THE KID in CONNAISSANCES DES ARTS Magazine - France - April 2013 - Page 112
Stay tuned about THE KID's latest works and exhibitions via social medias :
Official website of young & provocative self-educated contemporary artist THE KID, presenting a selection of his socially-committed and thought-provoking art works, including some of his already world-famous wall-size blue Bic ballpoint pen or oil-pencil and charcoal drawings and oil-paintings, as well as of his controversial fully hand-made and oil-painted hyperrealist life-size silicone sculptures and installations, plus extracts of the press review about his work, of his biography, his book and contact details.
Contemporary Artist THE KID is a committed activist and supporter of the leading International Non Governmental Organization HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH () - which defends The Human Rights all over the world, in particular for its fight against social discrimination and inhumane justice.
Exhibitions (Extracts) :
THE KID : I GO ALONE. Solo Show. March 30 - April 3, 2016. Art Paris 2016 International Exhibition. Le Grand Palais Museum. Paris.
THE KID : GOD IS DEAD. March 29 - April 3, 2016. Our Future Is Now International Exhibition. Drawing Now. Le Carreau du Temple. Paris.
THE KID : DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD? March 11 - May 8, 2016. Triennale Of Their Times ADIAF Exhibition. Contemporary Art Institute. Villeurbanne.
THE KID : UNTIL THE QUIET COMES. Solo Show. March 25 - 29, 2015. Art Paris 2015 International Exhibition. Le Grand Palais Museum. Paris.
THE KID : THE MORNING I WAS BORN AGAIN. Solo Show. March 26 - 30, 2014. Art Paris 2014 International Exhibition. Le Grand Palais Museum. Paris.
THE KID : ENDGAME. Solo Show. March 30 - May 25, 2013. ALB Anouk Le Bourdiec Gallery. New Art District. Paris.
THE KID : ARTIST IN FOCUS. April 9 - 14, 2013. Drawing Now International Exhibition. Le Louvre Museum. Paris.
THE KID : HUMANITY IS OVERRATED. October 16 - 20, 2012. Slick International Exhibition. Le Garage. Paris.
THE KID : GOD IS DEAD. June 16 - July 19, 2012. ALB Anouk Le Bourdiec Gallery. New Art District. Paris.


The Last Chicago Boss
Kerrie Droban
Mining for memory
I've been asked before about my writing process, how I "live inside a person's head" and write from their perspective, how I "became Pete" enough to "know him, "understand him", "live" inside his world for two years and transform his life to paper. I've never met Pete - but I conversed with him for hundreds of hours about topics as diverse as The Godfather and The Art of War, Greek dishes and Chicago-style pizza. All topics mattered.
The key to writing about memory and especially someone else's memories is to realize their significance to them. Memoir includes short narratives of pieces of a life. Pete used to ask me, "Am I doing this right?" But there is no "right" way to tell a life story.
 Some colleagues accused me of using "method acting" techniques, a controversial theater whereby the actor "becomes" the character, like Billy Bob Thornton depended on an unusual - and painful - method to nail his character Karl's signature shuffle: The actor placed crushed glass inside his shoes, forcing him to limp around. He earned an Oscar nomination for the role. I didn't need to know how to ride a motorcycle, or live among the Outlaws to write about them. I needed to "know" Pete; and so I listened to his inflections, the way he told a story, the way he laughed, I listened to what he believed was important. I heard him. And I did my best to capture his essence, his larger-than life powerful persona in just a few thousand words.
Writing Pete's book was different than any other - in order to "know" Pete we spent every Sunday talking for three hours...not always about his story, sometimes about his life, how challenging it was for him to live in the "square world" and abide by new "rules of engagement." He said it was like navigating a new planet. But one thing he found universal was the concept of gratitude. He showed me this right out of the gate....sending me a dozen roses as if I had just walked onto a great stage having embarked on the biggest writing adventure of my career. It was a symbolic and thoughtful and deeply touching. He thanked me for my dedication before I had even written a single word.
Life Imitates Art
A major influence in Big Pete's life was Mario Puzo's, "The Godfather," a famed novel about the Corleone Mafia family. Coincidentally, it was also a book I knew well, having particularly recalled the gruesome "horse's head" in the bed scene. Every Sunday Pete and I spoke for three hours or more while I interviewed him at length about his life as Boss of the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Gang. We discussed "The Godfather," the Mafia, and the symbiotic relationship between The Outlaws and The Outfit. And, as often happens when writing about biker gangs and the players involved, life imitates art.
Shortly after finishing The Last Chicago Boss and delivering the manuscript to St. Martin's for editing, I was startled awake at midnight. I heard a shuffling outside my front door. I flipped on the hall light, my heart hammering in my chest, and peered through the keyhole. There, on the front stoop, lay a ripped UPS package. I opened the door, stared dully at the plastic wrapped animal skull resting on the top of the box. Antlers poked from the plastic. I stared at the package for several minutes not wanting to flip over the box to study the address for fear of smudging fingerprints. Should I call the cops? And tell them what? There's a skull on my front porch? Should I text Pete? Wake him up in the middle of the night? And ask him "what the hell"? Who would play such a sick joke on me? Don't my neighbors know what I write for a living? I paced my hallway in the dark contemplating my options. Finally, I braved flipping over the box. I stared at the return address: China? China? I stared at my address and relief washed over me: the numbers had been transposed. Phew! The box was meant for someone else. Now I was really irritated. What if it was delivered to the wrong neighbor and that neighbor opened it by accident and just assumed it was meant for me? Who in the hell would deliver the animal skull to my front stoop at midnight? It couldn't have waited until morning? What kind of freakish neighbors do I have anyway? Now I was really pissed. I was more worried about my neighbors now.
I decided to wait until morning to address the skull. I left it on my porch in exactly that condition overnight. I left it there the next morning while I went to work. The freakish bone white skull with the antlers rested on top of the box for the next three hours. I felt a little sick, I felt a little .....like the fictional Jack Woltz who wakes up to the horse's head in his bed. I texted Pete a photo of the head, along with a "WTF?" in all caps. Pete and I immediately discussed the meaning of the head, reviewing possible scenarios, what did it mean? Who would be sick enough to do blah blah blah. ....finally I summoned the courage to read the name on the address....the head belonged to my neighbor! And when I marched next door with the open box and the skull, she exclaimed, "there it is! I've been looking everywhere for that head!"
KERRIE DROBAN is a criminal defense attorney in Phoenix, Arizona, a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars and the University of Arizona where she received her Masters and Masters of Fine Arts degrees in Poetry. Her true crime books, Running with the Devil: The True Story of the ATF's Infiltration of the Hells Angels, (Lyons Press, 2007) won the USA News National Book Award for best True Crime in 2008 and Prodigal Father, Pagan Son: My Life Born Into Madness,(St. Martin's, Winter, 2011) is a two-time winner of the USA News National Book Award for Best True Crime and Best Memoir). Her book, Vagos, Mongols and Outlaws: My Infiltrations into America's Deadliest Biker Gangs, (St. Martin's, Winter 2013) is now a television series entitled, "Gangland Undercover," produced by the History Channel. Her book, A Socialite Scorned: The Murder of Gary Triano, was featured on American Greed, Dateline and in "Murders and Mansions" produced by La Brea Entertainment. Kerrie's poetry collection entitled "The Language of Butchers" has received critical acclaim, excerpts of which are published in The Antioch Review, Poet Lore, New Letters and Amelia and have won The Academy of American Poet's Award, New Letters International Poetry Award, The Amelia Encore Award and The Daniel Shockett Award. Her fiction, The Watchman's Circle (New Concepts Publishing) received the Daphne Du Maurier Award for Mystery Writing Excellence.
Kerrie has been a Keynote speaker at gang task force conferences and a national speaker at various Writing Conferences around the country. She has also appeared on national television on CNBC's American Greed, "A Widow's Web." "A & E's "Gangland" "Behind Enemy Lines", the American Hero's Channel, "Codes and Conspiracies," Investigation ID and the Discovery Channel's "Deadly Devotion."


Marcus Brigstocke Live in Hong Kong: January 17, 2019
By The Loop HK Staff | December 17, 2018
Marcus Brigstocke
Devil May Care: Comedian, actor and author Marcus Brigstocke has graduated from playing devil's advocate to addressing his audience as Lucifer himself in his latest tour. The award-winning performer is a regular at festivals such as Glastonbury and the Edinburgh Festival, hosts shows like "The Brig Society" and "I've Never Seen Star Wars" on the UK's Radio 4, and has acted on both stage and screen in productions like West End's "Spamalot" and romcom "Love Actually." Catch him in Hong Kong for one night only.
When? 8pm, January 17, 2019.
Where? Tamarind, 2/F, Sun Hung Kai Centre, 30 Harbour Road, Wan Chai.
How much? $388.
How to book? Tickets are available via TicketFlap.
Looking for more to do? See what else is happening in Hong Kong.
Tags: Event Stand Up Comedy Tamarind Wan Chai Events What's Happening


The Okapi Population Gets a Boost at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
October 19, 2018 Disney Parks, Featured, Main Street Mouse News, Walt Disney World No comments
From the Disney Parks Blog and written by: Scott Terrell
Today is World Okapi Day, and I believe there's no better way to celebrate this magnificent animal than announcing the birth of one more!
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is celebrating the birth of a rare okapi, who was born on Oct. 1 to mom Zelda. Weighing in at 54 pounds, the calf was up and mobile within the first hour of his birth. He has been nursing and bonding with his mom. The pair will remain in a backstage habitat for the next few months before joining the animals on the savanna.
