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__label__cc | 0.511729 | 0.488271 | Machu Picchu Facts & Worksheets
Machu Picchu is a 15th-century icon of Inca civilization, located in Peru, South America. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and is considered to be a Peruvian Historic Sanctuary, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Worksheets /Social Studies /Geography /Landmarks & Sights /World Heritage Sites /Machu Picchu Facts & Worksheets
Download the Machu Picchu Facts & Worksheets
See the fact file below for more information on the Machu Picchu or alternatively, you can download our 22 page Machu Picchu worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
History of Machu Picchu:
Machu Picchu dates back to 1450, during the period when Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui and Tupac Inca Yupanqui ruled the area.
In the Quechua language, an Indigenous language native to people living in the Andes and highlands of South America, the word machu means “old”, and picchu translates to “peak”.
The people who lived at Machu Picchu were immigrants with very different backgrounds and heritage.
Animals from other areas in the region traveled to Machu Picchu as well, as animal bones found at the site were not native to the area.
The estate was only used for about 80 years, at which point, the Spanish Conquests forced it to be abandoned.
Ironically, the Spanish never actually found Machu Picchu!
Over hundreds of years, dense jungle began to overgrow onto Machu Picchu; not many people realized it existed until explorers and other people “rediscovered” it many centuries later.
Major excavation of Machu Picchu occured in 1912, after an American historian and explorer by the name of Hiram Bingham was led there by a local farmer.
When he arrived, much of the ruins were covered with vegetation, aside from areas that farmers were using as vegetable gardens.
During the excavation, Bingham and his team found several unique artifacts including Inca stonework, Incan knives, and other objects.
He took these artifacts back to America to study further.
About 30% of Machu Picchu had been restored by 1976, and the efforts to continue restoration are ongoing.
Geography and Construction of Machu PIcchu:
Machu Picchu can be found in South America in the Southern Hemisphere. It is close to 8,000 feet above sea level.
The nearest major city is Cusco, which is 50 miles away.
Machu Picchu experiences both wet and dry seasons, receiving most of its precipitation between October and April.
The Urubamba River wraps around the site on three sides, therefore Machu Picchu experiences the mist that rises.
The actual city of Machu Picchu is situated between two mountains – Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu.
The site of Machu Picchu is divided into an urban section and an agriculture section, and into an upper and lower town.
You can find temples in the upper town; the temple to the right is called the Temple of the Sun.
Machu Picchu’s construction was adapted to fit the demanding needs of being situated within mountains.
The Incas used the infamous “Intihuatana” stone as a sort of clock or calendar.
Terraces were built in order to drain water, prevent erosions and flooding, and prevent water from running down the mountain, as pictured to the right.
The Inca developed various methods to deal with problems and challenges that their location provided them.
Architecture of Machu PIcchu:
The Incas were known for their fine masonry.
Stones were precisely cut, and there was generally no need for mortar to fill any gaps, as the stones fit closely enough together.
The Incas had a very extensive road system with many links between short crossroads and main highways.
One of the most well-known characteristics of Incan architecture was their use of terraces for a variety of purposes.
The terraces could prevent landslides, protect city centres, and increase the amount of land available for farming.
Animals and Plants of Machu PIcchu:
Some animals you might find at Machu Picchu include llamas, alpacas, the Andean Condor, and the Pato de torrente (also known as the Stream Duck), among many others.
Popular flowers and plants that can be found at Machu Picchu include heliconia, the sanchezia, the brugmansia, honeysuckle, begonia, and many more.
The most popular plant species known to Machu Picchu is the Orchid.
Machu Picchu Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the world heritage site Machu Picchu across 22 wonderful pages. These are ready-to-use Machu Picchu worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Machu Picchu which is a 15th-century icon of Inca civilization, located in Peru, South America. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and is considered to be a Peruvian Historic Sanctuary, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Machu Picchu Facts.
Fantastic Farmers!
Machu Picchu Crossword.
Llamas and Alpacas.
Social Media Profile.
A World of Beauty.
Sketching Stone.
Machu Picchu Quiz.
Machu Picchu Wordsearch.
Climbing Machu Picchu.
Opinion Paragraph.
<a href="https://kidskonnect.com/geography/machu-picchu/">Machu Picchu Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com</a> - KidsKonnect, March 21, 2018
Link will appear as Machu Picchu Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, March 21, 2018
Brandenburg Gate Facts & Worksheets | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line839 |
__label__cc | 0.528807 | 0.471193 | knknari23
MOONDIAL
2018年7月26日 g15120231件のコメント
The girl heard them and turned quickly. She gave a little cry and pulled up the hood of her cloak.
‘She’s got the Eye! The Devil’s Eye!’
‘No!’ Cried the girl. ‘I haven’t! Oh, please!’
Minty had a sixth sense so that when she got Aunt Mary’s home, she felt something was there in the house which was in front of her house. Minty went around the yard of that house and found a sundial. However, for her, it seemed a moondial. She felt cold wind and when she realized, she was in a hundred year before. There, she met a kitchen boy. He had no family and had very bad cough. Minty felt really sorry for him. Another day, she went to that moondial again and this time, she went another year, more beforehand. There, she met a strange girl called ‘devil’s child’. Minty didn’t believe this girl is a real devil’s child and she started to help her from her terrible life.
I did not see any more. Already strong hands were pulling me away. Then something hit my head; I saw a great flash of fire, and fell to the ground.
David lost his father and mother and he has just started his new life in the very begging of this book. However, the begging of his new life with his uncle did not go well. His uncle tried to kill David for money and after all, he was kidnapped by the sailers!
2018年7月5日 g1512023コメントをどうぞ
For three years we had to make every dollar do the work of two. All through the summer holidays we worked at the Boat Club in Dennis Port. It was hard work, but we were never too tired to be kind to each other. I say ‘kind’ because there are no words to describe our love and happiness together.
Oliver Barrett the Fourth and Jennifer Cavilleri were university students. They met in the library. Oliver was a Harvard student and Jenny soon realized it. Then, she spoked him in a not good way because she didn’t like rich and stupid Harvard boy. But he didn’t and gradually, she became like him. By dating together, Oliver felt like to get married to Jenny. He told about that her but she did not happy because she was a poor girl. She thought she was not right to Oliver Barrett the Fourth. After all this kind of problems, they finally got married and the lived happily by themselves. However, the blood disease was found in Jenny. She was only twenty- four at that time. Oliver tried very hard to help her but eventually, she was dead in twenty-five years old.
The Railway Children
2018年6月20日 2018年6月28日 g1512023コメントをどうぞ
Then everybody sat down on chairs and an important looking man got up to speak. He said nice things about the children – how brave and clever they were – and then he sat down. Next, the old gentleman got up and said more nice things about them. Then he called them across and gave each of them a beautiful gold watch.
Bobbie, Peter, and Phyllis were living in London with their parents. Their life was all well and they lived happily. But one day, something bad happened to their father and they needed to move to the countryside without him. Their mother told them, in a sad face, that they needed to live quietly and they were poor now. But the children gradually came to like their new life. Near their new house, there was the railway and station. They became friends with a good porter in that station, and they met other good people too. They could learn a lot of things by spending their time there. However, one day, Bobbie knew the reason why her father had gone. She tried to fix the problem and finally she made it!
The Crown of Violet
‘No, my young friend,’ said the older man. ‘I know nothing, but I know that I know nothing. Some people know nothing, but believe that they know everything.’
The main character, Alexis was a boy who wrote plays in Athens. He met an Socrates and impressed by him whether his father didn’t like Socrates’ thought. Alexis was writing plays but only tragedies. However after his time spent with a girl named Corrina, he decided to write comedy and play it at the spring festival. At the same time, he accidentally realized that there were a bad plan of treason. His play was great success and he also could catch traitors. Alexis was recognized as a clever and smart boy.
RETURN TO EARTH
2018年6月3日 2018年6月7日 g15120232件のコメント
‘[…] Well, one day he was lucky. Usually, when a child ib born, it stops being telepathic. Drewitt wanted to change that. He did a lot of experiments with monkeys, and used radiation on their unborn babies. Some very strange monkeys were born, but there were also two who were telepathic. There was no question about it. One knew what the other was thinking and feeling.’
This story is placed in 2029. A man named Harl and a woman named Ellen is talking about their future in the park. Harl is going to the journey to another planet for 8 years but it takes 100 years for people on earth. When he gets back to earth, Ellen would be dead. He asks her to go with him but she refuses. She doesn’t want to spend 8 years in the astronaut even with her boyfriend, and there is another big reason why she won’t. She is doing her great job. She is creating telepaths. Her experiment team succeeds to make five monkeys into telepaths and also three real human babies into telepaths! She believes that if every human on earth were telepaths, the world would be peace place. However, after 100 years, when Harl returns to earth, everything on earth is changed. There are no people and the cities are empty.
It little frightened of me. The progress on science makes our life better but it also could be a threat. I don’t believe this situation will happen in the real future, but if you like something unreal thing, you can enjoy reading this book.
Then I told myself that I was lucky – lucky to be alive, lucky to have food and tools, lucky to be young and strong. But I knew that my island was somewhere off the coast of South America. Ships did not often come down this coast, and I said to myself, ‘I’m going to be on this island for a long time.’ So, on a long piece of wood, I cut these words:
I CAME HERE ON 30TH SEPTEMBER 1659
After that, I decided to make a cut for each day.
The main character, Robinson Crusoe, was a young English man. He was bored with his quiet life in Englan and he decided to go journey to the sea. When his second sail, he was took by a Turkish pirate. After two years, he successed to escape from his Turkish master and he went Brazil. In Brazil, he had a comfortable life but when his friend asked him to join the journey to Africa, he agreed it. However this journey turned out a terrible one. The big stome attacked the ship and no one except Robinson could survive. He reached the shore but that was an inhabited island. This was a start of his 27 years life on an island alone. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line840 |
__label__wiki | 0.532575 | 0.532575 | Don’t Underestimate Generalists: They Bring Value to Your Team
Journalist David Epstein discusses his new book about the benefits of being a generalist.
http://media.blubrry.com/kw/p/d1c25a6gwz7q5e.cloudfront.net/audio/20190604C-KWR-Epstein.mp3
The traditional path to success has emphasized excelling in a single discipline or field rather than being a generalist. But one writer is challenging that wisdom, contending that it’s sometimes better to be a “jack of all trades, master of none,” as the old saying goes. In his book, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, investigative journalist David Epstein looks at the strengths of generalists versus specialists, focusing on how keeping a broad range of interests, experimenting and changing course every now and then are essential to finding your true passions — and the success that comes with loving what you do. The idea has implications for how businesses recruit employees and define the skills required for each position. Epstein visited the Knowledge@Wharton radio show on SiriusXM to explain why intense focus on one thing isn’t always the best approach. (Listen to the podcast at the top of this page.)
Knowledge@Wharton: You start your book comparing two of the greatest contemporary athletes, golfer Tiger Woods and tennis player Roger Federer, and how they reached success. Can you take us into that story?
David Epstein: I think most people have absorbed at least the gist of the Tiger Woods story. His father gave him a putter when he was six months old. He was physically precocious and dragged it around everywhere in his circular baby walker, started imitating a swing at 10 months. By 2 years old, he was on national TV showing off his swing in front of Bob Hope. By 3, his father started to media train him. Fast forward to 21, he’s the best golfer in the world. He’s very focused on golf — large amounts of deliberate practice where it’s like technical training.
Roger Federer, on the other hand, played a dozen different sports from skiing and skateboarding, rugby, badminton, basketball, soccer, all sorts of things. He delayed specializing. His mother was a tennis coach and refused to coach him because he wouldn’t return balls normally. When his coaches tried to kick him up a level, he declined because he just wanted to talk about pro wrestling with his friends. When he first got good enough to warrant an interview from the local paper and they asked what would he buy with his first check if he ever became a pro, [they thought] he said a Mercedes. His mother was appalled and asked if she could hear the interview recording. She did, and Roger had actually said “mair CDs” in Swiss-German, which just means he wanted more CDs, not a Mercedes, so she was OK with that.
He kept playing badminton, basketball and soccer years after his peers were focusing only on tennis, and obviously he turned out OK. So, which one of these is the norm? If you look at the science instead of just individual stories, which is a norm?
It turns out it is the Roger pattern. All around the world, sports scientists track the development of athletes and found they have a so-called sampling period, where they gain these broad general skills to scaffold later learning. They learn about their interests. They learn about their abilities. They systematically delay specializing until later than their peers, who plateau at lower levels.
Knowledge@Wharton: That’s noteworthy because sports is one area where you see more and more kids at a younger age only playing one sport year-round, instead of playing the sport of the season. You have kids playing chess year-round at a very young age and not having as much time on the playground.
Epstein: That’s true. Chess is a domain where I know that early specializing does work, so I’m not dogmatic about this issue. I wanted to say, “Well, in what domains should you be Roger, and when should you be Tiger?”
We certainly need specialists in some domains. Chess is one, and possibly golf, where specialization does work because [those domains are] what the psychologist Robin Hogarth calls learning environments, where all information is available, people wait for each other to take turns, the next steps are clear, and they are based on pattern repetition. If you’re in these kind learning environments, feedback is immediate and always fully accurate, so specialization does work quite well. The problem is, the more that kind of expertise is based on either pattern recognition or repetitive motions, and the more you’re in one of those domains, the more likely it’s getting automated.
“The more varied your training is, the better able you’ll be to apply your skills flexibly to situations you haven’t seen.”
Knowledge@Wharton: From the research you’ve done, it seems that success is more associated with having a variety of experiences in your life?
Epstein: Yes, the more dynamic sports are what Hogarth called more wicked learning environments, where patterns don’t repeat and you have to do things on the fly and at speed, and you have to solve problems you haven’t seen before. You have to take skills and knowledge and apply them to situations you haven’t seen before — do what psychologists call transfer. Whether you are a kid learning math or sports or a scientist working on an unusual problem, what you need to do is transfer knowledge because you’re trying to do something you haven’t done before. And the way you set that up is with this much broader-based learning.
The classic research finding goes like this: Breadth of training predicts breadth of transfer. The more varied your training is, the better able you’ll be to apply your skills flexibly to situations you haven’t seen. You’re trying to learn how to match a strategy to a type of problem instead of just learning how to do repetitive patterns.
Knowledge@Wharton: How much benefit do young adults get from having a variety of experiences in their formative years?
Epstein: You want to find out how important is specialization timing in education, whether kids are picking something pretty early, like when they’re in their mid-teens and studying that, or if they get to do this greater variety of stuff first before they settle in. [Hogarth] looked at different countries that have similar education systems, like England and Scotland, where they’re really similar except for specialization times. In England, the students by age 15, 16 have to pick what they’re going to study because they have to test into specific focus programs in college, versus Scotland, where they don’t. They experiment the first two years and can even continue taking some other courses beyond that, so they get this sampling period. His question is, who wins this trade-off?
The earlier specializers do jump out to an income lead, but they pick worse fits for themselves. They tend to pick things they already knew about, of course, because what else could they do? They pick something they already knew about when they were 16. The later specializers catch them and surpass them by six years out. Then the earlier specializers start quitting their careers in much higher numbers because they failed to optimize their match quality — this is the term economists use for the degree of fit between an individual’s ability and their interest in the work they do. It’s the same exact pattern as with the athletes: The late specializers get out behind, but then they fly past.
Knowledge@Wharton: This also plays into something popping up in business culture, which is that more companies want to assemble teams to complete projects. Instead of having one person who specializes in a task, they want employees with a diversity of experience.
Epstein: That’s a great point, and gets right at a study that I found to be fascinating about the comic book industry. A lot of research in the business world suffers from survivor bias because we’re only looking at the companies that did really well. The business professors who were doing the study picked the comic book industry so they could follow the commercial value of comic books up and down for decades. They were wondering whether individuals or teams could produce more valuable comics on average and be more likely to make a blockbuster breakthrough.
They made typical predictions that came out of industrial production research, that it would be the resources of the publisher, that it would be the number of years in the field that the creator had, or the number of repetitions they had done in the past. Those all turned out to be wrong. The most important thing turned out to be the number of different genres that the creator had worked across 22 different genres, from fantasy, crime, nonfiction. One of the really interesting findings was initially, they did not favor the individual who had worked in two genres. You were better off replacing that person with a team with three specialists who had only worked in one genre each. But after four genres, the individual flies past and can no longer be recreated by the team of specialists. What these researchers were saying was the individual is clearly the best unit of integration as this becomes much wider. They titled the paper “Superman or the Fantastic Four?” because if you can find a Superman who’s been across all these genres, get that person. If not, assemble this diverse team.
“Finding the right goal and finding your match quality in the first place is incredibly important, so you should be changing your interests and experimenting to maximize your match quality.”
There were exactly analogous findings in patent research starting in about the 1990s with the explosion of the knowledge economy, where the biggest impacts were not coming from people who had drilled down into the same technologies as classified by the patent office, but from people who had spread their work across a large number of technological domains and were often merging them. That trend wasn’t always the case. Prior to about 1990, the bigger contributions were coming from the specialists, and then it seems to have changed as the knowledge economy exploded.
Knowledge@Wharton: In the scope of our business culture, have we undervalued the generalist?
Epstein: I think so. I don’t think that means we don’t need specialists. But as eminent physicist and mathematician Freeman Dyson said, we need both frogs and birds. The frogs are down in the mud looking at the granular details of everything. The birds are up above and don’t see those details, but they can see multiple frogs and can integrate work. What he said is, our problem is that we’re telling everybody to be frogs and we’re telling nobody to be birds. That makes us inflexible, and all of our information is coming out of context. I think we need both, but we’re only telling everybody to be one, and I think that’s having perverse effects in some of the areas I wrote about. When I was doing investigative reporting at ProPublica, we were seeing some of the perverse effects of specialization in medicine that I think were well-intended, but just having effects that we don’t want because nobody’s integrating information and looking at it in context.
Knowledge@Wharton: What do you think that means for society, especially in this digital age where we have so much data coming at us?
Epstein: I read this really interesting research that I mentioned towards the end of Range about attempts to basically predict where [scientific] breakthroughs will come from. Basically, you can’t do it. A study of 10,000 researchers’ careers found that someone’s most impactful paper is as likely to be their first as their last as their 10th. The attempts to predict can cause what researchers called a dangerous purifying selection, where you get in a feedback loop where you’re selecting for the same kind of stuff.
These sorts of artificial intelligence where we’re using big data, they’re built for chess. They’re built to get what you got in the past, so if the patterns repeat, that’s OK. But for things like innovation — by very definition, the patterns do not repeat.
I end one of the chapters with the work of [University of Utah marketing professor] Abbie Griffin, who studied the so-called serial innovators. Her work is really interesting because she goes through her studies of what are the traits and experiences of these people who make creative contributions over and over again to their companies? She steps out of the more staid academic language at the end and says, “By the way, dear HR professionals, you’re defining your jobs way too narrowly and therefore accidentally selecting out a lot of these people because they have zig-zagged through their careers, they appear to flit among ideas, they need to talk to people outside of their domain, they use analogies from other domains.” She was saying that when you try to get the square peg for the square hole, you’re accidentally writing your job descriptions too narrowly. I was just at a conference where the head of a company that does machine learning to select employees was there. I think that’s a potentially dangerous idea if you’re in a realm where you’re looking for people to be creative and flexible and create new knowledge.
Knowledge@Wharton: You talk about having grit, which is something that Penn professor Angela Duckworth has researched and written about. What are your thoughts on grit?
Epstein: One of the things that professor Duckworth and her colleagues wrote in their studies was that people who are trying to get through orientation at West Point or to the finals at the National Spelling Bee … have been highly pre-selected for a specific goal and for other specific traits, you can’t really extrapolate the findings outside of those people. I think that’s very astute because life isn’t a six-week orientation or the finals of the National Spelling Bee.
I think that what a lot of other research shows is that finding the right goal and finding your match quality in the first place is incredibly important, so you should be changing your interests and experimenting to maximize your match quality. You don’t want to just blindly say, “Well, if I don’t stick with something, I don’t have as much grit.”
I was delighted because the day before my book came out, Angela’s most recent post was titled “Summer is for Sampling.” It was about making sure you had a sampling period over the summer. You don’t want to do grit just for the sake of grit before you’ve identified a good match and a goal. I was really happy to see her write that.
Knowledge@Wharton: Should sampling occur more within the structure of a company? It seems most companies want to stay in this pigeonhole mentality of what their employees can do.
Epstein: Some companies have it. But I think the pigeonhole mentality is like an oil tanker. You’ve got to start steering it from 40 miles out to shore to get it to go the right place. I think it’s a little bit of generational change.
“You can do all the strength finder quizzes you want, but your insight into yourself is constrained by your roster of previous experiences.”
I went on a podcast with Bill Simmons at The Ringer, which is probably the most listened-to sports podcast in the world. He was successful on his own, then got picked up by ESPN, then had a failure of a project at HBO and then started The Ringer. Some of my former colleagues from Sports Illustrated work there and were hired to do editing and fact-checking stuff. Some of them, like Natalie Rubin, for example, was hired just to edit online stories. Now she’s a famous podcast host because they’ll give people a shot. Some of these people who were hired to do one job have now become famous.
Knowledge@Wharton: Retention is a vital issue in business and one of the reasons why you see some change in the structure and hierarchy of companies. Human resources departments realize how much money they have to spend when they lose an employee. They would rather try to make them happy and incorporate them in more areas.
Epstein: Everything we know about everything is, keep your current employees, keep your current customers, etc., rather than having to develop new stuff, I think there’s a recognition of that. It reminds me of this famous essay called “The Mythical Man Month” by Fred Brooks, who went on to found the computer science department of the University of North Carolina. The theme of the essay is what’s called Brooks’ Law, which is that when you have a software project that’s late, adding more manpower to it will make it more late. The reason that happens is because managers always underestimate how difficult it is to assimilate new people onto that team. They would be much better off with the people on the team learning some new skills instead, but they continue to make the same mistake over and over and over. So, I think it would be good if there was some recognition that you’re way better off developing and diversifying the people you have to make those people Supermans instead of having the Fantastic Four, which probably becomes the Fantastic 100 as the job gets more complex.
Knowledge@Wharton: What is the 10,000-hour rule and its significance?
Epstein: Culturally, it’s extraordinarily significant and such a moving target at this point because so many different people have written about it. What you think it means probably depends on where you read about it. For some people, it’s this idea that there is no such thing as talent and only 10,000 hours of practice is what talent is. It’s just masquerading as talent, but actually it’s just practice. Practice is incredibly important; that is completely uncontroversial among people who study this.
In studies of developing chess skills, the number of hours it takes to get to international master status ranges from 3,000 hours to other people who are still being tracked at 25,000 hours and they still haven’t made it. If you average it, you get the 11,053-hour rule, but it tells you nothing about the real diversity of human skill acquisition. Actually knowing things about your strength and where you fit is really important.
Knowledge@Wharton: What would you like readers to take away most from your book?
Epstein: For one, the things that cause the most graphic progress often systematically undermine long term development. But also that researchers are giving us some good ammo to fight against the sunk cost fallacy in our professional lives — where we get information, we get signals, our insight into ourselves. You can do all the strength finder quizzes you want, but your insight into yourself is constrained by your roster of previous experiences. We learn stuff about ourselves, our interests and our strengths as we try things, so we should have a period of zig-zagging and experimentation like those athletes, like those comic book creators, like those technology inventors. And we shouldn’t just see it as a sunk cost, where you say well, I’ve started down this path, so now I don’t want to get off.
That’s not lost time. You haven’t wasted it. It doesn’t mean that transitioning is easy, but you can take what you learned in one domain and bring it to the other. Like when I was in grad school training to be a scientist, I was a completely ordinary scientist. When I was at Sports Illustrated, suddenly it’s extraordinary and my total advantage. I think we should think about it that way, and HR people should as well, to cultivate this diversity and not define jobs too narrowly, where they’re just getting whatever the LinkedIn perfect algorithm is sending right in their direction, because you’re going to screen out some of the most interesting employees.
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World (Hardcover)
"Don’t Underestimate Generalists: They Bring Value to Your Team." Knowledge@Wharton. The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, 09 July, 2019. Web. 19 January, 2020 <https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/generalists-vs-specialists/>
Don’t Underestimate Generalists: They Bring Value to Your Team. Knowledge@Wharton (2019, July 09). Retrieved from https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/generalists-vs-specialists/
"Don’t Underestimate Generalists: They Bring Value to Your Team" Knowledge@Wharton, July 09, 2019,
accessed January 19, 2020. https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/generalists-vs-specialists/
Why Good People Can’t Get Jobs: Chasing After the ‘Purple Squirrel’
Wharton management professor Peter Cappelli's most recent book -- Why Good People Can't Get Jobs: The Skills Gap and What Companies Can Do About It -- has inspired a reaction from just about every group with a stake in today's
‘Grit’: Why Talent Needs Drive to Succeed
Penn psychology professor Angela Duckworth’s book on grit, passion and perseverance compels a rethink on how we identify and nurture skills. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line841 |
__label__wiki | 0.628265 | 0.628265 | Could Increased Immigration Improve the U.S. Economy?
Law and Public Policy
If you wanted to devise a solution to some worrisome trends on the horizon for the U.S. — threats to continued GDP and employment growth, an under-funded Social Security trust fund — you might consider a mechanism called immigration. Forecasters see challenges in the ability of a limited U.S. population expansion to support economic growth. An influx of immigrants is one obvious answer.
“In relative terms compared to other countries, if we care about our relative position vis-à-vis China, for instance, immigration is going to be a critical part of maintaining that position,” said Alexander Arnon, senior analyst with the Penn Wharton Budget Model (PWBM), on a recent Knowledge@Wharton SiriusXM radio segment.
U.S. immigration policy is extremely important to the future of the economy over the next few decades, notes Arnon, due to the country’s aging population and relatively low native fertility. “If we hold things constant, we’re looking at a population that is roughly stabilizing after a few decades from now. If we want to continue growing, if we want to maintain our relative position in the world population, really the only way we’re going to accomplish that is if we bring in more immigrants.”
But how many more immigrants, what kinds of immigrants and from where? And how should the U.S. structure its policies accordingly? Real data is critical to developing appropriate public policy, and the PWBM has built an online immigration policy simulator demonstrating the impact potential reforms to immigration policy would have on the GDP, population, employment, and the old-age dependency ratio.
The essential findings: Shifting the mix of legal immigrants toward college graduates would have little impact on employment and slightly increase GDP; legalization of undocumented workers would slightly reduce employment and have a negligible impact on GDP; increasing deportations would substantially reduce both employment and GDP; and the largest positive impact on employment and GDP would come from increasing the net flow of immigrants.
The PWBM immigration policy simulator shows users the results of three policy options and combinations of those options for a total of 125 policy combinations — findings that its creators hope will inform policy makers, the media and others. “It’s an important topic, and it’s certainly not going away,” said Kent Smetters, PWBM faculty director and Wharton professor of business economics and public policy.
More Immigration, More Growth
“One of the things that we found is if we increase immigration, legal immigration in particular, the entire population as a whole of the United States becomes younger, there are more working-age people who are contributing to economic growth, and also — given current trends in immigration — the population becomes more educated. And so we wind up with more productivity,” said Kimberly Burham, managing director of legislation and special projects for the PWBM, on the Knowledge@Wharton radio show. “We wind up with a larger tax base that helps tax burdens on ordinary Americans. And it also helps financing for these entitlement programs like Social Security. So increasing immigration can have a lot of positive impacts on the budget.”
“If we increase immigration, legal immigration in particular, the entire population as a whole of the United States becomes younger, there are more working-age people who are contributing to economic growth….”–Kimberly Burham
The need to undergird Social Security is no small matter. The program is currently threatened by a shortfall expected to exceed $14 trillion in the next 75 years, with its trust fund projected to be depleted by 2034. Population growth in the U.S. is also hardly booming. In 2017 and 2018, birthrates declined and death rates rose, with immigration accounting for nearly half of the population growth in the U.S., according to the Census Bureau.
The characteristic of immigrants in the U.S. has undergone significant changes in recent years. For most years since 2010, Asian immigrants have outnumbered Hispanic ones, according to the Pew Research Center. In 2017, India ranked first as country of origin for new immigrants coming into the U.S. with 126,000 people, followed by Mexico (124,000), China (121,000) and Cuba (41,000). The roughly 800,000 legal immigrants coming into the U.S. represent a tiny sliver of the U.S. population of 321 million — about a quarter of 1%.
People arriving now are different from the types of immigrants coming in the 1990s, said Arnon. “Roughly half of new immigrants in the last few years have been college-educated, which is a really stark change. The typical U.S. immigrant in the 1990s would have been a 20-something or early 30s Mexican male with a high school education.”
When the PWBM runs the numbers on a hypothetical additional 800,000 immigrants per year, assuming that future immigrants would be similar to current ones, “that means they are highly educated and generally more educated than the U.S. population average,” points out Arnon. “So increasing that legal immigration number would tend to push up the share of the U.S. population that has a college degree — which has all sorts of positive effects. They typically earn more. They’re healthier. So that’s good for tax base, good for the population in general.”
Burham say that of all of the possible PWBM immigration policy simulator options, “the one that gets the most positive bang for your buck is really doubling immigration, and then also increasing the share of immigrants that have a college degree. And that actually doesn’t increase just GDP. It increases GDP per capita. So that’s sort of more for everyone.”
Increasing legal immigration to 1.6 million people per year would be salutary to the GDP, the number of jobs, the fortunes of Social Security, and would increase the size of the U.S. economy, the PWBM immigration policy simulator finds. Such an increase would, over the next 35 years, put the GDP at 2% growth per year on average rather than 1.7%. By 2050, GDP per capita would be 3% higher if immigration is increased by 50% than if immigration stayed the same as it is now. And it would lead to employment growth and an improvement to the old-age dependency ratio.
Granting legal status to the 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. (as of 2014) would not have much of a ripple effect, according to the PWBM model. Enacting a policy that provides legal status for up to 10% of unauthorized immigrants per year would give nearly all unauthorized immigrants legal status within about a decade. This policy change would have no discernible impact on the size of the U.S. population, the old-age dependency ratio, or GDP, the PWBM immigration policy simulator showed. Such a policy would have a small downward impact on employment.
“Once they obtain legal status, currently unauthorized immigrants may be able to access government benefits such as unemployment insurance and other safety net programs that allow them to leave the workforce, possibly to care for children, or spend more time searching for a job,” says a PWBM brief. “Although legal immigrants are less likely to be employed, they find better jobs to match their skills, which leads them to be more productive and earn higher wages once they attain legal status.”
One of the frequently heard arguments against more immigration is the claim that they are taking jobs from U.S. citizens. Immigration can create problems for labor markets when loaded heavily in a couple of occupations, said Peter Cappelli, Wharton management professor and director of the school’s Center for Human Resources. “Foreign workers on H-1B visas offer employers many advantages: they cannot typically quit the employer who hires them without losing their status, their opportunities in their home country often are substantially worse than these U.S. opportunities, and so forth.”
“Increasing that legal immigration number would tend to push up the share of the U.S. population that has a college degree — which has all sorts of positive effects.”–Alexander Arnon
As a result, said Cappelli, the U.S. labor market does not adjust. “Wages do not rise to reflect the shortfall, U.S. employees do not pursue these fields because of that, and employers then become completely dependent on H-1B workers to fill them. We have seen this play out in earlier periods where nurses and mid-level programming jobs were almost completely filled by foreign workers on these visas.”
The bigger picture, however, is that immigrants are not just labor. They are also consumers.
“Increasing the inflow of immigrants means a bigger consumer market, growing demand for housing, for food, and not only do more people increase demand for existing products, but you also have new markets that get created because immigrants bring new tastes and needs and mix their tastes and needs with local people,” said Wharton management professor Exequiel (Zeke) Hernandez. “Part of the concern with reducing immigration is that it reduces the dynamism of the market. Demand not only declines, but it also does not renew itself. You don’t get as many new categories of products and services.”
This is most obvious if you walk up and down the supermarket aisles, Hernandez said. “Look at all the categories of foods brought by immigrants like Greek yogurt, Mexican tortillas, etc. Less obvious are things like acupuncture, capoeira or zumba. And even less obvious are technologies that come from the ideas and expertise of foreign scientists and inventors. That’s another reason why we want more migration that includes both high-skilled and low-skilled labor. We want more workers, but also as consumers. That is often under-estimated, even in very good economic models.”
Immigrants also play an important role in increasing capital investments, Hernandez said, especially from foreign markets, and attract foreign investments into areas where they live.
“Immigrants bring new ideas and have a higher than average propensity towards entrepreneurship, and we know that results in a whole host of new products and new companies. But they also attract companies from their home countries that make capital investments to serve the needs of immigrant markets or that learn about investment opportunities from the immigrant community,” says Hernandez.
He points to the Central American fast food chain Pollo Campero, which followed its customers to the U.S. — obviously beneficial for the company, because it found a new market that is profitable. “But it is also good for the U.S., because the company bought real estate, hired people in the U.S. and created jobs, and made other kinds of direct investments. That capital is used productively in the U.S. instead of somewhere else.
“From an economic standpoint, the research evidence is pretty clear in showing that what’s best for the U.S. economy is to have more immigration,” Hernandez continued. “Immigrants help the economy because they bring capital, new ideas and innovation, and fill jobs in crucial sectors of the labor market. We need more of that in the economy.”
“Wages do not rise to reflect the shortfall, U.S. employees do not pursue these fields because of that, and employers then become completely dependent on H-1B workers to fill them.”–Peter Cappelli
Economic Considerations — Moral Ones, Too
Hernandez says that looked at purely from a financial perspective, immigrants represent a positive for government, pointing to a 2017 report from National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The total fiscal impact of a new immigrant who most resembles recent immigrants in terms of average age and education creates a positive fiscal balance flow to all levels of government with a net present value of $259,000, according to “The Economic and Fiscal Consequences of Immigration.” Under the same assumptions, the projection attributes $173,000 of this total impact to the immigrant as an individual and $85,000 to that immigrant’s descendants.
Immigrants are responsible for creating an outsized percentage of the largest U.S. corporations. Among Fortune 500 companies, 43% were founded or co-founded by an immigrant or the child of an immigrant, according to a 2017 study by the Center for American Entrepreneurship. The occurrence of first- or second-generation immigrant founders was even higher among the largest Fortune 500 companies: 52% of the top 25 firms and 57% of the top 35 firms.
Fortune 500 companies springing from immigrants and the successive generation employed 12.8 million people worldwide and accounted for $5.3 trillion in global revenue in 2016, the study found. The wealth was spread across the U.S., with immigrant-founded Fortune 500 firms headquartered in 33 of the 50 states.
Most Americans register a positive view of immigrants, according to a Pew survey. “As in recent years, a majority (62%) say immigrants strengthen the country because of their hard work and talents. Just 28% say immigrants are a burden on the country because they take jobs, housing and health care,” stated the survey, which was released in January.
Public opinion, though, is notably riven by political party affiliation. The share of Democrats and Democratic-leaning respondents who believe immigrants to be a strength to the nation came in at 83%, with just 11% calling immigrants a burden. Their Republicans counterparts weighed in with 38% saying immigrants strengthen the country, and 49% classifying immigrants as a burden.
The Trump administration has pursued anti-immigration policies on numerous fronts, including fighting to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and proposing to drastically reduce the number of refugees fleeing war, famine and persecution allowed to enter the U.S. “Our country is full,” said President Trump in the spring. “We can’t take anymore.”
Many of the Democratic presidential hopefuls, on the other hand, share with each other similar views on immigration, noted a PWBM brief, including accepting more refugees, creating a pathway to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants and eliminating or limiting detention of families.
“From an economic standpoint, the research evidence is pretty clear in showing that what’s best for the U.S. economy is to have more immigration.”–Zeke Hernandez
Deportation has been a highly visible aspect of messaging from the Trump administration, with 295,000 deportations in 2017, according to Pew, and yet those numbers are far below their high of 435,000 in 2013 during the Obama administration. But increasing deportations would lead to lower economic growth, the PWBM simulator found. Increasing it by an additional 10% of unauthorized immigrants each year would reduce the size of the U.S. population by 13 million people by 2050, with about six million fewer jobs. More deportations would improve the old-age dependency ratio in the long run, since immigrants would fail to reach retirement age in the U.S. Still, under current law, unauthorized workers don’t generally qualify for federal benefits like Social Security anyway. An increase in deportations of 10% would lead to less economic growth, with GDP by 2050 4% lower relative to no additional deportations.
So if the U.S. needs more immigration, how much more? “I don’t know the answer,” said Hernandez. “The PWBM shows that doubling it would be beneficial. I don’t think tripling it would be disruptive to the economy. We can handle more than double than what we handle already. The economic case is actually compelling. There is little evidence that it would be a bad thing for the U.S., and a lot of evidence to suggest it would be a good thing.”
President Trump proposed in May a plan that would scale back the long-standing family-based immigration system in favor of one increasing the educational and skill levels required for people coming to the U.S. But setting up immigrants for success is also an important factor, and part of that is recognizing the value of allowing immigrants to join other family members already in the U.S., said Sarah Paoletti, practice professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and founder and director of the school’s Transnational Legal Clinic.
“When you have immigrants join another family member, there is a support network, and when you provide the family with some degree of security you are creating a greater likelihood that that family is going to thrive. That is an important values-driven argument and an economic argument,” said Paoletti.
But beyond the economics of immigration, one cannot overlook the other benefits, she said. “What is the value of diversity, what is the value of welcoming new people, new perspectives, new experiences? There are other benefits we get from a just and human rights-driven immigration policy that makes this country so vibrant, and one that we can be proud of.”
Added Hernandez: “In terms of refugees and other involuntary migrants, I think that there is a moral argument that even if we had to incur a cost there are situations in which we should be allowing more immigrants in. It’s a moral blot on the U.S. that in the 1930s it rejected thousands of refugees from Europe attacked by the Nazi regime. Even if it had cost the U.S., it would have been the right thing to do.”
But now the evidence on the economic benefits of migration is increasingly clear that there are few trade-offs between accepting more immigrants and economic growth, Hernandez said. “Now we have much more evidence showing that it’s a win-win — an economic win and a moral one.”
"Could Increased Immigration Improve the U.S. Economy?." Knowledge@Wharton. The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, 10 September, 2019. Web. 19 January, 2020 <https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/us-immigration-policy/>
Could Increased Immigration Improve the U.S. Economy?. Knowledge@Wharton (2019, September 10). Retrieved from https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/us-immigration-policy/
"Could Increased Immigration Improve the U.S. Economy?" Knowledge@Wharton, September 10, 2019,
accessed January 19, 2020. https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/us-immigration-policy/
Where Immigrants Go, Economic Growth Follows
New Wharton research suggests the heated immigration debate often overlooks the effect immigrants have on capital investment, innovation and firm operations.
Common Bonds: How Immigrants Can Influence a Firm’s Foreign Expansion
When a foreign company looks to expand in the U.S., it is more likely to choose a state that has more, rather than fewer, immigrants from its home country, according to recent Wharton research.
Building Business Value by Optimizing Digital Experience Using a Platform-as-a-service Approach
Platform vendors are increasingly offering resources to enhance the digital experience (DX) for users, resulting in a greater ability of businesses and other organizations to enhance productivity and profitability, roll out new products and services faster across more markets as[…]
Mara Alexander
If just having more people, and a larger GDP, were all that mattered, Mexico would be demanding the return of its six million citizens who live in the US illegally. Mexico has one of the largest GDPs in the world, #15, yet falls to #65 in terms of GDP per capita. More immigration would NOT make Americans in general better off. In fact, the CBO said that the proposed amnesty bill S744, which would have doubled legal immigration and would have cut illegal immigration only about 25%, would have increased GDP but would have DECREASED GDP per capita. It would, as usual, be employers and immigrants themselves who benefit. Americans would be stuck with the bill for subsidizing low wage workers. In fact, the entire increase in poverty in this country between 1996 and 2006, based on the ACS, was due to the addition of 3 million Hispanics to the poverty rolls–just about the number of illegal aliens who legalized through the 1986 amnesty.
Jim Bozin
Balderdash!
No one looks into or does anything about why the birth rate declined; cost of having babies, rearing costs, health care costs, and rise in female employment. Having people walk in the back door, doesn’t solve anything but depresses short term wage rates and further burdens scarce resources (borrowing to pay then only paying the interest is a burgeoning long term disaster). Mere exploitation of a population of wannabes.
USA needs a clear vision and strategy to accomplish it, and stick to it through political cycles, but is hopelessly caught in a political blame game tug-o-war of epic portions, fueled by mega-money and phony concepts of economics and government. Adding fuel to that fire, with one-sided logic from experts won’t solve it. China has a plan. We have a “chinese fire drill”.
The demise of the middle class is not in terms of numbers but influence. A billion dollars many times v a couple million from a hundred million who can’t even deduct it any more on their taxes. Who would listen to them?
Edward Dodson
The right to migrate is a human right, subject to conditions that one’s migration does not expose others to disease or criminal behavior. What interferes with this human right is the absence of full employment and an artificial scarcity of such essential goods as “housing”. In those parts of the United States where employment is plentiful, the cost of housing tends to be too high for a significant percentage of the workforce. Any increase in population intensifies the competition for existing housing, driving up land prices so that the construction of affordable housing units becomes increasingly difficult without huge public subsidy.
I propose a unique social and economic experiment that comes out of the analyses of two centuries of political economists, from Richard Cantillon, Adam Smith, Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, John Stuart Mill and (most directly) Henry George.
We select on large city that is experiencing in-migration. The Federal government agrees to provide funding to balance the city’s budget for a period of five years, conditioned on the elimination of all forms of local taxation, to be replaced by an annual charge to owners of land equal to the potential annual rental value of whatever land is held.
Henry George forecasted that this change in how revenue is raised would lead to full employment societies. It would be well worth the time and effort to determine by practical example whether this scheme lives up to its theoretical promise.
This proves to be the most absurd agenda in America. Exponential growth cannot be sustained as to Non Renewable Resources, i.e., water, energy, arable land, resources and, in the end, destroying the environment. We don’t need to keep expanding and growing this economy. We need ZERO immigration if we hope to survive the 21st century. There’s no argument that can support more immigration. We already face huge consequences with 330 million people on our way to 440 million, and then, on to 625 million. Have you visited Asia lately? I have. Once a country allows enormous and unsustainable population numbers, it cannot survive as to quality of life and standard of living. It cannot survive the lack of resources and it will not survive catastrophic climate destabilization. Please publish more writers on the most important issue facing America and beyond: human overpopulation. Frosty Wooldridge, 6 continent world bicycle traveler
This proves to be the most absurd agenda in America. Exponential growth cannot be sustained as to Non Renewable Resources, i.e., water, energy, arable land, resources and, in the end, destroying the environment. We don’t need to keep expanding and growing this economy. We need ZERO immigration if we hope to survive the 21st century. There’s no argument that can support more immigration. We already face huge consequences with 330 million people on our way to 440 million, and then, on to 625 million. Have you visited Asia lately? I have. Once a country allows enormous and unsustainable population numbers, it cannot survive as to quality of life and standard of living. It cannot survive the lack of resources and it will not survive catastrophic climate destabilization. Please publish more writers on the most important issue facing America and beyond: human overpopulation. Frosty Wooldridge, 6 continent world bicycle traveler, author of: America on the Brink: The Next Added 100 Million Americans
ronald strandberg
Is it surprising that more and more Americans are beginning to distrust our “experts” when even the venerable Wharton publishes research like this ?
The article reads like the “experts” started with the conclusion that more immigration is good and you uneducated people better believe us because : 1. We’re Penn scholars and 2. We used a mathematical model .
Why wasn’t there more attention paid to differentiating between characteristics of illegal aliens and lawful immigrants ?
Why not consider that the declining birthrate is not necessarily immutable ? Changing tax policy could have a direct correlation to births.
Aside from economics, wouldn’t it be beneficial to our society if more young Americans could afford kids and homes ?
If more Americans in the lower and middle class had more money to spend I’d guess that would substitute for immigrant consumers .
Do we really care that Acme has Mexican tortillas to sell ?
Why does this article quote a law prof that runs an immigrant advocacy project ? Her opinion on what helps make a just society is at best worthless.
My opinion is that Wharton would be better served if it was more objective and less normative in its publications.
Robert Bessin
Brave article to put forward. Of course you know the reaction of the already affluent comments group here will be to stick to their preconceived notions on this important issue. An objective comparison between countries with anti-immigration policies, like Japan, and our historical record of opening up the US to immigration, at least some of the time, shows in the aggregate that immigration increases the size of the pie, rather than giving less to each person. Immigrants have historically worked hard at difficult jobs, such as cleaning up for us and picking our food. Of course (although some do not see this and that is a mistake from the progressive side) there needs to be rules and limits that are applied fairly, but this research shows the value of immigration with specific quantifiable results.
James Ball
I believe the premise of the article is somewhat spurious, even prisoners in U.S. prisons create jobs and add to the U.S. economy. Once out of prison they keep our police busy, stoke consumer demand for property insurance, and just as natural disasters spur construction and consumer spending, so prisoners fuel the economy through the damage they inflict.
The immigrants I’ve worked with are the cream of the crop scientists and engineers. We steal them away from their home countries where they could do immeasurable good. Many finished their education here and we are getting a great deal with these immigrants they will be net contributors from day 1.
Others, however, are willing to work for sub-standard wages. Pay $20/hr and benefits to pick fruit and vegetables then tell me Americans won’t take those jobs. Yes, we will have to pay the fair market price for our veggies. As it is our food is government-subsidized through policies that attract migrants and flood our schools and hospitals with off the books costs that belong on the price of produce, not our tax and health insurance bills.
It’s one thing to lose out to low paid workers, it’s another to accept culturally incompatible immigrants who don’t believe in democracy, equal justice under law, gender equality, and the supremacy of the U.S. Constitution. Such are unfit for work and citizenship.
I also agree with Robert Bessin above where he says that in the long run immigration is a net contributor.
The first caveat is that politically immigrants can dramatically change the electoral map. California, for example, has been converted into a 1 party state.
The second caveat is that our Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid safety nets cannot be sustained with millions of people who are uninsured, particularly if universal coverage is extended to anyone who enters the U.S. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line842 |
__label__wiki | 0.953989 | 0.953989 | Watch: Dog Bite Release New Video For "Lady Queen"
Atlanta shoegaze/dream pop four-piece Dog Bite have released the official clip for their latest single "Lady Queen".
The song is apart of our current playlist and is taken from the band's sophomore album 'Tranquilizers', which came out earlier this year via Carpark Records.
The video was directed by John Manfredi. Watch it below.
Website: dogusbitus.tumblr.com
Publicado por KOOL ROCK RADIO en Wednesday, August 27, 2014 No comments: Enlaces a esta entrada
Etiquetas: Carpark Records, Dog Bite, Dream Pop, John Manfredi, Lady Queen, new single, new video, Phil Jones, Shoegaze, Tranquilizers
Watch: Dinowalrus Drop Music Video For "Wake Up In The Void"
Brooklyn-based psychedelic synth-rock band Dinowalrus have dropped the video for their excellent single "Wake Up In The Void".
The song is part of our current playlist and is taken from their third studio album 'Complexion', which came out in June 3. Get your copy here.
The video was directed by Pete Feigenbaum. Check out below.
(facebook.com/dinowalrus)
Tags: Dinowalrus
Etiquetas: Complexion, Dinowalrus, new single, new video, Pete Feigenbaum, Psychedelic, synth-rock, Wake Up In The Void
Watch: The Belligerents Unveil "I Don’t Want To Be In Your Arms" New Video
Brisbane indie dance/pop The Belligerents have unveiled the video for their excellent single "I Don't Want To Be In Your Arms".
The song is part of our current playlist and is the first taste from the band's upcoming third EP, set for release later this year.
Get the single here, and take a look at the video below.
(facebook.com/thebelligerents)
Etiquetas: I Don’t Want To Be In Your Arms, Indie Dance, indie pop, Music video, new single, The Belligerents | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line844 |
__label__wiki | 0.946205 | 0.946205 | Online Video Game Lands a Rare League License — the NFL's
Filed to:Quick hit
Quick Hit Football, the free-to-play online football game, will bring NFL teams to its MMO-style team management simulation under one of the very few licenses the league's given to a video game of any type other than Madden.
The deal, made public first through Kotaku, will deliver all of the logos, color schemes, uniforms, emblems and brands of the league and its 32 teams sometime after the real-life football season begins. A specific date was not announced. Players, who act as a franchise's coach and general manager, will be able to pick an actual NFL team to develop or build out a completely unique one, as they have since the game's launch late last summer.
Where Madden Plugs a Gap, Another Sees a Running Lane
In building a football video game without a full NFL license, Jeff Anderson discovered his toughest
Terms of the deal were not disclosed; Quick Hit Football evidently is outside the scope of the NFL's pact with EA Sports, which makes Madden the only NFL licensed game series on consoles, PCs or handheld game systems. Games on mobile devices, such as Gameloft's NFL 2010, which released on the iPhone, also aren't covered by the deal, which dates back to 2005 and runs through 2012.
But Quick Hit wasn't diving at contractual loopholes as part of its development plan, said CEO Jeffrey Anderson, formerly the CEO of MMO-maker Turbine, Inc., and it didn't necessarily consider an NFL license to be a goal this soon. "From the beginning, we have tried to make a real game; we've always wanted to create a real football experience, not a cartoon game or something throwaway," Anderson said. "It's always been our focus, and we believed that if we did a good job and made a great game, then the opportunities would present themselves."
Quick Hit's pact is not an exclusive; but when it brings the league emblems into the game it will be the only online NFL video game on the market. While EA Sports has taken two major properties - FIFA and Tiger Woods PGA Tour - online, there's no indication it has plans to do the same with Madden. Still, Quick Hit's glad to be the first, and to have a deep gameplay engine already in place.
What it does not have, as of now, is a deal with the NFL Player's Association, the union in charge of group licensing for all NFL players' likenesses. So no active players will appear in the game beyond the five current stars with whom Quick Hit has been allowed to negotiate an appearance contract. Anderson, asked if Quick Hit was pursuing or in negotiations for such a license, declined all comment on the subject.
Quick Hit Football is a strategy game, not an action-based one. Players call plays and then the game's AI acts out the outcome. The meat of the persistence experience is in signing, developing and cutting players and building out playbooks to grow your franchise into a powerhouse. The game's free to play, but certain unlockables and points used to develop attributes are available through microtransactions, although they are also accrued for free with enough play. The game features advertising between quarters and in some windows.
Anderson said the game will not change its name to incorporate the NFL branding. With the league, it has plainly become a more attractive property to advertisers, and the company clearly has interest in augmenting that part of its business.
For players, Anderson did not yet offer specifics for how NFL teams will be integrated into the game for existing players who've already invested plenty of time in their own created franchise. "We've got lots of ideas," he said. "We have it mapped out pretty clearly, but we'll defer that questionf or now. The goal is to give people the opportunity to buildan NFL franchise. So there will be some free-access content, some premium content, but where that line is and how we'll shepherd in new users versus existing users is something we can't talk about today."
Still, it's a considerable milestone for a startup that not too long ago was building its game above a coffee shop in Foxboro, Mass., home of the NFL's New England Patriots. Anderson said Quick Hit had contact with the league and built relationships with the Patriots' business management over the past two years, but once it launched a tangible product that the league could see, conversations took a more serious and definite tone.
"I think we represent the next generation of game," Anderson said. "We're not bigger than Madden, we don't have as many features as Facebook - but what we represent is the next generation of gaming and all of those concepts going on right now. [The NFL] looked at what's going on, and saw what kind of opportunity existed, and saw a company at the intersection of that." | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line845 |
__label__wiki | 0.798677 | 0.798677 | RFK Articles
Robert Scheer can't help himself
On the occasion of Barack Obama's overture to end the Cuban embargo and reopen diplomatic relations, Jim DiEugenio berates columnist Robert Scheer for recycling discredited stories about RFK's role in the CIA assassination plots against Fidel Castro, and concludes that Obama is finally doing what JFK was preparing to do when he was murdered.
Back in 1997, Seymour Hersh released his horrendous hatchet job of a book on John F. Kennedy, The Dark Side of Camelot. In discussing the book back then, I wrote that it was best perceived as the follow-up reaction to Oliver Stone’s film about the Kennedy murder case, JFK. The first part of the Establishment’s reaction to Stone’s film had been Gerald Posner’s 1993 book Case Closed. That error-riddled propaganda manifesto was meant to confuse the public as to how President Kennedy was killed. Maybe Oswald did it after all? Hersh’s book was the right cross to Posner’s left hook. It was meant to deflate the image of Kennedy as presented by Stone. He really was not all he was cracked up to be. So, go back to sleep Mr. John Q. Public, nothing was lost with Kennedy’s death anyway.
But there was a problem with Hersh’s pile of rubbish. Namely, it was so bad that even much of the MSM would not approve it. The book got many more negative reviews than it did positive ones, e.g. Newsweek. Some commentators even wrote that Hersh had stooped so low that the volume would be better titled “The Dark Side of Seymour Hersh”.
Up until that time, Hersh had been praised by much of the Left as being some kind of journalistic paragon. He had made his name as one of the men who had publicized the My Lai Massacre in Vietnam. And he had written an expose about Henry Kissinger called The Price of Power. Because of this inflated record, some on the Left decided that Hersh needed to be protected from the pummeling he was taking over his Kennedy book. Bob Scheer was one of those who came to his aid.
Scheer, who had previously worked at Ramparts, was now working for the Los Angeles Times. The column he wrote back in 1997 for his former employer has now been recycled and reprinted at his web site “truthdig”. (click here)
In that column he writes that the CIA had recruited Chicago Mafia chief Sam Giancana to help eliminate Fidel Castro. That is true and is contained in his source, the 1967 CIA Inspector General Report on the plots. Scheer then writes that Attorney General Robert Kennedy knew all about this attempt with Giancana since he was briefed on it in May of 1962 by the Agency.
To read something like that makes me think of the famous response by attorney Joseph Welch to the demagogue Senator Joe McCarthy in 1954, “Have you no sense of decency, sir?” It is true that Kennedy was briefed in May of 1962. But Scheer jerks it out of context so jarringly that the whole affair is denied its true meaning.
The truth is that the CIA had to brief Kennedy about the first phase of the plots. Not because he was in on them, but for the precise reason he was not. What had happened to cause this reluctant briefing is all in the IG Report. In the first phase of the CIA-Mafia plots, CIA asset Robert Maheu had recruited mobsters Giancana, Johnny Roselli and Santo Trafficante. That recruitment had begun in August of 1960, before John Kennedy’s inauguration, under Eisenhower. (IG Report, p. 16) The idea was that the CIA wished to know if the Mafia still had any associates on the island that could get close enough to Castro to slip him some form of poisonous toxins. These would be supplied in more than one possible form, as dreamed up by the CIA’s technical division. (ibid, p. 23) Giancana actually opposed the use of firearms since it would be hard to find someone to volunteer for such an assignment since the escape would be difficult. (ibid) These plots, which featured things like poison pills and exploding cigars, all failed.
In the IG Report, these were termed the first phase of the Gambling Syndicate plots. They seem to have been closed down around April or May of 1961. This was after the failure at the Bay of Pigs. In their report, the authors make an inventory about who was knowledgeable about this phase of the plots. The Kennedys are not on that list. (ibid, p. 35) So why did RFK have to be briefed about it?
Because in late 1961, or early 1962, Giancana called in a favor from Maheu. The windy city mobster was having an affair with singer Phyllis McGuire. But he suspected that she was two-timing him with comedian Dan Rowan. So he requested Maheu arrange to wiretap her room. Maheu was reluctant, but Giancana reminded him that he owed him one for the outreach on the Castro plots. (ibid, p. 57) Maheu then complied. But the local police in Las Vegas discovered the attempt in process. The actual wiretapper then called Maheu in the presence of the authorities. And this information was now relayed to the FBI. (ibid, p. 59) In late March of 1962, his former employers at the FBI called Maheu for clarification as to why they should not prosecute the perpetrator. Maheu referred the Bureau to the CIA.
Since the FBI worked under the Justice Department, a lawyer from Justice, Herbert Miller, got in contact with the Agency. So now, the Attorney General had to be formally briefed on the whole affair, one of the reasons being that Giancana was one of the mobsters that Robert Kennedy was pursuing by all legal means at his disposal.
In early May of 1962, RFK was briefed on how Maheu got involved with the wiretapping, and why Giancana felt he could call on him. (IG Report, pp. 62-63) The obvious question Scheer avoids is this: Why would RFK have to be briefed on the matter if he had known about it in advance?
But that’s not the worst part of what Scheer leaves out. RFK made it clear to both the CIA and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover that he was very upset that the Agency would deal with these kinds of people at all. And that this now endangered the case he had against Giancana. He made it clear that he wanted to hear no more about the CIA reaching out to the Mafia. In fact, as the Church Committee noted, one of the CIA briefers said: ”If you have seen Mr. Kennedy’s eyes get steely and his jaw set and his voice get low and precise, you get a definite feeling of unhappiness.” (Probe, Volume 4, No. 6, p. 7) According to John Siegenthaler, as noted in Ronald Goldfarb’s book Perfect Villains, Imperfect Heroes, RFK called CIA Deputy Director Richard Helms into his office and reamed him over this.
But none of this mattered. For, as the report makes clear, CIA officer William Harvey was already working on Phase 2 of the plots with John Roselli. And Kennedy’s briefers did not tell him about it. (IG Report, p. 64) In fact, Harvey and CIA Officer Sheffield Edwards agreed to falsify the internal record by saying CIA Director John McCone—Kennedy’s appointee—had authorized Phase 2, when he had not. (op. cit., Probe) Why and how Scheer could discard all of this is kind of puzzling. But there is still more Scheer leaves out.
When the Harvey-Roselli plots also came to naught, the CIA then recruited a Cuban national named Rolando Cubela to continue the plots. They gave him the code name AM/LASH. This phase of the Castro murder attempts went on from 1963-65; in other words, well into the Johnson administration. When Cubela asked for proof of high-level authorization inside the government, Richard Helms advised against telling Robert Kennedy about it. (ibid, pp. 88-89) But he decided to send CIA Officer Desmond Fitzgerald to see Cubela under a false name and say he was representing Kennedy. To make this plain: At every major step of the CIA plots to kill Castro, the Agency decided not just to keep RFK in the dark about them; but to lie to him, and then misrepresent him.
In 1967, when the IG Report was commissioned, the reason was that newspaper columnist Drew Pearson had gotten wind of the plots and was publishing a much-mangled version of them. It was clear he did not have all the information that the CIA did. And the IG Report speculates that either Maheu or Roselli was leaking. (ibid, p. 122) Near the end of that report, in summarizing the Pearson stories, the authors of the IG Report declare that it is simply not true that Robert Kennedy may have approved of the plots. (p. 130) To make it even more obvious: the authors then postulate, in a limited hangout mode, if it were possible for the Agency to say it was “merely an instrument of policy?” Their own reply, in black and white, is: “Not in this case” (p. 131) In the report, that question is underlined and is typed all the way across the page, in spite of margins. How the heck Scheer could have missed it is simply stunning.
Scheer also relies on a State Department meeting that General Ed Lansdale had convened about Operation Mongoose. The report makes clear that Robert Kennedy was not at the meeting. (IG Report, p. 112) There was some kind of general talk about eliminating Castro, which John McCone quickly neutered, later telling the authors of the IG Report that those terms were used in the context of overthrowing Castro’s government, not assassinating him. Afterwards, Lansdale inquired to Harvey about it. But Harvey did not want to disclose anything about his association with Roselli at the time. (ibid, pp. 114-15) But further, the records of Mongoose have been largely declassified today, and there is no mention of any such assassination plots in them, just as there is no mention of such plots in any of the Bay of Pigs declassifications. Scheer also left out the fact that every administration official the Church Committee interviewed said that JFK never knew about any such ongoing plots. (Alleged Assassination Plots, pp. 154-161) This included National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy. If that isn’t enough, then how about Helms and Harvey also saying it? (ibid, pp. 148-52, 153-54)
Could it get any worse for Scheer? Yes. As noted, this incredibly shallow and slanted column first appeared in the LA Times back in 1997. Probe Magazine replied to it back then. The LA Times printed that reply in its correspondence section. Did Scheer miss a correction to his own column? Or did he just ignore it?
The occasion for Scheer recycling his worthless column is the visit by President Obama to Cuba. Needless to say, Scheer leaves out the diplomatic back channel to Castro that President Kennedy had set up in 1963 after the resolution of the Missile Crisis. As Jim Douglass so thoroughly described in JFK and The Unspeakable, that back channel—conducted through proxies like journalists Lisa Howard, Jean Daniel and diplomat William Attwood—likely would have resulted in diplomatic relations being restored between Cuba and the USA.
In fact, Castro was jubilant about that possibility after Daniel’s visit in November of 1963. He then got the news of Kennedy’s assassination. He said first, “This is bad news … this is bad news … this is bad news.” He then turned to Daniel and said that everything was going to change now. Which it did. For over fifty years.
Barack Obama is doing what John Kennedy would have done in a second term—had he not been assassinated. And the authority for that is Fidel Castro. In fact, Castro was so sold on this cooperation that he told Jean Daniel that, if need be, he would endorse Barry Goldwater in 1964 to guarantee Kennedy’s re-election. (Jim Douglass, JFK and The Unspeakable, pp. 84-90)
Someone go tell Bob Scheer about all this—before he plants another custard pie on his face again.
Addendum: Jim DiEugenio's letter to the LA Times from November 11, 1997
Times Mirror Square
In his column of November 11, 1997, Robert Scheer wrote that there is no question that Sy Hersh was correct in writing that John Kennedy ordered Castro's assassination. Scheer cites as support the CIA's 1967 Inspector General report on the Castro Assassination Plots.
Unfortunately for Mr. Scheer, he is not the only person in LA with a copy of the CIA's Inspector General report on the Castro Assassination Plots. The report states the opposite of what Mssrs. Scheer and Hersh proclaim. I have attached copies of the pages from which the following quotes are taken so there can be no doubt as to their authenticity. In the report, we find the following explicit, unequivocal statement:
Former Attorney General Robert Kennedy was fully briefed by Houston and Edwards on 7 May 1962. A memorandum confirming the oral briefing was forwarded to Kennedy on 14 May 1962. The memorandum does not use the word "assassinate," but there is little room for misinterpretation of what was meant. Presumably the original of that memorandum is still in the files of the Justice Department. It should be noted that the briefing of Kennedy was restricted to Phase One of the operation, which had ended a year earlier. Phase Two was already under way at the time of the briefing, but Kennedy was not told of it. [CIA IG Report, p. 130, emphasis added.]
Phase One and Two refer to separate prongs of the assassination attempts against Castro. In other words, Robert Kennedy was told only after such plots, which had been ongoing during President John Kennedy's tenure, had ended. Why would he need to be briefed on these plots after they had ended if he was aware of them while they were taking place? Note too that RFK was not told that new efforts were underway to kill Castro. Two pages after this admission, we find the next interesting and quite explicit question asked and answered by the CIA itself:
Can CIA state or imply that it was merely an instrument of policy?
Not in this case.
[CIA IG Report, p. 132]
The CIA has admitted flatly, for the record, in their own report, that they had no authorization for these plots; that they were not following any expressed policy. I hope you can express this correction in your paper.
James DiEugenio
Chairman, Citizens for Truth about the Kennedy Assassination
Author of Destiny Betrayed: JFK, Cuba and the Garrison Case (New York: Sheridan Square Press, 1992)
Last modified on Sunday, 30 October 2016 14:55
Published in Robert Francis Kennedy
One of the most respected researchers and writers on the political assassinations of the 1960s, Jim DiEugenio is the author of two books, Destiny Betrayed (1992/2012) and The JFK Assassination: The Evidence Today (2018), co-author of The Assassinations, and co-edited Probe Magazine (1993-2000). See "About Us" for a fuller bio.
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Home » Printed Items » ANNOTATED – The Brothers of the Christian Schools in the World Today: A Declaration (1967)
ANNOTATED – The Brothers of the Christian Schools in the World Today: A Declaration (1967)
This version of the Declaration, the work of the 39th General Chapter of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (1966-67) is the 1997 translation of the document with annotations in the margins that refer to the Rule of 2015.
Since its publication in 1967, The Brother of the Christian Schools in the World Today: A Declaration has profoundly impacted the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. This impact can be seen in specific sections of the current Rule, approved by the 45th General Chapter in 2014 and by the Vatican in 2015. This annotated version of the Declaration provides documentation of the specific parts of the text which were foundational for parts of the new Rule. On each page of the text that of this version of the Declaration, the citations on the left margin indicate specific Articles in the current 2015 Rule. For further reference, the full text of each part of the Rule that is cited are listed at the end of the document.
This resource was researched and prepared in 2018 by Br. Paul Avvento, FSC.
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Categories: Coordinators, Education, History, Leaders, Printed Items, Scholars, Spirituality, START - SCHOLARS Tags: Education, History, Spirituality
A Little More Information
As stated in the foreword, written by Br. Charles Henry Buttimer, Superior General, “The Brothers of the Christian Schools in the World Today – A Declaration” is a result of the 39th General Chapter of the Brothers (1966-67) and is “an authoritative statement that would serve as foundation and unifying principle of all the Chapter’s work.” The version linked with this entry is the 1997 translation, the need for which is explained by Br. Luke Salm in the introduction.
The purpose of the document “is to invite each of us to resolutely enter upon the path of renewal and adaptation. It appeals to us to renew our patterns of thought, it urges us to a lasting purification, to a continuous revision of our personal synthesis to the end that we may each day respond to the demands of our vocation with fidelity and dynamism. Conversion is always a bit frightening, but let us not be afraid. Let us receive this Declaration as an appeal to rise above our fears and to go forward to the renewal by the light of the great documents of Vatican II. Then we shall understand that this text here presented to you is something other than one document among many. This document imparts the spirit that should animate our renewal and invites us to undertake it.”
The Declaration “should contribute to strengthen further in all our hearts an apostolic virtue par excellence: the assurance of him who knows that he has been called by God, sent by him among men [and women] to serve them, and who is fully aware that the light and the strength of the Holy Spirit are given him that he may be a better servant of God and of youth.”
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The collection of 208 meditations by St. John Baptist de La Salle, each in three parts, that cover a wide range of topics, saints, feast days, and matters directly related to the education of youth. It’s focus is on the person of the teacher and the spiritual dimensions of an educator’s vocation. It is an inspiring guidepost to anyone in the ministry of education. Some of the sentiments in 17th century theology. But much of this book may be applied to one’s own journey as a Lasallian administrator and the demands that the responsibility makes.
You can BUY THE BOOK HERE.
For a short introduction video to the Meditations for the Time of Retreat, go to THIS page or see the tab below.
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__label__cc | 0.674217 | 0.325783 | Citation Analysis & Impact Factors
IntroductionCitation AnalysisImpact FactorMetricsTools
It is important to consider citation analysis and impact factors as they relate to your field of study take into account:
How is an article or book considered successful in your field?
How is a scholar considered successful in your field?
Is there a focus on citation analysis/impact factors in your discipline?
Is there a correlation between impact factors and promotions/tenure in your department?
Citation analysis is the examination of citations in scholarly literature in order to determine the impact of:
an individual researcher
a measure in academic promotions, tenure, etc.
a specific article, book, etc.
establish seminal works in a field
a particular publication
helpful in deciding where to publish your work
a university or department
plays a role in university rankings
Shortcomings
cannot be compared across disciplines
may overlook Canadian, interdisciplinary and new publications
The impact factor, which is based on the citation indexes in the Web of Science and published by Thomson Corporation, is a measure of identifying the predominance or lack thereof of specific journals in particular disciplines. It is calculated by dividing the number of citations in one particular year to articles published in two previous years within one specific journal by the number of articles published in the same previous two years of the same journal. The impact factor of journals, whether open access or not, can be determined provided they are indexed in Web of Science, and can assist authors in deciding in what journal within their discipline to publish.
It should be noted that the impact factor is a quantitative measure and cannot be equated with the quality of individual articles and that not every journal published is indexed in the Web of Science databases. Furthermore, studies have recently questioned the validity of data used to calculated the impact factor since the number of citations refer to a different set of articles as the number of articles to which the citation compare (see Rossner, M., Van Epps, H. and Hill, E. "Show me the data ", Journal of Cell Biology (2007): 179: 1091-1092 http://www.jcb.org/cgi/content/full/179/6/1091).
Over the years, there has been a growing concern over the exclusive significance of a journal's impact factor in situations where promotion and tenure is decided. Since this element is likely to remain an important factor for hiring and promotion, numerous open access journals are measured in terms of their impact factor and compare favourably to for-profit and not-for-profit journals of the same caliber.
With changes in scholarly communication the traditional process of tenure and promotion has received greater attention and there have been efforts to recommend different forms of research output in evaluating promotion and tenure, including digital scholarship and other forms of new media.
Modern Language Association Report on Evaluating Scholarship for Tenure and Promotion (2007)
Scholarly metrics are the means by which to quantitatively measure the impact of a particular author, journal or article. The newer Altmetrics looks at online activity surrounding scholarly content.
Citation Tracking
Looks at the number of times that a particular work, author or journal have been cited in the bibliographies of other works, gives an indication of how they have been received by the academic community.
Author and article level citation counts are available on Web of Science, Google Scholar, PLoS, BioMed Central, plus numerous discipline‐specific databases.
A measure of author influence, the number where the number of articles published by an author intersects on a graph with the number of citations for each article.
First (and most well-known) of many author metrics. Available on Web of Science and Google Scholar if the scholar has created a user profile.
Journal Impact Factor
Measure of the average number of citations made to articles within an academic journal, over the course of a year.
Used to understand the level of significance and impact an academic journal has within its field of research.
New metrics that includes social web activity, such as:
Usage, based on the number of downloads
Peer-review – when a scholar is considered to have be an expert
Citations – using traditional methodologies
Alt-metrics – analyzing links, bookmarks and conversations
Source: Canadian Research Knowledge Network
Academic Tools
Journal Citation Report
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__label__cc | 0.742745 | 0.257255 | Landscapes of healthcare utilization during a dengue fever outbreak in an urban environment of Colombia
Irene Casas1 &
Eric Delmelle ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-5117-22382
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment volume 191, Article number: 279 (2019) Cite this article
The well-being of a population and its health are influenced by a myriad of socioeconomic and environmental factors that interact across a wide range of scales, from the individual to the national and global levels. One of these factors is the provision of health services, which is regulated by both demand and supply. Although an adequate provision can significantly improve health outcomes of a population, lopsided flow of patients to specific health centers can result in serious disparities and potentially delay the timeliness of a diagnosis. In this paper, utilization patterns during an epidemic of dengue fever in the city of Cali, Colombia for the year 2010 are investigated. Specifically, the objectives are to (1) identify health facilities that exhibit patterns of over- and underutilization, (2) determine where patients who are being diagnosed at a particular facility originate from, and (3) whether patients are traveling to their closest facility and hence (4) estimate how far patients are willing to travel to be diagnosed and treated for dengue fever. Analysis is further decomposed by age group and by gender, in an attempt to test whether utilization patterns drastically change according to these variables. Answers to these questions can help health authorities plan for future epidemics, for instance, by providing guidelines as to which facilities require more resources and by improving the organization of health prevention campaigns to direct population seeking health assistance to use facilities that are underutilized.
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Jia, P., & Xierali, I. M. (2015). Disparities in patterns of health care travel among inpatients diagnosed with congestive heart failure, Florida, 2011. Preventing Chronic Disease, 12, E150.
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Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA, 71272, USA
Irene Casas
University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
Eric Delmelle
Search for Irene Casas in:
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Correspondence to Eric Delmelle.
This article is part of the Topical Collection on Geospatial Technology in Environmental Health Applications
Casas, I., Delmelle, E. Landscapes of healthcare utilization during a dengue fever outbreak in an urban environment of Colombia. Environ Monit Assess 191, 279 (2019) doi:10.1007/s10661-019-7415-2
Accepted: 20 March 2019
Healthcare utilization
Topical Collection on Geospatial Technology in Environmental Health Applications
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Till Marriage Do Us Part?
The 79th General Convention will debate a proposal to introduce same-sex marriage into the Book of Common Prayer. Statements have been made for and against the resolution, and there are hints at potential separation. TLC conducted extensive interviews with prominent leaders on both sides of the issue, and gathered excerpts from written statements by a variety of jurisdictions.
TLC will report further on Resolution B012, which was proposed after this story was published in the July 1 edition.
By Kirk Petersen
At General Convention, one side’s major goal is to authorize same-sex marriage liturgies throughout the church, even when a local bishop objects.
The other side wants General Convention to refrain from revising the doctrine of marriage in the prayer book.
Most of the bishops of Province IX (the dioceses of Central Ecuador, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Litoral Ecuador, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela) signed a letter saying they will have to “learn how to walk alone” if General Convention approves such revision to the prayer book , creating echoes of the division seen a decade ago. Other churches in the Anglican Communion — which has already disciplined the Episcopal Church for taking previous steps without awaiting consensus in the Communion — have restated their opposition.
The church has traveled a long road to reach this place.
Same-sex marriage and other gay-rights issues have been on the agenda of every General Convention since at least 1976, when resolutions were passed declaring “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church,” and are “entitled to equal protection of the laws with all other citizens.”
Another 1976 resolution authorized a study of “The Matter of the Ordination of Homosexuals.” Nobody was talking about same-sex marriage, either at General Convention or in society at large.
Forty-two years later, same-sex couples may be married by Episcopal priests throughout the Episcopal Church, exceptin eight domestic dioceses. (In addition, there are dioceses outside the United States where same-sex marriage is not legal.)
A 2015 resolution established same-sex liturgies for trial use, with the approval of the bishop diocesan. The bishops of 93 domestic dioceses have given approval. Eight bishops forbid use of the liturgy in their dioceses:
Albany Bishop William Love
Central Florida Bishop Gregory Brewer
Dallas Bishop George Sumner
Florida Bishop Samuel Johnson Howard
North Dakota Bishop Michael Smith
Springfield Bishop Daniel Martins
Tennessee Bishop John Bauerschmidt
Virgin Islands Bishop Ambrose Gumbs
The Task Force for the Study of Marriage, created in 2015, issued a report earlier this year that called on General Convention to eliminate the bishops’ veto and make same-sex marriage rites legal throughout the church. The main resolution “presents a road map” for General Convention to “40 years of promises of full inclusion in the life of the Episcopal Church for LGBTQ+ individuals.”
The resolution would approve the liturgies “as additions to the Book of Common Prayer (to be inserted following page 438).” To take effect, the resolution would have to be ratified by the 80th General Convention in 2021. Another resolution from the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music calls for a possible “comprehensive revision of the current Book of Common Prayer.”
The difference between trial use and additions to the prayer book involves more than mere semantics. The Book of Common Prayer expresses the doctrine of the Episcopal Church. Bishop Martins says that adding same-sex marriage rites to the prayer book would be a step across the line between erroneous practice and heresy. (Martins is secretary of the board of directors of the Living Church Foundation.)
The other seven domestic bishops opposed to the rites did not respond to attempts to reach them.
The task force offered a separate resolution that would authorize “The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant” in jurisdictions that prohibit same-sex marriage by law.
The task force proposes a third resolution “calling for the development of resources that provide pastoral guidance and teaching on relationships that involve sexual expression” for people who choose not to marry. The Rev. Susan Russell, a task force member and LGBT activist, said this “may be the most controversial” of the resolutions.
One of the 15 task force members opposed the resolutions and filed a minority report.
Will Same-sex Marriage Enter the Prayer Book?
Bishop Daniel Martins: ‘I’m Still Hopeful that Can Be Avoided’
The Rt. Rev. Daniel Martins is Bishop of Springfield and one of eight bishops who do not permit the use of a same-sex marriage liturgy in their dioceses. TLC asked all eight of the bishops for comment; Martins agreed to talk. The interview has been edited for clarity, brevity, and narrative flow.
Why do you oppose the same-sex marriage liturgy?
Jesus quotes Genesis: “For this reason a man leaves his parents and cleaves to his wife, and the two become one flesh.” So the whole anthropology of sexual polarity, that human beings are created male and female, is an essential component of what marriage is. That’s not to say that there can’t be various goods that come from other kinds of relationships between two persons of the same sex, but it’s not marriage. It’s something else for which we don’t have a catchall name, perhaps, but it’s not marriage.
I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but let me see if I understand you. Your objection is to the idea of redefining what marriage means, contrary to the Scriptures, it’s not about disapproval of homosexual actions?
Well, it’s probably both. Thanks for that clarifying question, but the immediate questions that come before General Convention, which cause me to think in very defined, clear terms, are related to the redefinition of marriage.
I’m not at the place where I can accept homosexual actions as something that doesn’t fall short of God’s design for human sexuality.
That’s not to say that anything falling short of the target is necessarily evil, it just falls short, and is therefore sinful. It’s less than what God desires and what God has designed human sexuality for.
In the past, bishops have left the Episcopal Church over matters of gay rights. Do you feel strongly enough about this set of resolutions to do that?
I don’t know where I would go. I don’t feel permission to abandon the flockwould be another answer. William Palmer, a 19th-century Church of England theologian, described his criteria for leaving the church in which one finds oneself. A church has to be in formal heresy, which is a higher bar than erroneous teaching, or erroneous practice: that is, if the heresy is baked into the actual formularies for the church, that which defines its doctrine and worship. His second criterion is that the heresy must endure for multiple generations. I’ve always understood that to mean the biblical 40 years. If a church is in formal heresy for 40 years, then it has ceased to be a church and no longer commands the loyalty of its members.
So, where does that put us now? Has there been false teaching in the Episcopal Church? Yeah, for a long, long time. Is it yet formal heresy? I would say not yet, but we’re on the brink of it. And if indeed we amend the prayer book to redefine marriage, then in my opinion, that starts the 40-year clock. Now I’m 66 years old, so you do the math.
It sounds like if you were going to leave the church, you would already have done so.
Many of my best friends have done so.
Did you consider it for yourself?
I think you consider everything. So it comes back to where would I go?If there’s such a thing as an Anglican soul, then that’s what I have. The Anglican liturgical, spiritual, pastoral, theological, musical package is what draws me into the presence of God more effectively than anything else. So where would I go? Some might say ACNA [the Anglican Church in North America, formed a decade ago by bishops who left the Episcopal Church]. Well, ACNA is like one of those planets in the Star Trek movies that’s unstable and coming apart. Plus it is Anglican-like, but it’s not Anglican, because it’s not in communion with the See of Canterbury. I’m too old to become Orthodox. I can’t learn a whole new tradition at this age in my life.
So if the convention does decide to change the prayer book in the way that’s being recommended, what would you do in response?
I can’t say that I know. I’m still hopeful that can be avoided. I would have to take counsel with my colleagues, the other Communion Partner Bishops, and all of us collectively would be taking counsel with our friends across the Communion, both in the Global South and in the Church of England. I imagine there would be some consulting with the Archbishop of Canterbury. So I don’t have a prepackaged answer for you on that.
Will you leave the church over that?
I don’t expect that I will. How I will behave within the church remains unclear.
Canon Susan Russell: ‘It’s Likely We Will Take Another Step’
The Rev. Canon Susan Russell, a longtime LGBT activist and a member of the Task Force on the Study of Marriage, is senior associate for communications at All Saints Church in Pasadena, California. This interview has been edited for clarity, brevity, and narrative flow.
What’s going to happen at General Convention?
There are three resolutions we presented. One would finish the work that we did last time on the trial use of the liturgies for marriage, and maybe some cleanup work in the Catechism to make all of our language congruent.
The second was a resolution that would approve for trial use a liturgy of blessing for those for whom marriage was not an option.
The third one, I think maybe the most controversial in some ways, was opening up conversations around pastoral resources for those who choose to live in relationships other than marriage.
Given that the Episcopal Church has been moving toward full inclusion for our LGBT baptized for decades now, I think it’s likely we will take another step forward in Austin toward finishing the work we’ve begun.
Bishops say the resolution would take away their discretion to prohibit the use of the same-sex marriage rite in their dioceses.
That would be correct. In its current form, that would be the goal.
Does this trample on the prerogatives of bishops?
The issue is, can a bishop use his or her theological perspective to prohibit those within their dioceses from using rites that have been authorized by the Episcopal Church? We gave it three years of trial use, under the authority of the bishop with jurisdiction. There was a caveat: bishops were to make the liturgies available to those under their pastoral care, even if they didn’t authorize them in their diocese. Some bishops have done a proactive job of arranging for that to happen. Others have not.
The liturgies were approved by overwhelming margins in 2015. We still have eight dioceses where Episcopalians don’t have access to those rites. It really is a kind of sacramental apartheid, where a percentage of the baptized are prohibited from receiving a percentage of the sacraments.
The canons clearly state that any clergy person can decline to preside at any marriage for any reason whatsoever. No one is ever going to be compelled against their conscience to participate in a marriage they do not consider sacramentally efficacious.
It’s less an issue of theological conscience than it is episcopal authority. When our councils for the church make a decision for the whole church, it needs to be for the whole church.
We went through this in some ways with the ordination of women, which was regularized in 1976, and it wasn’t until 1994 that we managed to finally get canonical changes that said you don’t have to ordain a woman yourself, but you do have to provide access. It shouldn’t take that long.
We still have handfuls of people who will cross to the other side of the Communion rail and receive Communion from “the real priest” instead of the woman up front. But there’s room for that! No one questions that. We still have potlucks together, and go to Dodgers Night.
The letter from Province IX talking about learning how to “walk alone” has an ominous tone to it. Are we looking at additional schisms as a result of this measure?
We are long past the point of deciding if we are going to be a church that fully embraces our LGBT baptized — the question is how. There has been grace and time and opportunity for those with what is increasingly a minority theological perspective to know that they’ve been heard, to understand there is always a place at the table. Good people of deep faith read the same Scriptures and come to different conclusions. We respect that, and yet, listening to the Holy Spirit, we are continuing to move forward, and I think that will carry through in Austin.
The resolution talks about making “reasonable and convenient access” to these rites. Is there any room for an argument that going to the next diocese is reasonable and convenient?
I think that would be a tough argument to make. For me, reasonable would be if you have a parish in, let’s say, North Dakota, where the parish wants to do marriage and the bishop doesn’t, to give the Bishop of South Dakota pastoral oversight for that parish regarding those matters.
When you’re a member of a congregation, and your priest is your priest, when it comes down to getting married, the happiest day of your life, you’re told to go to some other diocese and let somebody you’ve never met marry you? That’s not reasonable.
The Task Force for the Study of Marriage:
Two Views on Inclusion
Majority Report: Moving Towards ‘Full Measure of Inclusion’ of LGBTQ+
The doctrine and practice of marriage and other relationships marked by sexual intimacy may never be settled once and for all and will need continuous attention. Full marriage equality for same-sex couples will not be complete until the liturgies for marriage reflect gender neutrality and are added to the Book of Common Prayer. Positioning these liturgies in other liturgical resources continues to send the message of separate and not equal to LGBTQ+ [persons].
Continued study and monitoring of the implementation and use of the trial liturgies to their inclusion in the Book of Common Prayer is necessary to reach the full measure of inclusion. The Task Force suggests that existing interim bodies are well equipped to see the work of the past forty (40) years through to its conclusion.
Minority Report:
Proposal Missed Concerns of Non-White, Non-U.S. Episcopalians
Of the 15 members on the Task Force on the Study of Marriage, one dissented from the task force report: The Rev. Canon Jordan Hylden, canon theologian for the Diocese of Dallas. Hylden is also a contributing editor of TLC. These are excerpts from his six-page minority report.
I am grateful that the Province IX bishops responded to our invitation to submit a reflection. [The statement was signed by bishops representing five of the seven Latin American dioceses.] Their statement makes clear their traditional view of marriage, grounded in Holy Scripture, and urges our church to avoid revising it in our Prayer Book. “If the Church approves these changes,” they write, “they are greatly deepening the breach, the division, and the Ninth Province will have to learn how to walk alone.” These are clearly significant words, and I am troubled by a deliberative process that does not take the time to listen well to the concerns of this community. …
As a matter of principle, I submit that whenever our church undertakes revision in a substantial doctrinal matter, we ought to build meaningful conversation into our deliberative process with those who hold the received position, as well as with those who hold it should be revised. This conversation must I think take particular care to listen to the voices of non-white persons and all the nations of TEC. This I think is true not only for marriage, but also for other issues of substance, such as the evergreen question of whether our canons should permit the communion of the unbaptized. Although our enabling resolution (2015: A037) called for this Task Force to “represent the cultural and theological diversity in the Church,” I do not think this intention was realized.
Will Province IX Walk Alone?
In response to inquiries from the task force, bishops representing most of the Episcopal dioceses in Province IX signed a letter strongly opposing same-sex liturgies. The letter was signed by bishops representing the dioceses of Ecuador Central, Ecuador Littoral, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Honduras. The bishops of Colombia and Puerto Rico did not sign. Excerpts follow.
Over the past four decades, from 1972 to the present, we have witnessed with sadness and distress the rapid decrease/loss of membership of our Episcopal Church, as well as a disregard of the call to embrace and affirm what is established in the Holy Scriptures; practices that now threaten to tear apart and further divide the Church, and distract it from the true mission of proclaiming our faith and making disciples for the enhancement of the Kingdom of God, thus transforming the society in which we live. …
As leaders of the Episcopal Church in the IX Province, we are making a resounding call to all Episcopalians, clergy and laity as well, for an undivided commitment to the Holy Scriptures as the leading authority on faith and practice in the church. We call on all members to adopt practices consistent with the teachings of the Holy Scriptures and to submit ourselves to the teachings of the Scriptures, because God designed marriage between man and woman, for the procreation of humanity, which is a blessing of God (Gen. 2:24-25; Ps. 127:3-5). The Scriptures also teach that the covenant of Christian marriage is holy, sacred, and consecrated by God and is expressed in the shared faithfulness between one man and one woman throughout their entire lives. …
Finally, we urge all delegations of our province to vote “No” to liturgical changes in everything regarding the canons about marriage. … If the Church approves these changes, they are greatly deepening the breach, the division, and the Ninth Province will have to learn how to walk alone.
#GC79Province IXsame-sex marriage
Invisible People, Imaginary Lines
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News Analysis: Toronto Priests Urge ‘Ceasefire’ From Churchwide Division | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line870 |
__label__wiki | 0.880106 | 0.880106 | by Walker Art Center | Oct 26, 2015
Ai Weiwei with a self-portrait in Legos, via Instagram.
“Everything is awesome!” Or so goes The Lego Movie’s slogan, but Ai Weiwei is finding that’s not quite the case. In September, the Chinese artist was told that the toy company couldn’t fill his bulk order for plastic bricks—intended for use on a series of portraits of political dissidents to be exhibited at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne—because “they cannot approve the use of Legos for political works.” Characterizing the corporation’s actions as “an act of censorship and discrimination,” he noted on Instagram this week that “a British firm formally announced that it will open a new Legoland in Shanghai as one of the many deals of the U.K.-China ‘Golden Era.’” But fear not: Ai will likely have all the Legos he’ll need. Thanks to the hashtag #legosforweiwei, the artist has been inundated with messages from supporters wanting to donate Legos to his cause.
Mark Bradford, known for multimedia works that combine painting and collage, has been commissioned to create his most massive work yet, for the Hirshorn Museum’s Inner Circles gallery. The first artwork to fill the space in its entirety, the site-specific “circular fresco” could represent a power move by director Melissa Chiu, who has been criticized for her not-so-site-specific plans to hold the DC museum’s annual gala in New York. This site-specificity, as well as its identity as a fresco, also lends a new level of complexity to Carolina Miranda’s comment that Bradford’s works “channel urban landscapes that have been constructed and obliterated, only to be constructed and obliterated again.”
“I was committed to helping make this film happen in any way I could,” says Addis Ababa–born artist Julie Mehretu of selling her art to finance and produce the film Difret, which tells the the true story of a 14-year-old Ethiopian girl who fights the tradition of marriage-by-abduction. Mehretu describes the film’s creative team as being among the new African modernists, who have greatly inspired her own work. The artist has since been passionately helping the film reach the widest possible audience, a mission in line with her desire to participate directly in political action.
In his millennial work, Frank Stella’s signature, vibrant color palate takes a new turn. “His solo show at Bernard Jacobson is an example of the artist’s masterful ability to continuously challenge the medium of painting,” writes Jeppe Ugelvig. Ideas about both the past and perhaps the future lead to one of these works’ greatest successes–that they seem to defy being situated temporally. Ulvig notes that many of the works recall the past. Several are named after famous Turkish archeological sites, and themselves “resemble excavation sites, with what looks like unusual artifacts half-embeddedd into silvery slabs like remnants of past civilizations uncovered from the soil.” Simultaneously, Ulvig says that the works are “prophetic at times, recalling the scrolling aesthetics of Tumblr, for example, but pre-dating the platform’s rise to popularity by nearly a decade.”
“The days of museums hoarding information are over.” Now more than ever, “an audience-focused fusion of programming and communications” is a popular solution to balancing the numerous roles of museums, from preservation to research to public events. This trend represents a shift from the “monastery” to the “public square” model for museums, as described by Vasif Kortun, director of research and programs at SALT. This shift is leading the museums of today to more closely resemble “spaces for ideas” than “temples of knowledge,” like the museums of the past.
For his first major installation since his wife Jeanne-Claude’s death in 2009, Christo will place “200,000 floatable cubes covered in glittering, dahlia-yellow fabric fashioned from tightly woven nylon” on the surface of Italy’s Lake Iseo for 16 days next June. Visitors will be able to walk on The Floating Piers, which the artist says promises to “be very sexy, a bit like walking on a water bed.”
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A multidisciplinary contemporary art center in Minneapolis, the Walker is a catalyst for the creative expression of artists and the active engagement of audiences. Taking a global and diverse approach to the creation, presentation, interpretation, collection, and preservation of art, Walker programs aim to examine the questions that shape and inspire us as individuals, cultures, and communities. Visit online at walkerart.org.
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__label__wiki | 0.528877 | 0.528877 | Spend a Day at the New York Hall of Science
The museum offers a one-of-a-kind learning experience in the heart of New York City.
Andrew Sheldon • October 8, 2019
"The Art of the Brick" exhibit at the New York Hall of Science. (Photo: Courtesy of the New York Hall of Science)
The New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) is the center of the universe when it comes to interactive science. Founded at the 1964–65 World’s Fair, NYSCI has grown into one of the area’s leading educational institutions that welcomes droves of students, teachers and families each year.
Located in Queens, the museum uses the “Design-Make-Play” method to educate visitors in the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and math. It has 12 permanent exhibit areas as well as several temporary exhibits hosted throughout the year. NYSCI also has a 3-D movie theater and hosts a litany of public programs and events.
NYSCI is always buzzing with activity. Here are a few of the exhibits on display this fall, including the museum’s main fall attraction, “The Art of the Brick,” which runs through Jan. 26, 2020.
(Photo: Courtesy of the New York Hall of Science)
The Art of the Brick
“The Art of the Brick” is the world’s largest display of LEGO art. It features more than 100 sculptures created from over 1 million LEGO Bricks.
The exhibit is the creation of contemporary artist Nathan Sawaya. “’The Art of the Brick’ takes LEGO somewhere you wouldn’t expect and shows you things you have never seen before,” Sawaya said. “The goal with this collection of art is to demonstrate the potential of imagination and the power of creativity.”
The collection includes many works inspired solely by Sawaya’s creativity. But there are also several pieces that are re-imagined versions of some of the world’s most famous art masterpieces, such as Michelangelo’s “David,” Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” and Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa.” In addition, Sawaya created a 20-foot Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton (composed of over 80,000 LEGO bricks).
“Everyone has had an experience with LEGO bricks in one way or another,” said Dan Wempa, Chief Operating Officer at NYSCI. “Seeing how things piece together and then taking them apart fosters engineering skills. And the open-ended nature of LEGO bricks helps people explore their creativity.”
Along with the sculptures, the exhibit includes several interactive stations including Art & Architecture, where visitors are challenged to use LEGO bricks to recreate famous
building, bridges, and structures; and LEGO Drag Race, in which guests can build a LEGO brick car and test it out on ramps of different inclines.
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GingerBread Lane
Visitors can marvel at homemade gingerbread houses made entirely of edible gingerbread, royal icing and candy. The houses are drafted, designed, baked, planned, built, and decorated by chef Jon Lovitch over the course of an entire year. Lovitch will be on-hand at the museum from December 27-30 to lead workshops on making gingerbread houses. He’ll return January 12 to host a demonstration on tips and tricks for gingerbread preservation.
The Design Lab is a drop-in space where visitors can explore, build and create. It has various activity spaces,where visitors are challenged to find solutions to real-world problems. Explainers are stationed throughout the Design Lab should guests need any help solving a challenge. Explainers are young men and women, ages 14 to 24, from the community who work on the museum floor, interacting with the public and helping visitors to understand the science behind the exhibits and demonstrations. Since 1986, NYSCI’s Science Career Ladder has enabled more than 4,000 students to serve as Explainers to gain work experience while being exposed to a wide array of STEM career and college pathways.
The activities at Design Lab are frequently changed based on experimentation, reflection, and feedback from guests. This makes each trip to the Design Lab – and to NYSCI – a unique one.
Connected Worlds
Connected Worlds, held in the Great Hall, is an interactive animated world where visitors’ decisions and actions dictate how the natural world is kept in balance. The six different environments – jungle, desert, wetlands, mountain valley, reservoir and plains – are fed by a 38-foot-high projected “waterfall” that flows out across an 2,300-square-foot interactive floor.
Guests are challenged with keeping their environment flourishing by planting seeds, feeding animals and learning to share the water source among all the “worlds.” The exhibit allows guests to learn about the concepts of sustainability science including feedback loops, equilibrium in a dynamic environment, and casual links and influences.
Science Playground
The fun is not just contained within the walls of the museum. Outside, guests will find several interactive exhibits including the Science Playground. Designed for children of all ages, it features elements such as Archimedes screw and water play area, windpipes, a climbing net, a giant lever, slides, sandboxes and metal drums.
AAA members save 15% on admission to the New York Hall of Science.
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__label__wiki | 0.764087 | 0.764087 | Knox, Philander Chase legal definition of Knox, Philander Chase
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Knox, Philander Chase
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Philander Chase Knox.
Philander Chase Knox was a corporate attorney, industrialist, and two-time U.S. senator from Pennsylvania. He served as U.S. attorney general under President William McKinley from 1901 to 1904, and as U.S. Secretary of State under President William Howard Taft from 1909 to 1913.
Knox was born to privilege on May 6, 1853, in Brownsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania. His banker father, David S. Knox, financed commercial activities in the region around Pittsburgh. His mother, Rebekah Page Knox, was involved in numerous philanthropic and social organizations, and she encouraged her children in community service pursuits.
Knox's early education was in local private schools with the children of other prominent Pennsylvania families. He received a bachelor of arts degree from Mount Union College, in Alliance, Ohio, in 1872. While in college Knox began a lifelong friendship with future president McKinley, who was then district attorney of Stark County, Ohio. McKinley encouraged the young man's interest in the law, and arranged for him to read law in the office of Attorney H. B. Swope, of Pittsburgh.
After spending three years with Swope, Knox was admitted to Pennsylvania's Allegheny County bar in 1875. Shortly thereafter he was appointed assistant U.S. district attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Two years later he formed a law partnership with James H. Reed, of Pittsburgh, that would last more than twenty years. In 1880 he formed an equally lasting marital partnership with Lillie Smith, daughter of Pittsburgh businessman Andrew D. Smith.
"The consciousness of possessing a giant's strength is a sufficient preventive against the tyranny of using it as a giant."
—Philander Knox
Knox's professional skills and personal style were well suited to the business climate of his day. He was intimately involved in the industrial development of the Pittsburgh region as well as the organization and direction of the companies forging that development. His efforts made him one of the wealthiest men in Pennsylvania.
Knox, along with many of his business and social peers, was a charter member of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, on Lake Conemaugh, near Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The club erected a dam to create its private lake retreat. When the dam failed on May 31, 1889, an ensuing flood killed more than two thousand people and destroyed countless homes and businesses in its path. Author David McCullough noted in his history The Johnstown Flood that no money was ever collected from the club or its members through damage suits. But Knox's family contributed to the relief efforts, and Knox and other businessmen used their resources to help rebuild many of the companies and restore many of the jobs lost in the cataclysm.
By 1897 Knox had sufficiently redeemed himself to be elected president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. In 1899 his longtime friend President McKinley offered him the position of attorney general of the United States. Knox declined McKinley's initial offer because he was heavily involved in the formation and organization of the Carnegie Steel Company, so the position went to john w. griggs.
When Griggs resigned in 1901, McKinley again offered the position to Knox. This time Knox accepted. He began his term on April 9, 1901. Within the year he brought an antitrust action against the Northern Securities Company, through which James J. Hill, John Pierpont Morgan, and others had attempted to merge the Great Northern, the Northern Pacific, and the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroads. Knox guided the litigation through several appeals and made the winning argument before the U.S. Supreme Court (Northern Securities Co. v. United States, 193 U.S. 197, 24 S. Ct. 436, 48 L. Ed. 679 [1904]).
Later in 1901 he ruled against executive authority—and his own preferences—when he advised that game refuges in the national forests could be established only through legislation. He told President McKinley that he regretted having to make that decision: "I would be glad to find authority for the intervention by the Secretary [of Interior] for the preservation of what is left of the game … but it would seem that whatever is done in that direction must be done by Congress, which alone has the power" (Baker 1992, 405). Knox stayed on as attorney general under President Theodore Roosevelt. In 1902 he traveled to Paris to examine the title to a canal concession across the Isthmus of Panama. Knox validated a French company's questionable title (in a three hundred-page opinion) and opened the way for the United States to purchase the company's interests. The incident is often cited as an example of the law being manipulated by presidential prerogative. Knox reportedly said afterward that Roosevelt's plan to acquire the canal concession was not marred by the slightest taint of legality.
His service as attorney general ended June 10, 1904, when Governor Samuel W. Pennypacker, of Pennsylvania, appointed him to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator Matthew S. Quay. Knox took Quay's seat in the U.S. Senate July 1, 1904, and was subsequently elected to a full six-year term. During his term he was active and influential, especially in railroad rate legislation. He served on the Judiciary Committee, took a prominent part in a debate over tolls for the Panama Canal, and for a time was chairman of the Senate committee on rules.
He resigned his Senate seat March 4, 1909, to accept President Taft's appointment as secretary of state. Under Taft the focus of foreign policy was the encouragement and protection of U.S. investments abroad. Taft's approach, often called dollar diplomacy, was first applied in 1909, in a failed attempt to help China assume ownership of the Manchurian railways. Tangible proof of Knox's efforts in this attempt can be seen today in Washington, D.C.: the Chinese government gave him two thousand cherry trees that still blossom each spring. More successful attempts at dollar diplomacy were eventually made in Nicaragua and the Caribbean.
In March 1913 Knox returned to the Practice of Law. He did not last long. Just three years later, he announced his intention to seek a second term in the U.S. Senate. He was elected November 6, 1916. He was an outspoken opponent of the League of Nations, and he took a leading role in the successful fight against the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles at the close of World War I because, he said, it imposed "obligations upon the United States which under our Constitution cannot be imposed by the treaty-making power."
On October 12, 1921, Knox collapsed and died outside his Senate chamber in Washington, D.C. He was sixty-eight years old. He was buried near his home at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
Baker, Nancy V. 1992. Conflicting Loyalties: Law and Politics in the Attorney General's Office, 1789–1990. Lawrence, Kans.: Univ. Press of Kansas.
Dictionary of American Biography. "Philander Chase Knox." 1928–1936. In Dictionary of American Biography, Vol. V, Hibben-Larkin, edited by Dumas Malone. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Reisman, W. Michael. 1983. "The Struggle for the Falklands." Yale Law Journal (December).
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__label__wiki | 0.73737 | 0.73737 | A press release announcing the launch of Defectors and the Liberal Party 1910 to 2010, by Dr Alun Wyburn-Powell, University of Leicester.
A new study on political defections from Manchester University Press has identified an ‘archetype’ for someone who is likely to break political ranks. The research, published in the week of Lord Stevens’ defection to UKIP, charts a history of defections over a century.
Dr. Alun Wyburn-Powell, from the School of Historical Studies at the University of Leicester, said: “Virtually every week there are defections among local councillors and also less frequently among MEPs, MPs and Lords. Defections grab headlines, worry party leaders and can change the dynamics of Parliament. Defections have never been comprehensively studied before and are not well understood by party leaders or commentators.”
“Over the last century the most likely individuals to defect were male, wealthy, divorced, Eton-educated, from a minority religion, former senior army officers and those who entered politics early.”
“There is a pattern to defections. It is not just a random group of individuals taking one-off decisions. Among defectors, 53% defected for better prospects, 43% over policy and 3% because of personalities. Defection, on average, is a career-enhancing move – chances of ministerial office and honours are higher for defectors than for loyalists.”
“A political defection is an expert opinion on the state of the party at a particular point in time. My findings are based on a study of all 707 people who sat as a Liberal or LibDem MPs from 1910 to 2010. Of all these MPs 16% (about one in six) defected. I also studied the smaller number of MPs and former MPs who defected into the Liberals/LibDems and investigated the cases of other defectors who went straight from Labour to the Conservatives and vice-versa. Virtually all Liberal defectors to the Conservatives were happy with their move, but over half of Liberal defectors to Labour were dissatisfied.”
Looking at the most recent defections of sitting MPs, Dr. Wyburn-Powell said: “It is the Conservatives who are suffering the most defections. This is a turn-around – for most of the last century the Conservatives were the most cohesive party and the Liberals the most likely to suffer defections.” “This pattern may well continue, if the actions of Lord Stevens and departing Conservative councillors are an indication of things to come. Some Conservative MPs are uncomfortable with the coalition and disillusioned about their own career prospects, with many Liberal Democrats occupying ministerial jobs. The coalition government’s attitude towards Europe has alienated many Conservatives and they see UKIP posing a serious threat in some constituencies. Conversely, few Liberal Democrats are defecting, which signals a change from past examples set by the party. Given the rare chance that the coalitions has presented, most Liberal Democrats find that they prefer being unpopular but in power, to being liked but ignored as a forgotten third party.”
Dr Wyburn-Powell added: “I set out to explore the reasons for defections from the Liberal Party in order to discover their role in the party’s near collapse and recovery. The reasons for, and timing of, the decline of the Liberal Party is still contested by historians. My research pinned more of the blame for outward defections on Lloyd George than on Asquith or any other leader. I suspected that there were undiscovered patterns in past defections and that they were not just a random collection of individual decisions.”
