage which underwent change and expansion of meaning in 6th century CE. Contrary to many statements in print and on the internet, the Rgveda does not mention Rahu. In the Rgveda, eclipses of the Sun and the Moon take place when they are swallowed by an asura named Svarbhanu. The Atharvaveda onwards, the eclipse-causing demon is called Rahu. In the Buddhist Pali literature, the Sun and the Moon successfully appeal to Buddha to rescue them from Rahu. In the vast Mahabharata text, believed to have been by-and-large frozen in 4th century CE, Rahu is the eclipse-causing demon. Unlike Rahu which was a proper noun exclusively associated with eclipses, ketu in this period was a common noun denoting a number of related phenomena rather than a particular event. Ketu, in plural stood for comets, meteors and the like. It has even been suggested that at places ketu denotes sunspots. Astro-mythology changes after Aryabhata (born 476 CE) whose influential text Aryabhatiyam propounds the mathematical theory of eclipses. Note that this is a first for India not the whole world. According to this theory, eclipses take place when the Moon is at one of the nodes of its orbit. The movement of these nodes can be calculated mathematically so that it now became possible to predict eclipses. The movable part of the cosmos, what is now recognized as the solar system comprised two class of objects: planets (graha) and calamities (utpata)Since the planets could be mathematically described, they represented cosmic order and were source of comfort. In contrast, objects like comets appeared from nowhere without warning and thus cause of concern. Aryabhata's work transferred eclipses from the category of utpata to that of the grahas.Since eclipses could be mathematically predicted, the two lunar nodes were designated grahas. Since they were not real, they were called shadow planets. Varahamihira names these shadow planets. The ascending node was called Rahu and the descending node Ketu. Note that since the two nodes are 180 degrees apart, naming one would have been sufficient. But both were included so that the number of planets could be fixed at nine, considered to be a powerful and mysterious number. While, for Rahu it was a re-definition of his old role, for Ketu it was a new assignment. It continued to be used in the old sense of comets, meteors, etc. To sum up, when we seek to interpret the terms Rahu and Ketu in the old literature, we must first check what the time period is. Before 6th century, Rahu and Ketu are NOT planets. Rahu is a demon and Ketu a comet or a meteor. Beginning with 6th century CE, Rahu and Ketu become planets. In addition Ketu, continues to denote a comet or a meteor Rahu and Ketu in mythological and "astronomological" contexts 13/08/2010 Blogs (Articles)Aryabhata, Atharvaveda, Buddha, comets, eclipse, graha, Ketu, Mahabharata, meteors, mythology, Rahu, Rigveda, Sardulakaranavadana, scriptures, Svabhanu, utpata, VarahamihiraRajesh Kochhar Indian Journal of History of Science, Vol, 45, no.2, June 2010, pp. 287-297 Rahu and Katu were deployed as planetary deities in the sixth century CE immediately after the mathematical theory of eclipses was propounded by Aryabhata. Their literary credentials however go back to early Vedic times. Here our aim is to examine, in a joint mythological and astronomical-astrological ("astronomological") context, how the textual meanings of Rahu and Ketu have evolved with time. There are clear stages in their evolutionary histories, which must be borne in mind while interpreting early references. The legend of Rahu shows signs of internal development. Successor to the Rgvedic Svarbhanu, Rahu as eclipse-causing demon was reduced to a body-less head so that the swallowed sun or moon had an escape route. Rahu's identification with the lunar ascending node represents an attempt to connect new scientific developments with traditional beliefs. Ketu, in contrast, was a dictionary word used to denote a variety of related phenomenon especially comets. The promotion of the head-less body as a demon represents expansion of mythology in the light of new scientific developments. Ketu was now given an additional entirely new role, creating avoidable confusion. Significantly, Ketu's iconography represents efforts at reconciling its two disparate roles. Key words: mathematical theory of eclipses, astrology, Vedic mythology, planetary deities, Buddhist mythology, astronomical omens, ritual Ancient Indian perception of the moving cosmic environment two millennia ago was bipolar. Orbits of the seven geocentric planets (graha) by virtue of their predictability represented cosmic order, while phenomena like meteors, comets and eclipses which did not fit into any pattern were classified as utpata, portent or calamity. This world view is preserved in a Buddhist Sanskrit text, Sardulakarnavadana, the legend contained in which is known to have been translated in an abridged form into Chinese in 265 CE (Vaidya 199,p.xi) . As the 5th century CE came to a close, the status of eclipses was modified. Mathematical theory of eclipses was propounded in India in 499CE by Aryabhata (born 476 CE) in his influential Siddhantic treatise simply known as Aryabhatiyam (See Ohashi 2009 for a recent review). According to this theory, solar and lunar eclipses occur when the moon is at either of its orbital nodes. These theoretical points move in a direction opposite to that of the planets and complete an orbit in the rather short period of 18.6 years. This development was immediately taken note of in astrological literature, which classified the two nodes as planets, implying that they were now amenable to mathematics. Since they were hypothetical they were dubbed shadow planets. The 6th century CE text Brihajjataka (2.2-3) by Varahamihira (died 587 CE) includes Rahu and Ketu in the list of planets, and even gives their synonyms: Tamas, Agu and Asura for Rahu; and Shikhi for Ketu (Rao 1986, p.76), which however never gained currency. The two nodes are 180 degrees apart so