The calf's parents - mom Zelda and dad Mandazi - were chosen to breed through the Species Survival Plan (SSP), which is overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and ensures responsible breeding of threatened and endangered species.
When I visited the okapi care team recently, keeper Kim Thomson expressed how excited she was to care for a new calf and how it changes the dynamics of her team's routine.
"We will spend a lot of time conducting observations on mom and calf making sure the calf is bonding well with mom, nursing well and basically hitting all of the milestones we would expect of a growing okapi," Kim said.
Okapis are an endangered species found in rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Known as the ghosts of the forest, okapis are shy, reclusive and rarely encountered in the wild. In fact, they weren't even discovered until 1901. There are an estimated 20,000 okapi in the world, and their population continues to decline due to poaching and habitat loss from commercial logging and mining.
Through the Disney Conservation Fund and our involvement in the AZA's Species Survival Plan, I'm proud to say Disney has been at the forefront of okapi conservation for many years. We have a long-standing relationship with the Okapi Conservation Project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In fact, the AZA recently recognized Disney's Animal Kingdom for its contributions to the Okapi Conservation Project.
To learn more about okapis and other animals you can visit at the Walt Disney World Resort, visit DisneyAnimals.com.
Disney, DIsney Parks Blog, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, News


A Good Cause: Giving Orphans a Loving Home
By Jemma Buckley
George Smyth, a 21-year-old student from Bristol University, England, moved to Russia in September 2011. He has spent the last two months living in Kitezh, a therapeutic community that provides orphans with a loving home.
Q: What is Kitezh, and how does it differ from a normal Russian orphanage?
A: Kitezh is located in the Kaluga region and is a therapeutic foster community made up of lots of small buildings for orphans or children who have been taken into care. The adults who live there act as foster parents, teachers and friends to the children. Weekly meetings are held to discuss community issues in which the children take an active role and are encouraged to make suggestions. The members of Kitezh see themselves as one big family and the children receive a lot more attention than they would in a normal Russian orphanage.
Q: What are Kitezh's goals?
A: Kitezh aims to make sure their children are morally aware, able to form loving relationships and that they have received a good education so they are ready to face Russia when they leave. On a national scale, Kitezh aims to promote their educational and psychological methods to try and improve the way that state orphanages are run.
Q: What would a normal day involve for a volunteer?
A: While I was there I helped to build a barn for the goats, taught English, helped out in the kitchen and did activities with the children, like arts and crafts or sports. There is a friendly atmosphere and communication is encouraged.
Q: Why did you decide to live and work at Kitezh?
A: I had never done any volunteer work so it was a new experience for me. I had heard about the difficulties Russian orphans face and wanted to see how Kitezh's program worked. It is also a good chance to experience the real Russian countryside in a safe and structured environment. It's a welcome change to the noisy metropolis of Moscow. I also wanted to improve my Russian, which I have done.
Q: How is Kitezh funded and what can people do if they want to help?
A: Half of Kitezh's funding comes from the state and half comes from Russian companies, individual donors, Western charities and other organizations. There is a good foreign volunteer scheme and Kitezh encourages applications from open-minded people who are willing to contribute to their community.
Kitezh is located 400 kilometers southwest of Moscow in the Kaluga region. To find out more about the community, visit
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Roberta Pennington
World's largest population of Indian Ocean humpback dolphins found in Abu Dhabi
Three-year research by Environment Agency Abu Dhabi places population estimate at 701
A survey of small cetaceans by the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi in collaboration with the Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute in the coastal waters of Abu Dhabi found that the area is home to the world's largest observed population of the Indian Ocean humpback dolphins. Courtesy Environment Agency Abu Dhabi
The emirate's shallow, warm seawater has attracted the world's largest observed population of Indian Ocean humpback dolphins.
The Sousa plumbea population was identified during a marine survey of small cetaceans by the Environment Agency  -  Abu Dhabi (EAD) in collaboration with the Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute (BDRI) along the coastal waters of Abu Dhabi in 2014 and 2015. Findings from the research project, which is ongoing, were published last month in the Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.
"We are very excited to have identified the presence of the world's largest population of Indian Ocean humpback dolphins in Abu Dhabi's waters," said Dr Shaikha Al Dhaheri, EAD's executive director  -  terrestrial and marine biodiversity sector. "This demonstrates the international value of Abu Dhabi's marine biodiversity and it is our responsibility to ensure the conservation of this important resource."
Identified by a distinctive hump, elongated dorsal fin and small pectoral fins, the Indian Ocean humpback dolphin can grow up to about 2.5 meters and weigh between 100 and 139 kilograms. The species occur exclusively in the near-shore waters of the Indian Ocean from South Africa to the Bay of Bengal, usually living within 3 kilometres from shore in water less than 25 metres deep. But, little is known about the species, said Bruno Díaz López, director of the BDRI, who co-authored the research paper.
"Up until a few years ago, they were considered data deficient because there were no data about these species," said Mr Díaz López. "Now this is the first time that there is an abundance estimation and it's the biggest study about this species."
The researchers spent 55 days over a period of five months zigzagging the sea along Abu Dhabi's coast collecting data using hand-held GPS, binoculars, digital cameras and an iPad application used to collect and visualise the environment and human activity information. They applied a "mark-recapture" method, which involved taking photographs of the dolphins' dorsal fins and storing the images in a digital database that could be used to cross-check future sightings.
"The dorsal fins have unique markings of patterns of notches and cuts that enable us to identify the animal if it is seen again," said Edwin Mark Grandcourt, the study's co-author and section manager  -  marine assessment and conservation terrestrial and marine biodiversity at EAD.
"In the same way that our fingerprints are unique to an individual, the dorsal fin of the dolphin is unique to that animal and we digitise the profile of the dorsal fin to then catalogue it. And then every time we make a sighting, we compare the sighted animals to our catalogue and it's kind of like image recognition  -  similar to what a detective will use when he's looking for a criminal. He will compare a fingerprint to a database  -  we will do the same thing, we'll compare a dorsal fin profile to a database of profiles of dorsal fins and that will pull up the ones we have already seen before."
The scientists spotted humpback dolphins on 32 of the 55 days they spent at sea, or 58 per cent of the time. They observed 54 independent groups of Indian Ocean humpback dolphins, ranging in size from one to 24 individuals. Most groups  -  79 per cent  -  contained less than 10 dolphins. More than one-quarter of the humpback dolphins observed in groups  -  27 per cent  -  were calves.
Using statistical inference models, the researchers estimate that there are 701 Indian Ocean humpback dolphins inhabiting Abu Dhabi waters.
Watch: Group of rarely-seen humpback dolphins spotted off Abu Dhabi coast
Major research project aims to unravel the mystery of the deep-sea whales off Fujairah's coast
"We really were surprised with the findings because, in general, the humpback dolphins in other places of the world  -  from South Africa up to almost the Indian coast  -  all the populations were very small compared with this one, we are talking about 200 individuals maximum in most of the estimations," said Mr Díaz López, chief biologist and director of the BDRI, who co-authored the research paper.
The sightings also showed clear evidence of threats to the animals caused by human activity. Of the humpback dolphins that were identified, 12 per cent had dorsal fins that were damaged.
"There were a very high number of animals that had evidence of scars that resembled the cuts from propellers or scars that resembled entanglement in gear," said Mr Grandcourt. "We actually had seen some dolphins that had been entangled in ropes as well. They occur in an area where there is a lot of activity  -  dredging, shipping, fishing activity  -  so they are really threatened by those activities and that's really evident from the number of animals that had scars."
The research team is currently appealing to private and corporate sponsors to help fund the project.
"What we are trying to do now is we want to carry on running the survey to improve estimates and also to work on other species and, really, to do that we have to reach out to the corporate sector and maybe people who want to spend on corporate social responsibility, or other conservation organisations who want to support us," said Mr Grandcourt.
Added Mr Lopez: "We are talking about one species that is rare, there are very few populations in the world because it has been clearly impacted by the human activities because of living so close to the shore in areas where humans live. In five years, 10 years maybe they can disappear. It is very important to see the evolution now. We need to monitor their presence in these waters because it is important for us to know if they are OK or if it is necessary to apply some conservation measurements because we found the threats, we know that the main threats are marine traffic and fisheries, but we don't know at (what scale) it's affecting the population. Maybe the population is OK, and it will be stable over the years, but maybe not. So that is fundamental to know."
Dolphins in the Arabian Gulf
During the research team's days at sea, they came across the three most common species of dolphins found in Abu Dhabi's water. Over 55 days, there were 54 encounters with Indian Ocean humpback dolphins (Sousa plumbea), 48 with Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) and five with finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides).
Indian Ocean humpback dolphins (Sousa plumbea)
Red List category and criteria: data deficient
These dolphins are characterised by the conspicuous humps and elongated dorsal fins found on the backs of adults of the species. The dorsal fin of the humpback dolphin is to some degree curved. The pectoral fins are small and the tail flukes have a well-defined median notch. Adults can reach from 1.8 to 2.6 metres and weigh in the range of 100 to 139 kilograms. They typically live less than 3km from shore and in water less than 25 metres deep.
"They play a very important role in the marine ecosystem because they catch other species of fish, but in some way also facilitate the equilibrium of the full ecosystem," said Bruno Díaz López, director of the Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute.
Source: Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute
Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphina swim at Dolphin Island, part of the Marine Life Park in Resort World in Singapore. Hwee Young / EPA
Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus)
It is probably the most recognisable of all dolphin species, with its steel grey skin tone, triangular dorsal fin and long rostrum, and it is found along the coastline of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It differs from the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), showing smaller size, longer rostrum and ventral spotting. However, the Tursiops observed in the Gulf sometimes lack some of these characteristics, leaving the question open as to whether they represent a different subspecies or if both species occur. Bottlenose dolphins can be found in small groups of few individuals but also in big groups of up to 40 individuals. They often approach boats and dhows.