“My research reveals a long-term social compatibility between the Liberals and the Conservatives, which was not the case between the Liberals and Labour. However, in terms of policy, Labour and the LibDems are fairly compatible. It is in the interests of both these parties to work on their relationship, as they may need to form a coalition after the next election.”
“Investigating past relationships between parties can lead to a better mutual understanding and respect, which can help in the formation of a future coalition. Studying the reasons for past defections can help parties to avoid losing future defectors.”
• Dr. Wyburn-Powell’s, ‘Defectors and the Liberal Party 1910 to 2010 – A Study of Inter-party Relationships’ was released this week through Manchester University Press.
The foreword is written by Lord Adonis.
NOTE TO NEWSDESK: You can interview Dr Wyburn-Powell on 01926 885520 or [email protected]
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__label__cc | 0.502395 | 0.497605 | Review - Robert Nozick
by David Schmidtz (editor)
Cambridge University Press, 2002
Review by Adriano Palma
May 6th 2003 (Volume 7, Issue 19)
There are three reasons why this writer is unhappy. 1. Robert Nozick died, 2. I miss him, 3. For the vagaries of the publishing world, the contributions to the volume do not take into account Nozick's Invariances, one of the finest pieces in metaphysics in the last few decades.
The volume under review has a composite character. Said character is mandatory given its subject. Nozick once quipped he never intended to spend time writing the "son" of Anarchy, State, and Utopia. No Hollywood sequels, no scholastic debates, but new ideas, to sum up his lesson. The lesson is welcomed during a time when much philosophy tends to acquire its solid status of debates within debates, Ptolemaic epicycles that add nothing much.
Three distinct themes run through the text.
I. Nozick's opus on his anarchic utopia is a masterpiece for all its failings. The best test is to read it now and see it bears the weight of time and criticisms. The first four essays here point to different aspects of the debate. The most interesting, I surmise, is the view that Nozick retains a special ambiguity. A minimal state is a state that can arise with no infringing of rights, or so the proof is supposed to show. What remains unproven is whether this is in itself a good thing. Nozick liked to present his case as utopian, and maybe we should leave it at that. To my mind the 1974 book remains the best case made for the plausibility of non-sentimental anarchism. Miller and Sanders (pp. 11 and ff.) deal with general framework of ASU and with the specific Lockean flavor that is given to the content of the rights individuals have. L. Lomasky presents a nicely articulated rejection of Nozick's rejection of his utopian libertarian society. The gist is that the repudiation revolves around a notion of symbolic value in actions, that we see no reason why i) it should be a political level (as opposed to churches, groups, or single ritualized acts performed by individuals) and ii) why everybody ought to like it. Pettit in his "Non-consequentialism and Political Philosophy" tackles a far more substantial criticism. Nozick assumes that individuals have rights (and nobody and no-thing can do anything that infringes on those rights without doing something immoral.) Quite directly Pettit points out that such deontological views will be of no help in choosing ranking of rights or even in judging why they are such a good things. It seems to me likely that, short of metaphysics of rights, Pettit is right. In assessing why a political entity (a state) is constrained to not infringing on some rights, we are willy nilly bound to resort to consequentialist considerations. I am not completely sure, though, that on the metalevel that Pettit calls questions of justification to the limit (p. 103) we are all consequentialists. Gaus (in the sixth essay) points to the weaknesses of Nozick's theory of symbolic actions. It was this theory that motivated his own rejection of the libertarian philosophy of ASU. Consider for the sake of the argument that a principled reason has a symbolic value to oneself and to others in the sense of being a token of a commitment as well as an action itself, viz. declaring that cheating at gambling is illegal we want to signal that we are not cheating and that we expect others not to as well. The crux of the argument on the symbolic utility of actions, to adopt the terminology here deployed, is, given that it does exists, whether its proper place is in the public (or political and legal sphere) or in the realm of voluntary action. For what is worth it, this writer view sides with the old timers (symbolic value ought to be like principled reasons for individuals that need not need any support form the state.) How realistic and/or how utopian all of this can be can be easily checked against one's own intuitions about the probity/morality/legality of prohibiting drugs. (I don't call them illegal substances because that is precisely the controversial point.)
II. In his Philosophical Explanations, Nozick stakes out an epistemology that is not completely original (Dretske before him hit on the same themes.) Facing the traditional conundrums of Gettier, Nozick opts for knowledge claims that are beliefs, that are true, and that are not necessarily justified. This is the truth-tracking feature (a counterfactual property as it were.) The seventh essay, by Michael Williams, debates exactly this objective notion of knowledge, positing instead that knowledge is constituted by normative claims. Nozick opts for a notion of knowledge that is purely objective, i.e. you may know that X without yourself having nay idea that you know that X, and nobody else has any idea either. To make the contrast clearer, knowledge here is seen as viral: you may be a symptom-less carrier. When knowledge is seen as a normative notion something has to give: you have, if you know that X, to be able to justify, rationalize, or otherwise tell me some story on why it is so, and to some degree even whence it comes about. It is an interesting open question, whether we do not in fact have both notions of knowledge operative in our cognitive endowment. To say the very least, we do not have a better grip of normative notions w.r.t. objective ones. It remains, as it is observed in two essays in this volume, that the notion of knowledge employed is what determines whether one takes seriously or not the venerable and purely philosophical question of skepticism. In its general and strongest form the skeptic demands that any real and possible, or merely conceivable alternative that could be a defeater of a knowledge claim is shown not to hold. To be very generous it is not very clear (I am inclined to think there is no answer to the skeptic in the strong form) in which way Nozick's notion of subjunctive knowledge with its apparatus of possible worlds would help defeat the skeptic.
III. In a series of contributions (viz. Socratic Puzzles and Examined Life) Nozick started writing in a different notes and tones. His own life is examined, in tones and style that irritated many academics. Here lies a great deal of originality. In a way it is a return to a form of philosophy now unpopular. I learn, e.g. from P. Hadot, that it was dominant in some areas of the classic Mediterranean world. At least two of the essays here under review here (beginning with E. Millgram, p. 175 and ff.) deal with this intriguing possibility: philosophy is a form of fashioning a certain character, in the sense in which a scene or a play has a cast of characters. Millgram tries out one difficult line of thought. Nozick might have wanted to see his work not a set of propositions (the kind of standard materials for philosophical theories.) His building blocks are proposed to a reader as thinking aids and not as the final truth-functionally valuable objects. It is my estimate that this is probably a good assessment only of Examined Life. In most other cases Nozick was as keen as any other philosopher to try out the best view he could come up with, though without any set goal of convincing others. The others ought to be aware of the alternatives to be explored. Millgram even thinks that Nozick succeeds in creating a "persona" that is not fascinating either to its author or to the public. Nozick as anti-Nietzsche is probably not an unfair way of characterizing the outcome.
The last piece (by the editor of the entire volume) appropriately balks at drawing any conclusion. In all likelihood there is no one meaning of life. There are senses in which we grow up. I am just afraid I grew up in ways that are fairly distant from Schmidtz (see e.g., pp. 212 and ff. on the meaning of life as a personal touch: I feel the most meaningful lives are those utterly devoid of anything personal, but this would take a long time even to articulate.)
What is most interesting in Nozick's work is that he is his best critic. Several authors here and elsewhere still debate his own criticism of his first book. His notion of symbolic meaning (introduced in several lectures during the 90's and dealt with analytically in his The Nature of Rationality) affords him a specific criticism of his own views. Charity, even enforced charity, or the prohibition of drugs, can be justified even on narrow grounds, in terms of the symbolic contribution they make to the meaning of political decision-making. In this volume the authors often oscillate between an almost nostalgic appreciation of early Nozick and the earnest discussion of the novelty of the idea.
It is indeed a pity that Nozick died. If there is one thing that remains of his legacy is the quality of the discussion. One author here notes that there is no "Nozick-ism" about, he left no school to follow, no doctrine to endorse, no slogan to shout. Rather, he left a lesson of intellectual integrity and immense analytical acumen. The simple testing ground is the profundity and the novelty of his discussion of Newcombe's paradox. I assume for brevity's sake readers are familiar with the paradox (if not there are entire volumes devoted to it.) Though invented by a physicist, the paradox points to a real difficulty in our notion of rationality, which has very little to do with the intricacies of quantum mechanical reasoning. Nozick's analysis, surprisingly for a philosophical point, is borne out in several empirical studies on the subject (for the cognoscenti: the actual relative weight of the sums placed in the boxes has an effect on the kind of intuition that prevails as principle of choice between the two boxes and the one and only one box options.)
With the regrets above indicated, I cannot but hope the reading of these essays will push people to look again Nozick's work, including the treatise on objectivity that saw it to print after the author was killed by cancer. It contains what is probably one of the finest analyses of what necessity and contingency are. Some of the essays here are sternly critical of their object, and rightly so. If someone was capable of enjoying controversy it was Bob Nozick. To him, with humility and a plea to younger readers to read him, this is dedicated.
© 2003 Adriano Palma
A. P. Palma, Univ. Paris-X and Inst. J Nicod, Paris | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line897 |
__label__wiki | 0.53864 | 0.53864 | Review - Trauma
by Patrick McGrath
Review by Margaret Riley, MS, RN
Nov 18th 2008 (Volume 12, Issue 47)
When I made my request to review the book, Trauma, my preconceived notions directed my thoughts. As a nurse that has worked in a busy and acute Intensive Care Unit, with patients that have included various traumatic injuries and accidents, it was this sort of trauma that I anticipated. Physical trauma: from auto accidents and shootings; from knifings and falling from buildings. Instead, Patrick McGrath's novel is about psychological trauma. While I know a fair bit about physical trauma and the havoc it wreaks on the human body, I'm not very knowledgeable about emotional or psychological trauma. It was very interesting and actually educational, to read this story.
The main character of this novel -- Charlie Weir, is himself a psychiatrist. His first-person account includes tales of the long-past interwoven with recent-past and the present. He tells of his childhood -- a dysfunctional mixture of people including a slacker of a father, a depressed writer and heavy-drinker of a mother, and an overbearing artist older brother. Charlie apparently headed to psychiatry as a natural progression – he found himself trying to take care of people's emotional pain and problems even as a child.
Trauma makes its way along a path of milestones. Because of the mixture of past and present, the path is not always straight, but is intertwined, rather as memories and stories are: some past recollections and some present events and circumstances. Milestones include Charlie's mother's death and funeral. This funeral also brings Charlie and his ex-wife, Agnes together in an odd relationship of mutual support and a shared intimacy. His ex-wife has primary custody of their daughter; the relationship seems to have been cordial since their split, but after the funeral they share an increase in their relationship: filling a void they have apparently both felt, in spite of her remarriage.
Meanwhile, another relationship develops for Charlie: he sees a woman at a restaurant, and meets her at his brother's home. This quickly becomes intimate as well, and before long he and Nora are sharing his apartment. He continues also, with the relationship with his ex-wife, in occasional fashion, the timing of their encounters usually determined by her.
Mental illness is evident all around: Charlie is a practicing psychiatrist, with a private practice. Some of his patients and their illnesses are described. The attempted suicide of a current patient is detailed, as is visiting him in the hospital, and encounters with the patient's wife. Charlie's family alone is filled with DSM-IV diagnoses: depression and bipolar disorder are examples that come easily to mind. Agnes's childhood included abuse, and her adulthood included the suicide of her brother: a Viet Nam veteran that suffered Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and alcoholism. Since his death, she has suffered at least depression, but also anger and blame, misdirected at Charlie. Their marriage broke up shortly after the suicide.
Charlie himself is probably depressed, at least sometimes. Because Charlie was Agnes's brother's psychiatrist, and the person who discovered his body after the successful suicide, he suffers guilt. Soon after Charlie and Nora begin living together, her mental illness becomes apparent. She is emotionally unstable, with mood swings, outbursts and heavy drinking. When this becomes unavoidably evident, Charlie tries to get her into counseling, but she's resistant.
As Charlie's world changes, especially through losses, the book comes to a surprising conclusion. I'll not provide details in this review, as I think it's important to follow the book in the way McGrath has designed it: not to read the last page or two first as some do with mysteries, but to read each page as it comes. My own awareness and knowledge of trauma has been enhanced by this novel. In my mind, the very definition of the word “trauma” has expanded to readily include emotional or psychological trauma as well as that physical trauma that I expected from the word before reading this. So many examples of the fragility of the mind, of the many ways that it can be injured and indeed traumatized, are hard to ignore and fascinating to read. Trauma allows for a definite appreciation for the whole and uninjured mind, and perhaps for its rarity, and a renewed empathy for the mind that has suffered trauma.
© 2008 Margaret Riley
Margaret Riley, M.S., R.N. -- has been a Critical Care nurse in a highly acute ICU in the Denver Metro Area since graduation from nursing school. She continues to work occasionally in that setting, but now works full-time as a faculty member at her Alma Mater. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line898 |
__label__wiki | 0.891139 | 0.891139 | City Center Square’s new owners secure $60M for renovations
A substantial renovation will be coming to City Center Square after Somera Road Inc. bought the building in mid-January for an undisclosed amount.
Dallas-based Holliday Fenoglio Fowler LP said in a release Tuesday that the company secured $60.2 million in acquisition bridge financing on behalf of Somera Road.
According to the release, Somera will use proceeds from the loan “to renovate, rebrand and reposition the property as the premier downtown office tower in Kansas City.”
Located at 11th and Main streets, the 30-story, 657,070 square-foot building is home to the Kansas City Business Journal, Pinsight Media + and Alight Analytics. Its market value last year was $17.37 million, according to Jackson County property records. The building’s occupancy rate is 50 percent.
The renovation will include a “state-of-the-art fitness center and tenant lounge, numerous in-house dining options, a fully-activated lobby, a hospitality center, a conferencing center and a revival of the property’s iconic lightwell,” the HFF release said. “Furthermore, Somera Road intends to activate the exterior with retail terraces and public seating.”
HFF Director Leon McBroom and Senior Managing Director Mark Katz represented the borrower.
Representatives from HFF and Somera Road could not be reached for comment before publication.
By Miranda Davis – Staff Writer, Kansas City Business Journal
Original Post: https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2019/01/29/city-center-square-somera-road-renovations-hff.html
Investor sees potential in center that was one of St. Louis’ most delinquent properties
Village Square Center in Hazelwood spans nearly 22 acres, is about 40 percent occupied and was last renovated in 2006.
Appraised for $4.2 million and owing more than $18 million on its mortgage, the center was named one of St. Louis’ most delinquent properties at the end of last year by data analytics firm Trepp.
And for Somera Road Inc. the dilapidated mixed-use development ticked all of its boxes.
The New York-based commercial estate investment firm targets value-add, opportunistic acquisitions. Over the past three years, Somera Road has invested nearly $1 billion in 9.5 million square feet across the U.S., including in Kansas City, Indianapolis and Memphis. Property types under Somera range from industrial to student housing, said founder and Managing Principal Ian Ross.
Of particular interest are properties distressed due to bankruptcy, partnership disputes, and in the case of Village Square Center, loan defaults.
“We take a very active asset management approach to turn the lights back on,” Ross told the Business Journal.
Built in 1965 as a retail destination for north St. Louis County, Village Square was converted into an office park in 1998. Cash flow issues led the loan to be transferred to a special servicer in 2010 and a foreclosure followed in 2012. The property’s appraised value fell 84 percent over a 12-year period to $4.2 million at its most recent appraisal in May 2018, according to Trepp. (Several free-standing buildings at Village Square are not part of the loan’s collateral, Trepp added.)
Its position along one of the most traveled corridors in the region at Lindbergh Boulevard and Interstate 270, proximity to office development near St. Louis Lambert International Airport and such long-term tenants Convergys Corp. and Concentra Health made Village Square the right opportunity, Ross said.
Somera Road bought the property at auction for an undisclosed price and closed on the deal in mid-December.
“The optionality with regards to its existing bones, as well as the magnitude of the physical dirt, provides a lot of options,” Ross said.
Somera is working with the city of Hazelwood, which commissioned a market study in 2016, on the best options for redevelopment. The firm’s managing director, Fergus Campbell, and senior associate, Michael Ervolina, met with City Manager Matt Zimmerman and Community & Economic Development Coordinator Becky Ahlvin as recently as last week. Somera has also met with architects and brokers from such firms as CBRE, Colliers, Balke Brown Transwestern and L3 Corp.
It’s early to project when residents and commuters could see progress at Village Square, Ross said, but he added that “we want to embrace what’s good about the property.”
“It has excellent tenants already. We want to make it an even better working environment.”
By Steph Kukuljan – Reporter, St. Louis Business Journal Jan 29, 2019, 2:24pm CST
Original Post: https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2019/01/29/investor-sees-potential-in-center-that-was-one-of.html | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line899 |
__label__cc | 0.627532 | 0.372468 | July 1, 1968: Remarks on Signing the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
About this speech
Source National Archives
President Johnson speech announces the signing of the treaty which he announces as the most important treaty since the beginning of the nuclear age. He explains the purpose of the treaty—to limit the spread of nuclear weapons, abate the nuclear arms race, reduce danger and fear among the nations’ citizens, and to lay the foundation for future cooperation and peace. Johnson also affirms the treaty as the collaborative effort of all nations involved to instate world order. At the end of the speech, President Johnson officially announces the agreement between the USSR and United States to reduce offensive nuclear arms and defense systems.
Presidential Speeches | Lyndon B. Johnson Presidency
Miller Center: July 1, 1968: Remarks on Signing the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
Secretary Rusk, Your Excellencies, honored Members of Congress, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:
This is a very reassuring and hopeful moment in the relations among nations.
We have come here today to the East Room of the White House to sign a treaty which limits the spread of nuclear weapons.
More than 55 nations are here in Washington this morning to commit their governments to this treaty. Their representatives are also signing today in Moscow and in London. We hope and expect that virtually all the nations will move in the weeks and months ahead to accept this treaty which was commended to the world by the overwhelming majority of the members of the United Nations General Assembly.
The treaty's purposes are very simple:
—to commit the nations of the world which do not now have nuclear weapons not to produce or receive them in the future;
—to assure equally that such nations have the full peaceful benefits of the atom; and
—to commit the nuclear powers to move forward toward effective measures of arms control and disarmament. It was just a year ago that Chairman Kosygin and I agreed at Glassboro that we would work intensively in the time ahead to try to achieve this result.
After nearly a quarter century of danger and fear—reason and sanity have prevailed to reduce the danger and to greatly lessen the fear. Thus, all mankind is reassured.
As the moment is reassuring, so it is, even more, hopeful and heartening. For this treaty is evidence that amid the tensions, the strife, the struggle, and the sorrow of these years, men of many nations have not lost the way—or have not lost the will—toward peace. The conclusion of this treaty encourages the hope that other steps may be taken toward a peaceful world.
It is for these reasons—and in this perspective—that I have described this treaty as the most important international agreement since the beginning of the nuclear age.
It enhances the security of all nations by significantly reducing the danger of nuclear war among nations.
It encourages the peaceful use of nuclear energy by assuring safeguards against its destructive use.
But, perhaps most significantly, the signing of this treaty keeps alive and keeps active the impulse toward a safer world.
We are inclined to neglect and to overlook what that impulse has brought about in recent years. These have been fruitful times for the quiet works of diplomacy. After long seasons of patient and painstaking negotiation, we have concluded, just within the past 5 years:
—the Limited Test Ban Treaty,
—the Outer Space Treaty, and
—the treaty creating a nuclear-free zone in Latin America.
The march of mankind is toward the summit—not the chasm. We must not, we shall not, allow that march to be interrupted.
This treaty, like the treaties it follows, is not the work, as Secretary Rusk said, of any one particular nation. It is the accomplishment of nations which seek to exercise their responsibilities for maintaining peace and maintaining a stable world order. It is my hope—and the common will of mankind—that all nations will agree that this treaty affords them some added protection. We hope they will accept the treaty and thereby contribute further to international peace and security.
As one of the nations having nuclear weapons, the United States—all through these years—has borne an awesome responsibility. This treaty increases that rest for we have pledged that we shall use our weapons only in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations.
Furthermore, we have made clear to United Nations Security Council what would like to repeat today: If a state has accepted this treaty does not have weapons and is a victim of aggression, or is subject to a threat of aggression, involving nuclear weapons, the United States shall prepared to ask immediate Security Council action to provide assistance in accordance with the Charter.
In welcoming the treaty that prevents the spread of nuclear weapons, I should like to repeat the United States commitment to honor all our obligations under existing treaties of mutual security. Such agreements have added greatly, we think, to the security of our Nation and the nations with which such agreements exist. They have created a degree of stability in a sometimes unstable world.
This treaty is a very important security measure. But it also lays an indispensable foundation:
—for expanded cooperation in the peaceful application of nuclear energy;
—for additional measures to halt the nuclear arms race.
We will cooperate fully to bring the treaty safeguards into being. We shall thus help provide the basis of confidence that is necessary for increased cooperation in the peaceful nuclear field. After the treaty has come into force we will permit the International Atomic Energy Agency to apply its safeguards to all nuclear activities in the United States—excluding only those with direct national security significance. Thus, the United States is not asking any country to accept any safeguards that we are not willing to accept ourselves.
As the treaty requires, we shall also engage in the fullest possible exchange of equipment, materials, and scientific and technological information for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The needs of the developing nations will be given especially particular attention.
We shall make readily available to the nonnuclear treaty partners the benefits of nuclear explosions for peaceful purposes. And we shall do so without delay and under the treaty's provisions.
Now at this moment of achievement and great hope, I am gratified to be able to report and announce to the world a significant agreement—an agreement that we have actively sought and worked for since January 1964:
Agreement has been reached between the Governments of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States to enter in the nearest future into discussions on the limitation and the reduction of both offensive strategic nuclear weapons delivery systems and systems of defense against ballistic missiles.
Discussion of this most complex subject will not be easy. We have no illusions that it will be. I know the stubborn, patient persistence that it has required to come this far. We do not underestimate the difficulties that may lie ahead. I know the fears, the suspicions, and the anxieties that we shall have to overcome. But we do believe that the same spirit of accommodation that is reflected in the negotiation of the present treaty can bring us to a good and fruitful result.
Man can still shape his destiny in the nuclear age—and learn to live as brothers.
Toward that goal—the day when the world moves out of the night of war into the light of sanity and security—I solemnly pledge the resources, the resolve, and the unrelenting efforts of the people of the United States and their Government.
April 11, 1968: Remarks on Signing the Civil Rights Act
October 31, 1968: Remarks on the Cessation of Bombing of North Vietnam
More Lyndon B. Johnson speeches
View all Lyndon B. Johnson speeches
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January 14, 1969: State of the Union Address
video icon audio icon transcript icon | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line902 |
__label__wiki | 0.504743 | 0.504743 | Archive for the tag “Technical Support”
Kenya: Potential U.S. Military sale to Kenya in support of the fight against terrorism (18.02.2017)
Posted in Africa, Army, Civil Service, Development, Diplomacy, Economic Measures, Economy, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics, Tax, Trade, Transparency and tagged African Mission in Somalia, Air Tractor AT-802L, AMISOM, AT-504 Trainer Aircraft, AU Mission in Somalia, Blue Helmets, Capitol Hill, Committee on Foreign Relations, CS Joseph Nkaissery, Dadaab, Dadaab Refugee Camp, Department of Refugee Affairs, Deputy President William Ruto, Donald J. Trump, Donald Trump, DRA, East Africa, Federal Republic of Somalia, Foreign Relations, FRS, GoK, Government of Kenya, H.E. Dr. Abdirahman Du'alle, H.E. Hasssan Sheikh Mohamud, H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, H.E. William Samoei Ruto, Hassan Sheik Mohamoud, Hon. Abdirahman Du'alle, Hon. Dr. Abdirahman Du'alle, Hon. Joseph Nkaissery, Hon. William Ruto, Horn of Africa, House Foreign Affairs Committee, IGAD, Imbalance, Insecurity, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, Interior CS Hon. Joseph Nkaissery, Joseph Nkaissery, Kakuma Refugee Camp, KDF, KDF CAS, Kenya, Kenya Defence Force, Kenya Defense Force, Kenya Defense Force's Close Air Support, Kenyan Government, Legal, Moral, North Carolina, Peacebuilding Fund, President Kenyatta, President Trump, Program Management, Republican National Committee, Republican Party, RNC, Robert F. Godec, Somali, Somali Refugee, Somali Refugees, Somalia, Technical Support, Ted Budd, Terrorism, The UN Refugee Agency, TICAD VI, Tripartite Agreement, Trump Administration, U.S. Government, U.S. House of Representative, U.S. Representative, Uhuru Kenyatta, UN Human Rights Council, UN Refugee Agency, UNCTAD, UNHCR, United Nations General Assembly, United States of America, US, US Government, Weapons Package, WH, White House, William Ruto, William Samoei Ruto | Leave a comment
U.S. House Representatives wants to block the January Arms trade sold to the Kenyan Government!
“The arms trade – an intricate web of networks between the formal and shadow worlds, between government, commerce and criminality – often makes us poorer, not richer, less not more safe, and governed not in our own interests but for the benefit of a small, self-serving elite, seemingly above the law, protected by the secrecy of national security and accountable to no one.”
― Andrew Feinstein
As of today there two United States Representatives from the Republican Party Ted Budd of North Carolina and Duncan Duane Hunter from California that for their own reasons to stop sales of U.S. arms to Kenya, this they have forwarded a joint resolution. This was first from Ted Budd, but Duncan Hunter became his co-sponsor of the bill. Of today it has been transmitted to the Committee at the House Foreign Affairs that will work on it, before initial voting.
“That the issuance of a letter of offer with respect to any of the following proposed sales to the Government of Kenya (described in the certification Transmittal No. 16–79, sent to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate pursuant to section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2776(b)(1))) on January 19, 2017, is hereby prohibited:
(1) Twelve Air Tractor AT–802L.
(2) Two AT–504 trainer aircraft.
(3) Weapons package, technical support and program management” (Budd & Hunter, 2017).
It is not long ago since this was sanctioned to the Kenya Defense Force and their missions, as this was a supplement to the on-going missions that the Kenya contingent in Somalia and might even be used as blue-helmets inside South Sudan. Still, the U.S. Representatives think these will be misguided and not well used arms for their ally in East Africa. This is the double-standard and double moral from the U.S. counterparts that easily has dropped and sold this sort of weapons to others, but has to all of sudden sanction Kenya for buying the same thing.
Just take a look at the timing of the deal between the U.S. and Kenyan earlier in 2017:
“The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the possible sale on 19 January and disclosed the potential sale on 23 January” (…) “The DSCA said Kenya had requested the sale of up to twelve Air Tractor AT-802L and two AT-504 trainer aircraft, weapons, technical support and programme management worth $418 million” (…) “This proposed sale contributes to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by improving the security of a strong regional partner who is a regional security leader undertaking critical operations against al-Shabaab and troop contributor to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM),” the DSCA said” (…) “The proposed sale provides a needed capability in the ongoing efforts to counter al-Shabaab. The platform maximizes the Kenyan Defense Force’s Close Air Support (CAS) ability because it is a short-field aircraft capable of using precision munitions and cost effective logistics and maintenance.” (DefenceWeb, 2017).
So a purchase accepted in January is now in question in February, as the new Trump Administration will not care for the allies and friends as such before. The DSCA sanctioned the sale on the 23rd January 2017 and now on the 14th February 2017 the U.S. Representatives questions the sale. So the AMISOM mission and their allies who fights in it doesn’t matter as much, as that was the destination for the arms and technical weaponry in this transaction. That the sales of close worth over $400m that suddenly goes into the wind!
We will see if the Foreign Affairs Committee at the House of Representatives will work with this and see if this will go for voting in the House or Senate to sufficiently go forward with joint communique of Ted Budd and Duncan Hunter. That then will become legislation as the deal will not happen as the Committee will put forward a motion or legislation that the stops the arms agreement and trade between the DSCA and the Government of Kenya. Therefore the U.S. Arms trade to the Kenyan Defense Force.
This story is certainly not over. Peace.
DefenceWeb – ‘US approves possible Air Tractor, weapons sale to Kenya’ (24.01.2017) link: http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46563:us-approves-possible-air-tractor-weapons-sale-to-kenya&catid=35:Aerospace&Itemid=107
Representative Ted Budd (R-North Carolina) & Representative Duncan Duane Hunter (R-California) – ‘H.J.Res. 72: Relating to the disapproval of the proposed foreign military sale to the Government of Kenya of Air Tractor aircraft with weapons, and related support’ (14.02.2017)
Posted in Africa, Army, Business, Civil Service, Development, Economic Measures, Economy, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics, Tax, Trade, Transparency and tagged African Mission in Somalia, Air Tractor AT-802L, AMISOM, AT-504 Trainer Aircraft, AU Mission in Somalia, Blue Helmets, Capitol Hill, Committee on Foreign Relations, CS Joseph Nkaissery, Dadaab, Dadaab Refugee Camp, Department of Refugee Affairs, Deputy President William Ruto, Donald J. Trump, Donald Trump, DRA, East Africa, Federal Republic of Somalia, Foreign Relations, FRS, GoK, Government of Kenya, H.E. Dr. Abdirahman Du'alle, H.E. Hasssan Sheikh Mohamud, H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, H.E. William Samoei Ruto, Hassan Sheik Mohamoud, Hon. Abdirahman Du'alle, Hon. Dr. Abdirahman Du'alle, Hon. Joseph Nkaissery, Hon. William Ruto, Horn of Africa, House Foreign Affairs Committee, IGAD, Imbalance, Insecurity, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, Interior CS Hon. Joseph Nkaissery, Joseph Nkaissery, Kakuma Refugee Camp, KDF, KDF CAS, Kenya, Kenya Defence Force, Kenya Defense Force, Kenya Defense Force's Close Air Support, Kenyan Government, Legal, Moral, North Carolina, Peacebuilding Fund, President Kenyatta, President Trump, Program Management, Republican National Committee, Republican Party, RNC, Somali, Somali Refugee, Somali Refugees, Somalia, Technical Support, Ted Budd, Terrorism, The UN Refugee Agency, TICAD VI, Tripartite Agreement, Trump Administration, U.S. Government, U.S. House of Representative, U.S. Representative, Uhuru Kenyatta, UN Human Rights Council, UN Refugee Agency, UNCTAD, UNHCR, United Nations General Assembly, United States of America, US, US Government, Weapons Package, WH, White House, William Ruto, William Samoei Ruto | Leave a comment | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line903 |
__label__wiki | 0.940226 | 0.940226 | Prep Blog: Section Semifinals, Previewing ‘The Big 4’
Filed Under:Armstrong, Belle Plaine, Blogs, Champlin Park, Elk River, Glencoe-Silver Lake, High School Sports Rally, Hill-Murray, Monticello, New Life Academy, Prep Blog
(credit: CBS)
It’s getting real on the Minnesota high school football scene. We are officially now on the road to the Prep Bowl.
The playoffs are here. This is where all that time spent in the weight room over the summer, the captain’s practices and all the extra time devoted to football matters. Teams either win and advance to get one step closer to the state playoffs, or you lose, turn in your gear and wonder what might have been.
There are section semifinal games Friday and Saturday, with the winners getting one step closer to a state tournament bid. Here are four of the top match-ups in the semifinals.
Armstrong (5-3) at Champlin Park (5-3)
Champlin Park at one point in the season was a top-10 team in Class 6A. The Rebels finished the regular season losing two of its last three, but gained some confidence in the finale with a 46-16 win over Andover. The Rebels host Armstrong, also a 5-3 squad, Friday night for the right to advance to the Class 6A round of 16.
The Rebels are led by quarterback Bennett Otto, who threw for 180 yards per game and 15 touchdowns in the regular season. He had two top targets in Marcus Hill and Cameron Witt, who combined for almost 1,000 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. The Champlin Park run game is led by Ernest Worjloh, who averaged 80 yards per game and had five touchdowns in the regular season.
Armstrong struggled early, getting off to a 1-2 start. But the Falcons rallied with four wins in its last five games, including a 23-19 win over Benilde-St. Margaret’s in its regular season finale. The Falcons are led by the balanced running attack of Cartier Reid and Jesse Sherwood. Reid averaged 152 yards in just two games in the regular season with four touchdowns. Sherwood ran for 90 yards per game with nine scores.
It’s a great match-up on paper and it should be a great battle on the field with the season on the line.
Hill-Murray (2-7) at New Life Academy (5-3)
Hill-Murray is looking to be the surprise football team of the playoffs this year. The Pioneers, under first-year coach Pete Bercich, beat Simley 13-12 in Week 7 for their first win of the season. They finished 1-7, then beat St. Paul Johnson 55-26 on Tuesday in the section quarterfinals. The reward is a Saturday afternoon match-up at New Life Academy, who went 5-3 in the regular season and finished with three straight wins. The winner gets the South St. Paul/Simley winner next Friday with a state tournament berth at stake.
Monticello (7-2) at Elk River (8-0)
It should be a great match-up Saturday afternoon as Elk River, the No. 1-ranekd team in Class 5A, hosts Monticello in semifinal match-up. The Elks have dominated opponents all season and haven’t scored less than 33 points in a game the whole year. They’re rushing for nearly 450 yards per game, led by Nick Rice and Sam Gibas. The two are combining for nearly 240 yards and 27 touchdowns on the season. The Magic are 7-2 with losses to Alexandria and St. Michael-Albertville. They knocked off perennial power Rogers 24-19 in the playoffs on Tuesday.
Glencoe-Sillver Lake (6-3) at Belle Plaine (7-2)
There’s another great match-up Saturday afternoon in southern Minnesota as Belle Plaine will host Glencoe-Silver Lake in the Section 2AAA semifnals. The Tigers went 6-2 in the regular season and recovered from a 45-7 loss to Marshall in the finale with a 12-0 win over Holy Family Catholic in the playoffs on Tuesday. They rush for nearly 200 yards per game, led by March Walsh’s 88 yards per contest. Walsh, Alec Ruud and Carsen Ladd have combined for 12 rushing touchdowns on the year. Glencoe-Silver Lake recovered from a three-game losing streak in the regular season to win its last four games and finish 5-3. The Panthers beat Watertown-Mayer 36-20 on Tuesday to advance. They have a balanced rushing attack as Michael Forar, Carsen Streich and Spencer Lepel all rush for more than 60 yards per game and have a combined 16 touchdowns on the year.
Tune into WCCO-TV’s High School Sports Rally at about 10:20 p.m. Friday as Mike Max and Frank Vascellaro will have all the action covered. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line904 |
__label__wiki | 0.816151 | 0.816151 | Politics Wed, 25 Jul 2018
I will be NDC flagbearer by January 2019 – Sylvester Mensah
Former National Health Insurance Authority [NHIA] Chief Executive Officer, Sylvester Mensah has made his intentions clear to become the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) saying he is the most competent for the top job.
According to him, the changes throughout the constituency level during the recent constituency elections will reflect at the regional and subsequently at the National level of the party.
The former NHIA boss revealed that he is the most competent individual in the NDC to lead the party going into the 2020 elections. He stated emphatically that by January 2019 after the NDC Presidential primaries, he would have been elected as the new Flagbearer of the party.
“The mood in the party today is for change, Change has occurred throughout the constituency elections, we expect to see a lot more changes in our regional elections and a lot more at the National elections and then we will be plunging into the Presidential primaries”
“I will be happy to meet with you sometime in January when I will be flagbearer of the NDC and have a chat with you about the visioned future of the country,” he told the host of Citi TV’s Face to Face Godfred Akoto.
The former Presidential Staffer in the erstwhile John Mahama administration also admonished the NDC to go back to their roots as a political party that familiarizes itself with the ideals of social democrats.
He further revealed that his passion for the youth of the country as well as the aged puts him in pole position as the next flagbearer of the opposition NDC.
“Ghana is in a hurry. I have a passion for the youth of this country; my passion for the aged is unmeasurable. We need to deepen our credentials as social democrats. We [NDC] have wasted too much time without establishing ourselves as true social democrats. The time is now, Ghana cannot wait.
Mr. Mensah also mentioned that he stands tall amongst all his potential competitors in the NDC flagbearership race including his former boss John Dramani Mahama and the second deputy Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin.
He explained that he is a founding member of the NDC and a far more senior member of the party than his competitors are.
“Of all the names that you have mentioned, I am the most senior member of the party when it comes to seniority within the party, none of the names you have mentioned can claim to have been part of the formation of the party.”
“I did not join the NDC as most of them did. I was part of the formation of the NDC as a political party. I became a member of the first regional executives of the party”
The former NHIA boss explained that the NDC under former President lost the 2016 elections because his government failed to provide hope to Ghanaians, adding that Ghana needs a new leader with a new vision for the country.
He also described the recently held ‘Unity walk’ exercises organized by the NDC as “totally unnecessary” saying that the exercise was not aimed at uniting the party, but was rather for John Mahama’s political advantage.
Source: asempanews.com | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line905 |
__label__wiki | 0.92092 | 0.92092 | Belgium - français (Belgique)
Alice In Chains Marchandise
Alice in Chains is an American hard rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1987 by guitarist Jerry Cantrell and vocalist Layne Staley. Although widely associated with grunge music, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal, hard rock, and acoustic elements. Since its formation, Alice in Chains has released three studio albums, three EPs, two live albums, four compilations, and two DVDs. The band is known for its distinct vocal style which often includes the harmonized vocals of Staley and Cantrell.
Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. It was one of the most successful music acts of the 1990s and sold close to 11 million albums in the United States alone. The band achieved two number-one Billboard 200 albums (Jar of Flies and Alice in Chains), 11 top ten singles on the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, and six Grammy Award nominations.
Alice in Chains reunited in 2005 and as of 2008 are working on their first studio album in 13 years with new lead vocalist William DuVall. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line907 |
__label__cc | 0.659298 | 0.340702 | DeutschEspañolFrançaisItaliano日本語
What document was adopted and proclaimed on December tenth as a celebration for human rights day?
Last update: January 19, 2020 1 Answer
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was the document adopted and proclaimed on December 10th.
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Why are human rights essential Why is 10th December celebrated as Human Rights Day?
Human Rights Day is celebrated every year on 10th December.This day is celebrated internationally to honor 10th Dec 1948, when the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at Palais de Challoit, Paris after the experience of the Second World War.
Why is Human Rights Day celebrated on 10th December?
When was the first Human Rights Day celebrated?
The date was chosen to honour the United Nations General Assembly's adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the first global enunciation of human rights and one of the first major achievements of the new United Nations.
When and why do we celebrate Human Rights Day?
Human Rights DayObserved byUN MembersCelebrationsUnited NationsBegins1948Date10 December3 more rows
Why do we celebrate Human Rights Day on Dec 10?
When is the human rights day celebrated?
21 March in South Africa but in other countries it is celebrated on the 10 December.
Why is Human Rights Day celebrated?
Human Rights Day.The tragedy came to be known as the Sharpeville Massacre and it exposed the apartheid government's deliberate violation of human rights to the world.The democratic government declared March 21 Human Rights Day to commemorate and honour those who fought for our liberation and the ...
Why do we celebrate Human Rights Day?
Every day is Human Rights Day is the slogan for the year 2014.Human Rights 365 celebrates the Universal Declaration on Human Rights which states that everyone, everywhere, at all times are entitled to their human rights.
When is Human Rights Day celebrated?
Human rights day is celebrated on 10 december
When was Idaho Human Rights Day created?
Idaho Human Rights Day was created in 2006.
What was the theme of 2015 Human Rights Day?
Promoting and Protecting Freedom: Human Rights Day 2015.This Thursday, 10 December, is Human Rights Day, a day that commemorates the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948.The theme of this year's Human Rights Day is "Our Rights.Our Fr...
What is Human Rights Day and why do we celebrate it?
Human Rights Day is observed by the international community every year on 10 December.It commemorates the day in 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
When was the first Human Rights Day in South Africa?
Human Rights Day in South Africa is historically linked with 21 March 1960, and the events of Sharpeville.
What are the best Slogan for human rights day?
Treat others like urself.
What Human Rights Day is all about?
Which day is celebrated as World Consumer Right Day?
Every year 15th March is celebrated as the World Consumer Rights Day.World Consumer Rights Day was inspired by President John F Kennedy, who sent a special message to the US Congress on 15th March 1962, in which he formally addressed the issue of consumer rights.
Which day is celebrated on 7th December?
The Armed Forces Flag Day or the Flag Day of India is a day dedicated to India towards collection of funds from people of India for the welfare of the Indian Armed Forces personnel.It has been observed annually in India on December 7 since 1949.
What is the meaning of human rights day?
What is the purpose of human rights day?
What is the theme of Human Rights Day 2018?
Theme 2018 The Theme of the 2018 Human Rights Day was 'Let's stand up for equality, justice and human dignity'.
Who was the prime minister of India declared 22 December as National Mathematics Day?
Srinivasa Ramanujan was born in the year 1887, on this day (22 December), at Erode, Tamil Nadu in a Tamil Brahmin Iyengar family.In the year 2012, the then Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh declared 22 December as the National Mathematics Day.
Why do you celebrate on December 31st and January 1st?
It is New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, so you are marking the end of one year and the start of another.
What do we celebrate on December 1?
The first ever World AIDS Day was celebrated on December 1, 1988.Up until 1996, the day was organized by the World Health Organization.However, in 1996, A Global World AIDS program was made by Dr.Mann and Bunn, and a new organization was formed under WHO in order to promote awareness of AIDS and ...
What day is Flag Day and what state celebrates this day as an official holiday?
Flag Day Celebrated.Today is Flag Day! On May 30, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation establishing a national Flag Day on June 14.Many Americans celebrate Flag Day by displaying the Red, White and Blue in front of homes and businesses.
What is celebrated on December 6th?
It is called the Manna of Saint Nicholas.December 6th is also known as The Feast of St.Nicholas and is widely celebrated in Europe.
What is celebrated on December 26th?
Boxing Day is an annual custom observed on December 26th.The day after Christmas is traditionally the day for employers to give a gift, a Christmas box, to their employees.The holiday is a primarily British holiday and is celebrated across the world in current and past British held commonwealths.
What festivals are celebrated on December 17?
Saturnalia begins on Dec. 17 and lasts til Dec. 24.
National Cookie Day is observed annually on December 4.We can thank the Dutch for more than windmills and tulips.
What feast is celebrated on December 6?
THE Feast of St. Nicholas of Myra.
What do we celebrate on 22 December?
National Mathematics Day celebrated on 22nd December.The Indian government had also declared 2012 as the National Mathematics year.The National Mathematics Day is celebrated to honour his contribution to the field of Mathematics and also to keep his legacy alive to inspire the future mathematicians.
What was the purpose of human sacrifice on the day of the dead?
To give a present to the gods so that they wouldn't get angry and destroy the world. The gods obviously liked a dead body for a present..... Hope it helps.
What day does December start on 2019?
Dates for Winter from 2014 to 2024 YearWinter starts onWinter ends onWinter 2018Friday, December 21, 2018Wednesday, March 20, 2019Winter 2019Sunday, December 22, 2019Friday, March 20, 2020Winter 2020Monday, December 21, 2020Saturday, March 20, 2021Winter 2021Tuesday, December 21, 2021Sunday, ...
What is the main theme of the Human Rights Day 2011?
The main theme forthe 2011 Human Rights Day is the impact of Social Media.
What holiday was Samhain celebrated as?
Today the holiday known as Samhain is celebrated as Halloween in the United States. It's a watered down, commercialized evolution of the old pagan holiday.
Which Northern European country originated St Lucy Day on December 13 as a celebration of light in the darkness of winter?
i think Sweden hey r u from Cherry Hill?
What was boxing day traditionally known as?
Boxing Day is also known as St.Stephens Day or The Feast Day of St.Stephen.
What is armistice day now celebrated as?
In most commonwealth countries, Armistice Day is still known as so. But, in America, it is now known as Veterans Day.
What date was celebrated as Intl Women's Day prior to the year 1913?
Later, in the year 1913, International Women's Day was accredited to March 08 and since then; IWD has been celebrated on the same day.However, the United Nations gave recognition to IWD in 1975 and every year after that made it a theme based celebration.
On what day and month is Canada Day celebrated?
Canada Day is celebrated on the first day of July.
What was ET dressed as for on Halloween?
If I remember right, and I am not sure, I remember a white dress and flowers on his head
What document represented to the English nobility a written guarantee of the traditional rights and privileges they had always enjoyed?
The Magna Carta was the document that represented a written guarantee of the rights and privileges.
What holiday is celebrated on December 26 in Great Britain?
Boxing Day. It is actually celebrated in the whole of the British Commonwealth, not just Great Britain.
What day was designated as All Saints Day?
November 1 is the universal celebration of All Saints Day.
On which day India was declared as Republic?
26 January in India The Constitution was passed on 26 November 1949 in the Constituent Assembly.It was adopted on 26 January 1950 with a democratic government system.26 January was selected, because it was this day in 1930 when the Declaration of Indian Independence was passed.
What day was All Saints Day celebrated?
All Saints' Day is celebrated on November 1. It used to be on May 13 but was changed. The two popes who changed the date were Pope Gregory III and Pope Gregory IV.
What day is celebrated in the US as Independence Day?
The fourth of July. We capitalize the whole thing, The Fourth of July.
What did the Europeans celebrate centuries ago on December 21?
Europeans Celebrated winter solstice on December 21
What fictional holiday do people celebrate on December 23?
Festivus, a holiday for the restuvus
Does Germany and or Europe celebrate Armistice Day now known as Veterans Day in the U.S.?
Many countries remember the sacrifices of their warriors on the anniversary of the armistice.
Where and when was the day of the dead celebrated?
October 31st - 2nd November every year in Mexico
When was the first World Environment Day celebrated and why is it celebrated on June 5th every year?
World Environment Day is held each year on June 5.It is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations (UN) stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action.World Environment Day promotes ways to improve the Earth's environment, such as...
What was used as a light for the pumpkin?
Pumpkins are mostly used in America for the "Jack-O-Lantern, it started when Irish Immigrants came to America, they used to use "Potatoes and Turnips" and put candles inside them for illumination, but they found potatoes and turnips were not as plentiful as in their homeland, to continue their tr...
When was the holiday celebrated for Independence Day?
Countries Celebrating Independence from Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nauru - 31 January (1968, from Australia, New Zealand & the U.K.) Papua New Guinea - 16 September (1975) Countries Celebrating Independence from Belgium -----------...
What religious customs and holiday traditions does Cuba celebrate in December and January?
Christmas in December and the Epiphany in January.
What happened on D Day and why was it important?
D-Day is important for World War II because it was the main Allied invasion of continental Europe.It was this invasion that allowed the Allies to finally defeat Germany.In order for the Allies to defeat Germany, there would have to be an invasion of Europe.
On what date is Bastille Day celebrated and why?
The French National Day is the anniversary of Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, a turning point of the French Revolution, as well as the Fête de la Fédération which celebrated the unity of the French people on 14 July 1790.Celebrations are held throughout France.
When was Columbus Day first recognized as a federal holiday?
It was unofficially celebrated in some areas throughout most of the 1800s, but Columbus Day was first recognized as a Federal Holiday in the United States in 1937.
What do other countries celebrate Veterans Day as?
A.Yes, a number of countries honor their veterans each year on November 11, although the name and types of commemorations differ somewhat from Veterans Day celebrations in the United States.In Australia, Remembrance Day is very much like America's Memorial Day, a day to honor that nation's war dead.
Who began to wear mask and costumes on Halloween so they would not be recognized as humans?
The Celts started it. They thought that Halloween was the day that demons and monsters were able to escape to this world. They thought the monster's own scariness back to its own world thus the constumes.
What year was Pi Day first celebrated?
Founded in 1988 at the Exploratorium, Pi (π) Day has become an international holiday, celebrated live and online all around the world.The numbers in the date (3/14) match the first three digits of the mathematical constant pi (π).
What year was presidents day first celebrated?
Well it isn't an official holiday but it has a long history... Presidents Day is referred to as Washington's Birthday by the federal government. It was enacted by congress in 1880 as a holiday for Washington D.C. offices. It was expanded as a holiday for all federal offices in 1885. Until 1971 th...
What state celebrates Flag Day as an official holiday?
But people often forget another important American observance—Flag Day.Flag Day, celebrated on June 14 every year, is the celebration and recognition of the stars and stripes.Although it isn't a federal holiday, it is a state holiday in Pennsylvania and New York.
What century was all soul's day celebrated?
how to fart is very easy! you just do it the same way how you fart only that you do not do it in a toilet!
What was ET dressed as on Halloween?
up like a ghost to sneak him past Mom, who's dressed like a cat.She mistakes the little ghost for Gertie.The plan's working! Elliott dons a backpack filled with E.T.'s stuff under a gray cape.
Why International Children Book Day was celebrated on April 2nd?
Because Hans Christian Anderson was born on this day. He was a Danish poet and author of Children stories. This day is observed in the memory of Anderson. This day reminds us to promote a culture of reading and books all over the world, especially for the children who are less privileged than oth...
Do you celebrate Empire Day and Australia Day on the same day or what?
Australia does not celebrate anything called "Empire Day".
What is the fourth day of Diwali is celebrated as?
GOVARDHAN POOJA is being celebrated on 4th day of diwali. Diwali is a 5 day festival.
When was Australia Day first celebrated on Jan 26?
Proclamation Day - December 28 (SA) This was South Australia's 'founding day' celebrations until 1910, when they officially unified with other states to celebrate Australia Day on January 26.
What holiday starts on December 19 and ends January 17?
The holiday in question here does not appear to be a religious one. Rather, it appears these could be the dates of a college winter break.
What year was Veterans Day first celebrated?
Well, it was originally called Armistice Day, which was first celebrated on November 11, 1919. It was meant to honor those that died in World War I. Then, on June 1 1954, the word Armistice was changed to Veteran's day. So, I suppose you can argue that it was either 1919 or 1954.
What year was Bastille day celebrated?
bastille day was celebrated on july 14
Is there a holiday for Australia on December 3rd?
No. Australia does not recognise or celebrate any holidays on 3 December.
What do humans do 15 times a day on an average?
Scientists have shown that the average person blinks 15-20 times per minute.That's up to 1,200 times per hour and a whopping 28,800 times in a day—much more often than we need to keep our eyeballs lubricated.
December 26 is Boxing Day for some countries '' what happened in that day''?
It is when you give people random boxes. Marco
What Public holiday celebrates the freedom of African slaves and on what day is it celebrated?
Emancipation Day is celebrated as a public holiday on different days in different states. For example, Florida celebrates it on May 20...May 20, 1865 was the first public reading of the Emancipation Proclamation in Florida; In Washington DC it is celebrated on April 16. On that day in 1862, nine ...
When was the first celebration of All Saints Day and All Souls Day?
It was the practice of the early Christian Church to adopt festivals of local religions, in order to eliminate them as pagan festivals. On May 13, 609 or 610, Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs; the feast of the dedicatio Sanctae Mariae ad ...
December 26 is Boxing Day in some countries What happens there on Boxing Day?
On Boxing Day, Canadians trade in boxes of old, broken, or not wanted items to be traded for new ones. In Australia, Boxing Day has become characterised by massive sales by the larger retailers capitalising on people's ever-increasing need to have more "stuff".
When and where was the first World Heritage Day suggested and celebrated?
In 1982, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) announced, 18 April as the "World Heritage Day", approved by the General Assembly of UNESCO in 1983, with an aim to enhance awareness of the importance of cultural heritage of humankind, and redouble efforts to protect and conserv...
On what day is Boxing Day celebrated?
the holiday last for a week but it starts December 26 the day after Christmas
What are Paraguay's special religious customs and holiday traditions celebrated in the months of December and January?
To respnd to your question at 11:11 every person must go to the bathroom in the months of janurary and december. If they do not go then they will have bad luck all of the new year.
In what year was Presidents Day celebrated for the first time?
Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, the holiday became popularly known as Presidents Day after it was moved as part of 1971's Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation's workers.
What was used as a banner or flag during the mexican independence day?
The depiction of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe (a religious symbol) which was the common denominator of all Mexican people at the time.
What do you call a person interested in sexual contact with humans dressed as furry animals.?
Prezophiles are people interested in sexual relations with anthropomorphophiles who are people who like to dress as furry animals.
Why do Canada and America celebrate Thanksgiving on different days?
That's right: Canadian Thanksgiving falls on the second Monday in October—October 13 this year—the same day as American Columbus Day.American Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday in November.Why is that? Probably because Canada is farther north and the harvest comes earlier, so we celebrate ...
What holiday celebrated December 26 to January 1 is named after the Swahili word for first?
It takes place from December 26 to January 1 every year.It was created by Maulana Karenga and was first celebrated in 1966 - 1967.Non-African Americans also celebrate Kwanzaa.The holiday greeting is "Joyous Kwanzaa".
What was a day like in 1908 for a child?
boring and dull because you didn't have anything to do.
What country celebrates Children's day as a part of Golden Week?
Japan celebrates children day as one of their holidays during the golden week supposed to have all the national holidays
Which body was formed as a government for the colonies?
The first colonial legislature was the Virginia House of Burgesses, established in 1619.The colonies along the eastern coast of North America were formed under different types of charter, but most developed representative democratic governments to rule their territories.
What was Halloween originated as a pagan festival know as?
Halloween originated as a pagan festival known as All Hallow's Eve.
What date and month was thanksgiving day?
Fourth Thursday of November, always.
What date and day was thanksgiving?
In 2015 it was Thursday 26th November.
What year was the first Veterans Day celebrated?
Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day because the armistice ending the hostilities of World War I took effect at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year 1918 French time. (This date was not the official end of WWI as many people think. That happened on June 28, 1919...
On what day in December do most French children receive gifts?
In the north of the country, gifts are often offered to children on December 6th, the feast of St Nicolas.
What should you dress up as for 90's day?
Dress in something very sparkly, neon, and just go out of your way to look very ... BRIGHT!!!
What is Valentine's Day celebrated for?
Love, Cupid, hearts, chocolates, cards and flowers are everywhere--it's Valentine's Day! On February 14, Americans celebrate love and friendship.With the introduction of Christianity, the holiday moved to the 14th of February--the saint day that celebrated several early Christian martyrs named Va...
What is Labor Day celebrated for?
Labor Day: What it Means Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and wel...
What might a man wear if he was going as a woman for Halloween?
1. Wig 2. Dress 3. Brassiere 4. Make Up 5. High Heels
When was Indian Arrival Day first celebrated in Trinidad and Tobago?
Indian Arrival Day, celebrated on 30th May, commemorates the arrival of the first Indian Indentured labourers from India to Trinidad, in May 1845, on the ship Fatel Razack.The Fatel Razack brought not only a new labour force to assist in the economic development of Trinidad, but also a new people...
What city has a huge parade on December 23?
Thousands of religious pilgrims and tourists alike descend on the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City to catch a glimpse of the image of La Virgen Morena.
On what date is flag day celebrated?
Flag Day in the United States is celebrated on June 14th.
What is there to do on Boxing Day in Sydney?January 15, 2020
When was armistice first made a tradition?January 17, 2020
What is the best selling candy of all time?January 17, 2020
Is purple a Christmas color?January 17, 2020
Which countries celebrate Children's Day?January 17, 2020
Why do you celebrate teachers day in India?January 18, 2020
What clothes to wear in Aberdeen?January 17, 2020
What language did Pumpkins originate from?January 19, 2020
What human characteristics does Mexico share with nearby regions or countries?January 19, 2020
What does mobile signature mean?January 18, 2020
Justin BieberWriting: Characters and DialogueAnimal LifeArgentinean HistoryAmishChild SafetyMotorcycle InsuranceMississippiFall Out BoyIndia Language and Culture
Where do vampire bats eat?
Why do we say get dressed?
What type of food do they eat in Halloween?
How do you identify a cheetah?
What are some traditions during the Day of the Dead?
What happened on the 5th of November?
Where did the story of the Gingerbread Man come from?
How do I protect my pumpkins from growing?
What did Anne Frank do in her free time?
Is a Pumpkin vegetable or fruit?
Preteen Relationships
Software and Applications (non-game)
JLS (band) | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line908 |
__label__wiki | 0.734296 | 0.734296 | Photo Exhibitions
XX Century
Historic City Views
Glass/Plate Collections
B&W Masters
Home › News › Danny Lyon: Present Future
Danny Lyon: Present Future
News, Photo Exhibitions 4 August 2017 0
For over 50 years Lyon has demonstrated a consistent engagement with social and political issues and concern for many of the people he photographed. The exhibition features vintage photographs from Silverman Museum Collection, some of which were featured in Lyon’s museum show.
“I am proud to have represented Danny Lyon for over 35 years and to be able to exhibit the work of this world class photographer and film maker once again in Tucson. It is an excellent opportunity for Tucsonans to see this extraordinary body of work,” said gallery owner Terry Etherton.
The highlight of Present Future, the Silverman Museum Collection, includes 62 vintage gelatin silver prints, a number of which were included in Lyon’s Whitney Museum opener.The show also features a selection of never before seen “mural” size photographs along with other vintage and modern photographs from Lyon’s major projects. These include: Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement, The Bikeriders, Conversations with the Dead, Uptown Chicago, The Destruction of Lower Manhattan, as well as later work. Influenced by writer William Agee and photographer and film maker Robert Frank, Lyon immersed himself in the lives of his subjects, creating individual bodies of work accompanied by innovative books that documented their lives, whether it was a young civil rights worker – now Congressman – John Lewis or convicted rapist Billy McCune.
Upon graduating from the University of Chicago, Lyon set off on his motorcycle first to Cairo, IL and then Danville, Selma, Montgomery and Atlanta documenting the efforts of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee to train and organize civil rights workers. For his next project, he became a member of the Chicago Outlaws, a motorcycle club, while riding, living with and photographing the members of the club. During this time, Lyon also turned his attention to the plight of poor white families who had migrated from the South to Chicago in search of jobs. In the late 1960s, Lyon photographed inmates at six Texas maximum-security prisons and the leveling of 60 acres of lower Manhattan to make way for the World Trade Center. In the 1970s, Lyon photographed in Arizona, New Mexico and New York. In the ‘80s he worked in Haiti and spent time photographing his family. Examples from these projects and others will be on display at the gallery.
What sets Lyon apart from his peers is not only his unapologetic activism, but also the ability of his images to forge connections with the past, present and future. Writing for the New York Times Magazine critic Teju Cole pointed out, “Cotton Pickers, (an image of inmates picking cotton at a Texas prison plantation) is an activist picture…. It reaches back to images from the 19th century and before, and it stretches forward to the crouched and hooded prisoners of Guantánamo Bay.” Present Future demonstrates the capacity of Lyon’s images to have a conversation with work by other photographers, and conjure up references from slavery to modern-day xenophobia that speaks to his immediacy and importance.
Present Future
Etherton Gallery
135 S 6th Ave Tucson, AZ 85701
ethertongallery.com
Danny Lyon, Etherton Gallery, Exhibition, Featured, Present Future
Helmut Newton: Unseen
Biography: Civil War photographer Alexander Gardner
Veselin Atanasov: The busy train station
Marcus Leatherdale: OUT OF THE SHADOWS
Interview with Anna Lazareva
Arno Rafael Minkkinen: 50 Years
© 2015 - 2017 MonoVisions Black & White Photography Magazine | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line909 |
__label__wiki | 0.879141 | 0.879141 | The case for community policing
In Anchorage, the year began with a violent bang: an 18-year-old was fatally shot in a drug store parking lot, a young couple was killed in their apartment and then, two days later, a 20-year-old was gunned down in another parking lot in another part of town.
It cast a pall over the city and put a renewed spotlight on crime. Public safety became a key campaign issue in the spring mayoral race. Community groups sought to address the problems with block parties, rallies and public forums. The slogan “Stop the Violence” appeared in radio ads and televised interviews; on t-shirts and posters. But the violence continued.
By March, 16 people had been killed—the highest number in Anchorage since 2007, according to the FBI. And the number kept growing. Many of the victims were young, like the 18-year-old shot to death in a crowded club, and the 19-year-old gunned down just a few days after attending a Stop the Violence event at the Northway Mall in early August. Families mourned, and the community kept searching for a solution. What could make Anchorage a safer place?
For more than 20 years, scholars and law enforcement officers and neighborhood leaders alike have touted the power of community policing. Yet for more than 20 years, it’s been practiced only occasionally in various pockets of the city.
According to the Department of Justice, community policing is a philosophy based on partnerships and proactive problem solving. It involves assigning officers to specific neighborhoods to build trust and street-level relationships. And that takes time.
“We have to build those relationships, and the only way we can do that is by making those contacts and having that interaction and showing them that we care about them and we care about this community,” said Sgt. Josh Nolder, the new head of Anchorage Police Department’s Community Action Policing (CAP) team.
Despite its name, the CAP team currently does very little in the way of traditional community policing. With around 365 sworn officers on the force, responding to calls for service takes up a majority of each workday, and CAP team members are frequently tapped to assist with other work, Nolder said.
A 2010 report by the Police Executive Research Forum examined ways to adopt an “an enhanced community policing approach” and concluded APD would need approximately 456 sworn staffers to achieve 40 percent unobligated time—the amount recommended for a robust community policing practice. The department is currently about 100 officers shy of that goal.
Given the manpower, Nolder said, officers would have time to really get to know residents and local business owners, “so that they are more willing to tell us when something’s not right in their neighborhood as opposed to saying, ‘I don’t want to talk to the police.’”
That was part of the goal of a three-year, $1.5 million Department of Justice grant awarded 20 years ago for community policing work in Mountain View. The money paid for 15 additional officers to patrol the neighborhood by foot and bike, part of a “shift to prevention strategies, with emphasis on public interaction and officer problem solving at the street level,” according to a funding proposal for the project.
Between October 1994 and September 1996, the number of calls involving violent crime in Mountain View declined by 16 percent, according to APD and the University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center. The number of calls involving weapons decreased by 34 percent. While the time period was too short to make any concrete conclusions, researchers found, the program seemed to produce positive results.
That was right about the time John Kito came to work in the neighborhood; first at Mountain View Elementary School and eventually as the principal at Tyson Elementary School, where he still is to this day. He’s a strong believer in community policing. Back in the ‘90s, he started his own kind of neighborhood outreach; walking the streets with teachers at the end of every summer, knocking on doors, shaking hands with parents and inviting families to an ice cream social down at the school.
“It makes a difference because you’re walking into their territory,” said Kito, who now teaches the children of some of his former students. “It’s getting a presence out, I think, that’s very, very positive.”
The same goes for law enforcement officers, he says. When proactive community policing takes place in the neighborhood, things seem to calm down. When the police department returns to its traditional, reactive model, crime seems to go up. Lately, the elementary school principal has been especially concerned by a seemingly high rate of violence in the area.
“It’s generally not the kids—it’s the people that come into the community,” he said. “The frightening thing about this whole thing is it’s not decreased to a level where we all feel comfortable.”
When problems outside the school grounds impact his students’ homes or families, the ripples can reach back to the classroom. A deeper police presence in the neighborhood could trigger small public safety improvements with profound effects, he said.
The issue is money.
Last month, city departments—including APD—were advised of a potential 2016 budget shortfall and upcoming cuts. With the department still sitting far short of staffing levels necessary for full-scale community policing citywide, prospects for implementing the practice any time in the near future look grim. But some officers still try.
“We’re a department, I think, that really tries to do the best with what we’ve got,” said Sgt. Nolder, standing in the sun at Mountain View’s National Night Out block party one hot August evening.
Several APD officers were on hand to greet neighbors, hand out stickers and show off the department’s armored vehicle to kids. The weekend before, they’d pulled patrol assets to make an appearance at the We Are Anchorage Megga Stop the Violence Block Party, according to Lt. Richard Henning. Other officers are finding different ways to strengthen ties with community.
For Ofc. Christina Roberts, it’s a back-to-school clothing drive co-sponsored by the APD Employees Association and various businesses and non-profits. Roberts is a 10-year veteran of the force with roots in the neighborhood. She grew up in Mountain View and Fairview. She still has family in the area, and her children go to school on the northeast side of town.
At the encouragement of a new lieutenant a few weeks ago, she found herself talking to her old classmate Ma’o Tosi in the management office of the Northway Mall. She thought of all the needs at her children’s schools, she had a “crazy idea” and the next thing she knew she was searching for business donors for a K-12 clothing distribution the afternoon of August 15. The response was tremendous.
“We’ve been getting an outpouring of support from the community,” she said.
Roberts said the clothing drive at the Northway Mall is a way to build a positive connection with the city the police department serves. Those connections are important: As a native of the neighborhood she patrols, she said her ties to the area have helped her police work more than once.
“I think a strong relationship with the community you’re serving is crucial,” she said. “I view the world a little differently, because this is where I grew up. I understand the need for positive role models, the need for positive police interactions.”
Those little things foster trust, she said. With no trust, there’s no communication, and a lot revolves around communication—between police, neighbors, businesses and everyone else in the community.
At the Mountain View Boys & Girls Club, community trust plays a large part in protecting the clubhouse in the heart of the neighborhood. There may be trouble on the streets outside, but inside, kids are safe. Clubhouse manager Dave Barney says part of it has to do with the saying he learned when he first came to the club more than six years ago: “Respect the rec.” It means your issues stay outside; the community space is somewhat sacred. People follow the rule because there’s a mutual understanding and they know Barney. He works to keep it that way. When it comes to building safe communities, he says, “Don’t get complacent.”
“You’ve got to keep working on it,” he said.
In January 2015, the United States Conference of Mayors released a report with recommendations for implementing a community policing philosophy in cities around the country.
To build trust, the report states, “Police officers need to interact on a daily basis with the community to develop credibility and establish an ongoing dialogue with residents, including those with whom they may disagree, to help keep incidents from becoming crises. Community policing must be much more than one officer forming a relationship; it involves making inroads in the most challenged communities.”
While budget restrictions and staff shortages make full-fledged community policing a challenge in Anchorage, strengthening the long-term relationship between neighborhoods and law enforcement could help slow the violence. Maybe, over time, it could stop it.
“That’s the only way we’re going to be able to take our neighborhoods back,” Ofc. Roberts said.
Neighbors seek Taylor Street speed bumps
PHOTOS: thread’s Book Party in the Park
Keep fathers in the home. No welfare for unwed mothers. Re-stigmatize divorce and out of wedlock children. These sort of societal moves will reduce crime that comes from disrespect. Youth programs, after school and before school baby sitting are all ideas that make it easier for parents to avoid their responsibilities. We keep throwing pearls after swine.
Have to start acknowledging that the lousy development pattern is a major contributing factor. Redevelop Mt. View Dr. to become mixed use, commercial and residential, on-street parking, traffic calming; waive on-site parking requirements — a major infrastructure upgrade, in place of the suburban strip pattern it has now — and the supervision, sense of ownership, creation of defensible space will follow. We have all of the knowledge and tools at our disposal. We have the resources to move in that direction. By not focusing on neighborhood commercial centers, and moving the action to malls, we are shooting ourselves in the foot. We are all paying for the new places (a $50 million highway interchange upgrade at Muldoon and Glenn coming up) while neighborhoods remain sketchy. It does not have to be this way.
ejvanoss says:
Great piece! Did a piece on planning and gender violence earlier this year.
http://www.arcticurbanophile.com/2015/04/03/were-afraid-they-might-kill-us-gender-violence-and-urban-design/ | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line914 |
__label__wiki | 0.560867 | 0.560867 | John Costello, M.D., MPH
John M. Costello, M.D., MPH
Degree M.D., MPH
School Northwestern University Medical School; Harvard School of Public Health
Northwestern University Medical School
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Pediatrics: Pediatric Cardiology
Pediatrics: Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
165 Ashley Avenue
Dr. John M. Costello is a pediatric cardiologist who specializes in cardiac intensive care. He was recruited to MUSC Children’s Hospital in 2018 to serve as the Vice Chair of Clinical Research for the Department of Pediatrics and the Director of Research for the Children’s Heart Center.
Dr. Costello received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and his medical degree from Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL. He completed a pediatric residency and dual fellowships in pediatric cardiology and critical care medicine, all at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Prior to coming to MUSC, Dr. Costello was a faculty member in the Department of Cardiology at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. More recently, he served as the Director of Inpatient Cardiology and the Medical Director of the Regenstein Cardiac Care Unit at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
Dr. Costello sees patients in the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at MUSC Children’s Hospital. He has a clinical interest in the evaluation and treatment of neonates with complex congenital heart disease.
Dr. Costello is an active clinical investigator whose research focuses on critically ill children with cardiac disease. He has completed the Masters in Public Health program with a concentration in Clinical Effectiveness at the Harvard School of Public Health. He has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and is invited to speak regularly at national and international meetings. He is the current President of the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society and the immediate Past-President of the Midwest Pediatric Cardiology Society. He also serves on the Executive Committee of the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium (PC4) and the Medical Advisory Board of the Children’s Heart Foundation. He is an Associate Editor for Cardiology in the Young and serves on the Editorial Board for the World Journal for Pediatric and Congenial Heart Surgery. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line916 |
__label__wiki | 0.962705 | 0.962705 | Home / Entertainment / Music
Rod Stewart's 30th studio album 'Blood Red Roses' to be released September 28
'Blood Red Roses' will be available as a 13-track album and 16-track deluxe version and can be pre-ordered now with the album's lead single 'Didn't I'
The legendary rocker Rod Stewart will release his 30th studio album – ‘Blood Red Roses’ – on Decca Records on September 28. ‘Blood Red Roses’ will be available as a 13-track album and 16-track deluxe version and can be pre-ordered now with the album’s lead single ‘Didn’t I’.
‘Blood Red Roses’, a personal 13-track collection of originals and three covers, is essential Rod Stewart. The album’s first single, ‘Didn’t I’, is about the damage drugs can do from a parent’s point of view. This new album, his first in three years, follows international bestsellers ‘Another Country’ (2015) and ‘Time’ (2013) and will be released nearly 50 years to the date from when he signed his very first solo recording contract.
Pic courtesy Rankin Low
“I always think I make albums for a few friends and this record has that intimacy,” Rod Stewart said. “Sincerity and honesty go a long way in life and the same is true in song-writing.”
Co-produced by Rod’s long-term collaborator Kevin Savigar, ‘Blood Red Roses’ moves easily from acoustic driven folk through Motown-tinged pop/R&B to unadulterated rock’n’roll and ballads.
Rod Stewart's earned countless of the industry’s highest awards, among them, two inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the ASCAP Founders Award for songwriting, New York Times bestselling author, Grammy Living Legend, and in 2016 he officially became ‘Sir Rod Stewart’ after being knighted by Prince William at Buckingham Palace for his services to music and charity.
During his 50-plus year career, he’s amassed sales of more than 200 million albums and singles and won himself legions of lifelong fans worldwide.
Check out the track here | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line918 |
__label__wiki | 0.65754 | 0.65754 | The Joyce Foundation donates $5 million to ignite students’ potential
A $5-million donation to Western University from The Joyce Foundation will offer students facing adversity hope for a promising future. The gift will provide financial and educational support to students who may not otherwise have envisioned attending university.
A portion of the gift will go towards doubling current enrolment in the School Within a University (SWAU) program.
Unique in Canada, SWAU is a partnership between Western University and the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB). The program currently allows 25 secondary school students facing challenges the opportunity to experience the university environment and earn credits at both the secondary school and university level. SWAU offers a supportive learning environment with educators, support staff and student peers who believe in their potential.
“The Joyce Foundation, Western and the TVDSB share the belief that education is one of the most effective strategies to break the perpetual cycle of poverty and is the foundation of human, community and national development,” said Amit Chakma, President & Vice-Chancellor at Western. “We are very grateful to The Joyce Foundation for its visionary support.”
The donation will support the creation of a second SWAU classroom that will give an additional 25 high school students facing adversity the opportunity to pursue post-secondary education.
In just two years the program has changed the lives of 45 students, with 83 per cent of SWAU graduates continuing their studies at the post-secondary level.
“When the program began in 2012, we set modest goals,” said Laura Elliott, Director of Education with the TVDSB.”We hoped that the majority would finish high school and that about one-third would attend post-secondary school. We are very pleased that SWAU is exceeding our expectations.”
The gift will also establish bursaries that will assist up to nine new undergraduate students annually, with a preference given to eligible students graduating from the SWAU program.
Valued at $5,000 per year, students may receive the bursary for each of their four years at Western or one of its affiliated colleges, meaning up to 36 students will benefit in a given year. The Student Success Centre at Western will also match award recipients with a mentor each year through their Leadership and Mentorship Program.
“Through this gift, we want to ensure that more young Canadians have access to post-secondary education,” said Grant Joyce of The Joyce Foundation. “We are so pleased to be able to help create the opportunity that will provide these students with the skills and confidence to dare to dream of going to university.”
For more information on the program, visit the School Within A University website.
MEDIA CONTACT: Stephen Ledgley, Senior Media Relations Officer, Western University, 519-661-1111 ext. 85283, sledgley@uwo.ca
ABOUT THE JOYCE FOUNDATION
The Joyce Foundation (formerly The Ron Joyce Foundation) is a private, family foundation created by Canadian entrepreneur Ronald V. Joyce. His philanthropy reflects a deep-rooted sense of responsibility to give back to his community. The Joyce Foundation is dedicated to supporting the social, economic and emotional well-being of children and youth by empowering them to develop into healthy, confident, independent contributors to Canadian society. The Foundation’s primary focus is to provide access to education for children and youth with significant financial need or facing other socio-economic barriers to success.
Stephen Ledgley
Senior Media Relations Officer
519 661-2111 x85283
sledgley@uwo.ca
Western reduces tuition for international PhD students to same level as domestic PhD students | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line919 |
__label__wiki | 0.859651 | 0.859651 | Images: Kerry Brown / Corin Johnson
Nick Cave Joked About Having A Statue Of Himself In His Hometown, But It Might Actually Happen
Written by Tom Williams on April 28, 2017
UPDATE: Long-Awaited Nick Cave Statue To Be Crowdfunded For Singer’s Hometown
ORIGINAL STORY: Aussie music icon Nick Cave once joked about having a gold statue of himself erected in his hometown, but it now looks like it might actually happen one day.
Speaking with GQ, Cave has revealed that his hometown of Warracknabeal in Western Victoria has been in touch about possibly making the statue a reality, after Cave first raised the idea years ago.
Cave’s original idea (which was kind of a joke in itself) was for a large bronze statue of himself to be erected somewhere in Warracknabeal, but, of course, there was more to it than that.
“The idea was to make the statue, have it rejected by the town, and dump it in the desert — this Planet Of The Apes-type of scenario, the desert eventually swallowing it up,” Cave says.
“There was a kind of perverse allure to the whole thing, of having a statue in a town where everyone was, ‘Who the fuck is this guy?’”
The design for the statue reportedly already exists, and Cave is said to have a small prototype of it. Here’s how GQ describe it:
“It shows Cave, with long hair and wearing nothing but a loincloth, heroically posed on a rearing stallion, his left arm brandishing what Cave describes as ‘this sort of eternal flame’.”
For an idea of what the statue might end up looking like, here’s sculptor Corin Johnson’s model:
Image: Corin Johnson
Back when Cave first proposed the statue in 2008, he reportedly emailed Warracknabeal’s local newspaper the Wimmera Mail Times that an all-star cast would rock up for the statue’s eventual unveiling.
“Russell Crowe, my mate, has promised to attend,” he wrote. “Snoop Dogg, a rapper, says he’ll come if they let him into the country. [And] Kylie Minogue said she wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Cave has since said that while he might “deserve” the statue more as he gets older, it’ll just become “less interesting” for him as he ages.
Despite that, and after seeing Corin Johnson’s model, all we can say is that Warracknabeal needs to MAKE. THIS. HAPPEN., even if it makes their hometown hero a little nervous.
Tame Impala Call Out Chinese Milk Company For Ripping Off Their Music In New AdHarry Styles 2017 Australian Tour Dates Announced | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line923 |
__label__wiki | 0.713054 | 0.713054 | by Aslan Hinri
Born Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. in 1993.
Anthony Davis stood out as a high school prospect because of his unique agility for such a tall basketball player.
Davis won prestigious awards while playing for the University of Kentucky.
Davis participated in the U.S. National Basketball team in the 2012 Olympic Games.
Has broken numerous game records during his 6-year basketball career.
Currently plays in the NBA for the New York Pelicans.
Anthony Davis won the January NBA Cares Community Assist Award for his charitable efforts to underprivileged children.
"It means a lot. I try to do the best I can to give back to the city and show my appreciation, and to win something like this, multiple of these, has been a great honor and a blessing. And, I just try to use everything that I have to give back to the city of New Orleans" - Anthony Davis
Davis hosted a night of bowling at the YMCA West Bank, where more than 100 children received prizes and refreshments.
Davis gave out Toys R Us gifts for 75 children from the Boys and Girls Hope Association.
Davis' family served Thanksgiving dinners to members of the Salvation Army's Center of Hope.
Davis hosts fun activities for children which include laser tag, arcade games and bowling.
Davis has spent approximately $30,000 in tickets to give 3,700 underprivileged children with the opportunity to watch him perform at his Pelicans basketball games.
Social Entrepreneurial Activity
Anthony Davis has made a tremendous impact on children and adults in his community.
Those who are directly affected by Anthony Davis feel that he has a big heart and that he is inspiring them to work hard to overcome poverty.
Davis provides food, entertainment, and educational opportunities to children in his community.
As a 25-year old man, Anthony Davis has taken responsibility for empowering his community through charitable acts.
Benefits to Society
As a New Orleans native, Anthony Davis experienced the wrath of Hurricane Katrina. Anthony Davis is proud to be from New Orleans, Louisiana. Anthony Davis is proud to be from New Orleans, Louisiana.
As a Hurricane Katrina victim, Anthony Davis understands the struggles facing his community after losing their homes, properties, and loved ones from the natural disaster.
Anthony Davis has uniquely branded himself as a proud New Orleans star that genuinely cares about uplifting the members of his community.
Anthony Davis proclaims that he will always play for his hometown of New Orleans for the remainder of his NBA career.
This loyalty to his community has established a strong connection between the athlete and the children of his community.
Anthony Davis uses his fame as a means of serving as a role model and leader for the children in his community.
Anthony Davis has done a tremendous job of serving as a role model and leader of his community.
Davis provides the disadvantaged adults and youth with food during holidays such as Thanksgiving.
Davis provides spontaneous nights of entertainment to disadvantaged youth.
However, Davis should focus on providing charitable efforts that would yield more long-term outcomes.
One suggestion is that Davis could open a prestigious educational institution for disadvantaged youth.
Another suggestion is that Davis could provide rent-free apartment homes for victims of Hurricane Katrina that lost their homes until they get back on their feet.
Constructive Criticism:
1. Anthony Davis is not only a tremendous athletic talent, but he is a genuine individual that truly cares about making an impact in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana.
2. Anthony Davis has won the NBA Cares Community Assist Award several times now for charitable acts such as providing underprivileged children with tickets to Pelicans games, hosting fun nights of entertainment, and serving Thanksgiving dinner with his family.
3. Anthony Davis could improve as a social entrepreneur by implementing more long-term assistance to his community, such as helping Hurricane Katrina victims get back on their feet or opening a prestigious school to create educational opportunities for disadvantaged youth.
3 Key Takeaways:
Anthony Davis Biography (2018). The Famous People. Retrieved on 20 Sept. 2018, from https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/anthony-davis-40671.php.
Williams, D. (2015, Mar. 7). Pelicans forward Anthony Davis wins January NBA Cares Community Assist Award. The New Orleans Advocate. Retrieved on 20 Sept. 2018, from https://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/sports/pelicans/article_e58c22ca-f41b-5970-bbb3-3691e2c250ee.html.
Thomsen, I. (2017, Feb. 15). Already mature as player, New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis still growing as leader. NBA. Retrieved on 20 Sept. 2018, from http://www.nba.com/article/2017/02/15/anthony-davis-all-star-host-emerging-leader-new-orleans-pelicans.
Aslan Hinri - Anthony Davis
Aslan Hinri | September 20, 2018 | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line924 |
__label__wiki | 0.810777 | 0.810777 | Kelly Clarkson Announces Las Vegas Residency
Matt Winkelmeyer, Getty Images
It's official: Kelly Clarkson is headed to Las Vegas.
The singer announced her Invincible residency at the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino Las Vegas. She confirmed the exciting news on The Kelly Clarkson Show Friday (November 1), revealing her shows kicks off April 1, 2020 and that she'll be performing on the same stage as Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera.
"When I launched this show I heard I heard from fans everywhere who were worried I’d stop putting out new music and touring. Well, don’t worry I got you,” she said. “I have a major announcement to make today. I’ve scored my very own residency in Las Vegas! Kelly Clarkson Invincible debuts April 1st."
"It’s not an April Fool’s joke,” Clarkson added. “But it does debut April 1st.”
Check out her announcement in the video, below:
"I've always loved performing in Las Vegas and the high energy of the crowds there," the original American Idol winner also said in a statement. "So many of my musical idols have had, and still have, incredible residencies on The Strip, and I'm so excited to create my own!"
General ticket prices begin at $59 and can be purchased online at Clarkson's official website or in-person at the Planet Hollywood box office. There will also be a limited number of meet and greets available for purchase.
Check out Kelly Clarkson's 2020 "Invincible" Las Vegas dates, below:
Pop Stars Who Deserve a Vegas Residency
Source: Kelly Clarkson Announces Las Vegas Residency
Filed Under: kelly clarkson | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line925 |
__label__cc | 0.670759 | 0.329241 | I have been so well with short story collections recently having just finished Barbara the Slut. Bergman does something very different with her short story collection, but I loved it nonetheless.
While this compilation is a work of fiction, each short story focuses on a real woman from the past and then spins a creative narrative about their lives. The women that Bergman profiles are, as the title suggests, “Almost Famous,” meaning that while they were all quite notable while alive, history has forgotten them. Some of the women featured in these stories I had heard of like Butterfly McQueen, the African American actress famous for her role as Prissy in Gone With the Wind, and many of them had familiar family names; Allegra Byron, Dolly Wilde, and Norma Millay. Many of these women though, I knew nothing about (Joe Carstairs, Hazel Eaton, and Tiny Davis) and found myself completely enthralled by the stories that Bergman told.
Bergman is an amazing storyteller and I found myself lost in her writing. Whit short story collections I normally find that I read one a day, but I completely burned through this collection because I couldn’t get enough. She also did a remarkable amount of research as evidenced by the lengthy appendix to the book and made a real attempt to understand these women’s lives before attempting to create stories about them. One of the things that I liked the most about these stories is that not all of them are told by the characters that they are focused on, but rather are narrated by secondary or outside characters. This narrative style is functional, allowing the author to create profiles of these women without having to be inside their heads, and also compelling as you are drawn to the subjects of the stories as well as the narrators. I loved this collection and can’t praise it highly enough.
Recommended Reading and Listening:
I couldn’t do any better than the appendix that Megan Mayhew Bergman provides everyone with in her book filled with suggestions for further reading.
This entry was posted in Reviews and tagged Almost Famous Women, Book Review, Feminism, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Megan Mayhew Bergman, Short Stories, Women, Womens History on January 12, 2018 by kwils3.
Lauren Holmes – Barbara The Slut and Other People (2015)
I have a difficult relationship with short stories, and aside from David Sedaris’ Me Talk Pretty One Day, I have yet to come across a compilation of short stories that I absolutely love. Well I finally found it.
I’m not even quite sure how to explain what makes this collection so great, which is terrible because I’ve decided to review books in my spare time, but it definitely has to do with Holmes’ writing style. She writes in a very candid way with short and snappy sentences never leaving her characters to dwell on a thought for too long. Her writing is very matter-of-fact and often times dripping with sarcasm or irony. Maybe I just loved her writing so much because I feel like I speak in a similar way.
The stories themselves are also all great ranging from the story of a law student with an identity crisis acting as a lesbian to work at a female-positive sex shop, so a woman who falls in love with a Swedish guy who she grows to dislike more and more as he gets attached to her dog Pearl. I feel like short stories seem like they would be easy to write, but are actually in reality quite difficult. It’s easy to come up with the idea for one, but then to create a compelling enough storyline that people actually care about before reaching a satisfying conclusion in a limited number of pages is tough. As with most short story collections, I likes certain stories better than others, but they all hit all the right notes.
I can’t recommend this enough. It’s a short smart and quirky read that you’ll want to lend to your friends so that you can laugh about it together.
This entry was posted in Reviews and tagged Barbara The Slut, Comedy, Feminism, Fiction, Humour, Lauren Holmes, Short Stories on October 26, 2017 by kwils3.
Why I Cried During Wonder Woman
Princess Buttercup No More
This article also appears on Creators.Co
I went to see Wonder Woman the week that it was released and was immediately struck by how absolutely average it was. (Bear with me here). Superhero movies normally have a very prescribed formula, something that doesn’t appeal to me quite as much. Wonder Woman follows this formula through the origin, the journey and the final battle with a villain making it a very standard typical superhero movie. And that is what is so remarkable.
The fact that a female-driven movie followed the same structure and performed just as well as male-driven one is groundbreaking in and of itself. While there was a lot of hype surrounding the movie and a lot of wonderful reactions to it, the movie is largely entertaining and incredibly accessible to various audiences. Like other block buster action movies it seemed to drag at some parts but was overall satisfying. So why was I so emotionally wrecked by it?
I cried. A lot.
Looking online, this seems to be a common theme. Women are finding themselves emotional and crying during the battle scenes like when Robin Wright kicks total ass as Diana’s Aunt Hipployta or when Wonder Woman marches across No Man’s Land. There’s an emotional catharsis here. I doubt anyone would argue that Robin Wright’s character in House of Cards is not strong, she very clearly is, but it’s a different kind of strength. One that is more reserved though nonetheless important. There’s been a growth of these kinds of strong women in the media but there is something different about seeing females in positions of physical strength. I could have watched the Amazons fight all day.
There is the emotional catharsis of seeing women depicted in such a strong way and there is relief at how the movie is doing justice to the story; it lived up to the insanely high expectations set for it. For me, the most emotional part was seeing Diana as a young girl watching her Aunt and the other Amazons fight, wanting so desperately to be one of them. I was an emotional puddle thinking about the young girls who will see this movie and be inspired by these amazingly powerful women on the screen. It’s the same reason I get emotional when I see little girls dressed up as Rey or as characters from Ghostbusters. Representation matters and this movie shows why. In the wake of its release teachers and parents have shared their stories of young girls wanting to be Wonder Woman.
Diana is the perfect hero to accomplish what she does. She’s a fighter but she also stands for love and justice. They were a bit heavy handed with Wonder Woman’s message of “true love conquers all” and many reviewers complained about how saccharine it is. This message however, isn’t a bad one to be teaching young people, and is very true to the original Wonder Woman in the comic books. I keep hearing friends of mine complain about this and I’m tired of trying to defend it so I’ll just say that it didn’t bother me. (What did bother me was the character of Chief. It’s great to see a Native American actor represented on screen but the whole characterization was reductionist and made zero historical sense to me, but that is a whole other article. In the sequel, because there will be a sequel, let’s hope the demigod theories are confirmed).
I’m not, nor have I ever been, a huge superhero fan. Maybe if a movie like this had come out when I was younger I would have been. Not that I grew up in a barren wasteland devoid of any female role models. As I mentioned Anne Shirley was a heroine to me, as were the traditional “smart girls” like Hermione Granger and even Rory Gilmore to an extent. This speaks to my outlook on life and experience as an academic nerd. Not everyone is me and not all girls will relate to the same female characters that I did. It’s been said over and over, but I’ll say it again, representation matters and Wonder Woman is bringing us one step closer to a more well rounded pop culture environment for women and girls.
This entry was posted in Movies, Reviews and tagged DC Comics, Diana, Feminism, Film, Hippolyta, Inspiring, Movie, Powerful, Representation, Role Model, Superhero, Women, Wonder Woman, World War One on July 11, 2017 by kwils3.
The Problem With Anne
This Post Contains Spoilers for the Netflix Series Anne With an E
Much has been written about the joint CBC-Netflix show Anne with an E, with many reviewers feeling as though the series has ruined the magic of the book. (Magic that was in contrast, encapsulated by the 1985 movie). Like many young girls growing up in Canada, Anne holds a special place in my heart and I was sceptical about the iteration of her story. (I did not watch the American version starring Martin Sheen or the BBC Version). This deep-seeded love of the free-spirited Anne is the reason there was so much backlash against the grittier story Director Niki Caro decided to bring us. I however, don’t mind a darker Anne.
From the opening credits set to The Tragically Hip’s Ahead by a Century I had tears in my eyes. This was going to be a Canadian-driven production and it would be true to the story. I fell in love with Amybeth McNulty and the casting of R.H. Thompson and Geraldine James as Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert respectively was likewise on point. The sweeping picturesque scenes filled me with a warm appreciation for my country and I was totally engrossed in the story. Even Anne’s flashbacks, which signal a dramatic departure from the original tone of the book and 1985 movie, moved me. It’s realistic for Anne to have suffered from PTSD as being an orphan in the Maritimes at the dawn of the century would not have been easy. I was willing to accept this artistic choice, but then they changed some fundamental things.
My one main problem with the new series is that the creators lack a full understanding (as I see it) of what made Anne so inspiring. As a young girl I wasn’t outright bullied with name calling or threatened with physical violence, but I was a social outcast. I knew I was different from the other girls in my class because I loved to read and I loved to learn. I was an awkward looking girl with little interest in boys, or at least they had little interest in me. For me, my sense of who I was came, and still does come, from my academic achievements. Characters like Anne, Matilda, and Hermione got me through my rougher years in grade school and taught me that things get better; smart girls can rule the world.
In the new series, Anne isn’t the brightly shining student she is in previous incarnations. Yes, she loves to read, but when it comes to math she seems to fall behind. She even drops out of school for a while due to unrelenting bullying, something unheard of for the Anne Shirley I know and love. I understand trying to make Anne a more sympathetic character, someone other kids being bullied can identify with, but this series weakens her, especially in her relationship with Gilbert Blythe.
In the book, and 1985 movie, the entire relationship between Anne and Gilbert is founded on an intense academic rivalry. He is a charming blowhard who Anne has no romantic interest in until much later on in their lives. In the Netflix series, Gilbert initially meets Anne in a forest after he rescues her from a bully threatening to harm her. The series rewrites their relationship turning Gilbert into an sensitive brooding boy who can bond with Anne over their shared orphan-ness. The series turns Anne into a damsel in distress which is an interesting choice, given that the rest of the time the series seems hell-bent on convincing the viewer she is a feminist icon.
The thing is, Anne already was a feminist icon. Not because she is inspired to “be her own woman” by Aunt Josephine, or because she bests a bully telling her to literally “get back in the kitchen.” She was a feminist icon because she took school seriously at a time when women weren’t supposed too. The need to “better than the boys,” that innate feeling, is one that will resonate with many young girls whether is be competing with men at school, with sports, or at work. I could write at length about how hard it is for women and girls in higher education and the workplace because young girls are taught to be nice while boys are taught to be brave but I won’t do that here. (Reshma Saujani did an amazing TED Talk on this subject).
The competition appears mid-way through the series but doesn’t feel authentic to me. It’s forced and is simply a means to the end: The two are a romantic pair from the start and Gilbert is later removed entirely from this academic setting. The two trade barbs but do so cautiously in a way that highlights a different connection between the two, one based on an emotions rather than on one of intellect.
Previous versions of Anne never let anything hold her back, she knew she was smart and went for it even though she was constantly having to prove herself as a woman. She’s a feminist icon because she’s a fighter. She fights to stay at Green Gables; she fights for herself in school and repeatedly ends up at the top of her class gaining a scholarship and attending university despite all the societal pressures working against her. When she ultimately ends up with Gilbert it is only after years of academic rivalry out of which grew a deep mutual respect for one another.
The series overall isn’t bad. It’s worth it for the artistic shots of Ontario and PEI alone, and puffed sleeves and raspberry cordial still play prominent roles. For anyone watching for the first time however, I urge you to go back and either read the books or watch the 1985 film version. I am interested to see if they do another season and if any of these aspects of Anne are reclaimed. I recognize that this is my own personal bias but she was an idol for me, someone I looked up to and wanted to be. Girls, and boys, being introduced to Anne today deserve to have her as their role model too. To ignore Anne’s intelligence is to do her a complete and total injustice.
This entry was posted in Reviews, Television and tagged Anne, Anne of Green Gables, Anne With an E, Feminism, Gilbert, Netflix, Review, Television on July 3, 2017 by kwils3.
Kate Bolick – Spinster (2015)
“Spinster” is one of those terms that is not as commonly used as it once was. Having used to refer to a woman who remained unmarried whether a conscious decision or not, the term has fallen into disuse, or when used conjures up images of severe middle-aged “spinster librarian” types. (A stereotype that, as a librarian, I dislike). In her book, titled Spinster, Kate Bolick explores what it means to be single and seeks to reclaim the term.
In this book (an outgrowth of a 2011 Atlantic Article, “All the Single Ladies”) Bolick traces the lives of five great female writers (all of whom never married) and interlaces their lives with stories from her own personal journey. I’ve never read anything quite like this before, that blends memoir/autobiography with non-fiction. I was unsure at first, but as I kept reading I really began to like Bolick and drew my own inspiration from her.
Unlike Bolick’s article in the Atlantic, which was much more “fun” featuring one-night-stands and whirlwind romances, Spinster, is full of contemplative ponderings and the joys of solitude. I bought this book at a time when I too was trying to find joy in being alone after a tumultuous relationship and maybe that’s why it spoke to me so much. If anything it made me realize that I was going to be ok, and being alone, as much as I disliked it at the time did not make me a failure.
I feel like this book will split readers down the middle with some loving it and other hating it. It’s interesting and I fall on the side of those who loved it. Spinster is above all a product of Bolick’s long-term goal; a rejection of the traditional female role for something that she finds more fulfilling. Agree or disagree with Bolick, it is still an insightful and interesting read.
Recommended Reading: How to Be Alone from Thought Catalog. This is an older article but is still in my bookmarks, and I revisit it often.
Recommended Listening: A podacst episode on Self Care produced by Bitch Media for Valentine’s Day.
This entry was posted in Reviews, Uncategorized and tagged Biography, Feminism, Kate Bolick, Loneliness, Memoir, Non Fiction, Review, Single, Spinster, Women on March 1, 2016 by kwils3.
Sarah Waters – The Paying Guests (2014)
With her novel The Paying Guests, Waters looks at postwar 1920s London, but through a very unique lense. We are first introduced to the Wray family, spinser Frances and her mother who live together alone in a townhouse. Due to the deaths of the men in the family, Frances and her mother are forced to rent out a room in their house to a young couple, Leonard and Lillian Barber. While initially Frances is suspicious of the the couple, she then strikes up a friendship with Lillian which develops into something much more.
Without giving too much away the story is essentially about the blossoming friendship and eventual affair that occurs between Lillian and Frances set against the backdrop of 1920’s London, a time in which class and gender structures were very much in flux. While I very much enjoyed the story as well as Waters’ writing style, so much of this book seemed so very long. There were parts that dragged on forever without ever really coming to a conclusion. Waters’ writing is great, but the editor really should have cut this book down about 100-200 pages. The unnecessary dialogue and inner thoughts detracted from the rest of the book.
As a feminist scholar specializing in female sexuality in Victorian England, Waters certainly knows her subject and sets the scene beautifully. She is not unfamiliar with creating a dramatic story and does so quite well. Even though the book runs a bit long in places, it is still a worthy read and a great piece of historical fiction.
This entry was posted in Reviews and tagged 1920s, Feminism, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Interwar, Lesbians, LGTBQ, London, Novel, Review, Romance, Sarah Waters, The Paying Guests, World War One on February 2, 2016 by kwils3. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line926 |
__label__wiki | 0.671408 | 0.671408 | Browse Projects > Views for Media
Project 784: A. Zieritz, A. F. Sartori, A. E. Bogan, D. C. Aldridge. 2014. Reconstructing the evolution of umbonal sculptures in the Unionida. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research.
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__label__cc | 0.734698 | 0.265302 | movies Prometheus (2012)
Prometheus (2012)Posted by EmOn August 13, 2012
There are two movie pictures that I wait for this year. One of them is this one. If you can’t guess which is the next one, I’ll tell you: The Dark Knight Rises. Let’s leave that one for its own article an keep concentrating on this one, from who’s euphoria I haven’t yet come back (it’s been now more than 12 hours).
There are two more movies until this one I would like to give each one a line. The first will be Men In Black 3, which seemed more to me like a new episode of a tv series rather than a stand-alone movie. It was nice to watch but the story takes us like the last MIB was two months ago. I felt like something was missing from there.
The other one is The Avengers, which in my opinion, was, an average super-hero movie. I liked the first Iron Man, the others (including this one) seemed more cartoon-ish (in the story I mean). With all the special effects and the other things, it went in from one eye (as in ear) and got out through the other one (that’a new expression I never hear anyone use it before).
Disappointing for some of Alien fans (see the ranking note on IMDB), Prometheus was announced as a prequel to the series. A comeback to the roots of the story and, of humanity (as we later see), that was not appreciated, as some thought. As a stand-alone film, it wouldn’t have the same impact, including Ridley Scott and all the rooster (by the way, no Russel Crowe SciFi film?).
Actors that I saw more in TV series than Hollywood productions. To me, it seems more like a respond for Cameron’s Avatar, trying to demonstrate (I fell asleep twice during Avatar) how remarkable SF movies can be done without the huge cost that someone made the standards too.
As I don’t want to write the story, I will simply mark this one here on the blog, one that definitely will go to my DVD special editions collection. Funny how it took me about two months to write about it. I promise from now on, it will not take that much anymore (right – later edit)
Coming back to the previous post, here’s a TED video (promotional) made by the director and one of the characters from the Alien Universe, personify by Guy Pierce.
alienavataravengersguy pearcemen in blackridley scottsci fi
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__label__cc | 0.65473 | 0.34527 | Gerard Butler to Star in ‘Nim's Island’
Gerard Butler to Star in Nim's Island
B. Alan Orange
— May 17, 2007
Wasn't Gerard Butler just in the news yesterday? Yes, I think Variety told us he'd signed onto the futuristic thriller Game, from the creators of Jason Statham's Crank. Well, now they are informing us that Butler has also signed onto Fox Walden's kiddy adventure Nim's Island.
The film will be an adaptation of Wendy Orr's popular kids book. Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin are set to star alongside Butler.
The story focuses on a little girl that lives on an island with her scientist father. When his boat runs into a spot of trouble one day, the youngster must fend for herself. With the help of an author she is emailing, the girl and her father are able to rescue the island from a tourist company.
The film will be released on April 28th, 2007.
Contributing writer for Movieweb since 2001. Owns a dog who loves watching Milo and Otis on repeat. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line931 |
__label__cc | 0.659053 | 0.340947 | Checklist for the Egyptian Government: Justice for Women Human Rights Defenders
Nazra for Feminist Studies issued a checklist for the Egyptian government today that provides steps as to how to achieve justice for women human rights defenders (WHRDs) as per international human rights standards.
One Year of Impunity: Violations against Women Human Rights Defenders in Egypt from August to December 2011
Nazra for Feminist Studies issued today a report on the violations committed against women human rights defenders in Egypt in the period from August to December 2011.
Women Human Rights Defenders Concept Papers
Executive Summary- The Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRD) program is issuing a series of concept papers that aim to introduce the notion of WHRDs: who they are, what they do, and why they should be considered as a distinct group of human rights defenders. The categories of WHRDs analyzed in the concept papers include: vocational women (doctors, nurses, and teachers); students; political candidates; civil society activists; protesters; and workers (industrial and agrarian sectors).
Oman: End the Detention of Women Human Rights Defenders
On 19 June 2012, due to their deteriorating health, women human rights defenders Basma Al-Keumy, lawyer, and Basma Al-Rajehy, writer and TV broadcaster, ended their hunger strike aimed at their administrative detention which continued until 24 June 2012 and the lack of access to their families and lawyers.
Both women were arrested on 11 June 2012 along with approximately 20 other protestors when security forces and anti-riot police broke up a three-day protest held in front of the
Manual on Women Human Rights Defenders
Executive Summary- The Women Human Rights Defenders program at Nazra for Feminist Studies is launching its manual on Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs). Rather than translate into Arabic manuals that have been produced by other organizations, the WHRD program opted to produce it’s a manual that is especially tailored to the Egyptian context.
In the UN Human Rights Council: Nazra for Feminist Studies Criticizes the Egyptian State’s Treatment of Women Human Rights Defenders
The Military Regime does not Welcome Women’s Public Action and Defends Abuses on the Basis of Moral Justifications.
Continued Militarization: Increased Violence Against Women Human Rights Defenders During Dispersal of Cabinet Sit-in... Women Activists Beaten, Brutalized and Subjected to Sexual Violence
The targeting of Women human rights defenders seen over the course of an entire day, when the sit-in at the cabinet building was dispersed at dawn on December 16, is a continuation and clear escalation of militaristic policies aimed at Women human rights defenders, employed consistently by the former regime prior to the January 25 revolution. The policy of targeting Women human rights defenders is part of attempts by those currently in charge of the country, the various security agencies, and the remnants of the former regime to expel women from the public sphere.
During the Celebration of the International Day on Women Human Rights Defenders: Women Activists Are Still Being Pushed Away from the Public Sphere by the Authorities
The Women Human Rights Defenders Program (WHRDP), of Nazra for Feminist Studies, is launching today its first report “A Continuation of Violations: Military Policy Towards Women Human Rights Defenders” on the ongoing state’s discriminatory policies against women human rights defenders since the Mubarak's regime till now. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line935 |
__label__wiki | 0.640123 | 0.640123 | September 29, 2019 Entrepreneurs and Start-ups, FinTech and Alternative Finance, Fintech International, Fintech Opinions, Fundraising and Investing, Innovation and Resources No comments
Kickstarter To Workers and Project Creators: Drop Dead
Current Affairs | Nathan J. Robinson | Sep 29, 2019
number of workers at Kickstarter are currently trying to organize a union, an effort the company has actively opposed from the start. The CEO made it clear that the company doesn’t want a union and would not voluntarily recognize one. Several weeks ago, during the middle of the organizing campaign, Kickstarter suddenly fired two of the lead organizers. Sources inside Kickstarter confirmed to the press that the firings were not, as the company insisted, merely performance-related.
When the union organizers were fired, Current Affairs happened to be in the middle of a Kickstarter campaign. As a left publication, we were appalled, and didn’t want to publicly support an anti-union company. So we got together with our colleagues at Protean Magazine, Pinko Magazine, the Nib, and the Baffler (all of whom had done Kickstarter campaigns in the past) and released a statement condemning the firings and expressing solidarity with the union.