that specifying one fixes the other. It would thus have sufficed to include just one of them. Both were listed no doubt to bring the planetary number up to nine which was considered sacred. If new words had been coined to designate the two nodes, matter would have rested there. But both Rahu and Ketu are terms of Vedic vintage. The term Rahu had previously been used as a proper noun and exclusively in connection with eclipse so that its deployment represents an attempt at integrating new scientific developments with ancient tradition. On the other hand Ketu was merely a common noun employed variously but never in association with eclipse. Here then was an old term which was given an entirely new identity, representing expansion of mythology in the light of new scientific developments. It is not uncommon to see even earlier references to Rahu and Ketu being interpreted in terms of their later status. This is unfortunate, because it distorts the history of the evolution of "astronomological" thought. The new coinage is advisedly used in preference to the extant terms astronomical and astrological to avoid backdating the present differentiation into earlier times when they would have been essentially seen as one. Our aim is to investigate how the textual meanings of the terms Rahu and Ketu have evolved with time. We must keep in mind some notable features of the available source material. Most texts remained open for a long time and were contributed to by generations of authors. There is no reason to expect or demand internal self- consistency from them. The texts were often composed in metrical poetry and were meant for a select audience. Very often the meaning assigned to a particular word depends on the context in which it is used. An important source of information on ancient India is the Mahabharata which was expanded over a long period of time to include matter that went beyond the description of the Bharata battle which it had originally set out to describe. The astronomical content of the Mahabharata is consistent with Vedic astronomy in that it marks sky positions with the help of bright stars or star groups known as naksatra. The Mahabharata is not familiar with the twelve zodiacal signs which make their appearance in post-Mauryan India in about the first century BCE at Baudha Gaya where they are depicted on the railing pillars (Kane 1975, p. 598). Given the size and the nature of the contents of the Mahabharata it is reasonable to assume that if zodiacal signs had been introduced into India when the Mahabharata text was still open they would have found their way into it. We thus conclude that the Mahabharata text had been closed by about 1st century BCE (Kochhar 2000, p.56). This is an important datum. At one place the Mahabharata (Vanaparva 188. 87-88) does say that "when the moon, the sun and Jupiter in Tisya come together in one rasi, krta age will begin". The term rasi is used here in the general sense of a portion of sky, not in the precise sense of a zodiacal sign. The Mahabharata does not make any reference to the week days either. There is no unanimity on the epoch when they were introduced into India. Varahamihira, already referred to, in his other works , Pancasiddhantika and Brihatsamhita, mentions week days while quoting authorities who had lived much earlier . From this it has been inferred that week days were introduced into India in the first century CE(Kane 1975, pp. 680-1). A more plausible case has been built by Markel (1991) to suggest that the week made its appearance in India only in forth century CE. Vedic Rahu and Ketu The Rgveda does not know of Rahu. Rgveda (5.40:5-9) describes how Svarbhanu, son of an asura, pierced the sun "through and through with darkness". The eclipse caused great distress among observers: "All creatures looked like one who is bewildered, who knoweth not the place where he is standing". The sun himself appealed to Atri: "Let not the oppressor with this dread, through anger, swallow me up, for I am thine, O Atri". In response, "By his fourth sacred prayer Atri discovered Surya concealed in gloom that stayed his function". "The Brahmana Atri, as he set the press-stones, serving the Gods with praise and adoration, established in the heavens the eye of Surya, and caused Svarbhanu's magic arts to vanish. The Atris found the Sun again, him whom Svarbhanu of the brood of Asuras had pierced with gloom. This none besides had the power to do." (Griffith 1896, p. 255) .The Atris were prominent contributors to the Rgveda. The whole of the fifth mandala is authored by them. The passage quoted above is mentioned and embellished at a number of places in the Vedic literature :Tandya Brahmana (4.5.2; 4.6.13; 6.6.8; 14.11. 14-15; 23.16.2), Gopatha Brahmana (8.19), Satapatha Brahmana (5.3.2.2), and Sankhayana Brahmana (24.3) ( Dikshit 1896, Vol.1, p.58; Kane 1975, pp. 241-242). What the Atris probably did was to chant mantras while the eclipse lasted. The Rgvedic description is significant. An eclipse was seen as the demon's work in disrupting the cosmic order. Propitiation was needed to restore that order. Dikshit (1896, Vol. 1, p. 57) while translating a passage from the Rgveda renders Svarbhanu as Rahu and goes on to give its meaning as the lunar ascending node. Similarly Kane (1975, p.569), while discussing a reference in the Maitrayani Upanisad, equates Rahu and Ketu with the ascending and descending node respectively. Svarbhanu's career as an asura did not last long. It is not clear when and how Svarbhanu made way for Rahu, who appears for the first time, and as the sun's enemy, in Atharvaveda (19, 9-10). Chandogya Upanisad (8.13) makes an interesting analogy: The "soul that has acquired true knowledge is said to shake off the body after casting off all evil" like "the moon becoming free from the mouth of Rahu" (Kane 1975, p.569).The Pali Buddhist sources refer to the moon and the sun freeing themselves from the clutches of Rahu by invoking Buddha's name (Candima Sutta, Samyutta-nikaya 2.9; Suriya Sutta, Samyutta-nikaya 