Source: UAE Dolphin Project
A newly born Yangtze finless porpoise swims with his mother at the Hydrobiology Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in China. Getty
Finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides)
Red List Category and criteria: Vulnerable
Very little information is available worldwide on this species and taxonomy is still an issue. It is one of the most elusive dolphins and among the least studied cetaceans in the world, with a distribution ranging from China through to Thailand, India and the Arabian Gulf. Finless porpoises are notoriously difficult to identify due to the lack of a prominent dorsal fin and their small size. In the Gulf they are a uniform dark-grey colour. They are coastal species that favour sandy and marsh areas and can be found in very shallow waters. These elusive animals have only been recorded a handful of times in this region and are usually only confirmed when they get stranded. Being coastal, this species has been critically impacted by human activity and habitat destruction.
Updated: August 8, 2017 06:29 PM
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Leaked DNC E-mails Show the Fix Was In for Hillary
Written by C. Mitchell Shaw
E-mail and Hillary Clinton: The two seem to go together like oil and water. Whenever the two appear together in an article  -  much less the same sentence  -  there is bound to be scandal. Now, as Clinton approaches the official announcement of her nomination as the Democrat candidate in the upcoming presidential race, scandal is once again afoot. This e-mail scandal, though, appears to run through the very center of the DNC.
As a direct result of WikiLeaks publishing a nearly 20,000 DNC e-mails, the Clinton campaign and the DNC itself are scrambling for damage control. In fact, the DNC chairperson, Congresswoman Deborah Wasserman Schultz, has resigned over the scandal. Some of those e-mails show DNC leadership discussing plans to directly manipulate events to favor Hillary Clinton in the bid for the nomination to be the Democrat candidate  -  in direct violation of the DNC charter, which requires that it remain neutral during the primary cycle. Undermining the Sanders campaign  -  which was seen as a viable threat to the Clinton campaign  -  seems to have been a priority of the leadership of a party that claims to be "democratic."
WikiLeaks released the e-mails late last week  -  just ahead of the Democratic National Convention, which began Monday  -  and the fallout was immediate. Wasserman Schultz, who represents Florida's 20th Congressional District and was elected to the DNC chair in 2011  -  resigned as DNC chair over the weekend amid the kerfuffle. Supporters of Bernie Sanders launched a social media campaign  -  under the hashtag #BernieMustDisavow  -  in an effort to convince the embattled socialist candidate to rescind his endorsement of Clinton, who those supporters say "stole the nomination." Clinton's campaign wasted no time denying any knowledge of any improprieties within the party to guarantee her the nomination.
It's almost enough to make the Republican convention look normal. Almost.
The most damning of the DNC e-mails shows a clear pattern demonstrating efforts to hurt the Sanders campaign even as he was continuing to gain steam in the primaries:
• One e-mail thread shows the degree to which DNC leadership suffers from a very real detachment from reality. The e-mail  -  dated May 6 and written by DNC press assistant Rachel Palermo  -  discusses the media accusation that Clinton was the nominee-assumptive, pre-chosen by party leaders. The e-mail referred to such stories as "#bernieclickbait."
• An earlier e-mail lays out plans for a series of e-mail announcements to supporters and donors. The e-mail announcements  -  to be sent and signed by Wasserman Schultz  -  assume that Sanders will have suspended his campaign and that Clinton will be the nominee. The DNC internal e-mail discussing those plans is dated April 26 at which time Sanders was still actively campaigning and Clinton had not yet secured the nomination.
• An e-mail thread from May 21 details a plan to discredit Sanders by putting forth a "good Bernie narrative for a story, which is that Bernie never ever had his act together, that his campaign was a mess." That plan was quashed in a reply lamenting that though it would be a good plan, "the Chair has been advised to not engage," adding, "So we'll have to leave it alone."
• Ahead of the Rhode Island primary, staffers discussed strategies to "get out in front of this one with an inquiry to the RI Gov, even though she's one of ours." The e-mail also said that if Clinton were able to come out on top in that primary, "the Bernie camp will go nuts and allege misconduct," adding, "They'll probably complain regardless, actually."
• The e-mail that has gained the most attention from the mainstream media, though, is dated May 5. That e-mail  -  written by staffer Brad Marshall  -  suggests that a reporter in either Kentucky or West Virginia be recruited to ask Sanders about his religious beliefs. The e-mail  -  under the subject "No sh*t," said:
It might may [sic] no difference, but for KY and WVA can we get someone to ask his belief. Does he believe in a God. He had skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This could make several points difference with my peeps. My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist.
Marshal also added, "It's these [sic] Jesus thing." Amy K. Dacey, CEO of the DNC replied, "Amen."
Sanders has subsequently denied that he is an atheist and the ask-his-belief e-mail has caused a stir with DNC leaders being accused of anti-Semitism. While it could be interpreted that way, it is worth noting two points. (1) One can be Jewish by birth without practicing the Jewish religion; conversely, one can convert to Judaism and practice the religion without having been born a Jew. In other words, the words "Jewish" and "Jew" require context to determine whether what is being discussed is either racial or religious. (2) It is obvious from the context that what is being discussed in the e-mail is the Jewish religion. It is not likely anti-Semitic to say that a man of "Jewish heritage" is not practicing his religion.
The anti-Semitic angle has drawn attention away from other points about the e-mail that are more germane to the point: Those in leadership positions within the DNC  -  all the way to the top of the food chain  -  are not above using religion (referring to this as a "Jesus" thing and using Sanders' lack of observance as an opportunity to besmirch his image) to their own ends, while working in cahoots with reporters who would be willing to do the DNC's bidding and ask Sanders a question designed to embarrass him for Clinton's benefit.
Considering the clear pattern of preference given to the Clinton campaign evidenced in the e-mails, there is little doubt that the fallout has only begun for the DNC; Wasserman Schultz may have been the first casualty of this scandal, but she will not likely be the last.
In an effort to stave off the fallout and dodge blame, both the DNC and the Clinton campaign have attempted to lay the leaked e-mails at the feet of Putin, saying that state-sponsored hackers passed the e-mails to WikiLeaks, which they accuse of acting as an arm of Moscow in an attempt to throw the election to Trump. In the absence of any evidence to support that assertion, it is worth noting that even if it were true, it would be beside the point. The point is that the DNC violated its own charter and conspired to assure Clinton the nomination by manipulating the primary process.
As for the nominee, Hillary Clinton is such a close comrade of scandal that she almost assuredly feels right at home. As The New American continues to pore over the leaked e-mails, we will continue to report on our findings.
More in this category: " The Queering of the GOP Undercover Video Confirms Hillary's Strategy to Ban All Firearms "


May 26, 2009 - News Leader
TOWN COUNCIL BRIEFS
A company called Jameson Resources is interested in buying coal property from Compliance. The property is located at Blakeburn, near Coalmont. Jameson Resources plans to export coal. If the deal goes through, it could mean 40 to 50 new jobs.
Radio needs adults - Students from Princeton Secondary School have received grants to set up their student radio station. They are looking for adults who would be willing to volunteer their time to work with the students.
Message board - A computer-controlled message board for downtown has met with approval from Princeton Performing Arts, who have donated $500 to the project. The theatre group will give a bursary this year to a local grad planning to study dramatic arts. Princeton Racing Days Association has added their $500 to the message board project. If they could use the board today, they would be telling local residents they need people with experience working in the parimutuels. If you can volunteer for this duty, please call John Bey or Carol Ruoss.
Highland Dancers - Councillor Jason Earle praised Princeton's Highland Dancers who attended competitions held in Nelson. Every Princeton dancer placed.
Deer count - The Ministry of Environment scheduled a deer count for last weekend to find out how many deer are in town.
Fire protection - Persons noting forestry activity in the Snowpatch area will be pleased to learn this is part of the Wildfire Protection Plan. The work is taking place on private property and will clear out dead wood. Council discussed other areas where dead wood should be removed, such as on the slope between the arena and the high school.
Affordable housing - Council will meet soon with Community Services Society to discuss options for affordable housing.
Airport - Councillor Marilyn Harkness praised the work of the Airport Committee. She had toured the new fuelling facility and reception area. Plans are going ahead for a great celebration at the second annual Airport Day on July 18.