We invited other Kickstarter project creators to join us on the statement, which hundreds did, including well-known creators like Neil Gaiman, Anita Sarkeesian, Molly Crabapple, and Richard Herring. Collectively, the creators on our statement have raised millions of dollars on the platform (my estimate is $10 million, but I stopped counting around 5).
See: Kickstarter accused of union-busting after firing workers
We were united in (1) appreciating Kickstarter’s staff and the great platform they have created and (2) being firmly opposed to the company’s anti-union activities and supportive of the workers’ rights. (If you have created a Kickstarter project, please consider signing. Read some of the statements people have made here.)
As our campaign took off and started to attract press attention, I received a message from Kickstarter’s chief communications officer. He asked me if I would like to talk on the phone so that he could address our concerns. I spoke with him, and explained that his company’s actions violated the core values of the creators on our statement. Not only that, I explained that Kickstarter was actually damaging its creators’ projects.
I had supporters of Current Affairs saying they were ambivalent about donating to our campaign because they didn’t want to support Kickstarter (who take a percentage of all funds raised). Pro-labor project creators who hadn’t yet met their funding goals were especially hurt. One creator was actually raising money for a game about union organizing, and felt he couldn’t in good conscience stay with the platform but didn’t want to lose the money he’d raised for his game.
After I told the communications officer this, he argued that Kickstarter was not, in fact, an anti-union company. I pointed out to him that since his company was in the middle of fighting against their workers’ union effort, they were anti-union in a literal and undeniable sense. I said the creators on our statement held very different values to those of Kickstarter. We did not resolve anything on the conversation, but he said the company was thinking through how to respond and he would be in touch.
Today, Kickstarter offered its response. The communications officer emailed me, and said he would like to share a statement from the CEO with the project creators. The statement said that Kickstarter:
Stood by its decision to fire the organizers, and would be dispatching its lawyers to fight their claims.
Would not voluntarily recognize a union even if the vast majority of workers signed in support of one.
Would not pledge to remain neutral on unionization, and would continue to actively oppose the effort.
Read: We stand with the Kickstarter Union Petition
The statement was the most blatant slap in the face imaginable to both the workers and the project creators. It says, in essence: drop dead. We do not care what you think. We do not want a union and we are going to try to stop one from forming. We will fire union organizers if we want to, and if they complain to the National Labor Relations Board, they will be facing our lawyers. Kickstarter heard the hundreds of creators who signed our statement, and they have said plainly and unequivocally that they reject our values and will remain an anti-union company.
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The Winners And Losers In Fintech In 2019 | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line938 |
__label__wiki | 0.885012 | 0.885012 | Inside Out written by Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley, and Ronnie del Carmen, directed by Pete Docter (Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios) for Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation in 2015
Toy Story 3 written by Michael Arndt (Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures) for Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation in 2010
Up written by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, and Tom McCarthy, directed by Pete Docter (Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures) for Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation in 2009
WALL-E by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, and Jim Reardon, published by Pixar Animation Studios. Winner, Best Script in 2008
The Incredibles by Brad Bird, published by Pixar Animation Studios. Nominated for Best Script in 2004
Finding Nemo by Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, and David Reynolds, published by Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures. Nominated for Best Script in 2003 | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line940 |
__label__wiki | 0.700514 | 0.700514 | Operating Projects
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Margene Benton - Margene is the Accounting and Foundation Support Clerk at New Horizons. She started in September of 2009, coming from a background in legal assisting, finance and office administration. Her primary responsibility is in the Accounts Payable arena. Other responsibilities include maintaining the integrity of the Foundation database, overseeing the receipting process, setting up new projects, and assisting the Director of Finance. Margene sees the generosity of people come across her desk everyday, and is privileged to partner with our Project Managers in making an impact on the lives of others-worldwide. Contact Margene
Bill Moritz, JD - Bill is one of the founders of the New Horizons Foundation and serves as its Executive Director and is also the President of Joy To The World Foundation. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri in Speech and Drama Education, Bill has a life teaching certificate from the state of Missouri, has done graduate work in education at Seattle Pacific University and holds a Juris Doctorate degree from O.W. Coburn School of Law where he was Research Editor for the Journal of Christian Jurisprudence. Bill practices law in Colorado Springs, Colorado, specializing in estate planning, non-profit organizations and business law with the law firm of Moritz and Associates, PC. Contact Bill
Chris Rosenhahn - Chris has been with the Foundation since 2010 and currently serves as the Director of Finance. He provides support for the Operating Projects and oversees the Donor Advised Funds. His desire is to see people reach their potential and to help them launch their visions around the world. Chris has a background in banking, sales and finance, as well as working with Not-For-Profit organizations. Contact Chris
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__label__cc | 0.701824 | 0.298176 | No Need To 'wait And See'
By Bradford Plumer
Looks like we won't have to wait 50 years to see the effects of rising global temperatures, after all. According to a new study by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, those changes are already well underway across the country:
"Climate change is currently impacting the nation's ecosystems and services in significant ways, and those alterations are very likely to accelerate in the future, in some cases dramatically," the report says. "Even under the most optimistic CO2 emission scenarios, important changes in sea level, regional and super-regional temperatures and precipitation patterns will have profound effects." ...
In addition, the number and frequency of forest fires and insect outbreaks are "increasing in the interior West, the Southwest, and Alaska," while "precipitation, stream flow, and stream temperatures are increasing in most of the continental United States" and snowpack is declining in the West.
The Agriculture Department, the study's lead sponsor, issued a statement yesterday highlighting some of the report's findings for farmers, noting that the higher temperatures mean that grain and oilseed crops will mature more rapidly but face an increased risk of failure and "will negatively affect livestock."
It's a good reminder, too, that even if the world does get its act together to avert runaway global warming (which could very well happen if temperatures rise more than 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels, thanks to a whole gamut of carbon-cycle feedbacks), there are still plenty of changes that won't be preventable, and the United States ought to start worrying about adaptation as well as mitigation. John McCain's big climate speech was sharp on this point, although massive adapatation efforts are certainly hard to square with his "slap a price on carbon and then get out of the way" philosophy.
Also, one other footnote here: Back in 2005, the CCSP turned into something of a hornet's nest when one of its senior associates, Rick Piltz, came forward and accused a White House official of editing government climate reports in order to emphasize doubts about global warming and downplay the downsides. (The appointee in question, Philip Cooney, ended up resigning and scurried back to the oil industry.) Anyway, it's probably never safe to assume that the White House is being totally hands-off on this stuff, but the latest report does sound a lot more severe than anything else the administration has released to date, so maybe the appointees are finally backing off, at least on this front.
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United States, Department of Agriculture, Alaska, The Vine | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line946 |
__label__cc | 0.537649 | 0.462351 | The Hub AU Writer-In-Residence brings wealth of experience
Home / AU Writer-In-Residence brings wealth of experience
| January 14, 2020
Steven Heighton admits he was not the best student in the world while pursuing first a bachelor of arts then a master of arts in English.
Fortunately for the 2019/2020 Writer-In-Residence at Athabasca University (AU), he was able to turn the distractions from his academic life into the foundation of a prolific and award-winning writing career.
“I found myself drafting poems and jotting down ideas for short stories during the actual classes and seminars,” he said. “It seemed clear to me that I had to try to write books of my own.”
Steven Heighton is Athabasca University's 2019-20 Writer-In-Residence
Writing books of his own is exactly what Heighton has done, with 14 book publications to his name including poetry, short stories, and novels. He has earned some prestigious awards for his efforts, as well, including four gold National Magazine Awards and the 2016 Governor General’s Award for Poetry for his collection The Waking Comes Late.
As Writer-In-Residence at AU, he will be available to students, faculty, and the broader AU community to help advise on all aspects of the writing process—taking a manuscript from the creation phase through to publication. Submission guidelines can be found on the Writer-In-Residence site.
His main piece of advice? Figure out what kind of writer you are.
For some, the best approach is to pour your ideas out onto the page, not worrying about editing until the draft is finished.
“If this messy approach doesn’t work for you—and for some writers it just doesn’t—take the opposite tack,” Heighton said. “Plan carefully and build the work slowly, word by word, detail by detail, line by line.”
His own approach is one that involves a “very quick, messy, molten, spontaneous first draft,” with the fine-detail work coming in subsequent drafts. This, he said, is one of the most challenging parts of his process.
“By that point, the creative excitement has died down and I have to force myself to persevere with the drudgery of ‘perfecting’ the project, all the while knowing perfection is impossible and the improvements of the final couple of drafts may be indiscernible to most readers anyway,” he said.
Heighton’s appointment as Writer-In-Residence also gives him the opportunity to work on a few of his own projects including some short stories, poems, and songs, as well as two books.
“I’m finishing up two books that will come out this fall—a nonfiction account of volunteering on Lesvos during the first great refugee influx, mainly from Syria, in 2015, and a children’s book that emerges from that same experience,” he said.
On January 17, Heighton will give a talk for the AU community, The Paradox of Disillusionment, which he said will focus on “how failure can be the making of you.”
If you’re unable to attend in person, that talk will be livestreamed! Find out more here. For more information about Heighton, visit his website http://www.stevenheighton.com.
If you’d like to try your hand at writing for The Hub, click here to find out how!
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__label__wiki | 0.951346 | 0.951346 | Arts & culture, Performing arts
Podcast: Native American Antigone explores universal values of honoring the dead
By Anne Brice, Berkeley News| November 20, 2018 February 26, 2019
November 20, 2018 February 26, 2019 Anne Brice
In the summer of 1996, Will Thomas and Dave Deacy were wading in the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington, watching the annual hydroplane races. Thomas kicked something with his foot, bent down and pulled something up. It was a human skull. Turns out, it was a really old skull — 9,000 years old, one of the oldest human remains found in North America.
It’s a discovery that would fuel an ongoing debate between scientists and Native Americans about how ancestral remains should be treated.
It also inspired Beth Piatote, an associate professor of Native American studies at UC Berkeley and a member of the Nez Perce tribe, to write the play Antíkoni — a Native American version of the Greek tragedy Antigone.
Subscribe to the Fiat Vox podcast.
Find all episodes on Berkeley News.
Beth Piatote is an associate professor of Native American studies at UC Berkeley and the playwright of Antíkoni, a Native American version of the Greek tragedy, Antigone. (UC Berkeley photo by Anne Brice)
Following is a written version of Fiat Vox episode #45: “Native American Antigone explores universal values of honoring the dead:”
In the summer of 1996, Will Thomas and Dave Deacy were wading in the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington, watching the annual hydroplane races. Will kicked something with his foot, bent down and pulled something up. It was a human skull.
[Music: “Ultima Thule” by Blue Dot Sessions]
Turns out, it was a really old skull — 9,000 years old, one of the oldest human remains found in North America.
It also inspired Beth Piatote, an associate professor of Native American studies at UC Berkeley and a member of the Nez Perce tribe, to write the play Antíkoni. It’s a Native American version of the Greek tragedy Antigone.
“The question that was with me is like, ‘Why can people understand these concepts of universal literature, like Antigone, that’s supposed to deal with these universal problems of the living and the dead. What are the limits of the state? What are eternal laws v. human laws?'” says Piatote. “‘Why can the same people who can understand that great classic literature, not understand how native people feel about ancestral remains?’”
Fantasia Painter, a Ph.D. student in ethnic studies at UC Berkeley, plays Antíkoni. (UC Berkeley photo by Irene Yi)
Here’s a really quick overview of Antigone:
Written in 441 B.C. by Sophocles, the play is set in the aftermath of a civil war. Two sons of King Oedipus, Eteocles and Polynices, kill each other. The king’s successor, his brother Creon, believes that his nephew Polynices was a traitor and refuses to give him a proper burial.
But Polynices’s sister, Antigone, is determined to follow the law of the gods and bury her brother’s body. So, she defies Creon, buries Polynices’s body, and is caught and put in prison, where she kills herself.
“And that feeling that she feels for her brother is what native people feel for their ancestors,” says Piatote. “We care for them too. We care for them and we want to do what’s right even though the colonial order in which we are born, in which we exist, is trying to sever that relationship, trying to force us into different kind of postures.
It is a human experience to want the dead to rest properly, and the play was a way of talking about how holding the dead is also holding captive the living.”
Antíkoni was staged this month at Berkeley’s Hearst Museum of Anthropology, which holds one of the largest collections of Native American human remains and cultural items, second to the Smithsonian.
Inés Hernandez-Avila, a professor of Native American Studies at UC Davis, plays Auntie 1. (UC Berkeley photo by Irene Yi)
Piatote says that often in science, researchers see these human remains as an opportunity to study how people lived, to learn about their societies. But for Native Americans, their people’s ancestral remains mean something much different to them.
“It’s an entirely different system, an entirely different way of relating to these beings,” she says. “Native people would say, ‘Well, these are our ancestors who were buried in our ancestral homelands in these particular ways and they deserve to rest.’
So being here on campus and thinking about the very specific context here and then being able to actually stage the play in the museum… I think all those things were just really fantastic opportunities to confront this problem of what it is to be human.”
[Music: “Thule Racer” by Blue Dot Sessions]
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, known as NAGPRA, was passed in 1990. The act requires that federal agencies and institutions that receive federal funding, like UC Berkeley, return certain Native American human remains and cultural objects to lineal descendants and culturally affiliated Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations.
Phillip Cash Cash (left), who is Cayuse and Nez Perce and has a Ph.D. in anthropology and linguistics from the University of Arizona, plays Kreon. Benjamin Arsenault, an undergraduate student in theater, dance and performance studies at Berkeley, plays a guard. (UC Berkeley photo by Irene Yi)
Piatote recently joined Berkeley’s NAGPRA advisory committee, made up of a diverse group on campus who provide advice consistent with UC policy, its principles of community for diversity and inclusion and in compliance with federal laws.
“I think that people do understand the importance of repatriating remains to families and to proper resting places. So, the play was one way of trying to put to use to use something like the Greeks, the Greek universal, and say well, ‘What are the limits of your universal values?’ And also, to turn back and say, ‘It’s about all of our humanity to treat the dead properly.’”
Antíkoni was produced in collaboration with the Department of Theater, Dance and Performance Studies. It’s part of the department’s ongoing effort, led by graduate student working groups, to deepen conversation among native indigenous communities on campus and acknowledge indigenous art making.
Jennif(f)er Tamayo, who directed Antíkoni, is a second-year graduate student in theater, dance and performance studies. As part of her research, she’s studying how cultures have used spoken poetry to understand history.
Antíkoni director Jennif(f)er Tamayo (left), a second-year graduate student in theater, dance and performance studies, and associate professor and playwright Beth Piatote, speak on a panel about the making of Antíkoni as part of TDPS’s speaker series. (UC Berkeley photo by Irene Yi)
She says directing a diverse cast made up of graduate students and undergraduates, some of whom had never acted, plus native people from outside the campus community, made it especially important to her that everyone felt that they could bring their whole selves into their performances.
“One of the things I really wanted to ensure happened was that the ways in which we did the work together was done with care and that it was a priority over almost anything else,” says Tamayo.
“For Beth, one of the things that she talked about early on was that this was also to be a healing experience for those who had been a part of the play, cast members who were native, and also those ancestors who were held in the Hearst who we wanted to make sure remembered that we were still fighting for them.”
[Music: “Quiet Still” by Blue Dot Sessions]
Antíkoni will be part of a collection written by Piatote called The Beadworkers: Stories to be published in fall 2019 by Counterpoint Press.
At Berkeley, Antíkoni is already on syllabi in the classics and rhetoric departments, as well as Native American Studies and theater, dance and performance studies. This year, it’s also on syllabi in the classics departments at Stanford and Harvard.
And the 9,000-year-old skull — and skeleton — that were discovered more than 20 years ago, were finally returned last year to the Native tribes of the region where they were found. The tribes were able to give their ancestor — whom they call the Ancient One — a quiet burial in his homeland.
Topics: anthropology, arts, humanities, museums, Native American
Berkeley stories of 2019: The year in images,...
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Take an intoxicating plants tour at the UC Botanical Garden | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line948 |
__label__wiki | 0.741767 | 0.741767 | news.cuna.org/articles/108108-cu-system-briefs
CU System briefs
BEAVERCREEK, Ohio (10/21/15)--Wright-Patt CU (WPCU) has pledged to raise $200,000 during 2015-2016 through its new Sunshine Community Fund Charter, established to formalize its philanthropic support and commitment to nonprofit community organizations and programs. Each year, two organizations will be identified as Sunshine Fund Champions and will receive funds raised by the Beavercreek, Ohio-based credit union’s partner-employees, vendors and business partners. The two organizations chosen for the current campaign are Crayons to Classrooms, which provides basic school supplies for children at no cost to their teachers, families or schools, and United Rehabilitation Services, which enhances the quality of life for children and adults with disabilities and other special needs. The organizations were chosen from more than 130 applications. During the past three years WPCU has raised more than $300,000 to support various organizations, said Tracy Fors, WPCU vice president, marketing and business development …
LOS ANGELES and NOTRE DAME, Ind. (10/21/15)--USC CU, based in Los Angeles, was the winner in its annual $10,000 charity challenge with Notre Dame (Ind.) CU for the third consecutive year (Daily Trojan Oct. 18). The two credit unions celebrated their schools’ football rivalry by committing $5,000 each for the winner-take-all challenge to raise the most credit card applications from Sept. 14 to Oct. 17. USC CU generated 587 applications and Notre Dame FCU 401 applications. The funds will go to USC CU’s charity choice, Good Neighbors, which funds university-community partnerships to positively influence communities around University Park and Health Sciences campus. If Notre Dame had won, the funds would have gone to the Kelly Cares Foundation to raise breast cancer awareness. University of Southern California’s football team lost to Notre Dame in Saturday’s game …
WALTHAM, Mass. (10/21/15)--W-G FCU, Worchester, Mass., will merge with RTN FCU, Waltham, Mass., effective Nov. 1, the credit unions announced Tuesday. Members of W-G FCU approved the merger Oct. 15. RTN Treasurer/CEO Richard Wright said the merger will “expand RTN’s branch footprint, and expand and diversify our membership base.” Members will continue to be served by familiar staff with a wider offering of financial products and services, including more mortgage and loan products and a larger ATM network. W-G Treasurer/CEO Deborah Beando also noted the merger will “offer members lower fees, more branch access, and greater convenience with the same individualized attention.” … | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line949 |
__label__cc | 0.648629 | 0.351371 | In San Diego, Bacow stresses learning, New teaches poetry
New Marshall scholars gaze ahead
Harvard President Larry Bacow visited Health Sciences High and Middle College in San Diego last week accompanied by Professor Elisa New, who led a discussion on an Emily Dickinson poem.
Photos by Spark Photography 2018
Harvard president meets with alumni, tells high school students: ‘You can get a great education anywhere’
Date December 6, 2018 December 6, 2018
“You can get a great education anywhere. It’s a question of what you do with the opportunity,” Harvard President Larry Bacow told a group of high school students last week in San Diego. “At almost any college or university in this country, if you apply yourself, if you seek out the right people, you can get a great education.”
Bacow made the remarks when he visited students, teachers, and school leaders at Health Sciences High and Middle College in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego last Friday as part of a two-day visit to the area.
Bacow also visited with more than 200 alumni from around Southern California at the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park on Thursday evening.
In September, Bacow made a similar trip to Pontiac, Mich., meeting with high school students as well as alumni from the region. Bacow referenced his Pontiac visit while in San Diego and noted his eagerness to highlight and expand the ways Harvard and its alumni are engaged in positive ways in communities throughout the country.
One of Bacow’s goals in visiting the school was to learn from students, teachers, and leaders how Harvard content is being used in schools. He is interested in reactions to the program as he considers additional, creative ways that Harvard can be a partner and collaborator with educational institutions of all kinds.
At the school, about 20 students are enrolled in what they call “Harvard Poetry,” a course offered for credit through the Division of Continuing Education. Elisa New, Powell M. Cabot Professor of American Literature, developed the course as part of Poetry in America, a multiplatform digital initiative that brings the American literary canon into classrooms and living rooms around the world. New led a discussion on a poem by Emily Dickinson, taking questions from students more accustomed to seeing her through the digital course.
“I could never imagine a class at Harvard; I always thought it was out of reach for me,” said senior and course participant Martha Santana-Garcia. Santana-Garcia is in the process of applying to college and hopes to pursue teaching. “Seeing this really solidified my feeling about being a teacher because I saw how impassioned [Professor New] was, and I saw how happy my English teacher was.”
Bacow reflected on his own experience as a high school student, and the idea that college may be closer, and less out of reach, than it may seem. “I didn’t take an MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] course when I was in high school,” he said. “But my calculus text was written by an MIT faculty member, George Thomas, and my physics text was written by a couple of MIT faculty members, so in something of the same way that you’ve been exposed to Harvard, I was exposed to MIT. So, aim high and don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do what you want to do.”
Bacow also spoke to a larger gathering of students and teachers in a group community circle to discuss pathways to higher education and how universities and schools can create effective spaces and curricula for student success. As the group talked about the admissions process, Bacow gave students advice on transitioning from high school to college, telling them there are many people they can look to for help, including former classmates who have graduated, as well as guidance counselors.
One of those at the Health Sciences High event was Jordan Harrison, a 2018 alumnus of the Harvard Graduate School of Education who is now at Reality Changers, a San Diego nonprofit focused on helping guide underserved young people into college. “The school’s model is transformative in providing high school students the experiences of taking college courses and internships,” Harrison said. “After working with some of the students and hearing how the school had prepared them, I was excited to see how the College course was in action on a high school campus.”
Harrison called Bacow’s visit “a transformative experience for the students to demystify Harvard, to start to see Harvard as an opportunity that is possible.” He added, “In a room full of students of underrepresented backgrounds and first-generation students, it was powerful to see students share their poetry and thoughts on taking a Harvard class in high school.”
Bacow meets Jordan Harrison, a 2018 Graduate School of Education alumnus who helps guide young people into college through the San Diego nonprofit Reality Changers; Bacow and New visit Health Sciences High and Middle College.
Harvard’s role in the world and the value of higher education were some of the topics discussed by Bacow and San Diego County Superior Court Judge Yvonne E. Campos last week as part of an event at the San Diego Museum of Art.
Connecting with alumni
With a rainy city as backdrop Thursday evening, more than 200 area alumni, representing every Harvard School, gathered at the San Diego Museum of Art to hear from Bacow at a session sponsored by the Harvard Club of San Diego and the Harvard Alumni Association.
The evening’s highlight was a moderated conversation between Bacow and San Diego County Superior Court Judge Yvonne E. Campos, J.D. ’88. They spoke about Harvard’s role in the world and the enduring value that higher education offers to society. They covered a wide range of topics, from the impact of public service to developments in Allston to news about the admissions case to how Harvard is helping solve problems as diverse as global climate change and the opioid crisis.
During a Q&A session with the audience, Bacow noted the ways that Harvard is addressing the social and economic disparity facing the country. He explained, “We’re working in all sorts of different fields to try to ensure we’re using the expertise that’s represented at Harvard to address disparity wherever we find it.” He noted this work is happening in nearly every School.
“Being a Harvard alum is about building community and creating a social fabric that is distinctly Harvard,” said Vivian Fung ’98 of San Diego. “We all share a sense of the importance of education, the importance of creating opportunity, and the importance of working to help push society forward.” Fung said she felt confident that the University was helping to advance those goals under Bacow’s leadership.
As the discussion came to a close, Bacow said, “I would hope that we as an institution, collectively through our actions; could model what it means to be a caring community, to model what it means to be committed to making the world a better place; could model what it means to be, as I said in my inaugural address, ‘slow to judge and quick to understand.’ I would hope we could model what it means to recognize that with this extraordinary education that all of us have been privileged to receive comes responsibility, and it’s the responsibly to make the world a better place.”
Clockwise from top left: Vaibhav Mohanty, Lyndon Hanrahan, Justin Lee, and Manny Medrano. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line950 |
__label__wiki | 0.509052 | 0.509052 | Senate tells FG to implement provisions of Disability Act
December 4, 2019 Tech Admin News, Project 1
The Senate has urged the Federal Government to fully implement the provisions of the Discriminaton against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018.
It also urged the Ministry of Works and Housing and other government agencies involved in infrastructure and public buildings to adopt codes and standards that were user friendly to Persons With Disabilities (PWDs).
The call followed the presentation of a motion sponsored by Sen. Istifanus Gyang (PDP-Plateau North) during Wednesday’s plenary.
The motion is entitled “International Day of Persons With Disabilities and the State of Persons With Disabilities in Nigeria”.
Every December 3 is celebrated as International Day of Persons With Disabilities.
The observance of the day is intended to promote global awareness and understanding of disability issues and mobilise support for the dignity, rights and well being of PLWDs.
Moving the motion, Gyang said that the observance of the day sought to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration and mainstreaming of disabilities in every aspect of human endeavour.
“While Nigeria ratified the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of People With Disabilities (CRPD) in 2007 and its Optional Protocol in 2010, it was only on Jan. 23, 2019, that President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018.
” This followed nine years of relentless advocacy by disability rights groups and activists,” he said.
The lawmaker further said that with the law in place, PLWDs were still challenged by accessibility and participation in Nigeria.
He, however, said that the day served as an opportunity for the nation to celebrate and applaud the role and contribution of persons with disabilities in nation building in all sectors, especially in the oara-Olympic sports.
After a voice vote by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, the resolutions were unanimously adopted by the senators.(NAN)
Disability Act
Nasarawa: NSCDC arrests man, 75, for allegedly defiling 3-year-old girl
Anambra governor swears-in 2 new High Court judges | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line951 |
__label__cc | 0.697455 | 0.302545 | “Today’s Conventional Wisdom”: It’s Not The Left That’s Changed, It’s The Economy
Have American liberals moved too far to the left? That’s long been the contention of conservatives contemplating liberal positions on a host of social issues, such as gay marriage and the legalization of undocumented immigrants. But opinion polls on these issues show that yesterday’s far-out liberal positions are quickly becoming today’s conventional wisdom.
A more nuanced conservative critique focuses on liberals’ support for a greater government role in the economy. To be sure, New York Times columnist David Brooks argued in a recent column, liberals have traditionally urged government to take up the slack in economic activity during recessions, but now, as the budget proposal of the Congressional Progressive Caucus shows, liberals believe that “government is the source of growth, job creation and prosperity” even when the economy has righted itself. The progressives’ budget, Brooks complains, proposes spending $450 billion on public works and sending $179 billion to the states so they, too, can provide more services and pave more roads. All this and more would be financed by increases in progressive taxation — draining the private sector of the capital it needs to grow, hire and produce prosperity.
Not surprisingly, liberal economists have jumped on Brooks’s arguments. Lawrence Mishel of the Economic Policy Institute argues that the economy is still performing so under par — $985 billion below its potential output if all our factories were going full tilt — that it needs a major boost from government-financed economic activity to increase production, employment and consumption. Coincidentally, the day after Brooks’s column was published, Gallup released a poll showing that 72 percent of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, would support a major federally financed infrastructure repair program and a federal program creating 1 million jobs. Nearly 80 years after Franklin Roosevelt created the Works Progress Administration, it seems the American people would like the government to re-create it.
But there’s a bigger problem with the conservative contention that government stands athwart the private sector’s capacity to create jobs and prosperity: It fails to acknowledge that the private sector no longer creates jobs and prosperity like it used to, completely apart from whatever effects governmental policy may have on job creation. Entirely on their own and well before Obamacare was a gleam in anyone’s eye, employers began cutting back or altogether dropping health coverage and retirement benefits for employees. Nor have government regulations compelled employers to increase the share of company revenue going to profits (which is at its highest level in decades) and reduce the share going to wages (which is at its lowest level in decades).
The U.S. corporations that make up the Standard & Poor’s index of the 500 largest publicly traded companies get almost half their revenue from sales abroad, according to a 2011 S&P analysis, and, despite all the hoopla about bringing manufacturing back to the States, much of their production is going to remain abroad. The rise of machines has, we all know, taken its toll on employment too. U.S. corporations are sitting on $1.7 trillion in cash, with share values and profits that render most of these businesses’ leaders happy campers. Even if the U.S. economy continues to fall far short of full employment, and even if the rate of workforce participation continues to decline, these businesses can still sell their products all over the world. Unlike in the 1930s, the shortfall in domestic consumption does not present them with a crisis but with perhaps nothing worse than a missed opportunity.
In short, the economy is working for our economic elites. The massive changes they would have to make to investment strategies and the division of corporate revenue so that the economy worked for the majority of the American people are nowhere on the horizon. The great growth machine that once was the U.S. private sector ain’t what it used to be — which is one reason each recession since 1990 has been longer, deeper and more intractable than the last. That’s the new economic reality in this country, and that’s what the budget of the Congressional Progressive Caucus responds to. It’s not that liberals have been prompted to move leftward through the readings of ancient socialist gospels or by smoking some stash left over from the ’60s. It’s that the economy has reached a dismal stability far short of its full employment potential or renewing the promise of widespread prosperity, and government investment is required to make up the difference. If anyone is smoking something, it is conservatives who foresee a rebirth of prosperity if only the private sector is left alone.
By: Harold Meyerson, Opinion Writer, The Washington Post, March 21, 2013
March 23, 2013 - Posted by raemd95 | Economic Recovery, Economy | Congressional Progressive Caucus, Conservatives, Corporations, Economic inequality, Federal Government, Free Market, Private Sector, Republicans
Reblogged this on freemarketx.
Comment by freemarketx | March 27, 2013 | Reply
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__label__wiki | 0.735249 | 0.735249 | Interview: Paul Fischer author of “A Kim Jong-Il Production”
May 19, 2015 May 19, 2015 / dprkfilms / 9 Comments
After such incredible coverage for his book “A Kim Jong-Il Production” it’s an absolute pleasure to have author Paul Fischer give his time to a Q&A for this rather niche blog. Giving further insight into what is the most remarkable story associated with North Korean cinema, I advise all those with even a passing interest in North Korean, cinema or humanity to hunt down a copy of his book.
As mentioned in the last post about the This American Life podcast, the story… well, why don’t we let the blurb explain the story:
Before becoming the world’s most notorious dictator, Kim Jong-Il ran North Korea’s Ministry for Propaganda and its film studios. Conceiving every movie made, he acted as producer and screenwriter. Despite this control, he was underwhelmed by the available talent and took drastic steps, ordering the kidnapping of Choi Eun-Hee (Madam Choi)—South Korea’s most famous actress—and her ex-husband Shin Sang-Ok, the country’s most famous filmmaker.
So let’s get on with the Q&A…
How did you first hear about the incredible story of the North Korean dictator who kidnapped a director and star and forced them to make films?
I remember reading about it in passing in the odd newspaper article when Kim Jong-Il was still alive. Never more than “Kim is such a film fanatic it is said he owns the largest private film collection in the world, and is rumoured to have once kidnapped his favourite director to ask him to make films for him” – that kind of thing. Always short and never quite accurate. I loved the idea as a basic concept for a fiction work, and filed it away to play with later.
And then one day in the pub for some reason or another I mentioned this idea to my girlfriend, and she asked me what exactly had happened. Since I didn’t know I started looking up details on my phone and immediately became obsessed with it. Realising who Shin Sang-Ok and Choi Eun-Hee were, seeing my first pictures of Kim Jong-Il as a dapper young film producer, understanding how film and entertainment played a part in inventing the modern theatre state… it was just an amazing story. And I knew right away it was a book.
Shin’s lifestory is so remarkable – with periods of film-making spread over South Korea, Hong Kong, the DPRK and the US – how did you know which aspects of his life to concentrate on?
That was one of the main challenges. It’s true of Choi too – before the kidnapping, she’d run away from home as a teenager, married an abusive husband, been enlisted by the North Koreans in the Korean War, escaped, got enlisted by the South Koreans, been raped, earned a divorce from her abusive husband, become the most famous and best paid actress and model in South Korea, directed films, married Shin, divorced Shin because he had a secret second family… There’s just a ton there. And then the historical context. And Kim Jong-Il’s own background. And so on.
The basic rule I had was that the book was about the kidnapping. That that would be the through line, and that anything not absolutely necessary to understanding that story would have to be cut. It was easier said than done though. I was so fascinated by all the layers that the first part of the book, the lead up to the kidnapping, was huge for a long time. My editors in the US and UK were fantastic at helping me shape it and cut it down and make it part of the narrative rather than endless pages of exposition.
After exploring the films that Choi and Shin made, were you ever worried that the colourful story would detract from the impressive films the two made?
I didn’t, actually. I think it helps. We had a screening in New York recently of “The Houseguest and My Mother” (1961). The audience came because of the book, and then discovered this great, funny film. People have tweeted me that the book makes them want to watch some of Shin’s films and asking where they should start. It’s great because I was always keen that I wanted the book to be about Shin and Choi. Kim Jong-Il’s not the meal, he’s the bait.
What impact do you think Shin and Choi had on the North Korean film industry? Was it a lasting impact?
It didn’t last I don’t think, no. It feels to me that after they escaped, Kim Jong-Il felt burned, and as he grew older and more paranoid the films he oversaw went back to being safer, staler propaganda. And then the Sino-Korean border got more porous and foreign films got smuggled in and it became clear Kim’s films couldn’t compete and that put a nail in the coffin of that national industry a bit, which still turns out a few films and makes documentaries and newsreels and the occasional headline-grabbing co-production, but as an industry is really kind of dead.
I do genuinely feel the three years Shin worked in North Korea were the best years of that industry. He had a sophistication and a versatility, and those were two things North Korean cinema isn’t exactly famous for.
Do you think any of the movies Shin made during this period had artistic merit?
I like “Salt” (1985) a lot and I think it does. “Hong Kil Dong” (1986) – which it’s unclear whether Shin directed or just produced – is great fun. And of course there’s “Pulgasari” (1985) which I enjoy on an Ed Wood kind of level but which many people believe to actually be a masterpiece of subtextual subversion, a kind of protest film in the guise of a kaiju car crash. Shin never let himself be drawn out on that point, but if that theory is true – which it could be, although it sounds far-fetched to me – then “Pulgasari” (1985) becomes a fascinating artist work, a multi-layered commentary on working under duress.
What were the most surprising things you discovered? Was there anything you wish you’d found out the answer to?
Yeah, plenty. I wish I’d been able to find a picture of Woo In-Hee. I wish I’d found the people involved in the actual physical part of the kidnapping – the colleagues of Shin’s who betrayed him. I wish I’d met Shin before he died. But they’re sort of anecdotal things and happen with every project. As for surprises, the whole thing was a surprise to me. It was fantastic fun to write. North Korea as a theatre state, as a performance, and how that was created, scripted, and enforced, that’s been endlessly captivating to me.
Once you’d brought together all your research and written the book, what was your opinion of Shin as a person?
You become very attached to the people you write about so I’m naturally very fond of Shin. And of course he’s taken an even bigger place in my mind because I never met him, he’s elusive. I met Choi Eun-Hee and we became friends, she’s a person I know. Shin is an image in my mind.
In the research, the writing, the interviews, the testimonies (his and those of others), I found a showman, a hustler who was obsessed with the cinema, obsessed with his own work, ambitious, full of bluster and drive but also insecure about whether he was an artist or an entertainer or a businessman or all three. He seems full of contradictions. He never wanted to be perceived to have failed at something but also didn’t seem to give a damn if people judged or disagreed with him. He claimed to be a conservative traditionalist but in practice was anything but. He was a romantic – who slept around and had a secret family. He mentored and looked after people who adored him his whole life, but he could also be incredibly cold and detached, as when he put his career before his own family or lovers. He kept his cards very close to his chest. Incredibly talented, incredibly hard-working, incredibly resourceful. And somehow – from what I gather – matured and grew more compassionate, less self centred, through the experiences in North Korea. He feels to me like one of those great movie showman characters – like Orson Welles or Cecil B. de Mille or Darryl Zanuck. He was a fascinating puzzle.
Do you find watching DPRK films remotely enjoyable (people always ask me this)?
Hahaha. I do but I “blame” the book. I don’t think I would have watched a North Korean film straight through to the end in my entire life if it hadn’t been for this. Now I really enjoy them because I see a whole country, a whole culture, a whole world reflected in them and how they present themselves.
And finally, was Shin really kidnapped? [Note: There’s often been the suggestion that Shin faked the kidnapping so that he could defect to the DPRK]
I am convinced he was. There’s an afterward in the book that goes into the evidence as I found it and the investigative process I went through and to me it seems overwhelmingly to show he and Choi were kidnapped. There are logic holes the size of the USS Pueblo in the voluntary defection theory. I think the simple way of putting it is, imagine a criminal court case in which the accused has a proven history of the exact same crime, in which the victims testify consistently over time, in which associates of the accused confirm the victims’ testimony, in which there are photographs and audio recordings, authenticated by state experts, backing up the victims’ testimony, and a prosecution timeline that the defence cannot refute. That sounds like a pretty clear-cut case — and the kidnapping story has all of those cornerstones backing it up. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line961 |
__label__wiki | 0.782652 | 0.782652 | Home Pop Culture People Rosa Parks
On 1 December 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, a black woman named Rosa Parks insisted on sitting in the front of a bus.
She had just finished a day at work as a seamstress and refused to make room for a white passenger when asked to give up her seat by the driver.
The segregation laws in America’s deep south reserved the front section of public buses for whites (although most bus passengers in Montgomery were blacks and the front section was often almost empty).
Although Parks had taken her place in the ‘correct’ area for black passengers, the driver on the crowded bus moved back the line of segregation so more white passengers could claim a seat.
Rosa Parks ignored the bus driver’s order to give up her seat to a white man and move to the back of the bus and was arrested.
Three days later she was fined $14 after telling the court that she had kept the seat “because my feet hurt”.
The incident triggered a 381-day boycott of the Montgomery City Lines buses, led by local black minister Martin Luther King. The boycott gave momentum to a nationwide campaign to end segregation on public facilities and was central to the whole civil rights movement in the United States.
City Lines lost 65% of its revenue through the boycott and was eventually forced to integrate seating, promise courteous treatment to black passengers and begin hiring black drivers.
In the wake of her trial, Rosa Parks lost her job and received death threats.
Martin Luther King Speech (28 August 1963)
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__label__wiki | 0.62281 | 0.62281 | Not Your Mom's Playlist
"Dude, your mom has the best playlist!" – Wellesley College Student
History of NYMP
Tag: debut album
Folk, Folk Pop, Irish Artists, Love Songs, Rising Artist, Singer/Songwriter
Song of the Day – “World Without You” by Hudson Taylor
Today’s song is one you will have to listen to on YouTube below as it is not yet available here in the US. I love Hudson Taylor, an Irish folk pop duo with brothers Alfie and Harry Hudson-Taylor.
I have posted a song from Hudson Taylor in the past, but wanted to share this new song (and brand new video!) by them today. They will be releasing their debut album, Singing For Strangers, across the world (except the US and Canada) on March 30. I will be keeping my eye out for the US release date and will let you know as soon as I know. In the meantime, this is a great music video and I think you will love the song.
I have linked to their LP, Chasing Rubies, above. The LP was released in late 2013 and if you have not yet listened to their music, please check them out … they truly are awesome! You can also preview their new album by clicking HERE.
March 10, 2015 October 8, 2017 Alfie, brothers, Chasing Rubies, debut album, Folk, folk pop, Harry, Hudson Taylor, Irish, musical duo, new album, Singer-songwriter, singer/songwriter, Singing For Strangers2 Comments
Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Rising Artist, Synthpop, UK Artists, Upbeat Songs
SONG OF THE DAY – “SETTLE DOWN” by The 1975
Following the song title’s advice today. 🙂
So, in honor of settling down, I am off to the city for a concert tonight. It is going to be fabulous – an artist that I really like giving a private show at Webster Hall in NYC. This will be a new venue for me and one that I have really been wanting to visit. I love these small, intimate, invitation-only concerts where you really get up and close to the artist.I can’t wait to let you know about it tomorrow.
Today’s song is by The 1975, a four-piece, alt-rock band from Manchester in the UK. The group met at school in 2002 and released their first EP in 2012; three more EPs followed. They recently released their debut, self-titled album, The 1975, in September 2013.
The band consists of Matt Healy (lead vocals and guitar), Adam Hann (guitar), Ross McDonald (bass), and George Daniel (drums). They have a really cool sound and are certainly making a big splash. In April of this year they had their first big performance in the US, playing at Coachella Music Festival. I am sure there is much more to come from them and if you have not already explored their music, take time to do it now. They are really good!
Gotta run … I have a train to catch!
September 9, 2014 Adam Hann, Coachella, debut album, George Daniel, Manchester, Matt Healy, NYC, rising artists, Ross McDonald, settle down, The 1975, UK, Webster HallLeave a comment
Blues, Folk Pop, Rising Artist, Singer/Songwriter, Upbeat Songs
SONG OF THE DAY – “LIVE WHILE WE’RE YOUNG” by JOHNNYSWIM
Today’s song is in celebration of my friend’s birthday. It is fitting that I am posting a song for her here as she is the one who, along with my daughter, convinced me to start this blog and is probably my biggest promoter and fan.
This is such a great song and I love the title. My friend lives her life wide open and full of joy. She is definitely living while she is young … and she will always be young. She knows the meaning of living life to the fullest and enjoying each moment. She is quick to laugh, always up for an adventure, full of energy, and is constantly serving others. I know that I am not the only friend of her’s who has benefited from the spark for life that she shares with everyone she meets. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, my dear friend! I miss you and know that you are out living while you are young today, even though you are one day older. 🙂
“Live While We’re Young” is from JOHNNYSWIM, the husband-wife duo of Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano. JOHNNYSWIM is one of my favorite newer musical groups and I previously shared a song by them on this website back in December (I give a little more history about them in that post). Their full length debut album, Diamonds, was just released today! I have been anxiously awaiting its release, so I wanted to share another song by them from the new album today. They are incredible and just have a remarkable sound.
I truly love this new song and there are so many on the album that are worth a listen. I am very impressed with this album – the song lyrics are fantastic, the sound of their two voices together is incredible, the music is raw and infectious, and their chemistry is just something that is not seen very often. Enjoy this new song and the new album today!
There is not currently a YouTube video out for this song, but click here to listen to the song. I will update the page as soon as a video is avaiable. In the meantime, the Album Trailer video below will give you a taste, and if you click here NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert will give you a fantastic view of this remarkable husband-wife duo.
April 29, 2014 April 29, 2014 Abner Ramirez, Amanda Sudano, debut album, Diamonds, husband-wife duo, Johnnyswim, live while we're young, Singer-songwriter, youngLeave a comment
Song of the Day – “Be More Kind” by Frank Turner July 29, 2018
Song of the Day – “Oh Darling” by Plug In Stereo, featuring Cady Groves February 9, 2018
Song of the Day – “Feels Great” by Cheat Codes, featuring Fetty Wap February 7, 2018
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__label__wiki | 0.529538 | 0.529538 | You are at:Home»Orthodox Christian Laity»Focused Study and Research Topics»A DECLARATION OF AMERICAN ORTHODOX UNITY NOW [Draft]
A DECLARATION OF AMERICAN ORTHODOX UNITY NOW [Draft]
By Webmaster on October 31, 2015 Focused Study and Research Topics, Orthodox Christian Laity, Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity
[A Case Study that will be discussed at the Annual Meeting of the Orthodox Christian Laity in San Diego, CA on November 7, 2015 – We invite your comments.]
Amidst great spiritual and practical need, this declaration has been written to send out a clarion call for unity – unity in practice and unity within hearts – among American Orthodox Christian believers. Such unity is inevitable, it is the right thing, and it is based on the historic precedents of the Orthodox Church throughout the ages. It is also urgent, for the world is changing ever more rapidly, with dire consequences to traditional faith and Christian virtues, consequences that we can see on a daily basis. The opportunity to do the right thing, the consequential thing, is often fleeting, and once it passes without courageous and principled action, it can be gone forever.
“We are a new nationality. We require a new nation.” This call for independence, from Britain by its thirteen American colonies, is attributed dramatically to Benjamin Franklin. The date was 1776. In the debates in the 2nd Continental Congress that ensued, there were strong voices against this revolutionary notion of independence. Our country’s Founding Fathers were certain that America was ready for the creation of a new republic; other equally accomplished colonial leaders were not so sure. The revolutionary nature of the whole enterprise was decried by the whole world as foolhardy and a fatal error by everyone other than its leaders and its believers among the People. It seemed miraculous to almost everyone that, seven years after the Declaration of Independence announced the independence of the United States of America, such independence had been achieved by a treaty with Great Britain ending the American Revolution. This new country, against all odds and predictions, survived and thrived, and still does. That is because it reflected an idea whose time had come.
We in America are a new Orthodox Christian nationality. We require a new American Orthodox Church. In a very similar way to the events of 1776, the creation by its People of a unified Orthodox Church in the United States is an idea whose time has come. It is not too early, and, for a combination of reasons, it may soon be too late. The churches are in place, both at the parish and at the ethnic-diaspora level. The independent governing bodies of those churches are well-established, and they have been working together in matters of mutual interest for decades. The leadership of those bodies is aware of the need for unity and capable of achieving it. The willingness to undertake this call, a call that was made by Christ when he was with us on earth, will not be immediately unanimous among all American Orthodox Christians. It will, however, will surely happen once it is examined openly and with good will and good faith in the full light of day.
Sincere voices will cry “Wait, wait, we are not ready for unity.” To the contrary, we are diminishing every day for want of it. The declaration of unity – and concrete steps transforming this desire into reality – must be now, because a combination of events, both positive and negative, has ordained its immediacy.
The positive developments that contribute to a growing wave towards unity are many. Mostly, and encouragingly, they are actions by Orthodox Christian Bishops and Patriarchs. The actions taken in the past three decades by Patriarchs and Archbishops of the Orthodox Churches in the Old World – the four ancient Patriarchates as well as the autocephalous and autonomous national churches – show that they understand the pressing need to address the health and organization of the Orthodox churches founded by their emigrants to the New World. Correspondingly, the actions of the bishops in these “diaspora” lands have increasingly showed that they understand the need for and value of Orthodox unity in their respective locations, most notably the United States.
While it is encouraging that such actions by Orthodox bishops exist, it is discouraging that most Orthodox faithful are unaware of them. This lack of knowledge contributes to an unfortunate and erroneous general belief that such actions are not occurring; that our Bishops are mostly against unity; that we who advocate American unity are disobedient malcontents; and finally, that this is a distant dream that we are far away from ever achieving. All these notions are untrue. We must articulate the positive developments, so that the faithful in America understand the issues and what is at stake.
The framework to achieve American Orthodox unity exists and has been in operation for many years, first as SCOBA (The Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas) from 1960 to 2010, and currently as the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the United States of America. The Assembly of Bishops has met regularly from 2010 until now, most recently in Chicago in September 2015. Under the aegis of SCOBA and the Assembly of Bishops, numerous examples of cooperation among the various Orthodox jurisdictions in the United States have developed. Among them are the IOCC, the OCMC, the OCF on college campuses, and local initiatives such as unified pro-life efforts and Pan-Orthodox worship services. The unifying truth of all these combined efforts is that they are heartwarming, Christ-centered, and inspiring, both in their instant reality and in the hopefulness they engender among the faithful as we envision ever-increasing Orthodox cooperation going forward. Everyone walks away from such activities feeling uplifted, knowing in their hearts that this is the way it should be, that Orthodox unity is what we should be creating, fostering, and experiencing. This reality has not escaped our leaders, the various Orthodox bishops, assigned here by all the ethnic and Old-World based jurisdictions, in the United States. (Surprisingly to most people, there are 54 such bishops!).
Indeed, there have been clear pledges from the Old-World mother churches to address the needs of the churches in the New World lands – the need to create order, harmony, singularity of purpose, and to remove confusion, fragmentation, overlapping efforts, and inevitable diminution of numbers in ever-smaller ethnic-based communities and parishes. The clearest directive in this area emerged from a 2009 meeting in Chambésy, Switzerland. All 14 Orthodox Patriarchs were present. The meeting was called and presided over by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. It followed 20 years of work by these mother churches , encompassing three prior meetings and much contemplation and activity in parallel committees. These Patriarchs at Chambésy signed protocols establishing Assemblies of Bishops across the globe to bring canonical order, that is in its very essence unifying, to the administrative structure in the New World. The largest of these Assemblies of Bishops was ours, the United States.
Corresponding to this reality and need, the U.S. Assembly of Bishops’ clear central focus in recent years has been to articulate a vision and framework for establishing unity and canonical order among the 12 (largely) ethnic jurisdictions that comprise the Assembly. The convener of the Assembly in the United States has been Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. Archbishop Demetrios is the Exarch and presiding bishop in the United States of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in Istanbul; more than that, Archbishop Demetrios has been the driving force towards unity, reflecting the vision of his own spiritual father. This was made clear when Ecumenical Patriarchate Bartholomew addressed the Assembly of Bishops, meeting in Dallas in 2014, in a video address that unmistakably sounded the call for unity among this American Assembly:
…move beyond words to actions. We know much better than what we actually do. We are called to put our theory and theology into policy and practice. We are called to move beyond what is “mine” and what is “yours” to what is “ours.” From now on, this is how we should conceive and conduct all of our ministries and resources, all of our departments and initiative. Otherwise, we do not practice what we preach. It is really up to us to accept the challenge or to refuse the call.
This statement by the “First among Equals” of all Orthodox bishops is made more resonant by the knowledge that we are on the verge of a seminal event in Orthodox history, the meeting of the first-ever Great and Holy Council of Orthodox Christian Bishops, to be held in the ancient Church of Saint Irene in the old precincts of Constantinople during the week of Pentecost, 2016.
In order to put the historic strength of this event in context, we must understand that there has never been such a meeting before. All seven Ecumenical Councils were meetings of the bishops of a single, unified Christian Church, hundreds of years before the Great Schism. After the crucial dates and tragic events of 1054, 1204, and 1453, the Orthodox world was increasingly under the captivity of Islamic rule. And as that ended, Communist rule enslaved the Church in Russia and its captive nations of Eastern Europe. Only in the last three decades have some Orthodox lands in the Old World been politically and spiritually free, while others continue to struggle to survive under Islamist rule. It is no coincidence that, as the Patriarchates and national churches in the Old World have found themselves freer to resume the growth interrupted by over a millennium of Islamic and Communist oppression, the communities in the New World that are now entering fifth and sixth generations of assimilation in their new homes, are also looking for a road to sustainable growth. Never in all its history has the Orthodox Church held a Great Council of its Patriarchates and national churches like the one just six months away.
Unfortunately, based on things happening in Syria, Russia, Bulgaria, and elsewhere in the Old World, it is unlikely that this Great and Holy Council will address, let alone resolve, the organization of the churches in the diaspora, including our part of it. For the Orthodox faithful of the United States of America, there can be only one imperative, an immediate commitment to real, operational and spiritual unity among all Orthodox Christians in this country. Since there is great doubt that the Great and Holy Council will countenance even discussing this issue, the surest way to put it on the Council’s agenda is to create this unity as a reality that cannot be ignored, now, among ourselves. Our American bishops have been discussing it for years. There are known to be several blueprints. We call our 54 to bishops declare independence, to choose the best blueprint they have as an initial governing document, and bravely to plough ahead.
Not everyone will follow them, nor indeed will all the bishops agree to this courageous action. Already, in recent years and even months, voices of restraint have been heard among the Assembly of Bishops or the mother churches in the Old World; that is, the mother churches of Assembly of Bishops members. Leaders of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in the United States, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese have indicated they support the continuation in the United States of churches of separate ethnicities, supervised by foreign patriarchates. And even last month, during the September meeting of the American Assembly of Bishops in Chicago, during a panel discussion by four of our bishops at a youth event, one of those bishops told a youthful questioner that he doubted unity being achieved in this century. As discouraging as such reluctance is, these examples of hesitance are outliers. The Ecumenical Patriarch’s statement quoted above is eloquent proof of his position. Archbishop Demetrios has energetically asserted his leadership and influence in favor of American unity. There is little doubt that the majority of our 54 American bishops are for unity. Yet they may be reluctant to buck their mother churches. And many would rightly ask to what end would they be traveling?
Once again, the history of this country is instructive. In 1776, the adoption of the resolution for independence in the 2nd Continental Congress was not automatic, and was energetically debated. Not every member of the Congress ever agreed, but ultimately, the delegations of all thirteen colonies did agree, and became the thirteen United States. In order to govern themselves, they quickly wrote the Articles of Confederation in 1777, which were not approved or enacted until 1781; somehow they muddled through until then. Yet the Articles proved to be unworkable, so in 1787, a brand-new Constitution was written in the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, and enacted in 1788. It took, then, twelve years after independence was declared by the new United States of America, for this fledgling country to have a workable governing blueprint. In those twelve years, the United States managed to survive both war and peace. And ever since the Constitution took force, it has lasted us all these years with very little change.
We have it in our power to do a comparable thing now, a thing no less important to people of faith:
We can and must declare American Orthodox unity, enlisting our People and our Bishops now;
We must do everything we can to make this idea a reality now, and present this reality to the Great and Holy Council when it meets in 2016 so that it can address it; and
We must work to perfect our blueprint for unity as we go.
We have it in our power to change our world, and we should do it now.
It is fair to ask why we should do these things. Indeed, such strong actions cannot lightly be taken, nor can they rightly be taken if they are merely discretionary. We believe that American Orthodox unity is essential to our continued Orthodox Christian witness in the United States. It is our duty to the critical task of preserving our Church for our children’s children; it is an essential part of our task of working together to create God’s kingdom on earth.
Yet these opinions are not currently uniformly held across our nation. It is more the case that this position has not really been considered, than that it is disagreed with. To enlist our fellow Orthodox to this accord and this cause, we must persuade them of the rightness of this purpose. We must state clearly the causes that impel us to such beliefs and such actions. We believe they are compelling.
Some truths are self-evident.
We who live in the United States are Americans. The Orthodox Church, in its several jurisdictions, has lived in the United States for many generations. It is, correspondingly, American.
It has been a great glory of Orthodoxy through the centuries that it is a unified church of great diversity, so different from the homogeneous Roman Catholic West. It has been a cardinal principle of Orthodox growth and witness that, as it expanded to lands outside of its first home in the Roman Empire of Christ’s time, it adapted to the culture of the local people; adopted elements of that culture including the local language within Orthodox liturgy and tradition; and created a local church that was nevertheless consistent in the essence of Orthodoxy. That essence included local cultural variation. Hence, over the centuries, national churches evolved or were created in Orthodox lands.
Hence also, while the same Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom is celebrated everywhere, besides the mere fact of different languages used in different places, the sights of iconography and architecture and sounds of music and singing can be different as well, yet no less Orthodox.
The reality of the ethnic diversity of Orthodoxy in the United States is that it reflects Orthodoxy in a microcosm. Rather than being a reason for maintaining the various ethnic jurisdictions of the Old World, this diversity in America defines the very essence of, and necessity for, Orthodox unity. That Orthodox unity is the same as American national unity – E Pluribus Unum – from many, one. It has been said here already: we are a new Orthodox Christian nationality. We require a new American Orthodox Church.
Other truths are based on Christ’s teaching and example, and Christian understanding.
Christ’s last instruction to his People was to go out and “make disciples of all the nations;” to bring them into His Church. As twelve jurisdictions in the United States, it is infinitely more difficult to bring converts into Orthodoxy in anything but the most scattered, piecemeal ways, than if we were one. Where we have acted as one Church: in the Orthodox Christian Missions Center; in the International Orthodox Christian Charities; in our unified and unifying efforts at things like campus ministry, pro-life consensus, and defense of Orthodox under persecution, we have been markedly more successful. Yet even these initial efforts are only a small fraction of what we could and should be doing. Can anyone doubt the power of a unified Orthodox Church in the United States in internal and world-wide evangelism; in unified rather than competing parishes in small towns and cities; or in raising a single strong voice at the highest levels of government and media to decry the persecution, slaughter, and extinction of our Orthodox brethren in Asian and African lands, something tragically happening right now at levels unprecedented in world history?
Christ has called us to be His single Church. At least, can we not be a single Orthodox Church, in a single country, while we work for and aspire to greater Christian unity before His Second Coming?
Still other truths are based on experience.
No one can doubt that our current organization – or lack thereof – ill-suits the needs of our People. It is impractical, disorganized, and counterproductive. We have 54 Orthodox bishops in America, in twelve jurisdictions. The great majority of these bishops are located in a small number of big cities. At least one jurisdiction has only one bishop for all 50 states; several others have just three or four, while bishops in some cities live and work just a few city blocks apart, yet with little interaction.
Our Orthodox tradition is for one bishop in each location. In the United States, once Orthodox unity is achieved and episcopal assignments reorganized to meet the needs of the People, no member of the faith need be more than one state away from his or her hierarch. The practical and especially pastoral advantages of this are enormous.
The current overlapping violates all traditional Orthodox canonical order, and creates and fosters duplication, confusion, and fragmentation. Moreover, such an inchoate mixture is the least welcoming atmosphere for converts and evangelization that you could ever imagine. Ultimately, it creates an atmosphere that diminishes rather than builds devotion to the Church. It causes doubt as to what the authentic Orthodox Church is. Partly as a result of this – though there are other causes to be sure – our own children walk away, and new seekers of God’s truth do not recognize it in our disunified and unwelcoming climate. The falling numbers of Orthodox faithful, as reflected in official church statistics of sacraments and stewardship, are compelling. What we are doing now cannot be left unchanged for very long. Our very future as a growing and vibrant faith among the American commonwealth is in doubt.
Yet no one is asking for a wholesale or even eventual abandonment of ethnic identity by recent immigrants, or those to whom ethnic identity remains important. In towns and small cities where there is just one church, whether Greek or Antiochian or Russian, it is Orthodoxy itself that provides the identifying and unifying value. Wonderful things such dance and language follow the particular demographics present in each location. In the large cities, there will continue to be self-selection, as people choose their parish. Even today, to walk into some Roman Catholic parishes in America’s cities is essentially to walk into Poland or Mexico. That kind of thing will continue to be true for our People as long as Orthodox ethnic demographics support it. But to state one of the great, undeniable truths of this whole subject, it is the presence of a healthy Orthodox Church that guarantees the possibility for continued ethnic traditions in the United States, not the other way around. Where immigrants from Orthodox lands have abandoned the Orthodox Church, in almost all cases, the ethnic identity of that person and that family is much more quickly extinguished.
Finally, Orthodox Unity carries with it the unequivocal ring of truth. That ring of truth resounds when a thousand people of a dozen ethnicities gather in Pittsburgh for the Vespers of the Sunday of Orthodoxy. It resounds when Orthodox students gather from around the United States to build a church in Kenya, speaking to the Kenyans in English, the only language they all understand. It resounds when Orthodox clergy and laity from all jurisdictions march together against abortion at the Supreme Court in Washington. This resounding, this inspirational and transcendent sense of God’s truth in His unified Church, is a magnificent thing to experience. We must bend our efforts towards making it happen more and more often.
The first step on the path to that truth is American Orthodox unity. This declaration constitutes our devotion to that cause. With God’s help, we pledge ourselves to achieving it now.
Please be in touch with OCL with your comments. Thank you.
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Joshua on October 31, 2015 5:00 pm
I am an Antiochian Orthodox convert- raised in the Church from a very young age and having no ties to Syria or any other Orthodox country. I am as American as apple pie and I am very excited at the prospect of a unified American Orthodoxy. It is the canonical and right thing to do, and I pray for a speedy and peaceful transition to a single Orthodox Church in America. However, one comment I offer on this declaration is that I feel we should offer honest and extreme gratitude to our mother jurisdictions. I am not so naive as to ignore dysfunction in our relationships with the jurisdictions that founded our Churches. However, I also believe God calls us to respect and honor the saints and countries that founded us. Had St. Herman not crossed the Bering Strait or St. Raphael not traveled the country planting churches, where would we be? Had droves of faithful not raised their families in faith in the “New World”, bringing priests and dedicating resources to build church communities, would we have Orthodoxy in America at all? Is it not the prayers of monastics and faithful worldwide that sustain us even now? Just as we should honor our parents, we honor our parent jurisdictions even as we respectfully leave our fathers and mothers to build a new American Orthodoxy. God willing, we will continue to look to them as faithful examples and to support and praise God in union with them even once we obtain unity within our country.
In the draft above, I don’t see anything I object to, but I would like to also see clear and sincere gratitude expressed. Not just because “honey catches more flies than vinegar”, but because I genuinely want an American Orthodox unity that honors and keeps those aspects of our heritage we should preserve.
Harrison J. Krenitsky on October 31, 2015 10:45 pm
As an Orthodox Christian of 67 years who was reared in the Russian Orthodox Church, I want to say that I agree with and endorse this Declaration. I have had to struggle my whole life attempting to witness to the Truth the Orthodox Church bears only to have that witness impugned by the ethnic vestments of traditions that its leaders decidedly considered to be more important. Now before those who disagree get the idea that I am opposed to different cultures, I want to say that would be false. Like the variations of flowers, fish, birds and animals of the earth that fall under one umbrella of Truth, we Orthodox in America need to recognize we must do the same to be a witness to the Truth we collectively bear in and to The United States of America. We cannot be an effective witness to this country nor to the world if we continue to remain fragmented along nationalistic and ethnic lines of jurisdictions. The resultant of that practice, to date, has born little fruit in the United States of America and will continue to bear little fruit to and in this country that has grown to one of the most powerful in the world. We live in a country today that needs, more than ever, the guidance and the Truth that Orthodoxy bears and professes. I will, as I have over the last 57 years, continue to pray that someday, before my death, I will see a strong American Orthodox Church in America where the Glory of that Truth in Jesus Christ (Orthodoxy) rises above the selfishness, and vanity of ecclesiastical ethnic jurisdictional glory beholden to a foreign pontiff who is himself politically and financially beholden to a foreign political power.
In the Truth and Peace of Jesus Christ,
Harrison J Krenitsky
Sub deacon and Retired US Naval Officer and US Airways Airline Captain
Thomas Paine on November 1, 2015 8:43 am
Nice article, but basing everything on what happened in 1776 is not the correct view. The correct view is Orthodox Canon Law itself. Orthodox Canon Law states clearly again & again that foreign bishops have no authority outside their own territory. Many canons of the major 7 Ecumenical Councils can be quoted. The Bishop of Istanbul is just that, the Bishop responsible for Istanbul and possible surrounding areas; that’s it. Same with the Bishop of Moscow, Damascus, etc. Even the title of “Ecumenical Patriarch” is wrong and a misnomer. It may have been more accurate during the Byzantine Empire when the Bishop of Constantinople was the Emperor’s bishop and pushed the will of the Emperor over the “known world,” the Byzantine Empire, but not accurate today. There is no Emperor and there is no Byzantine Empire. In fact, if there are 2,000 Christians left in Istanbul, this would be reaching. Furthermore, there is NO DIASPORA. People of Greek descent, Russian, Arab, etc. living in the United States as citizens do not BELONG to any other country. These Orthodox Christians aren’t going back and foreign bishops have no claim over these people. So, since Orthodox Canon Law calls for “LOCAL CHURCHES” in every territory to have their own bishops operating without foreign influence, WHY ARE ALL THE PATRIARCHS FIGHTING THIS? Money? Power? Also, the DIPTYCHS of the Orthodox Church were never meant for any form of Church Organization; where is this found in Canon Law? Church organization is based on TERRITORY and an ESTABLISHED LOCAL CHURCH. We have this in the United States. Therefore, the call for the Ass. of Bishops to become an INDEPENDENT, AUTOCEPHALOUS, Synod of Bishops to run their own American Churches is canonically proper and should have happened in 1970. The efforts in the past for the American Church to rule itself and operate in unity has been opposed and stopped at every attempt by the Bishop of Istanbul himself. His latest attempt to hold a Great Orthodox Council on the grounds of Agia Sophia on Pentecost 2016 is a sham. It is nothing more than a Greek power grab not unlike what the Roman Catholic Church did to consolidate power & authority. This council should be rejected and highly questioned by all Orthodox Christians. LOCAL CHURCHES ARE RULED INDEPENDENTLY BY LOCAL BISHOPS WITHOUT FOREIGN INTERVENTION – this is Orthodox Canon Law. In the words of the late Protopresbyter John Meyendorff, expert on Orthodox Church History, Theology and Byzantium, “All the first among equals meant was that this was the bishops who chaired the meetings when the other Patriarchs met; that’s it. He did settle disputes among his brothers and kept the official records.” The titles of “First Among Equals” and “Ecumenical Patriarch” have been blown way out of proportion and no longer have their original meaning; exactly the same ploy as what the Latin Church did with the Bishop of Rome.
Peter on November 1, 2015 7:03 pm
I disagree with Thomas Paine regarding the 2016 Orthodox Council. The Orthodox is well over-due for such a council. Hopefully, issues concerning the so-called diaspora will be resolved along with a canonical recognition of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, many of whom are experiencing persecution in the Middle East.
The United States is unique. It is a nation founded on the principle of a separation of church and state. consequently it is unlike other nations that recognize a state church or religion. The Anglican Church is the state church of England, the Lutheran Church is the state church of Norway and Finland, the Greek Orthodox Church is the state supported church of Greece and the Russian Orthodox Church is the state supported church of Russia. The two-headed eagle displayed throughout Orthodoxy is a symbol of church and state, two heads on one body. So, we as Orthodox Christians in the U.S. cannot claim that kind of relationship of church and state. This is why a Pan-Orthodox (not Ecumenical) Council is a welcomed necessity for the Orthodox Church in this new Millennium.
Thomas Paine on November 3, 2015 10:05 am
First off, we must stop using wrong terminology. There is no “Orthodox Diaspora.” Do you belong to another country or somewhere else? Orthodox Christians in America do not belong to Moscow, Istanbul, Damascus, etc. None of us are going back to countries where our ancestors came from. So, there is an “American Orthodox Church” with it’s own nuances and particularities; we aren’t escapees from foreign countries. Also, “Ecumenical Patriarch” is totally wrong. There is no such thing. Each Bishop or Patriarch is elected to a particular area or territory and not a “Patriarch of the entire World.” This is assuming authority like that of the Pope (Bishop) of Rome that is non-canonical. Furthermore, the term “First Among Equals” has been totally blown out of proportion. This title does not add some special powers or authority; just the leader of the parade or chair at meetings with equals.
An Orthodox Council indicates that decisions will come out of this council for all to abide by. Orthodox theologians have pretty much agreed that the Oriental Orthodox aren’t really monophysites and inter-communion should be re-established. A council isn’t needed for this; just a letter signed by all the Orthodox leaders for all to see and read. One decision that the Greek contingent will try to impose on all Orthodox in all countries is that the “Diptychs” must be adhered to for church organization and operation; such as, America. This is not only non-canonical, but non-Apostolic. You are correct in stating that a “symbiosis” does not exist between Church & State in America; thank God. The idea of a “symphonia” of Church & State as reflected in the double-headed eagle of Byzantium or now Russia doesn’t really work. The Emperor imposed his will on the Church; Iconoclasm was one result. Putin using the ROC as his own political arm is more apparent.
A sham of an “Universal” Orthodox Council in Istanbul on Pentecost will just be a Greek show with + Bart trying to usurp authority & power; a non-canonical power grab. There is no dogmatic clarification needed regarding our beliefs; this has been done. A council isn’t necessary to clarify of how to receive converts or how homosexuals should be treated. What is truly necessary is a Synod of Bishops in each “territory,” to rule and operate independently as an autocephalous church making its own decisions in its own local territory without any foreign intervention; as Orthodox Canon Law clearly outlines.
George D. Karcazes on November 5, 2015 3:11 pm
I am a 77 year old Orthodox, born and raised in America of Greek immigrant parents. A “cradle” member of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese: acolyte, choir member; parish council member (and former president); delegate to several Diocesan and ten Biennial Clergy-Laity Congresses. I agree that we should always be mindful of, and grateful for, the many sacrifices of our “mother” churches for preserving the Church over the centuries. As an autocephalous, canonical, local church in the territory of the United States we can show that gratitude more effectively both materially and politically than we have so far been able to as a collection of “colonial” outposts. We must also be mindful of the fact that, aside from the Russian missionaries who came to Alaska to bring Christianity to the Aleuts, our mother churches were in no position, nor did they build the Orthodox churches we worship in today. Our parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents, established the churches in a church-state separated environment. We are, indeed, a new reality.. anew new nationality.
If the 54 bishops of the Assembly of Bishops who have been meeting for six years cannot reach the only decision that serves the Orthodox faithful in America, either because of constraints placed upon them directly or indirectly by Old World synods who appointed them, or because they have handcuffed themselves by agreeing that all decisions have to be unanimous, then it is time for those bishops who understand the stakes to come together in a “coalition of the willing” and answer the call of the Declaration of American Orthodox Unity Now.
The Orthodox Church in America is already autocephalous. Is it willing accept brother bishops, clergy and parishes who are willing to become a part of the Orthodox Church of America? It is not realistic to expect that this coalition will bring us all together quickly and painlessly. But it must start now.. otherwise the decline we already see may be irreversible.
Dcn. Samuel on November 5, 2015 3:14 pm
Brothers and Sisters,
This is a difficult discussion to enter into, but I’ll try. My comment is this: I’m now 77 years old, have lived through the Golden Era of Mammon in the US, ‘am an Orthodox convert of nearly 28 years, and I cannot see how anyone could think that there is an American Orthodox Culture. There is not even an American Culture, as such; we are devolving into a bunch of tribes, as a country.
Pew Research recently reported that no fewer than 39% of professed Orthodox do not believe in the Personhood of God! We have a crisis on our hands, indeed, because as I see it, the chips are down and persecution is coming our way. Will these Brothers and Sisters be able to declare Christ under duress?
Political and ecclesiastical conditions do not augur well for this idea of Canonical Unity at this point in time, and I for one do not want it. To force this unity on the all the Orthodox Churches would only create enormous disruption at the parish level: Greeks bishops over Russians, and vice versa, and all else entailed in such an effort. I wonder if the Prohibitionists would have pushed through their agenda if they had realized that the net result of their efforts was a permanent, vicious organized crime underworld. Desirable as unity may be, I believe it to be extremely premature. As they say, the devil is in the details: can we realistically believe that anyone knows “how” to build a ‘New American Orthodoxy’? The Church is built on the blood of the Martyrs, and not on the work of numerous committees. It appears to me that that time may soon be upon us.
Dn. Samuel,
I agree with you. The time is not ripe for an Autocephalus Church in the United States. Unlike the nationalist Orthodox churches in Europe, this country is firmly based on the separation of religion and state. And, there is no definable and identifiable American culture.
For example, the Orthodox Church “IN” America has already established ties with its parent–the Russian Orthdox Church in Moscow. In some of its urban parishes two liturgy are celebrated, one in English and the other in Church Slavonik. Dn. Samuel, you make a very good point when you say that there would be conflict, of sorts, if an ethnic Greek bishop is given jurisdiction over Romanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian and Albanian parishes. What a scandalous mess that would create for Orthodoxy in the United States!
Tommy Tunes on November 20, 2015 2:22 pm
Many of you here just don’t understand how Orthodox Church organization works. After the Russian Revolution, Russia did not supply priests, money or direction for the American Church. Each ethnic Orthodox Church turned to their mother churches for priests, money & direction. This was OK as a “temporary stop measure.” However, now after 100 years, everyone thinks this “temporary” situation is normal. All the ethnic bishops still want to be in control with their foreign Synods directing everything. Well, as mentioned, foreign bishops have no authority outside their own territory. Only bishops consecrated for cities and territory in the U.S. have authority here. This is why the Ass. of Bishops in the U.S. should start acting as an independent or autocephalous synod of any foreign bishops. The Diptychs ARE NOT proper for church organization. The Greeks do not rule. The Russians nor Syrian/Lebanese do not rule. An independent Synod rules and elects it’s own leader. Let’s get back to following Orthodox Canon Law and what the Holy Apostles taught!
Peter on November 21, 2015 2:28 pm
With all due respects, the Orthodox Church “is what it is”! So, we need to live with it. Apparently we are surviving. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line967 |
__label__wiki | 0.932224 | 0.932224 | Returning to roots
Joanna Larez
The Deep Pocket Three is a modern rock band made up of three guys who will be returning to their Greeley roots for a concert at Bears Sports Grill tonight.
“Our first show was at Bears,” said Zac Lee, 25, guitarist and lead singer. “Three years and three bass players later, we’re back.”
Keith Richard, 26, drummer, and Tristan Adams, 22, bass player and back-up singer, known as Double T, are the other two members of the band. Double T is the newest edition to the 3-year-old band. The current combination has been together for about a year.
“We just got together and started playing,” said Lee. “We have similar goals to access music on many different levels.”
The Deep Pocket Three plays self-composed music and modern covers with unique twists.
Lee uses his experience in hip hop and ska bands to combine those styles with some good old rock. Double T plays the bass in collaboration with the drums, instead of leaning toward the guitar.
“It adds a lot of togetherness, and really tightens things up,” Double T said. “It adds a third dimension to the music with the bridge there.”
Their music has a fingerprint style to it, because they change the way they play their music from concert to concert.
“We give a different show every time,” Lee said. “We try to keep people on their toes.”
Their new CD “Myself Outside,” was released in January 2004, and all the songs were written by the band. They write about people they know and past experiences.
“We hope it personalizes it for listeners,” Richard said.
Lee said their light-hearted personalities are a key to keeping their music fun. Audience interaction is one of their key sources of energy.
“When the audience starts reacting, an amazing show comes out of us,” Lee said.
They expect extra energy at their Halloween concert at Bears, because they said there is something special about coming home. The familiarity of the city brings a special enjoyment, Richard said.
“We hope a lot of people come home for it,” Lee said.
The band has been touring the state and hopes to spread their travels across the nation and world. They are currently planning a “Department of Defense Tour.” The tour will be a chance for them to play for the troops around the world, although dates are not yet set.
“We want to give a little back,” Lee said. “One thing we can do is bring a little America back to them.”
Deep Pocket Three plays from 9:30 p.m.-1 a.m. at Bears Sports Grill, 2519 8th Ave., Greeley. Cover charge to be determined. Ages 21 and older.
For more concert dates and band info, visit http://www.thedeeppocket three.com.
Bass player, back-up vocals. Engaged. He is part of the sixth generation of a Greeley-native family. He attended University High School and the University of Northern Colorado. His goal in life is to make enough money for a stable income by playing music with the band.
Keith Richard
Drummer. The only singe guy in the band. He was born and raised in Greeley, and attended Greeley West High School. After high school he attended The Musicians Institute in Hollywood. He hopes to spend his life playing music, enjoying art and simply having fun.
Zac Lee
Guitarist, lead singer. Married. He was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, but he moved to Greeley when he was five. He attended University High School and he stayed in town to attend UNC. He was a member of the UNC Jazz Band. His goal in life is to live one day at a time and always have fun.
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__label__wiki | 0.509819 | 0.509819 | Theater Review: Spies Are Forever
Posted on March 15, 2016 March 15, 2016 by Erin Conley
The subtitle for Spies Are Forever is “it’s a musical.” Truer words have rarely been spoken—the show is indeed a musical, and a damn fine one at that. This world premiere, made possible by a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised upwards of $58k, features a book by the Tin Can Brothers (Corey Lubowich, Joey Richter, and Brian Rosenthal) and music and lyrics by TalkFine (Clark Baxstresser and Pierce Siebers). Astute audience members may recognize several involved in the production from the viral hit A Very Potter Musical. Fans of Pigfarts will not be disappointed by this latest outing from the StarKid alums, a hilarious, smart, and surprisingly insightful musical about friendship, betrayal, and mostly spies. And not just any spies—singing, dancing spies.
Curt Mega (played by Curt Mega…yes, really) is one of the most successful spies in America, until a mission goes horribly wrong and his partner and best friend, Owen (Joey Richter), dies in front of him. Flash forward to four years later, in the height of the Cold War, as Mega attempts to come out of retirement and find redemption on a high-stakes mission involving Nazis, a bomb, and some scary technology that must be stopped. Along the way, he interacts with a variety of colorful characters. There’s his archnemesis, a rival spy known simply as The Deadliest Man Alive (Joseph Walker), and a reluctant ally, Tatiana (Mary Kate Wiles), a mysterious Russian spy with a tragic past. Tessa Netting (Broadway’s Billy Elliot) is hilarious as tech guru Barb, a lab geek who supplies Curt with all of the gadgets he needs for his spy missions while harboring a huge crush on him. Lauren Lopez (memorable as Draco in A Very Potter Musical) pulls double duty as both Mrs. Mega, Curt’s mom who supports her son’s unconventional career path but desperately wants him to find someone to settle down with, and Cynthia Houston, Mega’s aggressive, chain-smoking boss. Rounding out the cast are Al Fallick as Mega’s new “Master of Disguise” partner and Brian Rosenthal as Baron von Nazi, the absurd villain behind the master plan Mega must foil.
When I left the theater, I found myself still singing some of the songs, which is an impressive feat for a brand new musical. The style of the music is part pop/rock, part traditional musical theater, ranging from ballads to full-on production numbers. Moments such as “Doing This,” an act two duet between Curt and Tatiana, served as perfect, funny takes on typical musical theater tropes, in this case the “will they or won’t they” budding relationship number. The sultry titular song, “Spies are Forever,” was probably the strongest and most memorable song, with the choreography (also by Lauren Lopez) of production numbers “Eyes on the Prize” and “One More Shot” making them a close second.
The production value was extremely impressive. The show made excellent use of Emmy Weldon’s multi-level set, incorporating projections and effects beautifully. While some of the plot twists were telegraphed in a way that was a bit predictable, I was consistently surprised by the level of nuance with which the characters and relationships were drawn. For a truly funny comedic musical featuring a rather shocking song about how Nazis aren’t so bad that left the audience in laughter that bordered on uncomfortable, it was impressively heartfelt and well thought-out. The characters were fully realized, and Corey Lubowich’s direction was complex and impressive. This musical is quite an ambitious feat, but the cast and creative team rose to the occasion, pulling off an impressive debut production that will certainly not be the last we see from them.
According to the show’s website, there are plans to post the show to Youtube in late 2016 or early 2017. This show is good enough that more should be able to experience it, and despite the period setting, it has a fun, modern feel that will translate well to the web. Also, I can’t remember another time a new musical set up a potential sequel as organically as Spies Are Forever did—but if the title is to be believed, it makes perfect sense.
Spies Are Forever runs through April 3rd at the NoHo Arts Center in North Hollywood (11136 Magnolia Blvd). Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings at 8pm as well as Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3pm. Tickets range from $30-$35 and can be purchased here.
Posted in Los Angeles TheaterTagged a very potter musical, los angeles, los angeles theater, spies are forever, starkid, talkfine, tin can brothers
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3 thoughts on “Theater Review: Spies Are Forever”
IAmDonovan says:
I love Starkid and I’m familiar with all those people. I’m too far to see in live, so I can’t wait until it’s put online. I’m glad it’s getting good reviews!
David Prudhomme says:
I had the pleasure of seeing the show on opening night and thought it was fantastic. The music, timing and of course the ability to ad lib when the inevitable misshap that is bound to happen in live productions occur was spot on. The Nazi musical number instantly brought back memories of Mel Brooks…Fantastic job Tin Can Brothers and Talkfine!!! Mission complete.
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__label__wiki | 0.539239 | 0.539239 | You searched for subject:( Conservation Act 1987). Showing records 1 – 30 of 16691 total matches.
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1. Heijs, Laurien Anne. The nature of compliance: biodiversity compensation under the Conservation Act 1987.
Degree: 2015, Lincoln University
► Biodiversity compensation is an increasingly popular policy tool that has the potential to balance conservation and development goals. It purports to enable continued development with… (more)
▼ Biodiversity compensation is an increasingly popular policy tool that has the potential to balance conservation and development goals. It purports to enable continued development with the proviso that any residual effects of development on biodiversity are compensated for. Biodiversity compensation is controversial. Some argue that it is a useful policy instrument, whilst others consider it does little but facilitate inappropriate development and pacify those with an interest in protecting the environment. One issue that is considered detrimental to the use of biodiversity compensation as a policy tool, is inadequate monitoring and compliance. Non-compliance can mean failure to deliver the anticipated compensation and consequently can lead to biodiversity loss. This research project focused on compliance with biodiversity compensation on public conservation land in New Zealand, under the Conservation Act 1987. A mixed methods approach was used to investigate variations in, and predictors of, compliance. A total of 20 concession case studies from around the South Island of New Zealand, involving 28 compensatory conditions, were assessed in this study. Results show that concessionaires complied with approximately two-thirds (68%) of biodiversity compensation conditions. This rate of compliance is similar to what was found under the New Zealand Resource Management Act 1991, and it is a vast improvement on overseas studies. Compliance was also observed to be non-uniform. Some variables, such as the duration of the compensatory action, had a statistically significant correlation with compliance. Other qualitative factors, observed during the data collection process, also had an effect on compliance. These include the ad hoc way in which compensation measures were implemented, monitored and enforced, as well as the Department of Conservation’s approach to compliance reporting and data management. Continued research into this area is vital to ensure compensatory conditions lead to efficient and effective biodiversity management. This research has been important in providing the first insight into the use of, and compliance with, biodiversity compensation under the Conservation Act, and it paves the way for further exploration and discussion. Advisors/Committee Members: Brower, Ann, Doscher, Crile.
Subjects/Keywords: biodiversity compensation; compliance; concession; Department of Conservation (DOC); New Zealand; monitoring; Conservation Act 1987; biodiversity; policy evaluation
Heijs, L. A. (2015). The nature of compliance: biodiversity compensation under the Conservation Act 1987 . (Thesis). Lincoln University. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10182/6764
Heijs, Laurien Anne. “The nature of compliance: biodiversity compensation under the Conservation Act 1987.” 2015. Thesis, Lincoln University. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10182/6764.
Heijs, Laurien Anne. “The nature of compliance: biodiversity compensation under the Conservation Act 1987.” 2015. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Heijs LA. The nature of compliance: biodiversity compensation under the Conservation Act 1987. [Internet] [Thesis]. Lincoln University; 2015. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10182/6764.
Heijs LA. The nature of compliance: biodiversity compensation under the Conservation Act 1987. [Thesis]. Lincoln University; 2015. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10182/6764
2. Rodkey, Justin. Examining the Knowledge and Perceptions of Division II Collegiate Athletic Administrators, Staff, and Coaches Regarding Gender Equity and Title IX Standards.
► Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education (The United States Department of Justice, n.d.).… (more)
▼ Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education (The United States Department of Justice, n.d.). Although Title IX was enacted over 45 years ago, college athletic departments remain non-compliant with the law (U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 2016; Women's Law Project, 2014), suggesting a need for research regarding barriers to compliance. A central piece in the Title IX enforcement mechanism is engagement on the part of constituencies who are affected by the law. In effect, the accountability mechanism to ensure Title IX compliance rests with those who are educated about its requirements. Within athletic departments, those constituencies include coaches, administrators, staff members, and athletes. This paper provides an overview of the literature that documents knowledge deficiencies among those constituencies (Staurowsky & Weight, 2013; Weight & Staurowsky, 2014; Staurowsky, Zonder, & Reimer, 2017) as well as the lack of Title IX compliance, proportionality gaps, and ongoing litigations among Division II institutions (U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 2012, 2014, 2015a, 2016; Women's Law Project, 2014, 2017). The purpose of this non-experimental, quantitative, cross-sectional survey research was to examine the levels of knowledge and perceptions among Division II athletic administrators, staff, and coaches regarding Title IX standards at their institution. More specifically, this study sought to gain a more in-depth understanding of overall knowledge and perceptions among Division II participants, as well as, determine if any differences existed between the respondents based on gender, position, and team coached. This study found that, on average, participants' knowledge ranged from 0 to 6 with a mean of 3.04 (SD = 1.64). In addition, this study revealed that the main effect of position was statistically significant; (F(2, 124)=6.99, p<.001), while the main effect of gender on knowledge, and the interaction effect between position and gender on knowledge were not statistically significant (p>.05). Further, it was discovered that the main effect for coach by team gender was not statistically different between groups (p>.05). Regarding perceptions, participants' perceptions were similar when looking at Overall Perceptions, Opportunities for Participation & Scholarship, Benefits and Services, Awareness and Understanding. This study found the main effect of gender and the interaction effect between position and gender was not statistically significant (p<.05) for all categories. In comparison, this research discovered the main effect of position was statistically significant for overall perceptions (F(2, 124)=3.290, p<.05); benefits and services (F(2, 124)=4.111, p<.05); and for awareness and understanding of Title IX issues (F(2, 124)=5.011, p<.50). The main effect of position concerning opportunities for participation and scholarship was not statistically significant (p>.05). Finally, the main effect for coach by… Advisors/Committee Members: Kelly, Kristy, School of Education.
Subjects/Keywords: Sports administration; Education, Higher; Coaches (Athletics) – Attitudes; Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 (United States)
Rodkey, J. (2018). Examining the Knowledge and Perceptions of Division II Collegiate Athletic Administrators, Staff, and Coaches Regarding Gender Equity and Title IX Standards . (Thesis). Drexel University. Retrieved from https://idea.library.drexel.edu/islandora/object/idea%3A8086
Rodkey, Justin. “Examining the Knowledge and Perceptions of Division II Collegiate Athletic Administrators, Staff, and Coaches Regarding Gender Equity and Title IX Standards.” 2018. Thesis, Drexel University. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://idea.library.drexel.edu/islandora/object/idea%3A8086.
Rodkey, Justin. “Examining the Knowledge and Perceptions of Division II Collegiate Athletic Administrators, Staff, and Coaches Regarding Gender Equity and Title IX Standards.” 2018. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Rodkey J. Examining the Knowledge and Perceptions of Division II Collegiate Athletic Administrators, Staff, and Coaches Regarding Gender Equity and Title IX Standards. [Internet] [Thesis]. Drexel University; 2018. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: https://idea.library.drexel.edu/islandora/object/idea%3A8086.
Rodkey J. Examining the Knowledge and Perceptions of Division II Collegiate Athletic Administrators, Staff, and Coaches Regarding Gender Equity and Title IX Standards. [Thesis]. Drexel University; 2018. Available from: https://idea.library.drexel.edu/islandora/object/idea%3A8086
3. Desgroseillers, Stephanie. Cataloguing Andy Warhol’s family album 1969-1974.
Degree: 2014, Ryerson University
URL: https://digital.library.ryerson.ca/islandora/object/RULA%3A3294
► This thesis project discusses the preservation of acclaimed twentieth century artist Andy Warhol’s Family Album. The album is comprised of Polaroid photographs he took and… (more)
▼ This thesis project discusses the preservation of acclaimed twentieth century artist Andy Warhol’s Family Album. The album is comprised of Polaroid photographs he took and gathered in the early seventies. A highlight of Andy Warhol’s use of instant photography, as it pertains to his life and artistic work, is provided to present a concise basis to researchers. It details the steps undertaken to safely house this valuable object to prolong its life, and the cataloging methodology followed to grant access to the album without submitting it to excessive handling wear. It also offers recommendations on the preservation of dye diffusion material such as Polaroid’s Polacolor and SX-70 film types. Advisors/Committee Members: Johnston, Jessica (Thesis advisor), Ryerson University (Degree grantor).
Subjects/Keywords: Warhol, Andy, 1928-1987 – Photograph collections.; Warhol, Andy, 1928-1987 – Friends and associates.; Photograph albums – Conservation and restoration.; Polaroid transfers.
Desgroseillers, S. (2014). Cataloguing Andy Warhol’s family album 1969-1974. (Thesis). Ryerson University. Retrieved from https://digital.library.ryerson.ca/islandora/object/RULA%3A3294
Desgroseillers, Stephanie. “Cataloguing Andy Warhol’s family album 1969-1974.” 2014. Thesis, Ryerson University. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://digital.library.ryerson.ca/islandora/object/RULA%3A3294.
Desgroseillers, Stephanie. “Cataloguing Andy Warhol’s family album 1969-1974.” 2014. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Desgroseillers S. Cataloguing Andy Warhol’s family album 1969-1974. [Internet] [Thesis]. Ryerson University; 2014. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: https://digital.library.ryerson.ca/islandora/object/RULA%3A3294.
Desgroseillers S. Cataloguing Andy Warhol’s family album 1969-1974. [Thesis]. Ryerson University; 2014. Available from: https://digital.library.ryerson.ca/islandora/object/RULA%3A3294
4. Taylor, Casey Lynn. The Challenges and Opportunities of a Proactive Endangered Species Act : A Case Study of the Greater Sage Grouse.
Degree: PhD, Environmental Sciences, 2016, Oregon State University
► The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) is considered by many to be among the most powerful and most contentious environmental laws in the United… (more)
▼ The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) is considered by many to be among the most powerful and most contentious environmental laws in the United States. Persistent challenges to the Act’s implementation make reaching conservation goals problematic. Most notably, the very nature of the law—providing protections for species already at risk of extinction—means its protections are offered only when the situation is already dire, when conservation efforts will be the most difficult, costly, and controversial. Impacted industries and rural communities have frequently chafed under the regulations imposed by the Act, while environmentalists have seen the ESA as a reliable tool for slowing or stopping unwanted development. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has begun altering its approach to species conservation by pursuing a series of more proactive tools within the ESA in an effort to address declining species before emergency action under the Act is required. These efforts, including working collaboratively with state governments, federal management agencies, and private landowners, were highly visible in the case of the Greater Sage Grouse, a recent candidate for ESA protection in the western United States. Using the sage grouse as a focal case study, this dissertation evaluates some of the challenges and opportunities involved in these proactive, collaborative conservation efforts. In particular, analysis focuses on one of the key components of the ESA process—the selection, interpretation, and application of scientific evidence. Interviews with stakeholders across three sage grouse states—Idaho, Oregon, and Wyoming—as well as planning documents, government reports, and media accounts in these states were collected in order to understand the relationship between collaboration and the use of science in proactive conservation efforts for the sage grouse. Evidence from the three studies in this dissertation suggests that in such efforts, discussion and negotiation surrounding the nature of species threats and possible conservation actions can be hampered by the lack of trust between stakeholders and administrative agencies. The first study (Chapter 2) examines three different conservation efforts in Oregon, and finds that organizational goals, history, and scale of operations influence the degree of collaboration within a particular effort, when then influences the manner in which science is utilized in the process. The second study (Chapter 3) compares the development of voluntary conservation agreements between private landowners and FWS across three states and finds that positive working relationships and trust are critical in effectively negotiating species threats, conservation actions, and monitoring protocols. That being said, when relationships and trust are still being developed, as they often are for the FWS with regard to the ESA, these can be supplemented by partnering with other agencies and organizations with better relationships with communities on the ground, such as the NRCS. The third study… Advisors/Committee Members: Steel, Brent S. (advisor), Boudet, Hilary (committee member).
Subjects/Keywords: Endangered Species Act; Sage grouse – Conservation – United States
Taylor, C. L. (2016). The Challenges and Opportunities of a Proactive Endangered Species Act : A Case Study of the Greater Sage Grouse . (Doctoral Dissertation). Oregon State University. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1957/60031
Taylor, Casey Lynn. “The Challenges and Opportunities of a Proactive Endangered Species Act : A Case Study of the Greater Sage Grouse.” 2016. Doctoral Dissertation, Oregon State University. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/1957/60031.
Taylor, Casey Lynn. “The Challenges and Opportunities of a Proactive Endangered Species Act : A Case Study of the Greater Sage Grouse.” 2016. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Taylor CL. The Challenges and Opportunities of a Proactive Endangered Species Act : A Case Study of the Greater Sage Grouse. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. Oregon State University; 2016. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/1957/60031.
Taylor CL. The Challenges and Opportunities of a Proactive Endangered Species Act : A Case Study of the Greater Sage Grouse. [Doctoral Dissertation]. Oregon State University; 2016. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/1957/60031
5. Patrick Douglas Shirey. An interdisciplinary approach to inform ecological restoration and environmental policy: Merging ecology, history, and law</h1>.
Degree: PhD, Biological Sciences, 2013, University of Notre Dame
URL: https://curate.nd.edu/show/v979v12187m
► My engagement at the interface between ecology and policy has developed over the last decade while studying rare and endangered species in the context… (more)
▼ My engagement at the interface between ecology and policy has developed over the last decade while studying rare and endangered species in the context of management and restoration. Upon completing a law degree focused on environmental and natural resources law, I sought a Ph.D. program to combine my background in ecology and environmental policy — the Global Linkages of Biology Environment and Society (GLOBES) NSF-IGERT fellowship program at the University of Notre Dame. To inform recovery of threatened and endangered species and stream restoration, I contribute knowledge in the field of ecology through an interdisciplinary approach that integrates methods from ecology, history, and law. Chapter 2 describes a study of the Namekagon River, WI, including a review of the river’s history, temperature monitoring, and management options in the context of existing law and policy. We find that river temperatures would not exclude brook trout from surviving in the main stem of the Namekagon River. A long-term monitoring of the fish community response in Juday Creek, IN is reported in Chapter 3. We discover that non-native brown trout have been replaced by native bass as the top predator of the fish community. Assisted colonization for endangered species is analyzed by a case study of the Mitchell’s satyr butterfly in Chapter 4. The butterfly example helps show the legal challenges for moving endangered animals outside their historic range under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Chapter 5 addresses the illegal and legal trade of rare and endangered plants. We discover that 49 out of 753 listed plants were available for purchase in interstate commerce via the Internet, but only 10% of sellers had the required permits. My contribution to knowledge in the field of ecology is my approach of combining methods and techniques from multiple disciplines to the extent that they become core components of my research. This approach can be used as an example of interdisciplinary work that is relevant to informing environmental policy and ecosystem restoration efforts. Advisors/Committee Members: Gary A. Lamberti, Committee Chair, Ronald A. Hellenthal, Committee Member, David M. Lodge, Committee Member, John Copeland Nagle, Committee Member, Christopher S. Hamlin, Committee Member.
Subjects/Keywords: conservation biology; Juday Creek; endangered species; Endangered Species Act; Namekagon River
Shirey, P. D. (2013). An interdisciplinary approach to inform ecological restoration and environmental policy: Merging ecology, history, and law</h1> . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Notre Dame. Retrieved from https://curate.nd.edu/show/v979v12187m
Shirey, Patrick Douglas. “An interdisciplinary approach to inform ecological restoration and environmental policy: Merging ecology, history, and law</h1>.” 2013. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Notre Dame. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://curate.nd.edu/show/v979v12187m.
Shirey, Patrick Douglas. “An interdisciplinary approach to inform ecological restoration and environmental policy: Merging ecology, history, and law</h1>.” 2013. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Shirey PD. An interdisciplinary approach to inform ecological restoration and environmental policy: Merging ecology, history, and law</h1>. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Notre Dame; 2013. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: https://curate.nd.edu/show/v979v12187m.
Shirey PD. An interdisciplinary approach to inform ecological restoration and environmental policy: Merging ecology, history, and law</h1>. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Notre Dame; 2013. Available from: https://curate.nd.edu/show/v979v12187m
6. Nyaemo, OJ. Exante Analysis of the Impact of the Proposed Seeds and Plant Varieties Act on On-farm Conservation of Crop Genetic Resources .
► The Seed and Plant Varieties Act is undergoing revision to reflect the developments in the international seed industry. Though the proposed Act will benefit the… (more)
▼ The Seed and Plant Varieties Act is undergoing revision to reflect the developments in the international seed industry. Though the proposed Act will benefit the private sector to appropriate profits from plant breeding and the government in trade related matters, it is not known whether the Act meets the interests of farmers as far as their on-farm diversification strategies are concerned. Thus the objective of this study was to identify factors that enhance on-farm crop diversity, estimate implications of the proposed Act on the level of on-farm crop diversity, and finally, determine the relative importance of relevant attributes of the proposed Act on farmers. Using the proportional sample formula, a total of 399 farmers were sampled from 5 divisions in Machakos District, namely, Kangundo, Matungulu, Ndithini, Masinga and Mavoko. Poisson regression was used to determine factors that enhance on-farm crop diversity as well as measure the implication of the proposed Act on on-farm crop diversity. In addition, empirical application of conjoint analysis was used to measure relative importance of the relevant attributes of the proposed Act. It was found that the formal education level, total area cultivated, use of fertilizer, use of organic manure, farmers' group membership, commercialization index, agro-ecological zone, mass media, and extension contact influenced on-farm conservation of crop genetic resources in the study area. It was also found that the proposed Seed and Plant Varieties Act had no impact on on-farm conservation of crop genetic resources in Machakos District. This was due to the fact that most farmers in the study area grew farmers' varieties rather than protected varieties. Finally, it was established that "the right to use farm saved seed of protected variety" was the most valued attribute to farmers, followed by "right to sell and exchange farm saved seed of protected variety", and lastly "restriction of seed companies by the proposed Act to use terminator technology". Recommendations include the need of governments and development agencies to support local market networks, encourage and arrange seed biodiversity fairs, support farmers by making organic and inorganic fertilizers available and affordable, and harmonise the relevant policies relating to extension services so as enable farmers to continue conserving as much crop diversity as possible. The documentation of indigenous knowledge to safeguard and utilize crop genetic resources is also recommended. Finally, it is recommended that, the proposed Act should be able to preserve farmers' rights to use, sell and exchange farm saved seed of protected variety and give freedom to seed companies to use the terminator technology. This will take care of the concerns of farmers and local communities as well as the interests of seed sector and biotechnology industries.
Subjects/Keywords: Crop genetic resources; On-farm conservation; Proposed Seeds & Plant Varieties Act
Nyaemo, O. (2013). Exante Analysis of the Impact of the Proposed Seeds and Plant Varieties Act on On-farm Conservation of Crop Genetic Resources . (Thesis). University of Nairobi. Retrieved from http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/25847
Nyaemo, OJ. “Exante Analysis of the Impact of the Proposed Seeds and Plant Varieties Act on On-farm Conservation of Crop Genetic Resources .” 2013. Thesis, University of Nairobi. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/25847.
Nyaemo, OJ. “Exante Analysis of the Impact of the Proposed Seeds and Plant Varieties Act on On-farm Conservation of Crop Genetic Resources .” 2013. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Nyaemo O. Exante Analysis of the Impact of the Proposed Seeds and Plant Varieties Act on On-farm Conservation of Crop Genetic Resources . [Internet] [Thesis]. University of Nairobi; 2013. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/25847.
Nyaemo O. Exante Analysis of the Impact of the Proposed Seeds and Plant Varieties Act on On-farm Conservation of Crop Genetic Resources . [Thesis]. University of Nairobi; 2013. Available from: http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/25847
7. Sterud, Anna. Byggnadsminnesförklaring - skyddsbestämmelser, ersättning och överklagande.
Degree: Real Estate and Construction Management, 2012, KTH
URL: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-96354
In this report listed buildings, according to the Swedish Heritage Conservation Act, have been studied with a focus on cases where economical compensation has… (more)
In this report listed buildings, according to the Swedish Heritage Conservation Act, have been studied with a focus on cases where economical compensation has been given to the owner of the building and cases where the listing of the building has been appealed by the owner. In order for a building to become listed it needs to be particularly valuable from a cultural and historical standpoint. The listed buildings are protected through a list of regulations that determines which parts of the building can or cannot be changed, what methods and materials should be used for changes and repairs, and how the building should be maintained. These regulations should as far as possible be formulated in agreement with the owner, but a building can become listed against the owners will. To decrease the damage this causes the owner he can in some cases have the right to economical compensation. There is also a possibility for the owner to appeal the listing of the building. From the report, however, it is clear that it is very rare that compensation is given to the owner or that the owner appeals the listing. This is probably due to the fact that the list of regulations is formulated in agreement with the owner and the fact that there is a possibility to apply for, and receive, a contribution from the government to cover the increased maintenance cost that a listing of a building can cause. The cases where compensation has been given to the owner that has been studied in the report have in common that the owner is not a private person and that the buildings are not normal houses, but facilities. The investigated cases where the listings were appealed also had other owners than private persons.
I den här rapporten har byggnadsminnesförklaringar enligt kulturminneslagen studerats och fokus har främst legat på att undersöka fall där ersättning utgått till fastighetsägaren och fall där byggnadsminnesförklaringen har överklagats av fastighetsägaren. För att en byggnad eller anläggning ska förklaras för byggnadsminne måste den vara synnerligen märklig och ha ett stort kulturhistoriskt värde. Byggnadsminnet och dess kulturhistoriska värde bevaras genom ett antal skyddsbestämmelser som bland annat reglerar vilka delar av byggnadsminnet som får eller inte får ändras, vilka metoder och material som ska användas vid ändring eller reparation av byggnadsminnet, samt hur byggnadsminnet skall vårdas och underhållas. Skyddsbestämmelserna ska så långt möjligt utformas i samförstånd med fastighetsägaren, men en byggnad kan förklaras för byggnadsminne mot ägarens vilja. För att minska skadan som detta kan orsaka fastighetsägaren kan han i vissa fall ha rätt till ersättning. Det finns även möjlighet för fastighetsägaren att överklaga beslutet om byggnadsminnesförklaring. Av rapporten framgår emellertid att det är mycket ovanligt att ersättning betalas ut till fastighetsägaren eller att byggnadsminnesförklaringsbeslutet överklagas. Detta beror troligtvis på att skyddsbestämmelserna utformas i samförstånd…
Subjects/Keywords: listed buildings; the heritage conservation act; byggnadsminnesförklaring; kulturminneslagen; byggnadsminne; skyddsbestämmelser
Sterud, A. (2012). Byggnadsminnesförklaring - skyddsbestämmelser, ersättning och överklagande . (Thesis). KTH. Retrieved from http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-96354
Sterud, Anna. “Byggnadsminnesförklaring - skyddsbestämmelser, ersättning och överklagande.” 2012. Thesis, KTH. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-96354.
Sterud, Anna. “Byggnadsminnesförklaring - skyddsbestämmelser, ersättning och överklagande.” 2012. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Sterud A. Byggnadsminnesförklaring - skyddsbestämmelser, ersättning och överklagande. [Internet] [Thesis]. KTH; 2012. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-96354.
Sterud A. Byggnadsminnesförklaring - skyddsbestämmelser, ersättning och överklagande. [Thesis]. KTH; 2012. Available from: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-96354
8. Badenhorst, Astrid Beverley. An investigation into the compliance of selected nurseries of selected nurseries and garden centres within Kwazulu-Natal Ethekwini and the Umsunduzi geographical regions, with the Conservation of Agricultual Resources Act 1983 (Act no. 43 of 1983) Cara and the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 2004 (Act no. 10 of 2004) Nemba.