2.10). Mahabharata (Bhismaparva 13.39-45) uses both Svarbhanu and Rahu as interchangeable names. Rahu is a graha, 12000 yojanas in diameter, bigger than both the moon (11000 yojanas) and the sun (10000 yojanas). Rahu had to be bigger than the sun and the moon so that it could grab them. Note that the term graha here carries the sense of a grabber and not that of a body in orbit. In course of time, the name Svarbhanu came to be de-stigmatized so much so that a son of Lord Krsna was given the name (Mani 1975, p. 778). Atharvaveda (13.16-24) employs Ketu to mean ray of light. These nine verses are taken from Rgveda (1.50.1-9) in the same order and more or less in the same form. They are also found "in one or more other Vedic texts" (Whitney 1905, Vol.2, p.722). More typically Ketu meant combination of fire and smoke. The Atharvaveda passage (19.9.10) quoted above refers to Dhumaketu as an epithet of mrtyu [death]. It either means a comet or literally as "smoke-bannered" to the smoke rising from a funeral pyre (Whitney 1905,Vol. 2, p. 914). Atharvaveda (11.10.1-2, 7) uses Ketu in the plural, as arunah ketavah [ruddy Ketus]. Here the reference seems to be to comets or meteors. Varahamihira's Brihatsamhita, composed in 6th century CE but containing much older material, quotes a still earlier astronomer Garga on a class of 77 comets, called Aruna, which are dark red in colour (Bhat 1981,Vol. 1, p.138). Puranic Rahu and Ketu If the demon Rahu devours the sun or the moon to cause an eclipse, how do they become visible again? The answer is provided by the well - known story samudramanthana (churning of ocean), described in Mahabharata, Visnupurana and elsewhere. In the story, the demon Rahu's head is chopped off, which survives. It is the Rahu head which causes an eclipse. Since the rest of the body is missing, there is an escape route for the sun and the moon. Note that the name Rahu now belonged to the body-less head. The head-less body would remain unclaimed, till the 6th century CE; see below. Brhatsammhita (5:1-3) while narrating this story also refers to a prevalent alternative belief that Rahu is of a serpentine form with only the head and the tail. The ancient Iranian text Bundahishn talks of goshir, an eclipse-causing serpent. It is not clear whether Varahamihira is referring to the Iranian legend or an un-recorded Indian one. Al Biruni writing in the 11th century reserves the name Rahu for the dragon's head and calls the tail Ketu (Sachau 1888, Vol. 2, p.234).There were some half-hearted attempts to relate eclipses to predictable phenomena. Thus it was speculated that an eclipse took place when five planets get together (Brihatsamhita 5.17) Mahabharata (Adiparva 65. 11-12, 31) names Kasyapa as the father and Simhika as the mother of Rahu, who is at times designated Simihkeya after her. His three other real brothers are also mentioned, their given names, Sucandra, Candraharta and Candrapramardana, all being associated with moon. Kasyapa from another wife Danu had 34 named sons including one called Ketuman (not Ketu).Curiously the names Surya, Candramas and Svarbhanu figure in the list (Adiparva 65.22-26).These 34 demons are thus Rahu's half brothers. This naming is an exrecise in meaningless creativity. This association may have an astronomical basis which does not seem to have been noted before. Varahamihira in his Brihatsamhita (3.7; 11.22) mentions a class of 33 comets known as Tamaskilakas (dark shafts), called children of Rahu. They were noticed by the 11th century astronomer and chronicler Al-Biruni also. Described as black, and shaped like a crow or a beheaded man or a sword, or bow and arrow, they are always in the neighbourhood of the sun and the moon. It is likely that this category include sunspots (Bhat 1981, pp.25-26). An ancient authority quoted by Varahamihira on Tamaskilaka is Garga, who figures in Mahabharata also as an astronomer and advisor ( Mani 1975, p. 280). He may well have been responsible for constructing a myth about 34 half-brothers of Rahu out of the description of Tamaskilakas. It is noteworthy that from independent considerations Garga has been place at about 100 BCE (Kane 1975, p.681), the epoch we have assigned to the closure of the Mahabharata. Inverted astronomy in Mahabharata The Mahabharata talks about the prevalent astronomical knowledge albeit often in an inverted manner. It will be useful to inspect the context in which these references were made. When the two rival armies stood confronting each other, and the Bharata war looked imminent, last ditch efforts were made to avert it by appealing to the ineffectual king Dhrtarastra whose villainous sons were widely held responsible for bringing things to such a pass. To convey the enormity of the sense of impending genocide, the king was told that in anticipation of the war the natural order had already broken down. The effect was heightened by the fact that the so-called eye witness account was brought to the sightless king by his own biological father. The revered Ved Vyasa tells Dhrtarastra (Bhismaparva 3.46) as follows. "Cows are giving birth to asses; and elephants to dogs. Sons are enjoying sexual pleasures with their mothers. Idols of gods are laughing, vomiting blood, feeling sad, and falling off their pedestals on their own. Animals are being born with three horns, four eyes, five feet, two urinary organs, and two tails. Women are giving simultaneous birth to four -five girls, who immediately start singing, dancing and laughing. Trees are flowering out of season. Lotus and water-lily are blossoming on tree tops. Even koel, peacock and parrot are making fearsome sounds. There is a downpour of blood and bones from the sky." The imagined weirdness of the world in anticipation of the fratricidal war was extended to the skies as well. "Arundhati well known for her devotion to her husband Vasistha has left him behind. [The reference here seems to be the star pair in Ursa Major rather than to individuals.] Dawn and the dusk look like as if they are on fire. Vyasa tells Dhrtarastra that he could not make out the difference between day and night, because the sun, moon and the stars all were burning bright throughout. This is a fearsome sign. Although it was the Kartika full moon night, the moon was not visible; its luster had given way to fire. It is in this background that even the more-reasonable sounding descriptions of celestial phenomenon should be seen. A recurring theme is the reference at various places in the Mahabharata to Rahu, as if the occurrence of an eclipse was at par with holocaust on earth. "Rahu has seized the sun" (Bhismaparva 3.11). "Rahu is approaching the sun" (Bhismaparva 141.10)."Rahu swallowed the sun most untimely" (Salyaparva 55.10). "Rahu eclipsed the sun and the moon simultaneously" (Asvamedhaparva 76. 