STUDY REVEALS LOCAL HOUSING CONCERNS
The report is titled: "Affordable Housing Assessment - the future of healthy homes for healthy people - Town of Princeton, British Columbia" and is a report prepared for the Princeton Attainable Housing Society (PAHS), dated March 2009 by Alice Sundberg and Dianna Hurford. Here is the report's Executive Summary: Similar to many small towns in British Columbia, the Town of Princeton is familiar with living in transition. Although recent uncertainty in the resource economy has negatively affected employment in BC, the number of people in Princeton receiving benefits such as Income Assistance and Employment Insurance is decreasing. The majority of residents earn income through employment (60%), followed by a high percentage of pension earners (21%). The majority of Princeton households own their own home (72%). Home prices in Princeton have more than doubled over the past 10 years (from $92,000 in 1998 to $202,000), but a working family with a moderate income may still find Princeton an affordable and pleasant town to buy a home. It appears rents have not yet seen as drastic an increase as the buying market. Rents range upwards from $300 for a bachelor in a non-profit seniors' building and $500 in a private market suite. Four mobile home parks also provide a significant number of affordable options for low-income families and seniors over the age of 55. These findings do not displace the fact that a number of residents are struggling to find housing, and that this number may increase in the near future. This study found that a minimum of 16 low-income families (6 single-parent families with mental health issues), 55 independent seniors, 7 seniors requiring support (such as home care), and 4- 14 single people with mental health issues require healthy, safe and affordable housing in the community. Core need data revealed 275 households living beyond their means, paying more than 30% of their income on housing costs. Upon an initial examination, a significant proportion of the existing affordable stock in the private sector (with the exception to groundoriented homes) is in various states of deterioration. Future affordability and the health of low-income residents will be 'at risk' assuming this trend continues and future stocks remains unidentified for replacement. The most relevant trends currently affecting the demand for housing in Princeton include the possibility of a new Similco mine opening in the next two years, a growing seniors population, amenity migration and second-home buying, several retiring doctors and a decrease in wage incentives for locum doctors, a reduction of services at the local hospital, and an aging and uncertain affordable housing stock. The community in Princeton also has many assets to contribute to the future of a strong, healthy community. Future planning will require strong cooperation - planning with residents for the future sustainability of the town, building on community strengths, and addressing challenges. Phase 2 of the project will identify priorities for further exploration and determine the level of demand for particular housing options; phase 3 will provide a feasibility analysis of the priority option. Given the needs, opportunities and challenges identified in the housing needs assessment, the following steps are recommended: 1. Plan to increase the supply of affordable housing for independent seniors, low income families, and persons with mental health disabilities. 2. Involve potential residents in the planning process. 3. Include a holistic approach that includes social, economic and environmental considerations. 4. Build and foster partnerships between all levels of government, private and non-profit sectors. 5. Develop rapport and trust with local government and private sector. 6. Educate and raise awareness in the community about the needs and contributions of low income and vulnerable populations. The PAHS hosts their annual general meeting Thursday, May 21st at 7:00 PM in the Hospital Board Room. The meeting is open to anyone with an interest.
RECESSION DELAYS MINE OPENING
Town Council has revised its priorities due to new information about the mine opening at Copper Mountain. Council learned, at the May 4 public meeting, that the mine is not likely to open before summer 2011. The delay has been caused by the poor economic climate. However, work continues at the mine site. The mine opening, and the Town's readiness for it, was one of the priorities Council set for this year. Mayor Randy McLean asked Council to revise the priority list, giving greater weight to an evaluation of Town Hall. The building has problems, not only with inadequate space, but with structure. Mayor McLean wants a report as soon as possible about the viability of maintaining Town Hall as it is. He is concerned that the building may have to be replaced.
COUNCIL SIDESTEPS AMBULANCE REQUEST
Town Council received a letter from Ambulance Paramedics of B.C. asking for support. The paramedics are currently bargaining with the provincial government to bring wages into line with other emergency service employees. The ambulance paramedics letter stated the paramedics are currently the lowest paid emergency service workers, receiving only $10 an hour, with an on-call standby wage of $2 an hour. The government asked for a 90 day delay before negotiations continue, and the ambulance paramedics wanted Council's support by passing a motion requesting the provincial government go back to the bargaining table with a third party mediator. Council took the position that they had no business taking a position of attempting to influence the outcome of a labour dispute, and filed the letter.
LIBERALS ROAST RICK THORPE
The event was identified as a 'Rick Thorpe Roast and Appreciation Dinner' and for the almost 100 local Liberal supporters who paid $50 each to get into Riverside Theatre May 2nd, they were well fed and thoroughly entertained. The 'target' of the fundraising event in support of Fraser-Nicola Liberal Candidate Ella Brown's election campaign was Okanagan-Westside MLA Rick Thorpe. And although there was no shortage of jabs, wisecracks and zingers, the flavour of the evening often bounced between a roasting and a
tribute to the retiring former Minister of Small Business & Revenue. RDOS Area Director Brad Hope was first at bat and presented a factual and often hilarious slide show highlighting many of Thorpe's contributions to the Princeton area. Master of Ceremonies Princeton Mayor Randy McLean was also properly skewered in Hope's presentation. In fact, for someone who may have arrived late it would have looked as if Hope was presenting a tongue-in-cheek tribute to McLean. Kamloops MLA Claude Richmond keep the room filled with laughter with his funny stories involving Thorpe and the former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. At one point Richmond quipped, "Rick is a hard worker. Not very effective, but a very hard worker," which kept the crowd entertained. Richmond did take the opportunity to take a shot at the Referendum on Electoral Reform (the STV vote) and had probably the funniest line during the evening when he stated; "The STV is like a STD, very nasty and difficult to get rid of." Penticton Mayor and RDOS Chair Dan Ashton and Keremeos Mayor Walter Despot also took their turns with the most entertaining of the speakers being Thorpe's Administrative Assistant Mike Reid. Reid, who has held that position for the past 13 years, described in great detail his joining 'TA' a support group for former staff and employees who have survived working with Thorpe. Reid himself admitted the key to his longevity was linked to his answering "Yes, Minister" to everything Thorpe has asked of him over the years and the ability to cover any follow-up questions with reasonably plausible answers. Then it was Thorpe's turn. First on his list was a complete roasting of RDOS Area H Director Brad Hope for choosing Australian wines over Similkameen Valley wines to be served during the evening. He also roasted Princeton Mayor Randy McLean for being the biggest whiner of the three Similkameen Valley political heads at the function. Then he roasted Keremeos Mayor Walter Despot for his fears related to the Mobile Business License Program. In all, it was a fun evening full of good-natured barbs and pokes where everyone, including the designated targets, had an opportunity to laugh at themselves and the sometimes silly things that happen while participating in the complex game of politics. Thorpe did state he appreciated the working relationships he had developed with local politicians and enjoyed working with them. "It's been a pleasure to help your community get the things that really matter to you."
News Leader Copyright 2010 Bengel Publishing Inc.


Japanese exchange students, host families, and The Office of Education Abroad staff have a picnic at Bellevue Beach Park. They are enjoying their last weekend in America.
Leonard Ivey
One last 'kanpai' for NKU's Gifu exchange students
Leonard Ivey, Reporter
After two weeks of exploring Kentucky and Cincinnati  -  and yet another week to come  -  the Gifu students were ready for a little bit of downtime. It was time for a small going-away party at Bellevue Beach Park in front of the Ohio River, and they had earned it.
After all, in only so little time they were doing so much: from going to watch The Reds and The Bengals in Cincinnati, to taking a tour of Bellevue, to visiting museums in the area, and even going horseback riding in Lexington, they checked off quite the exhaustive itinerary.
Not to mention, of course, that they are Japanese exchange students still learning English.
Gifu University, a college in central Japan that enrolls approximately 8,000 students, sent 11 of its students to NKU for a three-week cultural exchange for the second year in a row. The students arrived on Aug. 26 and left on Sep. 15; their going-away party was on the Sunday before their departure, Sep. 11.
While in America, they were expected to take English classes and put on some presentations about Japanese culture for local schools; outside of that, they had plenty of time to enjoy the people and places of Kentucky and Cincinnati.
A "give-and-take" of culture
Candace Gibson, the Special Projects Coordinator for the Office of Education Abroad at NKU, worked with Dr. Toru Tatsumi of Gifu University to arrange the program. She manages the schedule for the exchange students, and during Labor Day weekend she connects them to host families for a weekend homestay.
"[For NKU students], we do the semester- and year-long exchanges with Gifu  -  they're already one of our exchange programs  -  but they have decided they wanted to do something that was more of a short-term English and cultural exchange [for their students]," Gibson said. "So we decided to do this during their summer, which happens to be right in the beginning of our fall semester.
"For three weeks they stay right here on the river at the Comfort Suites, and they [use the TANK system to] come to campus every day."
About three days every week of the program, the students take English classes and shadow classes on campus. When they're not doing classes and presentations, the program also arranges for the students to enjoy regional attractions.
The Office of Education Abroad had arranged for trips such as a visit to the Slugger Museum in Louisville, a Reds game and a Bengals game, a tour of the Toyota factory in Georgetown, and horseback riding in Lexington.
"A lot of the students, when they know they're coming to Kentucky, they want to ride a horse, they want to try barbecue  -  you know, things like that. So we're trying to make sure they get as many of those regional cultural experiences that they can get."
Joining them in all of their cultural experiences is NKU alum Arturo Minera. He comes along to provide insight about the local cultures wherever they go.
"I get to be the person that sees [the students learn about the American culture], and help them understand and even talk it out," Minera said. "I'm just there to make sure that they are enjoying and seeing America for what it really is."
Minera believes the experience is mutually beneficial to both the Japanese students in the exchange program but also the American students that volunteer to go places with them.
"[These students are a good example of how] wherever you go, not only do you have the opportunity to learn, but you also have the opportunity to teach. When it comes to speaking about Japanese culture, they're the experts, and when it comes to being American, we're the experts," Minera said.
"It's been awesome how, everywhere they go, even though their intention is for them to learn about the American culture: whatever we're going to see or do, the Americans on the other side end up learning as well.
"We're learning about what they think. And I think that's been [my] biggest takeaway: I continue to be reminded about how there's always a give-and-take to conversation, to dialogue, to experiences, where they are learning about the American culture, and we in turn  -  by seeing how they respond to it  -  are learning about the Japanese culture."
The Japanese students themselves have come to America for many different reasons. Yuka Nishio wanted to improve her confidence in speaking English. She was pleased with how helpful people in America were whenever she was speaking.
"They are very kind.... When I got some trouble because of my English, they talked to me and helped me. So I was very happy and enjoyed my stay."