► This dissertation examines nursery/garden centre compliance with Invasive Alien Plant (IAPs) legislation in eThekwini and uMsunduzi, South Africa. Despite South African governmental programmes, an apparent… (more)
▼ This dissertation examines nursery/garden centre compliance with Invasive Alien Plant (IAPs) legislation in eThekwini and uMsunduzi, South Africa. Despite South African governmental programmes, an apparent lack of public awareness regarding IAPs persists. The cost to clear IAPs in South Africa is estimated to be 12 billion Rand over 20 years. Nurseries/garden centres should be able to increase customer awareness of IAPs. However, Government regulation/instruction of nurseries/garden centres seems inadequate. A mixed methods approach involving quantitative and qualitative analyses of questionnaires, observations and interviews was used in this study. There was little evidence that nurseries/garden centres stocked/sold CARA plants. However, they were stocking/selling NEMBA plants in spite of knowing CARA, NEMBA and indigenous alternatives. There is little interaction with relevant government/industry programmes. It is recommended that the Department of Environmental Affairs institute a IAPs Advisory Committee to see to the dissemination and provision of relevant information and training concerning IAPs to the industry. Advisors/Committee Members: Hendrick, R.M. (Prof.) (advisor), Pereira, A.L. (Dr.) (advisor).
Subjects/Keywords: Alien invasive plants; Conservation and Agricultural Resources Act; Invasive plant legislation; Indigenous plant alternatives; National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act
Badenhorst, A. B. (2011). An investigation into the compliance of selected nurseries of selected nurseries and garden centres within Kwazulu-Natal Ethekwini and the Umsunduzi geographical regions, with the Conservation of Agricultual Resources Act 1983 (Act no. 43 of 1983) Cara and the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 2004 (Act no. 10 of 2004) Nemba. (Doctoral Dissertation). University of South Africa. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10500/4705
Badenhorst, Astrid Beverley. “An investigation into the compliance of selected nurseries of selected nurseries and garden centres within Kwazulu-Natal Ethekwini and the Umsunduzi geographical regions, with the Conservation of Agricultual Resources Act 1983 (Act no. 43 of 1983) Cara and the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 2004 (Act no. 10 of 2004) Nemba. ” 2011. Doctoral Dissertation, University of South Africa. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/4705.
Badenhorst, Astrid Beverley. “An investigation into the compliance of selected nurseries of selected nurseries and garden centres within Kwazulu-Natal Ethekwini and the Umsunduzi geographical regions, with the Conservation of Agricultual Resources Act 1983 (Act no. 43 of 1983) Cara and the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 2004 (Act no. 10 of 2004) Nemba. ” 2011. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Badenhorst AB. An investigation into the compliance of selected nurseries of selected nurseries and garden centres within Kwazulu-Natal Ethekwini and the Umsunduzi geographical regions, with the Conservation of Agricultual Resources Act 1983 (Act no. 43 of 1983) Cara and the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 2004 (Act no. 10 of 2004) Nemba. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of South Africa; 2011. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10500/4705.
Badenhorst AB. An investigation into the compliance of selected nurseries of selected nurseries and garden centres within Kwazulu-Natal Ethekwini and the Umsunduzi geographical regions, with the Conservation of Agricultual Resources Act 1983 (Act no. 43 of 1983) Cara and the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 2004 (Act no. 10 of 2004) Nemba. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of South Africa; 2011. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10500/4705
9. Marcus, Rebecca. Comparative analysis of state environmental enforcement in Region Six of the United States.
Degree: MS, Environmental Sciences, 2003, Louisiana State University
URL: etd-0407103-185546 ; https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/1073
► Through intense studies of agency audits, EPA policies and documents, state environmental compliance data and state agency issued documents, I have evaluated the enforcement programs… (more)
▼ Through intense studies of agency audits, EPA policies and documents, state environmental compliance data and state agency issued documents, I have evaluated the enforcement programs of Region Six state environmental agencies. The four elements utilized to perform this evaluation were listed in EPA compliance assurance program documents. The analysis was conducted by comparing state program performance in each element. Element 1 is the “appropriate identification of violations.” Element 2 is the “timely issuance of enforcement actions.” Element 3 is the “escalation of enforcement actions when violations continue.” Element 4 is the “ability to assess and collect penalties.” These elements are interdependent. Their success depends on the perception of their success by the regulated community. A lack of success in one element will prevent the effectiveness of all elements. The community must perceive a high likelihood of being inspected, and a high likelihood of receiving enforcement orders and penalties for existing violations. Without this perception, an enforcement program cannot effectively deter the regulated community from subsequent violations. Because each agency needed to improve in some area of enforcement, it was determined that none of the Region Six state agencies were completely efficient in all elements. Because a successful program relies upon all elements, there is no best or worst program. Each agency contains strengths and weaknesses among the elements, and each agency can improve their environmental enforcement procedures.
Subjects/Keywords: clean air act; clean water act; resource conservation and recovery act; environmental compliance
Marcus, R. (2003). Comparative analysis of state environmental enforcement in Region Six of the United States . (Masters Thesis). Louisiana State University. Retrieved from etd-0407103-185546 ; https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/1073
Marcus, Rebecca. “Comparative analysis of state environmental enforcement in Region Six of the United States.” 2003. Masters Thesis, Louisiana State University. Accessed January 19, 2020. etd-0407103-185546 ; https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/1073.
Marcus, Rebecca. “Comparative analysis of state environmental enforcement in Region Six of the United States.” 2003. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Marcus R. Comparative analysis of state environmental enforcement in Region Six of the United States. [Internet] [Masters thesis]. Louisiana State University; 2003. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: etd-0407103-185546 ; https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/1073.
Marcus R. Comparative analysis of state environmental enforcement in Region Six of the United States. [Masters Thesis]. Louisiana State University; 2003. Available from: etd-0407103-185546 ; https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/1073
10. Snoyink, Nicola Lee. Indigenous biodiversity protection and sustainable management in the Upper Waimakariri Basin.
► Human activity, unintentional or purposeful, has an impact on biodiversity health. History, world view and experience influence human activity and behaviour toward the natural world.… (more)
▼ Human activity, unintentional or purposeful, has an impact on biodiversity health. History, world view and experience influence human activity and behaviour toward the natural world. Despite significant commitment to nature conservation, New Zealand continues to experience biodiversity loss, especially on private land where some of the most vulnerable and under-protected ecosystems occur. Given that indigenous biodiversity protection is embedded in the principles of the Resource Management Act 1991, this research asks to what extent is indigenous biodiversity protection compatible with sustainable management, through a case study of indigenous biodiversity management on private land in the upper Waimakariri basin, in New Zealand’s South Island high country. The research examines the types of indigenous biodiversity conservation practices undertaken by private land managers, and is framed through the lens of ecological literacy and the influence of neoliberal ideology. Adoption and patterns of diffusion of practices are identified through relationships between individuals, organisations, institutions and mechanisms. The research found that indigenous biodiversity enhancement is a part of sustainable management but practices are influenced by biophysical context and location, internal factors such as the world view and experience of the land manager and the local economy and external factors such as the social network, economic drivers, government policy and the availability of additional resourcing. While legal requirements for environmental management are generally met, more insidious impacts on indigenous biodiversity are overlooked, and a lack of co-ordination between government goals creates perverse effects for biodiversity. The research found that private property rights often constrained a broader catchment view and market drivers to increase primary productivity risks further indigenous biodiversity loss. However given that the upper Waimakariri basin contains significant intact though modified tracts of indigenous flora and fauna, naturally occurring lakes and wetlands as well an informed and willing community, there may be an opportunity to trial innovative market mechanisms and alternative land uses to encourage further indigenous biodiversity protection. Conclusions from this research suggest the need to examine the potential utility of a National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity to clarify planning rules and responsibilities for biodiversity; and the opportunity to examine the potential for use of targeted economic instruments that encourage private landowners to preserve and protect remaining indigenous biodiversity. On doing this New Zealand may be more likely to reduce indigenous biodiversity loss as well as meet its international obligation, while sustaining its international reputation. Advisors/Committee Members: Rennie, Hamish.
Subjects/Keywords: indigenous; indigenous biodiversity; conservation; enhancement; protection; high country; sustainability; Resource Management Act 1991; biodiversity; biodiversity protection; biodiversity conservation
Snoyink, N. L. (2015). Indigenous biodiversity protection and sustainable management in the Upper Waimakariri Basin . (Thesis). Lincoln University. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10182/6811
Snoyink, Nicola Lee. “Indigenous biodiversity protection and sustainable management in the Upper Waimakariri Basin.” 2015. Thesis, Lincoln University. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10182/6811.
Snoyink, Nicola Lee. “Indigenous biodiversity protection and sustainable management in the Upper Waimakariri Basin.” 2015. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Snoyink NL. Indigenous biodiversity protection and sustainable management in the Upper Waimakariri Basin. [Internet] [Thesis]. Lincoln University; 2015. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10182/6811.
Snoyink NL. Indigenous biodiversity protection and sustainable management in the Upper Waimakariri Basin. [Thesis]. Lincoln University; 2015. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10182/6811
11. Bowman, Richard Glenn. Striking balance and compromise : the politics of wilderness preservation in Alaska.
Degree: MA, 2016, Ball State University
URL: http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/123456789/200306
► This study provides a comprehensive historical examination of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) from pre-statehood to the current status of parklands in… (more)
▼ This study provides a comprehensive historical examination of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) from pre-statehood to the current status of parklands in Alaska. The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act traces its roots directly from three previous Acts: the 1959 Statehood Act, the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) and President Carter’s usage of the 1906 Antiquities Act. The research suggests that major conservation and land or resource usage decisions are largely influenced by lobbyist and interest group organizations located beyond Alaska’s border. As the commodification of Alaska’s natural resources has faced continued opposition, the eco-tourism industry and the allure of a healthy Alaskan wilderness continue to shine bright for the economic future of Alaska. Advisors/Committee Members: Alves, Abel A. (advisor).
Subjects/Keywords: United States. Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.; Natural resources conservation areas – Political aspects – Alaska.; Economic development – Political aspects - Alaska.
Bowman, R. G. (2016). Striking balance and compromise : the politics of wilderness preservation in Alaska . (Masters Thesis). Ball State University. Retrieved from http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/123456789/200306
Bowman, Richard Glenn. “Striking balance and compromise : the politics of wilderness preservation in Alaska.” 2016. Masters Thesis, Ball State University. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/123456789/200306.
Bowman, Richard Glenn. “Striking balance and compromise : the politics of wilderness preservation in Alaska.” 2016. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Bowman RG. Striking balance and compromise : the politics of wilderness preservation in Alaska. [Internet] [Masters thesis]. Ball State University; 2016. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/123456789/200306.
Bowman RG. Striking balance and compromise : the politics of wilderness preservation in Alaska. [Masters Thesis]. Ball State University; 2016. Available from: http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/123456789/200306
12. Aboul-Khair, Shahira. An Evaluation of Species Recovery under the U.S. Endangered Species Act .
► The U.S. Endangered Species Act (U.S. ESA) is one of the oldest pieces of legislation to protect endangered species. The bodies responsible for administering the… (more)
▼ The U.S. Endangered Species Act (U.S. ESA) is one of the oldest pieces of legislation to protect endangered species. The bodies responsible for administering the U.S. ESA have published species Biennial Recovery Statuses (BRSs) in Reports to Congress on the Status of Endangered and Threatened Species. We found that expert assessments of species recovery trends match BRSs reasonably well; however, there appears to be a weak relationship between the BRSs and available data tracking species abundance and range trends. We aimed to establish whether the recovery trends of species examined were detectably associated with their threats, the general U.S. ESA tools, or recovery actions. We found positive associations between species recovery and two U.S. ESA tools – mean annual funding and peer-reviewed scientific information. However, correlations with other variables differ greatly depending on how recovery is defined. Species threats and recovery actions are also moderately related to their abundance and range trends.
Subjects/Keywords: Endangered Species; United States Endangered Species Act; Biodiversity; Conservation; Recovery; Species At Risk
Aboul-Khair, S. (2014). An Evaluation of Species Recovery under the U.S. Endangered Species Act . (Thesis). University of Ottawa. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10393/31854
Aboul-Khair, Shahira. “An Evaluation of Species Recovery under the U.S. Endangered Species Act .” 2014. Thesis, University of Ottawa. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/31854.
Aboul-Khair, Shahira. “An Evaluation of Species Recovery under the U.S. Endangered Species Act .” 2014. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Aboul-Khair S. An Evaluation of Species Recovery under the U.S. Endangered Species Act . [Internet] [Thesis]. University of Ottawa; 2014. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10393/31854.
Aboul-Khair S. An Evaluation of Species Recovery under the U.S. Endangered Species Act . [Thesis]. University of Ottawa; 2014. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10393/31854
13. Gibbs, Mary Katherine E. Species Declines: Examining Patterns of Species Distribution, Abundance, Variability and Conservation Status in Relation to Anthropogenic Activities .
► Humans are modifying the global landscape at an unprecedented scale and pace. As a result, species are declining and going extinct at an alarming rate.… (more)
▼ Humans are modifying the global landscape at an unprecedented scale and pace. As a result, species are declining and going extinct at an alarming rate. Here, I investigate two main aspects of species’ declines: what factors are contributing to their declines and how effective our conservation efforts have been. I assessed one of the main mechanisms for protecting species by looking at the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the United States. I examined three separate indicators of species declines for different groups of species: range contractions in Canadian imperilled species, declines in abundance in global amphibian populations and increases in temporal variability in abundance in North American breeding birds. I found that change in recovery status of ESA listed species was only very weakly related to the number of years listed, number of years with a recovery plan, and funding. These tools combined explained very little of the variation in recovery status among species. Either these tools are not very effective in promoting species’ recovery, or species recovery data are so poor that it is impossible to tell whether the tools are effective or not. I examined patterns of species’ declines in three different groups in relation to a number of anthropogenic variables. I found high losses of Canadian imperiled bird, mammal, amphibian and reptile species in regions with high proportions of agricultural land cover. However, losses of imperiled species are significantly more strongly related to the proportion of the region treated with agricultural pesticides. This is consistent with the hypothesis that agricultural pesticide use, or something strongly collinear with it (perhaps intensive agriculture more generally), has contributed significantly to the decline of imperiled species in Canada. Global increases in UV radiation do not appear to be a major cause of amphibian population declines. At individual sites, temporal changes in amphibian abundance are not predictably related to changes in UV intensity. Variability in species’ abundance of North American breeding birds, after accounting for mean abundance, is not systematically higher in areas of high human-dominated land cover or climate change. Rather, it appears that areas with a high proportion of human-dominated cover come to have a higher proportion of highly abundant, and thus more variable, species.
Subjects/Keywords: conservation; species declines; habitat loss; climate change; global amphibian declines; pesticides; Endangered Species Act
Gibbs, M. K. E. (2012). Species Declines: Examining Patterns of Species Distribution, Abundance, Variability and Conservation Status in Relation to Anthropogenic Activities . (Thesis). University of Ottawa. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10393/23315
Gibbs, Mary Katherine E. “Species Declines: Examining Patterns of Species Distribution, Abundance, Variability and Conservation Status in Relation to Anthropogenic Activities .” 2012. Thesis, University of Ottawa. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/23315.
Gibbs, Mary Katherine E. “Species Declines: Examining Patterns of Species Distribution, Abundance, Variability and Conservation Status in Relation to Anthropogenic Activities .” 2012. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Gibbs MKE. Species Declines: Examining Patterns of Species Distribution, Abundance, Variability and Conservation Status in Relation to Anthropogenic Activities . [Internet] [Thesis]. University of Ottawa; 2012. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10393/23315.
Gibbs MKE. Species Declines: Examining Patterns of Species Distribution, Abundance, Variability and Conservation Status in Relation to Anthropogenic Activities . [Thesis]. University of Ottawa; 2012. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10393/23315
14. Fennell, Perry A. An Assessment of Legal Frameworks for Sea Turtle Conservation in the Southeastern United States.
Degree: Earth and Ocean Sciences, 2019, University of South Carolina
URL: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/5333
► Despite the existence of various legal protections, nesting sea turtles continue to face a myriad of anthropogenic pressures. The Southeastern United States hosts vital… (more)
▼ Despite the existence of various legal protections, nesting sea turtles continue to face a myriad of anthropogenic pressures. The Southeastern United States hosts vital nesting grounds for five of the world’s seven species of sea turtle – all of which are listed as either threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. This research characterizes the current legal frameworks and regulatory systems that have been installed for the conservation and recovery of federally protected sea turtles at the local government (county and municipal) level within four states in the southeastern U.S. – North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The study involved a thorough analysis of federal, state, and local government legislation and conservation efforts. Information garnered from this analysis was supplemented with results from a survey that was sent to elected officials and other relevant stakeholders operating within jurisdictions where sea turtle nesting occurs. The survey provided insight about the perceived successes and shortcomings of various codes and ordinances implemented for the purpose of protecting sea turtles. The survey also gave respondents the opportunity to comment on specific challenges associated with sea turtle conservation efforts and coastal management within their respective jurisdictions. Local sea turtle conservation efforts were assessed by scoring survey responses to produce a “Sea Turtle Conservation Score (STCS),” which was then compared to a variety of parameters derived from historical sea turtle nesting data. Although no significant correlation was found between STCS and historical nesting data, the research did shed light on a variety of factors contributing to the overall success of sea turtle conservation practices at the local level. The information provided in this report will serve as an invaluable tool for local governments interested in improving upon existing sea turtle conservation and coastal management efforts within their jurisdiction by providing an opportunity to review common difficulties throughout the region and potential solutions moving forward. Assessing the state of endangered species conservation and coastal management efforts will become increasingly vital for coastal communities to consider under projected climate-associated impacts. Advisors/Committee Members: Joshua Eagle.
Subjects/Keywords: sea turtle; Siutheastern United States; Endangered Species Act; Sea Turtle Conservation Score; data
Fennell, P. A. (2019). An Assessment of Legal Frameworks for Sea Turtle Conservation in the Southeastern United States . (Thesis). University of South Carolina. Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/5333
Fennell, Perry A. “An Assessment of Legal Frameworks for Sea Turtle Conservation in the Southeastern United States.” 2019. Thesis, University of South Carolina. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/5333.
Fennell, Perry A. “An Assessment of Legal Frameworks for Sea Turtle Conservation in the Southeastern United States.” 2019. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Fennell PA. An Assessment of Legal Frameworks for Sea Turtle Conservation in the Southeastern United States. [Internet] [Thesis]. University of South Carolina; 2019. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/5333.
Fennell PA. An Assessment of Legal Frameworks for Sea Turtle Conservation in the Southeastern United States. [Thesis]. University of South Carolina; 2019. Available from: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/5333
15. Stavros, Robert William. The development of an evaluation method for best management practices on agricultural lands.
Degree: PhD, Environmental Sciences and Engineering, 1987, Virginia Tech
Subjects/Keywords: LD5655.V856 1987.S728; Land use, Rural; Agricultural conservation
Stavros, R. W. (1987). The development of an evaluation method for best management practices on agricultural lands . (Doctoral Dissertation). Virginia Tech. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10919/74773
Stavros, Robert William. “The development of an evaluation method for best management practices on agricultural lands.” 1987. Doctoral Dissertation, Virginia Tech. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/74773.
Stavros, Robert William. “The development of an evaluation method for best management practices on agricultural lands.” 1987. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Stavros RW. The development of an evaluation method for best management practices on agricultural lands. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. Virginia Tech; 1987. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/74773.
Stavros RW. The development of an evaluation method for best management practices on agricultural lands. [Doctoral Dissertation]. Virginia Tech; 1987. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/74773
16. Durkin, Brian John. An evaluation of solar access micro-neighborhoods.
Degree: M.L. Arch., Landscape Architecture, 1987, Virginia Tech
Subjects/Keywords: LD5655.V855 1987.D874; Landscape architecture and energy conservation
Durkin, B. J. (1987). An evaluation of solar access micro-neighborhoods . (Masters Thesis). Virginia Tech. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10919/91166
Durkin, Brian John. “An evaluation of solar access micro-neighborhoods.” 1987. Masters Thesis, Virginia Tech. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/91166.
Durkin, Brian John. “An evaluation of solar access micro-neighborhoods.” 1987. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Durkin BJ. An evaluation of solar access micro-neighborhoods. [Internet] [Masters thesis]. Virginia Tech; 1987. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/91166.
Durkin BJ. An evaluation of solar access micro-neighborhoods. [Masters Thesis]. Virginia Tech; 1987. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/91166
17. Herman, Elizabeth N. Study of Christian attitudes toward man's stewardship of the environment: a case study in the Roanoke Valley.
Degree: Master of Landscape Architecture, Landscape Architecture, 1987, Virginia Tech
► A range of views exist on the question of the effects of the Judeoâ Christian tradition on environmental ethics. Some believe that the Judeo-Christian… (more)
▼ A range of views exist on the question of the effects of the Judeoâ Christian tradition on environmental ethics. Some believe that the Judeo-Christian tradition has played the significant role in bringing about the present environmental situation. Others maintain that the current environmental crisis is much more complicated, resulting from many divergent factors. Still others would say that the Judeo-Christian tradition, as expressed in the Bible, calls man into a sacred relationship with nature which can be defined as the environmental ethic of stewardship. This thesis studies the relationship between Christian religious commitment and attitudes toward the environment. A questionnaire completed by 242 individuals who attend church in the Roanoke Valley provides the case study data. The survey instrument measures Christian religious commitment and attitudes toward the environment. The results of this study will provide further understanding of indicators for environmenta1 ethics. Advisors/Committee Members: Bork, Dean R. (committeechair), Hammond, Guyton B. (committee member), McDuffie, Robert F. (committee member).
Subjects/Keywords: Conservation of natural resources; LD5655.V855 1987.H475
Herman, E. N. (1987). Study of Christian attitudes toward man's stewardship of the environment: a case study in the Roanoke Valley . (Masters Thesis). Virginia Tech. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10919/45792
Herman, Elizabeth N. “Study of Christian attitudes toward man's stewardship of the environment: a case study in the Roanoke Valley.” 1987. Masters Thesis, Virginia Tech. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/45792.
Herman, Elizabeth N. “Study of Christian attitudes toward man's stewardship of the environment: a case study in the Roanoke Valley.” 1987. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Herman EN. Study of Christian attitudes toward man's stewardship of the environment: a case study in the Roanoke Valley. [Internet] [Masters thesis]. Virginia Tech; 1987. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/45792.
Herman EN. Study of Christian attitudes toward man's stewardship of the environment: a case study in the Roanoke Valley. [Masters Thesis]. Virginia Tech; 1987. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/45792
18. Desgroseillers, Stephanie. Cataloging Andy Warhol's Family Album: 1969 - 1974.
► This thesis project discusses the preservation of acclaimed twentieth century artist Andy Warhol's Family Album. The album is comprised of Polaroid photographs he took and… (more)
▼ This thesis project discusses the preservation of acclaimed twentieth century artist Andy Warhol's Family Album. The album is comprised of Polaroid photographs he took and gathered in the early seventies. A highlight of Andy Warhol's use of instant photography, as it pertains to his life and artistic work, is provided to present a concise basis to researchers. It details the steps undertaken to safely house this valuable object to prolong its life, and the cataloging methodology followed to grant access to the album without submitting it to excessive handling wear. It also offers recommendations on the preservation of dye diffusion material such as Polaroid's Polacolor and SX-70 film types. Advisors/Committee Members: Ryerson University (Degree grantor).
Subjects/Keywords: Warhol, Andy, 1928-1987 – Photograph collections; Photographs – Conservation and restoration; Photograph albums – Conservation and restoration; Instant photography; Cataloging of pictures; George Eastman House – Photograph collection; Polaroid Land camera
Desgroseillers, S. (2014). Cataloging Andy Warhol's Family Album: 1969 - 1974 . (Thesis). Ryerson University. Retrieved from https://digital.library.ryerson.ca/islandora/object/RULA%3A2732
Desgroseillers, Stephanie. “Cataloging Andy Warhol's Family Album: 1969 - 1974.” 2014. Thesis, Ryerson University. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://digital.library.ryerson.ca/islandora/object/RULA%3A2732.
Desgroseillers, Stephanie. “Cataloging Andy Warhol's Family Album: 1969 - 1974.” 2014. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Desgroseillers S. Cataloging Andy Warhol's Family Album: 1969 - 1974. [Internet] [Thesis]. Ryerson University; 2014. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: https://digital.library.ryerson.ca/islandora/object/RULA%3A2732.
Desgroseillers S. Cataloging Andy Warhol's Family Album: 1969 - 1974. [Thesis]. Ryerson University; 2014. Available from: https://digital.library.ryerson.ca/islandora/object/RULA%3A2732
19. Wallace, Philippa Jane. Boundaries of absolute protection: distribution of benefit and harm to birds through law and planning in New Zealand .
Degree: 2014, University of Waikato
► Endemic birds in New Zealand are under threat, and increasingly so, as human activity reshapes the land, reconstitutes the water, consumes space and resources and… (more)
▼ Endemic birds in New Zealand are under threat, and increasingly so, as human activity reshapes the land, reconstitutes the water, consumes space and resources and alters faunal composition. The decline of biodiversity is a pressing concern globally and the unique nature of the endemic fauna of New Zealand provides impetus for concern. Examination of the state of birds and analysis of the response of New Zealand law to the agents of decline is the key contribution of this research. The substance and operation of New Zealand law is examined to determine its influence upon the distribution of benefit and burden to New Zealand birds. Six case study birds: the black petrel, dotterel, kokako, godwit, sooty shearwater, and the wrybill are studied to elucidate these matters. In examining distribution of harm and benefit, a particular focus of the research is upon the degree of care that is applied to protecting birds through the law and related planning instruments. By assessing the principles, criteria and methods applied to protecting birds, the research identifies that an objective of avoidance of harm to indigenous Threatened or At Risk species, their habitats, and ecosystems upon which they depend, will benefit birds. It concludes that conservation status, as opposed to habitat or sectoral dispensation, is an important determinant for application of the standard, as this provides the most consistently protective approach. In addition, it is demonstrated that where uncertainty or ignorance arises as to existence or level of harm, the use of precaution and giving the benefit of the doubt to nature is important for enhancing protection. New Zealand conservation law is analysed at the international level in conjunction with species and habitat protection at the domestic level. International agreements, the Wildlife Act 1953, the Conservation Act 1987, the Resource Management Act 1991 and related policy and plans are examined. Although at times strongly beneficial, the research concludes that the arrangements made by the law are wanting. An important contribution of the research is to demonstrate the deficiencies, which can be separated into three classes: the problem of standard, the problem of consistency and integration, and the problem of implementation. These problems constrain the protective force of the law. Fragmentation and lack of a strong and consistent protective standard limit protection of birds against competing social, economic and cultural factors. The law requires revision. Species protection calls for particular attention. The Wildlife Act 1953 maintains a standard of absolute protection of birds, but the research demonstrates the many ways in which this standard is compromised. Greater strategic planning and integration is required, particularly with regard to human development. Interrelationships between the statutes, including that between the Wildlife Act 1953 and the RMA 1991, require addressing. Inadequate implementation of existing law compounds these matters, and the research identifies a… Advisors/Committee Members: Gillespie, Alexander (advisor), Barton, Barry (advisor), Longhurst, Robyn (advisor).
Subjects/Keywords: Law; Planning; wildlife law; bird conservation; endangered species; Wildlife Act 1953; Threatened species; biodiversity; Resource Management Act 1991; Conservation Act 1987; conservation plans; precaution; avoidance; s 6(c) RMA; connectivity; landscape conservation plan; Ramsar; Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species; ACAP; bycatch; black petrel; dotterel; kokako; godwit; sooty shearwater; wrybill; degree of care; integration; consistency; adaptive management; biodiversity offsets; pest control; Biosecurity Act 1993; resilience; ecological integrity; irreversible harm; customary harvest; uncertainty; Convention on Biological Diversity; fauna protection; distribution of harm; recovery plans
…Act 1987 CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CCAMLR Commission for the Conservation… …Biodiversity Offsets Programme BLL Bottom long line BSA Biosecurity Act 1993 CA Conservation… …the Resource Management Act For a full description of conservation policies and programmes… …72 3.1.4 Degree of benefit and conservation prioritisation… …Landscape level conservation planning .................................................... 205 5.5…
Wallace, P. J. (2014). Boundaries of absolute protection: distribution of benefit and harm to birds through law and planning in New Zealand . (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Waikato. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10289/8807
Wallace, Philippa Jane. “Boundaries of absolute protection: distribution of benefit and harm to birds through law and planning in New Zealand .” 2014. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Waikato. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/8807.
Wallace, Philippa Jane. “Boundaries of absolute protection: distribution of benefit and harm to birds through law and planning in New Zealand .” 2014. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Wallace PJ. Boundaries of absolute protection: distribution of benefit and harm to birds through law and planning in New Zealand . [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Waikato; 2014. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10289/8807.
Wallace PJ. Boundaries of absolute protection: distribution of benefit and harm to birds through law and planning in New Zealand . [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Waikato; 2014. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10289/8807
North-West University
20. Vermeulen, Peet. Boedelimplikasies vir partye wat getrou het of 'n siviele vennootskap voltrek het ingevolge die Civil Union Act / Peet Vermeulen .
Degree: 2014, North-West University
► In this research report the estate implications for a marriage or civil partnership, entered into in terms of the Civil Union Act, are identified by… (more)
▼ In this research report the estate implications for a marriage or civil partnership, entered into in terms of the Civil Union Act, are identified by determining the impact thereof and whether or not there are any differences with regard to the estate implications of a traditional marriage. The Civil Union Act came into effect to give legality to the relationship between homosexual couples by providing the option to conclude a marriage or civil partnership. Both of these institutions thus have the same legal consequences. According to Section 13 of the Civil Union Act the implications of the Marriage Act also apply to the Civil Union Act. The feasibility of this principle is not taken into account regarding estate implications. Since a marriage and civil partnership in terms of the Civil Union Act differs from a traditional marriage, it leads to uncertainty with regard to the application of this principle. This uncertainty and estate implications are the topic of this study. The total effect of the Civil Union Act is not discussed in the Civil Union Act, but rather consists of references to other legislation. Consequently the specific estate implications for a marriage or civil partnership, entered into in terms of the Civil Union Act, are discussed with specific focus on marriage regimes, maintenance, purchasing of household necessities, donations and tax benefits. Both the position before and after the Civil Union Act are considered. Firstly marriage regimes are discussed since it is the first step in identifying estate implications for the marriage or civil partnership. Maintenance is considered a direct result of a marriage and is referred to in many laws. It is therefore necessary to discuss the content of the legislation and whether or not it is compatible with the Civil Union Act. The buying of household necessities, donations and tax benefits has a unique effect on a marriage and the focus in this study is on the effect it has on a marriage and civil partnership entered into in terms of the Civil Union Act. The conclusion is that this research report will provide clarity on what exactly the estate implications are for parties who have married or concluded a civil partnership in terms of the Civil Union Act.
Subjects/Keywords: Belastingvoordele; Boedelimplikasies; Civil Union Act 17 van 2006; Egskeiding; Huishoudelike benodighede; Huweliksgoederebedelings; Huwelike binne gemeenskap van goedere; Huwelike buite gemeenskap van goedere; Intestate erfopvolging; Langslewende gade; Onderhoud; Siviele vennootskap; Skenkings; Tradisionele huwelike; Wet op Egskeiding 70 van 1979; Wet op Intestate Erfopvolging 81 van 1987; Wet op Onderhoud 99 van 1998; Wet op Onderhoud van Langslewende Gades 27 van 1990; Civil Union Act 17 of 2006; Divorce; Divorce act 70 of 1979; Donations; Estate implications; Household neccesities; Intestate succession; Intestate Succession Act 81 of 1987; Maintenance; Maintenance Act 99 of 1998; Maintenance of the Surviving Spouse Act 27 van 1990; Marriage in community of property; Marriage out of community of property; Marriage regimes; Sivile partnership; Surviving spouse; Tax benefits; Tradisional marriages
Vermeulen, P. (2014). Boedelimplikasies vir partye wat getrou het of 'n siviele vennootskap voltrek het ingevolge die Civil Union Act / Peet Vermeulen . (Thesis). North-West University. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10394/12213
Vermeulen, Peet. “Boedelimplikasies vir partye wat getrou het of 'n siviele vennootskap voltrek het ingevolge die Civil Union Act / Peet Vermeulen .” 2014. Thesis, North-West University. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/12213.
Vermeulen, Peet. “Boedelimplikasies vir partye wat getrou het of 'n siviele vennootskap voltrek het ingevolge die Civil Union Act / Peet Vermeulen .” 2014. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Vermeulen P. Boedelimplikasies vir partye wat getrou het of 'n siviele vennootskap voltrek het ingevolge die Civil Union Act / Peet Vermeulen . [Internet] [Thesis]. North-West University; 2014. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10394/12213.
Vermeulen P. Boedelimplikasies vir partye wat getrou het of 'n siviele vennootskap voltrek het ingevolge die Civil Union Act / Peet Vermeulen . [Thesis]. North-West University; 2014. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10394/12213
21. Fullerton, Christopher Todd. The use of cultural easements for the protection of historic resources in Georgia.
URL: http://purl.galileo.usg.edu/uga_etd/fullerton_christopher_t_200405_mhp
► As the preservation movement devotes greater efforts toward ensuring more comprehensive protection for historic resources, interest in private land-use controls has risen. The General Assembly… (more)
▼ As the preservation movement devotes greater efforts toward ensuring more comprehensive protection for historic resources, interest in private land-use controls has risen. The General Assembly of the State of Georgia first authorized the creation of façade and conservation easements in 1976, paving the way for their use by local nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies, and other qualifying organizations. A survey of preservation-related individuals in Georgia indicates that conservation easements are already in widespread use, with even greater usage expected in the near future. Several types of federal, state, and local tax incentives, as well as other motivations, have spurred on this growth in easement creation. Recommendations for improvement in easement programs include better acquisition and monitoring strategies and collaboration with organizations sharing similar goals, such as environmental conservation groups. Advisors/Committee Members: James K. Reap.
Subjects/Keywords: Façade and Conservation Easements Act of 1976
Fullerton, C. T. (2004). The use of cultural easements for the protection of historic resources in Georgia . (Thesis). University of Georgia. Retrieved from http://purl.galileo.usg.edu/uga_etd/fullerton_christopher_t_200405_mhp
Fullerton, Christopher Todd. “The use of cultural easements for the protection of historic resources in Georgia.” 2004. Thesis, University of Georgia. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://purl.galileo.usg.edu/uga_etd/fullerton_christopher_t_200405_mhp.
Fullerton, Christopher Todd. “The use of cultural easements for the protection of historic resources in Georgia.” 2004. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Fullerton CT. The use of cultural easements for the protection of historic resources in Georgia. [Internet] [Thesis]. University of Georgia; 2004. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://purl.galileo.usg.edu/uga_etd/fullerton_christopher_t_200405_mhp.
Fullerton CT. The use of cultural easements for the protection of historic resources in Georgia. [Thesis]. University of Georgia; 2004. Available from: http://purl.galileo.usg.edu/uga_etd/fullerton_christopher_t_200405_mhp
22. Adu-Asamoah, Richard. Regional analysis of the US groundfish fishery : implications of the extended fishery jurisdiction for the Pacific Northwest fishery.
Degree: PhD, Agricultural and Resource Economics, 1987, Oregon State University
► The Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 took effect on March 1, 1977. By this Act the United States extended its management over fisheries… (more)
▼ The Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 took effect on March 1, 1977. By this Act the United States extended its management over fisheries to 200 nautical miles from shore. Extended fishery jurisdiction was expected to promote industry development and expand the contribution of the fishing industry to the economies of the coastal regions. Benefits to the Pacific Coast groundfish industry have, however, been less than were expected when the Act was passed. A spatial equilibrium model was formulated for the broader United States interregional/international groundfish market. Two steps were involved: First, a system of simultaneous econometric equations was estimated for each of the three product forms—fresh and frozen cod, ocean perch, and flounder fillets. Second, regionalized forms of these equations were collapsed into simple equations and combined with transportation and storage costs in a larger mathematical programming model. The resulting quadratic programming (QP) problem was then solved (for each product) for the competitive equilibrium quantities demanded and supplied, prices, and product movements. Two objectives were achieved: A model was formulated that accounts for most of the relevant factors influencing the United States groundfish market; and the multiregional nature of this market was established. The estimated price and income elasticities were similar to those suggested by earlier studies, and the estimated product movements were consistent with survey data in the Pacific Northwest. The various policies evaluated in this study (using the spatial equilibrium model) suggest mixed blessings to the Pacific Coast groundfish industry. There is no evidence to suggest that harvesting some average quantities uniformly throughout the year would improve industry revenues. In general, increasing Pacific Coast landings by 30 percent (or more) would depress wholesale revenues but substantially increase fleet revenues. On the other hand, both wholesale and fleet revenues would increase if at least 80 percent of the increase in landings could be sold in markets outside the region. This suggests that an industry policy aimed at expanding landings on the Pacific Coast will improve revenues for all industry participants only if access to outside markets also takes place. Advisors/Committee Members: Rettig, R. Bruce (advisor), Johnston, Richard S. (committee member).
Subjects/Keywords: United States. Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976
Adu-Asamoah, R. (1987). Regional analysis of the US groundfish fishery : implications of the extended fishery jurisdiction for the Pacific Northwest fishery . (Doctoral Dissertation). Oregon State University. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1957/26751
Adu-Asamoah, Richard. “Regional analysis of the US groundfish fishery : implications of the extended fishery jurisdiction for the Pacific Northwest fishery.” 1987. Doctoral Dissertation, Oregon State University. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/1957/26751.
Adu-Asamoah, Richard. “Regional analysis of the US groundfish fishery : implications of the extended fishery jurisdiction for the Pacific Northwest fishery.” 1987. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Adu-Asamoah R. Regional analysis of the US groundfish fishery : implications of the extended fishery jurisdiction for the Pacific Northwest fishery. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. Oregon State University; 1987. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/1957/26751.
Adu-Asamoah R. Regional analysis of the US groundfish fishery : implications of the extended fishery jurisdiction for the Pacific Northwest fishery. [Doctoral Dissertation]. Oregon State University; 1987. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/1957/26751
23. Opp, Jaclyn Susan Marie. Laboratories of democracy and state brownfield programs.
Degree: PhD, 2007, University of Louisville
URL: 10.18297/etd/1082 ; https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd/1082
► Public investment and interest into brownfields has increased markedly in the past two decades. However, scholarship has not kept pace with this growth. Every state… (more)
▼ Public investment and interest into brownfields has increased markedly in the past two decades. However, scholarship has not kept pace with this growth. Every state in the U.S. has created a brownfields program to deal with the presence of these properties in their state. However, the mechanisms offered in these state programs to facilitate brownfield remediation and redevelopment has gone untested and underresearched. This dissertation gathered data on all fifty state brownfield programs and the related Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) enforcement and inspection data. The fifty state data was then supplemented with three state case studies using in-depth interviews with key participants and policymakers. The findings of this dissertation demonstrate that a great diversity in mechanisms to facilitate brownfield remediation and redevelopment exists across these programs. The findings also illustration a level of disinterest by political officials in the monitoring of these programs. Furthermore, program officials indicate a significant connection and responsibility to the entity that gives them the most money – the EPA. Overall, the diversity across the states, lack of political interest, and influence of individual EPA Regions offers some insights into the potential for serious unanticipated consequences of the movement to protect liability from environmental contamination while offering public resources to redevelop brownfields. This dissertation also finds that the related RCRA program may offer an indicator for environmental protectiveness of a particular state. Advisors/Committee Members: Meyer, Peter B., 1943-.
Subjects/Keywords: Political control; Bureaucracy; Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; Brownfield
Opp, J. S. M. (2007). Laboratories of democracy and state brownfield programs. (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Louisville. Retrieved from 10.18297/etd/1082 ; https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd/1082
Opp, Jaclyn Susan Marie. “Laboratories of democracy and state brownfield programs.” 2007. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Louisville. Accessed January 19, 2020. 10.18297/etd/1082 ; https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd/1082.
Opp, Jaclyn Susan Marie. “Laboratories of democracy and state brownfield programs.” 2007. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Opp JSM. Laboratories of democracy and state brownfield programs. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Louisville; 2007. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: 10.18297/etd/1082 ; https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd/1082.
Opp JSM. Laboratories of democracy and state brownfield programs. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Louisville; 2007. Available from: 10.18297/etd/1082 ; https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd/1082
24. Fleischli, Ann E. savingthewildplaces.org.
Degree: MA, 2012, Montana Tech
URL: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/862
► Abstract Purpose The focus of this professional paper is the description of both collaborative and individual efforts to save a wild place, the Rocky Mountain… (more)
▼ Abstract Purpose The focus of this professional paper is the description of both collaborative and individual efforts to save a wild place, the Rocky Mountain Front (RMF) in Lewis and Clark National Forest in Montana. The purpose of doing that is to provide an example that others could use to save their own beloved wild place, wherever that might be. Methods The description includes the formation of the Friends of the Front in the late 1970s by Gene Sentz and Roy Jacobs. The group, now a coalition with three major environmental organizations, continues its activities in April 2012, the date of this paper’s completion. During this period of over 30 years, the participants in collaboration modeled a respectful, neighborly approach intended to build public support to prevent the use of the Front as an oil and gas industrial area. They accomplished the 1997 banning by forest supervisor Gloria Flora of any new oil and gas leases in the Lewis and Clark National Forest for the duration of that USFS Resource Plan. Then they obtained a buyout of existing leases, using a tax credit method through Congressional legislation, followed by the withdrawal of those forest lands from any future leasing. In a strenuous effort, hundreds of supporters of the RMF subsequently attended USFS meetings to shape the other part of forest planning, the Travel Plan. A Travel Plan balances motorized uses with other uses in the forest. Lastly, the Travel Plan was incorporated into a second federal law, introduced in Congress but yet to be passed in April 2012, that creates a new approach to forest management. By its terms it makes the Lewis and Clark National Forest a conservation easement of 208,000 acres, freezing the uses as they now exist under USFS management, permanently. It also sets up 67,000 acres of wilderness areas. While these monumental efforts continue, east of the RMF parcels of land owned by individuals removed their development rights from their lands using conservation easements, totaling 173,000 acres as of the summer of 2011. Conclusions The example described here works for a collaborative group effort to save wild places but it may require neighborly members. However, individual efforts can also achieve similar results, at least on private lands. This professional paper is published as a web site for easy dissemination and can be found at http://www.savingthewildplaces.org.
Subjects/Keywords: collaboration; conservation easements; Gene Sentz; Gloria Flora; Heritage Act; Rocky Mountain Front; saving the wild places
Fleischli, A. E. (2012). savingthewildplaces.org . (Masters Thesis). Montana Tech. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/862
Fleischli, Ann E. “savingthewildplaces.org.” 2012. Masters Thesis, Montana Tech. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/862.
Fleischli, Ann E. “savingthewildplaces.org.” 2012. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Fleischli AE. savingthewildplaces.org. [Internet] [Masters thesis]. Montana Tech; 2012. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/862.
Fleischli AE. savingthewildplaces.org. [Masters Thesis]. Montana Tech; 2012. Available from: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/862
25. Slingerland, George. The Effect of the "No Surprises" Policy on Habitat Conservation Planning and the Endangered Species Act.
Degree: Master of Urban and Regional Planning, Urban Affairs and Planning, 1999, Virginia Tech
► The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the ESA and the impact of the "No Surprises" policy on habitat conservation planning.… (more)
▼ The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the ESA and the impact of the "No Surprises" policy on habitat conservation planning. Habitat conservation planning was initiated in 1982 in response to drawbacks of the ESA. The "No Surprises" policy was introduced in 1994 to mend shortcomings of the habitat conservation planning process. The paper presents three descriptive chapters on the ESA, habitat conservation plans (HCPs), and the "No Surprises" policy, then investigates the HCP process in two case studies. Advisors/Committee Members: Richardson, Jesse J. (committeechair), Randolph, John (committee member), Zahm, Diane L. (committee member).
Subjects/Keywords: habitat conservation planning; no surprises; endangered species act
Slingerland, G. (1999). The Effect of the "No Surprises" Policy on Habitat Conservation Planning and the Endangered Species Act . (Masters Thesis). Virginia Tech. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10919/37085
Slingerland, George. “The Effect of the "No Surprises" Policy on Habitat Conservation Planning and the Endangered Species Act.” 1999. Masters Thesis, Virginia Tech. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/37085.
Slingerland, George. “The Effect of the "No Surprises" Policy on Habitat Conservation Planning and the Endangered Species Act.” 1999. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Slingerland G. The Effect of the "No Surprises" Policy on Habitat Conservation Planning and the Endangered Species Act. [Internet] [Masters thesis]. Virginia Tech; 1999. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/37085.
Slingerland G. The Effect of the "No Surprises" Policy on Habitat Conservation Planning and the Endangered Species Act. [Masters Thesis]. Virginia Tech; 1999. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/37085
26. Ramsing-Lund, Amanda M. Conserving Vermont's Endangered Species through Designation of Critical Habitat.
Degree: Environmental Studies, 2017, University of Vermont
URL: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses/168
► Although the Endangered Species Act of 1973 is federal legislation, protection of threatened and endangered (T & E) species varies in stringency across states.… (more)
▼ Although the Endangered Species Act of 1973 is federal legislation, protection of threatened and endangered (T & E) species varies in stringency across states. H.570 (Act 145) is a Vermont law passed during the 2015-2016 legislative session that updated some of the legal protections for T & E species. Through this legislation, the State was given the authority to protect critical habitat for T & E species through the Secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources. However, the legislation did not provide an official way to designate areas as critical habitat. The purpose of this study was to design an application form for the designation of T & E critical habitat, as a supplementary document to this law. Throughout the course of this work, I collaborated with a variety of stakeholders to ensure the successful development of the form. This project ultimately informs and facilitates future actions regarding protection of habitat for endangered and threatened species in Vermont. Advisors/Committee Members: Allan Strong, Brendan Fisher.
Subjects/Keywords: Land Conservation and Stewardship; Natural Areas; Wildlife; Policy; Bill H.570 (Act 145); Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife (VTFWD)
Ramsing-Lund, A. M. (2017). Conserving Vermont's Endangered Species through Designation of Critical Habitat . (Thesis). University of Vermont. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses/168
Ramsing-Lund, Amanda M. “Conserving Vermont's Endangered Species through Designation of Critical Habitat.” 2017. Thesis, University of Vermont. Accessed January 19, 2020. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses/168.
Ramsing-Lund, Amanda M. “Conserving Vermont's Endangered Species through Designation of Critical Habitat.” 2017. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Ramsing-Lund AM. Conserving Vermont's Endangered Species through Designation of Critical Habitat. [Internet] [Thesis]. University of Vermont; 2017. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses/168.
Ramsing-Lund AM. Conserving Vermont's Endangered Species through Designation of Critical Habitat. [Thesis]. University of Vermont; 2017. Available from: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses/168
27. De Bruyn, Anna Jacoba. Tax incentives for South African wine producers investing in environmental conservation / Anna Jacoba de Bruyn .
► There is an increasing focus on environmental conservation worldwide, evidenced by such events as the signing of the Kyoto Protocol by developing countries, and by… (more)
▼ There is an increasing focus on environmental conservation worldwide, evidenced by such events as the signing of the Kyoto Protocol by developing countries, and by consumers becoming more environmentally conscious. The purpose of this study was to investigate how government could, through tax law, incentivise businesses to invest in environmental conservation. One of the major South African industries contributing to the GDP is the wine industry. South Africa, new in world wine production, is ranked among the top 10 wineproducing countries, together with countries such as Australia. The average foreign consumer is more environmentally conscious, which means that South African wineries also have to become environmentally aware to ensure that their products are competitive in the foreign markets. A negative aspect of investing in environmental conservation is that a substantial upfront capital investment is normally required, which could lead to wineries not investing unless they can see a significant benefit as a result. Given this, the purpose of this study was to determine whether or not there is an income tax benefit for wineries when investing in environmental conservation in terms of the Income Tax Act no.58 of 1962 (hereafter “the Act”). Government can, through tax law, either reward people for doing the right thing or punish them by imposing taxes for doing the wrong thing. The sections of the Act that have been identified as incentivising environmental conservation are Sections 11D, 12B, 12K, 12L, 37B and 37C, all with specific requirements before the incentives can be used. The study contains an analysis of the type of environmental conservation that wineries can carry out and considers whether those conservation activities would enable them to use the incentives stated in the Act. Some of the environmental conservation activities identified that wineries could perform include the use of solar power to minimise their energy consumption, thereby reducing their impact on the environment. Further, there are industrial codes which encourage recycling and waste management, certain aspects of which would enable a winery to use some of the sections in the Act. The incentives available in the Income Tax Acts of other wine-producing countries, such as France, Australia and the Oregon state in the USA, were also reviewed to see how the incentives in their Acts compare with those in the South African Income Tax Act. Lastly, a limited empirical study was conducted to determine the wineries’ perspective in respect of the incentives indicated in the Act and whether or not they find that the incentives encourage them to carry out further environmental conservation.
Subjects/Keywords: Tax; Incentives; Environmental; Conservation; South Africa; Kyoto Protocol; Income Tax Act; Australia; France; Oregon; Vinification; Wine; Wineries
De Bruyn, A. J. (2015). Tax incentives for South African wine producers investing in environmental conservation / Anna Jacoba de Bruyn . (Thesis). North-West University. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10394/15170
De Bruyn, Anna Jacoba. “Tax incentives for South African wine producers investing in environmental conservation / Anna Jacoba de Bruyn .” 2015. Thesis, North-West University. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/15170.
De Bruyn, Anna Jacoba. “Tax incentives for South African wine producers investing in environmental conservation / Anna Jacoba de Bruyn .” 2015. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
De Bruyn AJ. Tax incentives for South African wine producers investing in environmental conservation / Anna Jacoba de Bruyn . [Internet] [Thesis]. North-West University; 2015. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10394/15170.
De Bruyn AJ. Tax incentives for South African wine producers investing in environmental conservation / Anna Jacoba de Bruyn . [Thesis]. North-West University; 2015. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/10394/15170
University of California – Santa Cruz
28. Zarri, Liam Joseph. Balancing management of listed salmon, sturgeon, and water users in the Sacramento River.
Degree: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 2018, University of California – Santa Cruz
URL: http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/6z00s7r7
► Dams have been built on most of the world’s large rivers, making the management of environmental flows crucial for meeting the needs of humans and… (more)
▼ Dams have been built on most of the world’s large rivers, making the management of environmental flows crucial for meeting the needs of humans and wildlife. Current water management in the mainstem Sacramento River below Keswick Dam focuses on maintaining optimal conditions for early life stages of endangered winter-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and providing discharge to support downstream water use. We found that the low temperature and high discharge flows may negatively impact condition of threatened green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) larvae rearing in this region. We developed a multi-object optimization model which identified optimal releases of 11.5°C and 150 CMS to balance the three objectives. Reservoir levels required to meet this optimal management strategy occurred in 80% of the last 20 years. This proposed management strategy shifts to multi-object management while meeting downstream water requirements and could be used as a model to provide environmental flows in other impounded rivers.
Subjects/Keywords: Ecology; Conservation biology; Endangered Species Act; environmental flows; Green sturgeon; multi-object optimization; multi-species management; Winter-run chinook
Zarri, L. J. (2018). Balancing management of listed salmon, sturgeon, and water users in the Sacramento River . (Thesis). University of California – Santa Cruz. Retrieved from http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/6z00s7r7
Zarri, Liam Joseph. “Balancing management of listed salmon, sturgeon, and water users in the Sacramento River.” 2018. Thesis, University of California – Santa Cruz. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/6z00s7r7.
Zarri, Liam Joseph. “Balancing management of listed salmon, sturgeon, and water users in the Sacramento River.” 2018. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Zarri LJ. Balancing management of listed salmon, sturgeon, and water users in the Sacramento River. [Internet] [Thesis]. University of California – Santa Cruz; 2018. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/6z00s7r7.
Zarri LJ. Balancing management of listed salmon, sturgeon, and water users in the Sacramento River. [Thesis]. University of California – Santa Cruz; 2018. Available from: http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/6z00s7r7
29. Hart, Christopher Jesse. Will the Continental U.S. Lose its Tufted Puffins?.
Degree: 2017, University of Washington
► Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) populations have experienced dramatic declines since the mid 19th century along the southern portion of the species range, leading citizen groups… (more)
▼ Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) populations have experienced dramatic declines since the mid 19th century along the southern portion of the species range, leading citizen groups to petition the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to list the species as endangered. While there remains no consensus on the mechanisms driving these trends, decreases in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem suggest climate-related factors, and in particular sea-surface temperature, play a role. This study uses three species distribution models (SDMs) to evaluate projected shifts in habitat suitable for Tufted Puffin nesting for the year 2050 under two future Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emission scenarios. Temperature variables demonstrated the largest contribution to model construction and ensemble model results suggest the key role of warming marine and terrestrial temperatures on the loss of Tufted Puffin habitat in the California Current under both carbon emission scenarios. By 2050, under both emission scenarios RCP 4.5 and 8.5, ensemble model results suggest the loss of greater than 26% of Tufted Puffin nesting habitat throughout its North American range. Ensemble model results also project that 100% of currently suitable habitat along the California Current is more likely than not to become unsuitable by 2050, regardless of emission mitigation strategies. These model results highlight a continuation of Tufted Puffin declines among southern breeding colonies and indicate a significant risk of near-term extirpation in the continental U.S. Advisors/Committee Members: Kelly, Ryan P (advisor).
Subjects/Keywords: California Current; Climate Change; Endangered Species Act; Species Distribution Model; Tufted Puffin; Conservation biology; Climate change; Environmental science; Marine affairs
Hart, C. J. (2017). Will the Continental U.S. Lose its Tufted Puffins? . (Thesis). University of Washington. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1773/40226
Hart, Christopher Jesse. “Will the Continental U.S. Lose its Tufted Puffins?.” 2017. Thesis, University of Washington. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/40226.
Hart, Christopher Jesse. “Will the Continental U.S. Lose its Tufted Puffins?.” 2017. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Hart CJ. Will the Continental U.S. Lose its Tufted Puffins?. [Internet] [Thesis]. University of Washington; 2017. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/1773/40226.
Hart CJ. Will the Continental U.S. Lose its Tufted Puffins?. [Thesis]. University of Washington; 2017. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/1773/40226
30. Lind-Riehl, Jennifer F. THE ROLE OF HYBRIDIZATION AND THE UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE BIOLOGISTS’ DISCRETION IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT.
Degree: MS, Department of Social Sciences, 2015, Michigan Technological University
URL: http://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/etds/986
► The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires that the “best available scientific and commercial data” be used to enable the protection of critically imperiled species… (more)
▼ The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires that the “best available scientific and commercial data” be used to enable the protection of critically imperiled species from extinction and preserve biodiversity. However, the ESA does not provide specific guidance on how to apply this mandate. In addition, the interpretation of scientific data can be uncertain and controversial, particularly regarding species delineation and hybridization issues. US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) field biologists must decide what the best science is and how to interpret and apply it in their recommendations. As a result, FWS field biologists often have considerable discretion when it comes to making recommendations for what species to list and how to recover them. My study has examined how FWS field biologists’ knowledge and beliefs about species concepts and hybridization may impact their discretion to use the best available science to protect and recover imperiled species. I used semi structured interviews to help uncover how much discretion FWS field biologists believe they have, and their knowledge and beliefs about species concepts and hybridization related to ESA implementation. I found that they have a large amount of discretion to determine what the best available science is and how to interpret it. However, their recommendations are subjected to multiple levels of peer review and generally they defer to the scientific consensus on the taxonomic status of an organism. Hybridization was viewed primarily as a problem in the context of the ESA, which likely reflects the tumultuous history the FWS has had with this issue. However, FWS field biologists who had experience with hybridization issues were more likely to describe it as a complex evolutionary force with varied outcomes rather than wholly negative, as compared to those with little to no experience. Overall, resource limitations and “listing by litigation” impacted ESA implementation more than biologists’ knowledge and beliefs concerning species concepts and hybridization. Advisors/Committee Members: Audrey L. Mayer.
Subjects/Keywords: conservation; Endangered Species Act; Fish and Wildlife Service; hybridization; species concepts; street-level bureaucrat; Environmental Law; Environmental Studies; Natural Resources and Conservation
Lind-Riehl, J. F. (2015). THE ROLE OF HYBRIDIZATION AND THE UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE BIOLOGISTS’ DISCRETION IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT . (Masters Thesis). Michigan Technological University. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/etds/986
Lind-Riehl, Jennifer F. “THE ROLE OF HYBRIDIZATION AND THE UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE BIOLOGISTS’ DISCRETION IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT.” 2015. Masters Thesis, Michigan Technological University. Accessed January 19, 2020. http://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/etds/986.
Lind-Riehl, Jennifer F. “THE ROLE OF HYBRIDIZATION AND THE UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE BIOLOGISTS’ DISCRETION IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT.” 2015. Web. 19 Jan 2020.
Lind-Riehl JF. THE ROLE OF HYBRIDIZATION AND THE UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE BIOLOGISTS’ DISCRETION IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT. [Internet] [Masters thesis]. Michigan Technological University; 2015. [cited 2020 Jan 19]. Available from: http://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/etds/986.
Lind-Riehl JF. THE ROLE OF HYBRIDIZATION AND THE UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE BIOLOGISTS’ DISCRETION IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT. [Masters Thesis]. Michigan Technological University; 2015. Available from: http://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/etds/986 | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line974 |
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Today > Blog > What are the chances of an In/Out EU referendum being passed in the next Parliament?
What are the chances of an In/Out EU referendum being passed in the next Parliament?
With the election campaign underway and the opinion polls too close to call the fate of the Conservatives' EU referendum will depend on parliamentary arithmetic. We have a look at how things stand.
Brexit, Elections, UK politics
Christopher Howarth
When Parliament returns after the election we will have a new crop of MPs and potentially a new government of an as yet unknown complexion. The chances of the UK holding an in/out referendum will as always depend entirely on the Parliamentary arithmetic and the commitments made by the party leaders both before the election and in any subsequent coalition negotiations. Lyndon B Johnson’s first rule of politics: Its “practitioners need to be able to count.”
Given that, the announcements today by Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage and yesterday’s by the SNP’s deputy leader Stewart Hosie are all potentially significant. Here is a recap on where the parties all now stand on the referendum.
The Conservatives
The Conservatives’ policy on an EU in/out referendum is clear – they want one. This left some initial doubt as to whether David Cameron would negotiate away the referendum in any continuity Coalition negotiations with the Liberal Democrats. It is now inconceivable that David Cameron could or would stop his own MPs voting for an EU referendum in a new Parliament. What is less clear is whether he could or would be able to force the Liberal Democrats to also sign up to the referendum if their support is needed for a Coalition.
The Liberal Democrats
The Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg told BBC Radio 4 Today’s programme this morning that, “Of course there should be a [in/out] referendum …when we need to make a decision on transfer of new powers… If you want a referendum in all circumstances, then clearly don’t vote Liberal Democrat.” This statement needs a little interpretation. Firstly the Liberal Democrats voted for the “Referendum Lock” which would provide for a referendum if (in the unlikely event) the government proposed transferring more powers to the EU – but only on the new powers, not an in/out referendum. The statement that they would make this an in/out referendum is therefore an addition to what is already legislated for. For the historians among you , the party was against a referendum on the 2009 Lisbon Treaty and at that time also voted against an in/out referendum in the House of Lords.
Given that background it is an open question as to what the party would do if the Conservatives made re-newing of the Coalition conditional on Lib Dem support for an in/out referendum. What, however, is clear is that a minority Conservative Government is unlikely to have the Lib Dem MPs on side.
The Labour Party’s position on a referendum is more straight forward. Ed Miliband restated his opposition this morning, writing that, “This is a recipe for two years of uncertainty and chaos, when inward investors will hold off, businesses will be held back from planning for the future.” That is a clear ‘No’. Like the Liberal Democrats the Labour party have supported the “Referendum Lock” on further transfers of power and have also said that this should also trigger an in/out referendum, but with honourable frankness added it was “unlikely” they would agree to a transfer of power.
Minor Parties
The SNP Deputy Leader Stewart Hosie set out on Sunday that his party “will oppose an in/out referendum on Europe. And if there is one – we will campaign to stay in. And as Nicola [Sturgeon] has said, we will insist on a ‘Double Lock’ – so that Scotland cannot be dragged out of the EU against her will.” That looks like a firm no, although they have bigger fish they would ideally like to fry – as we pointed out here.
UKIP may also have a number of MPs and are keen to be seen to be even more in favour of a referendum than the Conservatives. UKIP leader Nigel Farage told Good Morning Britain today that: “I don’t want this to be kicked into the long grass until, say, the end of 2017… I think it should be before the end of this year. We’ve got loads of time, I mean, goodness me, we’re still in March. There’s plenty of time to do this.” Given that even with the best will in the world the legislation may take some time to pass through the Lords it is fair to say that is mostly rhetoric.
The other significant player in the Commons after the election will be Northern Ireland’s DUP. They have in the past been in favour of a referendum and had eight MPs this term.
So will there be a referendum – it’s all about the numbers
If there is a Conservative majority there will be an in/out referendum. If the Conservatives are just short, UKIP, the DUP, and a few Labour and Lib Dem rebels will ensure that the EU referendum legislation gets through the Commons.
If however the Conservatives fall a long way short and seek to rely on Lib Dem help, it is not clear whether they would get support for a referendum in return. If the agreement the Conservatives make with the Lib Dems is not an official Coalition agreement the Lib Dems will not feel compelled to support a Conservative policy, if it is an official Coalition policy they will have to vote for it. For all three parties there is the added uncertainty of how a potential defeat could alter current policy. Would a new Labour leader still oppose a referendum if it was believed to have been a contributory factor in their electoral defeat? Could the Lib Dems change direction under a new leader? And lastly, would a new Conservative opposition leader campaign for ‘Out’. We can not tell for certain.
What we can tell though is that if there is a Labour minority Government supported by the SNP or a labour majority government there is very little chance of a referendum. As Lyndon B Johnson said you will have to learn how to count.
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Stephen Booth
Acting Director Stephen is Acting Director at Open Europe and heads its policy and research team. While at Open Europe he has written on EU regulation, justice and home affairs and EU aid policy. Stephen holds an undergraduate degree in political science and was awarded the Jean Monnet Prize for his master's degree in European studies from the University of Sussex. Stephen's professional interests include democracy and transparency in the EU, the interaction between domestic and EU law and European cooperation in crime and policing. He is half Dutch.
See Articles Follow @OpenEurope Email: stephen@openeurope.org.uk
Pieter Cleppe
Head of Brussels Office Pieter is the Head of the Brussels office of Open Europe (Open Europe Brussels VZW). He is a frequent contributor to the broadcast and print media across Europe, frequently discussing EU reform, the refugee crisis and the eurocrisis. A trained lawyer, Pieter previously practiced law in Belgium, and has worked as a cabinet advisor and speechwriter to the Belgian State Secretary for Administrative Reform. Pieter also previously worked as an analyst at the Belgium’s Itinera Institute, which he helped to found. He received his legal training at the Catholic University of Leuven, and also studied law and economics at the universities of Hamburg, Bologna and Vienna. Pieter is fluent in Dutch, English and French. He also speaks German and intermediate Italian. See Articles Follow @@pietercleppe Email: Pieter@openeurope.org.uk
David Shiels
Policy Analyst Dr David Shiels holds a PhD in History from Cambridge, where he also studied for his masters and undergraduate degrees. His academic interests include Euroscepticism in the UK, immigration and domestic British politics. He is writing a book on the career of Enoch Powell and is an expert on the Thatcher era. David is from Northern Ireland and has written widely about Ulster Unionism and UK-Ireland relations. See Articles Follow @dcshiels Email: dshiels@openeurope.org.uk
Dominic Walsh
Policy Analyst Dominic joined Open Europe in 2017. He holds an MA in British Politics and Contemporary History at King’s College London, where he obtained a Distinction. His areas of expertise include the UK-EU relationship, British political parties, and Euroscepticism in the UK. His research focuses on Brexit and Parliament. He has previously worked as a researcher for the UCL Constitution Unit, and holds a first-class undergraduate degree in History from Durham University. See Articles Follow @DomWalsh13 Email: dominicw@openeurope.org.uk
Anthony Egan
Research Analyst Anthony joined Open Europe in 2018. He holds an MA in Legal and Political Theory and a BSc in Economics, both from UCL. His research focuses on the economics of European affairs, demographic change and immigration. Anthony has experience in the media industry, having worked for a business and finance media outlet prior to joining Open Europe. See Articles Follow @AnthonyM_Egan Email: anthony@openeurope.org.uk | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line979 |
__label__cc | 0.532467 | 0.467533 | Orchids and Onions
Kalahari Curtains
Head out on the Highway; looking for adventure…and classic advertising
Here’s aBig Bang Theory: Use just one credit card
Private: 4X4Ever…and a mad dash to avoid the runs
Back to school with Checkers and back to the drawing board for Ford…
All’s fair in Love and the Ad Business..
Private: Are you saving the planet – or stroking your ego?
Girls just wanna have 4×4 Fun!
Old Gold in that there Mercury
Volkswagen’s funky urban warrior
Words and Images by Brendan Seery and friends on Advertising, Marketing and the Media, Travel, Cars, Life and Love
Fly, the beloved country… high above the “vapour research”
June 26, 2018 Brendan SeeryLeave a comment
These days, when you leave the toxic atmosphere of Twitter (and I am forced to lurk there as part of a my job as a newsman), you feel as though you should have a chemical decontamination shower, so vile is some of the anger and hatred.
There seem to be so many on this social media channel who believe that the whole “Miracle” of 1994 and the idea of the “Rainbow Nation” was all a lie. Further, Nelson Mandela was a sell-out because he bowed down to white people and “Big Business”…
Exposed to so much of this line of reasoning does make me acknowledge that perhaps we (all of us) were too naïve in our acceptance that 300 years of history could be re-written by one man and one election. When I look back on those times, I sometimes cringe to see the sentiments – the lofty but unrealistic ones – being expressed by people. It’s rather like looking back at the 70s and platform shoes …“What were they thinking?”
And nothing sums up that rose-tinted era quite as much as the triumph in the World Cup Rugby final at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg in 1995, where Joel Stransky’s sublime drop-goal made us World Champions, triumphing 15-12 over the All Blacks.
There was Madiba, Francois Pienaar and the Webb Ellis Trophy. There were the strains of “Shosholoza” echoing around the stadium, as well as those of the strange, new, hybrid national anthem.
Then there were the multicoloured, joyful crowds in the streets afterwards, all overwhelmingly proud to be South Africans, united by a pride which went beyond skin colour.
But it was the goose bump-inducing flight by a massive South African Airways Boeing 747 jumbo jet, low over Ellis Park, which announced the world we were a “can do” nation. Nobody else had done – or possibly even could do – such a daring, and potentially disastrous, piece of stunt flying.
The man flying the plane was veteran SAA pilot Laurie Kay and, as people close to him said later, it was as though his whole life in planes – from passenger jets to aerobatic prop-driven craft – was leading up to this.
MTN’s new “Sounds the Call” ad wonderfully evokes those times, with a clever blend of actual footage, set-up scenes using actors and some computer-manipulated imagery to pay tribute to Laurie Kay – who passed away some years ago – but also to rekindle national pride. As a sponsor of the Springboks, the cell provider has, like fellow sponsor FNB, focused on the intangibles of emotion to underline its contribution to nation-building.
Now, I suppose one could be cynical about this sort of patriotism, but it works for me. It’s a reminder of what we once were and, through rose-tinted optimism glasses, what we might be again…
So Orchids to MTN, ad agency TBWA and Darling films.
Research Rubbish – Chapter 2
A few weeks ago, I got a breathless release from Reputation Matters, a PR outfit in Tshwane, about how that City had been “voted” best African capital in terms of “sustainability”.
According to Reputation Matters, the firm had surveyed “15 African capitals” ahead of Sustainability Week held in Pretoria. When pressed by my cynical questions (because I am very wary of “vapour” research), Reputation Matters provided the list of these 15 African capitals.
The list has shrunk to just 14 places – including Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and Rustenburg, nogal. There – now you know…Rustenburg is an African capital city.
Even worse was to come, though.
Reputation Matters said it had 76 responses to its survey, 80% of which came from South African cities, with Cape Town topping the list at 43%, followed by Tshwane at 27% and Joburg at 8%.
If that’s a survey, then I’m a rabbi…
A research expert friend of mine (in my survey of experts across the continent – if you can do it so can I) shook her head in disbelief (at least that’s what it felt like down the email line). Her company does serious research and, without quantifying who was asked what, invoking “African capitals” when there were more responses from SA cities, as well as the absence of judging criteria, was, in her view, not proper research. Nor was it well-written, “even as a media release…” she wrote.
That last comment sums up how professionals in business – and note, not just cynical old journalists – take with a pinch of salt this sort of fantasy.
Sadly, there are many in the media industry who will look at this as genuine, simply because it is flagged as “research” or a “survey”.
So to Reputation Matters, the second of our Fake News Onions (the first was last week). One day someone will see through the nonsense…and how sustainable will you then be?
The boozy road not taken…and lies, damned lies and surveys
Hangovers, they say, are God’s way of telling you to lay off the booze. And, anyone who has had one will know the “why did I do it?” feeling of remorse.
Alcohol has changed so many lives in so many ways – yet humankind still seems to love the bottle. Trying to get people to approach alcohol in a more sensible way – to save our country the billions it costs us annually, in everything from car accidents and domestic violence to the effects of foetal alcohol syndrome – is clearly not a message which is getting through.
The new campaign along these lines from non-profit organisation Aware.org, (Association for Alcohol Responsibility and Education) takes a different angle. Different in the sense that it doesn’t wag fingers or show images (however censored) of bodies and the sort of carnage boozing can cause.
It’s all about “the road not taken”…and in this case, the road not taken is the easy one to booze addiction.
So we see the same man in two different scenarios, but at the same time, thanks to the use of clever image effects. A man able to look at himself from outside.
And what he sees is not good: from life and soul of the party which the booze triggers; to fighting, insulting and being thrown out of the club by the bouncers. It’s a clear look at the sleazy side of what “just a little drink…” can turn into.
We then see him heading home – in a taxi, not driving himself in his inebriated state.
He arrives at his house to a warm and stable family home – loving wife and, asleep in her bedroom, their beautiful daughter. There is contest as to which is the more appealing road taken.
The punchline – Drink like there is a tomorrow – is apt, and memorable.
Orchids to Aware.org, ad agency Riverbed and director Gordon Lindsay of Braille Films for your message of hope out of despair.
Best way to hood wink a journalist? Send them a press release based on a “survey”.
That sounds like science and very few journalists will question you, as a clever PR company, if you do that. Even better, use percentages – because you know they won’t have a clue.
That’s exactly what an outfit called the deVere Group did last week…and they reeled in the suckers. The company bills itself as “an international financial services organisation”, which should have been the first red flag, because it is a commonly used vague, meaningless generalisation, but which sounds professional.
The company’s release said it had done a “survey” among “high-net-worth individuals” (rich people, to you and me) about their “exposure to cryptocurrencies”. Hardly an unbiased piece of research, given that deVere is in that very business.
The survey included at least 600 of these people spread across South Africa, the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, the UAE, Qatar, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Spain, France, and Germany (all solid blue chip nations, at least in common perception).
And, according to the survey “findings”, these people were besotted with cryptocurrencies, to the extent that they believe these are “the future of money”. (Another lovely, meaningless cliché: What money? Where? How?)
But the best part of the release was the bit which eluded journalists: that which said “more than a third” of these people (34%, 35%, 99%, who knows?) said they “either have exposure to cryptocurrencies, or they intend investing by the end of 2018”.
Cue gasps of amazement among journalists and among the numerically illiterate who read it and rushed off to have a look at BitCoin.
Here’s the proper way of looking at this rubbish. Even by their own figures, at least two-thirds (or just over, using a similar logic to them), DO NOT own cryptocurrencies, nor do they have any intention of investing in them by the end of this year.
That means, in reality, that high net worth individuals actually don’t believe in cryptocurrencies…
While the press release may have achieved its aim it getting coverage and in gulling the gullible, ultimately this sort of bullshit damages both the integrity of the PR industry (not exactly at an all-time high considering the shenanigans of Bell Pottinger) but also makes it guilty of distributing fake news.
That will rebound both on a PR company and on a client.
So, today’s fake news Orchid goes to deVere…
Nothing beats this Benz…or the hope that sport can one day unite us
It was one of the most talked-about pieces of marketing in quite a few months, the Mercedes-Benz recreation of its famous 1990 TV commercial about how one of its brilliantly engineered cars saved the life of its driver when he crashed 100m down the side of Chapman’s Peak outside Cape Town.
That the man, businessman Christopher White, survived the horror crash was, as the original ad said, due to two things: that he was wearing a seat belt and that he was driving a Mercedes-Benz.
In a similarly astute bit of marketing déjà vu, Merc and its ad agency Net#work BBDO got White to do another ad – repeating the same route, this time in the latest S-Class Mercedes. What they didn’t tell the nervous White, initially at least, was that the car was going to drive him along Chapman’s peak Drive – and not the other way around.
This is because the S-Class is equipped with Merc’s latest “autonomous driving” technology, which effectively meant that most of the drive – and particularly the really hairy part, coming up to the corner where he went off originally – would be a “hands-off” experience for White.
Merc and Net#work BBDO’s documentary – all 5 minutes of it – captures all the elements perfectly and is wonderful entertainment, but all the while emphasising the point that Mercedes-Benz vehicles are “still engineered” to be the best in the world.
I am not sure where this is going to be distilled into a TV ad – it should be because it is great viewing…and I hope those involved do more than putting it out on the Internet and social media.
So, Orchids all round for first-class, hands-on advertising.
It is an interesting irony that one of the founders of Net#work BBDO is Mike Schalit, one of the all-time great creative South African ad people. It was he who was in charge of the creative team at the then Hunt Lascaris who produced another classic local ad in response to the Merc Chapman’s Peak one.
Using a BMW Five Series sedan, Schalit and co filmed it travelling around all the bends on Chapman’s at speed – and not going off over the cliff. The point: if you were in a Five, you wouldn’t have gone off in the first place. They called it “Beats the Bends” – and the ad only flighted for three nights over a weekend, because Hunts correctly predicted Mercedes would object and the ad would be pulled by the Advertising Standards Authority…as it was.
The other interesting point about the latest ad is that, in this country particularly, autonomous driving is a long way from becoming a reality. Much of the technology relies – as it did in taking White around Chapman’s Peak – on clear road markings and signs. These you will find on Chapman’s Peak because it is now a toll road. You won’t find this everywhere else in this country, where the opposite is often the norm.
So, in reality, to try to sell a car in South Africa based on its autonomous driving capabilities is actually reckless. At least Mercedes-Benz are not doing that…
The amazing Test between the Boks and England was not only great entertainment but a fairy tale debut for the first African Springbok captain, Siya Kolisi. It was an appropriate moment to reflect on how far we have come, in a sporting sense, as a nation. (Probably not far enough, in the eyes of people like Ashwin Willemse, but that is another issue).
FNB, as a sponsor of Springbok rugby, has put up a lot of money (and a lot into airing costs, too) for an ad which reminds us about grassroots rugby, and how talent is lying there, waiting to be unearthed, if only given the opportunity. Talent like Ashwin Willemse…
The ad is a bit cheesy, but its heart is in the right place, so it gets a second Orchid, for FNB and Grid Worldwide, as well as director Greg Grey.
Perhaps, one day, sport will unite us…
Sanral bravely tackles the long road back from reputation damage…but perhaps too much glory for Ocean Basket?
June 5, 2018 Brendan SeeryLeave a comment
As far as government agencies or parastatals that we “love to hate” go, the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) is right up there with Eskom.
The roads agency, it must said from the outset, plays a critical role in the South African economy, designing and building what is still the best highway infrastructure in Africa…the sort of image which is used regularly to set us apart from the rest of the continent.
Yet, Sanral has such a bad public image that the mere name has almost become a swear word.
And that is, as we all know, because of the contentious e-toll project in Gauteng…or, more correctly, from the way the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project was implemented – which millions of road users believe disregarded them.
In the process, the boycott of toll payments has become the biggest single mass defiance campaign in the history of a democratic South Africa.
Most of the damage to Sanral’s image was done by one man, someone you might call the Donald Trump of the civil engineering sector, Nazir Alli, the former CEO of Sanral.
In blustering, dictatorial and often inaccurate tirades, Alli tried to force the concept of electronic toll collection down the throats of the public. And that did not go down well with motorists, whose level of ignorance about the scheme was such that they believed they were being hoodwinked. Marketing Mistake Number One: bad communication.
It didn’t help, of course, that the final cost of the project saw the country saddled with some of the most expensive roads in the world. It didn’t help either that some of the “experts” trotted out by Sanral to justify tolling were guilty of misleading the public.
Now that Alli has left Sanral, one can feel the winds of change in the air.
The organisation has completely changed its “do what we say” approach to one of marketing persuasion. It has realised that it needs to “sell” its product to a public which is constantly battered by more and more price increases.
Rather than bombard us with figures as Alli did (in the hopes maths-challenged people wouldn’t see the logical sleight of hand which was his forte), the “new” Sanral is looking at the benefits roads bring us.
The first ad in the series was flighted some time ago, and focused on the joy in an ordinary family, coming together from all over the country for a celebration. Connecting people via excellent roads. It’s a great ad because it is not only true, it is subtle – as is the best of marketing – and shows Sanral for what it is… a facilitator.
The latest in the series looks at how roads are essential to lving the lives we want. So we see coffee, on its journey from the estate, through roasting to the final, aromatic and deeply satisfying, cup.
Something like 80% or more of our goods are transported by road in this country, so without the efforts of Sanral, our little treats and daily necessities might be more difficult to obtain, or be more expensive.
Elegant point, elegantly made.
Sanral still has a lot to do to redeem itself, especially as e-tolls still has not been resolved – but these ads are an excellent start. They enable us to see the good side of this organisation.
Well done to Sanral and its ad agency, Blueprint. Orchids for your marketing skills…and your bravery.
The problem with using social media for your marketing, as I have said many times, is the danger for any flaws to be magnified and seized upon to actually damage your brand.
Latest in line for that lesson is seafood restaurant chain Ocean Basket, one of my favourite family places.
It generated a bit of a flurry on social media this week when it aired a promotion that many likened to the “glory hole” fad which had its origins in the San Francisco gay bathhouse culture of the ’70s and early ’80s.
Suffice to say that many commentators on social media were reminded of “gloryholes” by Ocean Basket’s hands appearing from holes in a backboard, holding various meals.
Perhaps, as our online colleagues noted on citizen.co.za, the comments were more of a judgment on those making them than on Ocean Basket, but, nevertheless, the comments were there. And they were wholly incompatible with the ethos of a family restaurant.
And Ocean Basket may complain till the cows (or cod) come home that this is a misinterpretation of its message but I ask: Why did anyone not foresee the possibility?
Given the “woke” and raucous nature of social media, you have to be extra careful – and you weren’t.
So you get an Onion.
I only hope it was not intentional…
The future of driving may be Kia…and the future of advertising may be – shock! horror! – digital fraud
May 29, 2018 Brendan SeeryLeave a comment
There are many moments which remain in our memories but, for a petrolhead like me, it will always be the moment I first had control of a car…when I managed to get it moving forward in first gear without stalling and then, because we had a long driveway, a quick change into second gear and braking to a stop.
I guess I have always been fascinated by cars, even before I got behind the wheel of one and the way you can tell I am a true petrolhead is that I will drive anything with wheels – and enjoy it. In my time, I have piloted everything from a Ferrari and a Lamborghini to a Morris Minor and driving has never lost is fascination for me.
In the past few years, the debate about “autonomous driving” has been gathering steam. This envisages a future where electronics, robotics and computers will guide vehicles to their destinations without any human input.
That, to my mind anyway, is like intravenously injecting bags of plastic nutrients into your body when you could be dining on the finest French food.
In this country, thank goodness, autonomous driving is some way off – although some cynics might say a version of it has already arrived because so many vehicles on our roads are not under the control of human beings…
Interestingly, despite the move towards robotic transport, many motor manufacturers are making more interesting, faster, and more powerful cars aimed at people who love to drive.
That’s why I was drawn to the TV ad for Kia’s new Stinger high-performance sedan.
The car is a radical departure for a brand which has always pitched itself as different – “The Power to Surprise” is its most well-known slogan – because it has been targeted directly at the sporting products from the high-end German manufacturers. And, the motoring journos who’ve tried the car have been astounded at how good it is.
Kia needs to throw a lot of marketing muscle behind the Stinger, though, because the brand is not normally associated with performance. Quality and reliability, yes,…but, up to now, sportiness – well, not so much.
The challenge has been to convince loyal brand followers to give the Stinger a try.
Around the world, Kia campaigns for the car have focused on its driveability, but, here in South Africa, the brand and its agency, OFYT (Old Friends Young Talent) have managed to put a different, but effective spin on the driving enjoyment aspect.
With the de rigeur shots of the car blasting around a race-track, the ad simply asks one question: What is the future of driving? then it answers it: Maybe the future of driving is actually driving..
It’s a great line, and it sums up the car. I think it will help Kia sell the car in this country, where many of us are not quite prepared to surrender our increasingly guilty pleasures to robots. Not only that, but the ad could have a halo effect for the rest of Kia’s products, which share the same automotive DNA as the Stinger.
So, to Kia South Africa and to OFYT, Orchids for good marketing and for reminding us (not that some of us needed it) that cars are more than just means of transport.
The second biggest criminal enterprise on the planet at the moment – after drugs – is digital advertising. As much as half of all “interactions” in cyberspace come from some form of “bot” – a piece of computer programme which replicates a human. And then there are the “click farms” which, for a modest fee, will drive your product’s, or site’s, all-important numbers into the stratosphere. You can buy shares, likes, users with a few clicks of a mouse. And then you can go and hoodwink the people who are paying you money to use your allegedly enormous numbers as a medium to promote their products.
And that’s without even talking about CTRs (Click Through Rates – or the actual number of times an ad is clicked on), which are generally half a percent or less. In other words, your wonderful digital ad will only be seen by one in every 200 people (or bots).
For me, though, the absurdity of an industry which is doing flick-flacks to convince everyone it is effective, and honest, is the voodoo science around “interactions”.
Excuse me, but I call bullshit on all of it.
Last week, we had experts telling us that the social media and cyberspace debate around the Ashwin Willemse TV walk-off had a “reach” of 3.8 billion. Stupid, uneducated person that I am I asked an expert, Tonya Khoury, how it was possible that around one in two people on the planet were debating something about which, frankly, even the majority of South Africans don’t give a damn.
She explained – as one has to do to an old-fashioned person who still believes the oppressive lie that one and one equals two – that “Reach is the number of outlets & their readership or the number of followers of any tweeter / intagrammer. It doesn’t mean that many people “read” it – it’s the reach of the story. For example #Trump 1 tweet on #Gaza garnered reach of 52M.”
She went on that “some people call it #ImpressionData – I don’t like the term because it gives the impression that the post made an impression :)”
If I assessed our newspaper in the same way, I would say that because we distribute in Gauteng, and Gauteng has a population of 12 million, our reach is 12 million. But then each of those 12 million knows another ten people, so our reach is 120 million. I cannot believe any marketer doesn’t question this.
In the end, Tonya revealed that there were around 150 000 people involved in the “conversation” about Willemse. In others words, one in every 300 people in South Africa.
That’s the reality, not the fanciful dreams of “reach”.
Anyone putting out that garbage gets an Onion from me and any marketer paying the slightest bit of attention to it should explain to his or her company’s shareholders why he’s wasting their cash on listening to bullshit…
The dignity of discipline and labour, contrasting with the invasion of your space…
When I grew up, there was never much money in the house. And, with Irish ancestry, I have a fear of poverty in my DNA, which can probably be traced back to the Irish Famine. So, I am careful with money.
I was, for much of the time my own kids were growing up, also a bit of a disciplinarian – overly so in many instances, I now realise – and it would also irritate me to see their mother “spoil” them on the odd occasion. That, I believed, would turn them into soft spongers and lay-abouts.
I’ve met, and worked with, a few of them in my time: the ones with loaded parents, private school educations and the proverbial silver spoon upbringing…who did not believe they had to work for anything.
Fortunately – and probably thanks to their own efforts, rather than my “spare the rod and spoil the child” belief – both my son and daughter have turned out well. And, interestingly, they are also sensible when it comes to money.
So, I must say, I could relate to the new TV ad for investment specialists Allan Gray.
The message of the ad is the same, basically, as that of every other long-term financial institution: patience and discipline will see your money gradually, but inexorably, grow.
The challenge for Allan Gray and its ad agency, King James II, was to convey that common message in a way which stands out.
The result is a very South African, and very touching, ad.
We see a black family over the course of 50 years. A young boy discovers early on that his disciplinarian father always wants a “cut” of any money he earns – whether it’s carting bricks or selling vetkoek. As the boy grows up, heads to the big city and gets a job, he continues to send money back home – in cash or in postal orders (anyone remember those?).
It always seems as though he is giving, giving, giving to the old man. Finally, when his father dies and the formalities are being concluded, he discovers that his father has been keeping a detailed ledger over all the years – saving the money, which now goes back to his son. The message is, appropriately, “true rewards take time”.
The ad is beautifully shot, in black and white, by director Pete Pohorsky of Plank Productions and the attention to detail in the clothing, props and locations is impressive, creating a memorable period piece.
But the ad goes further than that – as all outstanding advertising does – by making a social contribution, even though that was not the intent. From my perspective, you cannot watch this ad – especially as a white person – and deny that black people in this country have had a huge struggle. You are reminded of this in the scene where the dutiful son collects his postal order from the window marked “Net Nie-Blankes” (Non-Whites Only).
At the same time, you are reminded – whoever you are – of the dignity there is in discipline and working hard… values which are sometimes hard to find in today’s society.
Yet again, the advertising of Allan Gray makes you stop and pause for thought, in so many ways. So Orchids to Allan Gray, King James II and Plank Productions. It’s a time reminder that our ad industry hasn’t lost the ability to tell spell-binding tales…
If I had a buck for every time some genius has tried to tell me the “future of advertising is mobile”, I could have bought myself a tropical island. The reality is that a lot of advertising which comes through to your phone is borderline, and even actually, fraudulent. If you have to force something down people’s throats it’s an acknowledgment how ineffective mobile is as an advertising medium.
So, everybody reading this will have encountered the spam SMS messages – because we all know the biggest dodgy industry in this country is data base marketing – and the “robocall” phenomenon. This is where your phone will ring and, hardly have you said “good morning” than an automated, recorded message starts playing. That’s intrusive marketing at its worst.
The latest one to annoy me comes from this phone number – 010 590 8977 – so if this one ever pops up on your screen, don’t answer it.
The one which disturbed my day was from an outfit called “Doctor, Doctor”, offering some sort of assistance for R5 a day. You press “1” and you’re automatically signed up. You can press “9” to “opt out” – but you just know that won’t work because they system will flag you as a real human being and you will be on a call list for eternity.
This number has come up on a few number-tracking sites and the user comments are uniformly angry, and negative. I understand that, because having this is like having burglars bust into your house. I cannot understand why so many big brands – FNB and Edgars have been cited by complainants as using this marketing system and number – get involved.
This actually harms your brand and makes people angry. So Onion to 010 590 8977 – please pass this number on to everyone you know – and to Doctor, Doctor for using this dodgy service.
Cheers, from the lads, to Windhoek Lager – but, FNB, How the Hell can we believe you?
May 15, 2018 May 15, 2018 Brendan SeeryLeave a comment
Beer is, for the most part, a product for men. They are, by far, the majority of its consumers and, therefore, the advertising is generally directed at them. And over the years, beer advertising as a genre has generated some good ads and some shockers.
The ads which fail are those which lose sight of the reality that men are, in fact, just big boys…and they get amused by little things. And they are amused by the fact of being boys – and doing the things only boys can do in that little, exclusive club of theirs.
Interestingly, when it comes to sexist attitudes, race doesn’t come into it…
What boys don’t really like is when their beer brand tries to preach to them or, even worse, when it tries to pretend it is something it is not, or to paint a false reality. That, in a beer cap, was what made the Carling Black Label ads of the 80s and 90s so cringe-worthy. The white bosses and black labourers simply did not get together – after a hard day building dams, rescuing damsels in distress, or even getting kittens out of high trees – and sink a Carling round a braai fire.
That was the sort of ideal society the Soviet propagandists used to portray – while everybody on the ground knew the harsh reality.
Windhoek beer (in this case Lager, but also its other, lesser-known brands) has always been my favourite. I lived in Namibia for almost five years and it was the drink of choice for the boys (women would only occasionally have a Windhoek Light, and normally only if it was a lunchtime braai). When I came to South Africa, I found it very difficult to find Windhoek products. I couldn’t stand any of the SA Breweries equivalents, so I switched to wine. And that’s where I’ve stayed…except for the occasional hot day or when we have beer-drinking guests. And out comes the Windhoek.
So I am still fiercely loyal to the brand, as are many men…and it hurt me to give Windhoek a marketing Onion some months ago for their silly Carling Black Label copycat ad supposedly telling the story of the Windhoek Brewery and how everybody – black and white – came together in a crisis in the 1930s. Rubbish…
I wondered then why they hadn’t continued their earlier ad idea of a slightly mocking portrayal of the silliness of men (and we can laugh at ourselves).
I am glad they’ve got that groove back, though, with their latest TV ad, because it speaks to all of the good and bad things about men.
We see a couple – young and, we suppose, in love – as they watch a magical sunset over the sea. The dolphins perform for them, forming a romantic heart, as do the birds flying past. Even the clouds form a cute heart.
She turns to him and asks: “Can it get any more perfect?” He’s about to agree, when his eye falls on a neighbour, sitting with a woman, both with bottles of Windhoek Lager in hand.
He doesn’t have one in his hand and his envy is as green as the beer bottle. A tear comes to his eyes. She thinks it’s because he’s a SNAG (Sensitive New Age Guy) and she wipes it gently away. But we know the truth.
Parting a man from his beer will make him cry. And that’s what reminds us why we love the brand, not the silly fake kum- ba-yah moments.
Great ad from a great beer, so it gets an Orchid from me.
So, this one falls in the “pull the other leg please” category. First National Bank has, according to the SMS it sent me last week, changed the way its ATMs operate. Now, if you make a withdrawal, you card will be spat out of the machine before the cash.
So, said the SMS, “Do not walk away. PLEASE wait for your cash.”
What intrigued me, though, was the first line of the SMS: “You spoke and we listened.” In other words, the implication is that consumers wanted this change. No-one asked me. I’d be interested to hear if anyone else actually asked the bank.
I don’t think so. I think they just decided to change the system, because their techies said so…or to use the same standards as others.
So this week’s “How the hell can we believe you” Onion goes to FNB… | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line981 |
__label__wiki | 0.561353 | 0.561353 | Antiwar.com Original
WAR PARTY DUMPS BUSH?
by Justin Raimondo Posted on November 27, 2002 August 6, 2009
It had to happen sooner or later, and I don’t want to sound too full of myself, but I did predict it: I mean the attempt to tie the Saudis, Al Qaeda, and the Bush administration into one gigantic conspiracy and cover-up. Headlines are being made by Newsweek, which ran a story by Michael Isikoff and Evan Thomas about how some Saudi princess sent money to someone who knew somebody who knew somebody else who funneled the funds to the 9/11 hijackers: if you go here you can see, in the form of a graph, how far removed the alleged connection really is.
But the tenuous nature of the alleged Saudi government link to 9/11 doesn’t matter to Joe Lieberman and John McCain, who are both on this non-story like dogs on a bone. Newsweek hypes this tale as getting "inside the probe the Bush administration doesn’t want you to know about"! Thanksgiving hasn’t even gotten here and already we’re in presidential campaign mode.
Willya give me a friggin’ break?!
There is absolutely nothing, zero, zilch, nada to this phony story; it’s politics, pure and simple. In August I wrote about the infamous briefing given in the Pentagon by one Laurent Murawiec, the ex-LaRouchie who railed that we ought to threaten to bomb Riyadh and take over the Kingdom. This column included a prediction that the Democrats (led by Lieberman) would try to make the alleged Saudi government connection to 9/11 a political issue:
"The not-so-hidden subtext of all this is that the Democrats can always bring up the Bush family’s links to Saudi oil interests. The killer is that the Democrats don’t have to say a word…."
Why bother, when the tag-team of Isikoff and Thomas, not to mention platoons of neoconservatives, will do the job for you? Okay, so it’s a little off-putting to quote yourself – and so often! – but bear with me for a moment:
"What we’re seeing, here, is a left-right squeeze play, with the Bushies in the middle. It is, in reality, a form of political blackmail, a warning shot fired over the bow – by the ostensibly Republican neocons, and not the Democrats."
Okay, so I was wrong about the details: it’s the neocons and the Democrats who are taking out after the Newsweek story. Check out the huzzahs over at Neocon Central for Isikoff’s latest "scoop": the Amen Corner is fairly quivering with gloating and exultant I-told–you–so‘s. As the administration once again declared that the Saudis are "good partners" in the war of terrorism, Lieberman and McCain didn’t wait for any investigation to make their opinions known, as Associated Press reports:
"Sens. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), who together set up an independent commission that will investigate the terror attacks, offered piercing criticism. Saudi leaders ‘have to decide which side they’re on,’ Lieberman said on CBS’ ‘Face the Nation.’ ‘For too many generations, they have pacified and accommodated themselves to the most extreme, fanatical, violent elements of Islam, and those elements have now turned on us and the rest of the world.’ Added McCain: ‘The Saudi royal family has been engaged in a Faustian bargain for years to keep themselves in power.’"
Lieberman and McCain, both with unabashedly presidential ambitions, are positioning themselves to attack the Bushies as "soft on terrorism", i.e. soft on the Saudis and all those other Ay-rabs, who, we all know, are all alike. So why are the President’s most fervent supporters over at National Review also piling on?
The view that the President has put off the invasion of Iraq, perhaps indefinitely, now seems uncontroversial, even among the most stubbornly apocalyptic. By going the UN route, Bush has committed the United States to wait until the process is clearly finished. Hans Blix, and not the President of the United States, will effectively decide Iraq’s fate. This not only postpones the hawks’ war plans, it also opens up the possibility that the war may not come off at all. Although we are told, on a daily basis, that Saddam the Monstrous will never comply voluntarily with the disarmament process, he may be more pragmatic than mad. And then what?
The War Party is turning on the President with a vengeance: they want to make the price of peace so high that war will be the only politically viable alternative. The neocons thought they had a bargain with the White House: unconditional support for Dubya in return for a conflagration in the Middle East. The alliance worked, for a time: until the neocons upped the ante. For they are not just after Iraq, they want the whole region – Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and beyond. As Monsieur Murawiec put it in his infamous rant in front of the Pentagon Advisory Board:
"Iraq is the tactical pivot, Saudi Arabia the strategic pivot, Egypt the prize."
The White House wasn’t going along with it, however. With the triumph of the Powell forces and the UN-ization of what was supposed to have been a short prelude to war, the neocons are packing their bags and decamping. As I put it last summer:
"What better way to blindside the Bushies than from within their own camp – that is, from the neocons, who have no party loyalty except to the War Party. If the Democrats will provide them with a bigger, bloodier war to fight – one in which more Arabs are likely to perish than in a piddling invasion of Iraq – well, then, why not?"
In stark contrast to Newsweek‘s sensation-mongering but fact-deficient concoction, Time has come out with a more sober assessment that makes the whole story of Saudi complicity with the hijackers sound like Michael Ruppert on acid, or perhaps Lyndon LaRouche in a particularly expansive mood:
"Omar Al Bayoumi, a Saudi who befriended two 9/11 hijackers, Nawaf Al Hazmi and Khalid Al Midhar, when all three were living in San Diego, funneled money or other support to them. The investigation has concluded that Bayoumi, now in England, had no idea the pair were Al Qaeda terrorists and aided them only out of hospitality. But the FBI is still trying to sort out his sources of funds, some of which, other officials now tell Time, came through third parties with links to the Saudi Royal family."
My question is: why stop at the third or fourth remove? Why not trace the financial trail all the way back to include each and every individual who "indirectly" passed money to the hijackers? That way we can be sure to cast suspicion on everyone and anyone we care to name. The Isikoff-Thomas theory is a real stretch. If the Saudis were going to be funding terrorism, one might suppose they wouldn’t be quite as blatant as doing it through the bank account of the wife of the Saudi ambassador to the U.S., Prince Bandar bin Sultan.
So someone who knew someone who knew someone who had murky "links" to the Saudi Royal family (which has 5,000-plus "princes" alone) supposedly aided and abetted two of the hijackers. But not even that is true, as Time points out:
"FBI officials say the investigation, while not officially closed, has concluded that Bayoumi was not a witting accomplice of the hijackers in particular or al-Qaeda in general, and that he did not, wittingly or even unwittingly, provide substantial funds to them for any purpose, legitimate or nefarious."
Speaking of impenetrable murk, these allegations bring to mind the left-wing conspiracy theory authored by Guillaume Dasquie and Jean-Charles Brisard in The Forbidden Truth, originally published in France last year and put out by The Nation in the U.S. The basic theme of their book is that the Americans let 9/11 happen because of Bushian "softness" on the Saudis, a tendency that can be traced to the influence of Big Oil in American politics. According to Dasquie and Brisard, this is what supposedly motivated the Bushies to enter into secret negotiations with Bin Laden prior to September 11. The popularity of the Brisard-Dasquie book in France is understandable, as it blames us for 9/11 – a popular theme in France, these days. According to the authors, however, it isn’t just the U.S., but the whole Western world that has been duped by those devils in Riyadh:
"The U.S. is not the only one. The question is why developed countries need to do commercial deals with Saudi Arabia and if those commercial deals are why they must close their eyes about the reality of the Saudi Arabian kingdom. Since the 18th century, Saudi Arabia has been focused on conquering the world."
Here is where the "it’s all about oil" crowd and the War Party meet and merge in a kind of "red-brown" coalition.
But it isn’t all about oil, it’s all about Israel – and the internal political dynamics of the U.S. Ariel Sharon and his American Likudniks thought the Israeli elections – now set for January – would take place against the backdrop of a U.S. invasion of Iraq, and the climactic victory of the IDF over their Palestinian antagonists. A six-month delay wasn’t in the plan, never mind an indefinite postponement.
The War Party has a bludgeon in the form of the Lieberman-McCain 9/11 "truth" commission, which will no doubt take up the Saudi question in its extensive hearings. The show should get really dramatic around the third act, with election season well underway. The so-called "National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States" (NatComTAUUS) was agreed to by the Bushies only after a lot of pressure by the families of the 9/11 victims. NatComTAUUS was engineered by Lieberman and McCain for precisely this purpose: to hold it like a sword of Damocles over the head of this administration. The Isikoff-Thomas confabulation was the signal to cut the cord.
While the conspiracy theories of the Forbidden Truth-Mike Ruppert-"Bush knew" Axis of Tinfoil are now enjoying a spate of popularity in the U.S. Congress, you can bet that NatComTAUUS won’t give a toss about investigating other, far less problematic angles on the events of 9/11. There is evidence that Israeli intelligence was tracking the hijackers for many months prior to the Day, reported by the BBC and Die Zeit, as well as Antiwar.com, but that isn’t on their agenda. Nor will they show the slightest interest in following up this story in Ha’aretz, about the terrorist connections to certain accounts maintained in Israeli banks:
"The Bank of Israel has obtained information that several accounts held in Israeli banks may have been used to fund terrorist activities. However, because of banking secrecy laws, the central bank has not handed details over to the Justice Ministry. The central bank claims that it is the ministry’s obligation to rectify the situation by legislating an amendment to the Banking Secrecy Law, so that it will be able to hand over the relevant information."
Shortly after the terrorist attacks, the U.S. issued a financial watchlist that was constantly updated and amended – indeed, these lists have become a story in themselves, as they found their way onto the internet and are now being labeled "obsolete" and said to have "mutated" (as the Wall Street Journal put it in a headline). One such list was posted on the internet by the Associazione Italiana per il Factoring (Assifact), the association of Italian industry and financial institutions, which was instructed by the FBI to look out for any indication of activity on the part of the individuals listed.
I wrote a whole column on the surprising appearance of an Israeli citizen, Dominik Suter, on this list, and I won’t repeat it here. Suffice to say that, according to the Forward, Suter owned a New Jersey moving company that was certainly a front for Israeli intelligence – and employed five Israeli citizens who were arrested hours after the first planes crashed into the WTC. The five were seen in a park overlooking the devastation, cheering and gleefully photographing each other against a backdrop of pure horror. Suter saw his business raided by the FBI, but fled to Israel before he could be thoroughly interrogated.
The point is that the attempt to debunk the accuracy and reliability of these widely circulated suspect lists is itself suspect, especially in view of the Ha’aretz revelations, which were based on same sort of lists. The U.S. authorities published a list of "persons and organizations" suspected of aiding terrorists, the Bank of Israel checked it against information gleaned from Israeli bank records, and the test came up positive, as Ha’aretz reports:
"After completing screening of the accounts at the end of 2001, the banks handed over their findings to [Supervisor of Banks, Yitzhak] Tal. Several suspicious accounts and financial transactions were found. The Bank of Israel has confirmed the existence of accounts believed to have been connected to the financing of terrorist operations but refused to state how many suspect accounts had been uncovered and to which terrorist organizations they were connected."
You won’t read about it in Newsweek.
Unless Bush 43 gets his war plans in gear, and fast, he will find himself caught in the middle of a very painful left-right pincer movement. The Isikoff conspiracy theory is but the opening shot of a war on the home front, a struggle started by the militantly pro-Israel neocon Right, initially against the reluctant warrior in the State Department and now expanded into an all-out assault on the Boy Emperor in the Oval Office. The message to Bush is this: Either it’s war, or we show you the door. It’s that simple.
Will Dubya go wobbly on going wobbly? In these days of our imperial decadence, when deciphering the inner moods and facial tics of the most powerful man on earth is the major pastime of pundits, it’s too easy to slip into the sort of "analysis" one might find in, say, People magazine. But as I said in my Monday column, I’ll bet the last straw was when the hawks sabotaged Dubya’s Autocue so that he almost omitted a key and much-fought-over phrase from his UN speech. Imagine his response to something so sneaky, so underhanded, so disloyal, so un-Bushian. He must have thrown a fit of truly presidential proportions!