15, 16, 18). Meteors (ulka) and earthquakes are also similarly invoked. As part of the celestial foreboding it is stated that a very dangerous Dhumaketu has overcome the naksatra Pusya. This will bring destruction to both sides. (This ill-omen appears in the 4th century CE Buddhist text Sardulakarnavadana as well; see below). Continuing, his listing of ill omens, Ved Vyasa tells Dhrtarastra that the sveta graha (white planet) has transgressed Citra, while the parusa graha (harsh planet) has established itself between Citra and Svati (Bhismaparva 3.11, 16). The translators have exercised their own discretion in rendering these terms. Sveta graha has been left untranslated (Sathe et al. 1985, p.39) or equated with Ketu (Ganguli 1884-1896, Book 6, p.12). Parusa graha has been identified with Rahu by one translator ( Ganguli 1884-1896, Book 6, p.12) and with Ketu by ANOTHER (Sathe et al. 1985, p.39).. The arbitrariness is obvious. As we have argued it would be anachronistic to associate Rahu and Ketu with a planet in pre-Varahamihira times. Greek astronomical elements made their documented appearance in India in 149 CE when a Greek astro-text was translated into Sanskrit by Yavanesvara. It was versified in 269CE by Sphujidhvaja under the title Yavanajataka (Pingree, p. 1959). The versification was a significant development, because it signifies assimilation of Greco-Babylonian elements into Indian tradition. And yet, Vedic astronomical tradition remained extant even after the introduction of Yavana texts, as can be seen from passages in Sardulakarnavadana, already referred to. "Irrespective of the naksatra, when the sun or the moon is seized by Rahu, the king along with his subjects comes to pain." "Irrespective of the naksatra when Ketu enters the moon, the neighbouring enemy king gets the upper hand." "When Dhumaketu establishes itself in the Pusya naksatra, then defeat in enemy's assault from all four directions is guaranteed" (Vaidya 1999, p. 374, couplets 462,463, 466). As we have already noted, Dhumaketu in Pusya as a bad omen is mentioned in the Mahabharata also. It is significant that Ketu and Dhumaketu are listed separately and along with Rahu under utpata. Once the mathematical theory of eclipse was propounded, Rahu ceased to be an utpata; its predictability however did not remove the fear associated with it. On the other hand, Ketu as comet continued to be an utpata. Brihatsamhita assigns separate chapters to a discussion on eclipses under the heading Rahu and on comets under Ketu. Brihatsamhita does not mention Ketu in the context of eclipse. As mentioned earlier, it is Varahamihira's other text Brihajjataka which twins Ketu with Rahu as the eclipse-causing shadow planets, introducing the concept of navagraha. Ketu was now given a brand new identity; the torso which had been lying lifeless after the detachment of the Rahu head was now resurrected and named Ketu. We have argued that inclusion of the demon Rahu in the list of mathematically tractable planets took place after 499CE. Support for this conclusion comes from iconographic data. The " first surviving depiction of Rahu occurs in a relief of the 'Churning of the Ocean' carved over the façade of the doorway of cave-temple number nineteen at Udayagiri in the Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh, which can be dated to ca. A.D.430-450. Earliest known representations of Rahu as a member of the planetary deities are those on two stone lintels, 100cm by 20cm, originally from the villages of Nachna and Kuthara in the Panna district in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, most likely sculpted during the reign of the Uccakalpa king Jayanatha (r. ca. A.D.490-510)" ( Markel 1990, pp.11-13). If the assigned dates are correct, it is remarkable that Rahu's planetization occurred within a decade of Aryabhata's theory. Ketu as a planetary deity appears in about 600 CE or a little later, in Uttar Pradesh. In the eastern state of Orissa, Ketu was not counted in until the tenth century, which thus had only eight grahas till then (Markel 1990, p.21). One wonders whether it was from Orissa that Rahu as Yahu travelled to Burma as one of the eight nats (spirits). Astronomical literature employs the term Rahu in connection with eclipse but in a number of ways. Aryabhata does not use either Rahu or Ketu; he and following him many others refer to a node as pata. Brahmagupta (b.598CE) in his long career displays signs of intellectual evolution. Taking a position contrary to Aryabhata, he in his Brahmasphutasiddhanta, prepared in 628 CE, expresses his faith in the demon Rahu as the cause of eclipse . Al Biruni noted this (Sachau 1888,Vol. 2, p.110). His later text, Khandakhadyaka (665 CE), however, calculates eclipses in a matter-of-fact way employing the technical term pata and without naming Rahu or Ketu (Chatterjee 1970, pp. 80-85). The 689 CE astronomical handbook Karanaratna by Devacarya (Shukla 1979) uses Rahu to denote the eclipse shadow (2.2) as well as the ascending node (e.g.1.15). Significantly, at one place (1.13) the latter is called Rahumukha (Rahu head). A tersely written basic astronomical text will have no reason to mention Ketu. As comet, meteor or the like Ketu lay outside the scope of