The students and host families enjoyed a day in the park. In addition to a picnic, they also brought cornhole and soccer balls.
The host family weekend
On the final weekend of the program, Labor Day weekend, the students were paired with a host family to spend the holiday in an American household. Gibson considers this time to be very valuable.
"There are multiple reasons for our host family stay. One of them being that they are [staying] on the river, and Riverfest is a little  -  intense," Gibson said. "So that's the chance for them to check out of the hotel and spend a good American holiday with a family.
"It's a little more special than just spending a day or two with them: Labor Day's normally a time when people plan some nice outings, or they've got picnics with their family and friends. So we kind of let them take a break from the hotel and all of the madness of Riverfest."
She also thinks that not only do the students benefit from the homestay, but the host families also take away something special from the experience.
"I've seen so many of our host families that have just  -  you know, they're so excited that not only are they opening their home and sharing their culture, but their children are getting more of a glimpse into other cultures in the world. It's helping them to understand more about people who aren't exactly like them," Gibson said.
"I'm Facebook friends with a lot of these host families and a lot of the students from last year, and I can see where they still communicate on Facebook and they form a pretty lasting bond. For several of our host families, this is their second year in a row, so they're always willing to do this again; apparently they're getting a really great experience out of it."
Indeed, the host families themselves echo this sentiment. Matt Steinhauer and his family have hosted every time the program has happened since he became an NKU student, and after hosting the first time he even decided to go to Gifu University to study for a year. He says the experience of hosting and studying Japanese completely changed his career goals.
"[When I originally enrolled at NKU my plan was] to learn enough Japanese to get by and be a computer science major.... So that first year I started taking Japanese, and I had the opportunity to host someone and I did. I couldn't speak anything, but gradually I was getting introduced to all this Japanese culture which I turned out to love... It really resonates with me," Steinhauer said.
"Before I realized it, I became an integrative studies major focusing on East Asian studies and Japanese."
Ashley Reed and her family hosted for the second time this year, and she is planning on doing it again next year. She does her best to accommodate the students and make them comfortable.
"Everybody, whenever you host, is kind of nervous at first; but once you crack that shell, they really feel like they're part of the family. I like to give them a night to themselves so they can acclimate to the house and don't feel pressured to do anything.... And then I spend time with them during the weekend, and I always ask, 'What do you want to do?' And I try to make whatever they want happen," Reed said.
"I just treat them like family, like I would anybody else."
If one wants to participate in the program as a host family, they can contact the Office of Education Abroad here.
The students and host families enjoyed a variety of foods from both America and Japan, such as barbecue and green tea cupcakes. The picnic was held at Bellevue Beach Park.
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Thursday, Dec 06, 2018 06:30 PM
Quotes & Notes 12/6/18: Donald on Sack Record, Talib Talks Trubisky
Clarence Dennis
Following each practice, Quotes and Notes will bring you what was said, who said it, and what it means for your Los Angeles Rams.
"These young, innovative offensive people are making me get gray hair."
-DC WADE PHILLIPS
Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is preparing for yet another unique offense for Week 14, led by offensive-minded first-year head coach Matt Nagy.
On Thursday, Phillips mocked head coach Sean McVay's Wednesday press conference  -  naming several members of the Chicago offense in his opening statement. The coordinator specifically mentioned Bears multi-threat back Tarik Cohen, tight end Trey Burton, and second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky as possible problem-causers come Sunday.
Cohen has been an integral part of the Bears' offense in 2018. The Swiss Army knife of the unit has 315 yards rushing with two touchdowns and 659 yards and four touchdowns receiving in his second season as a pro.
Trubisky missed Weeks 12 and 13 to a shoulder injury, but has been a full participant in this week's early practices. The former Tarheel is completing 65.4 percent of his passes and has thrown 20 touchdowns with nine interceptions this season.
"I thought he moved around nice, we are expecting probably more from him this week..."
Phillips said while his All-Pro cornerback Aqib Talib wasn't the only reason the Rams allowed just three first-half points against the Vikings, he is a good communicator and played a part in allowing such few points.
Talib played 26 first-half snaps in Detroit and didn't see much action before being pulled for the second half.
Phillips and head coach Sean McVay said the veteran defensive back will not likely be on a "pitch count" against the Bears.
PHOTOS: Rams vs Bears Through the Years
Check out photos of the Rams taking on the Chicago Bears through the years .
"St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley during the game against the Chicago Bears. (Photo by Scott Rovak/St. Louis Rams)"
Scott Rovak/2015 Scott Rovak/St. Louis Rams
"CHICAGO - DECEMBER 6: Brandon Gibson #11 of the St. Louis Rams runs with a reception against the Chicago Bears on December 6, 2009 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by G. Newman Lowrance/St. Louis Rams)"
G Newman Lowrance/2009 G. Newman Lowrance
"St. Louis Rams running back Tre Mason during the game against the Chicago Bears. (Photo by Scott Rovak/St. Louis Rams)"
"St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald and St. Louis Rams defensive end William Hayes during the game against the Chicago Bears. (Photo by Scott Rovak/St. Louis Rams)"
"The St. Louis Rams defense gets set at the line of scrimmage against the Chicago Bears offense during a NFL football game on Nov. 24, 2013 in St. Louis. The Rams won, 42-21. (Photo by G. Newman Lowrance)"
G. Newman Lowrance/2013 G. Newman Lowrance
"St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald and St. Louis Rams strong safety Maurice Alexander during the game against the Chicago Bears. (Photo by Scott Rovak/St. Louis Rams)"
"St. Louis Rams Isaac Bruce scores a touchdown against the Chicago Bears during a game on November 18, 2002 in St. Louis. The Rams won, 21-16. (Photo by Bill Stover/St. Louis Rams)"
Bill Stover/2002 Bill Stover
"ST. LOUIS, MO - NOVEMBER 23: Chris Long #72 of the St. Louis Rams comes off the line against the Chicago Bears on November 23, 2008 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri. The Bears defeated the Rams 27-3. (Photo by G. Newman Lowrance/St. Louis Rams)"
"St. Louis Rams James Laurinaitis and Robert Quinn (94) make a tackle on Chicago Bears Matt Forte during a NFL football game on Nov. 24, 2013 in St. Louis. The Rams won, 42-21. (Photo by G. Newman Lowrance)"
"St. Louis Rams Benny Cunningham dives in to score a touchdown during a NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 24, 2013 in St. Louis. The Rams won, 42-21. (Photo by G. Newman Lowrance)"
"St. Louis Rams center Tim Barnes and St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles during the game against the Chicago Bears. (Photo by Scott Rovak/St. Louis Rams)"
"St. Louis Rams William Hayes makes a tackle against the Chicago Bears during an NFL football game on Sunday, September 23, 2012 in Chicago. The Bears won the game 23-6. (Photo by G. Newman Lowrance)"
"ST. LOUIS, MO - NOVEMBER 23: The defense of the St. Louis Rams lines up against the Chicago Bears on November 23, 2008 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri. The Bears defeated the Rams 27-3. (Photo by G. Newman Lowrance/St. Louis Rams)"
"CHICAGO - DECEMBER 6: Chris Long #72 of the St. Louis Rams rushes in against the Chicago Bears on December 6, 2009 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by G. Newman Lowrance/St. Louis Rams)"
"St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Nick Fairley and St. Louis Rams middle linebacker James Laurinaitis during the game against the Chicago Bears. (Photo by Scott Rovak/St. Louis Rams)"
"I thought he was at his best when we needed him the most."
-HC SEAN McVAY
Head coach Sean McVay was pleased with running back Todd Gurley's performance against the Lions.
Gurley bounced back from his 55-yard, banged-up outing against the Chiefs in Week 11 with 132 yards rushing and two touchdowns against the Lions.
McVay said Gurley was well deserving of his NFC Offensive Player of the Week award for Week 13. It was Gurley's second NFC POTW honor in 2018.
"Yeah I was lying  -  I really did care."
-RB TODD GURLEY
Running back Todd Gurley admitted he wasn't quite truthful with the media last season about whether or not he cared about winning the rushing title.
Gurley finished his NFC Offensive Player of the Year campaign a season ago with 1,305 yards rushing  -  just 22 yards shy of former Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt's league-leading 1,327 yards. After coming clean, Gurley said, "Who wouldn't want to be the NFL's passing or rushing leader?"
Gurley currently leads the NFL with 1,175 yards on the ground, with Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott not far behind with 1,150.
"If there's going to be a week where the weather isn't what we are accustomed to out here in L.A., then we'll take it."
Forecasts are calling for lows in the mid-20s and low winds for Sunday's game in Chicago.
McVay said Thursday's blustery conditions in Thousand Oaks doesn't hurt in preparing for Soldier Field in December. Several Rams practiced with sweatshirts under their navy and white practice jerseys, with temperatures hovering in the high-40s on the campus of Cal Lutheran University.
The Rams beat the Broncos 23-20 in an unseasonably frigid game Week 6 in Denver.
"He spreads the ball around, he's got that Russell Wilson effect, he scrambles to throw the ball downfield, or he's got that Cam Newton effect  -  he's kind of like both of them put together."
-CB AQIB TALIB
Cornerback Aqib Talib had lofty comparisons for Trubisky's ability to extend plays and create with his legs.
Trubisky is Chicago's second-leading rusher with 363 yards and three touchdowns on the ground this season.
Talib said the young quarterback and head coach Matt Nagy work well together to utilize all their weapons on offense. Trubisky has thrown touchdowns to eight different receiving options this season. Rookie wide receiver Anthony Miller leads all Bear receivers with six.