If the reflexively anti-Bush anti-warriors of the Left will pause, for a moment, to reflect on the events of the past few months, they will discover that their Manichean view of Bush as the Platonic embodiment of Absolute Evil conflicts with the known facts. The bandwagon is stalled on the road to war, and the occupants have had to get out and push. Whether they can get the engine re-started is an open question. What all this reveals, however, is a new way of looking at what the neocons call "World War IV" – as a three-sided conflict, pitting both the Islamists and Israel against the Americans, as well as against each other.
An invasion of the Middle East, starting but not ending with Iraq, stands to benefit one and only one nation on earth, and that is not the United States. Saddam’s rusty old Scuds couldn’t get past the Azores, let alone make it all the way to American shores: his "weapons of mass destruction," if they exist, are aimed at Israel, not the U.S. The regional destabilization that would follow U.S. military action, besides being a godsend to Osama bin Laden, would also give the Israelis enough cover to carve a "Greater Israel" out of Palestinian hides.
That is why Israel’s partisans in the U.S. – the Christian fundamentalists who see apocalypse in the Middle East as a good sign of the Second Coming, as well as the neocons – are beating the war drums with renewed fury. Thank God George W. Bush isn’t dancing to their tune – yet.
What’s the meaning of all this, in terms of what the antiwar movement should now do? As opposition to the advent of an American Empire grows on the right and in the center, as well as the left side of the political spectrum, antiwar sentiment is surging. Our strategy must be to not only keep up the pressure but increase it. Step on the gas! There’s still time to stop this war before it starts.
Author: Justin Raimondo
Justin Raimondo passed away on June 27, 2019. He was the co-founder and editorial director of Antiwar.com, and was a senior fellow at the Randolph Bourne Institute. He was a contributing editor at The American Conservative, and wrote a monthly column for Chronicles. He was the author of Reclaiming the American Right: The Lost Legacy of the Conservative Movement [Center for Libertarian Studies, 1993; Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 2000], and An Enemy of the State: The Life of Murray N. Rothbard [Prometheus Books, 2000]. View all posts by Justin Raimondo
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__label__wiki | 0.758508 | 0.758508 | Taylor Swift's ex-boyfriend arrested in Aspen bar fight
Updated: December 30, 2016 11:33 AM EST
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ASPEN, Colo. — Police say a member of the Kennedy family who is also the ex-boyfriend of Taylor Swift, was arrested after a bar fight in the tony resort town of Aspen.
Police say 22-year-old John Conor Kennedy was charged with disorderly conduct in the Thursday morning scuffle outside Bootsy Bellows nightclub and released without bond. Kennedy is the oldest son of Robert Kennedy Jr., an environmental activist, and the grandson of Robert Kennedy.
Police say Kennedy and another man were fighting in the street and rolling around on the ground when officers tried to separate them. Officers reported seeing Kennedy punch the man in the head four or five times.
Kennedy, who dated Swift in 2012, allegedly struggled with an officer who was trying to restrain him before they both fell into a snowbank.
It was unclear if Kennedy has an attorney who could comment on his behalf. A court appearance is set for Feb. 22. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line985 |
__label__wiki | 0.879481 | 0.879481 | Bruno Mars Announces TWO Denver Shows to Make up for Canceling Last Year
K. Shriver 2/15/18
Bruno Mars is coming back to Denver, and he's bringing Cardi B with him for two shows at the Pepsi Center! Tickets go on sale Feb. 16.
Back in October, Bruno Mars had a last-minute cancellation for his Denver concert after he became sick, which left many fans wondering when, or even if, he'd return. But he promised to reschedule a new date soon, and after four months of waiting, he's finally making his grand return to the Pepsi Center. And not for just one show, he'll be back for two nights! The 24K Magic World Tour will come to Denver on Friday, Sept. 7, and Saturday, Sept. 8. Tickets for the postponed October 30 show will be honored at the Sept. 7 concert ONLY. Tickets for the two shows will go on sale on Friday, Feb. 16, at noon. You can purchase them AltitudeTickets.com. Prices range from $59.50 to $175, with VIP Experience tickets starting at $450!
The Grammy award-winning singer will be joined by Cardi B! The rapper collaborated with Bruno Mars for a remix of his hit, "Finesse." Cardi B has definitely made a name for herself; her song "Bodak Yellow" became the first rap song by a female artist to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 since Lauryn Hill (1998). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsoLEjrDogU Did you have tickets to the postponed show? Will you be checking out Bruno Mars and Cardi B as they rock the Pepsi Center this September? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below, and let's get the conversation started.
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Grab Your Friends for a 'Golden Girls' Halloween Group Costume | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line986 |
__label__cc | 0.559844 | 0.440156 | Written by ZACH JOHNSON | CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The bell rings and the floor erupts in a frenzy. This is the view of the New York Stock Exchange. And you can witness this spectacle!
The Economics and Finance Club is a student-run organization focusing on educating students about everything finance! All majors can join, and there is no cost to participate.
The club meets at least twice a month, and meetings often include presentations from speakers who work in finance. Past speakers have come from firms such as JP Morgan, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bloomberg, and many more.
The club also has an annual fall trip. In the past, the Economics and Finance Club has toured the New York Stock Exchange, New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), Federal Reserve Bank (including the gold vault), Museum of American Finance, and more.
This year’s fall trip will be on Nov. 2 to the Federal Reserve and the New York Stock Exchange. Students will be bussed to New York City and enjoy a day of trading, and might even catch the opening or closing bell. It is free of charge, however, space is limited. To reserve a spot, contact one of the executive board members or Robert Scott, Ph.D.
Besides its academic and social aspects, the club’s officers offer free tutoring to any student in economics and finance classes.
Kemal Kansu, our social media director, had has a great time involved with the Economics and Finance Club. “I joined because I wanted to learn more about different career paths people have gone through in the financial world,” he said. “Going to the Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve last year was an amazing experience. The advice speakers gave about jobs were always worth jotting down. I have no regrets from joining this club.”
The Economics and Finance Club is a great way to network and see what opportunities wait for you in the financial world. By coming to these meetings, students can receive first-hand knowledge and advice from finance professionals who currently hold powerful positions, or who recently have held position but remain active in the financial world.
Meetings are typically twice a month, but can vary. The location for these meetings is either in Bey Hall or Poyzcki Hall Wednesdays at 3:15 p.m. Pizza and refreshments are always served!
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to any of the E-Board members: Zach Johnson, Mike Venezia, Kyle Kilgallen, Soso Chakiashvili, and Kemal Kansu for more information.
Be sure to follow the Economics and Finance Club on Facebook and on Instagram @mu_econ_finance to catch the latest news.
PHOTO TAKEN by Ray Romanski | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line988 |
__label__wiki | 0.944901 | 0.944901 | No. 10 Cougars Head to Seattle to Face Huskies on the Hardwood
Complete Release in PDF Format
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COUGAR HEAD COACH Tony Bennett:
Washington State Head Coach Tony Bennett is in his first season at the helm of the Cougar program...fourth year with WSU...assistant coach in 2003-04...associate head coach in 2004-05 and 2005-06...assistant coach at Wisconsin from 2000-03...became the first head coach at a current Pacific-10 institution to start 7-0 in his inaugural campaign at the school since Stanford's Robert W. Burnett was 9-0 in 1951-52...Bennett's accomplishment is tied for the third best start in a debut season at Pacific-10 school in the post-World War II era.
ABOUT WASHINGTON:
The Huskies are 16-8 overall, 6-7 in the Pacific-10...have won last five home games and five of six overall...coming off sweep of Bay Arena schools (79-71 over California and 64-52 over then-No. 25 Stanford....Spencer Hawes leads four players in double-figure scoring at 14.8 points per game...Jon Brockman leads Pac-10 in rebounding at 9.5 per game.
SERIES WITH THE HUSKIES:
Washington leads 167-94...Washington State has won three straight...Cougars won the season's first meeting, 75-47, recording the largest margin of victory over the Huskies in school history...Derrick Low led all scorers with 20 points, including five treys...Kyle Weaver (17 points) and Ivory Clark (10) also scored in double-figures...Huskies were held to 23 points in the first half, their lowest total in a half since 2003...largest Cougar victory over a Pacific-10 opponent since a 101-64 win against Oregon State in Pullman, Feb. 17, 1994...game Wednesday will be at 7 p.m. on FSN Northwest...Comcast in Seattle area.
THIS DATE IN COUGAR HISTORY (Feb. 14):
Washington State owns a 14-15 record when competing Feb. 14 which includes a 5-9 record while competing on the road...is 2-1 when taking on the Huskies in Seattle, Feb. 14...in 1970, Marv Harshman coached the Cougars to a 66-63 upset of the No. 18 USC...WSU outshot the Trojans from the field, posting .591 to their .468...three players scored in double figures for the Cougars: Dennis Hogg (19), Jim Meredith (12), and Dan Steward (12)...Hogg and Gary Elliot each had seven rebounds in the game...down by three at the half, WSU used a strong second half to pull the upset...Cougars went on to finish the season in second place in the Pacific-8 Conference with a 9-5 record, 19-7 overall.
STIFLING STANORD:
Washington State's defensive effort played a key role in the Cougars 58-45 victory over No. 25 Stanford, Feb. 8....held the Cardinal to just 28.3 percent from the field, season low for the Bay Area school...third time this season Washington State has held an opponent to under 30 percent shooting...registered school record 12 blocks...allowed only eight points over a 19 minute stretch over the first and second halves...added seven steals...over a one minute span in the first half, WSU recorded three consecutive blocks, totaling eight in the first half...first victory over Stanford in Pullman since 1995 season.
Cougars Face Bulldogs at Cougar Hardwood Classic Thursday
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WSU to Face LSU in 2009 Cougar Hardwood Classic
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__label__wiki | 0.683711 | 0.683711 | Language : DA
Greece/
Webindholdsvisning Webindholdsvisning
The presence of Roma or “Gypsies” – as there are still often called including by the community itself - can be traced back to the 14th century, though their Greek nationality was effectively given to them as late as in 1979. They like to be referred to as “Greek Roma”.
Roma population in Greece is not an entirely homogeneous group, but it consists of different “tribes” of Roma people. The main categories of Roma in Greece are as follows1: (a) domestic nomadic Roma (albeit an extremely limited number); (b) very long-term settled distinct Roma communities, very poor and excluded; (c) very long-term settled distinct Roma communities, a number of which are almost entirely unproblematic; (e) recent Roma migrants from new EU Member States (mainly Bulgarian and Romanian Roma); (f) completely integrated/assimilated Roma who may never even identify themselves as Romani; (g) Roma Muslims in Thrace, who benefit from the minority protections available under the peace treaties between Greece and Turkey following the Treaty of Lausanne;. In addition there are recent Roma migrants who are not EU nationals (especially from Albania, but also from Kosovo* and “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”) and fall within the responsibility of the migration policy.
The total share of the Roma within the total Greek population is estimated between 2-3% (source: ROM Network, 2000). The estimations regarding the magnitude of Greek Roma range from 180,000 to 365,000. An average estimation of 270,000 Greek Roma seems to be closer to reality. According to the Regional Strategies for the Social Inclusion of Roma compiled between 2013 – 2014 and the mapping based on questionnaires filled out by the Municipalities and carried out in 2015 - 2016, the population of Roma based on spatial concentrations is approximately 120,000 in 370 settlements or neighbourhoods.
There are no officially accepted estimates concerning the number of immigrant Roma present in Greece. Most of these people come from Albania, but others come from Bulgaria, Kosovo*[1], “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” and Romania. Some of these persons are temporary migrants, performing in particular seasonal agricultural work in Greece, and then returning home. Others are involved in scrap metal recycling. The majority of these people have “been legally living in Greece for over a decade, although a few have obtained citizenship. Foreign Roma are outside of the scope of state programmes” when they are illegally in the country. Moreover, “the residence of these newly arrived Gypsies in Greece goes relatively unimpeded, as the public authorities tend to avoid addressing the problems of this particular group” and is within the competency of migration laws and policies.
The Roma are scattered all over the country, with greater density in the regions of northern Greece, northwest and west Peloponnesus, Epirus and Etoloakarnania, in several areas of the region of Thessaly (Larissa, Farsala, Sofades etc.) and in the greater area of Athens and west Attica (St. Barbara, Petralona, Chalandri, Rentis, Moschato, Menidi, Ano Liosia, Eleusis, Megara, Drapetsona, Spata, etc.). The greatest concentration of established Roma populations are found in regions of major urban centres, as well as rural regions that present the most employment opportunities. Most surveys carried out in recent years, show that Roma continue to live in more or less the same localities that they lived in 1999, which implies that the vast majority of Roma in Greece are sedentary. It has been estimated that they are settled to approximately 370 locations most of which are found in the periphery of the big cities all over Greece.
It is generally noticed that there is a spatial concentration of Roma in specific areas, neighbourhoods, suburbs or villages. This implies that Roma live, in most cases, in isolation, separately from the rest of the population and they do not mix with non-Roma. This consequently leads to their social disintegration and reinforce their social exclusion. It is worth mentioning that a number, although small, of localities where Roma reside, e.g. St Barbara, Aigaleo and Ilion in Attica, Saint Athanasius and other areas in the city of Serres in Central Macedonia are more successfully mixed with the non Roma population. Greek Roma community faces persistent inequalities in all aspects of life, including access to education of Roma children, the right to housing and to other basic social goods, let alone the excessive exercise of police violence.
Source: CAHROM thematic report on addressing and combating human trafficking within Roma communities, with a focus on prostitution and street children (adopted in November 2016)
[1] All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.
The situation of Roma women in Greece
The Roma are the largest minority in Greece, the official number of which varies according to source and purpose. Thus, when raising funds from the European Union for the improvement of the Roma situation, Greece officially has a Roma population of 300,000. Otherwise, their number is decreased to some 100-120,000, and along with it the problems that should be dealt with. The exact number of Roma in Greece is difficult to estimate since many of them are not registered, and thus officially do not exist, and no details on ethnic affiliation, language or religion have been given at censuses carried through in Greece since 1951. According to the Minority Rights Group Greece however, it is more likely that the Roma number up to 350,000 people, about half of who are tent-dwelling Roma. Many of the assimilated Roma, who have integrated into Greek society, consider themselves primarily Greek, and Roma only in the second place, and are therefore called "Greek Roma," distinguishing them from the marginalized "Roma of Greece.
The greatest concentrations of the settled Roma population are to be found in the major conurbations and in rural regions, where there are more opportunities for employment. The whole Roma population residing in distinct and identifiable locations, amounts to approximately 12,000 permanently settled families, or 50,000 individuals – in other words, there has been an increase of an 8%-10%, compared to the 1998 estimates which was approximately 43,000 individuals The major concentrations of the Roma (over 1,000 families) are found in four (4) regions (Eastern Macedonia-Thrace, Thessaly, Western Greece and Central Macedonia).
Housing is the Roma population’s main problem[1], with the majority living in makeshift accommodation. Housing conditions (with 50% of the population living in prefabricated homes, shacks, shanty dwellings and, in general, accommodation of a makeshift nature, in overcrowded conditions and without the basic technical and social infrastructure) are a serious obstacle to providing the Roma a decent standard of living.
For the majority of the Roma, the main source of income is dependent on occupation, which is usually of a seasonal nature, often not covered by the safeguards of the formal labour market or of the informal market. Many households depend on the seasonal labour of just one member, and on the welfare benefits they may be entitled to as large families or without means of leaving. In general, the Roma incomes are low, meaning that the majority of households live below the poverty threshold.[2]
The majority of the Roma population (especially the older age groups) continues to be illiterate, and although school attendance is more common among the younger Roma compared to their older counterparts, their involvement in the educational process is still characterized as insufficient to strengthen and improve their vocational status and mobility. Most Roma children aged 12 and above leave school in order to find work to supplement the family income.
The health problems of the Roma population are directly linked to their low socio-economic profile, poor living and working conditions and low level of education. All these factors lead to morbidity and ill health, a lower life expectation and high rates of child mortality.
NGO data[3] shows that many marginalised communities in Greece remained in the same situation even after a number of concerns raised by international organisations. For ex. in Spata settlement outside of Athens, Roma continue to face discrimination, remaining economically and socially vulnerable. The Muslim community in Xanthi continues to live in poor conditions with contaminated water and to bad sanitation. Many of the houses in Drosero community in Xanthi are made by temporary materials, which provide inadequate protection against the weather conditions. Roma inhabitants, in order to build their houses, took loans (legal and illegal), which are unable to repay. Houses which were constructed after 1983 do not have access to “legal” electricity and all of the inhabitants have no property titles for their houses as the neighbourhood) of Drosero is not included in the official city plan. The majority of people in Drosero are very poor and illiterate. The community is segregated from the non-Roma citizens in Xanthi. The Roma Women’s Association of Drosero “Hope” has hired social workers to bring children to school, thus increasing the number of registered children, performance of children in school and vaccinations. In November 2007, the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr Karolos Papoulias, gave an award to the president of the Roma Women Association of Drosero, Ms. Souileman Sabiha as recognition for the work of the organization.
[1]National Strategic Framework for Roma (NSFR), December 2011, available at: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/discrimination/files/roma_greece_strategy_en.pdf
[2] NSFR 2011
[3] Written contribution on the situation of Roma community in Xanthi, Greece, Working Session 6: Tolerance and non-discrimination I, Human Dimension Implementation Meeting Warsaw, 29 September - 10 October 2008, available at: http://www.osce.org/odihr/33900?download=true
Access to justice of Roma women in Greece
Roma continue to be victims of day-to-day insults by members of the general public, and are also subject to negative stereotyping in the political discourse. In addition, the continuing segregation and marginalization that Roma communities face in Greece often go unnoticed by the wider public, even though exclusion from services is on-going. In May 2013, the European Court of Human Rights, in Lavida and Others v. Greece, ruled that the segregation of Roma children into a separate primary school in Sofades, a town in Thessaly, in central Greece, constituted discrimination and a breach of the right to education. It was the third European Court ruling on discrimination against Roma pupils in Greece. Other endemic problems are the lack of or limited access to justice, police brutality, discriminatory and racist attitudes and treatment by prosecutors, and excessive delays in dealing with cases brought before the courts by Roma. A number of cases have reached the European Court of Human Rights due to the failure of domestic remedies; in several such cases, the Court has found that ill-treatment and injury were committed by the police against Roma.
In October 2013 police raided a Romani settlement in Farsala, and determined through DNA testing that a girl living with a Roma couple was not the couple’s biological child nor had she been formally adopted. Police reportedly uncovered three similar cases, one involving a Greek non-Roma couple that allegedly bought a child from a Roma woman. Judicial authorities initiated an investigation on belated birth registrations.[1]
Roma in Greece have very little to no knowledge about human rights institutions or the court system in Greece. They do not usually file complaints with the NHRIs and access the justice system mainly as offenders. Initiatives on legal aid for Roma have been implemented 10-15 years ago by the bar association in Athens. Roma are afraid to file complaints with the police, since often they are victims of police abuse or subject to forced evictions. According to the Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM), authorities did not implement the UN Human Rights Committee’s requirement for the state to provide compensation to victims in the case of Roma abused by police officers or evicted illegally. Press reports claim that police and prosecutors often conduct raids and searches of Roma and immigrant neighborhoods without authorization in search of criminal suspects, drugs, and weapons.[2]
[9] 2013 State Department report
[10] Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2013, United States Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, available at: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/220496.pdf
Communities: Elefsina, Aspropyrgos, Halandri (Athens); Dendropotamos, Peraia (Thessaloniki); Drosero, Kimmeria (Xanthi)
The JUSTROM2 launch event took place on 22 May 2018 at the Organisation of Culture, Sports and Youth of the Municipality of Athens, Greece.
22 June 2018 at Roma Support Centre, Municipality of Halandri, Athens
22 June 2018 at Drosero Community Centre, Xanthi
Representatives fo the Special Secretariat on Roma Social Inclusion in Xanthi, representatives of the municipality, reigonal authority and the community centre participated in this event, where they had the chance to discuss the problems raised by members of the Roma community
Article about he event in the local press (in )
5 October 2018 at the Municipality of Ampelokipi-Menemeni,Thessaloniki
Topic: social issues, early marriages and school drop-outs
Dr Christos ILIADIS
Mr Leftheris KONSTANTINIDIS
Mr Georgios TSIAKALOS
Mr Nikolaos MONDRINOS
Ms Alexandra KARAGIANNI
Mr Minas DEMERTZIS
Mr Ioannis PATZANAKIDIS
Ms Christina KOKKONI
Mr Ioannis CHRISTOU
Ms Giannoula MAGGA
Ms Songkoul RAMADAN OGLOU
Ms Maria TZAMPAZI
Mediegalleri Mediegalleri | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line998 |
__label__wiki | 0.897396 | 0.897396 | 5 women who will #RewriteHerStory
We need more women leaders in media and entertainment to help stop the objectification of girls on-screen, and instead encourage their ambitions.
But women filmmakers are still rare. So what is it like to work in such a male-dominated industry? Following Times Up and #MeToo, does it feel like the industry is changing? And how can we help more young women break into this field?
We asked 5 global, female filmmakers how they intend to #RewriteHerStory.
"Representation matters for young women, especially those who exist on the margins."
Kemiyondo “Kemi” Coutinho, 30, was born in Uganda, raised in Swaziland, and now lives in Los Angeles while making films in Uganda.
In 2018, she wrote and directed her first short film Kyenvu, which has screened around the world and won the Pan African Film Festival’s Best Narrative Short Film award. She also plays the lead role the film, about a woman in Uganda who is sexually assaulted after she dares to wear a miniskirt in public. Kyenvu is the first Ugandan film to qualify for an Oscar.
"There is an initiative that I am trying to start called 5 for 5 ... a fund allocating $5,000 to a female filmmaker from Uganda to create a five-minute short film."
- Kemiyondo Coutinho
Guneet Monga, 35, is one of India’s top independent film producers, working on international hits such as The Lunchbox, Peddlers, Gangs of Wasseypur, Monsoon Shootout and the 2019 Oscar-winning short Period. End of Sentence.
Her Mumbaibased company Sikhya Entertainment is next producing a comedy coming-of-age story about a young woman in an arranged marriage who suddenly finds herself a widow, confused about her next steps in life.
"I’ve noticed it more in the past year or two with #MeToo, how men control the narrative and women are subject to that narrative. I hadn’t noticed before just how few Indian films were being directed by women. I understand it now, and I’m producing work with a lot of women filmmakers."
"Change is happening in the last couple of years because women writers and women directors are creating powerful, complicated women on screen. The coming of the internet has also helped. Women are calling it out, they are calling out submissive characters on screen. You can see that on Twitter."
Read full interviews in our report
Ash Mayfair, age 34, was born in Vietnam and is now based in New York City. She made her feature directorial debut with The Third Wife, an award-winning 2018 coming-of-age drama about a 14-year-old girl thrust into an arranged marriage in 19th-century Vietnam.
Mayfair is now developing her second feature film, titled Skin of Youth, a love story between a transgender singer and a dog-cage fighter set in 1990s Saigon.
"To be an artist, the minimum we need is a roof over our heads, a “room of one’s own” so to speak. Without this social and financial structure of support, it’s not a surprise that it is harder for women to get to creative leadership positions."
- Ash Mayfair
Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, 34, is a Vancouver and New York-based writer, director, producer and actor.
She is a member of the Kainai First Nation (Blood Tribe, Blackfoot Confederacy) as well as Sámi from Norway. After studying at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Film School, she started making films in 2011 with the experimental short Bloodland.
She made her feature directorial debut with 2019’s The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, which she co-directed and co-wrote with Kathleen Hepburn and which tells the story of two women navigating the aftermath of domestic violence.
"Representation matters, absolutely. How can you imagine yourself doing these things if you can’t see it? Representation matters for young women, especially those who exist on the margins.
"In the Indigenous context, we have been misrepresented on screen for 100 years, those misrepresentations are damaging; they reinforce stigmas and feed into racist and sexist stereotypes. If you grow up seeing ugly misrepresentations of yourself and your community on screen, how can you not internalize some of that?
"Now I look at my 5-year-old niece and she knows I make films for a living - she knows that she has a place in this industry if that’s what she decides to pursue. It’s within her realm of possibility. We’ve entered a really great time"
Melina León, 42, is a writer/director living in Lima, Peru. She earned her MFA in film at New York’s Columbia University and returned to her home country to direct her debut feature film Canción sin Nombre (Song without a Name).
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2019, making her the first female Peruvian filmmaker to present her work in Cannes. The story, based on real events during Peru’s 1980s political crisis, is about a young mother whose baby is stolen.
"I see the changes. I see that most young female filmmakers are telling stories of female protagonists, they are talking about feminism and some of them are studying the roots of our oppression...
It’s super important to see other women flourish, so they lead us, they encourage us, to use our full potential."
- Melina León
It's time to #RewriteHerStory
Plan International’s latest research, Rewrite Her Story: How film and media stereotypes affect the lives and leadership ambitions of girls and young women, carried out with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, provides never-before seen evidence that the world’s most popular films are sending the message to girls and young women that leadership is mostly for men.
In the 56 films we analysed, the top-grossing from 20 countries last year, women leaders – whether they were presidents, CEOs or business owners – were far more likely to be portrayed as sex objects, shown in revealing clothing or even naked on the big screen.
The findings are not surprising when not one of the top 10 films in 20 countries in 2018 was directed by a woman, only a quarter of films had a woman producer, and only one in 10 had a woman on the writing team.
For our recommendations on how to #RewriteHerStory, and full interviews of these inspiring women, take a look at our new report:
Rewrite Her Story
A report analysing how film and media stereotypes affect the lives and leadership ambitions of girls and young women
#RewriteHerStory on social media
Take the #DayOfTheGirl challenge by sharing the girl character that most inspires you on your social media.
The global campaign demanding power, freedom and representation for girls and young women. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line999 |
__label__wiki | 0.768738 | 0.768738 | << article précédentarticle suivant >>
par Centre Phi
courtmetrage, festival, lecridulambi, thecryingconch, vincenttoi
In The Crying Conch, directed by Mauritian-born filmmaker Vincent Toi, the story’s protagonist, known simply as “The Man” (Zidor Montal) emerges from the ocean completely nude and sets out for the forest of Seguin, one of the last expansive pine forests in all of Haiti. The imposing wood is said be home to spirits who linger long after their passing, providing a fortunate few wanderers with the wisdom and guidance they seek.
When The Man encounters a group of forestry workers chopping down trees, one asks in Haitian Creole, “Do you have a job?” The Man responds, “No”, the only word he will utter over the course of the entire 19-minute film. The Old Man continues, “You’ve asked the spirits and they haven’t answered you? Have the voodoos answered you?” The Man simply laughs to himself and shakes his head. By the end of the film, The Man finally finds a calling, both shocking and unexpected.
Much like the Haitian wanderers in Seguin, Toi operates on apparitions when it comes to artistic pursuits; he will not embark upon a film project unless a story comes to him and consumes him. “To be honest, the way I make a project, I have to be immersed in it,” he explains. “Finding the story is always very hard. Whether it’s a short documentary, short fiction or feature, it’s always a lot of work, so the work has to mean something to you. I have ideas, I have themes I want to explore, but I need to find the story first.”
The story of The Crying Conch came to Toi after taking on a teaching position at Haiti’s Ciné Institute, an organization that provides free education to students looking to learn about the world of cinema and filmmaking techniques. Growing up in Mauritius, a former French colony, Toi felt a connection to Haitian culture before even stepping foot in the country. “I felt like I would fit in at a certain level. I didn’t know where or how, but I felt like I’d figure it out. So I went there and I did,” he says. “The language is about 40% similar to Mauritian Creole, and the ways also are similar. How you would approach someone, how you would have a dialogue with someone. There’s a familiarity. You know when you know someone understands a little bit of who you are? That’s how I felt.” One of those people would be Ebby Angel Louis, a teacher at the Ciné Institute.
Shortly after arriving in Haiti, Toi was compelled to investigate structures of power within the nation’s culture and history by telling the story of a “slave King leader”, who would lead a revolution resulting in the first Black republic. Louis introduced the filmmaker to the story of Francois Mackandal, the Haitian Maroon leader who sought to put an end to slavery in the 1750s. The story coincided perfectly with Toi’s vision and became one of the film’s two narrative streams, running parallel to and complementing the story of The Man, set in modern-day Haiti.
In addition to collaborating with Toi on the story side of The Crying Conch, Ebby Angel Louis also took on an acting role, portraying the character of Mackandal in a series of pulsing, rhythmic narration sequences. “To the world I want to say that most of the time, in different parts of the world we are happy to live in some free countries, but we forget the people who pay for this freedom with life. It was an opportunity for me to tell the story of Mackandal in the film because Cinema also has an important role to play in history and our collective memory,” explains Louis. “But telling the story of Mackandal is more than telling a story. It connects me to the story of my ancestors and makes me travel back in time in some way.” The actor’s passion for the character of Mackandal and all he did for the Haitian people comes through in his intense, deeply engaging performance; despite having little acting experience before working on The Crying Conch, Louis’ on-screen presence is absolutely mesmerizing.
The Crying Conch premieres at the 67th Berlinale this coming February and Toi hopes that, post-viewing, audiences will be prompted to contemplate the long-term effects of colonialism on a nation such as Haiti, and how unjust power structures can continue to impact a society long after being dismantled. “I hope they understand the whole idea of why… I’m not going to be the judge of why Haiti is like this right now, but there are a lot of elements in this film that try to understand why it’s like this, and why it’s very hard for this specific place to come out as a country that’s a bit more prosperous.”
By Kelly Hurcomb
Photos: Marcel Cabrera
À propos du Centre Phi
Le Centre Phi, c’est des salles qui se transforment au gré des activités: lancement, conférence, colloque, projection, exposition, concert, spectacle, installation interactive. C’est des studios de création et de production, avec la technologie la plus sophistiquée, mise au service des besoins artistiques. C’est un centre multifonctionnel où l’art peut s’exprimer dans tous ses états. Et c’est surtout un lieu d’échanges, d’apprentissage, de découverte, de lancement, de tournage, d’enregistrement, etc.
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__label__wiki | 0.959127 | 0.959127 | Pair beat thousands to join Canada's space program
The logo for the Canadian Space Agency. A doctor and a fighter jet pilot were welcomed into the Canadian Astronaut Corps on Wednesday, beating out 5,351 applicants who underwent a year of intense evaluations.
A doctor and a fighter jet pilot were welcomed into the Canadian Astronaut Corps on Wednesday, beating out 5,351 applicants who underwent a year of intense evaluations.
Jeremy Hansen and David St-Jacques are the first Canadians to join the astronaut corps since 1992.
They also become only the 11th and 12th to join the elite corps in the Canadian space program's 25-year history, a statement said.
"Today, a mad dream, an off-the-wall dream has come true," St-Jacques told a press conference.
"I see a very promising future for Canada in space," Hansen said as he was introduced. "I think the exploration of space needs Canada."
The two new astronauts will undergo training at the Canadian Space Agency headquarters in Saint-Hubert, Quebec, and at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
They will also support the launch activities of fellow Canadian astronauts Robert Thirsk and Julie Payette.
Thirsk is set to launch on May 27 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on a six-month mission to the International Space Station. Julie Payette will join him after launching from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 13.
"It will be the first time that Canadian astronauts will actually meet in space," noted Industry Minister Tony Clement.
Canadian astronauts have made a total of 13 voyages into space so far, including five to the International Space Station.
Hansen, 33, is married with three children.
He served as a CF-18 fighter pilot and combat operations officer at 4 Wing Operations in Cold Lake, Alberta, ensuring the effectiveness North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)'s air defense operations.
He earned a master's degree in physics for his research in satellite tracking.
St-Jacques, 39, is currently engaged to be married. He speaks five languages including Inuktitut, spoken by northern aboriginals, and practiced medicine in Canada's far north before joining the space program.
He also earned a doctorate in astrophysics from Cambridge University, in Britain, doing theoretical work on astronomical observation and design, fabrication and commissioning of instruments for telescopes.
(c) 2009 AFP
Two Canadian astronauts to return to space
Citation: Pair beat thousands to join Canada's space program (2009, May 13) retrieved 19 January 2020 from https://phys.org/news/2009-05-pair-thousands-canada-space.html
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__label__wiki | 0.699594 | 0.699594 | From my genealogical research, so far, I have discovered that my Virginia-born mother was descended from twenty-nine American patriots who assisted in the making of America. The following are my mother’s known ancestors who risked their lives and fortunes. May their names live for evermore.
☆★☆✶***✫**✶**✫***☆★☆
Nathaniel Clarke was certified for a public service claim in Amherst County, Virginia. He is also recorded in the Amherst County Register of Revolutionary War soliders.
☆★ At a court held at Fluvanna County, Virginia on Tuesday, 9 April 1782, George Cox was certified by Thomas Napier for a public service claim of 240 pounds of beef, dated 28 November 1781.
☆★ On 1 June 1779, Thomas Craig, along with Thomas Jefferson, was one of the signatories to the Albemarle Declaration of Independence. The original copy is preserved at The Virginia Historical Society in Richmond. Thomas Craig was compensated for three Public Service Claims in Albemarle County, Virginia during the Revolution; one for 270 pounds of beef for State use, the second for 2 1/4 gallons whiskey and the third for 222 pounds of beef for Continental use. See Albemarle County Patriots.
John Doland was called into service to the Revolutionary cause at the age of 18 or 19. He served as a Private in the Virginia Line and received a Land Warrant in 1785, for 200 acres of Kentucky Land. He was pensioned in 1832, and having bounty land warrants of l60 acres in 1855, issued 26 May 1856.
☆★ Leonard Drumheller was drafted into the Virginia Line in January 1781, at the age of 17, as a fifer and marched from Albemarle County, Virginia to Richmond where he drew arms and thence went to Williamsburg. From Williamsburg he was marched to the halfway house between York and Hampton where he was stationed for a time before returning to Williamsburg and Richmond. There he was discharged in March 1781, and he returned home. In May 1781, Leonard was drafted into the militia and again marched from Albemarle County, this time under Captain Marsh Leake in General Lafayette’s army as a Private. He was discharged July 1781. Soon afterwards he was detached in the minute service and was there until after the surrender of British General Cornwallis and peace was declared, between 1 August 1781, and late October. He applied for a Revolutionary War Pension from Albemarle County on 12 October 1832.
★ During the Revolutionary War, Anne Graves furnished 175 pounds of beef to the Continental Troops, dated November 1781, Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
Peter Hackett lived in Buckingham County, Virginia. During the American Revolution he served with the 9th Continental Line as a Sergeant Major.
Colonel Burr Harrison attended The Third Virginia Convention at Henrico Parish Church in Richmond, Virginia on 17 July 1775, to organize troops and the war effort in order to defend the colony against invasion. The Convention acknowledged the debt to Patrick Henry whose wisdom had already begun the arming of the colony. In August 1775, he sent a letter from the convention to his son-in-law, Leven Powell, which is preserved in Leven Powell’s papers at the Library of Congress.
☆★ Nehemiah Hundley served as a soldier in Virginia and Pennsylvania. As a very young man he was impressed to convey a package from Prince Edward County, Virginia to Fort Pitt in Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War. While there, in 1779, he enlisted in the service of General McIntosh’s 13th Virginia Regiment serving under Lieutenant William R. Withers. He was wounded in the arm and was discharged as an invalid at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His military service is recorded in pension records in Virginia and in the Pennsylvania Archives.
☆★ On 1 November 1776, John Jameson of Albemarle County, Virginia signed a petition against the Church of England. His signature was next to the names of his neighbors Thomas Wharry, Samuel Jameson, Thomas Craig, John Craig, Thomas Jameson, Micajah Via, John McCord, Sam’l McCord, Wiliam Wood, and William Jameson, Jr. The petition was titled “Dissenters from the Church of England of Albemarle and Amherst Counties” and is referenced in “Virginia Historical Magazine”, volume 18, 1910, page 263. See Albemarle County Patriots.
★ George Naylor enlisted on 4 July 1776, and his name is on the Muster Roll of Maryland Troops in the American Revolution. He served as a Private among the troops raised by Ensign Alex Trueman, for Captain Magruder’s Company in Prince George’s County, Maryland. As George Naylor, son of Batson Naylor, he is recorded on “A roll of the Guard kept at Magruder’s Warehouse that were from Captain Benjamin Wailes’s Company of Militia of the Lower Battalion”, in Revolutionary Papers recorded at Prince George’s County, 27 May 1782. George Naylor, the son of Batson, also signed the Oath of Fidelity in said county where he was recorded on Fielder Bowie’s Return of 30 March 1778.
☆★ In the year 1779, George Norvell swore the Oath of Allegiance to the American Revolution in Albemarle County, Virginia, recorded in the Goochland County Order Book 12, page 503. On 21 June of that same year, he was a signatory to the Albemarle Declaration of Independence, along with Thomas Jefferson and other prominent citizens, the original document preserved at the Virginia Historical Society, Richmond.
★ On 9 October 1777, in Goochland County, Virginia, James Norvell signed the Oath or Affirmation of Allegiance and Fidelity. In 1782, he supplied 25 bushels of corn to the patriot cause for the Continental Army in Goochland County.
★Littleberry Patteson served as a sergeant during the Revolution in the company of Captain Samuel Jordan Cabell, 6th Virginia Battalion of the Continental Forces, from April to July 1777. He also served in Morgan’s Rifle Regiment.
★Obediah Patterson provided diets and forage for two beefs to the Revolutionary cause in Bedford County, Virginia.
On 20 September 1784, Ensign George PEYTON received bounty land from Virginia for three years service during the American Revolution. George Payton (Peyton) provided supplies to the Revolutionary cause in Culpeper County, Virginia.
John Peyton was certified for a public service claim in Culpeper County, Virginia.
Mrs. Seth Peyton furnished one beef to the Revolutionary cause in Prince William County, Virginia about 1779 to 1781.
☆★ On 2 August 1777, Abram Poore signed the Goochland County, Virginia Oath of Allegiance, his name being number 18 on the list of W. Harrison, from the Ann Waller Reddy Collection, box B, file 2, FC, “List of Oaths of Allegiance”, at the DAR Library. Abraham Poor contributed 4 bushels of wheat and carriage to the Revolutionary cause, from Virginia Publick Claims, page 5, Goochland County, Virginia List I, 1780-1781. He provided 1 peck of cornmeal, 76 pounds of pork, 72 pounds of bacon, 1 pound of salt, 1 large bullock and 275 pounds of beef for Continental and State use, recorded in Goochland County, Virginia Court Booklet dated 19 March 1782. He again gave 250 pounds of beef and one gun for State use.
☆★ On 16 August 1777, John Poor and his brother Robert signed the Oath of Fidelity in Goochland County, Virginia. He was drafted during the Revolution and served as a Private in the Virginia Line of the Continental Army for a term of twenty months. In his pension application, S38314, he stated “he was drafted as a private soldier of the war of the revolution on the continental establishment the twentieth day of March 1781 in the county of Albemarle and marched from thence to Chesterfield Court-house where he was allotted to the company commanded by Captain Robert Gamble of the 8th regiment of the Virginia line – That he was at the siege of York in Virginia at a skirmish in Georgia near Savanna and engaged in an attack by the Indians and having served until the 5th day of November 1782 and was then regularly discharged by Genl Charles Scott at Cumberland Court-house in the State of Virginia”.
★On 30 August 1781, Alexander Smith, of Buckingham County, Virginia, furnished 300 pounds of grass fed beef to the Army.
★ John Spencer furnished blankets and a pair of stockings to Captain Walker’s Continental Troops, 1779-1781, in Albemarle County, Virginia. His sons served as soldiers during the American Revolution. Son Thomas Spencer was killed at the Battle of Guilford Court House.
☆★ At the Buckingham County Court of 11 November 1782, “Alexander Stinson, Senr.” claimed £2-10 for 300 pounds of beef. At the court of 12 May 1783, “Alexander Stinson Senr.” submitted a claim for £15 for a horse used by the Continental Army. ☆☆ He is NSDAR Patriot Ancestor #A204929. (See The Stinson Book.)
☆★ David Stinson contributed 400 pounds of beef to the American Revolutionary cause in Buckingham County, Virginia, which qualified him to be a DAR patriot. However David STINSON did much more to show his true colors during a time of great danger. On 7 December 1780, he signed a petition that demanded the privileges of citizenship be withheld from all who refused to swear allegiance to the new American government. He demanded that these “non-jurors” not be allowed to practice law, medicine, and that “non-juror” clergy be silenced and deprived of their benefices. In addition, the petitioners demanded that the non-patriots be double taxed. At that point in history, the South had become the war’s battlefield, and the army of Washington was not assured victory. The cities of Augusta and Savannah in Georgia had fallen to the British. If the American rebellion had been put down, David STINSON and the other signatories would have suffered grave consequences. ☆☆He is NSDAR Patriot Ancestor #A204931. (See The Stinson Book.)
★ Thomas Turk, Jr served as a Private in Captain Alex Robinson’s Company, 1778, and in Captain Robert Kenney’s Company, 1779 and also the same year in Captain Thomas Rankin’s Company of the Augusta County Militia of the Virginia Militia. He also contributed supplies to the Revolutionary cause. Blount County, Tennessee Memorial of Revolutionary Soldiers
★ In 1781, in Augusta County, Virginia Thomas Turk, Sr was reimbursed for 4 bushels of corn, 52 bushels of rye, 34 pounds of bacon and 4 beef which he had provided for the militia. On 21 March 1782, he and his son, Thomas, Jr. were reimbursed in Augusta County at the Court of Claims. On 18 May 1784, he was reimbursed for 9 bushels of corn and for wintering a beef.
☆★ Micajah Via signed a petition in Albemarle County, Virginia, on 1 November 1776, entitled “Albemarle, Amherst Dissenters of Disestablishment and Religious Equality” (“Virginia Historical Magazine”, volume 18, 1910, page 63). This was almost four months after the signing of the American Declaration of Independence. Since that glorious day the petitioners in Albemarle and Amherst were aware that 30,000 British troops had arrived in New York, that their American forces were roundly defeated at the Battle of Brooklyn, that the enemy British were occupying New York City, that the American ragtag army was routed at the Battle of Harlem Heights, defeated by the British at Lake Champlain, and that American troops were forced to retreat at the Battle of White Plains just three days prior.
In the face of all of that, they addressed their words to the “Delegates & Senators, Representatives of the Common Wealth of Virginia at the City of Williamsburg” stating “in consequence of our having thrown off our dependence on the Crown & Parliament of Great Britain.” They closed by ardently wishing that the new Virginia “Commonwealth may become the envy of the Nations & the Glory of the World.” See Albemarle County Patriots.
★ William Via lived in Brown’s Cove, Albemarle County, Virginia. He was drafted for the Revolutionary cause for a term of 18 months on 20 March 1781, and served as a Private in a company commanded by Captain Beverly Roy in the Regiment commanded by Colonel Posey, Virginia Line on the United States Establishment. He served eighteen months and was discharged honorably.
Jesse Sairs of Albemarle County, Virginia gave affidavit that he entered service with William Via under the command of Benjamin S. Sairs, Captain of the militia of the State of Virginia by whom they were marched to Chesterfield Courthouse, the place of rendezvous of the United States troops then commanded by General von Steuben . William Via was under the command of Colonel Gaskins in the Virginia Line on the United States Establishment. From that place of rendezvous they marched with the Second Virginia to the Point of Forks (a military depot to ship goods to Richmond, now known as Columbia, on the Rivana River), thenceforth they were marched under the command of General von Steuben to North Carolina, from there counter marched to the Siege of York in Virginia where they were remanded until the close of the siege. From there they went to Cumberland Courthouse to Winter Quarters. William Via was then marched to Georgia. Returning to Virginia, he was discharged 1 November 1782, by General Seath at Cumberland Courthouse.
Edward Walton was issued a certificate for providing 375 pounds of beef to the Revolutionary cause in Hanover County, Virginia, between February 1780 and March 1782.
★ This lineage was proven by Edna Barney.
☆★ This new lineage was proven and opened for NSDAR members by Edna Barney.
The image, My Insignia, is subject to copyright by Edna Barney. It is posted here with permission via the Flickr API by barneykin, an administrator of “The Revolution ed” pool.
62 Responses to My Patriot Ancestors
Leigh Boswell says:
I have information from a family genealogy book; Hamner Heritage by Geneal Black and Mary Clark Ryan, that one of my ancestors; Nicholas Hamner, was one of the signatories of the Albemarle Declaration of Independence. I was wondering if you can tell me where I can find information on the document and the history behind it. Specifically, I want a list of the signatories and I want to know more about the significance of the document to our nation’s independence. Since I can’t make it to Virginia to view the original document on display, I thought maybe there might be a book about it that I could order. Thank you, L. Boswell
Daughter of Revolution says:
In the old 1901 book “History of Albemarle County in Virginia” by the Reverend Edgar Woods (The Michie Company Printers, Charlottesville, Virginia), on pages 365, 366 and 367, there are listed the 206 names of Albemarle citizens who signed the Albemarle Declaration of Independence. The date it was signed by the citizens of Albemarle County was April 21st, 1779. The original document is proudly preserved in the rooms of the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond, where you may view it or order a copy.
A number of the signers were men of an age too old to have fought for America’s freedom from tyranny in the Revolution, however, by signing, they too were putting their lives and property on the line. For more information see my post “Albemarle Declaration of Independence“.
History of Albemarle County in Virginia
Stan Thomas says:
https://archive.org/details/albemarlecountyi00wood
JoAnn Vickers says:
I am wondering if I am descended from Thomas Craig. My ancestors are from Virginia but my record of my Craigs only go back to William Craig (1802 — 1859) Do you have this Craig in your heritage.
Sincerely, JoAnn Vickers
JoAnn…. there is a Craig named William Craig… he is my great-great-great-great-great grandfather. He established a church in Henderson Texas. I don’t have much info at the time, but there you go.
Steve Craig says:
I have all the info on this family back to SC 1700’s but have not been able to go further. If you wish I can send this to you.
carole conrad says:
I am descended from william craig and maybe susannah stokes. daughter mary polly craig/cragg married william parsons. i show early craigs in ablemarle parish. would like to connect dots.
pls email me if you have info and for my info. casuco@yahoo.com
carole conrad
Edna Barney says:
JoAnn, I have no record of that William CRAIG, however, it is possible that he is part of the CRAIG family from Augusta County, Virginia. Finding him on the 1850 census may give you an idea of who his family is.
JoAnn I’ve just been reading from a book written by Lillian Kennerly Craig entitled Reverend John Craig of Augusta County (1709-1774) and Allied Families. I just happened on your site here and have read your question relative to Thomas and William Craig. Both these names appear in this book, but you would need to do considerable research in it to discern the answer to your question. Indeed, there is a mention of a Mrs. Victoria Thorburg Vickers in this book, but I haven’t gone into the genealogy of her mention to see how she comes to be included in the book–only that she is a descendant of Isaac Handley who married Kate Wylie, if this helps you at all.
My interest in this book stems from the fact that the Craigs lived in the same community in which I was born and reared.
Decided to get you a bit more info from this book since you probably won’t be able to find it. The information is listed under “Other Craigs: Fort Defiance Craigs.” These Craigs were not related to Rev. John Craig, but they lived in the same community and were members of Old Stone Church. 1st Generation: “William Craig was of the Craigs of Craig Castle, near Edinburgh. Three brothers and three sisters came to America with him. They came from North Ireland and landed in 1721 or 1722, and lived in or near Kenneth Square, London Grove, Chester Co., Penn. Moved to Augusta Co. about 1744. Wiliam was born about 1686, His will was recorded Nov. 26, 1759. His wife was Jean Anderson, the widow Allen.”
“Brothers and sisters of William Craig: Col. Thomas, James, Daniel (ancestor of Pres. Roosevelt), Margaret who married John Ivney, Jane who married James Boyd, and Sarah who married Richard Walker. William and Jean Craig had three sons, two of whom came to Augusta with them. The eldest, Robert came two years previous.”
There is more information about the next generation, but I am reluctant to send because of its length. If you want more, please e-mail me.
Please send me this info. Trying to trace my family and this maybe it.
Jan Firtion says:
I am descended froma William Cragg/Craig who was born abnout 1735 in S. Carolina, USA. Died Sept. 10, 1820. He appears in the 1790 census for Laurens Co. He was said to be from England. Do you think there might be a connection? Thanks.
Jan please send me an e-mail address and I will
send you most of my info to see if it matches. I hope so as I have been years researching this
and have hit a dead end. I have the info on the craigs/craggs from William and Martha to Today/
My email address is:
jfirtion@gmail.com
I’ve never written to a blog before, but I need a little help. I’m doing a report about Ethan Allen and I need an interview by Friday. If someone wouldn’t mind e-mailing me at cald4him@yahoo.com that would be really great. I don’t need much either. Thank You!
I have heard people mention that my ancestor, Alexander Stinson, of Buckingham Co, VA (Goochland, Albemarle) may have been a Revolutionary War patriot. I am trying to trace my lineage to determine DAR membership. However, this is the only information I can come up with for him:
At the Buckingham County Court of 11 November 1782, Alexander Stinson, Senior was reimbursed for a claim of 300 pounds of beef. At the court of 12 May 1783/11 June 1783, he was compensated for a horse that was taken use by the Continental army. In June 1784, he was compensated for 300 pounds of beef.
Is this enough to qualify?
Catherine – What you say you have found for Alexander STINSON are my own writings, written by me, Edna Barney: “At the Buckingham County Court of 11 November 1782, Alexander Stinson, Senior was reimbursed for a claim of 300 pounds of beef. At the court of 12 May 1783/11 June 1783, he was compensated for a horse that was taken use by the Continental army. In June 1784, he was compensated for 300 pounds of beef.”
Jerome J. Levans says:
Francis Bates jr., (1759-1824) of Pownal Vermont, formerly of Warrick, Rhode Island. He enlisted as a private, January 16, 1776, in Josiah Gibbs 9th Company of Colonel William Richmond’s Regiment. He served at Quidnessett Neck and Newport. Battle of Setauket, Long Island, New York, November 2, 1776. He was discharged following the British invasion of Newport. Further service at Fort Ticonderoga. S41421 Continental.
Calvin Lee CRAIG says:
My g.g.g.grandfather John CRAIG was b. abt. 1760 in ‘the Carolinas” according to family folk-lore. For one reason or another, he ended up in a Loyalist regiment – 84th Regt., (Royal Highland Emigrants), the first MusterRoll entry I can find for him is 25 June 1782. He served until 10 Oct 1783, when the unit was disbanded in Nova Scotia. Earlier in the War, 5 Companies of “the 84th” served at Charleston, Moncks Corner and Eutaw Spring and poss. Wilmington. Perhaps my John CRAIG was recruited during that period. Any infor. about his origin etc., would be greatly appreciated. If any viewers have lost a John CRAIG during the Revolutionary War, – maybe he is my “old John! My John died up here on his military/Loyalist land grant near St. George, New Brunswick, Canada in 1833. I will happily share craig family data with anyone “applicable”.
Craig Worley says:
Same last name but different Order,Not. I love God and know that You do to! Piece if we can Have “It”
In/under fire but “Still Here(my resounding Call)”
Calvin,
Your Loyalist John Craigg and his likely brother William are listed as POWs with my ancestor Tom
Welch from Feb thru Dec 1781 (“Loyalists in the Southern Campaign”, Clark, pp 377, 404).Hope this helps,
helps. I can show they went to the Winchester
Virginia POW camp.
Bill Stryker: contact at: mbjwk@verizon.net
Cal & Barb Craig says:
Bill: Sorry to be so long in getting to you. We have had 3 years of stress & strain so did not check as often in Ancestry.com as I should have.
I am still at it and very very interested in your post. Please reply and we can exchange data. Is there a particular reason you feel he is my John. Sure looks like a good fit.
Cal Craig, – email: calbarb@xplornet.com
Utah Carroll Rogers says:
http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/nirvana/621/mcclanah.html (Family History)
My Kin that was in service under Col Patrick Henry:
Southern Campaign American Revolution Pension Statements
Pension application of Thomas McClanahan (McLanahan) W1052
Transcribed by Will Graves
State of Kentucky, County of Simpson
On the 10th day of September 1832 personally appeared in open court before the county court of said county now sitting, Thomas McClanahan a resident citizen of the county of Simpson and State of Kentucky, age about Eighty years, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth, under his oath, make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7th, 1832: That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated, viz, That he was born according to the history of his family, in the county of Westmoreland Virginia., but principally raised in the counties of Fauquier & Culpeper and that in the latter part of the summer or the first of the fall of the year 1775 he entered into the service of the United States in a Regiment first commanded by Colonel Patrick Henry, Lieut. Colonel Christy [sic, William Christian], and attached to a Company commanded by Capt. John Green, Richard Taylor, first Lieut., John Houston, second Lieut., and John Lee, ensign. The rendezvous was at Culpeper Court House; from there he was marched to Williamsburg and was occasionally in some little skirmishes with some British shipping at Burrell’s Ferry and Old James Town [sic Jamestown], and while yet detained at Jamestown, Col. Patrick Henry left the regiment and entered into the Legislature of Virginia, or filled some other civil post, and the command of the Regiment devolved on some other officer not now remembered. About nine months after he was first marched to Williamsburg, the 2nd Virginia Regiment commanded by Co1. Alexander Spottswood was brought down to Williamsburg also and the said McClanahan was by the consent of the said Richard Taylor then the Captain of the Company (the said John Green having been promoted to the office of Major) transferred to the 2nd Regiment and enrolled in a Company in the same commanded by Capt. Francis Taylor and took the place of a soldier by the name of Reuben McKinney and the said McKinney took said McClanahan’s place in the said Regiment of the said Company commanded by the said Capt. Richard Taylor. The said company was not long after marched somewhere to the North but the 2nd to which he now belonged continued at Williamsburg until late in the fall of 1776; then the said McClanahan was marched with said Regiment from Williamsburg to Fredericksburg. where they remained but a short time; from thence they were marched through
Alexandria to Baltimore, from there they took shipping and went to Annapolis, according to the best recollection, in pursuit, as it was then said, of Tories who were said to have been embodied on the Eastern Shore of Mary. land, but found no Tories. They were then marched to New Cast1e on the Delaware River, said to be about five miles from Wilmington, where the Regiment was inoculated with the small pox, and remained until the spring of 1777, when it was again marched to Philadelphia, and
there, for the first time, furnished with clothing at the public expense. While there he was one of the guards to a man whose name was probably Dunbar who was hung in the suburbs of the city for some traitorous crime not now recollected.
Kris Kachline says:
My great x5 grandfather was Lieut. Colonel Peter Kachline or Kichline and commanded the Northhampton County First Battalion. On August 28th, 1775, the Pennsylvania Committee of Saftey decided to appoint a hierarchy of command. On October 3, 1775, Kachline was given the commission of Colonel in preparation for the prospective attack of New York.
Kachline commanded men from Northhampton and Bucks County and marched them to New York under the name “Flying Camp”. Col. Kachline and his son Second Lieutenant Peter Kachline began recieving fire from General Grant under the command of British Commancer Howe. The Easton Company numbered 101 men but held ground against over 4,000 British regulars led by Grant. After three days of fighting, nearly 2,000 British were dead along with their General Grant. In his notes of the Battle, Howe stated that General Grant was killed “by Kichline’s men”. Unfortunetly, Col. Kachline was wounded and captured. After his release a year later, Kachline returned home to his community. In 1777 he was appointed Colonel of the county’s militia and put down Indian uprisings all across northern and central Pennsylvania. In 1780 he retired from military life and began a legal practice and opened a tavern; he also owned the first grist mill in Northhampton County.
In 1789, the Constitution was signed and the Act of Incorporation created boroughs. When Easton was incorporated as a borough in Sept. 23, 1789, the Act of Incorporation named the officers of the borough government as Peter Kichline, Henry Barnet, Jacob Weygandt, William Raup and John Brotzman, burgesses; Frederick Barthold, high constable; and Samuel Sitgreaves, town clerk. Peter Kichline was designated chief burgess.
As Easton’s first chief burgess, he served from Sept. 23, 1789 until he died on Nov 27, 1789. He died at the home of his son Peter.
Susan Lutz Vicario says:
I too am a direct descendant of Johann Peter. I still live in Easton, Pa. He was buried in our church cemetary, the German Reformed Church, now call the United Church of Christ still located on N. 3rd and Church sts. in Easton. However, his grave was moved to Easton Cemetary at the top of N. 7th St. When we found his grave the grass had almost completely covered it. It is a flat stone written in German. A picture of the Colonel still hangs in the Northampton County Court house. I’m not sure how far back you have gone with your geneology, but my uncle has traced our family back to the 1600’s.
Maryann:
Where did you find a copy of that book about Rev. John Craig? I am one of his descendents and am interested in reading the book but am unable to find one near me, Bandera (outside of San Antonio), Texas. Any help you can give on finding a copy would be greatly appreciated!
Erin – I have seen that book in libraries in Virginia. I suggest that you see if it is on microfilm, perhaps at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City or the Library of Virginia in Richmond. If it has been microfilmed, you can access it that way by ordering the film through your local library. Perhaps your local librarian can help you find it.
cheree craig says:
For years, Ihave searched for the family of Ashley Craig. I have corrasponded with the daughter of Murry Craig, who remebers my grandfather. She said that he is the cousin of Murry Craig and that Strom Thurmond is our third cousin. This ties Ashley to the family that owned Georgia vetrified clay and Brick Company. If anyone knows anything about Ashley, PLEASE contact me.
June Atkinson says:
I was very happy to see all the information on your blog. I hope you can tell me whether the petition called the something likDissenters against the Church of England …signed by residents of Albemarle and Amherst counties qualifies for a descendant of a signer to become a member of the NSDAR.
I was not able to find John Jame(r)son as having signed the Albemarle Declaration of Independence, nor on the Public Service Claims (from Albemarle County), nor on the militia list in the Woods history. (I did see a claim for John Jameson of Augusta county, but do not think that would be the same as the one in Albemarle county. I am not sure about the location of John Jameson or his wife, Jane Ewing Jameson after the Revolution as I have not found their wills in Albemarle county.
I am presently preparing papers as honoring Thomas Craig, Sr., which will be the 43rd proven patriot for my daughter, and I wish to put in a supplemental in the name of John Jameson, father of Jane Jameson Craig, wife of Thomas Craig, proven patriot.
June Atkinson (for Lisa Atkinson)
June – my latest information from NSDAR is that they will NOT accept that Dissenters Petition as proof of service. Because of its wording, and its historical date, I do accept it as proof that the signers were Patriots. However, I am not the DAR. I’m just me and this list is “MY” ancestors that I consider Patriots. (PS – The ones that I have proved for DAR have stars by their names.)
If you put in a supplemental for John Jameson using that petition I feel certain that it will not pass DAR muster. If it does, I would be delighted, as I feel they are all Patriots. I am the one who proved Thomas Craig for DAR. Proving John Jameson would be much more difficult as there is little verifiable information about him. I don’t think he is the John Jameson in Augusta County.
ELIZABETH EVANS says:
HELLO, I HAVE ENJOYED READING YOUR SITE,
CAN YOU TELL ME ANYTHING ABOUT THOMAS CRAIG BEFORE HE SHOWED UP IN aLBEMARLE CO. THIS IS MY LINE ALSO.
THANKS. PLEASE EMAIL ME DIRECT.. I MIGHT LOSE THIS SITE ..NOT TOO BRIGHT ON THE COMPUTER..THANKS SO MUCH, ELIZABETH
Patricia Byard Brewer says:
See Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 116/No. 3.
Dr. John Ragosta, pp. 114-49, wrote Virginia Dissenters’ Struggle for Religious Liberty During the American Revolution. In it, he proves that General Washington and his continental army and the militia would not have won the war without the Virginia Dissenters. I suspect that some of the Dissenters did not live in Albemarle, Amherst, or Buckingham Counties (old maps show movement in the county lines) and traveled from other counties to Williamsburg to sign the petition. . .but try convincing the DAR. Proof is in the above referenced Virginia Magazine, however.
June – Can you please tell me who “Jane Ewing Jameson” is. I’ve not heard of her before?
gladys dieckmann says:
I COME THRO JAMES NORVELL AND JOHN SPENCER. WANDA NORVELL IN CA HAS PROVED OUR LINE.
neddy says:
Gladys – Can you please tell me how John Spencer and James Norvell are linked.
Can anyone help me tie this history together. Ineed the beginning befor South Carolina and the ending from texas. I have been years and have hit a dead end.
280. William CRAGG \ CRAIG167,175 was born about 1735 in USA, South Carolina ?.167 He died on 10 Sep 1820.
William CRAGG \ CRAIG and Martha were married about 1760 in USA, South Carolina. They appeared in the census in 1790 in USA, South Carolina, Lancaster Co., Camden District.755 1790 > SOUTH CAROLINA > LAURENS > NO TWP LISTED
Series: M637 Roll: 11 Page: 429
Craig, William 122
1 male 16+
2 males under 16
2 females
1790 > SOUTH CAROLINA > LAURENS > NO TWP LISTED
Craig, John 213
2 males 16+
1 male under 16
Craig, William
1790 > SOUTH CAROLINA > LANCASTER > NO TWP LISTED
Cragg, Wm. 372
They appeared in the census in 1800 in USA, South Carolina, Kershaw Co..756 next door is Martin Trantham
pg 417 27 Cragg William 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 0
2 males 10-16
1 male 16-26 (William Jr.)
1 male 45+ (William)
2 females 16-16
1 female 45+ (Martha)
281. Martha167 was born about 1739 in USA, South Carolina ?. She died on 23 Jul 1833. Children were:
i. Elizabeth CRAIG175 was born on 11 Nov 1767 in USA, South Carolina.167 She died on 25 Jun 1823 in USA, Tennessee, Maury Co., Mount Pleasant.167,757 She was buried in USA, Tennessee, Maury, Shiloh Cemetery.167
ii. Polly CRAIG.175
iii. Nellie CRAIG69,175 was born in USA, South Carolina, Kershaw Co.. The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research
SCMAR, Volume XVII
Number 3, Summer, 1989
Camden District Equity Journal (Continued from Vol. XVII, p.85)
SCMAR, Vol. XVII, Summer 1989, No. 3, p.162
Elizabeth Horton etal vs William Cragg etal – Bill for Partition. Ordered that the legal title to the Lands mentioned in deft. William Cragg’s answer be vested in said William Cragg and that a writ of Partition do issue directed to John Truesdale, George Perry, Joseph Patterson, Lovick Young and Benjamin Bineham or a majority of them to run out and fix the boundaries of the said Land according to the description of the same contained in said William Cragg’s answer, and also to divide the real estate of the said John Horton amongst the parties to the above bill according to the Prayer of the said Bill.
The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research
Eliz. Horton etal vs William Cragg etal – Bill for Partition. It appearing that Charlotte Horton one of the defendants is an infant under the age of 21 years, ordered that George Petty be appointed her Guardian ad litem.
iv. Sarah CRAIG.175 FamilySearch® International Genealogical Index™ North America
IGI Record
Sarah CRAIG
Marriage(s):
Spouse: John ALLEN
Marriage: ABT 1821
Film Number: 1761128
Not sure if this is the right ones ? There are other Sarah Craig’s and Allen’s in the IGI records.
v. Jane CRAIG.175
140 vi. Rev. John CRAIG\CRAGG Sr..
vii. Rev. William CRAIG758,759 was born on 13 May 1786 in USA, South Carolina, Kershaw Co..759 He died on 25 May 1865 in USA, Texas, Rusk Co., Henderson.759 “William went to Texas and was a popular minister – and useful – of the Methodist church in that state.” (Pauline Craig Hughes)
xiii. REBECCA HORTON74,75,76, b. 13 May 1786, Kershaw Co, SC; d. 28 May 1865, Henderson, Rusk Co, TX; m. WILLIAM CRAIG, 15 Feb 1806, Kershaw Co, SC.
Notes for WILLIAM CRAIG:
William Craig was born in Camden, Kershaw County, South Carolina, on May 13, 1786 and died in Henderson, Texas, May 25, 1865. He was buried in the Henderson City Cemetery west of the Rusk County Courthouse. His grave is now marked with a Texas State Historical Marker, which was erected November 5, 1978, in commemoration of his sixty-two years of service in the Methodist ministry as a circuit rider. William’s father was William Craig, Sr., who died September 10, 1820 at the age of eighty-four years, and his mother was (most likely) Martha Craig, who died July 23, 1833 at the age of ninety-two years. William married Rebecca Hortense Horton February 15, 1806, and they lived together for over sixty years, becoming the parents of six children. Rebecca was born March 3, 1786 in Camden, South Carolina and died May 13, 1866 in Marshall, Texas. She was the daughter of John Horton and his wife Elizabeth, and the granddaughter of Amos Horton and Sarah Peebles Horton, who left Brunswick County, Virginia, and moved to Craven County, South Carolina, before the American Revolution. John Horton served in the South Carolina Militia in 1779 and died in Kershaw County in 1813. William and Rebecca’s children were: Cynthia Curtis, born November 17, 1807, who married William McClanahan; Elizabeth Izel, born November 19, 1809, who married George Hanzel Wright; John Wesley, born January 6, 1812 and died as a young man; Reuben Terry, born September 9, 1815, who married Margaret Oliver; William De La Fletcher, born July 6, 1817, who married Amanda Jane North; and Usuva Jane, born August 5, 1819, who married Campbell Wright. William Craig was ordained as a minister at an early age and preached in South Carolina, Tennessee, and Mississippi before coming to Texas about 1839 or 1840. In 1841 he was appointed to the Nacogdoches District in the Texas Mission Conference, and there he held services in the historic Old Stone Fort in Nacogdoches. In 1845 William was sent to Henderson, where he soon organized a building committee and the first Methodist Church was established. He also organized the Church Hill Circuit, which still exists today. Reverend Craig served as pastor for many churches in East Texas, including those in Panola County, Harrison County, Tyler, Salem, and others. One important event in Craig’s life occurred in 1857 when he was appointed to serve as Chaplain to the Texas State Senate. He was also one of the earliest members of the Masonic organization in the state. Many famous people called Reverend Craig “friend,” including: Littleton Fowler, Oran M. Roberts, Martin Ruter, Orceneth Fisher, and others. One very good friend, Charles Chevallier, a Nacogdoches merchant, gave him (for a few dollars) a 320-acre farm in Rusk County near Oakland, where he lived and died and where his descendants have homes today. Written by Margaret Brown
140. Rev. John CRAIG\CRAGG Sr.363,545,546,547,548 was born about 1772 in USA, South Carolina. [NEED TO DEFINE SENTENCE: Tax List]549 Craig John 0547(alphabetical list)
0547 Craig John Crage? See 1809 Intruder Lists and 1810 Sims Petition
He appeared in the census in 1820.550 This is a possiblity? –
Tennessee, Smith Co
364, Craig, John 000101 02001
1 male 16-26
1 female 45+
364, Craig, James 100010 40010
4 females under 10
1 female 26-45
366, Craig, John Jun. 100010 10010
1 female under 10
1 male 26-45 He signed a will in 1839 in USA, Alabama, DeKalb Co.. Sources:
Title: Craig, John – Will, 1839
Author: DeKalb Co. Alabama Will Record A
Family History Center
Call Number: Film #1035188 – LDS
Media: Census
Page: pp. 5-7
He died after 1839 in USA, Alabama, DeKalb Co. (prob.). ” John Craig and his wife, Jane Miller, were born in South Carolina of Scotch ancestry, and were strict members of the old Scotch Presbyterian Church. After becoming acquainted with the Methodists they found that something more than the mere form of Godliness was necessary to Salvation, and after having sought and found “The pearl of great price”, John was called to preach. About the year 1805 he went to Tennessee and was a member of the Holston Conference until his death in 1841. He devoted almost his entire time to his work as a travelling preacher.
When Jane died John married again in 1832 to Caroline Mary. He was then about sixty years old and his bride only twenty. Of this union were born one son, Isaac Easterling, and one daughter, Mary.
The old Scotch way of spelling Cragg (pronounced Craig) was followed by our South Carolina ancestry for many years – but the present mode (Craig) is, now almost universally used.”
(Pauline Craig Hughes)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rev. John Craig went to preach in Pisgah in Giles Co., Tennessee in 1811 (Carden). This was frontier country then and the Methodist church was sending it’s missionarys to help establish the church in the new settlements. The Methodists and Primitive Baptists also pioneered in Perry Co., Tennessee. Rev. John Craig, of the Methodist Church, was the first minister that preached in the county, beginning his labors in 1818-19. The leading religious denominations now in the county are the Methodists, Christians and Primitive Baptists.
John Cragg is mentioned in “A History of Methodism in Alabama” by Rev. Anson West, D.D.
“After the Rev. Thomas Stillwell came the Rev. John CRAGG and the Rev. Alson J. Waters for 1821. The Rev. Alson J. Waters had just been received on trial in the Tennessee Conference, and was discontinued at the close of the year. The Rev. John Cragg was received on trial by the Western Conference at the close of the Conference year 1807. In due course he was admitted into full connection and ordained deacon and elder. For the year 1815 he was on Flint Circuit, and for 1821 on Shoal Circuit, so that two years of his ministry were given to Alabama. From 1825 till 1840 he was a member of the Holston Conference. He was thirty-three years an itinerant preacher and twenty-eight of these years he was effective. This was a long service and he filled many important appointments. He died in 1840.”
Rev. John CRAIG\CRAGG Sr. and Jane MILLER were married about 1792.
141. Jane MILLER551 died in 1819. She was born in USA, South Carolina. “Jane was a true helpmate and considered no sacrifice on her part too great if thereby through her husband’s ministry, souls were won to Christ. She bore six children. Three died in infancy.”
Jane probably came from a Miller family that resided in Lancaster, SC during 1790, as that is the location of John Craig’s parents at that time. Geo Miller, Jno Miller are enumerated on the same page as Wm Cragg (John’s father), and several other Miller families in the Lancaster area are on nearby pages. Children were:
i. William CRAIG175,552 was born before 1800.172 He is older than his brother John. He died in 1854 in USA, Texas.175 “As his father devoted almost his entire time to his work as a travelling preacher, the care of the family devolved principally upon the oldest son, William. William never married and upon his baby brother, John Craig, he bestowed all the warmth of his loving, generous heart. He took great interest in the education of the younger brother, and being a good English scholar himself, assisted him in every possible way, also arranging for him to take a classical course. William went from Tennessee to Alabama about 1822 and later his brother John followed him there. They lived awhile near Nanofolia before going to Marengo County. William made his home with his younger brother John a good part of the time until John’s death. He then went to Louisiana and finally to Texas where he resided with John’s widow and her children until his death in 1854.” (Pauline Craig Hughes)
ii. Samuel CRAIG was born before 1800. He died in 1826 in USA, Tennessee.175 Samuel, the second son, lived in Tennessee until his death which occurred in 1826. He left a wife and one son, John Henry Craig. His little girl died about two weeks before him. In 1839, John Henry was living in North Alabama. His post office was Florence, Alabama. John Henry was about five years older than his cousin Pauline Craig.
Pete Craig says:
I have been looking into also of the William Craig linage. Are you still looking and what area of country are you located?
My husband’s line connects to the George Peytons you mention. I have not studied the Revolutionary history of that family, but I’m thrilled to find your mention here will study it further Thank you.
Still trying to find your George & Peyton & make the connections. On the DAR ONLINE search engine he’s not listed…yet.
Sorry about the large link. DAR Search
No one has proved George Peyton for NSDAR. That is why you cannot find him there.
I misunderstood the above posting to mean all those ancestors are proven! Got it now.
Susan Bromm says:
When did your Thomas Craig, Sr. show up in Albemarle? Was it after 1770? Was his wife Ann Pasteur?
@Deborah – Thomas Craig shows up in Albemarle in 1747. I do not know anything about Ann Pasteur.
I SAW THIS POSTED ON YOUR BLOG AND WONDERED IF YOU COULD TELL ME THE NAME OF THIS PERSON HONORED WITH A S.A.R INSIGNIA BURIED IN
crypt in New Orleans, Louisiana at the Saint Louis Cemetery – Number One.
I RECENTLY DISCOVERED AN ANCESTOR WHO ALSO SERVICE IN A MILITIA GROUP IN NEW ORLEANS UNDER GENERAL GALVEZ AND IS SAID TO BE BURIED IN ST LOUIS NO#1 THERE IN NEW ORLEANS.
SUGAR HILL, GA.
S.A.R. Insignia
The photographer found this Sons of the American Revolution marker on a crypt in New Orleans, Louisiana at the Saint Louis Cemetery – Number One. It denotes that the person buried there served in the American Revolution, and is “Pretty impressive!” he wrote.
The image, Sons of the American Revolution on New Orleans Crypt, was originally uploaded at Flickr by Office Mike. It is posted here by barneykin, administrator of “The Revolution ed” pool..
Michael – This is the Contact Page for “Office Mike” at Flickr where he uploaded the photo. However, I doubt he knows any details as he seems to be a photographer, not a genealogist.
http://www.flickr.com/people/officemike/
I wonder if there is a published listing of S.A.R grave markers for this particular cemetery- St Louis Cemetery no#1 in the City of New Orleans. I’m told it is the oldest and possible one that might have American Revolutionary War patriots buried it in. Many may or may not know, Louisiana (was in fact in support of and even participated American Revolution War effects against the British while at that time under a Spanish colonial government and a Recognized American Revolutionary War Patriot- General Bernardo de Galvez.
Any assistance would be most welcomed. Again, Thanks for responding.
As a follow up to last posting and for those who have ancestors who may have participated in Bernardo de Galvez army in the Borderlands you might find this interesting.
The following ancestor’s story was featured on PBS History Detectives. If you missed the segment. Try viewing online via the following link. Title of piece was called “the Galvez Papers”.
http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigations/810_galvez.html
Or try this link
http://video.pbs.org/video/1575582583/?starttime=1176060
Carolyn LeJeune says:
I am beginning a supplemental application to DAR for my Drumheller roots. I was wondering how you connected Leonard Drumheller to his children. His son Adam S. Drumheller continues my line but there are few records or let me rephrase, I dont know where to find them.
Carolyn – I documented Mildred as a child of Leonard from her marriage and death records. Perhaps you could do the same to prove Adam as his son. ~Edna Barney
can you take me though how marriage and death records proved she was a daughter of Leonard. Also, I can find no record of Leonard in VA for the 1800 census…any suggestions?
Carolyn – I think I found Adam Drumheller on the 1880 Census of Augusta County, so perhaps you could start your research there. I suspect that there are marriage records there and also in Albemarle, as he is said to have married twice.
John Bird, Senior (abt 1745-1815) of Chestnut Creek, Franklin County, Virginia, who lived in Henry and Franklin Counties, Virginia, was born in Virginia, possibly Albemarle, Amherst, Bedford, Brunswick, Lunenburg, Pittsylvania or Surry County. John Bird married Sarah “Molly” (Harvey) Bird about 1763/65; they had at least ten children. They are my great-great-great grandparents. John Bird was a political activist who became involved in several political issues of that time as follows. While the colonists were fighting the Revolutionary War, a movement was taking place to establish the Anglican Church as the national religion for America. John Bird and other Virginia Loyalists opposed because they believed a person’s religion should be a matter of choice. In 1776, John Bird, Senior, and two of his sons, Abner Bird and Bartlett H. Bird, signed the “Petition of Albemarle and Amherst County Dissenters,” page 263, which was directed to the Delegates, Senators and Representatives of Virginia, assembled at Williamsburg. As the American Revoltion approached into Virginia, patriot leaders and dissenters from the established church in the colony faced difficult decisions. The dissenters, primarily Baptists and Prebyterians, were not only subject to a series of significant legal infirmities, but were also confronted in the prewar years with a growing, often vicious, persecution; between 1768 and 1774 about half of the Baptist ministers in Virginia had been jailed for preaching. That persecution had been led by the same members of the Church of England who dominated the patriot movement and who desperately needed the assistance of the dissenters–who perhaps made up as much as one-third or more of the population–for effective wartime mobilization. As a result, Virginia’s patriot leaders were anxious about the extent of support they would receive from dissenters. This conundrum was resolved when the dissenters demanded religious liberty in return for their suport for the war effort. Those demands, as evidenced most clearly in several hundred religious petitions filed with the Virginia General Assembly, reveal a complex negotiation in which piecemeal reform paralleled dissenter demands and wartime necessity. Tellingly, when the need for mobilization faded with the victory at Yorktown, the Anglican establishment ignored dissenter demands and sought to reintroduce state support for religion. This effort failed when the newly politicized dissenters not only emphatically rejected any ties between church and state, but also demanded adoption of Thomas Jefferson’s Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom. Instead, the British tightened their control which led to a conference in Richmond called by Patrick Henry. Patrick Henry, whose “Liberty or Death” speech sparked the Virginian dissenters entry into the Revolution. Upon mobilization of the Virginian dissenters, the British were defeated in Virginia. It is said that the Continental Army and the militia could not have won the Revolution without the mobilization of the dissenters.
Patricia — You have made an outstanding dissertation on this subject of Religious Dissent during the Revolution. Thanks for your incite. I wrote about this in the past:
https://patriots.wordpress.com/?s=stinson
Dale Dugue says:
You need to add a retweet button to your blog. I just “liked” this post, but had to do it manually. Just my $.02 🙂
Thanks Dale. WordPress blogging has become so complicated, I have no idea what I am doing anymore. I could not find a “Retweet Button.”
I think I found it.
John Norvell says:
Dear Edna,
We have not been in contact for a long time, this is a very nice website. I represent my Rev War ancestor Lt. Lipscomb Norvell in the Virginia Society of the Cincinnati, and recently restored his grave inscription in Nashville.
John Norvell
Lt Col USAF Ret.
April Aguirre says:
Hi, I’m glad to have run into these blogs. I’m related to Charles Carroll (signer of the Declaration of Independence)on my mother’s side. In fact, she is named after him. Also, on her side I’m related to Nancy Ward the famous Cherokee Indian. Does this mean I should consider myself a daughter of the American Revolution?
April – IMHO you can consider yourself a Daughter of the American Revolution because of your descent from two illustrious participants.
Rhonda Kelley says:
In Maryville Tenn. John Craig built a Fort called Fort Craig. This wa built during the Revolutionary War. He was My GGGGFather. As the line that went down William Craig son was Guy Craig which was my Grandfather’s Father. His name was Walter Craig. He was in Ala. John at one time left Tenn and went to Ala. This is on my Mother’s side. We had the family history seached by three people in the family and people in Maryville to confirm this.
Incredibly good expertise exactly about this subject, thanks
a lot for posting about it.
I am in Louisiana. 5 or 6 generations down from William & Martha Craig. 1700’s Camden Kershaw SC. They appear to be tied to the Horton family from Virginia and SC by marriage and land. I have info from there to present day through rev. John Craig Tn. John jr. Al & Ms and on to Texas . If I can help you email me @ Steven.craig@elpaso.com and we can exchange phone num and talk. Where are u located | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1005 |
__label__cc | 0.691632 | 0.308368 | Yesterday, the President came to Baltimore to visit Fort McHenry as part of the 200th anniversary of the National Anthem. War of 1812 and all that.
He, as one would expect, arrived via the Marine One helicopter… there’s plenty of space at Fort McHenry to land a helicopter.
This is, I think we would all agree, a normal and acceptable function of the head of state. He visited a major celebration of an important time in the history of the United States, got to tour a historical site, and hobnob with the people there. I’m cool with that.
At about 3-3:30PM, however, I95 southbound was closed at the Ft McHenry tunnel. All access routes out of Baltimore to I95 Southbound were closed. I695 Westbound from I95 (the West side inner loop) was also closed, so there was no access to I695 to go West or North from I95 all the way around to past I70.
It remained closed until after 5PM.
That’s on a Friday. During rush hour. As an Orioles game ended. During a huge historic celebration bringing tourists into and around Baltimore.
The road closures were not announced until they were happening, and no ETAs for reopening were provided.
Because the President needed to attend a fundraiser for Democratic Senators, held at a private residence in Northwest Baltimore. A house owned by a wealthy hedge fund manager, and a fundraiser that cost tens of thousands of dollars to attend. (I’m thinking everyone there was probably in the 1%).
The result? Tens of thousands of commuters were stuck. Downtown Baltimore was absolutely gridlocked for hours. Since there were no alternate routes, and overpasses along His travel route were also closed, there was no where to go, and no one knew what time it would end.
I understand the security needs of the President. While I think it’s overkill to shut down an interstate so He can use it, I get it. I understand why the closures aren’t announced, and why the timing isn’t shared with the public What I don’t understand is how we got to the point that we simply accept the President can shut down a city for a couple of hours during rush hour to go to a fundraiser. How much did that fundraiser cost the area in lost productivity? Frustration? Parents getting home to their kids? I would argue it’s thousands of hours, and in the millions of dollars.
Here’s what it cost me, just as an example:
I am self employed as a Realtor, and showed a condo in Harbor East at noon. After the showing, I grabbed some lunch, and wrestled with having a beer with lunch and enjoying the rest of a very pretty afternoon, or heading to the gym to get the training session in that I had rescheduled to show the condo. I’m proud that I decided to go to the gym.
My gym is in Columbia. I shot down I95 from Baltimore in no time, got to the gym, and had a good session. Showered, feeling good, I hopped in my car to come home. Just as I started the car, I got a text from my wife indicating there were road closures due to the President’s visit (which I expected, but they would be in and around downtown, not affecting me in any way). Alas, she said the West side inner loop of 695 would be closed.
My route from Columbia to my home near Ruxton is to take 32 to I70, get on I695 towards Towson, then get off at Greenspring and take back roads to my house. I figured, however, that with I695 closed, I could take I70 to Security Blvd (where I70 ends just past I695), and take the surface streets through Northwest Baltimore to get home. That’s the same route I take when traffic on the Beltway is really bad.
So I started home. It’s about 3:30. The backup on I70 started about a mile and a half from I695. I chose the left lane, to get me to Security Blvd. As I got to the I695 exit, I saw that the route to Security was closed (I learned later this was due to the overpass over I695). So I couldn’t go that way. I was forced to get on to I695 South, towards I95, away from my destination.
Smooth sailing from there, I thought maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Then I hit I95 North (my route now is to take I95 to I395 into Baltimore, MLK to avoid traffic to get to I83N, which I take to Northern Parkway, to Charles, to home.
At about 4:30, I saw the Presidential motorcade go past me, Southbound on I95. I was sitting still on Northbound I95.
I got home at 5:30. 90 minutes more than it should have taken me.
Multiply that by, say, 10,000, which is a very conservative number of people affected by the road closures. Road closures that again, allowed the President to go to a political fundraiser. Not a ceremony at a historic place. Not a meeting with a head of state, or even a member of his cabinet. A fundraiser, where rich people purchased influence with Democratic Senators and the President.
What did I lose? 90 minutes of time in my home office that I had to move to Saturday. That time on Saturday was going to be used to visit a friend in the hospital. 90 minutes of productivity for me is, I don’t know, $200? Hell, make it $100. So that trip via car during rush hour for the President to go to a political fundraiser cost the Baltimore economy a minimum of $1,000,000. I’d wager much, much more. And that’s not taking the cost of all the people, police, etc. it takes to close down a highway. It doesn’t take into account the ambulance I saw sitting in gridlocked traffic, lights flashing, moving no where. I hope that person wasn’t in dire condition.
And it doesn’t matter to the ruling class. Shutting down a city at rush hour to get to a fundraiser is just the way it’s done.
That, my friends, should show you where you stand. You are simply unimportant. Your trip home will be significantly disrupted, as there’s money to be raised.
About Paul Stagg
Husband, lifter, MBA in Baltimore, MD. Will post about Powerlifting, politics, Classical Liberalism, Economics, building wealth, self improvement, productivity, heavy music, wine, food, beer, and almost anything else. View all posts by Paul Stagg
This entry was posted on Saturday, September 13th, 2014 at 2:31 pm and tagged with Arrogant Politicians and posted in Baltimore, Libertarian/Political Stuff, Life Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Home / Investor Snapshot / Events & News / PolyMet Raises Total of $30.1 Million With Completion of Second Tranche of New Equity Capital
PolyMet Events and News
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PolyMet Raises Total of $30.1 Million With Completion of Second Tranche of New Equity Capital
St. Paul, Minn., October 28, 2016 – PolyMet Mining Corp. (“PolyMet” or the “Company”) TSX:POM; NYSE MKT:PLM – announced today that it has completed its previously announced private placement with Glencore AG, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Glencore plc (“Glencore”). The Company issued to Glencore 14,111,251 units (the “Units”) at a price of $0.75 per Unit for gross proceeds of $10.6 million. All amounts are in U.S. funds.
The Units were purchased by Glencore pursuant to its right to maintain its pro rata ownership following the private placement that closed on October 18, 2016 comprising 22,000,167 Units placed by Paradigm Capital Inc. for gross proceeds of $16.5 million and 3,963,000 Units placed directly by the Company for gross proceeds of $3.0 million. All Units were issued on the same terms.
The sale of Units to Glencore was in a private transaction that is exempt from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 as amended. Each Unit consists of one common share and one half of one common share purchase warrant, each whole warrant exercisable for one common share at a price of $1.00 per share for a period beginning 6 months following the issue date and ending 60 months after the issue date, subject to acceleration in certain circumstances.
Glencore holds $40.0 million secured convertible debentures and $62.440 million secured non-convertible debentures, including initial principal and interest capitalized through September 30, 2016. The private placement triggered an adjustment to the conversion price of the secured convertible debentures from $1.2920 per share to $1.2696 per share. PolyMet also issued to Glencore warrants to purchase 625,000 Common Shares at $0.7797 per share as an incentive for the previously-announced extension of the maturity date of the convertible and non-convertible debentures held by Glencore to March 31, 2018 or such earlier time if it is prudent for the Company to repay the debentures.
As a result of these transactions, PolyMet now has 317,930,624 shares issued and outstanding of which Glencore owns 92,836,072 shares or 29.2%. PolyMet has issued warrants to purchase an additional 27,780,213 shares exercisable at an average price of $0.9499 per share, of which 14,138,627 shares with an average exercise price of $0.9095 are held by Glencore. Upon conversion of the secured convertible debentures, Glencore would receive an additional 31,505,866 common shares. PolyMet has also issued incentive options and restricted stock units for a total of 20,377,106 common shares.
On a fully diluted basis, PolyMet would have 397,593,809 shares issued and outstanding of which Glencore would own 138,480,565 shares or 34.8%. Upon conversion of the secured convertible debt and exercise of all outstanding warrants and options, PolyMet would receive $47.9 million cash in addition to the $29.0 million net proceeds from the private placements and conversion of $40.0 million of debt.
“Completion of this financing is important for PolyMet as we proceed through the state’s decisions on permitting for the NorthMet Project,” stated Jon Cherry, PolyMet president and CEO.
“I am very pleased with the continued support of Glencore and other long-term shareholders along with new shareholders that Paradigm Capital brought to the table ,” Cherry concluded.
The securities offered have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any applicable state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any applicable state securities laws, or compliance with an exemption therefrom. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. This notice is being issued pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 135c under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
About PolyMet
PolyMet Mining Corp. (www.polymetmining.com) is a publicly-traded mine development company that owns 100 percent of Poly Met Mining, Inc., a Minnesota corporation that controls 100 percent of the NorthMet copper-nickel-precious metals ore body through a long-term lease and owns 100 percent of the Erie Plant, a large processing facility located approximately six miles from the ore body in the established mining district of the Mesabi Iron Range in northeastern Minnesota. Poly Met Mining, Inc. has completed its Definitive Feasibility Study. The NorthMet Final EIS was published in November 2015, preparing the way for decisions on permit applications. NorthMet is expected to require approximately two million hours of construction labor, creating approximately 360 long-term jobs, a level of activity that will have a significant multiplier effect in the local economy.
About Glencore plc
Glencore plc is one of the world’s largest global diversified natural resource companies. As a leading integrated producer and marketer of commodities with a well-balanced portfolio of diverse industrial assets, Glencore plc is strongly positioned to capture value at every stage of the supply chain, from sourcing materials deep underground to delivering products to an international customer base.
Glencore plc’s industrial and marketing activities are supported by a global network of more than 90 offices located in over 50 countries. Glencore plc’s diversified operations comprise over 150 mining and metallurgical sites, offshore oil production assets, farms and agricultural facilities. Glencore plc currently employs approximately 181,000 people.
Bruce Richardson
brichardson@polymetmining.com
Jenny Knudson
jknudson@polymetmining.com
For enquiries about Glencore, please contact:
Glencore plc
c/o Glencore AG
Baarermattstrasse 3
CH-6340 Baar
PolyMet Disclosures
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning anticipated developments in PolyMet’s operations in the future. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “intends,” “estimates,” “potential,” “possible,” “projects,” “plans,” and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions or results “will,” “may,” “could,” or “should” occur or be achieved or their negatives or other comparable words. These forward-looking statements may include statements regarding the ability to receive environmental and operating permits, job creation, and the effect on the local economy, placement of additional Units, the use of proceeds of the Offering, or other statements that are not a statement of fact. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements due to risks facing PolyMet or due to actual facts differing from the assumptions underlying its predictions.
PolyMet’s forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, expectations and opinions of management on the date the statements are made, and PolyMet does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management’s beliefs, expectations and opinions should change.
Specific reference is made to PolyMet’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2016 and in our other filings with Canadian securities authorities and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Report on Form 6-K providing information with respect to our operations for the three and six months ended July 31, 2016, for a discussion of some of the risk factors and other considerations underlying forward-looking statements.
The TSX has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Glencore Disclosures
Following the completion of this private placement, Glencore currently holds 92,836,072 common shares of PolyMet, representing approximately 29.2% of PolyMet’s issued and outstanding common shares.
The NYSE MKT and TSX have approved issuance of up to 34,088,352 common shares upon exercise of the Exchange Warrant which would result in Glencore holding 126,924,424 common shares representing approximately 36.0% of the outstanding common shares of PolyMet (assuming no other warrants were exercised and no shares committed under existing compensation agreements were issued by PolyMet.)
Including 14,138,627 shares issuable upon exercise of other warrants held by Glencore, but excluding issuance of sharesupon exercise of other warrants or shares committed to others under existing share compensation agreements, Glencore would hold a total of 141,063,051 common shares representing approximately 38.5% of PolyMet’s partially diluted common shares (again assuming no other shares committed under existing compensation agreements were issued by PolyMet.)
Glencore’s decision to enter into the transactions described in this news release was made for investment purposes. Glencore will continue to review its investment alternatives from time to time and may determine to increase or decrease its equity ownership in PolyMet through the acquisition or sale of additional outstanding common shares or other securities of PolyMet through open market or privately negotiated transactions in accordance with applicable securities laws.
Persons who wish to obtain a copy of the early warning report to be filed by Glencore in connection with this transaction may obtain a copy of such report from www.sedar.com or by contacting Glencore at the telephone number and address listed below.
For enquiries about Glencore, including to request a copy of the related early warning report, please contact:
444 Cedar Street, Suite 2060 | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1012 |
__label__cc | 0.584743 | 0.415257 | Some links related to Korea and WWII
[Update below]
A discussion at the Korean Studies List about why Korea was not bombed by the US during WWII led Bill Streifer, who runs the Flight of the Hog Wild website, to post a WWII bombing target map of Korea. It makes quite clear just how much Japan concentrated heavy industry and power generation in northern Korea.
The story of the flight of the Hog Wild B-29 bomber, about which Streifer is writing a book, is an interesting one. The bomber set out in August 1945 to deliver relief supplies to the allied POWs being held in Hungnam (now in North Korea) when it was shot down by Soviet planes - arguably the first shots of the cold war. He also tells the story of Operation Eagle, in which an American C-47 landed at Yeouido Air Base on August 18, 1945 in order to check in on the POWs in Seoul, and the rather interesting reception they got from the Japanese (download pdf here, starts on page 13).
On a related topic, the Korea Studies list also mentioned an article by Yong-ho Ch'oe which I found at Japan Focus titled 'Korean Prisoners-of-War in Hawaii During World War II and the Case of US Navy Abduction of Three Korean Fishermen' The story of Korean labourers captured on Pacific islands (in which at times only ten percent survived the battles which took place), of three Korean deserters from the Japanese army in Burma who joined the OSS, and of the three Korean fishermen abducted off the coast of Korea by a US submarine makes for interesting reading; the editorializing, not so much.
He actually compares the abduction of the three fishermen to North Korea's abduction of Japanese citizens:
Long before North Korea's kidnapping, the United States committed a similar act, equally outrageous and reprehensible. The American abduction of three Korean fishermen deserves no less condemnation by the American public. [...] They too were innocent victims of immoral and illegal acts perpetrated in the name of war.
Japanese civilians who were kidnapped and held for decades - or for the rest of their lives - in North Korea during peacetime and three fishermen kidnapped and held in a POW camp in Hawaii for six months during the biggest war in history? What an apt comparison!
And also on the WWII side of things was last night's RAS lecture by Czech ambassador Jaroslav Olša, jr. about Han Hŭng-su, who spent the early 1930s studying in Japan, and late 1930s and much of the 1940s studying in Europe before returning to North Korea and being purged shortly after the war:
His life and work made a lasting impact on South and North Korean archeology as well as on the study of Korean history and literature in Czechoslovakia and the knowledge of Korean literature in German-speaking countries in Europe. Multi-talented scholar, polyglot speaking at least six languages and author of numerous books and articles published in Korean, German, Czech, Polish and English, he is now being slowly rediscovered.
It was a fascinating lecture, and Ambassador Olša was an engaging speaker; I'll post a link to the video once it's available.
Here's a map I made years ago of the cities the US bombed in Japan during WWII and the percentage of city area destroyed (sourced from 'The Fog of War'):
Labels: Japan, North Korea, WWII
Interesting stuff as always. But until the very late stages of the war did the US have any practical ability to bomb any part of Korea? Even the Doolittle raid on Tokyo was, effectively, a gimmick with zero strategical power (albeit a lot of morale boosting power back in the US).
Wed Jun 19, 04:08:00 PM
Turtle said...
I think US could since originally B-29 attacks began at China and had to pass Korea to do so.
Thu Jun 20, 12:34:00 PM
Interesting. I'd believed the bombers were flying from Tinian, which made Japan the closer target. According to this, that's true, but they initially started from China. The move to Tinian and Saipan was because they couldn't hit Tokyo from China. One imagines that southern Korea, at least, could have been hit from China, but then the main targets in Korea were in the north. Either they were harder to strike, or they didn't consider Korea an important target at the time.
They could also have hit southern Korea by the time they were firebombing Tokyo in the spring of 1945 (and they did eventually hit as far north as Aomori, just south of Hokkaido). The commentary on the Korea Studies List, however, described US planes flying over southern Korea but not dropping bombs. The only Korean city to be bombed during WWII was Ranan in the north, by the Russians: "On August 15, 1945, at 13:30 hours, 29 Pe-2 dive bombers of the 55 BAP bombed the railroad station at Ranan (later Nanam)."
And on a related topic, I just added this map, which I made years ago, to the post, which shows all of the Japanese cities bombed by the US and the percentage of city area destroyed (sourced from 'The Fog of War').
ChosinRes said...
A book on Hog Wild
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1618633848
Mon Jun 24, 11:23:00 AM
News on the CERD case
Daegu English teachers become honorary ambassadors...
Hobbies that get you on the news
Photos, City
Books about Korea galore
Bits and pieces in the news about foreign teachers...
Snowpiercer due out August 1
Substance-induced chuckles
A look at statistics related to foreigners in Kore...
Subway stations and history
Foreign teacher stories from around the peninsula
The Joongang Daily took a lengthy look at the mess... | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1014 |
__label__wiki | 0.969993 | 0.969993 | Published on Portside (https://portside.org/)
Dispatches from the Culture Wars - Special Report From Hollywood to Brooklyn
https://portside.org/2013-03-05/dispatches-culture-wars-special-report-hollywood-brooklyn
Portside Date: March 5, 2013
Date of source: March 5, 2013
Published by Portside
Oscar-nominated POV filmmaker detained at airport
Oscar-nominated shorts pulled from YouTube in response to Hollywood pressure
Oscars ‘In Memoriam’ Snubs Lupe Ontiveros, Twice
More Than 400 Workers from Bankrupt VFX House Picket Awards
The Weird Blend of Apolitical Denial and Shameless Propaganda at the Oscars
Sunday's Oscar Show Wins Awards for Sexism, Homophobia, Anti-Semitism, and Racism
Between Seth MacFarlane and the Onion, Oscars night was a festival of misogyny
Argo's Academy Award and the Failure of Truth
Dov Hikind Parties Down for Purim in ‘Black Basketball Player’ Costume
8 Things You Need to Know About Brooklyn's Racist and Gay-Hating Assemblyman Dov Hikind
False Prophet: Gay Guy Yells Back at Nutjob Homophobic Preacher, Everyone Cheers
By Andrew Lapin
Current.org
Palestinian documentary filmmaker Emad Burnat, whose Oscar-nominated film 5 Broken Cameras received funding from PBS’s POV, was detained Feb. 20 at Los Angeles International Airport after arriving in the country for Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony. The news that Burnat had been held for one and a half hours was first tweeted by friend and fellow documentary filmmaker Michael Moore.
Burnat later confirmed that he and his family were detained and threatened with deportation and that they had been forced to provide proof that he had been nominated for an Oscar. “This is a daily occurrence for Palestinians, every single day, throughout the West Bank,” Burnat said. 5 BROKEN CAMERAS is the first Palestinian documentary to be nominated for an Oscar.
By Amar Toor
The five films nominated for the Best Animated Short Film were pulled from the web this week, just days ahead of Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony. The move was reportedly spurred by Carter Pilcher, CEO of distributor Shorts International, who urged the Oscar nominees to remove their works from the internet or suffer “significant, if not irreparable damage" to their theatrical release. Pilcher noted that "This release of the films on the Internet threatens to destroy 8 years of audience growth and the notion that these film gems are indeed movies (not videos) — no feature length film would consider a free online release as a marketing tool!"
This year's list of nominees included an unusually polarized mix of both corporate and independent films such as Disney's PAPERMAN and 20th Century Fox's THE LONGEST DAYCARE which don't need online promotions, plus smaller nominees like ADAM & DOG or HEAD OVER HEELS. Ultimately, however, all five adhered to Pilcher's request.
By Jorge Rivas
Last night’s Oscars ‘In Memoriam’ reel left out actress Lupe Ontiveros. The Mexican-American actress passed away on July 26, 2012. Ontiveros worked steadily throughout her 35 year career and her credits include films like “Selena,” “Real Women Have Curves,” and “El Norte.” The Academy posted a supplementary ‘In Memorium’ online gallery to cover its bases with those who didn’t make the telecast, but Ontiveros was left out of that, too.
Ontiveros was typecast as a Latina maid early in her career, which she figured she had played more than 150 times in television and films. “When I go in there and speak perfect English, I don’t get the part,” she told the New York Times. But she did not regret playing so many maids because it allowed for steady work and for portraying working people with dignity. “I’m proud to represent those hands that labor in this country,” she told The Times.
[Other prominent actors of color left out of “In Memorium” included Russell Means, an Oglala Sioux activist best known for his roles in films such as The Last of Mohicans, Natural Born Killers, and Pocahontas, and performer Donna Summer, who won the Best Original Song Academy Award for "Last Dance.” - Portside]
VFX Oscar Protesters Grow To 400 As Pros Plead Their Case
By Ross Lincoln, THE DEADLINE TEAM
By Deadline’s count, over 400 protesters gathered at the corner of Hollywood and Vine as celebrities and filmmakers walked the Academy Awards red carpet just blocks away at the Dolby Theatre. The grassroots protest was organized by ex- and current employees of bankrupt VFX house Rhythm & Hues, which did special effects on LIFE OF PI, to bring attention to the company’s recent Chapter 11 financial woes, which trickled down this month as over 250 employees were axed without pay.
Even those that remain at Rhythm & Hues have not received a paycheck in weeks. Today’s protest was also tied to a growing effort to unionize the VFX industry under the banner of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). But among today’s protesters the unionization issue has mixed support. After spending an hour and a half marching at Hollywood and Vine, the procession marched to the boundaries of the LAPD’s zone of protection around the Oscars at Wilcox Ave to continue their demonstration.
[Ross Lincoln is a Deadline contributor]
by Allison Kilkenny
Well, it was a weird, weird Oscars. As expected, the ceremony was a parade of self-congratulatory dribble about how the Academy is really concerned about encouraging diversity while the Academy remains nearly 94 percent white and 77 percent male, and nearly all the films nominated were made by white men, starring white casts.
Banality and jingoism were rewarded this year, as were sexism and racism. I mean, even the marketing this year was stupid. An Academy Awards for men? As opposed to what? With a 77 percent male Academy membership, every year is a men's Oscars.
Was anybody else offended by the not-very-subtle onslaught of sexist, racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic "jokes" at the Oscar ceremony on Sunday night? It seems as though the Oscar writers think that Hollywood is so liberal that it can get away with making offensive comments because everyone knows that they are "just joking."
I don't agree. At a time when America is facing an epidemic of gun violence and debating how to limit the spread of assault weapons, host Seth McFarlane thought it would be clever to make a joke about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. McFarlane also made outrageous remarks about Adele's weight, gays, women, Latinas, and Jews. Of course, there were no hooded sheets, burning crosses, N-words, or "fag" jokes. But bigotry comes in various shades. Sunday night's Academy Awards ceremony was ugly and unfunny.
By Hadley Freeman
Comedy doesn't always have to have a message but it does if it's courting offense, especially if it's offensive about groups who are still in the minority; otherwise it's just gratuitous bullying. Equality in Hollywood isn't anywhere near imminent but it would be nice if, along the way, the biggest night in its calendar wasn't a big ol' festival of misogyny.
People find different things funny. But there comes a point in an evening when you realise you just watched a man joke to more than a billion people about the time a 20-year-old woman was beaten to unconsciousness and sung about all the boobs he has seen in various movie rape scenes. At that point you find yourself stooping to MacFarlane's level and the only thing to say is – you know what? This guy is just an asshole.
Argo's Academy Award and the Failure of Truth: Wide Asleep in America
By Nima Shirazi
Salon's Andrew O'Hehir aptly described the film as "a propaganda fable, deliberate exploitation to create something that is entirely mythological." If nothing else, "Argo" is an exercise in American exceptionalism -perhaps the most dangerous fiction that permeates our entire society and sense of identity.
The hostage crisis, which lasted 444 days and destroyed an American presidency, was a failure and an embarrassment for Americans. The United States government and media has spent the last three decades tirelessly exacting revenge on Iran for what happened. Yet "Argo" is pro-American propaganda devoid of introspection, pathos or humility and meant to assuage our hurt feelings. We are no longer living in a world where we can get away with films like this. The movies we endorse need to rise to the occasion of reflecting a new global reality, using a newer set of storytelling tools than this reheated excuse for a historical geopolitical thriller.