theory while as descending node it would be redundant once the ascending node Rahu or pata was mentioned. In later Iranian (and Arabic) mythology the ascending node Rahu and the descending node Ketu become the head and the tail of the dragon Al -Djawzahr. Ketu as comet is not forgotten; he figures as al-Kayd (Hartner 1965). Rahu and Ketu as part of mathematical astronomy were introduced into China during the Tang dynasty (618-907CE), but with modified meaning. While Rahu was retained in the sense of the lunar ascending node, Ketu was used as a designation for lunar apogee (Niu 1995) The imagery and iconography of Rahu and Ketu have evolved over time, with the latter having been more difficult to conceptualize. While Rahu has been well-defined since the days of the samudramanthana story, Ketu had in the sixth century CE the eclipse role thrust upon him in addition to the cometary ( and not the other way round as Neugebauer (1957, p.211) suggests). The tradition of eclipse calculation has continued uninterrupted till relatively recent times. A copper plate inscription tells us about the grant of a village by the Kalachuri king Ratnadeva II to an astronomer , Jagannatha by name, for correctly predicting the lunar eclipse of 1128CE. He knew two Siddhantas and succeeded where other astronomers in the court failed. Hence the reward ( Mirashi 1933-34,p.161).Seven centuries later, a Pondicherry-based traditional astronomer calculated for the benefit of John Warren the lunar eclipse of 1825 May 31-June 1, with the help of shells, placed on the ground, and from tables memorized "by means of certain artificial words and syllables". The results were remarkably accurate for the time. There was an error of +4 minutes for the beginning, -23 minutes for the middle and -52 minutes for the end (Neugebauer 1983, p.436). Traditional almanacs still use old algorithms for their planetary position calculations, but have taken to using modern methods for calculating eclipses as a concession to the greater time consciousness of the present times. To sum up, the terms Rahu and Ketu have been continuously in use since the early Vedic times, but their meaning has not remained static. Rahu was an eclipse-causing demon whose name was confined to the severed head in the samudramanthana story. In the sixth century CE, Rahu was identified with the ascending node of lunar orbit and designated the eighth planet. From the earliest time till the sixth century CE, Ketu was not a proper noun but a dictionary word used to denote phenomena like comets and meteors. This meaning continued later as well. But in the sixth century CE, Ketu was made into a proper noun by identifying it with the descending node of the lunar orbit and designating it the ninth planet. The headless body of the demon left behind from the samudramanthana days was retrospectively named Ketu. This evolutionary sequence needs to be kept in mind while interpreting textual references. More specifically, identification of Rahu or Ketu with a planet in a text prior to Varahamihira would be an exercise in anachronism. I thank Yukio Ohashi, K.T.S. Sarao, B.V. Subbarayappa, K. Ramaubramaniam and Michio Yano for help and useful conversations. (To help place an author's work in context, date of original publication is cited in the text. For convenience, date of translation or reprint, mostly facsimile, is added.) Bhat, M. Ramakrishna (1981) Varahamihira's Brihat Samhita (Delhi: Motilal Banarasidass). Chatterjee, Bina (1970) The Khandakhadyaka of Brahmagupta with the commentary of Bhattotpla, Vol. I. ( Delhi: Motilal Banarasidass). Dikshit, Sankar Balakrishna (1896) History of Indian Astronomy (English translation by R.V. Vaidya, Pt I,1968; Pt II, 1981. New Delhi: India Meteorological Department). Ganguli, Kisari Mohan (1884-1896) Mahabharata of Krishna-Dvaipayana Vyasa ( on-line) Griffith, Ralph T. H. (1896 ) The Hymns of the Rgveda ( Reprint, Delhi : Motilal Banarasidass, 1973). Hartner, W. (1965) " Al-Djawzahar". In :Encyclopedia of Islam,Vol.2 ( Leiden: Brill), pp.501-502. Kane, Pandurang Vaman. (1975) History of Dharmasastra, Vol. 5 (Poona: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute). Kochhar, Rajesh (2000) The Vedic People (Hyderabad: Orient Longman). Mani, Vettam (1975) Puranic Encyclopaedia (Delhi: Motilal Banarasidass). Ohashi, Yukio (2009) "The mathematical and observational astronomy in traditional India". In: Science in India, Vol. 13, Pt.8 (ed. J.V. Narlikar) (New Delhi: Viva Books), pp 1-88. Markel, Stephen (1991) "The genesis of the Indian planetary deities". East and West, Vol. 41. pp. 173-188) Markel, Stephen (1990): "The Imagery and Iconographic Development of the Indian Planetary Deities Rahu and Ketu". South Asian Studies, 6:9-26. Mirashi, V.V. (1933-34) Epigraphia India, Vol. XXII, 159-165. Neugebauer, Otto (1957) "Notes on Al-Kaid". J. Amer. Oriental Soc., 77, 211-215. Neugebauer, Otto (1983) Astronomy and History : Selected Essays ( New York : Springer-Verlag). Rao , Bangalore Suryanarain (1986) Varahamihira's Brihat Jataka ( Delhi : Motilal Banarasidass, Reprint 2008). Sachau, Edward C. (1888) AlBeruni's India, ( 2 vols reprinted as one , Delhi : Atlantic Publishers) Sathe, Shriram: Deshmukh, Vijaya; and Joshi Prabhakar ( 1983) Bhartiya Yuddha: Astronomical References ( Pune : Shri Babasaheb Apte Smarak Samiti). Shukla, Kripa Shankar (1979) Karana-Ratna of Devacarya ( Lucknow : Lucknow University). Vaidya, P. K. (ed.) (1999) Divyavadana ( Darbhanga: Mithila Institute). Whitney, William Dwight (1905) Atharva-veda-samhita, 2 vols. (Cambridge, USA: Harvard University). Yano, Michio (2003)"Calendars, astronomy and astrology" .Blackwell Companion to Hinduism (ed.:Cavin Flood)( Oxford: Blackwell) Aryabhata reinstalled 16/08/2009 Blogs (Articles)"Hindu" astronomy, Ancient India, Aryabhata, Aryabhatiyam, Bhaskara, bhramarikaPatna, Brahmagupta, eclipse, oral tradition, patliputra, planetary orbits, Prthudhaka, Siddhantic astronomy, Skandapurana, Taregna, VarahamihiraRajesh Kochhar Aryabhata (born AD 476) is