"Anything is possible, you just got to keep playing."
-DT AARON DONALD
Leading the NFL in sacks, defensive tackle Aaron Donald said he is aware of the 22.5 single-season sack record set by former New York Giant Michael Strahan back in 2001.
On Thursday, Donald said he's "just playing football" before quoting former Boston Celtic Kevin Garnett  -  with fewer exclamation marks.
Donald's 16.5-sack season so far is tied with former defensive end Warren Sapp's total for the third-most sacks in a season by a defensive tackle in NFL history. Donald went sackless for the first three games of the season, before posting six multi-sack games since Week 4  -  including each of his last three games.


Chandra Crawford, Sheldon Kennedy amplify call on Ottawa to police athlete abuse and harassment
By Lori EwingThe Canadian Press
Fri., Jan. 4, 2019timer4 min. read
A group of Canadian sport leaders have lent their voice to the growing chorus calling for an independent body to handle cases of harassment and abuse.
Former NHL player Sheldon Kennedy and Olympic cross-country skiing gold medallist Chandra Crawford were among the coalition of some three dozen sport organizations, researchers and athletes who sent an open letter Friday to Kirsty Duncan, Canada's Minister of Science, Sport and People with Disabilities.
"Canada is at a crossroads in its efforts to eliminate the scourge of gender-based violence in sport," the coalition wrote. "It is clear that the 1996 Sport Canada policy to prevent harassment and abuse in sport has not been effective."
Duncan is expected to present a proposal on dealing with athlete abuse in Canada to cabinet on Tuesday.
Canadian wrestlers appeal to federal government for independent body on safe sport issues
Canada falling behind on policing abuse and harassment in sports, new study finds
'My childhood was stolen': Four women sexually assaulted by ex-ski coach Bertrand Charest speak out
Safe sport has been governed through the Sport Canada Accountability Framework since it was implemented in 1996 in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal involving former junior hockey coach Graham James and Kennedy. Kennedy founded the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre in the wake of abuse at the hands of James.
Sports must have a safe sport policy, and a designated individual to handle complaints, in place to receive government funding.
But critics complain policies aren't adequately applied.
There are two policy directions being proposed, according to Gretchen Kerr, a kinesiology and physical education professor at the University of Toronto. Canada's national sports organizations (NSOs) have proposed developing a sport-by-sport system of self-regulation, with more consistent enforcement by Sport Canada. And a coalition of multi-sport organizations, researchers and retired athletes have proposed establishing a single, independent, arm's length system of education, investigation and compliance.
"The undersigned strongly urge you to endorse the second approach and put in place the steps to realize it," the letter to Duncan said.
"It's become quite divisive ... there are clearly two distinct points of view on how to move this whole agenda forward," said Kerr, one of the signees. "A complainant has the option to take it to the NSO, the PSO (provincial sport organization) or an independent body, but it all flows through the NSO. And so the NSO is still playing a triage role, determining whether a complaint is major or minor, and whether it should be handled in-house, or should be handled independently.
"The other problem is the conflict of interest that currently exists, if the complaint goes to the NSO and it involves an Olympic coach or whatever, there are real implications for the NSO and even the staff, if that's brought forward because the funding for NSOs depends on the team's performance."
Canada has had its share of high-profile sex abuse cases in sport. Marcel Aubut resigned as Canadian Olympic Committee president in 2015 after an investigation over numerous sexual harassment complaints.
In June, several former members of Canada's ski team spoke publicly about the abuse suffered at the hands of former coach Bertrand Charest in the 1990s. Charest was convicted last year of 37 offences of sexual assault and exploitation.
Last month, the sexual assault trial of former Canadian women's gymnastics coach Dave Brubaker wrapped up in Sarnia, Ont. Brubaker has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault and one count of sexual exploitation, and Justice Deborah Austin is expected to deliver her decision on Feb. 13.
Olympic champion Erica Wiebe was among a group of Canadian wrestlers who wrote an open letter to Duncan last month appealing for a third-party body to handle complaints.
"Sport-by-sport self-regulation means that there will be as many different approaches to gender-based violence as there are sports bodies, a situation that is inconsistent with the principles of uniform treatment and the values of Canadian sport," Friday's letter said. "There is clear evidence of the failure of self-regulation. A 2016 study of 40 NSOs showed that after 22 years of Sport Canada's requirement to have a publicly accessible policy, many of the NSOs had limited policies, often hidden on their website, or no policy at all."
The coalition argued that sport in Canada is the only remaining child-populated domain that is self-regulating and autonomous, leaving young people vulnerable to harassment and abuse. They stressed that no country has ever developed an effective policy for sport organizations to self-regulate harassment and abuse.
The coalition is proposing a universal policy that has the capacity to investigate all allegations and provide counselling to those affected; mandatory application to all federally-funded sports; focus on education and prevention; and eliminating financial barriers to complainants and sports by providing appropriate funding and fee structures.


Ubisoft Exclusive
Blue Fang Games
08/11/03 Microsoft Game Studios
Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection (PC)
Who told you that managing a zoo was easy?
26th Mar 2019 | 122 views
Darwinianevolution
Presentation - 5.0
Gameplay - 7.0
Value - 6.0
Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection is the compilation of the original game and its expansions. While still a fun game to play and remember, its slow gameplay and surprising difficulty can be jarring.
Game: Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection.
Platform: PC.
Developer: Blue Fang Games
Videogames that try to simulate certain aspects and activities tend to have a very estrange relation with that they simulate. On the one hand, they have to be close enough to said action to be worth the name of simulation, otherwise the selling point is mostly lost. On the other hand, many aspects of reality that do not translate particularly well to gameplay should be removed to improve the experience, even if it takes the form of acceptable breaks from reality. After all, The Sims would be a completely different game if, instead of paying your bills by clicking on the checks, you had to fill your taxes with painstaking detail. A good simulator will have all the fun aspects of the activity being simulated while also streamlining the aspects that are not particularly suited for an enjoyable experience. After the success of Roller Coaster Tycoon in 1999, a lot of similar themed videogames would try to capitalize on its success, with the business management simulation becoming a well populated genre to this day. One of the most interesting offerings of those days is Zoo Tycoon.
Zoo Tycoon was originally released in 2001. Developed by Blue Fang Games and published by Microsoft, the game received two expansion packs, Marine Mania and Dinosaur Digs, both in 2002, plus an Endangered Species pack. The game was re-released in 2003 as a complete pack, which is the version I'm reviewing. Before starting, a bit of warning. Considering the game has never had a re-release for modern platforms, this games tend to be rather wonky on modern computers, but by fidgeting with the compatibility settings I was able to get it to work to a pretty decent standard. Still, while I haven't found any problems related to the age of the software during my playthrough, I cannot guarantee that such a thing won't happen in OS above Windows 8.1.
The game itself is quite simple in its approach. You are a zoo manager that have to create successful and sustainable zoo models. You have a patch of land, usually barren, a bit of money to start your zoo and a selection of animals, commerces and general attractions to get people to come to the zoo and enjoy the animals (while spending as many of their dollars as possible). The more success you have in that regard, the more access to new structures and animals you will be able to use. And that's pretty much it. Keeping the business together is a rather taxing activity, though. Making the animals as happy and healthy as possible, increasing the efficiency of your employees, checking which of your commerces is doing right and which one should be moved or substituted for another, designing the layout of the zoo to keep the visitors from getting lost, making the appropriate repairs, handling the budget for investigation and advertisement... All of this elements are expected on a zoo simulator, and are done quite well here. They never feel like they overtax your attention, and with the ability of different speed settings for your playthrough, you can use all the time and attention you want. With that said, once you get used to the rhythm of the game, you may find the game loop somewhat repetitive and tedious. Many critics and players have complained that, once the structure of the zoo is put into place, you only need to react to whatever problems appear, and that might turn your experience from an active creative role to a more passive caretaker, with most of the actions of the game being quite automated. While that is one of the criticisms of the game, I've never found myself really falling for that, although that might be because I've always focused my attention on the campaign mode, rather than the freestyle mode.
There are two forms of gameplay in Zoo Tycoon, Freestyle and Campaign, both being quite self-explanatory. Freestyle gives you no objectives and no time limit, and thus leave you free to do whatever you want with your zoo. Campaign mode puts you in the shoes of a zoo manager, solving different scenarios and problems for zoos all around the globe. Suffice to say, the campaign mode is the one part of the game that might get the most of the player's time and attention. After a couple of tutorial levels explaining you the different gameplay mechanics (something especially important once we deal with the contents of the expansions), you are given a series of missions. You have a set amount of time, space and resources to get the zoos working in optimal form, and when time runs out, you must have accomplished all of the goals set, or is game over for you. In theory, all of the goals are rather simple: win certain amount of money, have certain amount of animals, have all animal and/or guest happiness over certain level, make your zoo as popular as possible... The first couple of levels will not tax the majority of players due to their simplicity, but as the game progresses, the game's difficulty goes from easy, to fair to really unfair. See, one of the biggest problems of the game is the overreliance of animal happiness as a goal. This element is quite tied to their enclosure, and if it's not pixel perfect for them, it won't go over certain level. You can choose their pen's vegetation, rocks, layout, terrain, toys (only for some animals), exposure to the visitants, water level for those that need a tank to live... But without a reliable way to know how much one element affects the overall score, it becomes a hair-pulling problem on later levels. You have access to a rough view of the elements that affect negatively the animal's happiness, but you can't see how much they affect them positively, and that's a huge problem. You can have an animal's happiness within their enclosure to 80, and the game will tell you the cage is absolutely perfect for them, while the mission is asking you for 85-90 and you have no idea what are you doing wrong, because the game tells you you're doing nothing wrong. As such, savescumming becomes almost unavoidable once you reach medium level stages. You get an enclosure to the adequate level of happiness, you better make sure you save and keep it that way. And that's nothing compared to higher levels of difficulty, when the game asks you to get certain endangered species to breed, something quite random at the best of times. To be fair, you can increase the odds of that as much as possible, but in the end, if the animals don't want to breed on a timely manner, you will lose anyway. Maybe it's just me not being that good at the game, but considering how painstakingly detailed some of the walkthroughs and guides for this game are, I'm sure I'm not the only one finding this problem. Also, whoever decided that dinosaurs and ancient mammals would be able to destroy the vegetation within their enclosure, forcing you to constantly pay attention to the amount of trees and foliage there is within them, is evil and wants us to not play with dinosaurs. The best way to solve that is to surround the trees with rocks and the fence itself, but come on, the game is already quite finicky with this kinds of details, let me design the enclosures however I want, dammit.