By Hunter Walker
Politicker.com
Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind hosted a massive Purim party at his home yesterday that featured over fourteen hours of food and drink and, as is customary on the Jewish holiday, elaborate costumes. Mr. Hikind said a professional makeup artist came to his home to transform him into a “basketball player” with a costume that consisted of an afro wig, sunglasses, an orange jersey and brown face paint.
By Henry Stewart
L Magazine
Who is Dov Hikind?
He's a democrat who has held his seat since being elected in 1982. He supported George W. Bush for president, has associations with a known terrorist group, and has courted controversy throughout his career for outlandish statements, actions and beliefs.
By Abby Zimet
Flouting accepted New York etiquette that says just ignore ranters, weirdos or wandering evangelicals until they go away, a gay man riding the subway confronted a so-called preacher yelling anti-gay bile at his captive audience, shouting him down with, "You are false." In a fine New York moment, his fellow-travelers erupted in applause.
Source URL: https://portside.org/2013-03-05/dispatches-culture-wars-special-report-hollywood-brooklyn | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1015 |
__label__wiki | 0.667445 | 0.667445 | Adelaide Sophia Hoodless, 1857-1910, Family Educator
Canadian Women
Date of Issue March 8, 1993
Series Canadian Women
Printer Ashton-Potter Limited.
Two centennials are being celebrated in 1993: the founding of the National Office of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), and of the National Council of Women of Canada (NCWC). It is also the 50th anniversary of the first federally appointed woman judge in Canada. Honouring these events, four stamps are being issued depicting outstanding Canadian women. One of the founders of the Victorian Order of Nurses, Adelaide Hoodless spent her life dedicated to the welfare of women and their families. The teaching of domestic science to all women was her goal. She pushed for schools to include domestic science, saying: "Educate a boy and you educate a man. But educate a girl and you educate a family." By the turn of the century, Ontario schools were teaching domestic science and college classes followed a few years later. She was instrumental in establishing the Hamilton chapter of the YWCA, but her ultimate achievement was a unified national organization dedicated to improving women's lives. The National YWCA was born December 7, 1893. After attending an International Council of Women meeting in Chicago, she returned determined to establish a similar body in Canada. Whit the support of Lady Aberdeen, the National Council of Women of Canada was formed.
Designed by Heather J. Cooper.
Canada Post Corporation. Canada's Stamps Details, No. 9, 1993, p. 13. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1016 |
__label__cc | 0.717672 | 0.282328 | The Neptune Story
The Millennium Collection, Canada's Cultural Fabric
Date of Issue February 17, 2000
Series The Millennium Collection, Canada's Cultural Fabric
Printer Ashton-Potter Canada Limited.
Pane of 4 Stamps
Quantity Produced - 1,000,000
Dimension: 108mm x 112mm
Official First Day Cover
Quantity Produced - Unknown
Cancellation Location: Ottawa ON
February's Millenium souvenir sheets continue the tribute to the wide range of Canadian people, events and institutions that have helped shape our nation. This third release - the second last in the series - presents such individuals as philosopher Northrop Frye and "Plouffe Family" author Roger Lemelin and celebrates the spirit and vision of Canadian philanthropy. Aboriginal contributions to peace, healing and sport are featured, as well as Canada's proud heritage in the theatre and popular literature.
Halifax is home to a cultural tradition that took root in the early 17th century, when the Neptune Theatre's predecessor, Le Théâtre de Neptune de la Nouvelle-France held its first performance at Port Royal, Nova Scotia.
Based on a photograph by James Steeves.
Canada Post Corporation, Canada's Stamp Details, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2000, p. 22-23. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1017 |
__label__wiki | 0.657639 | 0.657639 | Polio aid you in breathing, causing one’s death. Polio
Polio or Poliomyelitis is a very contagious disease that develops when a virus attacks the nervous system. The disease destroys nerve cells in the spinal cord and can lead to paralysis. Children of five years of age and younger are more likely to develop the virus than any other age group, but does not exempt older age groups from it. Poliomyelitis has been traced up to 6,000 years back, however, great measurements have been made in preventing the spread of it. As we know have access to the polio vaccine the disease has become very rare throughout most of the world. Polio can result in a wide range of symptoms depending on the patient. The symptoms in each case may vary, it can go from a nonparalytic-flu to paralysis in just a few hours. Non-paralytic and paralytic polio have different symptoms. Non-paralytic are flu-like and can last up to ten days. The symptoms include fever, a sore throat, headache, vomiting, fatigue, and even meningitis. Even without symptoms those infected can still spread the virus. Paralytic polio on the other hand, only has a one percent chance of developing. This polio leads to paralysis in the brainstem and/or the spinal cord. Paralytic polio is similar to non-paralytic in the first week, but later develops into more severe and serious symptoms. They include the loss of reflexes, deformed limbs, temporary or permanent sudden paralysis, and loose floppy limbs. Although the percent to develop is less than one percent, it is still very deadly and can attack the muscles that aid you in breathing, causing one’s death. Polio can return fifteen to forty years after someone has recovered. Post-polio syndrome symptoms include muscle and joint weakness, worsening muscle pain, fatigue, and trouble breathing. In addition to those symptoms, you can also experience low tolerance of cold climate, depression, and trouble with concentration and memory. Between twenty to fifty percent of polio survivors will eventually get post-polio syndrome. This disorder can be treated through management strategies that help reduce fatigue and pain. Of course, these problems can now be avoided with the polio vaccine. Dr. Jonas Salk, an American medical researcher, announced the success of a vaccine against poliomyelitis on March 26, 1953. At the time, polio was going through an epidemic with 3,000 deaths and 58,000 new cases in the United States alone. The number of cases would only lower from that day on. Dr. Salk was praised as the doctor-benefactor of his time for ensuring the eradication of the disease.Dr. Jonas Salk was born in 1914 in New York City, where he eventually attended a university. His first research conducted on viruses was in the 1930s during World War II. Salk, who was a medical student at the time, helped develop flu vaccines. In the late 1940s he was appointed head of a University of Pittsburgh research laboratory. A few years later he was awarded a grant to conduct research on the poliomyelitis virus and possibly develop a vaccine. His first attempt was proven unsuccessful in the 1930s by American Maurice Brodie. Salk’s procedure was to kill strains of poliovirus and inject the benign or harmless viruses into the person’s bloodstream after. The patient’s immune system was meant to create antibodies who would resist future exposure to the poliovirus. His first human trials were conducted on former polio patients, his family, and himself. By 1953 his findings had been announced on the CBS national radio network and in a published article in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Clinical trials began on nearly two million U.S. schoolchildren in 1954. The next year, the effectiveness of the vaccine was announced and was confirmed safe. An inoculation campaign was then started, helping polio cases drop to under 6,000 in 1957. Five years later an oral vaccine was developed by Albert Sabin, a polish researcher. In present day U.S. there are only a handful of cases per year and most are brought by Americans from nations where polio is still an issue. Due to his great work, Jonas Salk was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. As I mentioned above, the number of polio cases began to diminish since Salk created the vaccine. However, the disease has not been wiped out entirely. Although the world is close to wiping out poliomyelitis, there are a few countries who threaten to undo it all. Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria are the only countries who are still endemic in polio. Nigeria is critical to the worldwide effort in terminating the poliovirus. The country has been accountable for cases worldwide. The 25-year-and-counting effort to eliminate polio from the world is very crucial. If a single child remains infected, children in any country is at risk of catching poliomyelitis. Failure in eradicating this disease could result in more than 200,00 cases per year worldwide. Muhammad Ali Pate is one who has made a tremendous effort to drive polio away from Nigeria. He is convinced that the virus can be eliminated in the next few years. Although he has resigned from his position in Cabinet, he is continuing his fight against poliomyelitis as chairman of the influential Presidential Task Force on Polio Eradication. Pate has built a strong program in which the country can continue its success. Although it is the only country in the world with all three types of polio present and is known for reinfecting the world with it, the number of cases does seem to decrease.
Pertussis 2-3 weeks, the frequency and intensity of cough
Schizophrenia Delusions · Delusions of persecution: Believing that someone
In defined in the WEF Global Competitiveness Report (2016).
Term and agricultural sectors. The price of fresh water
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__label__cc | 0.589004 | 0.410996 | Interview: Rev. Jean "Drum" Pagano, Role of the Archdruid and ADF Study Programs
M: Thank you very much for joining me for this interview. I really appreciate your time.
J: You're welcome.
M: Can you describe the role of the Archdruid in ADF?
J: The role of Archdruid (AD) in ADF is several-fold. First of all, the AD is the administrative head of the org. I'm the Chairman of the Board, so to speak. I'm the Chairman of the Mother Grove, which is our Board of Directors. As such, we hold several meetings a year, and I usually run those meetings. I do have the ability to name people to various positions, one of which is the ADF Preceptor, who is in charge of the overall study programs, which is relevant to this discussion, and also the Clergy Council Preceptor, since I am the Head of the Clergy Council. I am also the Spiritual Head of the Organization. I say that with a little bit of caution, I mean I take that very seriously and I do my best with that.
M: You have had a lot of focus on the spiritual health of ADF for quite some time.
J: I've tried.
M: As someone who has known you for quite a while, I have seen that echoed in the work you have done. Thank you for your service in that.
J: No, thank you for saying that.
M: How would you describe the program development process in ADF?
J: Well, that's an interesting question. Much of the program development process was in place when I got here. There was a theory behind the process originally, and I don't know how much detail you want. We started with, as far as clerical studies go, we started with "The Super Druid" program, a monumental program of 17 different categories which were anywhere from counseling to cooking.
M: Wow, 17. I didn't realize it was that big
J: I think it was 17, and you were able to originally clap out of them if you could demonstrate skill.
M: Like testing out of it?
J: Yes. So, the Super Druid program went away. It was a very difficult process, and there were challenges with the Preceptor. Because at the time, since we didn't really have rigid--I don't want to say rigid standards--we didn't really have formalized processes. It all fell on the Preceptor who got very busy, and I think got behind. And I am characterizing this from distant memory.
Then, there was the Dedicant Program, which is our entry-level program, that came into being along with the Clergy Training Program and Guild study programs. The idea behind some of these--there was a design behind them in that as you moved through the Clergy Training Program you were also filling courses in other disciplines. So, if you did courses in the Clergy Training Program, they counted in an equal level in the Liturgists program. To finish the first circle in the Clergy Training Program, you were almost finished with the first circle of the Liturgists Guild program. And this was the case for many of the programs, liturgists program, seers program, naturalists program, where there were four foundational courses in each that, once you accomplished those, the beauty of it was you already had a foothold in the program, and then there were more specialized programs.
That has changed over time, that kind-of unified structure has since diminished somewhat. What has happened since then is that the development process has focused less on the whole and more on individual needs, the needs of individual training programs. I'll give you a couple of examples.
M: Thank you.
J: In ADF, we have Guilds, Kins, and Special Interest Groups or SIGs. The Guilds were the groups that had training programs. While not all Guilds had them, the intent was that they would. This year, the Norse Kin for the first time has their own study program, which has been approved and is really cool. So, that was developed because there was a perceived need to set up a study program. I don't think we really looked to the greater whole, and said, "How's this going to fit into things?" It's like, "This is off on its own, and we're going to do this program."
We really are rather decentralized in that, and we give rather broad autonomy to groups that are going to set up study programs. The one requirement is that they are under the auspices of the ADF Preceptor. And the ADF Preceptor also deals with the Council of Lore.
The Council of Lore is made up of two groups. The one group is the Chiefs of the small groups who debate the topics that come up, and the other is the Preceptors of the Guilds who vote. Now, the Preceptor of the Norse Kin, if I understand it correctly, will also have the ability to vote on the Council of Lore, so we are kind of broadening that field.
So, we also recently started an Initiates Program. Well, the Initiate Program was already in place, but it has been decoupled from the Clergy Council to its own council by an act of the Mother Grove, and they are designing their own [revised] study program that somewhat mirrors the previous program, but has some differences.
One of the challenges that we have is that there seems to be a desire to take existing courses, and I'll use an example, "Magic 1," which is part of the old Clergy Training Program, that was replaced with "Magic 1 for Priests." So, Magic 1 still exists in the Initiate Program, Magic 1 for Priests exists in the Clergy Program, and now there is talk of Magic 1 in the Initiate Program. I think that the ADF Preceptor would like to see a more unified vision so that we all have the same course but currently, that is something that is being worked on, because we do give autonomy to the groups. We really allow them to do more of what they want to do.
So, to get back to the original question of which I have gone off on a tangent--
M: No, this is great! Thank you!
J: We really try to have a unified approach to this thing, but currently, it is very much decentralized and decoupled. Whether we are able to return that unified vision is questionable just because I think of the decentralized nature of the study programs. Recently, the Magicians Guild revamped their study program, and it was done without thought to a centralized vision, since there probably isn't a centralized vision, but the way that program was developed was really by a group of officers with minimal input. They developed this and then they presented it to the membership of that group--which is how it is usually done. I'm not saying they did this wrong. I am proposing a third circle for the Naturalist Guild, and I asked the guy who I worked with on the second circle to put this together and present it. So, we try to keep the standards of the training program in mind and for example with the Naturalists Guild, we are going to create Nature Awareness 3, which is a course that doesn't currently exist, but we want to follow the lead of the other ones. So, we try to keep an eye on history and protocol and precedence, but that's not always the case.
M: So, much like the religion itself, the development of study programs is very orthopraxic, and it has to do with modeling a different structure within each one to the best of their ability with certain autonomies for each group.
J: Right. That's actually a very nice way of putting it. It's about the practice. The Magicians are going to do this, the Seers are going to do that, and they may not be the same thing. I think there are still some core programs that are the same. It used to be that when you finished the first circle of the CTP, you had almost finished the first circle of the IP.
M: At one time, that was also the Generalists Program.
J: The Generalists Program, right.
There was a beauty there, and that has kind of gotten decoupled, but you know, we evolve and we change. Honestly, and I don't know if the Preceptor would agree with me, but I would rather that we grow more organically in those programs than have to try to fit into a centralized, rigid structure. We are all working for the same good and working toward the same thing.
M: What role do you think the Mother Grove plays in this?
J: The Mother Grove role is when new programs are brought up, they are the ones that say, "Yes, let's do it. We approve of this program." And that is kind of a weird thing, because it's evolved in several different ways. Most recently with the Initiate Program, and I'm pretty sure that the vote on the IP to decouple it from the CTP was unanimous, we said, "Okay, here is an existing program. We are now going to move it out from under the auspices of the Clergy Council, create their own Initiates Council, and they can do their thing." And so the MG says, "Yes." So that was kind of the MG saying we agree that this piece is now on it's own.
M: And then, once they develop new study program materials, those will then get vetted by the Council of Lore. The Mother Grove approves the body, and the Council of Lore approves the content.
J: That is correct. The other example is the recent leadership program that was brought the MG four years ago by a couple members who said, "We think there should be a leadership program."` We brought it to the MG and said, "What do you think?" and the MG said, "okay." We basically presented the MG a structure, because this was something brand new, and so the structure was "these" are what the courses are going to be. Then, once those courses were actually built, the MG sent them on to the CoL for approval. So that's where that is. It's actually going to the CoL, and they will vote on it. So, we'll see what happens.
M: I am secretly (and not-quite-so-secretly) very excited about the leadership training program.
J: I am, too. It's really, really hard.
M: Good; leadership is hard.
J: You have to have the DP done. It is not a two-month program; it's a two-year program. I'm anxious to start it, because I was part of the development process. So, I encourage you, if you are interested, to do the work, and maybe become a reviewer, because at first, who's going to do it?
M: *raises hand* Me! I will!
J: Yeah, we'll do it! And then we can review, so that will be helpful for both of us.
M: I'm very much looking forward to it. I've heard great things about it. I haven't seen any of the drafts, but I think it's a fantastic move in my not-so-humble opinion for the organization as a whole.
J: There were a couple members who really took a leadership role in this. Jeremy Baer, who is currently not with the organization, and Chris W(:. They really did a lot of work up front.
M: So, what other positions are important to developing programs? You already mentioned the Council of Lore. Did you want to expound upon that a little?
J: The CoL are, to use a common parlance, stakeholders in the education process, both the Chiefs of the Guilds and the Preceptors, the head of the subgroup and the preceptor who is in charge of the education. They're instrumental, because they vet the program. They say yes, this is good, this is not good, what about this, what about that....and I'm seen some good things come out of the CoL. I think we have some talented people in there.
I think that the ADF Preceptor is also an important part of that, because they kind of in a way present the new program. I don't know that I would say they defend the new program, but they present it. I don't think the ADF Preceptor has a stake one way or another in that. I don't think the ADF Preceptor even has a vote on the CoL.
M: I think they run the elections and serve as more of a facilitator (I'm on the CoL) where they kind of do what you do on the MG. They hold that space for the conversations to happen, make sure it's directed back toward the focus if it drifts, and then run the vote at the end of the discussion.
J: Right. So they do that. The CoL is the functional group there. Then, underneath that, it's really the subgroups themselves. They're the ones who come up with the ideas, and they are the vehicle for the creation of the program. Whereas the CoL is the deciding body, and the subgroup is the vehicle, it is really the members within the subgroups that are the seed for those ideas.
I would say that it is never the case, at least in the modern day, that the MG would say, "we need this program, and so we are going to do this." While we could, I think that in the common day, most of it comes externally to the MG.
M: So, it's very "bottom-up?"
J: It's bottom-up.
M: The folk who belong to the subgroup decide they want a program and work on creating it, the MG says yes that's fine, and then they send it to the CoL to review the content.
J: Actually, for the Norse Kin, I don't think the MG was involved at all. I think that was totally though the Preceptor and the CoL. And that was something new: first kin with a study program. With all the things we offer, we try to give autonomy to the groups beneath us.
M: Excellent. What ideas do you have for evaluating these programs? Now that they are in place, what types of things would you like to see or what ideas do you have to help us ensure they are actually meeting the goals they promised?
J: That is a very good question, and something that I have given some thought to. I think that the evaluation process has to be somewhat statistical and somewhat evaluative. I think that it is important to say, from a number-crunching perspective, how many people finish the program. And while that is not the driving force behind it, I think that it's an interesting way of evaluating things, because if you have an old program that you revamp, and the number of people that are created from the changes hasn't changed, then I think that tells us something, and I'm not quite sure what it does tell us. But, I think that's important. I think it's also important for students to review the course and to review their reviewers. We have good reviewers, and we have reviewers that are learning. And I think the way we do that is we evaluate it. What's interesting is that when someone submits something through our tracking mechanism (SPTracker), they have the ability to take a survey. What do you think of the course, does this help your Druidry, does it not? They may or may not be the best questions, and I don't know how much that is looked at. I know that in the past when I've said, "This course was the worst course I've ever taken," that the Preceptor at the time got back to me and asked why.
M: Oh. I've done that a couple times and no one has contacted me, just for clarity.
J: Oh, okay. That's too bad, because we should be looking at that. Let me know if that has happened and you haven't gotten a response. Because I...not all of the...our websites have gone through some transitions, and so some of the things don't go where they used to go. So, let me know, because if the website isn't working, we'll fix it. If you're not getting a response and you should be, we'll fix that, too.
J: The course is reviewed as you submit it. It asks if you need more resources or less...
M: And for some of those, the answer is always going to be, yes, because some of those are very broad questions. Like, your exist standard is to research a thing. There are so many different sources you could choose from that there is no way we could list them all.
J: Right, and I think necessarily the answer has to be yes. I wouldn't expect anyone to do a brain dump in a course without looking externally.
But I think that we have to review the reviewers. And we do that on a non-formalized basis. I do get feedback from people who say, this reviewer is just amazing. Or this reviewer is awful. If we have reviewers that aren't the best, they get less course work than they have.
M: Have we considered providing training to reviewers?
J: We have done some remedial work with some reviewers. We've offered it to them.
M: Oh, good. I must be doing all right then. *laughs*
J: *laughs* I've never heard a complaint about you.
But I know in some instances we've said, "hey, person A, we looked at these things, and would you be interested in corrected this?" I don't think there is a formalized methodology for that, but I think it's more of an impromptu or ad hoc process for helping people out. Also, if we think people are overworked or having other issues, we try to lessen the workload. It's not like our reviewers are really, really busy, but the way some of them--for example, the CTP, it's very mechanical the way they are assigned. The person who designed it is an engineer, and it is an engineering work.
M: So, I actually have a, this is kind of a tangential question, and I may or may not include this later, but I am interested in your thoughts on this. This has come up for me as I've been watching some of the changes. We've made some really good changes and some improvements to bring standardization (which I want to applaud you and Carrion for doing that, because that's been desperately needed). My concern has been that now that the first circle priests aren't really reviewing anything, by the time they finish the second circle, they haven't reviewed anything for a very long time. So I'm wondering if there is some other way to incorporate them? Just as food for thought, to incorporate a reviewing practice for them, because all of a sudden, once they hit second circle, now that have to go back and look at stuff they haven't seen sometimes in two years or longer.
J: Right. Well, we did that for a couple of reasons. The old rule was that you couldn’t review something that you haven't completed yourself.
M: I agree; it is a great rule.
J: And there was a time where the Preceptor and the Chief, or in this case the Archdruid, had to be the reviewers, because it fell to them. In many cases, the Preceptor had a hand in writing those courses, so they were intimately knowledgeable of that. You know, that's a good question, because I know that there is in the scholar's guild some stuff about reviewing. What it is now is that you always review at a level below you or where you are, if you are a third circle priest. So, first circle priest review pre-CTP people. Then, second circle priests review first circle and pre-CTP. You know, maybe we should...what currently happens is that because of the way this mechanism is in place, there is an opportunity for me, as a third circle priest, to review pre-CTP work. Maybe that's not such a good idea. Maybe that's something that should fall to a first circle priest.
M: Just some thoughts. As I was doing my other work, it's one of the things that came up. We have a whole set of people who finished the first circle of the CTP, which is a lot of work. It's a huge accomplishment at the end of which is your first ordination, and then they don't review or do anything unless there is a pre-CTP student coming up OR they've finished the second circle. I personally haven't reviewed a course in probably close to a year.
J: Wow.
M: You know, and I'm wondering if there is a different way to make sure--it's not because I think we should have more work. If we're going to all of a sudden at second circle require them to review things, and they haven't reviewed anything in over a year, since we don't have reviewer training in place, it might help us more if the people interested in reviewing have other things to do throughout that time. Even if we just say, "hey, it's been six months. I need you to review this course." And send them a pre-reviewed course to do to keep that skillset up for them.
J: That's what I was going to say. My suggestion was going to be maybe we can go back in the archives and take the names of a course, send it out and say, what do you think? Because I know that when Fox became CC Preceptor, he actually reviewed every course ever submitted. It took weeks to do it.
M: That's why he is the Super Druid. *laughs*
J: *laughs* That's why he's Super Druid, exactly! I mean, he reviewed everything. Not just the current era--everything. So, I like that idea. I like the idea of re-reviewing some courses, and maybe that's something....let me think about that and see how we can manage that, because it would be good to have people say, I re-reviewed this course, and this is what I see and then have a discussion with the Preceptor or somebody. That's a great idea.
M: Thank you. Since I had you in front of me, I wanted to share. I said to myself, "I get to talk to him for a minute!"
J: No, I'm learning, too, and I rely heavily on my CC Preceptor to do some of this stuff, and that's not something we thought about. OR excluding higher-level priests from reviewing introductory/pre-CTP work. Maybe the first circle priests should be the ones reviewing all the pre-CTP work, because really, you've come from it more recently than we have. A lot more recently. So, good idea. Thank you.
M: You're welcome. If you could implement one change, what would it be?
J: Implement one change....
M: This is actually my favorite question. *laughs*
J: Okay, let me think about that for a second.
(Sue in the background, "And it can't relate to Trump."
J: It will not relate to Trump, I guarantee you.
M: If we had that power, we would be having a different conversation right now.
J: Yes, that's true.)
J: If I could implement one change....I think that Reviewing the Reviewers is really an important thing, and I think that the other thing that would be interesting to talk about, and you brought this point up, is reviewing the resources that we recommend to others. Some of them are out of date.
M: And they were great at the time.
J: Right. But people like you who are involved in academia now have the ability to say, "this is the latest and the greatest." You know, at one time, we could have said that The White Goddess was a great resource.
Both: And at the time it was!
J: It was fantastic, but now, it's not so good. It would be nice if we could have....I don't want to say a Board of Regents, have some people who at least say, "look, I've just gone through these books, and I think this is a really good book to add as a resource."
M: It might be useful to hand that to the CoL as the people who are managing the study programs and have them ask the subgroups for a list of the sources for their study programs, and if there is anything more than 10 years old, send it back to them and ask them to at least look for an updated source. If the one listed is the definitive text, then so be it, but we will know that. Just put this to the people who are running the individual programs to maintain that bottom-up structure and not put it all on one person.
J: I like it. No, I like that idea, so when you send me a copy of this, if that's incorporated in there, then I will definitely have it.
M: *laughs*
J: Because that makes sense to me. So, those are two things. The other thing that I think would be helpful--and this is really not prophecy, but pre-announcement--would be Deputy Preceptors. They would really be helpful for the ADF Preceptor, and we already have that in the DP world. The announcement is on the tip of someone's tongue now. So, we have Deputy Preceptor or Preceptors coming. And they can handle some of the stuff. The reporting process for the ADF Preceptor is pretty large.
M: Yes, it is quite an undertaking! I've read a lot of the previous reports from many different areas in the course of my studies, and the Preceptor is a very large role.
J: You know, the Preceptor has to wait for all the other reports to come in before they can file theirs, and sometimes when the subgroup Chiefs are late, the Preceptor report says, "I wrote to this person and am still waiting for this report." It's like a 75-piece jigsaw puzzle with only 60 pieces on the board sometimes.
So, I think additional help is important, and those are my three topics. If I had a magic wand, and I could wave it, I would have more people involved in the study programs. I tried in my own way to take those programs myself and finish them so that someone would say, "Oh wow. Someone finished that program. Maybe I can do it, too." Some were more difficult than others. You know, I'm not much of a warrior-type of a guy, and that program has been hard for me. I'm also not a drinker, but I did finish the first circle of the Brewer's Guild program, which was very enlightening. I think it broadens us to do things we haven't done.
M: I agree. It's actually been inspiring for me to watch you finish a lot of these programs and see that you can do it. So, it has been working! I don't know if that's been recognized by other people, but I would imagine there are people like me who have noticed your work and been moved to do more as a result. You're idea to say, "we can do this" has a lot of potential to be useful.
J: Thank you. I try to lead by example. I used to have more time than I do now to finish those programs. It was something I thrived on. I'm kind of a geek, and I would go home and that's what I would do. Study programs.
M: I did, too, until I started my Masters.
J: I'm sure! I would like to go back to school, too, but right now, my time is tapped.
M: We certainly appreciate your gift of time.
J: I have two full-time jobs. One is ADF, and one is work.
M: Final question: If you could preserve something, what would it be?
J: I'm going to give you two answers. The first answer is the Super Druid program. I would really like to see the Super Druid program become the fourth circle of the clergy training program, because you know what? I think our third circle priests would maybe like something else to do. I would like to take some of those courses. Some of them were monsters. I remember Fox talking about the counseling one where he had to provide pastoral counseling for someone and get counseling himself as part of it. Wow! That's a big one! That's bigger than the cooking requirement. I'd like to preserve the Super Druid program not only as a historical resource, but as a living process for continuing education.
The organization has changed in terms of education, but I think that as a Capricorn and maybe as a person who has been in the organization for a long time, that there is some value in those older things. That's the first one.
I wish there was a way to get more people into the programs. I want to preserve what we've done so far, and if it would be possible, more resources that say, look, for Missy Ashton or Jean Pagano, here is the work that they did in these programs. We could have excerpts from them on the website. For example, we would have Missy's Magic 1, questions 1, 4, and 7. Because, there are people out there like Kirk Thomas and MJD who have copies of theirs available.
M: Crystal, Robb....
J: Yes. And when I get stuck on a question, I can go and see what they did to help me.
M: I go to their work often, because I like to look at what sources they used to and then go back to that resource directly. Most of the time, they are books that I already have, and this is useful for me to unlock my writer's block on a question.
J: Exactly.
M: I actually find it to be a great resource.
J: I think that is helpful as well. And the idea behind not printing everything is that, I mean I trust our members, but there may be someone who will try to use someone else's work wholesale, and you can't police all of that.
I think that it would be nice to have. Sometimes, it is not a resource issue. It may be a matter of "what are they asking for here?" I think people have gotten better on the delivering end of asking what the questions mean.
M: General Bardic Studies, genres and styles are the same thing. Actually, no they're not.
J: Exactly! No, it's not the same thing. SO it's hard. I think if we had those resources there...
We are working on revamping the website. That's coming. Hopefully, in our lifetimes. I think it's coming sooner than that, but hopefully, we will organize things a little bit differently.
I think preserving the work that has been done and preserving the programs we've had in the past are important. There are occasionally times when people come to us and say, "I was an ADF member in 1999, and I did my DP and turned it in. Do you still have it?"
M: Wow.
J: And, that would be nice to have. We have a recent example of a former member who said, "I did my DP and my computer crashed and I lost it. Do you have a copy?" I think it would be nice for us to do this and in many cases, we can. But when people are no longer members, I don't know what happens to those documents. I hope we keep them.
M: Minus the ones we lost in the fire.
J: Yes, exactly. So, those are my hopes. That's my wishlist.
M: Do you have any final statements you would like to speak on?
J: I really appreciate the time to talk about this, because I really don't think about this as a whole very often. I think about the pieces, and usually just the pieces that bubble to the surface. So, you've given me some things to think about today and some things to do.
J: I appreciate that, and your input is always important to me. Thank you for taking the time.
M: Thank you very much.
J: My pleasure.
Interview: Rev. Jean "Drum" Pagano, Role of the Ar... | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1022 |
__label__wiki | 0.812382 | 0.812382 | New BBG Chairman Cites Threats Against RFE/RL Journalists
In the first meeting featuring three new members of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), Jeff Shell, the Board's new Chairman, addressed the importance of the mission of US international media, and paid special tribute to the reporters who face danger on a daily basis.
Shell made special mention of Khadija Ismayilova, an investigative journalist with RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, who has been subject to a sustained and escalating campaign of defamation and intimidation since March 2012, following her reporting on the Azeri ruling family's financial holdings.
Shell also referred to a menacing letter received by RFE/RL's Georgian service earlier this month in which a "representative of the President of Abkhazia," a breakaway region of Georgia, called RFE/RL a "propagandist information service" and pledged to "to take certain measures" against its operations there. RFE/RL has interpreted this phrase as a threat against its stringers in the region.
Shell reminded colleagues that it was one year since Alhurra TV's reporter Bashar Fahmi went missing while on assignment in Syria. Fahmi disappeared while covering a firefight in Aleppo that took the life of another journalist and resulted in the capture of cameraman Cüneyt Ünal, who was later released.
In other incidents that were mentioned, VOA reporters Elizabeth Arrott and Japhet Weeks were pulled from their car, roughed up and detained by police while reporting on the crackdown on pro-Morsi demonstrators in Cairo. The Board remembered Simon Wade Kasmiro, a reporter working on VOA's South Sudan in Focus radio show, who was killed in a traffic accident on August 5, 2013. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1023 |
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Have we talked about this SpaceX video yet?
Mike McAlister on January 13, 2020
Space Exploration Technologies Corp., doing business as SpaceX, is a private American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. SpaceX has since developed the Falcon launch vehicle family and the Dragon spacecraft family, which both currently deliver payloads into Earth orbit.
SpaceX’s achievements include the first privately funded liquid-propellant rocket to reach orbit (Falcon 1 in 2008), the first privately funded company to successfully launch, orbit, and recover a spacecraft (Dragon in 2010), the first private company to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station (Dragon in 2012), the first propulsive landing for an orbital rocket (Falcon 9 in 2015), the first reuse of an orbital rocket (Falcon 9 in 2017), and the first privately funded space agency to launch an object into solar orbit (Falcon Heavy’s payload of a Tesla Roadster in 2018). SpaceX has flown ten missions to the International Space Station (ISS) under a cargo resupply contract. NASA also awarded SpaceX a further development contract in 2011 to develop and demonstrate a human-rated Dragon, which would be used to transport astronauts to the ISS and return them safely to Earth.
SpaceX announced in 2011 that they were beginning a funded reusable launch system technology development program. In December 2015, a first stage was flown back to a landing pad near the launch site, where it successfully accomplished a propulsive vertical landing.
Posted by Mike McAlister
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__label__wiki | 0.823556 | 0.823556 | Stop Using Down Syndrome as Anti-Choice Propaganda
Right-wing activists hope that photos of kids with Down syndrome will keep Ireland from legalizing abortion.
David M. Perry
Anti-abortion activists demonstrate outside the the Supreme Court in central London on October 24th, 2017, where a case on the abortion regime in Northern Ireland was being heard. Abortion in Northern Ireland is illegal in all cases except when the life of the mother is in danger.
(Photo: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images)
Since the Eighth Amendment of the Irish Constitution was signed in 1983, granting equal legal rights to fetuses and pregnant women, it has functioned as a total ban on legal abortion. Next May, Ireland will hold a referendum over whether to repeal the amendment, and current polling suggests that pro-repeal will carry the day. The Irish people will also vote on whether to endorse a new law legalizing abortion within the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy, which Parliament would then pass following a successful referendum. Just getting a vote officially set has taken years of work by numerous campaigners, organizations, and politicians. Now, as the date for the vote looms on the calendar, the anti-abortion movement in Ireland has fixated on a new symbol for its campaign against reproductive rights: cute kids with Down syndrome.
Over the past few weeks, two anti-repeal groups have launched new campaigns and produced posters featuring images of children with Down syndrome. The ads play on a combination of legitimately disturbing data about abortion rates following a prenatal diagnosis and the relatively positive feelings that voters hold about people with Down syndrome themselves. What's disingenuous is the way the campaigns suggest that the current total ban on abortion is all that's keeping Ireland from eradicating Down syndrome. That's not true on the facts, but the campaigns demonstrate the perceived iconographic power of using disabled children as symbols for anti-choice political campaigns. Meanwhile, the whole conversation about Down syndrome in both Ireland and the United States too often gets stuck on prenatal issues, a fixation that does little to change the status quo for anyone living with disabilities, now or in the future.
DOWN SYNDROME AND THE STORIES WE TELL: My non-verbal son's reactions to stories and films tell me he's competent in ways he can't yet express—and I can't yet fully understand.
Adorable pictures of kids are a standard part of anti-choice propaganda. The messaging around Down syndrome and Ireland's Eighth Amendment, though, offers something a little more pointed. The groups trying to prevent the repeal of the Eighth Amendment are arguing that the constitutional ban is all that's been keeping Irish kids with Down syndrome alive. The group's banner shows an eight-year-old boy with Down syndrome under the words, "In Britain, 90 percent of babies with Down syndrome are aborted, don't let that happen here." Another group, "Love Both," is making a similar argument on a flyer with a picture that features a young girl with Down syndrome, also citing the 90 percent number.
The 90 percent number is misleading because it only counts people who choose to be screened. In Holland, according to Irish Times columnist Fintan O'Toole, only 35 percent of pregnant people choose the screening. Still, the termination rates following a prenatal diagnosis are definitely evidence of widespread ableism, and we need to talk about that. I don't think bans on abortions following such diagnoses help things, but rather intensify silence and stigma. I've argued for Pacific Standard that the pathway to a more inclusive future, one in which expectant parents don't react to the words "Down syndrome" with so much fear, requires more conversation plus less criminalization of abortion. We're also going to have to present potential parents with a better story about what happens after birth, if we want them to choose life. That's a hard case to make in the U.S. in this year when attacks on disability services and health care have spread across the nation. In Ireland, the local political specifics vary, but the broader issue of locating the debates on Down syndrome firmly in the prenatal means that we're just not talking about what happens after birth.
Writing in the Irish online publication The Journal, Darach Ó Séaghdha, the father of a toddler with Down syndrome, takes issue with the "Love Both" flyer. He's tired of seeing faces of children with Down syndrome in anti-abortion propaganda and almost nowhere else. "She's more likely to see a girl like her in such propaganda than she is to see a girl like her in a TV show or even working in a shop," he writes. Meanwhile, he’d like to see these groups put similar efforts into expanding postnatal services. Abortion politics, he argues, has nothing to do with "the availability of speech and language services, the right to marry or take a driving test, the provision of jobs and housing for adults with disabilities, or the hiring of enough special-needs assistants in schools."
An ad by the Irish anti-choice group Love Both.
(Photo: Love Both)
Fiona Whelan, an Irish academic living in England and planning (she tells me over email) to travel back to vote in the referendum, is worried about the impact these campaigns will have on people with Down syndrome and related conditions and their families. On Twitter, Whelan writes: "I am worried about the emotional trauma that this will cause for families of children with disabilities ... families such as mine." She argues that people with disabilities should, of course, be part of the abortion debate because all people have the right to an opinion and choice. Making toddlers into literal poster children, though, is not promoting more inclusive debate. Like Ó Séaghdha, Whelan would like to see a lot more discussion about postnatal issues. She notes that everyone should be able to afford to have a child with a disability and not to worry whether that child will have access to help, support, education, and all the opportunities that so many others take for granted. But Ireland has a long way to go, as does the U.S.
Irish women are already having abortions, either illicitly or by leaving the country. As O'Toole notes in his column, the British abortion system is the de facto Irish abortion system. When abortion is criminalized, all it does is stop safe, legal, local access.
Meanwhile, back in the U.S., sources at reproductive rights organizations tell me on background that Idaho and Pennsylvania will be the next states to launch bills banning abortions if the doctor is aware that the pregnant person is seeking one owing to a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. These are bills that functionally criminalize speech between the pregnant person and their doctor (so will likely be found unconstitutional by most courts, although there's never a sure bet). The Utah House just passed a similar bill this week. As the poster children get carried through the streets of Dublin, Philly, and Boise, real children's needs remain unmet and the difficult conversations get lost as the right-wing passes laws criminalizing speech.
Love BothDown SyndromeDisabilityAbortionIrelandReproductive Rights
David M. Perry is a former professor of history and a contributing writer at Pacific Standard's Ideas section on the topic of health-care access. He's currently senior academic adviser to the Department of History at the University of Minnesota.
People With Down Syndrome Are Not Endangered Animals
Cute, well-intentioned depictions of people with Down syndrome as charismatic megafauna literally dehumanize them.
Gerber's New Spokesbaby Has Down Syndrome. So What?
Commercial images of cute white babies with Down syndrome aren't revolutionary anymore.
How Ohio Is Using Down Syndrome to Criminalize Abortion
The Ohio legislature could criminalize women for having basic conversations with their doctors.
Your Disabled Child Is Not a Prop
Sarah Palin used pictures of her son Trig to demean liberals. She's not the only special needs parent to exploit images of her kids.
Battling Down Syndrome Memory Loss
A mouse model suggests a possible treatment for Alzheimer's-like dementia in aging Down syndrome patients.
Why I Won't Raise My Son in Illinois
Toxic state politics and entrenched big institutions means the state's a bad place to raise a child with Down syndrome. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1027 |
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13 contents match your search.
yopp.jpg
Year of Polar Prediction – from research to improved environmental safety
Polar, Cryosphere, Climate change, Climate services, Environment, Disaster risk reduction, Observations, Forecast, Meteorology
Publish Date: 15 May 2017
A concerted international campaign to improve predictions of weather, climate and ice conditions in the Arctic and Antarctic has been launched to minimize the environmental risks and maximize the opportunities associated with rapid climate change in polar regions and to close the current gaps in polar forecasting capacity. The Year of Polar Prediction takes place from mid-2017 to mid-2019 in order to cover an entire year in both the Arctic and Antarctic and involves the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) and a wide array of partners around the...
Cyclone_Nargis.png
Multi-Hazard Early Warning Conference: Saving Lives, Reducing Losses
Disaster risk reduction, Natural hazards, Disasters, Hurricanes
19 May 2017 - Climate change, associated extreme weather and demographic shifts means that record numbers of people are exposed to floods, heatwaves and other hazards. Improved early warning systems and more coordinated disaster risk reduction are therefore more important than ever before. To meet the growing challenges, an international conference will launch a concerted drive to improve warnings for an interlocking range of hazards and to translate these warnings into effective action on the ground.
GlobalPlatform.png
Global forum on disaster risk reduction takes place in Mexico
Disaster risk reduction, Disasters, Climate services, Climate change, Natural hazards
The top global forum on preventing and mitigating disaster impacts opened its biennial session on 23 May in the Mexican resort of Cancun with calls for more unified and concerted action against interlocking natural hazards that disrupt the lives of millions of people every year. Climate change, sea level rise, water stress, population growth and rapid urbanization have dramatically increased vulnerability levels. The impacts of natural disasters force an estimated 26 million people into poverty every year and roll back socio-economic development. Improved early warning systems and concerted...
UHM_building.jpg
Haiti’s meteorological and hydrological service opens new building
Disaster risk reduction, Disasters, Hurricanes, Environment, Meteorology
Haiti’s National Meteorological and Hydrological Service (UHM) has a new headquarters – an important milestone in the drive to improve weather forecasts and warnings, and build resilience to tropical cyclones, floods and other hazards. The new building was inaugurated at a high-level ceremony on 26 May. It is constructed to withstand earthquakes and hurricanes, enabling operations to continue during extreme events when services are most needed. Solar panels will power daily activities and will provide a back-up against electricity outages.
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Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems initiative expands
Climate change, Climate services, Disaster risk reduction, Partnership
Publish Date: 30 June 2017
A global initiative is gaining momentum to improve multi-hazard early warning systems and so boost the resilience of the most vulnerable countries to extreme weather and the impacts of climate change. The Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) initiative aims to mobilize more than US$100 million by 2020 to strengthen risk information and early warning systems in least developed countries and small island developing states.
CREWS - Climate Risk & Early Warning Systems Initiative
Video of CREWS - Climate Risk & Early Warning Systems Initiative
Improved early warning systems protect the most vulnerable
Disaster risk reduction, Climate change, Climate services, Capacity development, Partnership
Early results of Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems initiative presented at climate change conference Vulnerable communities in Africa and the Pacific and Caribbean are now benefiting from improved early warning systems against extreme weather as part of an international drive to boost resilience and climate change adaptation. But further investments are needed to reduce the risks from hazards like tropical cyclones, floods and drought.
Storm_nigeria_2017.jpg
WMO expands severe weather forecasting project in Africa
Weather, Forecast, Disaster risk reduction
Publish Date: 29 September 2017
WMO is to expand its acclaimed Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project to West Africa in a drive to provide reliable forecasts of hazardous weather in support of disaster risk reduction. Representatives of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) from nine countries in West Africa met in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, from 4 to 8 September to develop a draft implementation plan, thanks to seed funding from Korean Meteorological Administration (KMA).
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Mount Agung volcano erupts
Volcanic activity at Mount Agung in Bali, Indonesia, and potential risks to air transport from volcanic ash is being closely monitored by an international network including WMO. Indonesian authorities have been closely watching Mount Agung for weeks. On 27 November, Indonesia's National Board for Disaster Management raised the alert level to level 4 and urged people living within 10 km of the volcano to evacuate.
HRM_Training_Mozambique_2009.jpg
Voluntary Cooperation Programme Marks 50 Years
Publish Date: 21 December 2017
The World Meteorological Organization’s Voluntary Cooperation Programme (VCP), a demand-driven, small-grants programme, that supports National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in developing and least developed countries and small island developing states, is marking its 50 th anniversary.
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Himawari-8 satellite data addresses Asia-Pacific disaster risk
Data exchange, Natural hazards, Disaster risk reduction, Weather, Satellite
Thanks to the HimawariCast project led by WMO and the Japan Meteorological Agency, 14 countries in the Asia-Pacific can now access vital meteorological data from the Himawari-8 satellite. The project is sending teams to each of the countries to provide technical assistance for obtaining and using the data. As presented on the side lines of this week’s meeting of the WM Executive Council, the aim is to ensure that Himawari-8 data will continue to support improved preparedness in the face of natural hazards and disasters, which are occurring with increased frequency in the region. The Himawari-... | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1028 |
__label__cc | 0.705955 | 0.294045 | Capstone project examples business plans
Problems city causes people environment essay
Opinion essay writing help
Home free business presentation Introduction of teenage pregnancy
Introduction of teenage pregnancy
Head teachers and guidance and counseling teachers from these schools were also covered in the study.
Pie Chart 4. Share: Every year, 3. This means that a very high percentage of teen mothers will not even go on to graduate from high school let alone pursue post-secondary education [4]. That is because the Latino population is the least insured group in the Unites States [35] Young mothers who are given high-quality maternity care have significantly healthier babies than those who do not.
On the other hand, social programs for young mothers were introduced. Advice app helps teens tackle pregnancy A new smartphone app is helping combat teenage pregnancy in Timor Leste by providing teenagers with sexual and reproductive health information. These factors may be significant in determining how a schoolgirl reacts to pregnancy and whether she will resume her education after her child is born. According to The Encyclopedia of Women's Health, published in , there has been an increased effort to provide contraception to adolescents via family planning services and school-based health, such as HIV prevention education. Many pregnant teenagers do not have any cognition of the central facts of sexuality. Since many girls and few if any boys drop out of school because of pregnancies, policymakers could reduce existing gender gaps by addressing pregnancy-related dropouts Hyde ; Odaga and Heneveld ; Okojie The data analysis shows that girls in secondary schools are actually already sexually active though they lack the relevant information to help them make the right choices as far as their sexuality is concerned. Better living conditions and sufficient food supply, however, resulted not only in earlier sexual maturation but also in an increase in the rate of ovulatory cycles soon after menarche. Furthermore, these early adolescent girls were significantly shorter and lighter than all older age groups, even late adolescent mothers.
Teenage mothers generally do not have the resources to care for a child and often they are not able to sustain healthy habits throughout pregnancy to ensure they produce a healthy baby. Open communication and time spent with children is a protective factor against teen pregnancy also.
Teenage pregnancy essay
Beside school-based sex education programs, special outpatient departments for adolescents such as the so-called first love outpatient department in Vienna were implemented. Whether the child is being abused or witnessing domestic abuse, adolescents are being separated and disconnected from their families which might lead to poor decision making. The educational stakes are also very high for young parents in the developed countries whereas a high percentage of young mothers drop out of school, making early motherhood the number one reason for dropping out of school among young girls in these countries. By the 20th Century, teen pregnancy was the norm. This kind of reproductive behavior was socially desired and considered as normal [ 17 ]. It is important to note that most of the Kenyan young girls in this age bracket are still pursuing education in secondary schools and the pregnancies at this very age definitely interfere with their education efforts at that level. What constitutes statutory rape ultimately differs by jurisdiction see age of consent. Since not all adolescents are in school especially in developing countries, sex education programs have also to be implemented in clinics, community organizations, and youth-oriented community agencies. The goal of this study is to determine whether reduction in unintended teen pregnancy is a useful policy lever to improve school attendance by girls ensuring gender equity in school participation. These positive effects could be shown in the Viennese teenage pregnancy project.
A recent study from Austria showed clearly that the obstetric outcome of adolescent pregnancies has remained favorable over the last 18 years. The risk of maternal death for girls under age 15 in low and middle income countries is higher than for women in their twenties.
Introduction of teenage pregnancy thesis
The high rates of schoolgirl pregnancies suggest that these family life programs have their shortcomings and indicate that educational policies should be used not only to reduce the incidence of schoolgirl pregnancies but also to assist pregnant schoolgirls to complete their education. It is really a chicken-egg debate because it remains unclear if social disadvantage is the reason or the result of teenage motherhood [ 47 ]. If so, it is unknown if the drugs themselves directly influence teenagers to engage in riskier behavior, or whether teenagers who engage in drug use are more likely to engage in sex. Adverse health consequences and poor pregnancy outcome among teenage mothers seem not to be associated with low gynecological or chronological age of the mothers but with adverse life circumstances [ 4 , 45 ] because the highest proportions of teenage pregnancies occur in most socioeconomically disadvantaged subpopulations or in developing countries. During early adolescence, successful reproduction was and is rare. Furthermore, 9 years of education are mandatory in Austria. Policy on re-admission has been formulated but the extent to which it is applied is still a questionable issue. These young mothers are unable to fully develop a sense of self-identity because of their new role as an expecting mother. Although adolescent pregnancy and birth rates have been steadily decreasing, many adolescents still become pregnant. Therefore, the probability of pregnancies during teenage age increased worldwide during the second half of the twentieth century. In many cases, girls perceive pregnancy to be a better option than continuing their education. Among policy makers and even the media, pregnancy is increasingly being mentioned as a reason for premature school leaving in the region.
Low Socio-economic Status Teens who become pregnant often come from families of low socio-economic status. Teen mothers are more likely to drop out of high school. This is the case because there is no data on the number of girls who get pregnant while in school but only data on those who leave school because they are about to give birth Cynthia B.
Of those surveyed, almost half had been involved in unprotected sex within the previous three months.
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__label__wiki | 0.700259 | 0.700259 | Tips for writing character descriptions
Catherine Trieschmann
After a play’s title, character descriptions are the first thing a reader encounters, yet many playwrights don’t give them much time, attention, or thought. Commonly, they are treated as cast breakdowns; and while character descriptions influence cast breakdowns, they aren’t exactly the same thing. When your play is in manuscript form (distinct from, say, a published acting edition), character descriptions are an entryway into the unique world of your play. Taking a moment to consider the specific manner in which you want to welcome the reader into this world is important.
Like stage directions, trends in character descriptions have changed over time. From the loquacious descriptions of Tennessee Williams to the minimalist style of Samuel Beckett, there is no one correct way to fashion them. Nevertheless, there are a couple of choices that immediately signal to the reader that you are a writer in charge of your material.
There’s nothing wrong with providing sparse information in a character description. This encourages the reader to discover the characters on their own upon entering the play. Furthermore, someone who reads a ton of scripts may merely scan the character list anyway. You may include nothing but names, and in fact, if the names intrigue and the play has an abstract style, this may be the best choice.
Example A:
If the play is more realistic and the ethnic identity, gender, and age of the characters are pertinent, add these with as much specificity as you like. Also, it’s never a bad idea to include a tad of humor.
Example B:
YURI, male, 50s, white
GENEVIEVE, female, 30s, black
LION, a lion
Example C:
YURI, cisgender male, 50s, 2nd generation Russian American
GENEVIEVE, cisgender female, 30s, 1st generation Senegalese American
LION, genderqueer, Panthera leo
While these examples are brief and to the point, each subtly signifies different things. Example C indicates that the play will address specific issues of identity, while Example A suggests more abstract characterizations.
Whatever style you use, make sure you’re consistent with each character. If you’re including ethnicity, make sure to list it for every character. Whiteness is not an assumption; it’s a racial identity.
Thematic descriptions
Sometimes it’s effective to address the central theme of your play head-on through the character descriptions. This technique readies the reader for what is in-store and encourages them to read the text through that particular lens. For example, if I were writing a play about how finances and class affect relationships, I might write the character descriptions as follows:
YURI, male, 50s, Russian-American, has two hundred thousand in his retirement savings and five dollars in his checking account.
GENEVIEVE, female, 30s, Senegalese-American, has five million in her retirement account and fifty-thousand in her checking.
LION, penniless but happy
Here the reader has the financial history of each character in mind as the play begins. It will permeate the subtext of the play, which can be a powerful thing. If not used wisely, it can also undercut the play. If, for example, Genevieve having more money than Yuri is an important surprise in the play, don’t give it away in the character descriptions.
YURI, a man in middle age who will always pay for dinner even if he overdraws his account.
GENEVIEVE, a woman on the cusp of forty who wishes she spent her thirties eating, drinking, and praying instead of working as a mortgage lender.
LION, an animal who has no concept of money. He does, however, have a very strong concept of dinner.
What I like about this technique is that it encourages creativity in your descriptions. Readers always appreciate originality, and giving a character a pithy, thematic description often feels fresh.
Descriptions that introduce voice
Although extensive, paragraph-length character descriptions have largely gone out of style, occasionally I’ll read one that really jumps off the page. This happens when the playwright in question has strong prose that magnifies their particular voice. If your descriptions are long and workman-like, cut them to the essentials. The reader doesn’t need a character’s backstory to begin the play. If, however, you’re inclined to use character descriptions to quickly establish your confidence as a stylist, go for it. Just try not to be too indulgent. I’ll give you an example, and you can decide for yourself if I’m guilty.
A Russian American businessman who’s gone out of business three times.
The first time, he borrowed three hundred thousand dollars from his Uncle, a shady character, if ever there was, and opened a bakery, though he didn’t know flour from baking soda. He opened the bakery for the love of a woman, of course, a Czech woman who loved kolaches more than she loved Yuri’s Uncle—yes, the money-lending one. It ended badly, and now Yuri only has one eye.
Next he opened a food truck specializing in Borscht; he was a better cook than baker, but he had a hard time competing with the Thai food truck down the block, as Thai cuisine is superior to Russian cuisine in every way, especially Borscht. It didn’t help that Yuri abandoned his truck every day at the noon hour to queue at the Thai truck for a delicious heaping pile of Pad See Ew to which he became completely addicted and was made fat.
What? You want to know about the third business? Well, you’ll have to read the play for that, but suffice it to say, at the top of this play, Yuri has one glass eye, a corpulence to rival Louis XIV and in his possession, one last shot at the American Dream in the shape of a shoe shining stand at Midway airport in Chicago.
Catherine Trieschmann’s plays include Crooked, How the World Began, Hot Georgia Sunday, The Most Deserving, Holy Laughter, One House Over and OZ 2.5. They have been produced Off-Broadway at the Women’s Project Theater, in London at the Bush Theater and with Out-of-Joint at the Arcola Theatre, South Coast Repertory, the Denver Theater Center for Performing Arts, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Penguin Repertory Theater, Florida Stage, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, among others. She has received commissions from South Coast Repertory, Manhattan Theater Club, Denver Center for Performing Arts and Milwaukee Repertory Theater. She’s the recipient of the Weissberger Award, the Edgerton New Play prize and the Otis Guernsey New Voices Award from the Willian Inge Playwriting Festival. Her plays are published by Samuel French in the U.S. and Methuen in the U.K. Originally from Athens, GA, she currently lives in a small town in Western Kansas. You can read her popular column on “Parenting and Playwriting” at howlround.com/parenting-and-playwriting. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1031 |
__label__wiki | 0.858621 | 0.858621 | The fastest-ever
Formula 1® cars!
With less than three weeks to go before the world championship gets underway in Australia, Formula 1® in 2017 has already confirmed what we were all expecting: these are the fastest cars in the history of the sport
The numbers speak for themselves and the tone was already firmly set on the first of the four test days in Barcelona, from February 27 to March 2. Already on Monday 27, Lewis Hamilton took his Mercedes to a fastest time of 1m21.765s, while just behind him was the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel on a 1m21.878s. Lewis was on the soft tyres, Sebastian was on the mediums. But this still leaves a lot open to interpretation: the fuel load that each car was running at the time is key to understanding those numbers – which is a vital piece of information that the teams keep to themselves.
One thing was clear though. In 2016, at the end of the first day of pre-season Barcelona testing (so in identical conditions, with a little-used track over the winter leading to a dirty surface and minimal rubber to provide extra grip) Vettel was once more fastest, again using the medium tyres. But back then his benchmark time was 1m24.939s: so 3.1 seconds slower than his best with a first taste of the 2017 car and tyres. Casting further light on the progress made is the best time of all from the eight days of pre-season testing in Barcelona last year, again set by Ferrari but this time courtesy of Kimi Raikkonen: 1m22.765s. That came on the ultrasoft tyres, while Vettel’s best time on Monday this year was set on medium tyres.
So it was clear from the very first day that Formula 1® was going to set new records this year. The second day of running, on Tuesday, brought another improvement: Raikkonen and Ferrari heading the field thanks to a 1m20.960s on soft tyres. Wednesday witnessed the lap time that was set to become the fastest of the whole test: 1m19.705s, delivered by Valtteri Bottas for Mercedes on the ultrasoft tyres.
And there it's worth pausing, as that has written a small chapter of history: the fastest lap time ever run around the Circuit de Catalunya in its current configuration (with the chicane preceding the corner that leads onto the pit straight). Before that was built, the track featured a rapid downhill corner there instead, meaning the best lap times got down to around 1m14s.
The chicane that was installed in 2008 put a stop to all that. The following year, during Q2, Rubens Barrichello lapped his Brawn in 1m19.954s: a time destined to remain unbeaten until today. But those 2009 cars, powered by V8 engines that put out approximately the same 900 horsepower as today’s hybrid machines, weighed around 120-130 kilograms less than the current cars (excluding the weight of the driver). Considering that every 10 extra kilograms on an F1® car adds around 0.4s to a lap time, it’s easy to see the significance of the record set by Bottas and Mercedes at this first test.
So we’re heading towards a 2017 that will truly take place at full speed. The drivers have said so themselves: everyone from Hamilton to Vettel to Ricciardo to Alonso has pointed out that 2017 aerodynamics and Pirelli tyres that are 25% wider than a year ago have led to truly monstrous loadings through the corners. And with that extra downforce and speed, lateral loads – measured by g forces – are on average two higher than previous seasons. This year, the leap in performance comes through the corners. At the end of the famous Turn 3 in Barcelona, the climbing right-hander that follows the chicane after the pit straight, the cars were registering 30kph more than they were in the same place just a year ago. Thirty kilometres per hour: an enormous figure in Formula 1®. And we’re only just beginning: faced with such a significant rule change, we can expect the cars to improve by another second and a half per lap during the course of the season…
Stealing the show
The top 10 Formula One races of the past 30 years | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1033 |
__label__wiki | 0.578331 | 0.578331 | Counting the homeless 2006: New South Wales
Chamberlain, C, MacKenzie, D and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2009, Counting the homeless 2006: New South Wales, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra, Australia
Chamberlain, C
MacKenzie, D
Policy and Administration not elsewhere classified
In July 2009, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare published eight research monographs by Chamberlain and MacKenzie on homelessness in each state and territory. These monographs provided information on the age, sex, Indigenous identification and geographical distribution of homeless people in all States on Census night 2006. The New South Wales report is attached to illustrate the approach. The research was a cooperative venture between Professor Chris Chamberlain (RMIT University), Associate Professor David MacKenzie (Swinburne University), the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Chamberlain and Mackenzie undertook the analysis of the 2006 Census data. They also used information on people accessing the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) and data from the third National Census of Homeless School Students. The ABS and the AIHW provided extensive in kind support and technical assistance. The eight monographs provide essential information for all state and territory governments to assist them making policy decisions about the allocation of resources to reduce homelessness. The reports are used in all states and territories.
http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=6442465107 Find out more >>
Thu, 20 Dec 2012, 14:26:27 EST Thu, 20 Dec 2012, 14:32:32 EST Thu, 20 Dec 2012, 14:33:19 EST Thu, 20 Dec 2012, 14:36:04 EST Thu, 20 Dec 2012, 14:37:39 EST Thu, 20 Dec 2012, 14:38:49 EST Wed, 02 Jan 2013, 11:04:39 EST Filtered Full
Thu, 20 Dec 2012, 14:26:22 EST by Keely Chapman | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1035 |
__label__wiki | 0.863684 | 0.863684 | Shot while playing ukulele…
You might remember the former baseball star who shot his ex and her ukulele playing friend in 1929? Here are a few more ukulele players who found themselves on the wrong side of a gun.
In 1923, The New York Times reported that a girl playing ukulele in a boat on a river was hit by a bullet fired from the Pennsylvania shore by an unknown assailant.
In 1925, The New York Times reported the trial of Ms Marci who was accused of murdering a Mr Bagnana. It seems that they were playing ukulele and singing together, but they also had brought their guns along. Mr Bagnana appeared threatening, so Ms Marci shot first.
In 1928, The Chicago Tribune reported that a policeman shot a college student for playing ukulele. Daniel Wharton, 22, was shot — he says — while trying to replace a broken string on his ukulele. A policeman ordered him to stop and… The policeman said that it was in self-defence. The uke player was going to attack the officer. Daniel said the policeman hit him first.
on September 28, 2010 at 7:47 am Comments (1)
Tags: 1923, 1925, 1928, firearms, shooting, ukulele | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1040 |
__label__cc | 0.683128 | 0.316872 | Regional Community Development News – January 25, 2010 [regions_work]
A compilation of news links about and for regional communities pursuing local and regional development.
Top Regional Community stories … 1. – 9.
U.S. Regional Communities - sub-State, State or multi-State – news articles …10.01 - .18
Other Regional Community News for Our Local Planet … 11.01 - .15
Blogging about Regional Communities … 12.01 - .11
Announcements and Regional Links … 13.01 - .03
Financial Crisis …14.01 - .02
Custom search: region, regions, regional communities … 15.
Bold Italic highlights search terms and/or phrases of interest.
Top Regional Community stories
1. Uniting against casinos - Towns join forces to address impact - Boston Globe - Boston, MA, USA
Known for their rigid independence and fierce sovereignty, Massachusetts communities are usually suspicious of regionalization. But the possibility of a resort-style casino in Milford, or Marlborough, has communities thinking there is power in numbers.
“If I were even to support some expanded gambling bill, I believe it’s critical there be some regional acceptance. It has to go beyond just the host community,’’ said state Senator Karen Spilka, a Democrat from Ashland, who, as Senate chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, held Beacon Hill hearings this fall on multiple bills that would expand gambling. “It will have regional impacts. There has to be regional acceptance and regional mitigation as well.’’
Residents and officials from several towns, including Natick, Wellesley, Ashland, Hopkinton, Holliston, Milford, and Framingham, gathered at the Ashland Public Library on Wednesday for “Regional Casino Contingency Planning: Collaborative Preparation for a Potential Gaming Destination in 495/MetroWest,’’ the meeting organized by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council [http://www.mapc.org/], the 495/MetroWest Partnership, and other groups.
Participants talked about strategy with two Monson residents who have been successful in harnessing their region’s powerbrokers to air concerns about a possible casino in their area, and also got an update from Spilka on the state’s view of expanded gaming.
“The House is working on a bill now,’’ she said. “That will maybe come out in February or March. There will be a hearing on the bill, I assume. The House will take it up and then it will come to the Senate. . . . I honestly don’t know at this point what will be in it.’’
The Legislature could legalize resort casinos, with a limit on the numbers for either the entire state or for particular regions, said Spilka. There are also bills for “racinos,’’ she said, which would allow slot machines at racetracks.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2010/01/24/towns_plan_regional_front_to_address_casino_developers/
2. Regionalism series misses the mark - Central Penn Business Journal - Harrisburg, PA, USA
Once again, the Business Journal has missed a great opportunity in addressing the regionalism issue. Your coverage ("One for all," Jan. 1, 2010) continues to promote the myth that those who support "consolidationism" are "regional," and those who do not believe in "consolidationism" are "anti-regional."
Constantly pointing to Charlotte, N.C., as a case study is irrelevant and counterproductive. Charlotte developed its boundaries through annexation of unincorporated territory. That situation does not and cannot exist in Harrisburg.
Let's get specific: When the Business Journal and others begin to advocate that Lower Paxton and Susquehanna townships should be annexed into the city of Harrisburg so they can subsidize the city's mismanagement -- regardless of the wishes of township residents -- then midstaters will understand what this model amounts to; and they will likely reject it, as they probably should.
In addition, your profiling of regional successes ignored the organizations that have done it well in this metro area: most importantly, the Capital Region Council of Governments,
[ http://www.capitalregioncog.org/ ] an inter-municipal alliance with members in four counties.
That decades-old organization has compiled a long and substantive, if incomplete, record of success. In part, it is successful because it eschews consolidation simple-mindedness, instead stressing shared services and purchasing, information sharing and policy partnerships, where they make the most sense.
Moreover, regionalism needs to embrace the entire south central Pennsylvania to succeed.
Just in recent days, our board of commissioners became the first of the region's eight counties to approve the proposed Regional Action Plan for Southcentral Pennsylvania, a work plan resulting from years of preparation by the South Central Caucus of Counties in partnership with the commonwealth.
The caucus is largely modeled on the same style of participative partnership as the COG. As a result, the RAP represents our best opportunity to date to pursue common goals for south central Pennsylvania in a truly cooperative regional fashion.
http://www.centralpennbusiness.com/industry_article.asp?cID=1&aID=74173
3. Tupelo visit energizes Miss-Lou regionalism group - Natchez Democrat - Natchez, MS, USA
Seventeen community leaders rode a bus six hours to and from Tupelo hoping to learn the secret to the city’s success in economic and community development.
The secret may have been revealed, not in the much-touted north Mississippi city, but across the aisles of the bus, bouncing down Interstate 55 between laughs and serious conversations about the issues facing the Miss-Lou.
“The best thing that came out of the trip was, honestly, the six hours on the bus,” said Heather Malone, director of Concordia Economic and Industrial Development. “Everybody got a chance to get to know one another better.”
Natchez Mayor Jake Middleton echoed Malone’s sentiments.
“More than anything, we’ve opened up a line of communication between ourselves and Concordia Parish,” he said.
The Tupelo site visit was the first such trip for the Miss-Lou Regional Steering Committee.
The committee of local elected and business leaders was formed last year with the goal of bringing together the communities of Natchez, Vidalia and Ferriday for economic and community development.
“We’ve taken a lot of baby steps, which are giant leaps for our community,” Malone said. “(We’ve been) getting everyone around the table month after month.”
The group has been meeting for approximately seven months, mostly building dialogue between community leaders.
“Each time we meet, like Heather said, at our first meetings, everyone was kind of a little bit to ourselves, now we’re all sort of laying it out on the table,” Middleton said.
Debbie Hudson, president and CEO of the Natchez-Adams Chamber of Commerce, said the trip energized the group
“We allowed each other to give our thoughts, good and bad, and ignited great ideas,” she said. “They were talking and keying off each other’s ideas. I think that excited them and we just need to keep that going.
http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/news/2010/jan/16/tupelo-visit-energizes-miss-lou-regionalism-group/
4. Coastal Vision 3000 to shut down; some wonder what it did for the region - The Northwest Florida Daily News - Fort Walton Beach, FL
Coastal Vision 3000’s decision to close up shop this coming Friday has some local leaders questioning the group’s earlier promises of regional unity.
The tourism engine, which emerged in 2008 with plans to brand Northwest Florida as “THE Beach,” touted itself as committed to creating a single identity that could be marketed worldwide.
But last week Coastal Vision 3000 declared “Mission Accomplished,” … [ “Coastal Vision 3000 hits target” http://www.waltonsun.com/news/vision-4100-southwest-foundation.html ]
Some Okaloosa County officials say the group’s efforts — and close ties to major economic driver St. Joe Co. — were slanted toward Bay County. …
Okaloosa County Administrator Jim Curry remembers that representation of regionalism. But he says Coastal Vision 3000 did not follow through on its pledge.
“We’re disappointed that it wasn’t more of a regional approach,” he said. “I’m not real sure what Okaloosa County got out of the experience.”
Coastal Vision, which charged dues of varying amounts to its members, built an extensive Web site, www.thebeachfla.com, that highlighted coastal communities and attractions from Pensacola to Apalachicola.
… groups such as Coastal Vision 3000 “come and go” and that no single organization is going to accomplish regionalism.
Inactive but intact
Coastal Vision 3000’s founders say the recession is the driving force behind shutting down, adding that the group has “a zero balance.”
The money collected from members’ dues was used to pay for staff and for at least $750,000 in regional and national advertising, said Dawn Moliterno, president of the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce.
Bagby said more work is needed to cement a regional brand.
“I don’t know if it’s feasible, but I will tell you, ‘THE Beach’ never caught hold,” he said.
Local developer Peter Bos agreed, saying “people did not buy into it.”
But the regional approach still is critical to Northwest Florida, Bos said.
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/vision-24819-coastal-wonder.html
RC:
West Florida Regional Planning Council - Counties Bay, Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton Counties - http://www.wfrpc.dst.fl.us/
Apalachee Regional Planning Council - Gulf County - http://www.thearpc.com/
5. VA Planning District Commissions to Celebrate 40 Years of Regional Planning
Rockbridge Weekly - Lexington, VA, USA
The Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions (VAPDC), a statewide association bringing the Planning District Commissions (PDC) of Virginia together, will kick off celebrating their 40th year of existence at their annual Winter Conference on February 17 in Richmond.
Throughout this year, VAPDC is promoting efforts to address regional issues through regional cooperation among local governments. The majority of the state’s 21 PDCs were established in 1969 and 1970 following the General Assembly’s passage of the Regional Cooperation Act in 1968. The Act established the framework for PDCs “to encourage and facilitate local government cooperation and state local cooperation in addressing on a regional basis problems of greater than local significance.”
The VAPDC is honoring the 40th anniversary of the PDC’s creation throughout Fiscal Year 2009-2010. Virginia’s 21 PDCs are made up of elected officials and citizens appointed by local governments. The PDCs ...
Programming during the upcoming 2010 VAPDC Winter Conference will follow the theme of Celebrating Forty Years of Regional Innovation. ... The PDCs of Virginia have joined together to create the Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions to share best practices, and further regionalism across the Commonwealth.
For more information about VAPDC visit the website at www.vapdc.org
http://www.rockbridgeweekly.com/rw_article.php?ndx=16468
6. A regional approach to poverty - Baltimore Sun (blog) - Baltimore, MD, USA
The good news is that Baltimore's poverty rate is on the decline, faster than nearly any other city in the nation. The bad news is that the number of poor people in the Baltimore region is virtually unchanged -- they are simply more spread out, so much so that, for the first time in modern history, more people who fall below the federal poverty guidelines live in the suburbs than in the central city.
That trend presents some benefits. If the poor are not as concentrated in one place and are integrated more fully into mixed-income communities, their opportunities for education and employment are likely to be better. But it also presents challenges. Suburban governments that are not as accustomed to providing services for large numbers of poor residents are swamped, and the spread of the poor makes it more difficult to make resources easily accessible for them. …
The situation calls for a more regional approach to attacking poverty. We already have regional groups to coordinate transportation and development. Why not one to address the needs of the poor?
Regionalism is a great idea, but hard to swallow for suburbanites who have always thought of themselves as insulated from the problems of Big Bad Baltimore. The best solution (though unlikely) would be for the city and Baltimore County to merge. Once accomplished, you would have one of the 5 or 6 largest cities in the country with a very diverse - racially and economically - population ...
... I am chair of Maryland Alliance for the Poor (MAP). I am so glad to hear the topic of poverty is being discussed, and yes it needs to be addressed. I would like hear more of your ideas on the topic of how to approach the issue regionally.
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/2010/01/poverty_in_the_suburbs.html
RC: Baltimore Metropolitan Council - www.baltometro.org
7. New RDA director embarks on PR tour - Gary Post Tribune - Gary, IN, USA
The Regional Development Authority [ http://www.in.gov/rda/] has learned a valuable lesson: It needs to share the word of the good it does -- particularly in Porter County.
That's why RDA Executive Director Bill Hanna is making the rounds of communities in Porter County, starting with Valparaiso.
Leaders of the RDA understand they need to be more proactive in their approach, about what they do and what it means regionally and at a more local level.
The whole point of the legislation was to build regional infrastructure without having to deal with political fiefdoms and myopic, temporary politicians.
The RDA also has been successful in improving the infrastructure of the South Shore Line and Gary/Chicago International Airport and has helped build a beautiful new lakefront park in Portage.
Most leaders of communities in Porter County agree with the merits of the RDA. That's why Hanna is seeing support during his visits. Unfortunately, the County Council doesn't share the wisdom and is still trying to exit.
Even if the unincorporated parts of Porter County end up outside the taxing authority of the RDA, they'll still end up with the benefits of regionalism.
It's like a family. Decisions must be made to benefit the entire family, even if one of the sulky children has crawled into a corner to pout.
http://www.post-trib.com/news/opinion/1997314,edit-rda.article
8. Ag Legislators Look into the Future - Daily Yonder Blog - Keep it Rural – USA
If you put the chairs of agriculture committees from 47 state legislatures in a room, what would they talk about?
Once a year, it happens. Legislative leaders gather at the Legislative Agricultural Chairs Summit and they discuss issues important to agriculture business and to rural communities. You can think of the weekend as a preview of what is likely to be the dominant issues in state legislatures over the coming year.
The latest meeting was in Orlando this past weekend. I was asked to be on a panel about migration. (The conference was managed by Carolyn Orr, who publishes the invaluable Agclips.) The legislators in our session were uniformly interested in what to do with rural towns that are losing people.
Rural/Urban Division There was some discussion of the widening gap between rural and urban communities. As politics grows more testy, and as rural areas grow more Republican, Maryland Sen. Mac Middleton warned that “if the partisan spirit continues, rural areas could be left out.”
Regionalism Dallas Tonsager, under secretary of rural development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said he expected the federal agency to announce a new program promoting regionalism. This has become a popular development concept. The theory is that counties working together will be more successful in their development efforts than if they plunge ahead without cooperating.
“We’ll becoming out soon with a proposal on regionalism,” Tonsager told the legislators. “I would urge you to look at what Iowa did when (USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack) did when he was governor (of Iowa).”
In Iowa, Vilsack went so far as to propose reducing the number of counties from 99 to about 15, following the lines of community college districts.
http://www.dailyyonder.com/ag-legislators-look-future/2010/01/20/2548
The State Ag and Rural Leaders group was formed in 2006 at the 4th Annual Legislative Ag Chairs Summit in Tempe, Arizona. - http://www.agandruralleaders.org/about_us/about_us.htm
9. Van den Brande asks Commissioner-designate Hahn to believe more in the real importance of multi-level governance and to consider regions and cities as real partners – EUROPA – Press Release
Speaking at yesterday's parliamentary hearing of Johannes Hahn, Commissioner-designate for Regional Policy, Committee of the Regions President Luc Van den Brande asked the candidate "to believe more in the real importance of multi-level governance as it will be the only way to succeed".
Instead of speaking about the regions and cities, Van den Brande, representing Europe's regional and local authorities, underlined the importance "to speak more with regions and cities directly and consider them as real partners" in developing future regional policy. He reassured that the Committee of the Regions will be a solid partner in such a dialogue and invited Johannes Hahn to address the Committee of the Regions' February Plenary session.
Voicing grassroots concerns about important budgetary decisions to be taken this year, President Van den Brande outlined the "credo" of Europe's regional and local authorities: "We are firmly speaking out against moving away from the most successful integrated EU policy that exists, against all forms of renationalisation of this policy. Cohesion Policy has proven to be an excellent decentralised strategy that is achieving two objectives: one is to implement EU objectives at regional and local level. The other is to empower cities and regions to better achieve their objectives."
Addressing the Commission's newly designated regional policy chief and the members of the European Parliament's committee on regional development, Van den Brande emphasised that regional policy is not just a vehicle for other strategic goals. Instead, it has to be a "global European development policy at the disposal of all European citizens." This is especially important as Europe's new rulebook, the Lisbon treaty, now requires the EU to respect the principle of "territorial cohesion" – meaning the harmonious development of all regions in the European Union: "All EU policies must recognize the impacts of their activities on the ground and must be aware of their effects on local communities. All EU policies need to take this new objective into account in their planning, implementation and evaluation stages."
Commissioner-designate Johannes Hahn strongly argued against the renationalisation of regional policy and stressed his willingness to work together with regions and local authorities: "We need the expertise of the regions to sustain a successful regional policy and to modernise it. At the same time, European regional policy has to follow an integrated approach and must be linked to all other EU policies. The success, reform and implementation of regional policy can only be achieved through coordination at the European level, and in cooperation with the regions."
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=COR/10/7&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
10. U.S. Regional Communities - sub-State, State or multi-State - in news articles.
In this and section 11, links to websites of organizations are added to the news excerpt when this is the first time an organization has been found. A goal of this newsletter is to find every regional council in the U.S. in a news story as well as recognizing other regional organizations. In most cases, where a full name is present, a Google search will quickly get one to that organization. News reports do not always get the organization name correct. Contents
.01 Rep. Tallarita To Co-Chair Panel On State Grants To Municipalities And Mandate Relief
Hartford Courant - Hartford, CT, USA
State Representative Kathy Tallarita (D-Enfield) will co-chair a legislative panel dealing with state grants to municipalities and mandate relief to cities and towns. The panel is part of a new commission implemented by House Democratic Leaders that will seek to identify opportunities for regional collaborations and create efficiencies to save money for municipalities. The Blue Ribbon Commission on Municipal Opportunities and Regional Efficiencies (MORE) has already begun its work and plans to make recommendations during the 2010 legislation session that convenes in February. ...
http://www.courant.com/community/hc-community-articleresults,0,5942637,results.formprofile?Query=24156HC
House Democrats of Connecticut – Speaker’s Commission
Doing M-O-R-E - Municipal Opportunities and Regional
Newsroom - http://www.housedems.ct.gov/MORE/MORE_PR.asp
.02 Regionalism: How Much Are We Willing To Sacrifice To Reduce Government?
Democrats in the legislature have taken up the regionalism cause again, appointing a blue ribbon panel to search for ways to encourage towns to work together as the state faces a deficit in the billions of dollars. This is admirable, but I wonder if we are ready for less government when this means eliminating services we take for granted. What if municipalities tried to trim the costliest portion of government — the public schools that make up most of town budgets? ... Region 14 must go back to having separate elementary schools in each town. That's a long way from less government. ... The Region 14 school board says you can't run a school district if you have to go back to the voters every time you make a change. ...
http://www.courant.com/news/breaking/hc-rick-green-column0122.artjan22,0,2445768.column
.03 'Smart Growth' drives rail plan
Taunton Call - Taunton, MA, USA
The state’s poor fiscal health hasn’t stopped the wheels from chugging along on the proposed SouthCoast commuter rail. A new report released by state planners claims the train line and the growth it brings improves the environment, as well as the regional economy. The green benefits, outlined last week during a meeting of the regional Commuter Rail Task Force at Raynham Town Hall, principally stems from the adoption of the “smart growth” concept of concentrating business and residential centers around train stations. ... Southeastern Mass. is growing twice as fast the state average. Channeling some of the future development into mixed-use centers, the report says, cuts down on sprawl, traffic and water use. ... While studies of the SouthCoast Rail move ahead, Whalley is taking advantage of no-cost planning services offered by the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District in Taunton. "Whether the commuter rail comes or doesn’t come, we’d like to see the advantages to the town." ...
http://www.wickedlocal.com/taunton/news/x1920337637/-Smart-Growth-drives-rail-plan
.04 State Job Creation Strategies Part II: Supporting Innovation, Industrial Clusters and Green Job Creation
ProgressiveStates.org
... these steps emphasizes building partnerships between government, business, community and labor institutions to make continual learning and innovation an integral part of regional economies.
Job Creation Opportunities During a Recession
While policymakers might despair of encouraging new job creation during a recession, the seeds of future innovation and growth are often sown during recessions, as entrepreneurs analyze the failures of the previous boom and launch new ventures. In fact, well-over half of the Fortune 500 list of top companies and just under half of Inc. magazine's list of top small firms were founded during recessions or bear markets on the stock market, according to a 2009 Kauffman Foundation study. Unemployment often encourages people to found their own firms during recessions, so making sure they have the support to thrive is critical. New immigrants are an especially strong source of such job creation-- thirty-one percent of the engineering and technology companies founded from 1995 to 2005 had an immigrant as a key founder.
http://www.progressivestates.org/node/24459#2
.05 Some logical steps for emerging from the Great Recession
Arizona Republic - Phoenix, AZ, USA
... while nationwide and in parts of Colorado and New Mexico the recession is mostly over, the Monitor documents that only metro Las Vegas has been hit harder than the Phoenix area by the Great Recession and its aftermath. ... First, the Valley needs the federal government to intervene quickly to prevent further job losses from the massive down-drift in consumer and corporate demand still depressing the metro Phoenix economy. Right now, Arizona is broke; therefore, only the federal government is in a position to provide triage in bad times. So, now is not the time for anti-federal diatribes but instead collaboration with Washington to get the triage right. ... Beyond short-term stabilization, metro Phoenix needs to begin to build a more balanced, productive, resilient economy. ... Renewal of a dysfunctional state and regional governance system is a prerequisite for change. Consistency, prudent fiscal management, and regional cohesion and nimbleness will all be essential to reconstruction. But beyond that, the region must pour it on when it comes to the investments it has begun to make to position itself as an innovation-focused, export-oriented player in the emerging high-value, low-carbon economy. ...
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/viewpoints/articles/2010/01/02/20100102muro03.html
.06 Subsidence forces shift to surface water
Community Impact Newspaper - Northwest Houston, TX, USA
Houston residents can expect to see their water bills increase as the city and its outlying areas convert from groundwater to surface water this year. The necessary conversion stems from long-term subsidence, or sinking, in the region caused by the overpumping of the Gulf Coast Aquifer that stretches from Florida to Mexico and supplies 54 Texas counties with all or part of their water supply. The Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, formed in 1975 by the state Legislature, was created to counteract as much as 10 feet of recorded subsidence in the two counties. ... “As the population has grown, generally towards the north and west areas, the demand for groundwater has increased. Subsidence is simply following the population,” he said. “As we convert from groundwater to surface water, subsidence has dramatically slowed or stopped.” ... “Water is the invisible infrastructure,” he said. “For the most part it’s buried underground.” While agriculture and single-family wells are exempt from the regulatory plan, the rest of the HGSD area will pay the price for surface water—literally. “There will definitely be a price increase. Conversion is not cheap,” Michel said. “The price will double to as much as three or four times the rate for groundwater.” ...
http://impactnews.com/northwest-houston/328-news/6742-subsidence-forces-shift-to-surface-water
.07 With trash contracts set to expire, SE Mass. towns are urged to consider ...
East Bridgewater Star - East Bridgewater, MA, USA
When it comes to trash disposal, state and county officials are urging towns to regionalize their contracts to save thousands of dollars, and officials from nine Southeastern Massachusetts towns are listening. “There are regional opportunities to save on costs,” Brooke Nash of the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Municipal Waste Reduction Program, said during a regional selectmen’s meeting ... Claire Sullivan, director of the South Shore Recycling Cooperative, suggested that towns look at their trash contracts and those of their neighbors and begin asking for contract extensions with SEMASS until every town’s contract expires in the same year, “then, you can work together to negotiate a good deal with SEMASS,” Sullivan said. ...
http://www.wickedlocal.com/bridgewatereast/news/x231955462/With-trash-contracts-set-to-expire-SE-Mass-towns-are-urged-to-consider-regionalization
.08 Residents of smaller communities pay more for top lawmen, getting less
Scranton Times-Tribune - Scranton, PA, USA
The combined salaries of seven regional police chiefs is more than six times that of Scranton's police chief, even though they oversee fewer officers, and collectively protect a smaller population. ... The towns once mulled merging their departments into a regional police force to streamline functions, corral rising administrative costs and increase patrol capability, but abandoned the idea when they said it proved just as costly as the current system. ... Ron Stern, local government policy specialist with the Governor's Center for Local Government Services, said he thinks the reason the effort was not successful is because eight departments were too many to try to combine. Starting small, with two or three, makes it easier to get a consensus, he said. "It doesn't work when you have large groups." ...
http://thetimes-tribune.com/residents-of-smaller-communities-pay-more-for-top-lawmen-getting-less-1.567831
.09 Talking change
Galena Gazette - Galena, IL
The Galena Rotary Roundtable, presented in cooperation with The Galena Gazette, ... Participants discussed economic development, education, health care and other changes that will shape the future. ... There are three major things the county needs to consider when it comes to economic development, explained economic development specialist Pat Leitzen Fye. ... the third thing to remember: "We are a small county. We cannot do a lot of this on our own. We need to think in terms of regionalism." Fye suggested the county think about this whole Mississippi Valley Region, which will help grow the county. ...
http://www.galenagazette.com/main.asp?SectionID=142&SubSectionID=344&ArticleID=14675
.10 More than just light entertainment
Daily Press - Newport News, VA, USA
... It was Cary McMurran's forward vision and his sense of regionalism that allowed the Virginia Symphony to grow into the orchestra it is today. He was most gracious during the merger and a true gentleman. He would not allow himself to stand in the way of his dream. As the 90th Season is celebrated it would be sad not to recognize his contributions to the growth of the symphony in Hampton Roads." ... 1970-1980 — Norfolk Symphony, Peninsula Symphony and Virginia Beach Pops orchestras merge to create regional professional orchestra. Chrysler Hall opens and becomes performance venue for symphony. ...
http://www.dailypress.com/features/family/dp-gl_vasym_0124jan24,0,4041561.story
.11 Don Walker Leads Chamber
Greater Tulsa Reporter Newspapers – Tulsa, OK, USA
Don Walker, president and CEO of Arvest Bank, assumed the 2010 Chairmanship of the Board of Directors of the Tulsa Metro Chamber ... inauguration address, which unveiled the Chamber’s primary initiatives for 2010. Walker called for the expansion of regionalism and shared resources, the next phase of regional economic development, the funding of regional tourism marketing and the seeking and support of candidates for state office who are pro-business. ...
http://www.gtrnews.com/greater-tulsa-reporter/4821/don-walker-leads-chamber
.12 A St. Paul chamber for St. Paul
Pioneer Press - St. Paul, MN, USA
Some have been suggesting, behind the scenes, that the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce should be subsumed into a larger collective, for purposes of regionalism and economic development. We brought the issue the fore last week in a guest column published on these pages. The writer argued for a merger of the St. Paul and Minneapolis chambers. We disagree, strongly. Here's why: - Diversity. The St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce stands up for and serves a wide range of businesses — small, mid-size, large. Its voice is distinctly East Metro, and distinctly pro-business. ... We're all for efficiency, for getting full value from our assets, for regional cooperation on big projects. We're even glad to see St. Paul and Minneapolis meet up when it makes sense. So, meet. But don't merge.
http://www.twincities.com/opinion/ci_14249780
.13 Mass Transportation Authority will study potential for high speed bus route from Bay City to Detroit
The Flint Journal - MLive.com - Flint, MI, USA
The Mass Transportation Authority wants know whether commuters from as far north as Bay City would support a high-speed bus service to Detroit, a potential first step toward establishing a light rail route through Flint in the future. ... Genesee County's Metropolitan Alliance approved accepting $494,128 in transit planning funds to be used primarily for what Foy described as a "major" study of the potential for a Bay City-to-Detroit bus rapid transit route. ... "The big buzzword is regionalization (and) there are a number of folks who do commute to southeast Michigan already. It would probably be something they would use." Passengers like bus rapid transit better than riding typical city buses because the systems are typically set up to move people faster than personal cars and trucks by making fewer stops, using road shoulders or specialized lanes of traffic, and giving riders a comfortable station for getting on board. ...
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2010/01/mass_transportation_authority_3.html
.14 Regional Community Forum talks about direction of CNY
WKTV - Utica, NY, USA
Community leaders came together with elected officials Thursday to talk about issues currently facing the Mohawk Valley. The goal of the Genesis Group's Fourth Annual Regional Community Forum is to point out common ideas and focuses in order to rebuild. It's not only a chance for officials to bring up topics but for the public to voice there opinions as well. Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. says that feedback is important, …
http://www.wktv.com/news/local/82269572.html
.15 HOW I SEE IT: A challenge to live healthy in 2010
Culpeper Star Exponent - Culpeper, VA, USA
The dangers of obesity as well as the seriousness of the growing epidemic within our country and especially here in our community are increasingly evident. To help counteract this escalating issue, Culpeper Regional Health System, with our Powell Wellness Center, has developed “Drop It! The 2010 Healthy Living Challenge,” a free, 12-week weight loss and healthy living challenge designed to educate our entire regional community on leading a healthier lifestyle through better eating habits and exercise. This event is open to everyone in our region, and “the challenge” will begin with a Kick-Off Health Fair ...
http://www2.starexponent.com/cse/news/opinion/article/how_i_see_it_a_challenge_to_live_healthy_in_2010/50865/
.16 Venture capital flow to 21-county Ohio region became a trickle in 2009, report says
Plain Dealer - Cleveland, OH, USA
One of the region's most positive economic trends in recent years -- a healthy flow of venture capital -- took a sharp downturn in 2009, the region's annual venture report shows. Emerging companies in a 21-county region drew just $99 million from venture capitalists and angel investors last year, down from $260 million in 2008 and an average of $249 million the last four years, a report from the Venture Capital Advisory Task Force shows. The 62 percent drop in venture capital flow went well beyond the 38 percent reported nationally. The recessed economy and uncertainty over health care reform are factors in the regional drop, task force members said. The latter has a big impact here because two-thirds of venture investment typically goes to health care companies, a number of them spinning out of Northeast Ohio's growing health care institutions, officials said. ...
http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/01/venture_capital_flow_to_21-cou.html
.17 UUA board considers far-reaching governance reform
uuworld.org
The UUA Board of Trustees is contemplating a radical change to the governance of the Unitarian Universalist Association that would involve reducing the size of the board, creating a system of regions to supplement the current 19 districts, and reconfiguring General Assembly to a biennial meeting with subsidized delegates. ... The proposed changes to General Assembly are based on a report by the Fifth Principle Task Force ... The report advocates subsidizing delegates, which it says would help young and low-income delegates attend; educating delegates about issues in advance and making them accountable to both the General Assembly and their congregations; and encouraging regional cooperation among congregations. ...
http://www.uuworld.org/news/articles/157757.shtml
.18 US Air Force Chief of Staff Warns Against Dependence on GPS
Air Force Times - USA
The Air Force’s top uniformed leader thinks the military is too dependent on global positioning and must develop an alternative to the navigation system to reduce its vulnerability to enemies. ... “We must … proceed to build more resilient systems, including next-generation protected space communications and air-breathing or terrestrial alternatives and complements for a variety of space-based capabilities,” he said. ...
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2010/01/airforce_schwartz_012310/
11. Other Regional Community News for Our Local Planet Contents
.01 'City region' tag is sticking
The Bolton News – Bolton, UK
THERE was more evidence last week that the “city region” concept is here to stay. As previously reported here, 10 councils, including Bolton, Bury and Wigan, have signed up to a Greater Manchester city region idea. But some people, proud of the civic histories are not very keen on this. However, a new Centre for Cities’ report says: “The turnaround of our largest cities will be critical to the national recovery. “More than one in three jobs (39 per cent) in England are based in just five cities — Greater London and the regions of Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool.” There it is, then. Bolton and the other towns and cities around here have an important part to play in any future economic boom. We can only hope that such an occurrence comes sooner rather than later.
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/yoursay/boltoncolumnists/alancalvert/4869954.___City_region____tag_is_sticking/
.02 John Carter: Boards to breathe new life into local government
New Zealand Herald - Auckland, NZ
... On the matter of local boards, let's not judge them before they even exist. Local boards are an important part of the Auckland reforms under the Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill. They are new entities that are unique to Auckland. From New Zealand's largest city, the Government wants strong regional governance, greater community engagement, local decisions on local activities, improved connections across the region and improved value for money - that is, a better return for rates and government funding. Putting the local back into local government in Auckland is what has been asked for stridently, via submissions and select committee hearings, since the Government embarked on these reforms. We have listened and believe local boards provide the solution. ...
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10622230
.03 Council fundraiser
Regen.net - UK
... Whitby says Britain's cities should also be given greater funding powers, so they can raise finance of their own to drive forward regeneration. Last year, Greater Birmingham lost out to Greater Leeds and Greater Manchester in the race to become one of England's first statutory city-regions. This meant it missed out on extra housing, regeneration and economic development powers. Whitby says he was told by then communities secretary Hazel Blears that Greater Birmingham missed out not because its bid was poor, but because it was too ambitious. A key component of the city-region's case was the inclusion of an accelerated development zone. ... "The governance structure isn't the issue," he says. "The issue is the retention of revenue and funding from government. Britain needs to grow up and believe in its cities and release their energy, pride and ability."...
http://www.regen.net/inDepth/ByDiscipline/Economic-Development/979023/Council-fundraiser/
.04 Amalgamation not a new idea
Telegraph-Journal - St. John, New Brunswick, Canada
In 1993, the mayors and councils of seven municipalities banded together to write a report entitled Strengthening Municipal Government in New Brunswick's Urban Centres. ... "The conclusion was the tax rate would jump to over $2, not just in the city, but everywhere else in the area and for some of the smaller communities it would have doubled their tax rates." The municipalities submitted their own report to the provincial government with three forms of administration, including a formal regional administration, amalgamation and partial regionalization. In the report, the municipalities recommended partial regionalization, which eventually happened in the formation of the larger towns of Quispamsis and Rothesay. ... As for full amalgamation with Saint John, Artiss said it made a lot of sense, but not in the way Cormier presented it. ...
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/city/article/927813
.05 'Move from regional grouping to global partnerships'
The Hindu - Chennai, India
A strong pitch for multilateralism was made by speakers from Africa, European Union and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the 16th edition of Partnership Summit 2010 ... The summit was organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). ... Saying that regionalism and globalisation are interdependent, ASEAN's Deputy Secretary General S. Pushpanathan said: “We have learnt from EU what not to do.” Assuring that ASEAN economic community would be established by 2015, he said the objective is to narrow developmental gaps between the member States. ...
http://beta.thehindu.com/business/Economy/article93811.ece
.06 The French Identity Debate Turns into a Farce
TheFasterTimes.com
... on the government website setup for the debate, offers this rather windy justification: …the excesses of nationalism, the development of new forms of ethnic identity and regionalism, the gradual creation of the European identity, and the accelerated globalization of trade appear to some to call into question the very idea of the nation. The often-asked question, what is a nation, that it makes individuals identify themselves body and soul with people they don’t even know, seems more relevant than ever. ... One could argue that simply holding a debate on national identity presupposes that there is a problem. It is far from clear that national identity should be an easy thing to define—that would assume a narrow and backward-looking notion of identity. Happily, our 21st century self-conception is harder to pigeonhole, because it is more elusive and diffuse. Every one of us, individually, is a harmony of cultural, social, regional, ethnic, religious, gender, political and personal traits. And a noisy, trumped-up debate about national identity can’t drown our collective symphony.
http://thefastertimes.com/westerneurope/2010/01/22/what-does-it-mean-to-be-french-or-does-it-really-matter/
.07 Paul Anderson: Electoral reform has a sorry history of missed opportunities
Tribune - London, UK
... What ought to have happened is easy enough to spell out. Labour should have agreed in 1994 or 1995 to propose a new constitutional settlement for the United Kingdom in its first term, with proportional representation for Westminster integrated with a democratic second chamber based on regional and national devolution – so that, when implemented, we’d have had something like the federal republic of Germany as our political system. Of course, that’s just a bit too neat: there are plenty of things in the German basic law that wouldn’t have worked for Britain, not least because we’ve got three stroppy Bavarias to contend with, hazy boundaries to regional identities in England and a monarchy (at least in stage one) …
http://www.tribunemagazine.co.uk/2010/01/24/paul-anderson-electoral-reform-has-a-sorry-history-of-missed-opportunities/
.08 West Midlands takes major role in Europe's new €750 million world-leading programme to tackle climate change
24dash.com
Regional Development Agency Advantage West Midlands led work to co-ordinate a successful bid to the new European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), which will see a unique consortium of six regions, including the West Midlands, five of Europe’s top universities including Imperial College and ETH Zurich and ten major companies including CISCO, Shell, Thales and Bayer deliver the Knowledge and Innovation Community on climate change, known as ‘Climate KIC’. The initiative is one of three KICs to be established and part-funded by the EIT. ... At the core of Climate-KIC will be four major new research and innovation programmes on the themes of climate science, low carbon cities, zero-carbon production systems and integrated water management. ...
http://www.24dash.com/news/Environment/2010-01-21-West-Midlands-takes-major-role-in-Europe-s-new-750-million-world-leading-programme-to-tackle-climate-change
.09 'PMRDA should follow Mumbai model'
Times of India - Mumbai, India
Pune guardian minister Ajit Pawar, on Saturday, said that the state government would soon announce the formation of the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA).
Speaking at the District Planning and Development Committee (DPDC) meeting Pawar said, "A request will be made to chief minister Ashok Chavan that the authority be along the lines of the Mumbai Metropolitan Development Authority (MMRDA). In this way, we will ensure comprehensive public representation in the PMRDA." He added that henceforth the DPDC, which plans development for the district, will have to take a comprehensive view of the entire region. Pawar said that now, with Pune becoming a metropolitan area, various local governing bodies like municipal corporation and councils will have to work in tandem. ...
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/PMRDA-should-follow-Mumbai-model/articleshow/5493849.cms
.10 Mottaki: Iran, S. Arabia Enjoy Great Potential for Regional Development
Fars News Agency - Tehran, Iran
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki described Iran and Saudi Arabia as two major powers with ample and great potential for the development of the region and the Muslim world. "The two countries, in cooperation with other states, can take long strides and we see no dark point in the future of this cooperation," Mottaki said on the sidelines of the 19th international conference on the Persian Gulf ... Iran has designed a framework for the promotion of cooperation and intimate relations with the regional countries and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) member states, including Saudi Arabia. "We utilize capacities and potentials to develop cooperation," ... two-day conference dubbed as "Persian Gulf: Challenges and Regional Mechanism" ...
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8810281052
.11 Tocoist church against regionalist attitudes
Angola Press Agency - Angola
The bishop of the Tocoist church, Afonso Nunes, said over the weekend in Luanda that he is against regionalism and tribalism as a means for promotion in his institution’s positions. “As an institution, the church will never be favourable to appointing religious officials to various positions and functions based on their origin or place they come from”, the bishop said. ... The meeting gathered 150 delegates from Angola’s 18 provinces.
http://www.portalangop.co.ao/motix/en_us/portal/angop/index.html
.12 Six Bruneians Off To Japan For Capacity Building Programme
Bru Direct - Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam
Six participants left for Japan yesterday to attend a human capacity building programme under the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (Jenesys) project. ... According to the statement, in the pursuit of Asean regionalism and economic integration, the importance of investing in youths has been acknowledged not only by the Mean [sic] member countries, but also by dialogue partners. ...
http://www.brudirect.com/index.php/2010011814215/Local-News/six-bruneians-off-to-japan-for-capacity-building-programme.html
.13 The Fourth Part of the World: The Race to the Ends of the Earth, and the Epic Story of the Map That Gave America Its Name by Toby Lester
San Francisco Chronicle - CA, USA
In 1507, Martin Waldseemüller and a few of his humanist friends from the Gymnasium Vosagense in Strassburg (now Strasbourg) published a short geographical work called "Introduction to Cosmography." Accompanying the book was a world map drawn by Waldseemüller. The map had special mojo: For the first time, the New World was given a name - America; but more important, America was surrounded by water, making it a continent all its own. This was a strange and stunning departure, because we know of no European who had an inkling of the Pacific until Vasco Núñez de Balboa scaled the peak in Darien, and that was years in the future. So how did Waldseemüller's map come to be? This is the mystery, and Toby Lester brings a sure, learned hand to its detection. He builds a cumulative tale of rich, diverse influences that he juggles with gathering speed and showmanship until the whir of detail coalesces into an inspired, imaginative piece of mapmaking. …
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/27/RVKS1AE25G.DTL
CSPAN Video BookTV: http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/290495-1
.14 Strategic Plans Lose Favor
The Wall Street Journal - USA
During the recession, as business forecasts based on seemingly plausible swings in sales smacked up against reality, executives discovered that strategic planning doesn't always work. Some business leaders came away convinced that the new priority was to be able to shift course on the fly ... "Strategy, as we knew it, is dead,'' he contends. "Corporate clients decided that increased flexibility and accelerated decision making are much more important than simply predicting the future." ...
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748703822404575019283591121478-lMyQjAxMTAwMDIwNTEyNDUyWj.html - 7 day link
.15 Big Think Interview with Richard Florida
BigThink.com
A conversation with the bestselling author and leading expert on business and business sociology. (video)
http://bigthink.com/richardflorida
12. Blogging about Regional Communities Contents
.01 The Core Vitality Imperative
“You can’t be a suburb of nowhere.” – Bill Hudnut - What does a healthy urban core mean to a region? Maybe the difference between success and failure. Here’s a look at urban core and regional job growth for selected cities*, ranked by percentage job growth in the core county from 2001 to 2009. (table) Notice a pattern? Clearly, for these cities at least, core county performance is an excellent proxy for overall regional performance. I’m not making a statistical claim here, but the data for these cities is suggestive. I think it also foots with our common sense view. How many thriving metro areas have a core city/county that is going down the tubes? I can’t name one. ...
http://www.urbanophile.com/2010/01/24/the-core-vitality-imperative/
.02 MVRN Seeking Community Assistance
Merrimack Valley Regional Network to End Homelessness Blog
As many of you may or may not know, the case managers throughout the region have been very busy re-housing chronic homeless men and women. The Merrimack Valley Regional Network to End Homelessness has recently housed 37 chronic homeless individuals in the City of Lowell. While we are able to provide assistance to get these men and women housed, there are some needs that have been identified in the process of moving into a new apartment that we are not funded to provide, nor do our clients have the means to acquire these items. The Merrimack Valley Regional Network is appealing to the community to perhaps fill some of these needs. Tax deduction documentation can be furnished to donors. Our clients would greatly appreciate any assistance that could be provided. ...
http://mvhomeless.wordpress.com/2010/01/14/mvrn-seeking-community-assistance/
.03 Ann Arbor and Ypsi Chambers merge--New regionalism or a sign of trouble
Arbor Update (blog)
As reported by AnnArbor.com, Yesterday the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Chambers of Commerce had a breakfast to discuss their merger. What does the merger mean? Is it: 1. A sign of growing regionalism in the county? 2. A sign that the economy is hurting even Chambers and they have to band together to stay alive? 3. An indication that the whole Chamber of Commerce idea is getting less meaningful in today’s world, so Chambers have to band together to stay alive? ...
http://arborupdate.com/article/1875/ann-arbor-and-ypsi-chambers-merge-new-regionalism-or-a-sign-of-trouble
.04 What’s new at Clever Commute? Plenty!