the founder of Siddhantic astronomy which focused on developing mathematical algorithms for calculating planetary orbits and for predicting lunar and solar eclipses. His concise text, composed in AD 499 and known simply as Aryabhatiyam ( Aryabhata's), influenced all subsequent work on the subject. From Aryabhata's time till that of Kepler's laws, Siddhantic astronomers were probably the only ones in the world who could calculate eclipses with any degree of accuracy. Very little is known about Aryabhata himself. This is so because of the inherent limitations of the oral tradition. Astronomical texts were composed in terse metrical poetry, which was memorized and transmitted from one generation to the next by word of mouth. What was not considered worth preserving for the moment was lost for ever. It is thus not possible to construct a connected account of ancient astronomy or for that matter of any aspect of ancient India. Internet has given birth to a flourishing industry of concocting details about Aryabhata and others and giving such details wide currency. By attributing to Aryabhata what he did not do , we would be belittling what he actually did. Here is some authentic information on Aryabhata arranged in question- and- answer form. Q1. What do we know about Aryabhata, the person? A. First note that his name is spelt with a single t and not two. He was born in AD 476 and composed his work Aryabhatiyam in AD 499. This we learn from the book itself. The year of his death is not known. Aryabhata says that he " sets forth here the knowledge honoured at Kusumpura". This has been interpreted to mean that Kusumpura was his work place. It has been identified with Patliputra which in turn has been equated with modern Patna. This is all what we know about Aryabhata from him. Some additional information comes from his commentators ( e.g. the earliest, Bhaskara I ( AD 629)), who declared that Aryabhata hailed from a place , or district, called As'maka. It has not been possible to identify Asmaka. Legend prevails that Aryabhata hailed from Kerala. There is no basis for this. It is a well known fact that Aryabhata's work was followed and improved upon in Kerala. Attempts to place Asmaka in Kerala may simply be manifestation of a desire to give physical basis to this intellectual relationship. Bhaskara I also calls Aryabhata Kulapa. By a long shot this has been interpreted to mean that he was the vice-chancellor of Nalanda University! Kulapa could simply mean founder of a school, which Aryabhata certainly was. The press coverage of 22 July 2009 total solar eclipse claimed that Aryabhata maintained an observatory at Taregna near Patna. This is an instance of history driven by tourism. Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune, has erected a statue of Aryabhata to keep company with Galileo, Newton and Einstein. Bare-chested, stocky Aryabhata wearing a sacred thread is of course a figment of imagination. We have no way whatever of knowing what Aryabhata looked like. Q2. Did Aryabhata believe in the spin of the earth? A. He certainly did. But the whole thing should not be blown out of proportion. We do not sense the spin of the earth under our feet. Instead the whole celestial sphere seems to be going around the earth. This indeed was the prevalent world view. Aryabhata boldly asserted that the earth was not static but spun on its axis. He was severely criticized for this by friends and foes alike. His own follower Varahamihira died AD 587) believed that the earth was static. The otherwise brilliant mathematician astronomer Brahmagupta ( ) severely castigated Aryabhata for believing in the spin of the earth. Such was the onslaught of mainstream criticism that even followers of Aryabhata's own school retreated. They rather ineffectually changed a word in the Aryabhatiyam text to argue that Aryabhata indeed considered the earth to be static. If the scientific tradition had been based on written-down prose rather than on oral metrical poetry, Aryabhata's reasons why he believed the earth spun would have been on record, and might have been considered convincing by later generations. While today we give credit to Aryabhata for this, we should keep in mind that we know of Aryabhata's belief in the spin of the earth not from his work or that of his followers but from the charge sheet maintained against him by his opponents. ( Just as we know about many nationalist heroes from the criminal complaint against them recorded by the colonial government.) It is noteworthy that only a handful of later Indian astronomers believed that the earth rotated on its axis : Prthudaka (AD 860) and Makkibhatta ( AD 1377). Significantly , a religious text , Skandapurana (1.1.31.71) , following Aryabhata, describes the earth as a bhramarika ( spinning top). It should be borne in mind that belief in spin of the earth or otherwise was not relevant for Siddhantic calculations. Brahmagupta did not believe in in it . But that does not mean that he was any the lesser astronomer. Aryabhata himself , like everybody else, maintained that the sun revolved around the earth. As far as kinematics is concerned it matters not who goes around whom. Aryabhata believed that the earth was all water south of equator ( Gola 12) and that it expanded in size by one yojana during a day of Brahma and contracted during a night( Gola 8). As Thoreau put it , " A man is wise with the wisdom of his age only and ignorant with its ignorance". Q3. Did Aryabhata believe in heliocentrism? A. As discussed above , no , he did not. WE take heliocentrism for granted. In its time, it had profound philosophical implications that went beyond planetary theory.Impact of heliocentrism on human thinking should not be under-estimated. Q4. Did Aryabhata invent zero? A. No, zero had been known long before that. Q5.Is Aryabhata the founder of the eclipse theory? A. No. He is probably the first one to apply it in India. Such theories were already known in Greece and China