At least the game offers you a wide variety of animals to take care of. There are around 100 animals in total, including those of the expansions. Some animals are incredibly easy to maintain (the camel, the gazelle and the lion are a godsend at the beginning of the game) while others are incredibly hard to keep happy (the panda, the tyrannosaurus rex, the mermaid and the big whales take an unholy amount of resources), but without risks there are no rewards. The rarer the animal is, the more visitors will attract, and that means more money. Plus the game offers you different rewards and prices for accomplishing different objectives. Get an endangered species to breed, you get a grand and a trophy. Get all animals very happy, you get a trophy. Get a certain amount of different species, you get a trophy. That affects the prestige of your zoo, but usually is only useful when it comes with a substantial private donation. Money is always good, considering the amount of expenses a zoo can have.
Once you have the animal part settled, the business part takes over. You have to find a balance of how much space you dedicate to selling merchandising and food, how much to shows and small attractions, and how much to the animal enclosures themselves. You have three different sources of income (not counting the plethora of cheat codes): ticket sales, merchandise/food selling and private donations. Ticket sales is fairly straight-forward, people pay to enter the zoo, you automatically charge different amounts for adults and children, though we should've been able to manually establish each of their ticket prices individually, and not automatically like the game does. The more you charge, the less people come, and viceversa, although don't expect to getting massive amounts of tourism if you offer free access, after certain thresholds it stops being noticeable. Private donations are managed by the already mentioned rewards, plus to certain popular enclosures. The bulk of the money will come from your food and entertainment posts. Restaurants, gift shops and other attractions will be quite big sources of money, as well as other structures. In particular, the carrousel is the safest of all attractions, and the dung store (yes, there is one) will automatically give you 50$ for each pile of animal dung you clean up. The only caveat is that it stinks, so you better put it as far as possible from tourists. With that said, the customer's satisfaction can be quite finicky. Keep the roads clean and with enough empty trash cans, make a park with picnic tables and pretty vegetation and make sure there are enough bathrooms around, and it should be fine. Again, the minmaxing aspects of the game will bite you in the ass here too, because you have to deal with so many customers at one point, and it's impossible to make everyone happy, so reaching certain happiness thresholds is quite impossible without trial and error and savescumming. The frustration levels can make you try and recreate a horror movie by deleting all enclosure walls and letting the animals lose. This will immediately sink your zoo's reputation, but seeing the annoying customers run from a T-rex or a lion can get the same level of cathartic relaxation than erasing the ladder from the swimming pool in The Sims.
I should mention the content of the expansions as well. Marine Mania adds marine animals, with different gameplay and maintenance needs, while Dinosaur Diggs goes full Jurassic Park and adds... dinosaurs. I'm pretty sure the makers of Jurassic World have played this expansion, because the similarities are plenty. Both also offer more decoration and services, but overall their purpose is to add more missions and animals. A particular element of note is aquatic spectacles, which can be very profitable under certain conditions, but it's only accessible to a handful of species (seals, dolphins, orcas, otters and white sharks of all things). An interesting thing to take into account, but otherwise not that big of a game changer.
The presentation is... a bit dated. The game is based on 2D sprite graphics, and sometimes the level of pixelation of the animals, the enclosures and the terrain can be annoying, especially when you are preparing animal terrain and you are searching for that pixel of wrong land type it's annoying your animals. It never becomes game breaking due to the game offering you options to unsee different elements so you can work undisturbed, but nonetheless it's an annoyance you have to deal with. The developers show a lot of sense of humor as well, with certain dates showing different environmental gags, such as witches flying during Halloween, or Santa Claus flying on Christmas.
This kind of game was both ahead and behind its time. Just imagine how good this game could be nowadays, with mod integration adding thousands of different animals, businesses, decorations and missions, to get a neverending experience. However, a very hands on/off approach to gameplay combined with the need to minmax absolutely everything in the campaign gets quite annoying after a while. Campaign mode is too demanding, while freestyle is not demanding enough for my taste. In the end, though, I do think this was a valiant effort that has aged a lot comparatively due to the improvements gaming in general has suffered throughout the years.
1 n/a n/a 80 20 100
2 n/a n/a 112 28 140
4 n/a n/a 74 19 93
10 n/a n/a 108 27 135


Multichannel News, Cable Center, TVWeek
Cable Pioneer Dies  -  He Was Behind the Creation of One of the First Cable Networks, Which Is Still Going Strong Today
Aug 4, 2016 • Post A Comment
A cable television pioneer who was behind a number of the industry's milestones  -  including the creation of the early Madison Square Garden Network, which became the USA Network  -  has died. Multichannel News reports that Robert Rosencrans, founder of UA-Columbia Cable, died this week in Greenwich, Conn. He was 89.
Rosencrans' work in cable goes all the way back to 1953, when he produced and distributed live TV events for theaters and hotels, first through Box Office Television and later with TelePrompTer Corp., Multichannel reports, citing information from the Cable Center.
His efforts with UA-Columbia Cablevision would lead to the creation of one of the first cable networks, USA Network, which began as the Madison Square Garden Network  -  not to be confused with the later regional sports channel of the same name.
"Rosencrans formed Columbia Cable Systems in 1961, acquiring systems in Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and California, eventually growing it to more than 250,000 customers," the story reports. "Columbia Cable was the first operator to install a satellite Earth Station to receive the feed of the Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier heavyweight championship fight from Manila in 1975."
Rosencrans was also behind the creation of C-SPAN in the late 1970s, cutting a check for $25,000 to help it get started and convincing other cable operators to also kick in.
In a statement, the National Cable Telecommunications Association said of Rosencrans: "Bob embodied the cable entrepreneur, investing time, money and sweat equity in the creation of products and services that have become vital to consumers."
Here's a featurette on Rosencrans posted by the Cable Center ...
NBCU Accused of 'Double Standard' Treatment of Talent at NBC and Telemundo
TV Station Group Reports Record Revenue


Bob Dylan's 40 best songs
Tom Pinnock
As chosen by famous fans, Dylan associates and Uncut writers
TAGS: Bob Dylan
13 Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
From Blonde On Blonde (May 1966)
JACKIE LEVEN: A thing happened in Scotland in the late Sixties and early Seventies which was that when Blonde On Blonde came out, seemingly every single young Scottish guy went out and bought it. It was THE absolute, total record to listen to. When you went round anyone's council house and opened the door, there was always the smell of tinned lager, congealing bacon fat, home-grown grass and Dylan bawling our, "She said that all the railroad men/Just drink up your blood like wine". I couldn't get on with the album, but this particular song just feels very relaxed, I have this thing I do on my own albums when I have a song and every day of recording, before we do anything else, I just put one more idea on it. I refuse to develop it, just put one idea on per day until it's finished. It's a different way of looking and recording and freshens up the album. And "Mobile" just has that same kind of feeling for me. It seems like he said, "Oh, I'm not sure about this one," and they kind of threw it away. There's all sorts of what-shall-we-do? bits in the arrangement and a lovely bass descent which conjures up images of the musicians shrugging and looking at each other. The rest of the record sounds too much like they're trying very hard to make a record that sounds different. I find the hardness unappealing, but there's a smooth, throwaway quality to this. And lovely images.
JEFF TWEEDY: A lot of these songs I picked have a real similarity. It's an incredible concentration of performance, and then the limitation of it at the same time. There's a structure that basically keeps rolling over itself over and over again. And it gets more and more charged every time. It's like a self-charging battery or something.
PETE WYLIE: There's a great bit in this where they've edited the tape and you get two words spliced together. After the bit where his grandpa dies, there's a line that should begin "I" but they cue it to "he built a fire on Main Street" so it goes "I sp-ee built a fire on Main Street". They've chopped two words in the middle, But that;s another thing you get with Dylan where there's all these little secret moments that you think you're the only one who's spotted them, even if somebody else told you, so you get into that whole trainspotter stupidity mode. And that lyrics about :he just smoked my eyelids and punched my cigarette" - fucking brilliant! It's a long song but it doesn't seem long. It's like a bunch of movies - the Coen brothers would have to do a trilogy there. A stunning piece of work.
ROBERT FISHER: I've always liked the idea of telling stories without telling the whole story. There is great intuitive energy in the playing on this song. It sounds like there was magic in the air when the tape was rolling.
12 Positively 4th Street
BILLY BOB THORNTON: I love Bob Dylan, I'm a great Dylan fan. I'd have to say this song is the ultimate. We've all had someone who we've wanted to tell "Y'know what? You hate my guts, just come out and say it! Why'd you ver pretend to be who you're pretending to be? Cos we all know you're not . . ." It's the ultimate 'fuck-you' song, y'know? It's never been put better. It's the one. The greatest line in a song, maybe ever, to say - you don't have me fooled, I got your number, is: "I wish that for just one moment/I could be you . . . You'd know what a drag it is to see you". Great!