The Clever Commute Blog
Clever Commute provides a way for commuters to use their smartphones to help each other by sharing real-time alerts & updates with fellow travelers. It started with a handful of commuters here in NJ…and has now become a part of the fabric of the daily commute in the top commuting markets. ... Now serving CHICAGO…in addition to serving all of the NY metro area and Boston ... An army of commuters: We are nearing the 10,000 member mark…and literally growing every day …
http://clevercommute.com/blog/?p=730
Select your region: NY Metro, Boston, Portland, OR; Beta: Chicago, LA, London, Washington, D.C., San Francisco Bay Area http://www.clevercommute.com/RoutesAndSignUp.php
.05 4. How We Get There
UrbanNeighborhood.com
The implementation of the Avenue du Parc Light Rail Transit Line will build on the local neighbourhood character of the neighbourhoods it passes through and increase the corridors overall connectivity at both the local and regional scale. The line’s implementation will allow for more vibrant neighbourhoods, more pedestrian friendly urban spaces and can be a catalyst to a better sense of community among the local and regional residents.
http://urbanneighbourhood.com/?p=4430
.06 Participation and Collaboration – Let’s Make It Work
Candi On Content
Open government. Public participation and collaboration. Awesome! So let’s make it work.
Let’s learn from the mistakes a bunch of us made back in the 90’s when we put up online “discussion” rooms and held online “town halls.” If you want the pay-off - if you want good ideas and positive outcomes - you have to invest the resources and plan strategically. Think of it as running a meeting. Invite participants ... Share background information ... Publish an agenda ... Designate someone to preside ... Conclude the meeting ... Follow up ... One more tip. Advocates and lobbyists will be all over opportunities for public participation and collaboration. But will average citizens come to the table…citizens across the political spectrum, across generations, across the country? You need to prime the pump. Create some quick success. ...
http://candioncontent.blogspot.com/2010/01/participation-and-collaboration-lets.html
.07 Civic Engagement in Public Governance26
xiong_social work
Policy tasks are likely to have local/sub-national as well as national dimensions. Traditionally, much policy is formulated at the central government level. However, in a decentralized system of government, the information generated through local/regional government-civil society dialogue may influence the policy agenda at the national level. Conversely, an issue may be identified at a national level, but may require substantial public input from the local, regional and community level (for example, the PRSP process for determining the national poverty reduction strategy). ...
http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_5f3b25650100h9ao.html
Main page for "Evaluating Citizen Engagement in Policy Making" A paper presented at the Canadian Evaluation Society Conference - June 2, 2009, Ottawa
http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_5f3b25650100h9x8.html
.08 How PDF and RSS Can Solve Information Retention Challenges
Civic Blogger
What I am about to suggest as a solution to some of the records retention challenges municipalities are facing with web 2.0 tools may, or may not, be mine. ... Municipalities are having to find ways of keeping track of the information being published online when they use social media. Unfortunately, since the information is not hosted by the municipality, they have less control than they typically need, or would like. ... the solution I am proposing? Using the existing tools of email, PDF document storage, and RSS feeds to create a semi-automated records retention system for your organization. This requires three things: ...
http://civicblogger.blogspot.com/2010/01/how-pdf-and-rss-can-solve-information.html
.09 Regional Repositories
Archives Outside
State Records has a network of six regional repositories across NSW; based in Armidale, Broken Hill, Newcastle (2), Wollongong and Wagga Wagga. ... About ... This website was developed to create a meeting place for people who have archival collections around New South Wales and researchers who wish to access them. While the main focus is on the State Records Regional Repository Network we welcome participation from all keepers of archives, from Archivists, Local Studies Librarians and Records Managers to members of Community Groups and Personal Collectors. ...
http://archivesoutside.records.nsw.gov.au/regional-repositories/
.10 Urban Exploration Tips, Tricks and Guides
WebUrbanist.com
Urban exploration (also known as ‘building infiltration‘) is a risky sport at best and an illegal one at worst. In short, it is the art of breaking into abandoned buildings and places. While WebUrbanist can’t endorse breaking the law there is fortunately no law against reporting on it and some forms of urban exploration are fortunately legal. Here are some introductory guides and additional resources for those interested in exploring this illicit urban sport. ... Unknown to many web surfers there are a vast number of regional urban exploration websites as well as specialty forums and other online urbex communities. ...
http://weburbanist.com/urban-exploration-tips-tricks-and-guides/
http://undergroundeureka.com/urban-exploration-links.php
.11 Climate Change and Biodiversity Protection in Santa Barbara, California
McGinnis bioregional blog
The south-central coastal bioregion includes the northern Channel Islands, Santa Barbara Channel, the coastal watersheds from Morro Bay to the Ventura River, the mountain ranges of the Santa Ynez, San Raphael, and Sierra Madre. ..
http://climatesantabarbara.blogspot.com/2010/01/blog-post.html
13. Announcements and Regional Links. Contents
.01 Research Networks - Introduction and Guidelines - Regional Studies Association
Regional Studies Association Research Networks are formed by the Association's members to organise a series of events to examine an issue of collective interest (the issue discussed need not necessarily have a direct policy focus but the examination would normally lead to policy related conclusions) and the Association can offer grants of up to a maximum of £3000 to members wishing to establish a Research Network. Organisers must be current members of the RSA at the time of the application and throughout the duration of the Research Network. ...
2010 deadlines for applications: 23rd April, 24th August, 25th October
http://www.regional-studies-assoc.ac.uk/research-networks/introduction.asp
.02 Call for Papers -Local Food Systems in Old Industrial Regions: Challenges and Opportunities - IGU Commission on the Dynamics of Economic Spaces - Toledo, Ohio USA — August 3-7, 2010
In recent years there has been an explosion of interest in the topic of local food systems. This heightened interest can be found among policy makers, planners, public health professionals, environmentalists, community developers, academics, farmers and ordinary citizens. While there are common characteristics that most local food systems share the purpose of this conference is to explore the unique challenges and opportunities associated with local food systems located within old industrial regions.
The conference aims to bring together both academics and practitioners to share their knowledge, experience, and expertise with regard to developing and maintaining local food systems in old industrial regions. While this conference is sponsored by the International Geographical Union we are particularly interested in participation from individuals in a variety of academic disciplines (including, but not limited to, geography, planning, public policy, public health, environmental science, horticulture, women and gender studies, sociology, anthropology, and economics.)
Chair: Professor Michael Taylor, Department of Geography, University of Birmingham, UK
Vice Chair: Dr. Neil Reid, Department of Geography and Planning, University of Toledo, USA
http://uac.utoledo.edu/igu_commission/ToledoMC2010-Home.htm
.03 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor
The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) is a not-for-profit academic research consortium that has as its goal making high quality international research data on entrepreneurial activity readily available to as wide an audience as possible. GEM is the largest single study of entrepreneurial activity in the world. Initiated in 1999 with 10 countries, GEM 2009 conducted research in 54 countries. The GEM 2009 Global Report was launched in Santiago, Chile on Thursday 14th January 2010.
… This 11th report in the GEM series focuses on the impact of the recession on entrepreneurship and the extent to which entrepreneurship can help reverse a downward economic trend. Also included are: 1) a special report on global perspectives of social entrepreneurship; 2) an analysis of the impact of the recession on funding to support new businesses; and 3) updates on entrepreneurial attitudes and perceptions, entrepreneurial activity, and entrepreneurial aspirations. … The year 2009 will be remembered for an economic recession that shattered the economic landscape in most countries across the world. As national and regional governments search for ways of rebuilding their economies, our understanding of the relationship between entrepreneurship and development remains incomplete. …
http://www.gemconsortium.org/
14. Financial Crisis. Contents
.01 The Quants Book Review: How A Group Of Mathematicians And Computer Scientists Nearly Destroyed Wall Street
On Thursday, President Barack Obama proposed new rules to curb a number of Wall Street's risky--and highly profitable--trading activities. One target: The secretive trading operations within banks that use large doses of leverage, or borrowed money, to make huge bets on the market. Wall Street says the regulations are unnecessary, and since the financial crisis struck, most banks have cut back on these trading outfits. But when the downturn first hit in the summer of 2007, several of them were among the first to suffer, and collectively they lost billions over a matter of days. ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/23/the-quants-book-review-ho_n_434309.html
.02 Nomi Prins: Behind The Bailouts
KUOW.org
More than $13 trillion into America's financial bailout, Nomi Prins says regular Americans are worse off than before, and she's angry. "Most of what the Federal Reserve has done to support the banking industry is completely secret," she says. Prins was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs and Bear Stearns before becoming a journalist. She's been poring through spreadsheets and SEC filings to try and figure out where the bailout money came from and where it went. Nomi Prins is a senior fellow at Demos, a policy think tank dedicated to "fostering civic engagement and a more equitable economy." She's the author of several nonfiction books and a Wall Street thriller, "The Trail." Her new book is "It Takes a Pillage: Behind the Bailouts, Bonuses, and Backroom Deals from Washington to Wall Street." She spoke at Town Hall Seattle on December 3, 2009. …
http://kuow.org/program.php?id=19235
15. Custom search: region, regions, regional communities Contents
To search on topics like those in Regional Community Development News use this custom search engine which utilizes over 2000 regional related sites.
http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=000551187207053117963:m1gvkhigkeo&hl=en
My name is Tom Christoffel. I've worked in the field of intergovernmental and regional cooperation since 1973. As a consequence, "I see regions work.” It is my thesis that "regional communities” are emerging where multi-jurisdictional regional council organizations exist.
Making visible such cross-boundary planning, collaboration and cooperative action at multi-jurisdictional networked regional scales, public, private and NGO is my purpose. "Think globally, act locally" was innovative in its time. Today the local scale is often too small to address today's needs and opportunities. "Think local planet, act regionally,” is my candidate paradigm. No one said we're only allowed one paradigm.
We can see that “regional communities of communities” are organized locally and now act both to avoid tragedy in the commons and gain benefits. An effective multi-jurisdictional regional community has DNA. It is geographically Defined; has a common Name and its Alignment is inclusive of smaller communities and participatory in larger communities. So, by scanning this compilation, reading articles and checking organizations - you too will be able to see the regional communities that already exist.
News references are found using Google Search services. Media article excerpts and links are “fair use” to transform globally scattered reports to make regional approaches visible. Links go to the publisher and do not compete with it. Such publishers are likely to have related stories and thus be seen by new customers. “Regional” is an emerging news category.
There is no charge for this service and no profit is made from its use, though any user can become more aware of the topic itself. Regional Community Development News is published bi-monthly based on news reports as of the publication date.
For the Blog and RSS feed go to: http://regional-communities.blogspot.com/
News updates via Twitter: http://twitter.com/tomchristoffel
Please email the Editor: Tom.Christoffel@gmail.com
To search previous issues since 2003 go to: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/regions_work/
To join Regional Community Networkers and get a free subscription use this email link – no additional information required: regions_work-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
For the Google Groups version go to:
http://groups.google.com/group/regional-community-development-news
Tom (Thomas J.) Christoffel, AICP - http://www.regional-communities.com/ | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1042 |
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Obviously, this review is a little late. I could say many things about that. There’s something like 66 reviews in here for the movies I saw in 2018, so obviously that takes a while. But then again, I’ve probably delivered more reviews on time before. Maybe it’s because there were movies that I still wanted to see and I was catching up on them right up until the day before I’m posting this, but that’s not true either. It’s probably mostly video games and procrastination. But let’s not live in the past, shall we? And let’s not delay any further! Let’s get to my review of all the movies of 2018
INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY
Strangely, I would say that I enjoyed Insidious: The Last Key. I say that this is strange because I recently picked it up from RedBox and a ways into the movie I realized I had already seen it and completely forgot. I also couldn’t remember where it sits in the timeline of the other movies because I also couldn’t remember most of them. It seems I can come to the conclusion with them that they’re fun in the moment, but ultimately forgettable. It’s probably a bit unreasonable on my part to expect logic out of a ghost movie, but this movie has a couple of notable lapses. Such as the fact that the psychic lady claims she will never forget the look on her mother’s face when she died…even though we saw it and she was possessed at the time AND facing in the opposite direction. Also, what is the point of the psychic lady when she isn’t able to see what the two regular nerdy dudes in the truck can see with just a camera? Lin Shaye is a good actress though; she just isn’t always given a lot to work with. But the movie is a fun enough time; it’s just not much more than that
The Commuter is probably exactly what you imagine it to be. Assuming you even paid attention to it long enough to imagine anything about it. And those people are right as well. It’s completely forgettable, entirely skippable, but if you see it, it’s fine. It’s nothing special, but it gets the job done, and is enough fun along the way. It’s got some twists and turns, many of them pretty obvious, a few of them less so. The action is decent enough for a fun time rental though, and you could do much worse.
I believe I opened my review of Winchester by calling it “boring and underwhelming.” I’m sticking with that. And since I did a video review of this movie, I’ll probably just link you to that and not waste too much time but to say it was boring, it was not scary, the performances were lackluster, and a lot of it didn’t even bother to stick to its own mythology, like how ghosts were locked in their rooms with 13 nails but they could just push those out if they felt like it. Also, the main character tries to fight ghosts with a hammer. And also the logic of the ghosts for why they’re haunting these people was completely ridiculous. You made the gun, so I hate you. Not the person that fired the gun or the people that made my inferior gun, nor the politicians controlling the war you were killed in. Just the manufacturers. Don’t bother with this movie.
The Cloverfield Paradox was fairly beaten up by the critics. Having been a fan of the previous 2 Cloverfield movies, what I had heard of this one kept me from bothering to watch it even though it was available to stream on a service I was already paying for. Well I eventually got around to it and I’ve decided that they were a bit harsh. It is the worst Cloverfield movie so far, sure, but it’s perfectly enjoyable. I would say that as a Cloverfield movie, it’s more satisfying than 10 Cloverfield Lane just because it actually feels like it has something to do with the Cloverfield monster whereas the other movie only had it as a backdrop at the very end. Lane was a much better movie, but at least this has something to do with the series. It’s also exciting enough as a sci-fi movie in general to be worth the watch.
I think a Fifty Shades movie has bottomed out my list for the last 3 years. Well the writer never got better. It also seems that she has short-term memory problems, which is why every problem seems like it needs to be resolved in the scene in which it originated. And then sex happens, like it’s the blank page between chapters. Which is how I imagine it was written. Someone is following us? Lose them 2 minutes later…then sex in the car. Have an argument? Well, you’ll get over it. And then we’ll have sex. Hey! We found your birth mother’s grave! Let stand in the rain over it for a bit, go home, and then obviously sex. And that’s how we’ll end our movie! Like the scenes added anything or had any point! But you know what I think the worst thing is about the Fifty Shades? Worse than the horrible writing and lackluster acting? That these movies actually make me bored of sex.
I confess that I watched Peter Rabbit fully expecting to be adding to my worst movies list, so I was extremely disappointed to find that it was actually fairly pleasant. How awful, right? Well this jerk of a movie had the gall to be a solid kid’s movie. It’s cute, fairly well-acted, has a great cast, and was even fairly funny. It’s not a movie I would recommend for an adult to just watch on their own, but I think adults will have a good enough time watching it with their kids.
I enjoyed Black Panther a great deal, but it felt like it didn’t resonate with me quite as much as it did with the critics. It had great action and a fantastic cast, and actually added social commentary to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which I don’t think I was ever expecting. And all of those are great and wonderful things, but the general story of the movie just felt a little cookie cutter to me. It just felt like a fairly basic origin story, even though technically he was already Black Panther, but he gets his powers taken away so he can REorigin story. So great movie, progressive movie; all of these things are true. But it’s not the best Marvel movie ever. Hell, it’s not even the best one this year.
Game Night was a fairly basic comedy, but it was an enjoyable experience. It’s an interesting premise for a movie and a story with some nice twists and an excellent cast to elevate it. More importantly than that, it’s a comedy and I laughed a couple times watching it, and that’s what’s supposed to happen. A solid watch when all was said and done.
Annihilation was pretty much what I expected based on the commercials. It looked really pretty, but slightly less pretty than Natalie Portman. …And that was about all I expected. But there was a little more to it than that. It was also pretty smart, or at least I assume it was because I don’t feel like I actually understood what the movie was all about, but I did feel like I enjoyed it anyway. Comprehension is overrated anyway. You could also say it’s very empowering to women because the group of scientists that went in were all ladies, but then again the first thing they did when one of them was attacked by a creature was put their guns down on the floor and run over to wrestle the attacked woman away from a giant alligator with their hands. But it did have very interesting visuals and some very awful creatures, like that beast that could imitate human screams. That was a nightmare.
RED SPARROW
Most people seemed to expect a lot out of Red Sparrow. I suppose I did too. Jennifer Lawrence as a badass spy? How could you go wrong? Well, I don’t know that I’d go as far as to say they went “wrong”, per se, but they didn’t go right. They went towards sexy spy thriller, and I guess they pulled off sexy in so much as they cast Jennifer Lawrence and she got naked. As a guy, I would say that counts. Other than that, the story had some twists and turns I didn’t see coming and then it was a lot of Jennifer Lawrence getting her ass beat. So if you’re into that sort of thing…
Death Wish was a fine action movie that I have almost entirely forgotten already. I assume that means it was great. It was a pretty basic action movie with some cool kills occasionally, but the only real surprise in the movie is that Vincent D’Onofrio didn’t turn out to be the bad guy. That guy is either always the bad guy or turns out to be the bad guy.
I had no idea what was happening at most points of this movie. What was it about? Why was Oprah gigantic and poorly rendered? Why do they keep calling this little boy by his full name every single time they talk to him or refer to him? Why are these kids so excited by riding on the back of dragon Reese Witherspoon that their first thought is that they should jump up and down until one plummets to their death? Why do I do this to myself? Well I do it for you, readers and watchers. This is all your fault! I don’t want to totally crap all over this movie, so I will say that it was fairly visually impressive, but that was about all it had going for it.
I was aware of Hurricane Heist but it felt like one of those Asylum ripoff movies like Atlantic Rim or Transmorphers. It wasn’t quite that bad though, but it was equally as pointless. If you want to know what the movie is, know that it’s a meteorologist fighting bank robbers with hurricane-propelled hubcaps. …That is not a joke. And that one sentence will probably tell you everything you need to know to make an assumption about the movie. But it’s kind of fun in its silliness and it’s graphics were better than an Asylum movie (if you can forgive them putting a skull in the hurricane, just to let the audience know it’s bad) and the worst part of the movie is the main character’s accent. I don’t know if it was real or fake, but it got on my nerves
I was a bit surprised by the reception for the new Tomb Raider movie. Video game movies in general tend to take a beating. Their stories don’t tend to be impressive to film critics and fans of the games are usually let down that they weren’t able to compress 60 hours of gameplay into a 2 hour movie that fulfills their expectations. I thought the new Tomb Raider did pretty well. It felt like they turned the first Tomb Raider reboot game into a movie pretty accurately, sometimes even feeling like they took scenes straight out of the game for the movie. It was the more grounded Lara Croft I enjoyed in the reboot games and Alicia Vikander was perfect for the role. It wasn’t the best movie, but it was certainly the best Tomb Raider movie, and I guess I hoped it’d do better because I hope they make another one with Vikander. Time will tell, I suppose.
Pacific Rim was pretty cool. I guess we should make another one. Uprising does it’s best to recapture a bit of what Pacific Rim had, but it just felt like a bit of a rehash. It wasn’t anything new and wasn’t as fun as its predecessor, but you could do much worse. If you wanted a little bit more from Pacific Rim…well, I’d probably actually recommend you just rewatch the first one because it does most things much better. But you could also watch the sequel instead.
I have only vague memories of Ready Player One and I can’t find my notes about it. Also, I own the movie but can’t inspire myself to watch it again as a refresher. That probably doesn’t bode well for the movie. But I did buy it, so who knows? What I can say I remember was that the story wasn’t terribly thrilling, but at least it had some good visuals and some fun ideas in it, and of course I was most likely the target audience with how many movie, video game, and pop culture references they try to cram into the movie. But in the end it felt more like they were trying to yell, “HEY KIDS! Remember these awesome things?! Well we’re awesome too, right?! You’ll remember us together forever!” …But no, not really. Back to the Future is awesome; you just have a DeLorean. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t have a lot of substance. I’d say it’s a nice popcorn flick to shut your brain off to and watch all the pretty colors. HEY! Is that Chucky!?
I was very impressed with A Quiet Place. At first I heard that Jim from The Office was making a horror movie with his wife and felt pretty skeptical about how that would turn out. I finally relented to it when it reached Redbox. I already felt pretty confident in Krasinski and Blunt as actors, but how would Krasinski do as also a writer and director. Turns out pretty damned well. The story is well enough, but the actual good stuff in this movie comes with how it’s made. They do so well with the sound design in the movie that it’s actually very jarring when something makes a sound in the movie, which makes you feel like the people in the movie. Both of us REALLY want it to be quiet. Probably the people in the movie a little more than the viewer. The stakes for us is being startled, but they get eaten. I took very few negative thoughts away from this movie. One was a fairly common one with me that I feel that in the movie (as I tend to feel in life in general) that the adults would be so much better off without the kids. The other one is on the parents because if you live in a world where you can’t make a single sound without risking horrible death, then you need to use a condom, master the pull out, or freaking abstain from sex so you don’t go knocking up your lady. Kids are problem enough, but no way are you keeping things perfectly silent through both childbirth and infancy with that thing. Keep it in your pants!
Blockers is a perfectly solid comedy. It spends the majority of its time being extremely immature, having most of its jokes revolving around dicks, poop, vomit, and the like. But later in the movie it does show that it has a bit of a brain in how it deals with the issue of why it always seems to be the case that parents are so vehement that their kids not do exactly what most of them did when it comes to exploring their sexuality. Sadly, I probably side too much with the parents though, and I occasionally found it uncomfortable to watch what at least we were supposed to believe were high school girls talking about gettin’ some dick. All three of the main parents held up their ends of the bargain in the movie though, but I was particularly interested in Geraldine Viswanathan, who played John Cena’s daughter. I felt she was the funniest one in the movie. Solid movie, though.
As I mentioned with Tomb Raider, bringing the story of a video game into a movie is a tricky thing. But what do you do if that game really has not story? As best I can recall, the closest thing to a story the Rampage games ever had was that giant monsters like to punch buildings until they fall down, go boom. So I guess Rampage the movie captured that perfectly. That’s about what the story was here too. Also, the Rock’s there, which more often than not is a plus as far as I’m concerned. I’m also not one to act like I’m in any way above a nice, brainless blockbuster. Rampage is plenty fun enough as a mindless way to kill 2 hours and a tub of popcorn.
I’m struggling to remember much of anything about Truth or Dare. I saw it a while ago and feel like I just thought it was fine. The idea of a deadly, paranormally enhanced game of Truth or Dare is interesting enough, if not just a bit silly of a premise that somehow demons just love playing this game so much but they wanna spice it up with some killing. It also makes me wonder if the porn version of this movie is a haunted game of Fuck, Marry, Kill. But all things considered, it was fairly well done. The possessed faces walked a very fine line between spooky and goofy and laughable, but it didn’t take that much away from things.
I FEEL PRETTY
I enjoy Amy Schumer most of the time and I was quite fond of Trainwreck, but I Feel Pretty didn’t do much for me. It just seemed ridiculous in a lot of places, even if you ignore the premise of the movie that comes straight from almost every cartoon from my childhood. You know the one. Character gets some head trauma and completely changes their personality until they get hit again and revert, occasionally learning a lesson about themselves. But beyond that, maybe I’m blessed to have just not encountered it myself, but a lot of the people seemed a little too blatant about their feelings about slightly bigger people, especially in their place of work. People would loudly ask their coworker in the back if they have plus sizes and, without asking, retail employees would approach people and let them know that bigger sizes are online. Maybe it happens, but those people probably don’t have jobs there very long. I also wondered how successful guys are flirting with models while being complete shits to the bigger gal they are talking with. I would guess not very. But pretty much all of the main cast of this movie is good and likeable, and the movie has a good message about liking yourself, but if you’re going to be ridiculous you could at least use it to be funny, and this movie wasn’t funny enough.
SUPER TROOPERS 2
I really enjoyed the first Super Troopers movie and was tentatively hopeful when I heard they were making a second one. I was let down. I’m not sure what exactly it was that disappointed me though. The jokes felt roughly similar to the first one, so was the problem that I’ve seen too many of their jokes before, or was it that I’ve matured past the point of enjoying this in the more than a decade that separated the two movies while the Broken Lizard crew has not? I don’t know, but I do know that Super Troopers 2 wasn’t really my cup of tea.
I absolutely loved Infinity War; I saw it multiple times in the theaters, and then I watched it numerous times later on at home. I kind of wanna watch it again right now! Infinity War is so damned impressive in how well the Russo’s were able to juggle not only the numerous stars that all deserved at least a piece of a storyline, but also the multiple storylines themselves. It never felt like it was too much or that any character didn’t get enough to do, and the movie always felt like it was moving forward and never really felt like it was in a lull. And of course, there’s the ending, which frankly blew my mind and left me speechless for a while after the movie. The characters were all as great as they always were, with Thanos being the standout. He was awesome and also had very clear purpose that you could almost understand in a twisted way. It makes sense what he’s trying to do, even if no one wants to be the one to pull the trigger. And the CG was so good on him that, along with Brolin’s performance capture, you could be forgiven for forgetting he wasn’t really there. There were only two issues I can remember leaving this moment with. The first being how resentful the movie left me to Peter Quill for the most boneheaded lack of forethought ever. I get it: he was in a bad place, but you also ruined EVERYTHING and accomplished nothing by doing it. The second problem is a problem I’m still dealing with to this day, almost a year after its release: That I’ve had to wait this long (and longer still) for the conclusion! Ant-Man didn’t give me enough to keep me going! But if you’re going to have a problem with a movie, this is probably the one they want you to have.
Deadpool 2 suffered slightly from the high bar set by its predecessor. The first one was so funny and surprising and good, but this one wasn’t going to be able to be as surprising because the first one happened already. It also wanted to make a lot of jokes referencing jokes from the first movie, but they didn’t feel as funny because we had seen them before. But they certainly had their share of new stuff: they had a pretty good story, they had Ryan Reynolds in all his glory, and they added Josh Brolin and Zazie Beetz, who were both fantastic. The only other issues I took with the movie was what happened with some other new characters in X-Factor who, shall we say, didn’t get much screen time, and also with what happened at the end of the movie which essentially wiped out the entire plot advancement of the movie.
I feel like I should also add that (upon my mother’s recommendation) I watched Once Upon a Deadpool, the PG-13 recut of the movie. I would not have considered watching this under normal circumstances. I saw the full version, why would I watch the one where someone went in and poorly replaced the F-word with “funk?” But this was so much more than that. I gotta say: this may be the version to watch. I don’t think you’re missing too much, and this version just adds a bunch of stuff. It felt faster paced than the original, probably because they had to cut out chunks of scenes of people sitting around making dick jokes, and they added a bunch of great new jokes making fun of the fact that they went PG-13. And the stuff with Fred Savage was killer. “Marvel licensed by Fox is like the Beatles produced by Nickelback?” Brilliant. If you enjoyed Deadpool, don’t skip out on this version thinking they took out all the goods. They probably added more good stuff than they removed.
Solo was … fine. That sounds okay, but as a Star Wars fan, I’m automatically predisposed to give a Star Wars movie the benefit of the doubt and knock it up a few points for just being Star Wars related, so I wonder what that means about the movie itself. And in a situation like this, it’s also possible that the movie could suffer from my fandom since it wasn’t the same people I was a fan of. And there were no lightsabers that I can recall. But the movie didn’t really add or subtract anything from the series for me. I didn’t hate it, but I could’ve done without it. At least the cast was all pretty good. I was happy with Donald Glover, and Alden Ehrenreich did about as well as he could, but he wasn’t Harrison Ford. Overall, Solo sits in the hierarchy about where it sits in the chronology; just above the prequels, but behind most everything else.
Upgrade was better that it had any right to be. I expected that I’d enjoy it because I enjoy dumb action movies, but this action movie was actually kinda smart. I just expected Death Wish with a robot brained guy, which it was, but also had some unexpected twists to the story, especially a big one at the end that I didn’t see coming at all. It was pretty well-acted too, but more importantly in the case of this movie, it had some great fights and some really brutal action that I really dug. Check this movie out.
I was never a big fan of any of the Oceans movies. They just didn’t do anything for me. So what would happen if they did what to me felt like roughly the same thing but with a cast that was mostly female? …Not change anything too much really. I guess it was a little bit easier on the eyes, maybe.
I wrote a full review for Hereditary back in October if you want to see all the opinions on it, although I’m not even fully sure I’ve yet come to grips with said opinions. Basically I decided that the movie was unsettling, and I’d probably lean towards saying it was scary, but I also thought it was a little confusing and the performances were a little over the top at times. It’s such a polarizing movie though, so everyone else’s opinions could go either way.
Going into it, I assumed Hotel Artemis was going to essentially be “You know that hotel from John Wick? You think we can make a whole movie out of that?” And that’s basically what it was, but they pulled it off fairly well. It was kinda funny, somewhat interesting, had some decent action, and a ridiculous cast. It’s far from a must see movie, but it’s a solid watch.
I think the most difficult part of reviewing Incredibles 2 is in comparing it to the original. The original gets a bit of an edge for starting it all and introducing us to the characters, but I think I prefer the sequel, where we already know the characters and get to spend more time with the whole family and not just mostly the parents. Jack-Jack is too cute and fun to spend so much time in the background! The story was not dissimilar to the original. I would say the big reveal of the movie was not terribly surprising, but I also suppose that not everything needs to be. All that really matters is that it’s every bit as good and as fun as the original, if not slightly more so.
Tag was a perfectly acceptable comedy with a couple of laughs and a kind of sweet ending. The concept of it seems ridiculous until you find out that it’s based on a real game of tag some grown adults have been playing for decades and I think are still playing today. THAT is ridiculous. Making a movie about it just makes more sense knowing that. Damned good cast too. It’s certainly a missable movie, but you could do worse.
It’s just more of the same every time, isn’t it? People just saying, “Look, I know it worked out poorly last time, but I think we could make an even better, more killing-er dinosaur!” Am I talking about the Jurassic Park franchise or what the people in the movie would be saying? I don’t even know anymore. I really can’t say that I hated the movie, but it is starting to make me aware of the fact that they’re pretty much the same movie every time. The likeability of Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard can only take these movies so far when they get progressively more stupid.
I constantly claim that I’m not a fan of the Purge films, yet I believe I’ve seen every single one. One of those things will have to change eventually, and after seeing this one I imagine it’ll be the latter rather than the former. It’s not that I think they’re poorly made movies; it’s just that they never really feel different and they don’t resonate with me at all. I also tend to forget them immediately afterwards. This one is (obviously) about how the Purge started. That’s about the only thing that felt slightly different. Otherwise the story is basic and the character motivations don’t really add up to me. Like the holier than thou protestor girl that won’t agree to hang out with the drug dealer on Purge night even though he seems like a nice guy AND has an army to protect them and isn’t asking for anything in return. Or Marisa Tomei’s character who is angry that the government is faking it to make it look like the Purge is successful even though SHE is the one who suggested the Purge in the first place. But I guess I’d say if you are the kind of person that enjoys these movies, this is another one. Not really for me though.
Ant-Man 2 was a fantastic and fun movie, but it was put in a difficult place. I’m not saying that it was hurt by comparison to Infinity War because I wasn’t really drawing that comparison. The problem for me was that Infinity War ended on such a mind-blowing cliffhanger that I still need a resolution to in a big bad way, so I was definitely thirsty for it just a few months removed. Ant-Man 2 did not progress the events of Infinity War except for a little bit in the post-credit sequences, nor was it trying to. It was trying to tell its own, fun, self-contained, more personal story, and it did that. But I need resolution to Infinity War so bad that every movie I see is going to be tainted by that. So if I’m going to knock Peter Rabbit a few points for not progressing Infinity War, I’m certainly going to do that to a Marvel movie. Fun movie though, when you get past that.
Skyscraper is probably better than most people expected it to be, but how good were most people expecting it to be? The story doesn’t really amount to much more than Die Hard with a bigger building and John McClane is starting from outside the building, but it’s a big dumb action movie so I wasn’t expecting much more than that. I will say that there was no reason that I could see that The Rock needed to have only one leg, and I don’t even think they ever used it to make the joke about a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest. The action wasn’t the most mind-blowing thing ever, but The Rock can add points to any movie and at least make it work. And it does. Fun popcorn movie if you don’t have much else to watch.
Going into the Sequelizer, my biggest concern was that I would have to remember anything about the first one. I didn’t, but I felt like I was fine without remembering. The story didn’t seem to rely on the first one. There wasn’t much of a story anyway really. Kind of basic action movie stuff, a surprise bad guy I saw coming from a mile away, but the action was pretty good and it was an enjoyable watch. I also think there’s probably going to be a time when Denzel Washington is too old to be believable as an action star, but that time has not yet come. He’s like black Liam Neeson.
UNFRIENDED: DARK WEB
Unfriended: Dark Web was a pretty solid horror movie with a fairly underwhelming twist at the end, but not really underwhelming enough to ruin the rest of the experience. Interesting concept and some decent uses of the webcam horror. I couldn’t really get beyond the idea that the guy who owned the murder laptop was apparently a super hacker computer maestro but he also forgets his laptop in a cyber café and has all his passwords saved on it. That part was explained in the end, but I still spent the rest of the movie irritated by it, and of course I felt the ending was a bit weak anyway. I also didn’t really get the choice that had to be made at the end. Look, I love my mom, and I also don’t want to seem callous or anything, but if you have to choose who lives and your choices are 1) mom dying of cancer and 2) the young, healthy woman you love, that doesn’t seem like that hard of a choice. I’m sure your mom would even agree with you. I mean, definitely feel bad about it later, of course…
I had a bit of a rocky start with Mission: Impossible-Fallout. I went to see it in theaters when it first came out and the screen went black a third of the way in. Apparently, the bulb burnt out on the projector and they wouldn’t be able to restart the movie. The theater told us, “This kind of thing happens,” to which I thought, “…Really? I’ve seen an awful lot of movies in my 35 years and this would make a grand total of one times.” But I got a free ticket and intended to see it again and just never got around to it. Then it came out on DVD and I felt obligated to buy it even though I didn’t really know if it was good. And then after seeing it, I’d say it’s roughly the same as every other Mission: Impossible movie. The IMF needs to stop a bad guy, all the other governments think the IMF is to blame, the IMF needs to overcome both to win. And there’s probably a double agent too. Maybe give Ethan Hunt the benefit of the doubt every once and a while. But another thing it shares with the other Mission: Impossible movies is that it’s pretty good. Lots of good action and spectacular moments. You’ll have fun, even if you won’t be surprised.
I don’t recall being a terribly big fan of Winnie the Pooh in my youth and didn’t really feel any inspiration to see Christopher Robin, but as the end of the year approaches, I find myself relaxing on my standards when I visit Redbox machines. All that being said, I found I was pretty charmed by the movie after a little while. It was pretty relentlessly adorable and sweet once it got going. I wouldn’t call it a must-see movie for adults, but as something to watch with kids, it’s certainly endearing.
THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME
I don’t know if I would dump The Spy Who Dumped Me per se. I wouldn’t kick it out of bed because Mila Kunis is in it and who would ever kick her out of bed, but I also don’t know if I would necessarily pursue it. It’s fine. I didn’t hate it, but I don’t really recall laughing at it, and I am inclined to believe that things that involve Kate McKinnon will make me laugh at some point.
The Meg had no right to be as fun and entertaining as it was. And it seemed to be intentionally so, unlike the Sharknado type movies I believed it to be going in. Now don’t get me wrong; I chose my words very carefully there. It’s not a “good” movie. It’s a fun and entertaining movie. Big dumb action at its finest, and it’s fully aware that it’s dumb and makes good use of that for some funny moments. It also has a really strong cast, and uses people like Jason Statham and Rainn Wilson for exactly what they’re good at, but also lets Bingbing Li show some sides I’ve never seen of her. I think I’ve only ever seen her play a Femme Fatale type character, but she also pulled off comedy and a little bit of dramatic acting very well. I recommend you check out The Meg for a rental.
I was not expecting to go into a Spike Lee movie about the KKK and have fun while learning, but somehow I did. Blackkklansman captured an interesting real life story and turned it into an interesting plot. And they even managed to make it funny even though it probably shouldn’t technically have been with how sadly close to home it can feel. I can’t think of a performance that wasn’t great either, and I was particularly happy to see Paul Walter Hauser in the movie, who really stole the show in I, Tonya. Definitely a movie to check out.
A movie about an internet meme. Like a horror Grumpy Cat. How well could anyone have expected that to go? Slender Man starts off as a group of teenage girls talking about dicks and stuff, and then the movie itself turns into a whole bag of dicks. It tries to steal from The Ring with its creepy flashing images, but the best that is able to muster is reminding me of a better horror movie. Its story was weak, the performances only required screaming, and it just wasn’t scary. It wasn’t particularly well done either, like a scene in a dark house where a music sting told me something scary happened, but I had to rewind and rewatch 3 times before I noticed a shadow move a pixel in the background. They probably could’ve turned Slender Man into a decent movie, but it feels like they rushed it out as fast as they could to capitalize on the myth before kids forgot all about it and moved on to eating Tide Pods. I would say Tide Pods are probably more satisfying though.
Alpha was a solid movie about a lost cave boy who makes friends with a doggie and then teaches his tribe how to make friends with doggies too. As someone that likes dogs more than people, I was personally rooting for the dog for most of the movie. If what was best for the dog happened to work out for this boy, cool. The movie has a feel good outcome, is well-acted, mostly by once-Nightcrawler Kodi Smit-McPhee, and the movie looks great. It’s not a movie anyone necessarily needs to see, but it’s a solid watch.
Mile 22 is a fairly standard action movie. A bit of twists and turns to the story, but nothing you couldn’t see coming if you didn’t shut your brain off to the movie beforehand. But in this kind of movie, it’s generally recommended to shut your brain off and not think too much about what you’re watching. Watch people punch people, shoot people, blow people up. The movie will deliver fairly well on that. And Lauren Cohan is hot, so it’s got that going for it. Iko Uwais is generally good for some solid fight scenes too. Mark Wahlberg’s character was pretty annoying to me with his rubber band thing and his generally abrasive personality, but it wasn’t enough to ruin it. If you’re not in the mood for action, this movie has nothing else for you, but it can scratch an itch if it needs to.
I wouldn’t say I was expecting much from Happytime Murders. It had plenty of things going for it. The world of a seedy underbelly of the normally happy puppet world has a lot of potential, and the cast is pretty excellent. I’ve never really been crazy about Melissa McCarthy, but she has the ability to hold a comedy if the writing is there. But Maya Rudolph, Joel McHale, Elizabeth Banks, and Michael McDonald I do tend to enjoy more often than not, and even they couldn’t make this movie work. Dirty puppets can work for a comedy (I’ve seen Avenue Q), but vulgar for the sake of vulgar isn’t really enough for me. You can skip this move. See Avenue Q instead, if you can.
Searching was a pleasant surprise. The method of execution they chose for the movie (everything being shown through a computer) can strain believability and put a strain on the audience. Why and how were all of these things being filmed? And why am I watching a computer screen for this long and it’s not porn and videos of people hurting themselves attempting something stupid? But, they were able to make it work with a well-written story (with a couple twists at the end I didn’t see coming), and some great performances, especially John Cho, who slowly came unhinged as the movie went along and gave the best performance I’ve ever seen from him. There were a few things I took issue with, such as suggesting that Margot may still have run away because they found $2,500 in her car…which was in a lake. ‘Cause you know how you run away and make sure you have some seed money and get rid of your car so no one can find you and then DOH! My money was in there! Boy is my face red! But that’s me nitpicking a movie I enjoyed, so you don’t let that stop you from checking it out.
Another movie I already did a video review of, I enjoyed The Nun. I enjoy most of the Conjuring series. They’re not technically the best movies, but it was solid. It wasn’t the same atmospheric spookiness of a lot of the other Conjuring movies; it was almost the ghost equivalent of an action movie, ramping the jump scares to 11 in the beginning and acting almost like a zombie movie. The movie had good performances as well, though it seemed like an odd decision to cast Vera Farmiga’s sister in the role as they would look so much alike but seemingly have no connection to each other in the mythos of the movie. Maybe future movies will explain that, but this one didn’t. I’ll be sure to find out though because this movie was enjoyable enough that I’ll be seeing whatever comes next as well.
I like a badass chick. I have two pets named after them (Ripley and Leia). I would be so down for a movie like Peppermint…if it were good. Peppermint was just passable at best. There were a lot of frustrating writing choices, such as the cops thinking it was more important to hunt down the woman that wants justice as opposed to the gang that guns down an innocent woman and her family. Or the news station that needs the police to make a statement on vigilante justice. My guess is they are against it. And the mob boss that doesn’t order all of his gang members to surround themselves with little girls since they’re obviously this lady’s kryptonite. So basically, this movie really wants to be lady Batman. …Or Batman if the shooter had killed Bruce and Thomas and Martha was the one that survived… And she was cool with killing and guns… Okay, that comparison missed the mark a bit. So did this movie. Riley wasn’t nearly badass enough and the story needed work. It wouldn’t hurt to see it, but just go watch Aliens.
It’s going to become difficult for young people to understand how the Predator has become as iconic as it has when it’s percentile of good movies is so low. 6 movies, one good one, one passable one. And this was one of the other four. The Predator uses a dismembered arm to fake a soldier giving a thumbs up! Fuck you, movie! I’m gonna use a dismembered arm to give this movie a thumbs down…and then jam it up their asses.
Try as I might and want as I did, I found myself unable to connect with Venom. I really like Venom as a character, but I feel like I don’t know him very well as a character as I haven’t followed his story much outside of his interactions with Spider-Man. The Venom I know wasn’t as much of a comedic character as this one tried to be. He would never threaten someone with a long story about how they’d look like a “turd” after he ate their limbs. He probably would’ve just eaten their limbs. I also don’t think the Venom I know would be concerned about the fact that Eddie is making him “look bad.” I like Tom Hardy a lot, but his portrayal of Eddie Brock really worked my nerves. He’s an asshole who screws up his life and blames everyone else. It wasn’t Drake’s fault that you lost everything. You stole information from your girlfriend and you just had to be an Edge Lord when interviewing him which lost you your job. It may be a little to blame on your boss for sending you in the first place. At that point, I had only known Eddie for a few minutes and I knew exactly how that interview was gonna go. The action wasn’t that great either. If you thought it was hard to tell what was happening in Transformers when chunks of metal were smashing into each other, wait till you see two slightly different color blobs of goo smashing into each other as a fight scene. I didn’t really enjoy Venom, but I do hope they make more because I think they have the elements to make a good Venom movie here, but they just weren’t able to. But really, the best part of the movie was the Into the Spider-Verse clip in the credits.
I feel like my viewing of A Star is Born benefited from going into the movie clean. I knew about the previous versions of the movie in a very basic sense but never saw them. The idea I had about them was that it was this love story of a musician that starts the career of another musician he falls in love with and they get too big and then their relationship sours. That kind of happens, but that wasn’t the surprise at the end of the movie I didn’t see coming, which allowed the movie to really shock me when it happened. Granted, I would’ve preferred it was a little more clear what exactly Bradley Cooper was doing in that garage because I was only able to figure it out from people talking about it later and looking it up on Wikipedia, but that’s really the only gripe I had with this movie. I don’t know how much credit you can give the story here because I don’t know how much it took from the other versions, but I really enjoyed it. The music was also great, inspiring me to pick up the soundtrack later. Every performance in the movie was also fantastic. Bradley Cooper was great and seemed like he was doing a Sam Elliott impression for a lot of the movie, then Sam Elliott himself shows up and gives an even better Sam Elliott impression, but also the best performance I’ve seen of him. Granted, I think I’ve only really seen him in Roadhouse and Ghost Rider, but this was great too. And of course, I had never really seen Lady Gaga act before, but she is damned good at that too. Most of the time I’ve known of Lady Gaga I’ve tried to write her off for her poppy songs and gimmicky persona, but over the years as she’s peeled that stuff away I’ve begrudgingly had to admit that she’s got damned good singing chops and now she apparently can act as well. I guess I’ll just have to give in and admit that the lady is talented. A Star is Born is a great love story that will warm and break your heart, and the songs are flat out quality. Definitely recommend this movie.
Slasher films (including many of the ones in the Halloween family) are often a source of mockery for me. And they’re often quite deserving. So when this year’s Halloween movie came out and decided to wipe away the other Halloween movies from canon, you’d think I’d agree with them. And mostly I would, but I feel like people in this town would take Michael Myers more seriously if his body count was 47 instead of 6. But I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. It was damned enjoyable. Or as enjoyable as you can say a slasher film is. A lot of people were brutally murdered, so I don’t wanna act like I enjoyed it too much. Story was somewhat simple but with the current of Jamie Lee Curtis’ PTSD giving it a little more meat. Jamie Lee Curtis was great, as was Andi Matichak. Judy Greer wasn’t very likeable for most of the movie, and at the end I was about to get real mad at her for the cliché shit her character was about to pull, but then she swerved so hard and turned that moment into a moment of supreme radness that totally redeemed her character. If you dig on a horror movie, check this one out. And try to tell me that Greer moment didn’t make the whole movie worthwhile. You’ll know the one.
Though I would say I enjoyed Bohemian Rhapsody, I was also very surprised by how many awards it was taking home. The story was fine, but wasn’t impressive. I certainly didn’t have any criticism for the fact that they changed the timeline of some of the real life events. It wasn’t a documentary, so changing how things happened slightly for more satisfying movie moments is perfectly acceptable to me. But the movie itself was just enjoyable, not mind-blowing. I give proper credit to Rami Malek’s performance, but really the true success of the movie was how much watching the movie drove me into a Queen craze afterwards. After seeing the movie, I had to go watch their epic Live Aid performance as well as the Freddie Mercury tribute concert, and I’ve also had the soundtrack for Bohemian Rhapsody practically on loop in my car since I saw it, and before seeing the movie I only had a passing knowledge of Queen, essentially including Bohemian Rhapsody (which I found from Wayne’s World), Don’t Stop Me Now (which I found from Shaun of the Dead), and We Are the Champions (which I found everywhere). But really, that credit should be given to Queen more than the movie.
I’ve always been fine with the Grinch. At least the original. It was essential holiday viewing in my childhood, but not so much anymore. The Jim Carrey version was one I enjoyed because Jim Carrey was in it, but not something I feel the need to rewatch often. And then they came out with another one. I would’ve skipped it altogether had it not been for the involvement of Scott Mosier of Smodcast fame. I’ve been following Mosier’s career as it tied into Kevin Smith’s for many years and was interested to see what his directing debut would look like. And it was good. The world didn’t really need another Grinch, but it’s funnier than the original and kids today might be more interested in this movie visually than the original, so it might be something the kids would like. At least more than the adults who will probably turn their noses up at it for not being the one they saw when they were kids. So this isn’t really a movie you need to go out and watch, but it’s fine, and your kids will probably like it. If there are major criticisms to be levelled against it, the rap version of You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch by Tyler the Creator was painful to hear. At least they let Welcome Christmas be in the movie without it being a Nicki Minaj remix.
I had originally put Overlord on my list of movies to watch for the year, but decided it was low priority and never got around to it. But the benefit of the tardiness of this review came as I had not finished the review yet by the time this movie came to RedBox. I was surprised that this movie was much more enjoyable than it appeared. It really just seemed like it was a basic war movie crossed with a basic horror movie, when it turned out to be a good version of both of those things put together. And, much like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, they’re two great tastes that taste great together. The story is basic and they had a couple missed opportunities, like when a character is gravely wounded and the bad guy says, “How does it feel?” and the good guy responds, “Not so fuckin’ great.” I haven’t really bothered to think on it, but you could definitely have worked out a better, badass response than that. Since he was stabbed by a hook, he could say, “I love it. I think I’m addicted to it. I’m really hooked on it.” …That wasn’t great either, but I put no thought into it. And I’m not being paid a lot to write it. …Or being paid at all. The cast was also great. Euron Greyjoy was in it, as was the dude from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but the one who had most of my attention was Wyatt Russell. Hot damn that guy has a lot of his dad (Kurt) in him. I feel like I would not hate a reboot or sequel to Escape from New York with him taking over for his dad. I’d call him “Snake.” The movie didn’t really go for scares too much as it was really more of a gory, zombie-esque war movie, but it did that gore very well. I definitely recommend you give this movie a shot. It’s fun times.
Fantastic Beasts 2 answers all the prayers I had left unfulfilled from the Harry Potter series. And by that I mean that I always wished Voldemort’s snake was actually a hot Asian lady. Thankfully, this movie made that happen for me. It didn’t deliver much else other than that though. It wasn’t bad or even a bummer, but it was probably one of the worst in the franchise and just didn’t feel magical enough. I know that’s a joke a lot of people would go for, but I’ve written a bunch of these so give me a break. It really feels more like a filler movie. We’re not being introduced to the world because the first one did that, but it’s not the last one either so it’s really just trying to keep us on the hook until we get there. I guess you could say it succeeded in that because this didn’t talk me out of seeing the next one, but it didn’t blow me away either. I guess I have to stick around to see Grindelwald get what’s coming to him. I mean, they had him kill a dragon doggie and a baby in his first 2 appearances. Just in case you were wondering if he was a bad guy or not.
BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS
I had not heard of the Ballad of Buster Scruggs until the two hosts of the Just 2 Pals podcast (the only form of entertainment I know of that’s as bad at posting content as I am) recommended it to me. And I would say for the most part, I was happy to find the movie. I like a good western and this was one of them, and I enjoyed the greater majority of the stories, but not knowing anything about the movie beforehand, I went in not quite realizing that I might not want to bother getting attached to anyone. I guess that was my biggest problem with it. Being that the movie was 6 mini-stories, none of them could be terribly long, and since they weren’t connected that was all the time you’d get to spend with the characters you were just starting to like. Going through each one, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs was fun and Buster did some pretty awesome things. Near Algodones didn’t resonate with me much beyond Stephen Root. Meal Ticket didn’t do much for me. All Gold Canyon was pretty good, but maybe took a little too long. The Gal Who Got Rattled was probably my favorite even though it was a real bummer, but I enjoyed seeing Zoe Kazan again after loving The Big Sick so much. The Mortal Remains was just kind of there for me, but I liked how they did it. I guess one of the biggest things to take away from this is that the stories are all at least interesting and the cast was pretty crazy. It’s at least worth a watch.
I enjoyed Wreck it Ralph quite a bit, but felt like Ralph Breaks the Internet didn’t blow me away as much as I was hoping for. I enjoyed it, but it didn’t blow my mind. It was fun, it was funny at times, it was a little bit heart-warming, and it delivers on what we expect. I would say that Vanelope is painfully adorable and that I would probably want a movie that’s a little more her and a little less Ralph. And I absolutely loved all the stuff they did with the other Disney Princesses, especially since they got almost all of their original voice actors to return. And that they also included Star Wars and Marvel, including the man himself, Stan Lee. How could I possibly hate a movie that had Stan Lee in it?! …Well I couldn’t. I just wasn’t in love with it.
When I first heard about Creed 2, the premise seemed a little corny. Like Rocky Babies. The offspring of Drago and Creed have to recreate the fight from Rocky 4. So this is essentially Rocky 4-2, but that name is confusing so I understand why they went with this one instead. The movie turned out more enjoyable than that. I would say it’s not an entirely surprising movie though. Their first encounter happens just before the halfway point of the film so you can probably guess how it goes, but then Adonis is gonna have to chase chickens or something so the outcome of the rematch will be different. But something about how they put these movies together works and gets the audience invested, even if it’s a little formulaic and predictable. The cast of the movie made me really happy. You would know going in that Stallone and Lundgren came back, but I was happy to see Brigitte Nielsen and Milo Ventimiglia also return. Michael B. Jordan carries the movie, and that man is just infuriating. He’s handsome, he’s in amazing shape, and he’s actually a damned good actor. How dare he take all the things?! It did make me laugh when he came to the realization that he lost the first fight because he was scared he couldn’t do what his father couldn’t do. I would’ve said, “You already did! You survived the fight with a Drago! Daddy didn’t do that!” But Creed 2 was able to keep the Rocky franchise going strong. I don’t necessarily hope they keep making these because I don’t know where else they could take it, but if they do make another, I’d give it a shot too.
It would be unfair for me to say that Robin Hood was “bad.” It certainly wasn’t good, and it was really dumb, but I didn’t hate the experience really. It was pretty much just like King Arthur with Charlie Hunnam in that it took an old legend and added new style action scenes to it. And most of the things they added to it seemed like they were just stealing from better movies. Robin Hood was basically told to be Batman by being Bruce Wayne in the day and The Hood at night. Early in the movie, Robin goes to war and they tried to make it a war movie in Robin Hood times. Like Black Hood Down or Zero Dark Loxley. They also took Morgan Freeman’s character from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, made him Little John, and also made him a badass. And they had arrow Gatling guns and arrow bazookas… So obviously, it was dumb, it was silly, and it had no reason to exist, but it was fun enough to squeak by.
I find it somewhat painful to say this and that’s why you should all take it very seriously: this is quite possibly the best Spider-Man movie to date. Tom Holland’s Homecoming is probably a close second, but this movie is just perfect. Wonderfully written, heart-warming, funny, action-packed, visually-perfect, and John Mulaney. I loved all the references to other Spider-Man movies, like the opening scene and the dancing joke. If there are any complaints to be had with this movie it’d be that I’m a bit bummed that they didn’t get Donald Glover to voice Uncle Aaron as he had already played him in Homecoming, but Mahershala Ali did a fine job as well. I also don’t get why Miles would be embarrassed about getting driven to school in a cop car. I’d just tell everyone I had a police escort! Also, this wouldn’t be a complaint, but the proximity to his loss and everything about how it happened in this movie made the Stan Lee cameo break my heart so bad. That wound will never heal, but it was far too fresh at the time. Technically speaking though, it was perfect. Just like the rest of the movie. Check it out.
I did not get this movie’s deal. There was very little about Mortal Engines that worked, so let’s get them out of the way first: It was visually kinda cool. …That’s it. After that, this movie was garbage. It was so poorly-written which made most things not make sense, made the characters look stupid, and made me very angry and ask a bunch of questions that would never get answered. Why would the museum curator boy run after the assassin by himself? Why does he then beg her for her help? Failing that, why does he then claim he’s more than capable of taking care of himself when he was just begging for her help? Why do you say “We’re not gonna tell our sad stories” and then five minutes later: Sad story time? Why do you claim you would’ve left somebody if they were in danger and five minutes later save them? Why is her injured leg better when it’s convenient? Why does robo-daddy guy exist at all? Why do they try to give him an emotional send off when he just crashed an entire city into the ground? Why can you not destroy London because of the innocent people even though it would stop them from killing all the innocent people in your city? Why do you say you need to attack first and then wait around until London attacks and decimates you to finally make a move? Why does Tom stop right after that when everyone’s dying to get a cool new jacket? Why does London attack TWICE before you finally arrive? Why is the badass leader of the resistance evenly matched in a sword fight with an aging Archaeologist? Why is the father reveal a surprise to Hester when she was like 8 when he left? Why does Tom respond to Hester’s answer of what they do next (“We see the world”) with, “I’m comin’ with ya!”? …Yeah, she said “we.” And the most important question: if this movie can’t be bothered to pay attention to itself, why should I? Don’t see this movie.
I don’t know that I’d ever consider myself the biggest fan of Mary Poppins. It was a fine movie, but the fact that my mom loved it and made me watch it many times made me appreciate it less. And then they made a sequel. It too was fine, but probably less fine. I would say about this movie that, though it’s not as good as the original, it’s fantastic visuals are most likely required to catch the interest of children today who would probably be unable to appreciate the original. So kids will probably enjoy it, and adults that liked the original will probably just be okay with it as it doesn’t feel drastically different from the original, but the songs aren’t nearly as good. The performances are solid though. Emily Blunt is great, as is Lin-Manuel Miranda. Didn’t really dig on Meryl Streep’s section as it just felt pointless, but it didn’t take too long. I got a little bored in Mary Poppins Returns, but I think parents will find it a satisfactory way to spend a few hours with the kids.
I never would’ve expected that Aquaman would be the moment it seemed DC was finally starting to get the hang of this “movie” thing. While thinking about it afterwards, I decided that Aquaman comes in second to Wonder Woman, but it’s close. Wonder Woman was a 9 or a 10 for the first 2 acts of the movie, but suffered from a weak ending. Aquaman was a solid 6 or 7 all the way through, so they average out to about the same. The story was basic, but what could we expect? Patrick Wilson is bad and Jason Momoa is good. That’s all you need to know. Also, Amber Heard is hot. That’s important as well. But the action was good, though I was surprised to find that I found the female fight scenes much cooler than the male ones. Nothing wrong with some ass-kicking women, but Aquaman is the star here. Maybe make him have some better fights. And probably should make Orm cheat when he beats him. Aquaman lost fair and square in their first encounter. How’s that supposed to make me dislike Orm? ‘Cause he’s not as pretty? But they did improve on a couple important things here. First, he actually dressed like Aquaman! That was a very exciting moment. And most importantly to me after Justice League: Aquaman finally has a trident. I don’t know what that was he had in Justice League, but it had 5 points. TRI-dent! THREE POINTS!! He had a … pent-dent…? I dunno. But it’s a fun movie and hopefully DC can keep this up. I don’t know that they can (and I certainly don’t want them to) equal Marvel, but getting close would be nice. This is a step in the right direction.
Because of Michael Bay, one does not expect much when going into a Transformers movie. Barely distinguishable clumps of metal will bang into each other and things will explode. It has gone on so long it made me forget one important fact: without Michael Bay, I tend to enjoy Transformers. Bay was still a part of Bumblebee as a producer, but I’m assuming his influence was limited because Bumblebee was actually enjoyable! Possibly the best Transformers movie ever and certainly the best live action one. First of all, most of the Transformers actually looked like they’re supposed to look, which was a welcome change. The story was basic, but solid. Hailee Steinfeld is probably a better actress than a movie like this deserves, but she probably made bank so why not? John Cena was good as well, and made a damned good point about why the government trusted a group of creatures that flat out call themselves Decepticons. Bumblebee was a solid actor too, and the moment where he got pissed at Cena for shoving Steinfeld was super hype. The parents were my biggest problem with the movie. Not because the actors were bad at it, but because they were the worst parents ever. The two presents they give Steinfeld for her birthday are presents THEY want her to have, like a helmet and a book about how she should smile more. And then this girl finally gets her own car and her mom just decides to take it out to get groceries without asking or even informing her? I could understand if my mom did that to me because she bought me my first car, but Steinfeld got that car on her own! Damn they made me angry. But the movie did not. I recommend it. If you were never into the cartoon and only saw the live-action movies, maybe this will finally give you an idea why people liked this franchise so much.
So that about covers it. I’m so proud of you if you actually read all that. And a little bit sad for you. But I appreciate it either way. Right after this, I’ll be going through these movies again and creating my list for my video of the best and worst films of 2018, so be sure to check back for that on YouTube or here linking to YouTube. Thanks again for reading!
Leave a comment Posted in Movie Reviews Tagged Alpha, Annihilation, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Aquaman, Avengers, Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Black Panther, Blackkklansman, Blockers, Bohemian Rhapsody, Bumblebee, Christopher Robin, Cloverfield Paradox, Commuter, Creed 2, Crimes of Grindelwald, Deadpool 2, Death Wish, Equalizer 2, Fallen Kingdom, Fantastic Beasts, Fifty Shades Freed, First Purge, Game Night, Grinch, Halloween, Happytime Murders, Hereditary, Hotel Artemis, Hurricane Heist, I Feel Pretty, Incredibles 2, Infinity War, Insidious, Into the Spider-Verse, Jurassic World, Mary Poppins Returns, Meg, Mile 22, Mission: Impossible Fallout, Mortal Engines, movie review, Oceans 8, Overlord, Pacific Rim Uprising, Peppermint, Peter Rabbit, Predator, Quiet Place, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Rampage, Ready Player One, Red Sparrow, Robin Hood, Searching, Skyscraper, Slender Man, Solo, Spider-Man, Spy Who Dumped Me, Star is Born, Super Troopers 2, Tag, The Last Key, The Nun, Tomb Raider, Truth or Dare, Unfriended, Upgrade, Venom, Winchester, Wrinkle in Time
Posted by Robert Bicket on April 27, 2015
Whether it be from laziness, business, or just nothing being out there to see, I had not found cause to visit a movie theater in some time. I still didn’t really thing there was much driving need to go to the movies, but I went anyway. The first movie I saw was a movie with a trailer that caught my attention, but with a title so bad I almost talked myself out of seeing it. Let’s see how the movie faired when I review Unfriended, written by Nelson Greaves, directed by Levan Gabriadze, and starring Shelley Hennig, Heather Sossaman, Moses Storm, Renee Olstead, Will Peltz, Jacob Wysocki, and Courtney Halverson.
Blaire (Shelley Hennig), Mitch (Moses Storm), Jess (Renee Olstead), Adam (Will Peltz), and Ken (Jacob Sysocki get together on Skype on the anniversary of the suicide of their friend Laura (Heather Sossaman), who shot herself after an embarrassing video of her showed up on YouTube. When they all get on Skype together, another profile mysteriously appears and they can’t figure out how to remove it. Then they all start having other computer problems. And then they have living problems.
The first thing about this movie that needs be said is that the name is absolutely awful. It’s a fake word that stupid people use to describe a process they think someone else will give a shit about. But once you get over that the movie is pretty solid. It’s inventive in its scares and it’s a gimmick I haven’t seen in a horror movie before. We’ve seen shades of such things in movies like Paranormal Activity, but not exactly movies that happen entirely through the computer and using things most people use on a daily basis, like Apple Messenger, Skype, and Facebook. Of course, old people might not understand anything about what’s going on in the movie because of said gimmick. And other parts of it might just flat out annoy the people that do use this technology with things that we hate, such as pixelating video calls, disconnections, and YouTube commenters. And it’s also really annoying watching this girl do multiple drafts on the same message, although I did like when they revealed some information in there, like the stuff about Laura’s uncle. I would also say that we REALLY don’t need to watch the entire process of reporting an account on Facebook, though I do feel like I’m an expert in it if it ever comes up for me.
The movie also has a pretty clear message about cyber bullying. The girl kills herself because her shitty friends harassed her because of the video online about her, but I don’t know if I agree with its message. Okay, the girl killed herself and that’s sad, but that was about her. I’m sure most people have been cyber bullied and not killed themselves because of it. Cyber bullies don’t really need to die for what they did. I would’ve settled for public humiliation more like what Laura got. Eye for an eye, so to speak. So I guess what I’m saying is don’t cyber bully, don’t kill yourself because of it, and probably don’t kill anyone else. Especially if you already killed yourself. And also, if revenge was Laura’s purpose, why was her scope so narrow? During the course of the movie, embarrassing things are posted about the people in the group on the internet and all their shitty Facebook friends make jokes about them, just as they probably did to Laura. Then when proof of the group’s shitty behavior is posted by Laura, their friends also tell them they’re the worst people in the world and that they should kill themselves, just like what happened to Laura. Laura really should have a lot more people to kill on Facebook than just these 6. If only 6 people were teasing her then she really overreacted, otherwise these people are still saying shitty things on the internet, so they’re not showing any signs of changing. Also, this whole thing could be avoided if you just don’t go to parties and drink when you’re underage until you pass out and shit yourself. Live with your choices, bitch. …Well, I guess you can’t anymore, but still!
They did use the computer stuff for some interesting and innovative scares though. It didn’t always make sense, but I understood their reasoning for it. Like I understand wanting to build tension before a big reveal, but I also know that no one has a computer that takes a minute to download a JPEG. My cell phone can do it faster with one bar. I also thought it was interesting how they set up some of the deaths. Like why does this person have a random ass knife in his bedroom? So he can kill himself with it later. They also set up how that Ken guy dies, but not how I expected. I thought it would be the super random pitchfork he had behind him in the room that seemed to just be a pile of garbage and his computer, but the pitchfork was just there for no reason.
The performances in the movie were all pretty good, but most of it was probably alternating between “Act like yourself in high school” and “Act like you’re terrified.” But they did that well. I guess I had two problems with the cast. The first is that there wasn’t much going on that made it so I could tell these girls apart. There was the blonde one, and then there was Blaire, Val, and Laura. And when I saw any of them in video, I couldn’t tell which one I was watching. I couldn’t tell who was the girl threatening to fight the other girl in the video and who was shitting all over themselves. It turned out it was one of the brunettes. The second problem was that it was hard to feel bad for these people since they were all shitty people. I still don’t think they deserved to die for what they did, but I’m certainly not going to be upset about it. Also, it was a movie. I think those people are all still alive.
It is my recommendation that you do your best to ignore the name of this movie and still see it. It choose a gimmick and sticks to it hard and, while it can get annoying at times, it does a lot of things that worked very well, and things I hadn’t seen before. And the cast did a pretty good job, but if one of them did exceptionally or terribly, I couldn’t be able to mention it because I couldn’t tell the women apart. Go check out this movie. It’s probably better than you’ll expect based on the name.
Leave a comment Posted in Movie Reviews Tagged Courtney Halverson, Heather Sossaman, Horror, Jacob Wysocki, Levan Gabriadze, Moses Storm, movie review, Nelson Greaves, Renee Olstead, Shelley Hennig, thriller, Unfriended, Will Peltz | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1047 |
__label__wiki | 0.85642 | 0.85642 | CD Single £3.00
Kennedy Green
Cocopah
rgirl72, Release Date: 28/6/2010
This 2 track single featuring "Cocopah" and the original version of "Rocket Girl" is out now and precedes the full length album
Raising tens of thousands of pounds for CLIC Sargent, the UK's leading children's cancer charity would be an enormous challenge for a whole army of people but for teenagers Laura Green and Hannah Shayle-Kennedy it is fast becoming a reality.
In January 2004, Mayflower Primary School pupil Declan Heath tragically lost his battle against cancer and died aged just ten. In memory of Declan his schoolmates decided to celebrate his life in what would become an annual concert.
In 2008 the song "Rocket Girl" by the Wire Daisies was re-recorded with the help of local musicians, parents, teachers and pupils from the Essex School. Aged just 14 at the time, Declan's classmate Laura Green recorded amazing soulful lead vocals for the song.
A video of Rocket Girl was made and placed on YouTube with a link to CLIC Sargent to donate £1 per download. What happened next astounded everyone as not just a few hundred people visited this site but phenomenal tens of thousands resulting in more than £20,000 being raised for CLIC Sargent.
Laura and Hannah have now recorded a unique collection of songs and are ready to showcase their unique talent, having successfully performed their first live gig at the University of Essex. The 13 tracked album titled "Kennedy Green" includes an updated version of the Wire Daisies' "Rocket Girl". The girls are extremely proud of their hard work having also provided a lot of input into the album, as Laura explains 'Our songs all have a story and each one becomes personal to you'.
Through donating all profits from the sales of the Kennedy Green album, the girls are hopeful to raise more than £30,000 for Clic Sargent.
Rocket Girl (Original Version)
All Rocket Girl Releases
CD Album £6.00 | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1048 |
__label__wiki | 0.582129 | 0.582129 | Lessons from the Life of a Scholar: C. S. Lewis and His Legacy
7:00 pmDr Jacqueline Glenny | The Round Church, Cambridge
Best known for his seven-book series, the Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis was a scholar and writer of exceptional ability. Today, however, the scale and variety of his contributions to literature and thought are often obscured. Dr Jacqueline Glenny will introduce us afresh to a man and a mind of enduring influence who had a deep connection to Cambridge.
Reserve your free tickets on Eventbrite
The Abolition Project
Christ and the University
The Plausibility Project
Round Church History
Project Abstract
The University is a unique institution, and a symbol of knowledge and culture. Historically, it has been an unmistakably religious institution, committed to a belief in and a pursuit of truth, as revealed in God’s Word (Scripture) and by God’s works (nature). It has aspired both to push back the boundaries of human understanding through research, and to pass on the fruits of learning through education. Today this dual mission is under heavy fire, and the very notion of a unified field of knowledge is considered passé. The Christ and the University Project aims to explore the Christian origins of the University, assess the ramifications of the loss of these religious roots and imagine what the University could be if its Christian heritage was to ground it once again. By attending to past, present and future dimensions of the relationship between the University and Christian faith, the Christ and the University Project is aimed at a multi-faceted reassessment of what the University can and should be.
Email the Research Coordinator, Joshua Kellard:
joshua.kellard@christianheritage.org.uk
We send a monthly digest with news, resources and ways to be involved.
The Round Church
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admin@christianheritage.org.uk
© 2019 Christian Heritage | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1052 |
__label__wiki | 0.822232 | 0.822232 | Share HEALTHY AGAIN, MOORE TRYING TO CATCH UP TO THE PACK Share HEALTHY AGAIN, MOORE TRYING TO CATCH UP TO THE PACK Share HEALTHY AGAIN, MOORE TRYING TO CATCH UP TO THE PACK Share HEALTHY AGAIN, MOORE TRYING TO CATCH UP TO THE PACK
Street Talk HEALTHY AGAIN, MOORE TRYING TO CATCH UP TO THE PACK
Aaron Wilson aaronwilson
Posted August 15, 2006 in Street Talk
HEALTHY AGAIN, MOORE TRYING TO CATCH UP TO THE PACK
WESTMINSTER, Md. — Clarence Moore extended his arms, stretching his abdomen forward as he leapt into the air to try to catch a lob pass from quarterback Brian St. Pierre.
Although the Baltimore Ravens’ wide receiver was unable to secure the football because he was heavily covered by cornerback Chris McAlister, it was an encouraging moment.
Moore quickly got up without incident, emerging unscathed from an awkward landing.
Now that he has returned to practice after undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia in May, Moore has designs on trying to catch up in the race to be the third or fourth wide receiver on the depth chart.
“It definitely feels good to be back and feel like a part of the team again,” Moore said. “The biggest thing is I feel like I’m 100 percent. I obviously have to get some conditioning in and get back into football shape.”
Moore was activated from the physically unable to perform list Monday afternoon after passing his physical. The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder missed the first 17 days of training camp. The complications from a previous college surgery on his abdomen have been addressed, according to team officials.
“I’m pretty confident we found out what was going on the last time and that the doctor cleaned it up real well,” Moore said. “The mesh and lining and scar tissue around it got loose. I’m past it. Mentally and physically, there’s nothing going on with the injury anymore.”
Ravens coach Brian Billick declared that Moore is unlikely to play Thursday night against the Philadelphia Eagles at M&T Bank Stadium, but expressed confidence that he could be available the following week against the Minnesota Vikings.
While Moore has undergone an extended convalescence that forced him out of all the team’s minicamps and the majority of training camp, he has lost ground to impressive rookie wide receiver Demetrius Williams and fellow third-year veteran Devard Darling. Moore lost his starting job last season and finished with only three catches for 59 yards after struggling markedly with his hands.
However, he could still emerge again as a red-zone threat after leading the Ravens with four touchdown receptions as a rookie in 2004.
“Obviously it hurts to not be out here,” Moore said. “I have to win back the quarterbacks’ confidence and win a spot back, period.”
DEFENSE AT FULL STRENGTH: Middle linebacker Ray Lewis and rookie defensive tackle Haloti Ngata are both slated to start against the Eagles, according to Billick.
Lewis was a healthy scratch against the Giants, and Ngata was held out after suffering a Grade 1, medial collateral ligament sprain in a scrimmage against the Washington Redskins. Ngata said he won’t require a brace to play.
TRAINING ROOM: Offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden didn’t practice, continuing his conditioning after missing the first few weeks of camp following his father’s death. Offensive guard Brian Rimpf (hamstring) didn’t practice along with tight end Rob Abiamiri (calf), safety B.J. Ward (migraines) and safety Steve Paris (leg). Safety Shannon James left practice, but returned. Wide receiver Matt Cherry’s arm is in a sling.
“This process is taking a lot longer than I want it to,” Ward said. “It’s frustrating.”
QUICK HITS: Center Mike Flynn is entering his ninth season after entering the league as an undrafted free agent from Maine. “It’s a great story and it’s typical of a center,” Billick said. “You can last a long time if you know what you’re doing and that’s a high premium for a center. Mike has control of that offensive line. That’s a big asset for us.” … Jarret Johnson has completed a transition to outside linebacker after being drafted in the fourth round out of Alabama as a traditional defensive end. “You’ve gotta love Jarret Johnson,” Billick said. “He’s like Kelly Gregg. He does everything you ask him to do. We’ve asked a lot of him, adapting to more of an Adalius Thomas role. He can put his hand down in the dirt, he can be up, or he can drop. He’s a very valuable multi-purpose player.” … Rookie punter Sam Koch struggled again, shanking five punts out of bounds. … The Bowling Brook Prep football team attended practice.
Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for the Carroll County Times in Westminster, Maryland.
About Aaron Wilson
Aaron Wilson covers the NFL for National Football Post as well as the Baltimore Ravens for The Carroll County Times and Ravens24x7.com. He has previously covered the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans and has covered the NFL since 1997. He has won several regional writing awards, including, most recently, Best Sports News Story for the state of Maryland in voting conducted by the Associated Press managing editors. More from Aaron Wilson | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1056 |
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Birobidzhan city, Russia
The capital city of Jewish autonomous oblast.
Birobidzhan - Overview
Birobidzhan is a city in the Far East of Russia, the capital of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, and a station on the Trans-Siberian Railway located about 75 km from the border with China. It is one of the smallest regional centers and the only city in Russia where some signs are duplicated in Yiddish, although there are almost no Jews left here.
The population of Birobidzhan is about 73,000 (2018), the area - 169.4 sq. km.
The phone code - +7 42622, the postal codes - 679000-679025.
Local time in Birobidzhan city is January 20, 10:47 am (+10 UTC).
Birobidzhan city coat of arms
Birobidzhan city map, Russia
History of Birobidzhan
Foundation of Birobidzhan
The history of Birobidzhan began in 1912, when the government of the Russian Empire decided to populate the territories along the Amur Railway. Originally, the Tikhonkaya station was opened.
At the station, a village was founded, which was transformed into the working village of Tikhonkaya-Station in 1928. The population of the village was 623 people. There were 237 scattered village houses, a primary school, a post office, and a cooperative shop. This village was the base for receiving migrants and supplying the resettlement area.
In May 1928, a resolution was passed by the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR stating that the Committee on Land Management of Jewish Workers can use the free land in the Amur strip of the Far Eastern Territory for the purpose of settlement by working Jews.
The decision of the Soviet government to choose the Tikhonkaya station for Jewish settlement was determined by several factors. The main one was the intention to strengthen the borders of the Soviet Far East due to the proximity of Japan and the possible invasion of the Chinese. The development of this region became especially important for the USSR after the Soviet-Chinese conflict of 1929 and the Japanese occupation of Manchuria in 1931.
More Historical Facts…
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the government of the USSR was trying to improve relations with the West, and the Birobidzhan project could influence Jewish and pro-Jewish public opinion in Europe and America. The inclusion of Jews in the settlement project of the Far East was also aimed at obtaining financial assistance from wealthy Jews living abroad. In addition, it allowed to resolve part of the economic difficulties facing the Jews of the USSR.
Relocation of Jews to Birobidzhan
In April 1928, the first settlers began to arrive; in total, 856 people arrived during this year. However, because of the difficult living conditions and severe climate, this process was uneven. In the early years, a fairly large number of Jewish settlers arrived. But more than half of the settlers, who arrived in 1928-1933, quickly left the region. In total, 19,635 Jews arrived during the first six years of colonization, and 11,450 left, only 8,185 people stayed here.
On October 10, 1931, Tikhonkaya received a new name - Biro-Bidzhan, the local name of this place between the Bira and Bidzhan rivers (in Evenki language, “bira” means a river, and “bidzhan”, “bidzhen” means a permanent camp). On July 20, 1934, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee decided to “form the Birobidzhan district with a center in the working village of Birobidzhan as part of the autonomous Jewish national region.”
As of January 1, 1932, the population of Birobidzhan was 1,216 men and 1,324 women. In the early 1930s, about 1,400 Jewish settlers arrived in Birobidzhan from abroad: the USA, Argentina, Europe, Palestine, and other countries and regions of the world. By the beginning of 1936, the population of Birobidzhan was already about 12 thousand people. The working village of Birobidzhan became a town on March 2, 1937.
In the 1930s, small enterprises of the woodworking, light, and metal industries were opened. Birobidzhan was a distribution railway center, which received goods for the entire region. In the second half of the 1930s, several public buildings were built: the House of Soviets, a teacher training college, a library, and the Palace of Culture.
Two newspapers, the Birobidzhan Star in Russian and the Birobidzhaner Stern in Yiddish, began to be published in the town, the Birobidzhan radio began to broadcast. The State Jewish Theater named after L. M. Kaganovich and a museum were opened. Birobidzhan became an important regional administrative, economic, and cultural center.
During the Second World War, 11 thousand Birobidzhanians were called up and volunteered in the Soviet Army, of which 7 thousand did not return home. In the shortest possible time, the local enterprises began production for the front: ammunition, parachutes, military uniforms, military-sanitary equipment, soap, dishes, sledges, skis, etc. In September 1941, the 60th tank division was formed in Birobidzhan. In honor of this event, a monument (the IS-3 tank) was erected in the square named after Hero of the Soviet Union I.R. Bumagin.
Birobidzhan after the Second World War
In 1946-1948, the strengthening of Jewish national identity, the difficulties faced by Jews who returned from the army and evacuation to their former places of residence, as well as the failure of the plan of settlement of Jews in Crimea led to an increase in the number of settlers in Birobidzhan. By the end of 1948, the local Jewish population increased to 30 thousand people (the largest figure in the entire history of the region).
However, the process of the new growth of Birobidzhan as a Jewish center was suspended by the end of 1948. The government of the country began to pursue a policy of suppressing Jewish cultural and social activities throughout the Soviet Union. In 1949, all Jews who gathered in the synagogue of Birobidzhan for the celebration of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) were arrested; the rabbi was sentenced to death.
Most local Jewish writers were arrested, the Jewish theater was closed, Yiddish teaching was stopped in schools, a large number of Yiddish books were seized from the Sholem Aleichem library. The Jewish resettlement in Birobidzhan stopped, and the Jewish population of the region declined. The formation of Israel during these years also contributed to the complete loss of interest of Jewish settlers to move here.
In 1958, the Soviet government recognized the complete failure of the experiment in Birobidzhan. In the 1970s, the Jewish autonomous region was only a historical anachronism in the administrative nomenclature of the USSR. In 1984, the authorities celebrated the 50th anniversary of the region; some elements of Jewish attributes were introduced for the anniversary.
In 1989, according to the census, the Jewish population of the region was 8,887 people (4.15%), 8,038 Jews lived in Birobidzhan (9.7% of the total population of the city).
In the late 1990s - early 2000s, due to the massive departure to Israel, the US, Canada, Germany, and other countries, the Jewish population of Birobidzhan sharply decreased. According to the 2002 All-Russian Census, 2,329 Jews lived in the Jewish Autonomous Region, most of them in the city of Birobidzhan.
Street views of Birobidzhan
The Palace of Culture in Birobidzhan
Author: Liam Campbell
The building of the Jewish Religious Community Freud in Birobidzhan
Author: Konstantin Mogilnitsky
Soviet apartment buildings in Birobidzhan
Author: Vitaliy Lantsetov
Birobidzhan - Features
The city of Birobidzhan is the administrative, economic, cultural, and transport center of Jewish Autonomous Oblast. The mountain river of Bira divides it into two parts, interconnected by rail and road bridges. On the right bank there is a unique natural monument - Sopka (a hill about 220 meters high) with a television tower (95 m). The hill is depicted on the coat of arms of Birobidzhan.
It is named after the two largest rivers of the Jewish Autonomous Region - the Bira and the Bidzhan. Birobidzhan stands on the banks of the Bira. The Bidzhan flows parallel to the Bira west of the city (about 100 km) and flows into the Amur River, as well as the Bira.
Birobidzhan is located in the temperate monsoon climate zone with very cold and dry winters, hot and humid summers. The average temperature in January is minus 22.2 degrees Celsius, in July - plus 21.1 degrees Celsius.
The Trans-Siberian Railway and the M58 Amur Federal Highway running from Chita to Khabarovsk with access to Blagoveshchensk pass through the city. The nearest airport is located in Khabarovsk, from where it is best to go to Birobidzhan by train.
The city has a regional philharmonic. There are several theaters: the Jewish musical theater, the Kogelet studio theater, the Kudesnik puppet theater, the Rodina movie theater. There is also the Mazltov children’s choreographic studio, the Surprise children’s choreographic school, the Happy Childhood circus school, and the Ilanot Jewish folk song ensemble. The traditional annual festival of Jewish culture and art is held in the beginning of September.
The crime rate in Birobidzhan
Birobidzhan is the place with the highest rate of drug-related crimes in Russia. And it is a complex problem. It is a key point of transportation of drugs from the Far East of Russia and China to the western region of Russia and Eastern Europe (the only highway and railway are passing through the city).
Also, the climate of this region favors the cultivation of narcotic plants. At the same time, the region has the highest unemployment rate in the Far East. That’s why a lot of locals and foreigners are tempted to earn “easy” money by growing, producing, transporting drugs; they also use drugs, hence the crime rate is high.
Main Attractions of Birobidzhan
The main attractions of Birobidzhan are located on the left bank of the Bira River. Numerous public gardens, squares, and architectural monuments tell about the history of the capital of the Jewish Autonomous Region.
The gates of the city is Station Square (Kalinin Street, 10), where you can see a fountain with the menorah - a Jewish ritual candlestick, which is a symbol of Judaism since ancient times. There is also a monument to the first settlers of this region here.
Another interesting place is Theater Square with a philharmonic society, a light and music fountain, and flower beds arranged in the form of the menorah. Here you can see sculptures of Greek gods (patrons of art) and a bronze sculpture of a violinist.
Birobidzhan is a multinational and multiconfessional city. On Lenin Street, there is Beyt Makhakhem Synagogue (Lenin Street, 17) and the Annunciation Cathedral (Lenin Street, 34) with a unique porcelain iconostasis, the only one in the Far East.
The expositions of the Museum of Local Lore (Lenin Street, 25) tell about the history of the settlement of Jewish autonomy and the nature of the Far East, the Museum of Modern Art of the Jewish Autonomous Region (Sholem Aleichem Street, 11) has the world’s only collection of paintings on the themes of the Old Testament, the libraries of the city have collections of Jewish, Russian, and foreign literature.
The central street of Birobidzhan is named after the world-famous Jewish writer Sholem Aleichem (Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich, 1859-1916). A monument was erected to him on the pedestrian section of this street in 2004.
As a sign of friendship between the twin cities of Birobidzhan and Hegang, Heilongjiang Province of China, Friendship Square was opened near the city hall in 2002. The sculpture in the center of the square symbolizes the friendship of people, cooperation, and peace between Russia and China.
At local restaurants and cafes, you can taste a variety of dishes of Russian, Jewish, Korean, Armenian, Ukrainian, and Chinese cuisines. The city is visited mainly by tourists from China, Japan, the US, Israel, France, Germany, South Korea. Due to its convenient geographical location, tourist ties with China are most developed.
In 2010, on the anniversary of the region, an embankment was built along the bank of the Bira River in Birobidzhan, not far from which a new Wedding Palace was opened.
In the vicinity of the city there are a lot of places for hunting, fishing, and river ecotourism. The Bastak Nature Reserve, located about 35 km north of Birobidzhan, was created to preserve rare species of plants and animals including those listed in the Red Book. In the reserve, there is an eco-route (1.5 kilometers long), along which you can go with an hour-long organized tour to enjoy pristine taiga nature.
The village of Kuldur, about 130 km from Birobidzhan, is a relatively famous balneological resort with several sanatoriums. Its mineral springs are characterized by healing thermal water.
Birobidzhan city of Russia photos
Pictures of Birobidzhan
The entrance sign of Birobidzhan
Author: Luciano Bovina
Shop in Birobidzhan
Gas station in Birobidzhan
Author: Sakharov Aleksey
Sights of Birobidzhan
Station Square with a fountain in Birobidzhan
The monument to the first settlers in Birobidzhan
Beyt Makhakhem Synagogue in Birobidzhan
The questions of our visitors
Ann Ison asks: I adopted ...name... from the Specialized Baby Home, Pionerskaya Str., 78, Birobidzhan city in 2005. He had a brother at the same orphanage that was younger than him by about a year. I would love to know where Hugeen is now, is he still at the ophanage? or did he get adopted?
Expert's answer:
Here is the contact email of this organization domreb@mail.kht.ru and here is the contact phone +7 42622 30378.
Vika asks: What are the names of the orphanages in Birobidzhan? I was from one but I don't remember the name.
I have found five orphanages in Birobidzhan and hope that one of them is the orphanage you need:
Orphanage "Aist" (Stork); Styazhkina Str., 18. Contact phone: +7 42622 6 22 11
Orphanage #2; Sovetskaya Str., 49. Contact phones: +7 42622 6 63 15 and +7 42622 6 59 36
Specialized Orphanage; Pionerskaya Str., 78. Contact phones: +7 42622 3 56 55 and +7 42622 3 03 78
Regional Orphanage #1; Nevskaya Str., 6d. Contact phones: +7 42622 4 76 29 and +7 42622 4 79 44
Regional Orphanage #5; Kubanskaya Str., 32. Contact phone: +7 42622 6 58 18
The comments of our visitors
The Birobidzhan flag is the best designed in the world.
Al Nsaf
I came upon this name from looking at a u tube video It's very interesting history of this place, need to be highlighted more for the world to know more of this place and its people. nsaf.
leave a reply or add a review
ask a question about Birobidzhan city to our Expert
contact us by email, if you have any proposals
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People of Sage
Featured Dorris Keeven-FrankeLeave a comment
Lottie Washington passed away June 16, 1961 from a heart attack at the age of 63 years. She had been born June 11, 1898 in St. Charles County, the daughter of George and Alverna “Vernie” (Luckett) Thomas. She was preceded by her first husband Albert O’Day (February 7, 1896-Aug 28, 1940) who was also buried at Sage Chapel Cemetery. She was married at the time she passed, to Harvey Washington (March 25, 1885-February 2, 1963) of Wright City, Missouri. She and Albert had several children: Alberta, Jim (September 23, 1916-February 2, 1919 at Sage Chapel Cemetery). Walter. Ed (July 7. 1920-March 7, 1922 at Sage Chapel Cemetery), Edith (June 1, 1922-April 1, 1923 at Sage Chapel Cemetery), Leona, Bessie, and Christopher. After funeral services at Neiburg Funeral Home in Wright City, she was buried on June 19, 1961 at Sage Chapel Cemetery.
On August 20th, in 1881, Mahala (Keithly) and her husband Jasper Costlio had transferred to the Trustees of an African Methodist Episcopal Church for the use by the Conference, one acre of land, which became known as Sage Chapel Cemetery. This was done so that the former slaves of Samuel Keithly could continue to be buried in this cemetery. That same deed conveyed a one-half acre parcel on Sonderen Street to be used for a church known as Sage’s Chapel. The members of Cravens Methodist, and Wishwell Baptist, also located on Sonderen Street, also used this cemetery to bury their families. None of these churches or their records exist anymore. Sage Chapel Cemetery is a former African American community cemetery that is maintained by the City of O’Fallon, Missouri, located at 8500 Veterans Memorial Parkway. It has 117 documented burials of which only 37 have headstones, of these we know that 17 were born enslaved. (2018) May they rest in peace “As long as a name can be spoken, that person shall not be forgotten.” | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1062 |
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1 Hot Alaskan MILF Sarah
2 August O.
3 Retention Rate
4 Oh no!
5 Greatest Conservative Movies---Qualification
6 Conservapeda's law
7 Andy's amazing coincidence
8 Nevermind...
9 Martyp
10 Get ready for a flood of activity
11 Andy sez "No religious animal behavior"
12 Say it ten times fast, loudly, preferably near children and policemen.
13 Mr Science steps up to the plate
14 Dear Andy:
15 Why lie Benp?
16 CP's intellectual predecessor.
17 Fat Atheists
18 Andy is so stupid, he thinks you're that stupid
19 Ace gets a vandal tribute
20 JPatt is damn near functionally illiterate
21 This just in
22 What a dick
22.1 all that is below
23 Geraldine Ferraro
24 "MPR"
25 "I don't recall..."
26 Myspace
27 Kajagoogoo gets on the "PZM is fat" bandwagon
28 Ah those were the days
29 A stopped clock is right twice a day
30 To quote Inigo Montoya, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
31 Forget the 90 days...
32 Going to church increases odds of obesity
33 Eat this, Ken!!!
34 Andy's Hatred of Books
35 Rise and Fall of Andy
36 A new conservative word!
37 Biblical Maximum Age
38 el oh el
39 Michele Bachmann
40 Unfortunately said
41 Does Ken not know how to use google?
42 Notable by its omission
43 Roger & PGP
44 Andy doesn't understand the concept of the "revolving door"
45 Cracked
46 ObamaRail
47 wiki vampirism
47.1 Maybe it's the droves leaving facebook
48 Awww, it's down. Sad face
49 "Games fend off intimacy and isolate us from the strokes we really want"
50 martyp bloxsorred!
51 Wow, I agree with anger bear on something
52 I can't get Conpedia
53 Ed reaches a new high (low?)
54 How to handle sources CP-style
55 DDOS--Anger Bear is Angry
56 sup?
57 Nothing of any great import
Hot Alaskan MILF Sarah[edit]
Ken needs to adjust his pantsimg, I think. DogP (talk) 15:09, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
Hmmm, well we know Rob lusts after the Coultergeist, so Ken has to have somebody in his life. After all Andy and (I assume) Karajerk are married, JPratt is and TerryH is just too creepy and Ed thinks fondly of Bethany. --PsyGremlinPrata! 15:20, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
I think 'svelte' was today's entry in Ken's Word-a-day calendar. Jack Hughes (talk) 15:33, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
I'm with ♥ K e n D o l l ♥ on this; Palin is pretty hot in a dumb-redneck-MILF kind of way... DeltaStarSenior SysopSpeciationspeed! 15:36, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
You missed the part where he tries to make it seem like he could be female. «-Bfa-» 15:50, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
He's used it before when he was gushing about Chuck Norrisimg, in a very macho, manly way, of course, not homoerotic at all. Röstigraben (talk) 15:48, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
Palin is the kind of woman that'd I'd only have sex with if it wasn't consensual. Megyn Kelly too. Occasionaluse (talk) 15:49, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
The teabaggers have all the hot women, which obviously makes you socialists feel threatened. (BTW, the MILF factor exists, it's science!) Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 15:59, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
Sarah Palin is super hot, even better looking in person too.--Opcn (talk) 16:02, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
I have to say, and may goat forgive me for this, but there is definately something about the coultergeist for me. As long as she kept her mouht shut, or opened it only consensually. I really don't know what it is, she is not really my sort at all but there is something. Oldusgitus (talk) 16:28, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
Speaking of semi-consensual sex, I fucked Ann Coulter in the ass, hard still makes me LOL years later. User:Nutty Roux/sigtalk 16:29, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
He reprised that with an AGAIN version later but being at work I have no intention of looking for the link from here. Oldusgitus (talk) 16:38, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
Oh you mean Back in Ann Coulter's Ass-Saddle Again? User:Nutty Roux/sigtalk 16:47, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
Way to ruin everything by bringing Coulter into this. :P Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 16:49, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
Sarah Palin, Ann Coulter, Megyn Kelly - women, I wouldn't touch even if my hands were made out of acid. --Ullhateme (talk) 17:07, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
well look at mister dickproud... --Opcn (talk) 18:21, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
It's not pride it's simplest unattraction. Palin isn't my type anyway (and even then not my age). Coulter and Kelly look too plastic for me. But what do I know, I don't think Megan Fox is hot at all… And after all that I don't want to do crazy bitches (the bad kind, not the good kind), if something goes wrong you're stuck with them for a lifetime! --Ullhateme (talk) 19:05, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
I'd say that Sarah Palin borders on burly rather than svelte. not that I wouldn't do her, jk--Brxbrx (talk) 18:36, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
Sarah Palin is not Burly, she is toned, big difference. --Opcn (talk) 19:59, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
Im gonna leval with you. I'd hit Sarah. She's a crazy chick, and they're fun. You just have to keep an eye on what they're hands are doing. Particularly one as well armed as Palin. But back to my last point: Sarah Palin = rawr 8D--Thunderstruck (talk) 21:47, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
August O.[edit]
Over the last days, I followed August's attempts to show how Andy Schlafly mistranslated a verse (John 4-53) to fit his agenda (see hereimg and hereimg). The back-and-forth now found its logical conclusion with August being banned for liberal trolling. I was quite amused by these dialogues, and the wisdom shown by Karajou - but perhaps I'm just easy to be pleased. larronsicut fur in nocte 19:31, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
Easily amused liberal. Sometimes reading Andy is like reading English words, but they don't actually form English sentences. Except instead of sentences, for him it's thoughts. --YossarianSpeak, Memory 19:55, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
I wish I'd used the Schafly approach when I did Ancient Greek O-level (showing my age there...) Decide what you want it to mean in English, make the Greek words fit your chosen translation and blast the teacher to kingdom come if he shows his ignorance by correcting you. Simples. The Real James Brown (talk) 00:17, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
And we see Popeye the "la or ta" Karajou delivering the coup de grâce. I bet he thinks along these lines whilst he's blocking people: "It's the little things that count." 01:46, 24 March 2011 (UTC) C®ackeЯ
Andy's at it againimg, and, wouldn't you know, this "more accurate" translation (apparently) fits in perfectly with his agendaimg. But seriously, this is a stretch in so many ways. --Tabrcg23 (talk) 05:52, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
It's Andy's favorite approach to well-reasoned criticism: Get the editor blocked, wash your hands (it's not before dinner, is it :-) and pretend that nothing ever happened. Or, as August O. said in this self-fulfilling prophecy:
I'll revert your reversion of my edit - and perhaps I get blocked for this, though I am giving ample reason for my acts. Thus you could avoid to address my points, and ignore them like quite a few arguments against items in the list of counterexamples. As Rschlafly said: All of the other items also have explanations that do not contradict relativity. But I hope that you just answer the following questions: [...]
Needless to say that the following question were never answered - and won't be anytime soon....
--larronsicut fur in nocte 07:47, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
Only Liberals think that Jesus lived 30-something years at all. His entire life happened in one instant. This is why before the year 0 is BC and after the year 0 is AD. AD doesn't start at the year 37 or whatever. Deny this and lose all credibility. X Stickman (talk) 12:45, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
For the sake of fairness, "AD" does not stand for "after death," rather "Anno Domini." So you're chasing a bit of a strawman there. Never mind though that Jesus was probably born 4 BC. Junggai (talk) 12:50, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
Erm, for truth's sake there is absolutely no historical basis for the belief that anyone known as jesus was ever born at all. Oldusgitus (talk) 12:54, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
Au contraire, I graduated high school with about 10 guys named Jesus. Junggai (talk) 13:10, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
Srsly just pick up the San Antonio phone book and open it to Martinez if you want historical evidence for enough Jesuses to fill a school bus. Suck it, Tacitus and Josephus! User:Nutty Roux/sigtalk 15:47, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
Retention Rate[edit]
I added a new section on the retention rate (remember this?) to Conservapedia's article of Conservapedia:Active users. But perhaps the information should be put somewhere else? larronsicut fur in nocte 09:12, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
Once again, excellent work Sir! --PsyGremlinPrata! 10:03, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
Thanks --larronsicut fur in nocte 10:50, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
BTW: here is a byproduct - the active editors at RationalWiki and Conservapedia calculated according to the definition used in WikiMedia's survey.
larronsicut fur in nocte 22:49, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
Oh no![edit]
"young adults who frequently attend religious activities are 50 percent more likely to turn into obese middle-agers as those with no religious involvement"
Chicago Trib --Gooners (talk) 19:15, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
Beautiful! That's a find! StarFish (talk) 19:26, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
LIBERAL BIAS. Read a bible and build a hospital you close minded trolls. Godspeed.--Thunderstruck (talk) 20:17, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
You're citing a study done by professors from a university? You mean a liberal done by a liberal from a liberal ... of liberals? Occasionaluse (talk) 20:19, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
"Gooners" (obviously not your real name), I've responded to your concerns and answered your questions and you fail to mention that liberals censor classroom prayer, so there's a 95% chance you're being taken in by so many atheistic lies that you are most certainly obese. Like all atheists, you deny that women knowing their place reduces Hollywood values. In sum, "playing dumb" is not as entertaining as you may think. You are violating the 90/10 rule, and are in danger of being banned.--Aschlafly 01:18, 20 January 2020 (UTC)
Greatest Conservative Movies---Qualification[edit]
I was scrolling and trolling through the list of Greatest Conservative Movies. First, I was annoyed to crap about the 87 different styles they use for the movies...some have: Title (Year). Description...others have: Title (Year), Description....or Title (Year--sometimes no year) - Description (or no description). FIGURE OUT YOUR FORMATTING AND MAKE IT UNIFORM!
But that's a side annoyance...currently #60 is Courageousimg with the description: "Upcoming Sherwood Pictures film focusing on the role of fathers." Now, Jinx added this back in April of 2010, and the description still hasn't changed. But SERIOUSLY?! It's one of the Greatest Conservative Movies, without ever having been watched? Just the fact that it's from a Christian production company means it's going to be one of the Greatest? Why not just admit that as long as it claims to be Christian, it's the Greatest, and be done with these fake "reasons." I wish more awards were given out for movies that hadn't come out yet.64.30.2.130 (talk) 23:37, 23 March 2011 (UTC)
You, 64.30.2.130, are going to scour the film known as Courageous, and I don't care how you do it. You can use a DVD or take a jet to attend a screening, but you are going to go over every frame of that movie before you carry on with your opinion in this website. That is the only way I will accept from you the proof needed that the film Courageous isn't one of the greatest conservative movies of all time. Occasionaluse (talk) 02:20, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
Wow, it's almost like he's right here on the wiki! 03:08, 24 March 2011 (UTC) C®ackeЯ
A disproportionate number of them star Ronald Reagan, including the most likely apolitical Knute Rockne, All-American, which is about college football. Maybe Assfly isn't aware that Reagan starred in a movie with our distant cousin, the chimp, and attempted to teach it to be like us. I demand that all of his films be taken off the list immediately. Flubber (talk) 03:13, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
Deny it all you want "Flubber" , (if that is your real name), but Reagan's body double did all of his acting until he got into the White House. (The body double then went on vacation to Florida and got caught in a rip tide and was lost at sea. We now know he became Castro's body double and has everyone [including Fidel's brother Raul] fooled into thinking Che's lover is still alive!) Oh and prayer in schools, blah blah blah. 03:22, 24 March 2011 (UTC) C®ackeЯ
There is a 95% chance you support liberal causes. Deny this and lose all credibility. Flubber (talk) 03:37, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
"64.30.2.138", you're now illustrating two characteristics of evolutionists: last wordism and refusal to admit errors. I skimmed through your recent edits and I think several of your postings are an example of liberal deceit, so I'm confident you're an evolutionist. Furthermore, you are in denial that homeschooling deters liberal claptrap. Observation and logic dictate that you need to open your mind. I just typed in "Saint Valentine's Day," and Wikipedia redirects me to the secular form, "Valentine's Day." And may God help those who deny Christ after what He went through.--aschlafly 01:18, 20 January 2020 (UTC)
Alert- The Lion King is now conservative, because Scar pushes Liberal Values. Of course. Flubber (talk) 21:05, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Conservapeda's law[edit]
has got to be one of the most ridiculousimg politicotheological conversations I've ever read. Someone needs to make this a funny WIGO. --Opcn (talk) 04:03, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
It looks like someone was doing math homework and then Mad Libbed in the words "conservative" and some Biblical figures. Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 04:13, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
Does Andy know what a limit is? Or does he think mathematical limits are too close to government regulation? Flubber (talk) 04:40, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
“”Right before the Great Flood it was pretty bleak; afterward, things were in good shape at least initially.
Oh Andy you card. ONE / TALK 08:35, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
"I'd guess it's been a geometric growth in conservatism since Jesus." Wow, Andy. All that's missing is "culminating in the creation of Conservapedia." However, I rather agree with his geometric growth - it wasn't long between 0AD and the Dark Ages, Inquisition, witch hunts. Luckily around that time, God created liberals, to instil some balance. --PsyGremlinParlez! 10:02, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
Pot, kettle, black? P-Foster (talk) 12:47, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
How's that math course going by the way? You know, the one where geometric series with ratios >= 1 always converge?img Occasionaluse (talk) 12:51, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
This is one of the most amazing CP convos I have ever read. Corry (talk) 20:20, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
Just checked this convo for the first time since there were only 3 posts...I'm not even sure what to say anymore. Obviously there exists some hypothetical amount of possible conservatism out there! Flubber (talk) 20:28, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
"there's no logical reason to expect more than a few generations into the future"img. Excellent. ħuman 03:10, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Heads up folks, this conversation appears to be trending asymptotically towards One Of The Greatest Andy Conversations Ever. Truly amazing signs of actual, real, failure to cope with the real world here. Someone ought to call social services the cops now and get those homeschool students away from this demented individual. --DogP (talk) 04:48, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Well you wouldn't expect a future with Andys disjointed and schizophrenic policy suggestions. --Opcn (talk) 06:06, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Sometimes I wonder if Andy deserves his own class of logical fallacy. He has basically redefined the word "logical" to mean "agreeable to Schlafly." Corry (talk) 12:16, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
This is worth a WIGO because Andy essentially said, "When everyone was dead we had perfect conservatismimg". --Leotardo (talk) 14:57, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Andy's amazing coincidence[edit]
In fairness to Andy (did I just type those words?), theists in general interpret their religions' holy books to back up what they wanted to believe anyway. Andy isn't the only one to follow the first rule of religion; he's just one of the more brazen about it. ... of liberals? (talk) 17:20, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
I don't think he's even more brazen about it than most theists. It's just the things he wants to believe are exceedingly weird. Jesus did action-at-a-distance magic, therefore relativity is false? That's 1 in 10^10 level kookery right there. Most other theists are just trying to convince themselves that ancient Jewy slavery was nice slavery, or that god is down with you eating prawns. --JeevesMkII The gentleman's gentleman at the other site 18:20, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
And he had to make up an archaic meaning of the word "behold" - which just meant "Lookee Here!", and if you want to get archaic, meant at one time "to hold". All this info is available in the dictionary. Gooners (talk) 18:54, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
I always found it weird that there was so much anti-relativity crankery on CP. Usually I think of Petr Beckmann or Time Cube types who think they disproved relativity and found something new and revolutionary to replace it with. Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 19:06, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
It's just Andy's desire to be a little creative and explore new paths of insanity. He simply took the Creationism/Evolution template and forced it on other unsuspecting scientific theories, even though nobody besides him sees the "controversies". And once Andy has embarked on a particular course, he'll defend it to the end, no matter what. If some parodist socks open-minded, legitimate users keep inquiring about his unusual views on plate tectonics, I bet he'll make this a central part of CP doctrine, too. Röstigraben (talk) 19:24, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
Andy's real religion is conservatism. If God personally told Andy He was liberal, Andy would become a satanist. --Night Jaguar (talk) 22:32, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
It's difficult to separate Andy's politics and his religion. But given that he invariably bends the religion to fit his politics I concur that 'conservatism' is his real faith. Lily Inspirate me. 07:56, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Again, that's something that many theists do. I've known enough who have contorted or outright dismissed any parts of their religions that conflicted with their secular politics. I've seen people of a wide variety of political persuasions do this, and, of course, they're all sure that God or the Gods agree with them. ... of liberals? (talk) 11:40, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Nevermind...[edit]
...that 8 years out of those ten the country was ruled by a Republican right-wing hypocrite, that were several economic crisis hitting the country hard and that the auto industry in Detroit was and is not up to the international competition. It's all the liberal's fault!img --Ullhateme (talk) 19:41, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
GM, however, is a case where labor did help to create the problem -- the joke was that GM was a pension plan that just happened to make cars. UAW did offer a number of concessions after 2008, though. Not to mention that GM was run mismanaged by Rick "just build more SUVs!" Wagoner. Of course, that translates to "liberals blew up the city!" in Andyland. Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 20:22, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
IMO, the execs should have cut their salaries to pay for the workers' benefits--Brxbrx (talk) 22:17, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
Agree with Brxbrx - it's always the workers, never the management that get hit. But really - do they really believe the bullshit spin they put on things? I mean, I'm glad that they post dumb shit like this because it keeps the intelligence of CP low - no thinking person would read that and go, "Well, sounds like these guys know what they are talking about!" --Leotardo (talk) 02:02, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
The reality is that the managers get rewarded for cutting costs (laying off workers or cutting their benefits). Lily Inspirate me. 07:43, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
It's simply not true that it's "never the management". At my company senior people have cut their own wages, some board members have agreed not to draw pay, and two executives have effectively fired themselves (recommended to the board that it made more sense to terminate their position than try to save the same money by firing less expensive staff who were more vital). I miss those people, they were really good at their jobs and hiring replacements when things pick up will be difficult.