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Category Archives: Father Laurence Soper Fugitive Catholic priest at centre of five-year manhunt arrested in Britain over historic sex abuse 22 AUGUST 2016 • 1:04AM From the Link: Father Lawrence Soper has been arrested on suspicion of nine counts of historic sexual assaults CREDIT: MET POLICE A Catholic priest who skipped bail five years ago has been arrested on suspicion of nine counts of historic sexual assaults. Father Laurence Soper, 72, the former abbot of Ealing Abbey, was wanted on a European Arrest Warrant over allegations of child abuse. The accusations date back to when he taught at St Benedict's School, a private independent Catholic school which is part of Ealing Abbey in west London. In March 2011, Fr Soper was believed to have been living in a monastery in Rome and was due to return to London to answer bail but he failed to show up, sparking an international search. After spending five years living as a fugitive, he was arrested in Kosovo in May. However, attempts to bring him back the UK to face charges were thwarted when a Kosovan judge blocked the extradition order on the basis that his alleged crimes have expired in Kosovo, which has a 30-year statute of limitation. On Sunday night, Scotland Yard announced that Fr Soper was arrested as he arrived back in the UK at Luton Airport from Kosovo. A spokesman said he was "arrested on suspicion of nine offences of sexual assault committed over a period from 1972 to 1986". In 2011, Lord Carlile of Berriew stripped monks of control at St Benedict's School, which offered a "heartfelt apology for past failures". The peer said he hoped his decision to take powers away from Ealing Abbey would "set a template" for other schools. In his inquiry into the sexual abuse, Lord Carlile outlined a catalogue of failures by the abbey to intervene as allegations of abuses came to light. "I have come to the firm conclusion ... that the form of governance of St Benedict's School is wholly outdated and demonstrably unacceptable," he wrote. "The abbot himself has accepted that it is 'opaque to outsiders'." The report added: "In a school where there has been abuse, mostly - but not exclusively - as a result of the activities of the monastic community, any semblance of a conflict of interest, of lack of independent scrutiny, must be removed." Posted in Child Sex Abuse, Christianity, Christians, Clergy Abuse, Clergy Sex Abuse, Father Laurence Soper, Pedophile, Pedophile Priests, Perverted Priests, Priest Child Sex Abuse, Religion, Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Church Sex Abuse, Uncategorized Tags: Catholic Ealing Abbey in London, child abuse, child molestation, child rape, child rapists, child sex abuse, clergy abuse, crimes against children, Ealing Abbey, Father Laurence Soper, pedophile, pedophile priests, priest abuse, priest pedophilles, priest rape, priest sex abuse, religion, roman catholic church, Roman Catholic Church Child Rape Scandal, Roman Catholic Church Child Sex Abuse, Roman Catholic Church Child Sex Abuse Scandal, Roman Catholic Church Pedophile Cover up Scandal, Roman Catholic Church Pedophile Coverup Scandal, Roman Catholic Church Pedophile Scandal, Roman Catholic Church Pedophiles, Roman Catholic Church Sex Abuse Coverups, Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal, roman catholic church sex scandal, roman catholic clergy, roman catholics, St Benedict's School

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Ricky Skaggs Rides Hot Pickin' From Rural Poverty to the Country Hall Of Fame Billboard article 7/18/2018 by Tom Roland Ricky Skaggs is celebrating his 64th birthday today in a slightly different atmosphere than he has ever observed it before, knowing that sometime this fall the Country Music Association will officially induct him into the Country Music Hall of Fame, placing his bronzed visage alongside plaques of some of his mentors, including Bill Monroe, Emmylou Harris and Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs. "I was doing something the other day and I thought, 'Hall of Fame, CMA, are you kidding?' " he says. "You know, it's a nice title, but gosh, it shouldn't change any of us. I'm still taking out the garbage and everything like that." Skaggs enters the Hall in a unique position: a master of two genres. After Monroe's death in 1996, Skaggs recommitted himself to bluegrass, using his masterful pickin' ability to carry on the acoustic traditions set forth by Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs and Ralph Stanley, for whom he worked as a teenage member of The Clinch Mountain Boys in the 1970s. But between that first run as a 'grasser and his efforts over the last two decades -- mostly with his own band, Kentucky Thunder -- there was an impressive, maybe even unlikely, detour into mainstream country where Skaggs successfully injected spiky mountain harmony into the genre during the Urban Cowboy era. It was a period when pop-tinged songs and even disco-associated Linn drums were the rule of the day, making Skaggs' triumphs then a bit of an anomaly. Chalk that success up to sheer naivete. After touring with Stanley and a couple of his own bands, Skaggs joined Harris' Hot Band as a replacement for Rodney Crowell in 1977, working with her as she veered from country/rock toward the 'grass inflections of her Roses in the Snow album. So even though the format was slanted toward mass-appeal music at the time, Skaggs innocently chipped at the genre's flanks with covers of Flatt & Scruggs' "Don't Get Above Your Raisin'," Webb Pierce's "I Don't Care" and Monroe's "Uncle Pen." "I honestly thought that everybody would love country and bluegrass like I did," he reflects. He joined Reba McEntire and George Strait to form a trio of young artists who bucked the predominant trend and helped keep trad country alive in the early 1980s. While McEntire and Strait eased into their icon status, Skaggs rocketed in those early years, joining the Opry and winning two CMA awards in 1982 and claiming the CMA's entertainer of the year in 1985. Skaggs managed the feat by balancing old-timey ideals -- lightnin' licks on mandolin, his rural-based lead voice and complex Stanley Brothers-influenced harmonies -- with clean production and then-modern country tones. The idea, he says, was to make traditional country music that was fitting for radio but still stir it up a bit with the banjo, mandolin and fiddle while keeping pedal steel guitar and electric guitar solos prominent, not to mention finding good songs that had good harmonies. "I just had a sixth sense that something really, really different and really good could happen." He went after it with a workaholic frenzy, developed in the lean atmosphere of Cordell, Ky., an Appalachian hole in the wall just 25 miles north of Loretta Lynn's birthplace in East Kentucky. "Have you ever been to Ricky's house?" Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young asked rhetorically when Skaggs' induction was announced in March. "It's amazing that he got out of there." Talent helped. The prodigious Skaggs made his syndicated TV debut at the tender age of 6. His father, Hobert Skaggs, meanwhile provided a model for American pride, gritting through excruciating pain for years after a debilitating injury. "My dad had hurt his back really bad at that nuclear, atomic-energy plant over there in western Kentucky," recalls Skaggs. "As hard as it was for him to do much of anything -- he busted two vertebrae -- he just pushed through pain and he worked, because he knew he had responsibility. He didn't expect the government, or anybody, to take care of him." Skaggs reached his own workaholic height in 1988 and 1989, simultaneously producing Dolly Parton's White Limozeen album and recording his own Kentucky Thunder. He has continued to stay fresh through occasional outside collaborations, recording a bluegrass-influenced album with Bruce Hornsby, teaming with Jack White's Raconteurs and Ashley Monroe on a CMA-nominated version of "Old Enough" and co-producing Hillary Scott & The Scott Family's Christian album Love Remains. In the meantime, Skaggs is experiencing a little rebirth with some members of the younger generation. CMA CEO Sarah Trahern saw that firsthand when she watched the response to his CMA Music Festival performance at Nissan Stadium in June. "People were singing along to 'Highway 40 Blues' that were probably not even born when it came out [in 1983]," she says. "That speaks to the generational interest, whether they learned something from their parents or they just hear it in their vernacular." After years of playing bluegrass almost exclusively, Skaggs is doing a bit more of a balancing act between bluegrass and country as this fall's induction approaches. Thus, Nashvillians can expect a little of both when he plays a Bluegrass at the Ryman show on July 26. The concert will likely be a fair summation of the legacy that girds his coming induction in the Country Hall, just blocks away from that Ryman stage. "It's still soaking in slowly," he says of the achievement. "I'm not making a big, big deal out of it, but it is a big deal." launch the email list! All Contents © 2012 Skaggs Family Records | Privacy Policy Site by Futureshirts.com

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Regulatory & Policy LAW Climate Change Law and Policy: From California to the Federal Government Clean Tech: Business Fundamentals and Public Policy Natural Resources Law and Policy Clean Energy Project Development and Finance Creating New Legal Tools to Address the Environmental Impacts of Energy Projects Dispute Resolution in International Economic Law Policy Practicum: China's Solar Industry and its Global Implications Microeconomics (PUBLPOL 301A) Sustainability as Market Strategy Ethics, Science, and Technology Business Models for Sustainable Energy Environmental Innovation, Sustainability and Entrepreneurship [ Regulatory & Policy ] Environmental Law: Clean Tech [ Regulatory & Policy ] as a Related Elective for those interested in Energy : Energy and climate change issues are growing in importance and are beginning to affect every area of environmental law. They present growing opportunities with non-profit firms and government agencies and they are also a growth area for private law firms. This course considers cutting edge changes in climate change law and policy that are occurring in California. Students considering a career in environmental law may wan to take one or more courses focusing on energy and climate change issues. (Same as EARTHSYS 233/133). This class explores California's groundbreaking developments in climate change law and policy, and the way in which many of those policies are now being translated into federal law. It covers several California climate laws: the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32), the Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008 (SB 375), the Clean Cars and Trucks Bill (AB 1493), the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Performance Standard (SB 1368), as well as complementary and subsidiary regulations such as the Renewable Portfolio Standard, the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, and energy efficiency and decoupling. In December 2009, California adopted its "scoping plan" for achieving its ambitious and unprecedented economy-wide reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and this course will discuss the up-to-date implementation of that plan. Many of California's efforts are now getting play on the federal stage. After years of legal battles, California is likely to get its clean cars waiver under the Clean Air Act, which will mean that more than half of the nation's cars will conform to California's standard. President Obama has asked Congress to send him a climate bill, and has planned for revenue from a cap-and-trade program in his 2012 budget. Congress is poised to adopt a version of California's landmark SB 375. This course covers all the latest federal developments and their implications.

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