PETE WYLIE: When I started with Wah! Heat, we covered this, mainly because of the Zoo lot. It's that thing where your tiny universe is all-consuming, and I'd fallen out with Julian and Mac [Cope and Ian McCulloch] so when I sang it, in my secret little world it was like I was singing it at them and they were going to be destroyed by it, just by me singing it. Strangely they weren't! It's got that thing again of great put-downs and jokes, but then I think, "Well, where did the master thief bit come from?" That's another Dylan trait. I bet even songs that don't get into this Top 40 have still got great lines. Like in "Tombstone Blues" - "The sun's not yellow, it's chicken!" Or there's that song where that doctor says, "Don't go back to this woman", and when he does the fuckin' doctor's there instead. That's like the premise for a play, that one verse.
EDWYN COLLINS: Some say this was a vitriolic address to the folk fundamentalists, post-Newport, others that it was an embittered farewell to the Factory crowd - both of which Dylan denies. Whatever its target(s), it suggests the Sixties music biz and its satellites were as mendacious then as they are now.
GERRY LOVE: I don;t know whether Lou Reed was a fan of this song, but I can hear the roots of the Velvets in this song. This is a basic, raw pop song and its keening melody drew me in the first time I heard it. Dylan's pop abilities are often overlooked, and never more so than here.
LYNDON MORGANS: "Like A Rolling Stone" - Part Two. One of the all-time great opening lines. An erect middle-finger to the old Greenwich Village folkie scene he'd left behind. If I think of Dylan's voice, I think of this song first - the tone and delivery melds perfectly with the emotions expressed in the lyric.
STEPHEN PASTEL: He had an amazing run of singles, songs like "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?" and this particularly. One of those really bitter, jaded lyrics. There was definitely a change in Dylan, though, if you compare him in Don't Look Back to Eat The Document. In the latter he's just really cold, this amphetamine lunatic going around with his pal, the two of them like a brainy Beavis and Butthead. I'll never forget that horrible scene where he tries to buy this girl from her boyfriend, it makes you cringe.
MARC 'LARD' RILEY: I'm not sure why but I seem to be drawn to Dylan's most caustic efforts when cherry-picking his oeuvre. In an ideal world, if you were to look up the word 'contempt' in any dictionary a copy of this 1965 single would drop out. So cutting - so witty - AND SO YOUNG! Of all the people I admire I'd have to say that Bob is the one I'd least like to meet.
11 It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
From Bringing It All Back Home (March 1965)
BRYAN FERRY: I am very partial to Dylan's songs - it's the lyrics, really, the imagery. They're always compelling and interesting to me, and very poetic. "Yonder stands your orphan with his gun/Crying like a fire in the sun/Look out, the saints are comin' through/And it's all over now, Baby Blue." Beautiful images. The "seasick sailors", the "reindeer armies", the "vagabond who's rapping at your door". What have I brought to it on my own version? Very little, probably, other than enthusiasm and inspired amateurishness! This song sets the tone for my new album in the same way you might say "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" did for These Foolish Things, years ago. And it's nice to start an album with a goodbye song!
GRANT-LEE PHILLIPS: The basic thrust of the song, to my ear, is that Dylan is taking a kind of inventory of all that might seem to matter. The currency of our values is being put up to the light, to see if it's counterfeit. This would fall into the category of 'finger-pointing songs', which is a definite Dylan trait, like "Positively 4th Street". Songs that tend to put a phantom second person in their place. But Dylan seems to extract something interesting and vital out of that form. It's something that re-emerges in his work time and time again. It's the people who get stepped over who tend to secure the starring roles in his songs. There's only much time in this life to take it all in. Some folks plunder the Bible, and I've done a little bit of that, but I always got a lot more out of Dylan.
COLIN MacINTYRE: The first band I had in Glasgow, I used to stand on my own and play it, and murder it. I'm sure that song's served as a poultice for so many failed relationships, while people wait to get over them.
ADAM SWEETING: The title makes it sound like just another guy-leaves-girl song, and there was indeed a "lover who has just walked out your door", but the sombre beauty of the melody and the tumbling panorama of the words created an altogether grander picture. Dylan's songwriting was in such torrential spate that he seized the opportunity to spin a saga of loss and loneliness on a cosmic scale. The song was partly a playful surrealist pageant - the tooled-up orphan "crying like a fire in the sun", the "seasick sailors" and "reindeer armies" - and part instruction manual. "Take what you have gathered from coincidence," Dylan ordered. "Strike another match, go start anew." Easy for him to say.
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Carrie Johnson, PE, SE
Joined Wallace Engineering in 1986
"I think the key to being a great consultant is listening to your client."
You Might Not Know:
Carrie has developed a number of proprietary tools which automate project management and structural engineering design.
Notable Achievement:
Carrie served as President of National Council of Structural Engineers Association (NCSEA).
Carrie serves as Chief Information Officer of Wallace Engineering. She received her Bachelor of Architectural Engineering and Master of Architectural Engineering degrees from Oklahoma State University. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in 43 states and a licensed Structural Engineer in Utah.
Carrie's project work is concentrated in the retail industry where she has been instrumental in the development of multi-sited building prototypes. She has automated many in-house operational and administrative functions and has developed proprietary software programs to automate repetitive structural engineering tasks.
Carrie served as the 2013-2014 National President of the National Council of Structural Engineers Association, is a past President of Eastern Oklahoma Chapter of American Institute of Architects, a past President and active member of the Oklahoma Structural Engineers Association and the City of Tulsa Transportation Board.
She received the NCSEA Service Award in 2016. She currently serves on the Board of Applied Technology Council as President, and is currently serving as chair of the Structural Engineering Summit Committee, and as co-chair of the Continuing Education Committee.
Read Carrie's Blog
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October 27, 2012 at 5:21 pm EDT | by Peter Rosenstein
Role of 'dirty money' in marriage fight
At a book salon hosted by Donald Hitchcock and Paul Yandura, Juan Ahonen-Jover, Ph.D., discussed his book, "The Gay Agenda 2012: All Out." Juan has written an interesting book with some theories that will gain the support of many activists while not necessarily finding favor with the leaders of the more prominent LGBT organizations.
Juan talked about his ideas with regard to where the LGBT community needs to go from here and then opened the floor to a broader discussion. There were about 30 or so LGBT advocates in the room and one of the more interesting issues that arose was whether or not the LGBT community should be taking what some referred to as "dirty money" for marriage equality campaigns. It was an interesting discussion and as is often the case with such a touchy issue people's opinions were all over the map.
The people who used the term "dirty money" were talking about money and support that comes from individuals like Ken Mehlman, Ted Olson (who coached Paul Ryan in his debate prep) and Paul Singer. There is a strong difference of opinion over whether or not to take money and support from them. The "them" refers to those who support marriage equality but who also support candidates pledged to prevent marriage equality from happening and want to turn back any movement on LGBT civil and human rights. Many in the room felt that while they appreciated the support, gay organizations should not take money directly from these individuals and organizations. There were strong feelings that there is too much hypocrisy making it impossible in good conscience to accept this money.
Although I agree that LGBT organizations shouldn't take the money, there is no reason that we would turn our backs on or try to stop anyone who wants to donate to or support marriage equality. We need all the support we can get and clearly all the money we can get to fight for our civil rights. There are ways for this money to come into campaigns other than through LGBT organizations and hedge-fund manager and billionaire Paul Singer has found a good one. In a June 2012 article by Frank Bruni in the New York Times, Singer says he provided $1 million to start a new "Super PAC" with several Republican compatriots. Named American Unity PAC, its sole mission is to encourage Republican candidates to support same-sex marriage, in part by helping them to feel financially shielded from any blowback from well-funded groups that oppose it.
He told Bruni that he's confident that in congressional races, which would most likely be the Super PAC's initial focus, there are more than a few Republicans "who could be on the verge of support" or are "harboring and hiding their views." "And this kind of effort could be catalytic in generating some more movement," he said.
This is also the way to have those like Singer, who has a gay son, pour money into marriage equality campaigns and influence their outcome in a positive way. This issue reminds me of what many organizations, particularly those in the area of education and children's issues, faced when they gave up tobacco money. People wanted to find a way for tobacco companies to contribute to good works in other ways.
Such a Super PAC allows someone like Mehlman, who came out as gay in 2010, but has yet to separate himself totally from all Republican candidates who want to keep him a second-class citizen, to work on the issues he currently feels comfortable with like marriage. Mehlman has said, "I can't change the fact that I wasn't in this place personally when I was in politics, and I genuinely regret that. It was very hard, personally." Mehlman has also said, "As I've been involved in the fight for marriage equality, one of the things I've learned is how many people were harmed by the campaigns in which I was involved. I apologize to them and tell them I am sorry." What I have never heard Mehlman say or apparently come to grips with is that he came up with those campaigns and led them. But we can still thank Mehlman for what he is willing to do today.
While these individuals shouldn't become icons within the LGBT community, it is important to encourage everyone who wants to support the forward movement of civil and human rights for the LGBT community to participate in the fight. There are clearly ways to do that on separate paths for those who are not yet ready to see this fight as the overriding mission that it must be for LGBT organizations.
Donald HitchcockFrank BruniGOPJuan Ahonen-JoverKen MehlmanPaul SingerPaul YanduraRepublicansTed OlsonUnity PAC