Unions are a problem. They were once a huge step forward, but today as often as not they represent the most selfish and thoughtless ideas of their members, plus a hunger for political power from their leaders. Enough that I would now not join a union. In my country the railway workers union wanted to authorise strike action over working time for a specific type of safety-critical worker. Similar workers exist in other industries, and there is a restriction on their working time, they should do no more than six hours per shift, with eight hours as a legal maximum. On the railways these workers had been working 12 hour shifts.
You might think the unions wanted the shifts made shorter (note that this makes no difference to hours worked and thus pay). That would make sense right, the long shifts are known to be dangerous, and the unions are all about safety for their workers and for the public, right? No. They wanted a firm commitment that their members could work 12 hour shifts. Working this way means more "off days" for workers which they enjoy. Sure, there may be more accidents, but that's a small price to pay for an extra day off work apparently. 82.69.171.94 (talk) 12:43, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
There are unions that go too far. For example in France this seems to be case - first they go on a warning strike complete with demonstration in public and then they say what their demands are. And some managements actually care about their company that's why they cut down their own wages and what not. But let's be honest, that's mostly smaller companies and not the big multi-national conglomarates of globalized capitalism. Weren't there various studies that showed that the rate of sociopaths and psychopaths in management is way higher than the average workers? It explained a lot to me…
(And one for the way: I can't say how much I enjoy the country pushing for globalized capitalism for 20 years now getting basically fucked in the ass by it's own creation - it's like seeing a hillbilly shooting himself in the foot and the best idea he has is to shoot his other food too, because it's the only medicine he knows. Yes, I'm looking over the big pond at you America.) --Ullhateme (talk) 13:12, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
And if I take the spelling of "authorise" to mean Mr. 82.69 is British, there is a strong social safety net you guys have that make many of the extraordinary demands made by British unions to be exactly that. Here in the US, it's eat or be eaten, and the unions are one of the few protectors of a middle class way of life for workers who otherwise have virtually no safety net. Do they go too far themselves? Sure. But here in the U.S., that management gives themselves huge raises with the money from the salaries of those they fire is odious. --Leotardo (talk) 16:10, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Now we know where Andy got this retarded idea. --Leotardo (talk) 16:10, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Martyp[edit]
I think Martyp may be on to something. I don't think they are looking for yes-men anymore. In the old days, all you had to do was agree with everything. Now, if you don't disagree with something, you're suspect. Marty has disagreed with CP on the labor unions (prominently quoting former saint labor union president Reagan on his userpage) and has mocked/ridiculed ♥ K e n D o l l ♥. In this new era of hyper-paranoia, your concerns must be voiced, but not pushed once the cabal waves their hand. Otherwise, you will be the subject of concerns. Occasionaluse (talk) 19:46, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
So the new plan is to agree with Andy on everything except for one issue and constantly concern troll on that issue? Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 20:27, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
If it leads to hilarious consequences such as thisimg, I'm all for it. Andy channeling Ken is definitely a special moment. Röstigraben (talk) 22:01, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
they suspect him of being one of us.img And with that whole "reasonable" thing he's got going on, he may well be.--Brxbrx (talk) 22:20, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
Ah, that would be JPatt trying to bolster his own credibility, he's got a different approach. Maybe he's the one running Martyp anyway. Röstigraben (talk) 22:25, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
I like being Martyp. Further, I like using proxies that don't show up in your primitive blacklists. They're proxies I've used for years. I've got a long list. User:Nutty Roux/sigtalk 03:44, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
do they, or do they not, read this site?--Brxbrx (talk) 03:58, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
(EC) We should compare notes so that my sysops don't accidentally use a proxy one of your sysops is using. I'm posting my proxy directory to the mailing list. Mountain Blue 04:01, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Got it. I'll move my guy over to a different IP. P-Foster (talk) 04:08, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Put the bots on the Dutch proxy dude. Shit I'm gunna get whacked. User:Nutty Roux/sigtalk 04:13, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Great. I just did a ώ-scan and can see that basically all the European proxies are compromised. Thanks guys. User:Nutty Roux/sigtalk 04:15, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
I'm confused--Brxbrx (talk) 04:31, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Ahem. User:Nutty Roux/sigtalk 05:10, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
It's what happens when behind-the-scenes becomes in-front-of-the-scenes, Brxbrx. SJ Debaser 09:42, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
they aint even looking for Solvenian proxies at the moment. Go nuts everyone. Ace of Spades 10:11, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Nobody mention any proxies anymore! It's sucks enough to have to use one when I just want to read the insane, but then searching for another one is a pain in the ass. Stop it! We know they read us, block IPs that they see and try everything they can (happy for us that isn't much) to get rid of us - don't make it even harder. (Sayin' nothing about parody here btw) --Ullhateme (talk) 13:18, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Get ready for a flood of activity[edit]
Andy is expecting 10,000,000 new users.img - π 21:53, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
I guffawed when I saw that.. Senator Harrison (talk) 22:02, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
I saw that but didn't highlight it here because of our rules against outing deliberate parody. –SuspectedReplicant retire me 22:19, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
His servers would crash. even more.--Brxbrx (talk) 22:21, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
What I also like is how Andy thinks that people are leaving MySpace in order to "turn away from gossip and liberal claptrap," when in reality, a lot of them are simply switching over to other social networking sites like Facebook, which just keeps on growing and growing. ~SuperHamster Talk 01:52, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
"SuperHamster" (your chosen name is obviously unacceptable), you've posted ten times, all talk. That's in violation of our 90/10 rule. I've analyzed your unconcise replies and you still don't seem to grasp how liberals try to claim exclusive control of knowledge and its recognition, and how you should be objecting to that, so there's a 95% chance you're wrong. You also refuse to accept that the best of the public helps resist atheism. You can whine all you want, but the half-life of Carbon-14 may have only been 100 years at the time of Christ. The truth is available from this site for those who seek it. Take your message to the general public, to a court of law, to a respected institution, or to your parents and see how many agree with you. ZERO.--aschlafly 01:18, 20 January 2020 (UTC)
A flood of Biblical proportions, perhaps? /bad joke quota for this week is now met. Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 03:57, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Bad joke? FUCKING AWESOME JOKE YOU MEAN! I'm going to use that every time I want to signify a fictional flood from now on. --Opcn (talk) 06:03, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Once again Andy's self-aggrandisement comes to the fore. There are simply millions of people just waiting to be bathed in Conservapedia's glory, and this alone explains America's lurch to the right. If only there was some tangible sign of these millions, like account creation... The more Andy's subconscious tells him CP has failed, the more he retreats into fantasy land. --PsyGremlinParlez! 09:39, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Andy sez "No religious animal behavior"[edit]
Wrong. Skinner's superstitious pigeons. That is all. Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 04:31, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
But it has already been proven that pigeons navigate by the direct and divine influence of God. So for pigeons to be religious only makes sense. Evolution destroyed. ONE / TALK 09:31, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
I really don't understand the point Andy is trying to make:
If, as atheists think, religion is foolish, than animals less intelligent than humans should display the reverence. They don't.img
So if something is dumb, then animals would do it. Funny, I've yet to see an animal drinking and driving. Or appearing on Jerry Springer. However, I love Andy's "There is no plausible evolutionary explanation for religion." Oh to be able to sit down and talk memes and memeplexes with the man. In fact, I'd say there is an evolutionary explanation - group identity; who belongs in our tribe and who doesn't. --PsyGremlin말하십시오 10:25, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Actually, I've got an infinite number of monkeys who have managed to set up a pretty good right-wing encyclopedia wiki... –SuspectedReplicant retire me 10:39, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
It's partially consistent, of course. CP doesn't like the old in-out-in-out outside of marriage and it's one of the things animals do most frequently. Therefore it is foolish. gnostic 13:13, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Or, in the Paleolithic where groups were small (about 100), the community can be self-policing - everybody knows what everyone else has done, and can shun people for crimes. Being banished would mean certain death from starvation. In bigger groups you need to say man-in-the-sky knows what you've done, don't be naughty. CS Miller (talk) 13:18, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
I really want to create a sock and ask Andy; "How do you know this mantis isn't praying? It sure looks like it is" ONE / TALK 13:56, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Bering's latest "Princess Alice" experiment is about God-as-supervisor. In a task where it's possible to "cheat" will children who are told they're supervised by an imaginary "Princess Alice" act like those who are unsupervised, or those supervised by a human adult? Children who don't express scepticism of Alice's reality behave like the supervised group. This has an interesting consequence if we assume adults are somewhat the same: If your god's rules are good rules on the whole then he's much cheaper than real supervision and this is a win for believers even if their god isn't real. But if they're bad rules the non-believers benefit by cheating, that is, disobeying the bad rules because they know they aren't really being watched. 82.69.171.94 (talk) 15:42, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Chimpanzees and elephants bury their dead; reverence for the deceased is widely regarded as the most basic form of religious expression; ergo Andy is primitive. –SuspectedReplicant retire me 16:21, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Say it ten times fast, loudly, preferably near children and policemen.[edit]
I expected something to come (should that be spelled with a "u"?) of this already, but since he hasn't been snatched up yet and has annoyed me I'm outing MikeOxlong for his vulgar user name. Now, how long will it take for the conservapedia sysops to do my bidding? --Opcn (talk) 09:18, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Haven't heard that one before. Is he related to Hugh G Rection? CrundyTalk nerdy to me 09:21, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
We've got a user on UESP called Alpha Kenny Buddy... –SuspectedReplicant retire me 09:23, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
:) When I lived in Stafford there was a driving instructor who used to take pupils round my estate called Chris Peacock. I always wondered why he didn't go by "Christian". CrundyTalk nerdy to me 09:32, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Hahahahah, how hilarious that the CP sysops didn't notice this obvious parodist and let him carry on shitting up their blog. Goes to show what fucking idiots they all are. They had to wait for us to do their investigative work for them! How does it feel, CP, to be so reliant on us rats? Now that I've said that, watch them hunker down and insist it's a genuine user and never ban him. *eats popcorn* ONE / TALK 09:35, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
my cock's long. I never noticed...--Brxbrx (talk) 10:51, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Do you also shout out how magicians do their tricks? Really it's not at all funny when you have to explain it in detail, especially for the benefit of CP sysops. Now, has anyone seen Mike Hunt? Lily Inspirate me. 11:21, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
I user to work with a woman whose named was Beatrice Horney. She went by "Bea", and thought it was hilarious. MDB (talk) 11:31, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
A while back I had a sock called Mike LaTorres, who was banned for multiple accounts, but not his name, as I thought he would be. DickTurpis (talk) 12:42, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Oh, forgot: I went to school with two brothers, George and Richard Saul (Can't remember how his surname was spelt, but as you've probably guessed it was pronnounced "soul"). CrundyTalk nerdy to me 12:52, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
And the less said about my client, Alan Niss, who has two children - Andrew and Paula... the better. --PsyGremlinSnakk! 13:05, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
this guy's a buzzkill. reverted a funny edit, though it may not have been original--Brxbrx (talk) 23:59, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
woops look what we didimg. hi andy! though I'm not sure you caught on...--Brxbrx (talk) 01:20, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
wow, they deep burned an edit to schlafly's talk page where he complained about a vandal--Brxbrx (talk) 01:23, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
That might have also been MartyP narking out "MyCock'sLong" to Andy. P-Foster (talk) 01:26, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
Mr Science steps up to the plate[edit]
Yes indeed. Mr Two Meters single-handedly deals a crushing blow to atheists and evolutionists everywhere. Ken must be so jealous! It's the old thermo-dynamics hum-drum again.img You know, "How do evolution's advocates (especially the atheists) explain the increased complexity and organization which we see in the fossil record, when the theory which all scientists accept predicts instead an increase of randomness and chaos?"
Anybody have the strength to explain it to the moron again? Remember, pictures might be required. --PsyGremlinSermā! 10:38, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Except that The Second Law of Thermodynamics only applies to a closed system, where no energy can enter or leave the system as a whole. There the system will tend to equilibrium. However, creatatards tend to forget about that glowing yellow sphere, which provides 1 kW/m2. HINT: Your God claims to have created it on the fourth day. CS Miller (talk) 11:17, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
My bad; I meant an isolated system, not a closed system. CS Miller (talk) 12:00, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Reminds me of my favourite FSTDT quote[3]:
“”One of the most basic laws in the universe is the Second Law of Thermodynamics. This states that as time goes by, entropy in an environment will increase. Evolution argues differently against a law that is accepted EVERYWHERE BY EVERYONE. Evolution says that we started out simple, and over time became more complex. That just isn't possible: UNLESS there is a giant outside source of energy supplying the Earth with huge amounts of energy. If there were such a source, scientists would certainly know about it.
CrundyTalk nerdy to me 11:37, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
I hope that poster was being sarcastic. CS Miller (talk) 11:39, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
I always assumed that one was a Poe. –SuspectedReplicant retire me 11:41, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
It's awesome either way. Mountain Blue 12:18, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Yeah, if only we had a gigantic miasma of incandescent plasma nearby. Corry (talk) 12:20, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
The Sun's not simply made out of gas, no, no, no.--Martin Arrowsmith (talk) 13:11, 25 March 2011 (UTC).
This is the drawback of basement dwelling--Brendiggg (talk) 12:29, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Is it normal that while reading what Ed wrote I lost all faith in humanity and regained it by reading the comments? Just wondering... --Ullhateme (talk) 13:58, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Dear Andy:[edit]
To answer your questionimg: no, it won't.
Facebook could conceivably go from boom to bust. However, it will not be because people abandon it for Conservapedia, any more than people abandoned Wikipedia for your insignificant little blog. MDB (talk) 11:38, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Seeing as about the only people using MySpace for the past few years have been indie bands, I wonder where they all went to. Certainly not CP, nobody's going there. --Kels (talk) 12:05, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Facebook will do ok until the Next Big Thing comes along (which won't be Diaspora - their last blog update is 31 Jan), or they sell to MS / Google. But if Andy's thinking he's going to pick up all those people (most of whom will be banned anyway for being furriners), then his delusions are reaching dangerous levels. Maybe he's bi-polar and this is the manifestation of his "up" swing. How long before he's walking on roof tops, al a Richard Gere? --PsyGremlinTala! 12:26, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
You really wanna kill something dead, sell it to Yahoo. --Kels (talk) 12:46, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Good luck Andy; if you type 'conservapedia' into google, the second and third possibilities that appear are 'conservapedia 403' and 'conservapedia down'. EddyP Great King! Disaster! 13:36, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Do you think Andy has even considered that you could be on Facebook and CP? I didn't realise it was an either/or situation. AMassiveGay (talk) 14:47, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
It's probably related to his binary worldview of liberalism or Andy-conservatism. EddyP Great King! Disaster! 15:52, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Small nitpick: It's very refreshing to see that Diaspora guys have quit blogging and blowing money on publicity and are actually coding. Don't look at the blog - look at the code repository instead if you want to see how they're doing. Lots of commits from last few days. --wwwwolf (barks/growls) 16:29, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Why lie Benp?[edit]
"Government threatening to deport 94-year old native American WWII veteranimg". I was unable to find one source that supports that statement, including the one Benp uses. Pants on fire Ben! But I do support your argument that illegals who do military service should be able to stay in the country - you do realize that's your argument, right? You can't just argue "Old white men get to stay, and wetbacks got to go!" --Leotardo (talk) 13:38, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Don't be silly. Good right-thinking conservatives think he should be allowed to stay, so liberals must want him deported post-haste, because liberals oppose everything conservatives support. This is why liberals prefers lacrosse to baseball, eat hoity-toity sausages rather than hot dogs, pick creme brulee over apple pie, and drive wimpy Toyota Prii over good American Chevrolets. MDB (talk) 14:27, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
MMMMmmmmm - crème brûlée. Please don't offend my hoity-toity sensibilities by leaving off the accent marks! --Leotardo (talk) 14:53, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Tsk, We all know what kind of "crème" you like, cockboi. 19:49, 25 March 2011 (UTC) C®ackeЯ
No shame in my game, but is liking crème brûlée mutually exclusive with liking "crème"? --Leotardo (talk) 19:53, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
No, not at all. My husbands bought me a chef's blow-torch (butane) for crusting teh crème brûlée some years ago, I don't think I ever used it as I took slight offense as if they thought I wasn't able to properly flambé the ramekins. And, of course I had been enjoying a good crème for many a year before ye. C®ackeЯ
How do you know that last statement is true? --Leotardo (talk) 02:41, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
I was reading through the comments in the original article, and the cognitive dissonance is so strong that I can't believe it doesn't cause the people writing it seizures. They are all along the lines of "If you fought for the US, you are automatically a citizen - now government, get back to keeping the brownies out!" I imagine this is what most people at CP think...Sometimes I just want to grab these people, shake them, and shout "Don't you realize you're being a moron??" Anyways, I gotta get back to drinking my tall half-skinny half-1 percent extra hot split quad shot (two shots decaf, two shots regular) latte with whip one Splenda one sugar and just a sprinkle of cinnamon. Carlaugust (talk) 15:04, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Anyone else find the irony in this? This veteran's story, and Obama's citizenship? Stay classy, CP. NorsemanCyser Melomel 15:31, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
CP's intellectual predecessor.[edit]
Is this ♥ K e n D o l l ♥'s 19th-century self? P-Foster (talk) 14:07, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
I didn't believe in reincarnation before this. --Opcn (talk) 17:03, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Fat Atheists[edit]
CP's line has been picked up by Pharyngula, which will probably have ♥ K e n D o l l ♥ spontaneously creaming his pants. –SuspectedReplicant retire me 15:49, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
More important, it's a study that wholly contradicts Ken's use of a robopoll as a scientific study. The more religious you are, the fatter you are. Thankfully, the superstitions and mythology that CP believes in are going extinct. Ha ha. Keep worshiping your magic man while the rest of us focus on reality. --Leotardo (talk) 15:55, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
The spin from one of my favorite writers:
Well, here’s a shocker: America’s most deluded religious group, the fundamentalist Christians, “are 50 percent more likely to turn into obese middle-agers as those with no religious involvement.” Being dumb and poor and racist and homophobic apparently wasn’t enough for Jeebus’ true children here in America — now they’re doomed to fatness, too. Again, this is according to Scientists who studied people who go to church all the time. There are many theories, including one by Purdue University sociologist Ken Ferraro that “churches are a feeding ground for gluttony and obesity.” But what about religions and philosophies that demand moderation in eating, like Buddhism? Not so many Buddhists in America, we guess! What about Catholics? They are mostly alcoholics, plus they rarely go to church except for the big holidays because they’re scared the priest is going to rape their kids again.
Oh, and fundamentalists are most likely to be the lardiest of the religious lard asses, according to the study. --Leotardo (talk) 18:02, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Andy is so stupid, he thinks you're that stupid[edit]
Andyimg, slams HuffPo for removing Breitbart from their front page for comments he had at another site. Andy criticizing punishing people on a site for actions on another site. He even quotes that it's "arbitrary and deeply offensive to the intellectual openness". He then wraps up the ironygasm with the statement that Conservapedia HuffPo "will likely lose more contributors the more it censors". Occasionaluse (talk) 15:59, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
This is definitely WIGO-worthy, if it hasn't been posted already. NorsemanCyser Melomel 16:05, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Look at that...he wrapped it up with a nice little bow.img You literally have to go back days into the block log to find an example of someone banned for being a member of another website. Occasionaluse (talk) 16:39, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
It's times like this I seriously question whether CP is real or not. Andy's actions are baffling. I am baffled. He *really* doesn't see the hypocrisy? I have trouble buying that. X Stickman (talk) 17:24, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
It specifically specifies "Legitimate" contributor. Go build a fucking hospital, Occasionaluse. Senator Harrison (talk) 17:30, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Damn Andy as his ingenious escape hatches!! Occasionaluse (talk) 17:36, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Ace gets a vandal tribute[edit]
[1]img --Leotardo (talk) 18:38, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
How very kind. (it weren't me - for the record). Ace of Spades 19:10, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
That's the beauty of being in control of Anonymous, no? It could have been any member of your personal army. Hateboy (talk) 20:07, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Rule 44 that is all.--Thunderstruck (talk) 00:19, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
why you gotta hurt me like that? why couldn't you link to ED?--Brxbrx (talk) 01:28, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
JPatt is damn near functionally illiterate[edit]
It seems like JPatt's posts are getting more and more nonsensical. I can usually figure out what he's getting at, but he constantly omits words, uses the wrong word, mixes tenses, misspells shit and has no coherent grammar or syntax to speak of. The latest exmaple:
The repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell has it's first causality: Army Chaplains. They are told resign from service, or face court-martial for their “religious, conscience” objections.
Jpatt, I know you're an avid reader: if/when you proofread, try focusing on reading one word at a time and actually "say" it in your head and pause before continuing. It will help you catch all these mistakes. Occasionaluse (talk) 18:14, 25 March 2011 (UTC)Occasionaluse (talk) 18:14, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
You seem to have inadvertently included the words "damn near" in your heading. You should fix that. DickTurpis (talk) 18:17, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
And "functionally" - I think he just rubs his face against the keyboard. --Leotardo (talk) 18:26, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
The twitter version is particularly tactful: "Homos are a threat to all people of faith. The repeal of DADT is forcing Chaplains to retire or face court-martial [link]" Webbtje (talk) 18:37, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Conservatives are creatures of subtlety and style, yes. Mountain Blue 18:55, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Oh dear, what would the military possibly do without chaplains? They do such an important job. DickTurpis (talk) 18:59, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Dick, how could you. Chaplains wave the poor on their way as they die to maintain the rulers power. How would goat know they were coming if there wasn't a chaplain to wave them goodbye? Oldusgitus (talk) 19:09, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
They should be forced to retire if they can't live with the repeal of DADT. How fucking awful would it be if just before some major engagement or such like the chaplain decides to bless(if you believe in that sort of thing) or put some folks mind at ease but not others because they are gay? If they can't put aside your petty hatreds for people who may be about to be killed or maimed in the name of their country, then they can just fuck off. AMassiveGay (talk) 20:03, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
The only sad thing about this story is that the chaplains aren't being forced to marry gays. --Leotardo (talk) 20:22, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Chaplains should only marry gays if they truly love them. Lily Inspirate me. 07:22, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
Let us not forget: "God is With Us"! God is never with THEM! You wouldn't for example catch something like "Gott mit uns" on a Nazi belt buckle or some such. Jimaginator (talk) 20:27, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
If you think Jpatt's news item is illiterate, you should check out his source:
"Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, should have stayed in place and wouldn’t have the mess they have now!!!"
Junggai (talk) 21:59, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
I mispell shit and make bad grammar on occasion sometime, but damn. Occasionaluse (talk) 22:04, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
And that's just the first paragraph. Junggai (talk) 22:05, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
I remember taking him to task once in one of our infrequent e-mail chats and he blamed his poor English on his liberal public schooling. He couldn't explain why he hadn't subsequently gone on to better himself. Blame is easier than action, I guess. --PsyGremlin講話 13:07, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
I've never really understood the DADT thing. I mean, there are still gays in the military but the straights just don't like to think about it? Is it a case of "I don't mind another guy seeing me naked in the showers so long as I don't know that he might be fancying me"? Lily Inspirate me. 13:49, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
This just in[edit]
Apparently, in Andyland, the Prime Minister of Canada is a Republican in Name Onlyimg. What a fucking moron. DickTurpis (talk) 20:28, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
And in his classic rubbing his face against the keyboard manner of typing, Jpatt's sentence "Opposition to reverse his corporate tax cuts and overturn plans for more military spending was a driving factor." makes little sense, except to Andy, who left it alone. "Opposition...was a driving factor": he means it as a noun, but switches at the end of the sentence so that it signifies a verb. --Leotardo (talk) 20:45, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
I think he's decided that Conservative is synonymous with Republican and that therefore any Conservative who doesn't subscribe to Republican ideology is a RINO. Raging (talk) 20:52, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Yes, but it's silly because they are defining other countries' politics through an American lens with American political party labels. To dumb it down for the teabaggers who they think read, but never join, Conservapedia. --Leotardo (talk) 20:56, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Yeah, I thought my explanation of their thought patterns was ludicrous anything for me to not bother adding a note about how silly I find it. Raging (talk) 20:59, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
To be fair, Stephen Harper thinks he's a Republican too. --Kels@school
apparently, in andyland, when someone fails they can't be conservative (or in obama's case, it's foulplay)--Brxbrx (talk) 00:08, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
What a dick[edit]
I'd sure hate to be an awkward overweight kid in one of Andy's homeschool classes.img What a shitty role model for teenagers. PACODOGwoof, bitches 02:49, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
I never understood why conservatives are so hellbent on making people self-conscious and when you call them out on it they scream about political correctness and freedom of speech. That's not what it's about. Senator Harrison (talk) 02:58, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
FUCK ALL OF YOU YOU ALL HAVE THINGS WRONG WITH YOU THAT I WILL NOW MAKE FUN OF TO COMBAT MY CRIPPLING AWKWARDNESS. Freedom of speech. Flubber (talk) 03:07, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
Freedom of speech is one thing but Andy defending crap like thisimg on a supposedly christian website that is intended to be an educational resource for schoolchildren ought to make any parent think twice about what he's really teaching his students. PACODOGwoof, bitches 03:14, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
What the shit. *stares at that "essay"* (<capture>Capimg of current version just for the archives) The best part of course is that CP, this fine bastion of free speech that appreciates witty satire... has an explicit rule against saying anything remotely bad against CP sysops or CP itself, so calling PZM a pig in mainspace is fine, but saying on your user page that Jesus disproving General Relativity is an absurd notion will get you legally banhammered. --Sid (talk) 09:52, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
Because they are sadistic little fucks with the empathy of a half eaten sandwitch. Their misery and self deprecation driven ideology doesn't give them many avenues of guilt free pleasure so they just channel all that in hurting other people (whom they also hate for having more fun than them). Which is a type of pleasure too but they can disguise as "helping people find the right way", thus not really self driven. Its the same reason the inquisition's tortures were unesseserily cruel and how the "thou-shall-not-kill/turn-the-other-cheek" Christians have somehow ended up masturbating in their little forums about how they would "carpet bomb" this and "nuke" that, and that collateral damage doesn't matter. That's my theory and I stick to it. Sen (talk) 03:27, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
all that is below[edit]
This discussion was moved to Forum:Obesity in a modern society. 22:51, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
Geraldine Ferraro[edit]
Andy just can't help being a classless jerk, can he?
After a reasonably (for him) decent entry on MPRimg, he adds bullshit to her articleimg, and the ERAimg article. Can't he ever report a death without making it into a political story? –SuspectedReplicant retire me 17:07, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
It's amusing that for every point he brings up presumably in outrage, I ask myself "Well, whats wrong with that? It sounds awesome!" Hey Andy, your mom's a jerk. --Kels@school
Jesus, b/t Ferraro and Disney princesses as emasculating bitches who don't know their place, Andy is bringing the misogyny to a whole new ugly, scary level. Someone might want to ask him why he lets his daughter go to college if she should be at home raising kids. Oh, yeah, it's because he's a giant hypocrite. P-Foster (talk) 18:32, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
It's because he's an asshole. That's all you really need to know. I wish I had something clever to say, but I can't; he's just an asshole. 江斯顿What is it now? 18:37, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
He learned from the best. Oh, and the icing on the Disney Princess cake is he implies that he's never seen the movie, and is just going on "what he's heard". --Kels@school
It's times like this that I feel pitty for his family members - especially for his wife. I hope she put him in his place a long time ago and that's why he's going bananas on CP. --Ullhateme (talk) 20:52, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
Yeah, it's pretty disgusting. You know someone is going to do the exact same thing when his mother dies (hopefully no one here), but he'll call it an outrage. --Night Jaguar (talk) 21:31, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
Kels, if that's true then Andy should borrow Ed's extensive collection of Disney princess movies. I assume he has them filed under F for faptastic! Concernedresident omg!!! ponies!!! 22:02, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
No, they're filed under AD for ANIMATION, DISNEY, except for the Lion King, which technically contains a princess but is filed under N for NO LOLI. Mountain Blue 04:50, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
"MPR"[edit]
Might people consider not using "MPR" as an abbreviation for Template:Mainpageright? There are certain other entities that use those initials. ListenerXTalkerX 22:39, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
I give you my word that if I ever refer to Minnesota Public Radio, the Mongolian People's Republic, or Minkowski Portal Refinement on the WIGO-CP talk page, I'll be especially sure to do so in a non-ambiguous manner. P-Foster (talk) 22:59, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
We could use fancy formatting to allow us to distinguish between all of those things. MPR ,MPR, MPR and MPR. I began doing this and almost immediately I became less confused, and I'm fairly certain that I lost a bit of weight. Concernedresident omg!!! ponies!!! 23:58, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
Woo, I'm from Minnesota! Post over. Carlaugust (talk) 01:59, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
"I don't recall..."[edit]
"PJR? Never heard of himimg, but I'm sure he's a swell guy." P-Foster (talk) 04:58, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
To be fair to Andy Schlafly, I don't think that's what he was actually saying to me. I think he was just saying that he sees no obstacle to copying content between aSK and Conservapedia (which is what I've been doing). And, I also take him to mean he wants to let bygones be bygones, and whatever disagreements there may have been in the past he doesn't want to bring them up again. That's actually a fair enough attitude, I think. --(((Zack Martin)))™ 05:19, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
He and PJR had their tiffs, but I do not think he has any issues with aSK. ListenerXTalkerX 05:50, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Myspace[edit]
TK once told me that he was also a moderator on myspace. --Opcn (talk) 06:04, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Is that why everyone went to facebook? --Night Jaguar (talk) 07:20, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Given that he was also so pally with Jimbo Wales I'm surprised that he wasn't a 'crat at Wikipedia. How come, that someone so well connected in politics and the internet ended up effectively as a doorman on a minor right-wing fundie blog is one of the great mysteries of the last decade. Lily Inspirate me. 07:40, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
At times I felt like his goal was hurting conservapedia. I think that's why he never went after Ken even though he hated him. Ken is like the WBCof the internet. --Opcn (talk) 09:12, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
"I felt like his goal was hurting conservapedia." No, his goal WAS to hurt conservapedia. Hence the driving away of editors, wild range blocks, plagiarism, wild lies and the leaking of the sysops' discussions. All this while whispering sweet nothings in Andy's ear, which allowed him the free reign to run amok. Terry was the troll of all trolls. --PsyGremlinTal! 09:45, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Free rein. That's when you give head to a horse give a horse the freedom to control his own head. Sorry, I'm seeing too much of this error lately, and I tremble, lest it become the new correct. Sprocket J Cogswell (talk) 12:51, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
My bad. Although in my defence, I have been drinking since 11am, as I watch MY TEAM KICK ACE'S TEAM'S COLLECTIVE ASSES!!!!! --PsyGremlin講話 13:04, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
I'm happy for you, and for all those asses as well. Sprocket J Cogswell (talk) 13:05, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Psy - that prediction is looking worse and worse as things go on... –SuspectedReplicant retire me 15:12, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Aaaaand New Zealand win by 49 runs. In case you don't have one, here is a recipe for humble pie ;-) –SuspectedReplicant retire me 15:59, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Om nom nom nom. Serves me right for thinking we'd actually dumped the "chokers" tag. Sigh. Back to watching Tiddlywinks, I guess. --PsyGremlinTala! 09:23, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Kajagoogoo gets on the "PZM is fat" bandwagon[edit]
Wow, that actually took longer than I thought it wouldimg. P-Foster (talk) 17:48, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Is Karajou retarded? I think a 5 year old could write a better cartoon. He's not even trying anymore. DickTurpis (talk) 17:54, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
That's the worst Karatoon so far. It's not funny on any level. I can't even work out what the joke is supposed to be, unless it's as you say: PZM is fat. Popeye must be pissed off that PZ is laughing at CP again. –SuspectedReplicant retire me 17:56, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Does that say "Insurance-pithecus" on that sign? What does he have against insurance salesmen?! Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 17:59, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
I imagine it's an unfunny Geico pop culture reference? Occasionaluse (talk) 18:07, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
I'd go with this, also is the caveperson a bit Don Martinish? C®ackeЯ
I thought it was an Obamacare "joke." P-Foster (talk) 18:13, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Ugh. PZ Myers just posted about Ken's fatty-ding-dong sharticle. When will he learn that even acknowledging Ken's existence only serves to encourage yet more outlandish flailing about for attention? User:Nutty Roux/sigtalk 18:04, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
I agree with Nutty - why does PZ give them any mention at all? We all know Anger Bear is an old coot idiot, but even I would think he would realize he embarrasses himself with these "toons". I mean, really embarrasses himself. The drawing is crap, and they have no wit. --Leotardo (talk) 18:12, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Already noted above... Latest toon Now open for parody! –SuspectedReplicant retire me 18:13, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
I think this could be a contributing factor to conservepedia's scarcity of contributors. their obesophobia (I may have made that word up)! Since so many conservatives are fat, they won't want to help out a site that constantly ridicules them.--Brxbrx (talk) 18:19, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
I think you're totally right. They seem not to care that so few people ever join, even as they thump their chests about how awesome and influential they are. So why not make fun of their fat base? They probably feel jilted. --Leotardo (talk) 18:24, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Have you ever trolled Karajou? It's a blast. Occasionaluse (talk) 18:21, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Man, he's starting to steal jokes from Ken?! How pathetic is that? --Night Jaguar (talk) 19:39, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
That's not PZM in the toon, it's PJR. Occasionaluse (talk) 23:01, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Everybody on the Internet has a beard. Corry (talk) 05:42, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
Once again, a creationist moron fails to grasp the concept of a common ancestor. He might have well make a crocoduck comic. Corry (talk) 01:03, 26 March 2011 (UTC) Addendum: I should also point out that Karajou's understanding of evolution betrays a Lamarckist bent. Is Karajou a neo-Lysenkoist? Does he despise the bourgeois science of genetics? Corry (talk) 05:55, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
A word to the wise Kara - I've seen the YouTube video you posted. You are the last person who should be making fun of fat people, you hypocritical cunt. --PsyGremlinRunāt! 09:20, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
YouTube video by Anger Bear? Please share. Junggai (talk) 11:00, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
I'll mail you - don't want to start a HCM on here. --PsyGremlinParla! 11:41, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
Why would posting a link cause HCM? DickTurpis (talk) 12:00, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
Because family are off-limits on-wiki. --PsyGremlinZungumza! 12:06, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
I see what you did there, Psy. P-Foster (talk) 13:00, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Cacomorphobia - fear of fat people. --PsyGremlin말하십시오 11:16, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Ah those were the days[edit]
Among others I was cp:User:SamF, cp:User:JimPT and cp:User:BrendanW at various times. As SamF I organized the counterexamples and was blocked when I tried to label those that needed sources. JimPT I inserted a counterexample to evolution that was in conflict with Andy's counterexamples such that not both could be true, I forget what I got blocked for. As User BrendanW I tried to remove the obvious parody that I had inserted, I explained why, and I was blocked for it. The story (lie?) I told TK, Ed, and Andy was that I hadn't ever inserted parody, I had, it was pretty mild, and I was blocked when I tried to fix it, does the fact that they like it so much that removing it with clear explanation is a block worth offense get me off the hook morally? --Opcn (talk) 20:49, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Does your mother know how you spend your free time? And is she as proud of the outcome as you apparently are? ħuman 06:36, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
A stopped clock is right twice a day[edit]
And Andy is prolly right about this,img especially given that the Times paywall will cost 5X what a Netflix subscription does. I hate it when people make stupid decisions that even bigger idiots can then crow about. P-Foster (talk) 13:51, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
It's simple. The ones wanting people to pay for net content fail to realise the audience is many many times bigger than the traditional one, so charging a very small sum is what would work; 200 people paying 1 cent each is better than 1 person paying 1 dollar. Then again, people actually use iTunes and pay for songs there, despite the fact it costs more than buying the CD... O_o Dendlai (talk) 14:00, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
I don't know if I agree with that. If I buy 10 songs on iTunes it is ten bucks; whereas I well remember buying CDs that had 10 songs on them (including ones that weren't good) for $18.99. The price of music has vastly declined in the last 10 years, particularly with the ala carte model of iTunes. --Leotardo (talk) 14:10, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
$18.99 for a CD??? I just remember checking Bowie's 70s albums, and it was basically $1 per song on iTunes, and NOT including the extra tracks, while the CDs cost about $8-10, and included the bonus tracks (like all releases since the 80s except the iTunes one) meaning it was 15+ songs for 50 cent each compared to iTunes 11 for a dollar each... I decided iTunes was a rip-off after that. Dendlai (talk) 14:21, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
It depends on where you buy them. Good music stores have CDs for $10 or so, but electronics outlets and book stores that still carry CDs inflate the price dramatically. 江斯顿What is it now? 14:46, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
Thing is. Many people don't actually like all songs out of a CD/Band. Rather they just like a couple of tracks (often from different CDs), in which case iTunes ends up cheaper. Sen (talk) 16:29, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
If you look into it, CD prices were kept artificially high. -Lardashe
Indeed. And a buck a song - if it's good - is a really good deal. 45s used to cost a buck 30 years ago. And most bands struggle to make two good songs a year. The only exceptions are the really good "albums" where you get 14 great songs for 8 bucks (old money) or 18 bucks (digital money). ħuman 06:31, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
To quote Inigo Montoya, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."[edit]
I'm pretty sure that JPattimg thinks that "secularized" means "stuff I personally disagree with." P-Foster (talk) 00:50, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Yeah, he's extremely confused, it seems. He went from Patriot -> Extremistimg to Founders -> Extremistsimg to Founders -> Dead White Menimg (CP also has an article on "dead white male"img thanks to Ed, which of course makes the connection to Liberal [Noun] in the very first edit...), all based on this discussionimg it seems... I really think Jpatt kinda got lost somewhere while editing this... but hey, looking at the article, this degree of idiocy seems to be par for the course. --Sid (talk) 01:14, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
I'm pretty sure the secularized language thing jumped the shark before it was born. Edit: I see they've predictably jumped on the Allen West: American war criminal hero bandwagon. Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 01:19, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
To be fair, so does Andy. Vulpius (talk) 02:42, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
The shtick about "extremist" meaning "patriot" is very old, having come out of the Second Red Scare, when communists and anti-communists were hurling all sorts of abuse at each other. "Extremist" was used, sometimes accurately, to describe certain anti-communist groups; the anti-communist groups responded by stating that they were merely "patriots," and that the communist traitors were using "extremist" as code for "patriotic American." ListenerXTalkerX 02:57, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Huh, I always thought the "patriots" thing came from St. Regan's military adventures in Central America. --Kels (talk) 03:13, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
"I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice!" -Barry Goldwater Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 03:29, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Mmhh, in my mnd every "patriot" is an "extremist" (btw, "extremist" only makes sense if you have people that aren't that extreme) - they would die for their country what's more extreme than that? Also I'm going with John Stewart on the name-calling thing: "reputations have to be earned and these people (extremists) worked hard for them". --Ullhateme (talk) 10:33, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Speaking of Allen West, it's a good example of what Bob Altemeyer talked about in his book -- as long as they espouse the same set of values as you, they must be totally awesome. Just totally ignore the fact that he let his troops use torture, has a debt trail that he bullshitted his way out of using his trademarked "appeal to security clearance," and has ties to a biker gang. If he wants small gummint and promotes Christian values, he must be good! Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 17:00, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Forget the 90 days...[edit]
Ken is at it again so I think we can shelve the "90 sabbatical" bullshit. His latest pus-filled utterings (which is basically the wiki version of vomiting faeces and pretending your talking) barely qualifies as englishimg. Oh yeah, Ken if you check the latest statistics you'll see religion declining in the western nations but I don't expect honestly or integrity from you anyway. Ace of Spades 07:07, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
aah, Ken. editing drunk isn't very smartimg--Brxbrx (talk) 10:38, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Just throw in Generalized linear model a few more times Kenimg, you might convince someone you know what that bit of jargon means. - π 10:47, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Guess I'm lost about Ken editing drunk, Brxbrx? Is there something I'm missing in the capture? άλφαTalk 11:42, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
I think our vowel-challenged friend isn't familiar with Ken's "it takes me a gazillion edits to move a full-stop" editing style. --PsyGremlinSnakk! 11:49, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
weird. the capture is different than the link. I meant ot point out that ♥ K e n D o l l ♥ is sticking to his "preview is for pussies" method of editing--Brxbrx (talk) 11:50, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
CaptureBot won't re-capture a page, so things like your link had once been captured in the past, and that's it (even though the content changed). You can work around this by appending something like "#2011-03-27" to the link (like thisimg). But yeah, Ken needing a ton of edits (and never marking them as minor or using the Preview button) is par for the course, so he's either sober or always drunk. --Sid (talk) 12:04, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
That atheist population drivel is Kentastic! Three 'atheist' and three 'resect/regards' in the first rambling sentence! Oh, if you're reading this Ken, please do give my regards to the atheist population - the word you are looking for is regard. DeltaStarSenior SysopSpeciationspeed! 14:36, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
1. Ken's editing at baseline is equivalent to that of a normal person after six beers. 2. Whether belief in a deity is on the rise or on the decline has nothing to do with whether or not it exists, unless, of course, you happen to worship Tinkerbell. Corry (talk) 16:57, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
BEHEAD THOSE WHO INSULT TINKERBELL!
For posterity.img DeltaStarSenior SysopSpeciationspeed! 19:56, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Going to church increases odds of obesity[edit]
http://www.rationalresponders.com/forum/29208
Regular worshippers are 50% more likely to be obese by middle age
Going to church may be good for a person's soul - but it is not so beneficial for their waistline, it has been claimed.
U.S. researchers say Sunday worship can be just bad for your health as burgers and chips.
Experts at a Chicago university found those who worship regularly were 50 per cent more likely to be obese by middle age compared to non-religious people.
They are not quite sure why, though some say that because eating during church services has traditionally been allowed, worshippers were inclined to munch their way through the sermon.
The study into obesity and churtchgoing was led by Matthew Feinstein, a fourth-year student at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
It looked at the lives of 2,433 people in Chicago, Minneapolis, Birmingham, Alabama and Oakland, California.
He said: 'We don’t know why frequent religious participation is associated with development of obesity, but the upshot of these findings highlight a group that could benefit from targeted efforts at obesity prevention.
'It’s possible that getting together once a week and associating good works and happiness with eating unhealthy foods could lead to the development of habits that are associated with greater body weight and obesity.'
Some church-goers believe there might be a historical link between tucking into too many burgers and praising the Lord.
Courtney Parker, the catering manager for the 20,000-member Apostolic Church of God in Woodlawn, told the Sun Times, in the past, church services were long and eating was one of the few things that was not taboo.
He added: 'So the first thing you do is go eat, and then you go to sleep.'
--69.149.249.149 (talk) 01:07, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Here, here, and here. - π 01:18, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Eat this, Ken!!![edit]
Researchers from Northwestern University have found that going to church, not being an atheist, causes obesity. Eat that, ♥ K e n D o l l ♥!!! The Spikey Punk I'm punking my punk! 22:52, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Just saw the evening's ABC news which concluded that those attending church are 50% more likely to be obese. [4] NorsemanCyser Melomel 23:04, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Did they control for geography and income and education level? --Opcn (talk) 23:18, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Valid questions, and I'm fully confident that Ken will ask these as he impartially evaluates this study. I look forward to, if justified, him correcting his articles. Concernedresident omg!!! ponies!!! 23:47, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
He knows the Gallop poll doesn't support the conclusion that atheists are more likely to be obese since it focuses on healthy lifestyle habits. He also knows that there are real scientific studies in addition to the new Northwestern study proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that religionists are more likely to be obese. We know that he'll ignore this evidence because it's contrary to his mission of smearing atheists. That's his apologetic style in a nutshell. User:Nutty Roux/sigtalk 23:55, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
Did any pictures of Ken ever surface? Concernedresident omg!!! ponies!!! 00:06, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
Do any of these studies control for anything? I'm guessing religion-fatness connection is an artifact of location, i.e., there's higher rates of obesity and religiosity in the south and midwest than the coasts. Urbanites actually have to walk places. Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 00:31, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
They controlled for race, age, income and geographical location. For instance, the south is one of the fattest regions, but even amongst fat southern women, religious southern women are fatter. --Leotardo (talk) 03:23, 26 March 2011 (UTC)
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘No, ♥ K e n D o l l ♥. We're not offendedimg. We're laughing at you because after years on a wiki you still can't edit properly and because your data has been proved wrong. –SuspectedReplicant retire me 16:49, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
(pedantry) Data are plural. NoodleDickSissyPantsNoodle with me! 06:27, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
singular is datum--Brxbrx (talk) 06:34, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Andy's Hatred of Books[edit]
Andy has stated several times that he thinks books are filled with "liberal claptrap" and generally shows contempt for books.
I had a thought, this chilly Sunday morning... I wonder if he's written a book that's been rejected by every publisher to whom he's submitted it. Considering his mindset of "everything bad is because of libb-burr-ulls", perhaps he's decided that the publishing is just chokc-full of liberals rejecting his brilliant work. MDB (talk) 12:22, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
You might be on to something there. We all know that Andy can hold a grudge for a long, long time. Plus his past is littered with failures, for which he no doubt blames somebody else, i.e. librulls. Let's have a quick look at possible scenarios:
Failed to become President of the HLR - Obama's fault
Failed to win GOP nomination to House - RINO's fault
Failed to earn full professorship at wherever he as an adjunct prof - the fault of Professor values
Been ostracised everywhere on-line (like talk.origins & WP) except CP - evil wikipedia and social media ganging up on him
I'm sure if we dig deeper, we'll find a failure corresponding to each of Andy's crazy toes. --PsyGremlinHable! 12:40, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
That would make a lot of sense. From a look at his "classes" you can tell that the guy likes to write and to write a lot (I'm not the one to talk on that one btw). But for it to be rejected it had to be something amazingly insane. Of course his whole "books are bad accept that one GOD wrote" attitude could just simply stem from his experience at college. If college is the same as over here, the people that are the most liberal read huge amounts of stuff. So there you go too: Liberals read books → books make you liberal → liberals are bad → conservatives are good → conservatives do good → conservatives don't read books → book stores closing down makes the world more conservative → Less books make the world a better place → Andy is a teacher → ///SYSTEM FAILURE/// --Ullhateme (talk) 12:58, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
On the other hand, you know how he loves conciseness. His book would probably be:
Chapter 1: Why Liberals are Evil
I don't need to provide evidence for this because it's clearly true.
Chapter 2: Why RINOs are Bad
There's no need to provide evidence for such a clearly logical insight.
Etcetera. –SuspectedReplicant retire me 13:11, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
If he had written a book he would have self published and it would be available for sale on CP with the line 'not availabe in any stores'. AMassiveGay (talk) 14:19, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Is there a possibilty that Andy's hatred of professors, aka Professor values, is due to an utterly loonie PhD application he made being rejected? Auld Nick (talk) 15:35, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Doubt it. His Engineering degree from Princeton (cum laude, no less) would be a ticket to just about any reputable grad school. P-Foster (talk) 15:43, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
He might have been expecting a magna cum laude or even summa and been pissed off that he didn't get it. –SuspectedReplicant retire me 15:46, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
I, myself graduated from college "magna justa barely" and "summa cum lucky," and somehow managed to get into one of the top grad schools in the country. Liberal favoritism, I guess. P-Foster (talk) 16:11, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Colleges as liberal indoctrination camps is old, at least going back to the '60s when all the colleges were run by DFHs (Dirty fucking hippies), so I don't think it has to do with Andy getting rejected for some position. The funny thing is how professors are all just liberal propagandists but Andy is proud of his students when they get accepted to whatever college. Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 16:26, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
I'd be willing to bet that Andy's hatred for professors stems from his college days. It is hard to say what he was like back then, but if his arrogance and intellectual stubbornness was even a fraction of what it was now, I would imagine he would have butted heads with a number of professors. To get an engineering degree you have to take some classes in humanities. Even in the 80s I imagine those classes would have conflicted with the worldview laid out by his mom and led to conflict with his teachers and fellow students. Give those experiences 25 years to stew around in his skull and you have "professor values." --Marlow (talk) 16:36, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Maybe, but like I said, "professor values" is old meme, Andy just gave it a handy nickname. I went to a fairly conservative high school and there was talk of professor values. Read some wingnut sites and they all hate universities and professors. Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 16:48, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
You are right, Andy didn't invent "professor values", but I do think his disdain for higher education is in part due to his experiences in college. --Marlow (talk) 17:35, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
The wingnuts hate education period. From early days they wanted to stop people reading their bibul themselves in case they misunderstood what was written. assfly is merely taking that to a whole new level in his hatred for real learning. Oldusgitus (talk) 18:07, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Wingnuts do not hate education, at least not all of them. Some merely dislike education that prompts too much independent thought in the tender young innocents; others adhere to Ayn Rand's statement in For the New Intellectual: "Our present state of cultural disintegration is not maintained and prolonged by intellectuals as such, but by the fact that we haven’t any." ListenerXTalkerX 18:18, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Education is like science. The relaxed people in touch with reality will sit back and let the good times role, but ideologues will happily say "go do it, and come back with this result!". As for books, if Andy wrote a book mommy would pay to publish it. --Opcn (talk) 21:09, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
I agree with Opcn-- this would make sense if he didn't have the money for a vanity publisher, but he almost certainly does. Barikada (talk) 22:50, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Oh, sure, refute my mockery of Andy with your so-called "logic". MDB (talk) 11:08, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Rise and Fall of Andy[edit]
This has probably been brought up before, but what happened to Andy's career? It starts out so promising with serious degrees and honors from some of the best institutions in the world. He has major political connections through his mom. It was like he was being groomed for high political office, but now he is at best a private practice lawyer with a blog (I'm skeptical about how much work he gets). What brought on this downfall? I know some people have speculated that he is an alcoholic, which might explain it, but there might be other factors. To me it seems that he has become increasingly delusional overtime. Any thoughts? --Marlow (talk) 17:31, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Don't believe the alcoholic nonsense. He's just got an incompetent brain and (very) poor relationship skills and a feeling of hereditary entitlement which is greatly disappointed. If he hadn't been born with money he'd be working in McDonalds - as a floor sweeper. --Scream!! (talk) 17:49, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
I guess the issue is whether he could graduate with honors in his current state. I say no. While I'll be the first to admit that plenty of intellectually lazy people graduate from colleges like Princeton, Andy has a certain delusional arrogance, that I think would be a big handicap. Something has changed since his college days. --Marlow (talk) 18:00, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
I don't see any evidence of Andy having an income outside of the AAPS, except unless he's being paid for the courses he runs over at Eagle Forum U. Wingnut welfare at work. Concernedresident omg!!! ponies!!!
Don't his homeskollars cough up $250 per session or some such? --Scream!! (talk) 18:06, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Jesus, I hope not. I thought that his homeskooling business had pretty much fizzled out. Concernedresident omg!!! ponies!!! 18:14, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
(EC)Andy did once run for a political office of some sort, but came 5th in the Republican primary. As for his current state of mind, I have a hard time believing that he was this unintelligent when he was younger. I think he did speak of having an epiphany of some sort in his 30's that made him more conservative and Christian. At present, he's simply very intellectually lazy, has a strong sense of victimization and a VERY (at times) strong sense of importance. On a few occasions, Andy has given the North Korean propaganda arm a run for their self-delusional money. @CR - there was a lot of speculation on his homeschooling business after a couple of courses fizzled out after a few weeks last year. I think the general conclusion was that he's moved them off CP, which is a great blow to the 'family friendly encyclopaedia'.EddyP Great King! Disaster! 18:20, 27 March 2011 (UTEddyP Great King! Disaster! 18:20, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
If there was a time when he was borderline sane, he probably lost it in 2000 when he became a young-earth creationist. ListenerXTalkerX 18:21, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
I wonder if his homeschoolers ever saw this guy? C®ackeЯ
Well everything we can do is speculate because we'll probably never really know what goes on in his head. Maybe something happened to him in 2000 for which he had to find an enemy/guilty party/some comfort. Anyhow, the worst thing about it is that Andy seems rather intelligent (relatively speaking - of course besides Ken, TK, Karajou and Ed a stone looks very intelligent too), just to keep believing and getting out of all this what he needs, he has to be delusional, throw logic overboard a.s.o. If he his not so stupid, it's a tragidy of how his psychological deficits (maybe his strong and independent and at the same time strict mother caused this, so that he now has to grap every single chance of acknowledgment?) fucked-up all his chances to be somebody slightly important. If that's true I'd even feel empathy for our little batshit insane fuck-up. --Ullhateme (talk) 18:46, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Andy deliberately surrounds himself with congenital failures. A one-eyed man is king among the blind. Auld Nick (talk) 19:10, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
^The truest thing ever said about Andy at CP^ EddyP Great King! Disaster! 19:33, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Adny's wife does not practice medicine, and he has a big ass house, I think he is making more than the $65K, heck I'll bet he made a lot of money off his recall exploits. --Opcn (talk) 21:02, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
I doubt he made any money off the recall stuff. Those were vanity efforts to raise his stature. Andy's goal with those is to argue before the Supreme Court, so they fit nicely with his hallmarks: delusion, a mythologized view of history, vanity and ideology. Very little money involved in teabagging. --Leotardo (talk) 13:32, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
He surrounds himself with an echo chamber in Conservapedia, which does nothing for his intellectual growth and only feeds her paranoia fantasies and his deluded self-importance. This is reinforced by the Stalinist like regime he has built there where people are monitored even in the talk pages, and thus forced to use all the right buzz words and appropriate praises or face exiled; the dialog there is so forced. --BMcP - Just an astronomy guy 22:12, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
Sounds like what happened to LRH and a lot of other cultists. The craps rolls out your mouth again, haven't changed, your brain is still gelatin, little whispers circle around your head… Gossip is burning on the tip of your tongue. You lie so much you believe yourself… Before you judge me take a look at you. Can't you find something better to do? Point the finger, slow to understand; arrogance and ignorance go hand in hand. Judge not lest ye be judged yourself! CS Miller (talk) 22:30, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
I'm always kind of surprised to see the speculation about Andy. He seems to be very open-and-shut. He came from money, he went through the best education money could buy. He resented some - probably most - of his teachers. However, he had been taught to not start fights with those in authority. He was willing to give them answers they wanted on tests and such. His is not an alcoholic. I suspect that he treats his family fine. In real life, he's kind of skittish. His persona online is very different, and it's a consequence of 1)his personal echo chamber egging him on, and 2)constant internal anxiety that someone is out to make him look bad. Although I don't think he thinks he can be made to look bad. The reason he wouldn't be working in a more prestigious occupation is because first, he doesn't actually have as much interest in engineering. It was a means to an end. He has more interest in the law, but I don't think he's interested in putting the time and effort into working in a real legal practice. However, he is interested in pursuing legal actions that are of interest to him. The homeschooling thing is something that I think he just fell into. He didn't want his daughter going to public school, so he looked into homeschooling. He saw how much it cost to hire outside teachers, and figured that with his credentials, he could do it too. He probably enjoys it, although it's hard to get a sense of how much effort he puts into it, since I think CP only reflects a tiny portion of what goes on.
I would say that Andy is a typical evangelical conservative, he's just one who has given himself the means of presenting himself as a force bigger than he is. - Lardashe
AFAIK, Andy's children weren't homeschooled; I think they went to public or private school, though I could be wrong. EddyP Great King! Disaster! 23:48, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
If that's true, at least it makes him look good as father. He cared enough about his children not to teach them himself. --Night Jaguar (talk) 23:57, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
If you search the netz you will find that Andy's kids went to private schools. What nobody has pointed out here is that Andy was a corporate lawyer for AT&T and fucked up. Lily Inspirate me. 11:41, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Have to love the hypocrisy of the man - promote home-schooling, while slamming public education, then pack the kids off to private school. I wonder if he mentions that little fact to the parents of the kids he abuses in his church basement (abuses from an educational POV, of course). The man really is scum. Altho, wasn't lil' Phyl taking some of his home-skule classes? I seem to remember Ketetetetikkkit sitting in on some of them with her. Or am I mistook? Oh, more info on Andy's AT&T fuck-up please. --PsyGremlinRunāt! 12:12, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
The salient details are on RW's Fun article on him. Basically he used deceit after-the-fact explanations that ended up costing AT&T money. –SuspectedReplicant retire me 13:03, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
The AT&T stuff is very interesting because it shows Andy's flawed intellect effected him professionally. I only read the bit on this site, but this quote speaks volumes: "The scenarios that Schlafly describes....do not involve situations in which the AT&T customer uses AT&T’s service..." Lawyers are creative thinkers because they have to imagine scenarios that might arise and then come up with ways to protect their clients against those possibilities. This is why people say lawyers complicate everything. At the beginning of a transaction often everyone involved thinks everything will work out awesome, so why do the stupid lawyers have to plan for failure? They think that until those scenarios come up, and then they are glad. What is being said here is that Andy took strange scenarios that were irrelevant to AT&T's service and argued that they could be problems. In other words, because he could imagine something he felt it was reality, but his scenario didn't match reality-reality. --Leotardo (talk) 13:42, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Andy probably screwed up at AT&T because of his black and white or them and us take on reality. He worked for AT&T so 'us = good" and concluded AT&T must be right. He didn't look at the case at all. A proper lawyer would have concluded AT&T didn't have much of a case and would have likely suggested an out-of-court settlement thus saving AT&T a lot of money. Auld Nick (talk) 17:51, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Meh, I've seen worse statements about lawyers in court opinions that had little or no effect on the litigation. As long as there's some frivolous bullshit to hang on lawyers will do it. They're fucking scumbags. User:Nutty Roux/sigtalk 17:56, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
A new conservative word![edit]
http://www.conservapedia.com/Talk:Main_Page#Announcement:_New_word_neededimg
Personally, I vote for reapercrat, maybe because the chain of acronyms was getting derivative. And sorry about the image capture, not sure what happened there. Flubber (talk) 23:38, 27 March 2011 (UTC)
My suggestion is ESPL'r (pronounces Ess-PLUR) stands for Election Season Pro-Lifer --Opcn (talk) 01:06, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
LIBRUL: Lardass Atheist Birth-hating RINO Until eLections. «-Bfa-» 01:45, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Reapercrat all the way. I might actually find other uses for that gem IRL! --Leotardo (talk) 13:46, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Biblical Maximum Age[edit]
Just had a chuckle reading the WIGO about the Bible setting the maximum age at 120 years. Did anyone else notice that the citation is Psalms 90:10? So, one could say that one cannot live longer than 120 years because to do so would violate the 90:10 rule. Stile4aly (talk) 03:02, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Hey now, it's men, not woman. they are allowed to live to say, 126. men on the other hand...--Mikalos209 (talk) 03:06, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Awesome catch. --Opcn (talk) 06:39, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
el oh el[edit]
does karajou have a sense of humor[2]img?--Brxbrx (talk) 03:11, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
No. --Kels (talk) 04:14, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
well he laughed at the pun name...--Brxbrx (talk) 06:29, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Michele Bachmann[edit]
CP has 3 Bachmann stories on its front page and is touting her as "long ranked here ahead of Sarah Palin." Is this a new love affair for Assfly and Co.? Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 04:07, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Bachmann's star is rising fast, she will be to this race what O'donnel was to 2010. --Opcn (talk) 06:25, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
When it comes to Bachmann, I can't help but think of the immortal words of Foghorn Leghorn:
MDB (talk) 10:40, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Whoever is most popular with the CP bunch is the one I want as the nominee. Seriously. Whoever they support is most likely to be the one to most embarrass the Republicans and pave the way for the re-election of my favorite Muslim leader. --Leotardo (talk) 13:48, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
IIRC Andy was all for Huckabee last time round. I also seem to recall some snotty comments between him and TK when Huckabee lost one of the primaries. TK was pro-McCain I think, although we all know he voted Obama. --PsyGremlinПоговорите! 14:26, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Unfortunately said[edit]
Is it me, or does thatimg sound different from this? Thank god for euphemisms. --Ullhateme (talk) 07:48, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Does Ken not know how to use google?[edit]
Why is he asking someone to find the study for him? --Opcn (talk) 09:17, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
What mostly confused me is that the second link of the WIGO item makes it look like DevonJ posted under Ken's name - Ken actually oversighted ALL of his edits for that post (but the Patrol Log shows that he indeed made it). And more on-topic, Ken's internet knowledge is highly specialized - he had been rambling about SEO before he even understood how to upload an image on the wiki. I wouldn't be surprised if he genuinely didn't know how to search for anything or how people use Google (which would explain why he constantly brags about how CP ranks highly for [English search term] on [non-English local Google]). --Sid (talk) 10:49, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Notable by its omission[edit]
CP has a pretty comprehensive list of potential Republican candidates for President in 2012.
They don't even mention the only Republican who's actually formally declared he's running.
Gee, I wonder why they're ignoring him.
(Okay, yeah, he's an extreme long shot candidate. But so are several others on the list. Heck, it even includes ones who have explicitly said they're not running.) MDB (talk) 12:26, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
He'll probably get a "RINO" jab on MPR if they notice a few articles about him, but yeah, that's about it. I doubt he'll make the list (or the nomination, really) even if nobody else applies. ~ Kupochama[1][2] 12:35, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Hey, don't forget about Jimmy McMillan. Rent is too damn high! Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 15:57, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Roger & PGP[edit]
Has this been mentioned before? CrundyTalk nerdy to me 12:36, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
different schlafly's--Brxbrx (talk) 12:48, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
There's a brief mention in his article. --PsyGremlinSermā! 13:08, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
woops--Brxbrx (talk) 14:18, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Andy doesn't understand the concept of the "revolving door"[edit]
When people speak of a "revolving door" between government and the private sector, they mean that people who held government jobs then take private jobs where they lobby the government, and vice-versa. Andy thinks it means that a person who worked in government gets a private jobimg, even when that job has nothing to do with lobbying the government. He also repeats that Facebook breaks up marriages, when the source for that argument was a preacher who was found to be having orgies in his church (often with another man tag-teaming his wife!). --Leotardo (talk) 14:00, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
I just realized why Sarah palin has decreased in popularity at CP. Her extensive use of facebook--Brxbrx (talk) 14:15, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
That's just liberal deceit, spread by the CIA and George Sorros, because the preacher exposed the secret mission of Facebook, to destroy marriage on the internet, before Ken can destroy atheism. Also, the writing was on the wall for Palin, the minute The King's Speech won the Oscar. --PsyGremlinSermā! 14:24, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Also note how weaselly the MPR article isimg. It says Facebook plans to "give a chunk of stock potentially worth millions" to Gibbs, as if they're just going to hand him the stock as a reward for being a good fellow traveler.
They're talking about hiring Gibbs, with stock as part of the compensation package. MDB (talk) 14:51, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
What I find most bizarre about Conservapedia is that it shows how on the extreme right they have so embraced victimization that they blame others for their own personal problems. So it's not the weak ethical character of the individuals who are sleeping around or having orgies, it's Facebook that causes it! It used to be that the right wing were the biggest proponents of personal responsibility. --Leotardo (talk) 15:12, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
I love the irony of people who rail against governmental intrusion in to their lives, while taking stances in which they clearly wish to abdicate personal responsibility for the actions to a higher power. I suppose it's more about surrendering freedom to the "right" people or body. Concernedresident omg!!! ponies!!! 15:29, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
(EC) That concept is a bit old and was introduced with "the devil". He wants you to sin and you have to resist it. We can find it again and again (very much like a trope) in christian conservatism: They want to make our children sin → FCC/PTC and a shitload of censorship, Hypocrisy → Satan, Facebook, Video Games, Marilyn Manson and all that stuff, Economy's bad → liberals are holding it back. They have to keep up their delusions and paranoia because they'd loose everything they believed in if it weren't true - it's pathetic. But the worst thing is that the old part of them actually sinning (fucking it up) isn't mentioned anymore - it's there when they need it (economy) but not if they could keep others involved in their rage. They have given up their ideals to support their ideals with technisques that their ideals forbid. It all manifested in the patriot act, take away freedom to uphold freedom - it's really messed up. --Ullhateme (talk) 15:37, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Totally agree. --Leotardo (talk) 16:06, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Cracked[edit]
Ah, if only I had a sock, I'd love to see Andy's reaction when faced with the female Paul Revere, who was out rounding up troops, instead of baking cookies and having babies. --PsyGremlinZungumza! 16:59, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
And bonus she is a teen. --Opcn (talk) 18:31, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
I'm sure once you mention that it has a teenage girl and a horse Ed will be interested. --Night Jaguar (talk) 20:44, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
ObamaRail[edit]
Jpatt delivers yet another trustworthy, just-the-facts, not-personal-opinion encyclopedia article: "[ObamaRail is] another liberal boondoggle that is paid for by stealing from the taxpayers."img Bonus points for having a special "Criticism" section right under the paragraph that is nothing but criticism. --Sid (talk) 18:08, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
wiki vampirism[edit]
It seems that in order to stay up, RW had to suck some of the lifeforce out of CP. Conservepedia is currently down for me.--Brxbrx (talk) 20:38, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
What the hell. I come home after a long day only to find one of my top resources for lulz education not working? ~SuperHamster Talk 20:48, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Predictably, the White House denies responsibility. Doppelheuer (talk) 21:04, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Imagine how it feels to be 403'ed all the time. EddyP Great King! Disaster! 21:13, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
back up! Rw too. the circle is complete--Brxbrx (talk) 21:18, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
@EddyP: Not good. Thank goat for proxies! --UHMharassme 23:47, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Maybe it's the droves leaving facebook[edit]
CP is still down for me :/ --Opcn (talk) 21:45, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
CP's also down for me and quite a few others. Were we both DoS attacked, but we have people who actually know how to run a webserver? DeltaStarSenior SysopSpeciationspeed! 22:00, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Down for me too. If only Andy had given Bad Touch server access this would never have happened. –SuspectedReplicant retire me 22:55, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
It came back up for me just a minute ago, but then it went down again. ~SuperHamster Talk 22:57, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Tantric web hosting? –SuspectedReplicant retire me 23:16, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
why ddos RW?--Brxbrx (talk) 23:26, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Most likely some idiots decided to DDOS CP, and from there decided to DDOS RW as well. EddyP Great King! Disaster! 23:28, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Awww, it's down. Sad face[edit]
I'm feeling ambivalent. I like comedy. But then again, some idiots think it's a legitimate site. Meh. Rationalize (talk) 01:18, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Back. P-Foster (talk) 02:06, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Apparently so. But some pages are still not working. What a site. Rationalize (talk) 02:33, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
"Games fend off intimacy and isolate us from the strokes we really want"[edit]
What in the hell is Uncle Bad Touch writing about hereimg? I can't make out what this "pionerr" advocates and what it has to do with "the strokes that [Ed] really wants". This somehow seems to be related to alcoholism, and the voice--Claude's? Uncle Ed's?--sounds like that of an AA sponsor. --Leotardo (talk) 15:48, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
"I have never been able to help anyone who didn't sincerely ask for help and who wasn't willing to recognize and analyze his own behavior honestly. " - If this wasn't Ed, we'd be screaming "parody!". --Ullhateme (talk) 16:02, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Urgh! "games "intimacy" "strokes" and Ed, all in one sentence. I now need to stick fondue forks in my eyes. --PsyGremlinPraat! 16:07, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Uncle Ed is on a Steiner bender today. Creating Ed stubs on junk food and negative reinforcement. Ed's editing and its relationship with his life is pretty transparent. I guess they wont be playing "whose turn is it to seduce" tonight in the Poor house tonight, no more games. --Marlow (talk) 16:19, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
Is this Steiner guy writing about Andy? DeltaStarSenior SysopSpeciationspeed! 21:47, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
I can't help but think Ed's interest is connected to anti-homo therapy somehow. --Kels@school
Nah, the 'game' is alcoholismimg. Recovering straight alcoholics are often incredibly annoying Christians. --Leotardo (talk) 14:51, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
martyp bloxsorred![edit]
Guessimg they finally had enough of his reasonableness.--Brxbrx (talk) 02:11, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
So I guess Conservatitia was up for a few seconds? Cause it's still down for me. Anyway, MartyP was sort of asking for it. He got bored and wanted to get blocked. This is why I have invested literally no effort into my sock. I'll wind up the same way and all that time will be wasted. Senator Harrison (talk) 02:57, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
I see Ken even took time off from his 90-day vacation to wield the ban hammer. That's dedication! --PsyGremlinPrata! 15:49, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Wow, I agree with anger bear on something[edit]
read this it is very reasonable. --Opcn (talk) 09:07, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Shit. It really IS reasonable. I agree with Karajou. I never thought I'd say that. –SuspectedReplicant retire me 09:19, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Wow, lucid prose urging restraint for the purpose of conservation. I agree with you, Karajou. Could we now interest you in the potential benefits of a functioning and properly funded EPA? Corry (talk) 13:29, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Shit, Anger Bear can't actually be a conservative who wants to conserve our environment instead of allowing corporations to rape it like they do in China and India, can he?!?! Dammit! Why do I have to re-think him even just a little bit! --Leotardo (talk) 14:18, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
I can't get Conpedia[edit]
Is it down for everybody or just for me? I'm not Jesus (talk) 10:26, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
See above thread. SJ Debaser 10:50, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Do you walk in and click "new topic" without actually reading the page, or even the ToC for that matter? --PsyGremlinTala! 11:08, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
I just get, "Internet Explorer Cannot display the webpage" and when I asked the computer to diagnose the connection problem I was told the host may be down. In due course RationalWiki will find out if it's down for everybody or if conservative parts of the US can still get it. I'm not Jesus (talk) 11:13, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
that is due to the DDoS--Brxbrx (talk) 11:16, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
So I'm retarded. Is that some sort of attack? Does anyone know who perpetrated it? Rationalize (talk) 13:29, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Nevermind, I just saw the blog above. Awesome. Rationalize (talk) 13:32, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
In case you were wondering, it's AmesG. It's always AmesG. --JeevesMkII The gentleman's gentleman at the other site 14:25, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Ed reaches a new high (low?)[edit]
Wow. Now Ed stubs only need to contain a link.img At least the lazy cunt admits he's a lazy cunt: "just a link ... needs someone to write the actual article." I wonder who's going to write about Japanese humour Ed? Have you just made Jessica's picture all sticky again? --PsyGremlinKhuluma! 15:40, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
ooh! Ken gets brave.img How will Ed respond? 10/1 says the big lug does nothing. --PsyGremlinZungumza! 16:32, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Nor should he. It's pretty embarrassing when even Ken finds something you created to be moronic. Ed Poor is such a bumbling idiot. --Leotardo (talk) 16:36, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
I'd be surprised if Ed notices the death of his latest creation. CP has become to Ed what posting comments on random blogs is to most people. He bumbles around CP, pausing occasionally to pull apart his cheeks so another Edism can fall out behind him. Yup, it's a very bad sign when Ken "Does x have machismo?" DeMyer has to step in to remove pointless crap. Concernedresident omg!!! ponies!!! 17:44, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
I simply like Ed's delusion that someone was actually going to improve that article. Who's unblocked that's got the knowledge or inclination? EddyP Great King! Disaster! 17:48, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
And he'd probably block and demand a 'writing plan' if they tried to start it. --Leotardo (talk) 17:53, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
How to handle sources CP-style[edit]
Andy ignores one event that isn't good publicity and missinterpreds the French Front National as conservativeimg. --UHMharassme 16:55, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Yup, it's the BNP blunder redux. Andy sees the word "conservative/right-wing," figures it means what he wants it to mean, doesn't bother to read past the headline, makes an ass of himself. Awesome. P-Foster (talk) 17:02, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
What? FN is right-wing, but in the economic nationalism Pat Buchanan sense rather than the free trade neoliberal sense. Though I imagine Andy wouldn't like FN's pro-public sector stance on a number of issues, he can just selectively ignore those because conservative = good. Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 17:22, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
as a frenchman, I must say that the national front is quite far-right--Brxbrx (talk) 17:37, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
" FN is right-wing, but in the economic nationalism Pat Buchanan sense rather than the free trade neoliberal sense." You should prolly read about the party's founder's stance on some non-economic issues. P-Foster (talk) 17:46, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
see, this shit makes me glad I'm living in the states now. You can't get away with that shit here. On the other hand, maybe she'll end up getting arrested by anti-racism laws... mmm... that would be a GOOD violation of freedom of speech--Brxbrx (talk) 17:53, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Heh, raging xenophobe, just like Pat Buchanan, which is notably whitewashed out of Buchanan's CP page. Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 18:19, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Let's say it this way: If Andy actually supports what the FN and BNP blurb out, it's ok for me. But then he's not a case for an asylum but for Homeland Security.. --UHMharassme 18:54, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
"On 21 June 1995, he attacked singer Patrick Bruel on his policy of no longer singing in the city of Toulon because the city had just elected a mayor from the National Front. Le Pen said, "the city of Toulon will then have to get along without the vocalisations of singer Benguigui". Benguigui, an Algerian name, is Bruel's name at birth." Andy loves that kind of shit; just ask Barack HUSSEIN Obama. EddyP Great King! Disaster! 19:14, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
DDOS--Anger Bear is Angry[edit]
Also, he's the reincarnation of Thomas Nast. P-Foster (talk) 01:37, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
So DDoS attacks are like... a superpower that Liberals have? Awesome, I guess. I'm gonna go use my powers on some choice websites. Also this line: " It's no different then when someone comes into your room and changes the channel from the TV program you were watching, just to force you to watch what he likes." made me laugh. It's totally different than that! It's more like blocking one channel, not actively forcing you to watch a specific one! That's a terrible, terrible analogy. X Stickman (talk) 01:47, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Hmmm. Never knew that blog existed. I think I just found about the only site in existence more retarded than Conservapedia. DickTurpis (talk) 02:04, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
I like how Boss Tweed was somehow a Liberal, based on the tried-and-true metric of "he did something bad". --Kels (talk) 02:47, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
He was a liberal because he was a Democrat, and all Democrats, even the ones 150 years ago who were pro-slavery, are automatically liberal. As are about half of the Republicans (who are actually RINOs). Yet somehow conservatives still outnumber liberals by something like 5 to 1. Conservapedian mathematics. DickTurpis (talk) 03:08, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Er, why does he think that his cartoon was the cause of the DDOS exactly? Phiwum (talk) 02:48, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
He needs to feel important, so he makes things like this up. Senator Harrison (talk) 03:02, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Yep, because he is a CP sysop, so he has massive delusions as to the impact their pathetic efforts make. To Kowardjerk, "liberals" are so pissed off that he's elegantly exposed to nonsesne that is their religion of evilution, that "liberals" have attempted to shut down his operation because they can't stand to be shown up like this. The fact that it's a bunch of script kiddies fannying around doesn't occur to him; in fact by his reckoning he is right, it IS liberals doing this; as anyone who does something bad (or merely something they don't like) is a de facto liberal. It's like us whining "We took the piss out of Kowardjerk's cartoon, and now the conservative young universe christians are attacking us!" Phiwum, I would highly recommend browsing Conservaleaks to get an idea of just how deluded they actually are. DeltaStarSenior SysopSpeciationspeed! 06:06, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
He's a bit like Ken in this regard - he can't understand the difference between "ridicule" and "anger." He mistakes us going "WTF?" with moral outrage. The only thing his cartoon offends is the viewer's intelligence. What really offended was the rank hypocrisy of the douche. Still, I see it's got them bleating again in the Soopah Seekrit chat room. And, of course, we are Anonymous. --PsyGremlinSpeak! 10:08, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
I think that is partly because for him/them ridicule stems from their anger. They are in the main deeply and abidingly angry people. Angry with the world, angry with their imaginary friend, angry with the government but basically the root of it is they are angry at their own impotence and inconsequence. So they ridicule that which they blame for their own failings - in this case libruls. So they assume that for all of us ridicule stems from anger and they simply do not understand that ridicule can come from a different place entirely, a place which will be forever foreign to them in their impotent rage. Oldusgitus (talk) 11:22, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
--PsyGremlinTal! 11:40, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
--Leotardo (talk) 13:30, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
"Winning" Charlie Sheen and RatWanker. Ange, grrr. {{User:--193.200.150.125 (talk) 13:19, 29 March 2011 (UTC)| block ID is #27224}}
English, motherfucker, do you speak it? --PsyGremlinRunāt! 13:37, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
sooooo, its MY fault im getting "Internet Explorer Can Not Connect" message? --Thunderstruck (talk) 11:13, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Script kiddies vandalize websites both for the thrill of it and to increase their reputation among their peers.[4] Some more malicious script kiddies have used virus toolkits to create and propagate the Anna Kournikova and Love Bug viruses.[1] Script kiddies lack, or are only developing, coding skills sufficient to understand the effects and side effects of their work. As a result, they leave significant traces which lead to their detection, or directly attack companies which have detection and countermeasures already in place, or in recent cases, leave automatic crash reporting turned on. [5]
I'm not Jesus (talk) 12:45, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
As soon as you all admit that I'm l33t, I can see about calling the DDoS off. Occasionaluse (talk) 13:14, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Doesn't Karajou know that a DDoS is not to our advantage because it stifles the lulz? Corry (talk) 13:38, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
No, all of this "LOL!!!" stuff is just a guise. Underneath the uncontrollable laughter, we're all seething with rage, deeply embarrassed by the systematic dismantling of our worldviews. Occasionaluse (talk) 13:41, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Yeah, you hit the nail on the head. Having had my empirical outlook on the natural world and my secular humanist approach to ethics and morality utterly destroyed by the defense of the most logical book in the world, a compendium of a Bronze Age Levantine tribe's attempts to make sense of the world around them, I am convulsing with rage and confusion. Ergo DDoS. Corry (talk) 14:00, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
I love this blog post he wrote! He sounds absolutely retarded comparing Boss Tweed to liberals DDOSing Conservapedia. Anger Bear doesn't realize what an effective tool for liberals that CP has become in making their ideas seem unpalatable. I would never want them shut down, for the same reason I never want to see Westboro Baptist Church go away. --Leotardo (talk) 14:14, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
I'm surprised we weren't compared to Nazi's and book burning, especially as Kara sees us all as fascists. The fuckhead must be losing his touch. --PsyGremlinFale! 14:23, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Imagine how big their liberal hate-on will have grown by the time they get the site back up. Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 14:28, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Totally! More banning, bile and name-calling. Love it! CP's mistake is assuming that the people on this chat board are representative of liberals, and by nature of our love of watching CP, we are very much not typical liberals. That they play to us instead of making themselves seem reasonable and respectable is one of my favorite symbiotic relationships on the Internet. We get to laugh and ridicule them, and they make themselves more wild-eyed and offensive just to piss us off. --Leotardo (talk) 14:37, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
when they are faced with an idea they don't like; they try to shut it down. - Yes, he is right. That's why the ultra-liberal Obama has shut down all churches and conservative projects since he got into office. That's why the Tea Party demonstration are all ended with police throwing people into jail. That's why there simply weren't any churches in communist countries. That's why we have a whole freaking site that is dedicated mostly to "conservatives" topics pushing the popularity of CP up through in Google. That's why we evil liberals do not allow normal sexual habbits even if we find them pretty uninteresting. That's why you're blog isn't online anymore with thousands upon thousands of readers. That's why you did not just write a blog entry from your confortable home or work (which you have - of course - lost) but out of a prison cell for a blog that has of course been shut down long ago because it was so extremly influentual. That's why we evil liberals have let you do your cartoons for various months now with our raging comments of shame on it. That's why Ken does not delete stuff to keep somebody from seeing it. That's why televangelist are banned into the night and don't have their rightfully place in the prime time of every major network. That's why FOX News was shut down forcefully. and of course does not make millions with spreading a conservative propaganda news. That's why the evil social networking sites - such as the marriage destroying facebook - have driven the possibility of communication back ten years. That's why we all keep a burning grudge inside of us because the light of these blatantly brilliant insights gives our worldview - which has been supported by corrupted science - a wedgie all day long. That's why all these things have actually happend. Yes you are right. I'm thankfull for such insights, as they surely are my way to find a truly logical and reasonable ideology.. I confess, we are evil heretics. --UHMharassme 15:34, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
I am completely bemused by the irony. Karajerk bemoans that liberals are trying to prevent people from reading Conservapedia yet at the same time they are creating enormous range blocks to prevent people from reading Conservapedia. Is he saying that Andy Schlafly is a liberal? Lily Inspirate me. 16:13, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Playing Devil's Advocat for a second: No. Schlafly is keeping people from getting access to something he wiches to be spread, not something he doesn't like. That point we can make with banhammering people. --UHMharassme 16:27, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
The motives may be different but the effect is the same. Lily Inspirate me. 12:34, 30 March 2011 (UTC)
sup?[edit]
Okay, so the trusworthies are being DDOSed, fine. But why does this here web shite keep disappearing intermittently? Mountain Blue 19:33, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Maybe because it causes everyone to lean on the captures instead of actually going to CP? Or since people can't get on CP, they just lurk here? Usually it happens when someone important mentions "Poe's Law", an article on a wiki starting with "R" that has top placement in a certain search engine ending in "E". Occasionaluse (talk) 19:35, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
"Down for Everyone?" says that RW's down (not now, obviously): it doesn't say that if it's a DDOS. --Scream!! (talk) 19:50, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
(e/c * billion) It's a DDoS attack here too. –SuspectedReplicant retire me 19:51, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Its a DDoS attack but I know tricks other than 403 blocking the planet. Tmtoulouse (talk) 19:51, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Phear. Trent knows Kung Fu. --JeevesMkII The gentleman's gentleman at the other site 20:14, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
wait... so is CP still under DDOS for how long now???? and i am still 403'd? shit. this sucks. LordSlug 誇らしげに2008年からソファの上に手の平 05:04, 30 March 2011 (UTC)
Don't expect to be un-403'd anytime soon. Those blocks are forever. --PsyGremlinKhuluma! 13:56, 30 March 2011 (UTC)
Are there any other websites that have arbitrarily server-side blocked so many IP addresses? In fact, other than for copyright reasons, I can't think of any sites that block any ranges from seeing them... DeltaStarSenior SysopSpeciationspeed! 16:18, 30 March 2011 (UTC)
Well, some Japanese game producers have been 403ing non-Japanese IPs, due to vague concerns about foreign pornography laws.[6] "They might sue us" is a bit more relevant than "they're all liberals", though. ~ Kupochama[1][2] 17:42, 30 March 2011 (UTC)
Nothing of any great import[edit]
....but it's been a while -- not anything near 90 days, you liar, but a while -- since we've gotten an "ole ole ole" shout-outimg. P-Foster (talk) 23:47, 29 March 2011 (UTC)
Does Ken know that by now a good number of us wouldn't be able to follow his dick-swinging even if we tried? Or is 403 CP's way of saying that we lack macheeeeesemooooo? --Sid (talk) 00:03, 30 March 2011 (UTC)
403d here. Does this make me special, or is CP in some sort of death throes? ħuman 04:13, 30 March 2011 (UTC)
Andy's frame of mind this eveningimg should tell you all you need to know. P-Foster (talk) 04:17, 30 March 2011 (UTC)
That deserves a WIGO, (if I can steals it and think of a snarky delivery). 05:43, 30 March 2011 (UTC) C®ackeЯ
All that needs is for Andy to pull on some sunglasses and shout YEAHHHHHHHH!!!! LordSlug 誇らしげに2008年からソファの上に手の平 06:05, 30 March 2011 (UTC)
i don't get it--Brxbrx (talk) 19:50, 30 March 2011 (UTC)
Retrieved from "https://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Conservapedia_talk:What_is_going_on_at_CP%3F/Archive228&oldid=758946"
Conservapedia page | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1064 |
__label__wiki | 0.869104 | 0.869104 | Pope Asks Forgiveness for Historical Mistreatment of Roma People
Written by <a href="index.php?option=com_comprofiler&task=userProfile&user=27507"><span class="small">Philip Pullella, Reuters</span></a>
Pullella writes: "Pope Francis on Sunday asked forgiveness in the name of the Catholic Church for the mistreatment of the Roma people, a move likely to increase tensions with Italy's anti-immigrant Interior Minister Matteo Salvini."
Pope Francis. (photo: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images)
By Philip Pullella, Reuters
ope Francis on Sunday asked forgiveness in the name of the Catholic Church for the mistreatment of the Roma people, a move likely to increase tensions with Italy’s anti-immigrant Interior Minister Matteo Salvini.
Francis made the comment during a meeting with Roma people at the last event of his three day trip to Romania, saying his heart was made “heavy” by the meeting.
“It is weighed down by the many experiences of discrimination, segregation and mistreatment experienced by your communities. History tells us that Christians too, including Catholics, are not strangers to such evil,” he said.
With an estimated population of 10-12 million, approximately six million of whom live in the European Union, Roma people are the biggest ethnic minority in Europe and rights groups say they are often the victims of prejudice and social exclusion.
Salvini, who has clashed with the pope repeatedly on migration issues, reacted angrily last month when Francis received a group of Roma at the Vatican last month.
Salvini, head of the far-right Lega party and a deputy prime minister, responded by repeating his promise to close all Roma camps in Italy.
“I would like to ask your forgiveness for this,” the pope told the Roma. “I ask forgiveness – in the name of the Church and of the Lord – and I ask forgiveness of you. For all those times in history when we have discriminated, mistreated or looked askance at you ...”.
A Roma youth, Razaila Vasile Dorin, told reporters: “It’s an honor that a person like the pope comes to our community. We are proud.”
“It’s important that the pope is asking forgiveness. There is racism in every country. When we go out everyone looks at us and we don’t like that. I am proud to be a gypsy.”
Earlier on Sunday, the pope said a Mass for some 100,000 people during which he beatified seven Communist-era bishops of the Eastern Rite Catholic Church who died in prison or as a result of their harsh treatment during Romania’s communist era.
“(The bishops) endured suffering and gave their lives to oppose an illiberal ideological system that oppressed the fundamental rights of the human person,” Francis said.
After World War Two, Romania’s Communist authorities confiscated properties of the Eastern Rite Catholic Church and ordered its members to join the majority Orthodox Church, which was easier for the party to control.
Historians say about half a million Romanians including politicians, priests, doctors, officers, land owners and merchants were sentenced and jailed in the 1950s and early 1960s and a fifth of them perished in prisons and labor camps.
Many Catholic properties taken by the Communist dictatorship or given by the government to the Orthodox have yet to be returned 30 years after the fall of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1065 |
__label__wiki | 0.615323 | 0.615323 | SOUTH POLE STATION
Ashley Shelby
Do you have digestion problems due to stress? Do you have problems with authority? How many alcoholic drinks do you consume a week? Would you rather be a florist or a truck driver?
These are some of the questions that determine if you have what it takes to survive at South Pole Station, a place with an average temperature of -54°F and no sunlight for six months a year. Cooper Gosling has just answered five hundred of them. Her results indicate she is abnormal enough for Polar life.
Cooper’s not sure if this is an achievement,
Cooper’s not sure if this is an achievement, but she knows she has nothing to lose. Unmoored by a recent family tragedy, she’s adrift at thirty and—despite her early promise as a painter—on the verge of sinking her career. So she accepts her place in the National Science Foundation’s Artists & Writers Program and flees to Antarctica, where she encounters a group of misfits motivated by desires as ambiguous as her own. The only thing the Polies have in common is the conviction that they don’t belong anywhere else. Then a fringe scientist arrives, claiming climate change is a hoax. His presence will rattle this already-imbalanced community, bringing Cooper and the Polies to the center of a global controversy and threatening the ancient ice chip they call home.
A warmhearted comedy of errors set in the world’s harshest place, South Pole Station is a wry and witty debut novel about the courage it takes to band together when everything around you falls apart.
About Ashley Shelby
Ashley Shelby is a former editor at Penguin and a prize-winning writer and journalist. She received her MFA from Columbia University and is the author of Red River Rising: The Anatomy of a Flood and the Survival of an American City, a narrative nonfiction account of the record-breaking flood that, in 1997, devastated Grand Forks, North Dakota. The short story that became the basis for South Pole Station is a winner of the Third Coast Fiction Prize; this is her first novel. She lives in the Twin Cities with her family.
“I was dazzled by South Pole Station—a terrifically witty, insightful, and satisfying novel, peopled by memorable misfits thrown together in a hothouse of conflicting interests in the frozen Antarctic.”—Elizabeth McKenzie, author of The Portable Veblen
“Ashley Shelby’s South Pole Station is an absolute treasure. She’s somehow written an infectious beach read about the coldest place on earth AND a stunning treatise on family, grief, creativity, and science. This book hits all the best notes of Where’d You Go, Bernadette? and Catch 22 and has the warmth and wit to carve its way into even the iciest of hearts.”—John Jodzio, author of Knockout
“Prepare for the big chill! Ashley Shelby’s mismatched cast of characters are all powerfully drawn to the South Pole, each for their own reason; Shelby charts their respective courses with sensitivity, intelligence and grace. Here is a brave, original novel about leaving the known and familiar world in order to find it again.”—Yona Zeldis McDonough, author The House on Primrose Pond
“South Pole Station is the brilliant story of artist and lost soul Cooper Gosling. In Antarctica, she meets the misfits and margin-dwellers with whom she has to navigate the webs of belief and knowledge, grief and hope, loneliness and love. South Pole Station reminds us that sometimes we have to go to the end of the earth to find what is within us.”—Frank Bures, author of The Geography of Madness | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1066 |
__label__cc | 0.701313 | 0.298687 | Realm Studio
Realm Platform deployment in minutes with Cloud - Register for the Beta
Sebastian on BeanFlow
by Realm Team / Nov 3 2014
For our next interview, we spoke to Sebastian Dobrincu, a freelance iOS developer living in Bucharest, Romania. Currently Sebastian is working on a new platform called BeanFlow, an all-in-one application for managing hybrid small businesses. Sebastian has been developing apps for a few years now and already has a pretty fantastic portfolio to his name. We didn’t realize just how young he was until we got to talking to him…
Tim Anglade, VP of Product at Realm: I really appreciate you taking the time. I know it’s late right now. You’re in Bucharest, right?
Sebastian Dobrincu: Right.
Tim: Cool, some of my best friends from college were from Deva and Arad. I had a really fun time exploring Europe with them. Are you originally from Bucharest, or did you move there for studies or for work?
Sebastian: I’m from Bucharest originally.
T: I guess if you want to do mobile, Web, anything like that — I’m from France, originally, and I imagine Romania is kind of like that. Everything is centralized in one city for the tech industry, right?
S: Yeah.
T: That makes sense. So, you have quite a few apps! I was looking at your website and it was pretty impressive. You’ve been doing a little bit of everything: some geolocation apps, some magazines, and then there’s this latest app — ecommerce, CRM kind of app. How long have you been doing apps?
S: I’ve been developing apps for about… three years, four years now? I started back in 2010. I’ve worked with a couple of clients. I guess I do have quite a few apps, but I’m still learning.
T: Did you start doing development directly on mobile, or were you coming from the Web or some other technology?
S: I came from the Web. I learned JavaScript, PHP. I thought I should give iOS a try and see how it goes.
T: I came from the same side as well. Are you a student, or are you working professionally right now?
S: I’m a student currently.
T: Cool, what are you working on for your studies? Are you a CS student? Are you doing, like, a bachelor’s, a master’s?
S: I’m currently in high school.
T: High school!
S: I’m about to finish high school, yeah.
T: Wow. It’s amazing to have so many apps under your belt already and you’re not even done with high school. Man, I wish I was that good when I was so young [laughing]. Amazing.
Why don’t you tell me about the app a little bit? It’s called BeanFlow, right? People can find it at www.beanflow.com?
S: Right.
T: I thought the concept was pretty nice. You’re building it for a British company, right?
S: Right. The objective is to give store owners some flexibility. Like, they can check their stats, their customers on the go. They have everything on their phone. They can check events, services, everything. They can also add products on their phone. It just makes things easier for them.
T: So it’s not just a point of sale or cash register type of thing, like Square or PayPal. It adds that functionality, but on top of that you really try to focus on the small business owner and everything they may need to do from their phone—
S: Exactly.
T: —including selling products, selling services. I really like the example on the homepage. It seems like one of the things you go after is… Let’s say you’re a hairdresser or surf-shop owner and you’re trying to boost sales of products and sell services. And you need to be able to do the accounting properly for both kinds of things, and track your time, and track your appointments, and track your stock levels. You can do everything in one single application.
S: Exactly. You can check everything on the go. It makes everything easier for a store owner. We’re about to launch this month. We’ll see how it goes.
T: It sounds really great, especially since Europe has a lot of small businesses and microcompanies. It’s nice to see some innovation there, at that scale.
What I really loved about the app is the list of features. You do this really nice thing on your portfolio of apps where you explain the top advantages and technical and business features of each application. I saw a few things that were pretty interesting.
For that particular one — including offline mode and a few other things — you apparently do a lot of background data fetching… a lot of data stuff that I wouldn’t expect from this kind of application. Can you tell us a bit more about how you thought about this application, the kind of features it needed, and especially the kind of data handling that it needed?
S: Yeah, so basically after you download the data for the first time, I use Realm to store the data for offline usage. So next time you open the app and, say, you don’t have an active Internet connection, you can just look at current stats, which are already loaded into your phone. And Realm really helped here. I mean, Core Data is a pretty powerful tool, but it’s just overwhelming for what I wanted to do. When I found Realm, I was really excited. It was so easy to use, and pretty powerful as well. So I said, “I’ll give it a shot,” and I’m pretty happy with it.
“Core Data is a pretty powerful tool,
but it’s just overwhelming for what I wanted to do.”
T: Excellent. It’s always good when we get to make people happy. I was wondering about some of those features. A lot of people who I talk to say, “Realm sounded like it was good for what I wanted to do and Core Data seemed too complex.” But I’m looking at the outside of the app and all the stuff that you’re doing: you’re doing background data fetching — I’m assuming that’s across multiple threads and even when the app is shut down — you’re doing offline access, you’re doing a bunch of fairly complex things. At what point do you think you would be tempted to go with Core Data again? At what point do you feel like maybe Realm wouldn’t be enough?
S: Currently I don’t have any plans to go back to Core Data. I’ve played a bit with Realm, I’ve built a couple apps to see how it goes, and I really like it. It’s pretty fast. I tried to load a few images — they were pretty big images — and it was really fast. I don’t have any plans to go back to Core Data anytime soon. I really like it.
I don’t have any plans to go back to Core Data anytime soon. I really like it.
T: That’s good to hear. What are some of the other things you do inside of the application? I noticed that you mentioned statistics and reporting. Do you generate that directly on top of Realm? Or is that computed on servers?
S: That’s computed on servers, but after that I store it with Realm and for offline usage.
T: And then you just kind of draw inside the app from the computed data in Realm.
T: That makes sense. So, one of the things I make sure I ask people is: What sucks about Realm right now? What are some of the things that we should be fixing? What are some of the use cases that we’re not really serving well? And you seem to really be putting us through our paces doing all kinds of weird, advanced stuff.
S: I don’t have any big problems. The documentation is very good. I read almost all of it. It was amazing. There might be some features you could add, but I don’t have them in mind right now. I don’t have any troubles with it.
T: [Laughing] Aww, man. This is not believable. You gotta come up with something a little bad about it. I’m sure we’ll let you down at some point. You know how to reach us. We’ll get you covered.
S: Right now it’s never let me down. I’m pretty happy with it.
T: That’s great. If you have any problems with Realm at all, if there’s ever anything we can do for you or a feature you need, please, please, please reach out. We’re very happy to drive the product from user feedback, so we want to make sure we hear from you.
S: I will, definitely.
T: So, what are some of the things you’re looking at doing next? You know, either for BeanFlow or for other apps? Do you have other use cases in mind for Realm — other things you’d like to try? Or even other apps that you’re planning on building without Realm?
S: I’ll definitely build a few more apps with Realm. I’m also planning on getting into Android, and if Realm would extend to Android, that would be fantastic. It would make everything way easier, rather than using SQLite. I’d just love to be able to use it.
T: We’re working on that right now, actually. We should make you happy very, very soon. And the files will be compatible, too. So you’ll be able to swap files between Android and iOS very easily.
S: Oh really?
T: Yeah, completely the same format. That should be pretty fun. We have a lot of stuff coming on that front, including some cool data synchronization between those platforms. So that should make things a lot easier.
S: Awesome.
T: So you’re in high school right now, you’re studying, you’re going to get your high school degree. What’s next for you? Are you going to keep building apps? Are you accepting customers right now?
I know you have a portfolio and a really good website. Is that a good place for people to find you if they’re looking for somebody to make some really cool apps built on Realm?
S: Yeah, that’s a pretty good place to find me. I’m currently trying to get as many apps in my portfolio — and learn as many things — as I can, maybe extending to different programming languages and seeing how it goes.
T: Speaking of which, you mentioned doing some stuff in Swift. I’m one of the people who organizes the Swift user group in San Francisco, and I’m always happy to talk more to people about Swift. What’s been your take on it so far? Have you been having a good time discovering the language? What are your thoughts on Swift in general?
S: Well, I love it. It’s pretty sharp. It’s pretty easy to catch onto it, especially if you’re coming from Objective-C. They’re the same APIs. Now that Apple has released it, I’m hoping to build some apps with it.
T: So now that it’s live and Apple says it’s good, you’re most likely going to start building your next app directly in Swift?
S: Definitely.
T: Wow. That’s very aggressive. I see some people waiting to see what’s going to happen with it. But I know there are a few people doing the same thing you’re doing.
S: I think it’s a pretty solid programming language with a lot of advanced features. And it’s fast, especially. I think all developers should already use it.
T: We feel the same way about Swift — and about Realm as well [laughs].
What are your plans after high school? I’m assuming you have one year left? Do you plan on going to college, or are you just going to go pro and start doing apps full-time?
S: I’m planning on going to college in London. After that, I’m just waiting to see what life has for me.
T: Sounds like a good plan. I’m really amazed by the quality of the apps. I definitely recommend anybody looking for an app developer to check you out because all your apps are super impressive. I really like the way you present the work you’ve been doing, and also the attention to detail. I wish I had been even 10 percent as talented as you are when I was your age. It’s not even that you’re good for your age. You’re doing really great work period — for anybody of any age. Many congratulations.
S: Thanks very much.
T: Did you have any questions for me? Any particular things you wanted to bring up?
S: No, I just wanted to thank you for this amazing tool. I love it and I hope to use it more in the future.
T: Cool. We really appreciate the very kind words. One thing we always encourage people to do is keep Tweeting or keep blogging. At this point for us, we’re very happy. We’ve already launched, we have tens of hundreds of users already. And we love it when people spread the word about Realm.
S: I was looking into writing a blog post, actually.
T: That’d be great, man.
Check out Sebastian’s website, and follow him on Twitter @Sebyddd.
Realm Team
At Realm, our mission is to help developers build better apps faster. We provide a unique set of tools and platform technologies designed to make it easy for developers to build apps with sophisticated, powerful features — things like realtime collaboration, augmented reality, live data synchronization, offline experiences, messaging, and more.
Everything we build is developed with an eye toward enabling developers for what we believe the mobile internet evolves into — an open network of billions of users and trillions of devices, and realtime interactivity across them all.
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__label__cc | 0.537147 | 0.462853 | Jacqueline Bhabha
Jacqueline Bhabha, JD, MsC is a Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is also the Jeremiah Smith, Jr. Lecturer in Law at Harvard Law School, and Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. She is the Director of Research at the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard’s only university wide Human Rights research center.
From 1997 to 2001 Bhabha founded and directed the Human Rights Program at the University of Chicago. Prior to 1997, she was a practicing human rights lawyer in London and at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. She has published extensively on issues of transnational child migration, refugee protection, children’s rights and citizenship. She is the author of Child Migration & Human Rights in a Global Age (Princeton University Press, 2014), the editor of Children Without A State (MIT Press, 2011), and of Human Rights and Adolescence (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2014). Her current research focuses on adolescents at risk of violence, social exclusion or discrimination. She is actively engaged in several research projects in India, examining the factors that drive access of low caste girls from illiterate families to higher education, and that transform gender norms among children and adolescents. She also works on similar issues within the Roma community in Europe. Bhabha serves on the board of the Scholars at Risk Network, the World Peace Foundation and the Journal of Refugee Studies. | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1078 |
__label__cc | 0.637691 | 0.362309 | Filtering by: Author Miller, Sofie E. Remove constraint Author: Miller, Sofie E. GW Unit Regulatory Studies Center Remove constraint GW Unit: Regulatory Studies Center
1. 20 Years of Executive Order 12866
Last week marked the 20th anniversary of Executive Order 12866, Regulatory Planning and Review, which was signed by President Clinton on September 30, 1993 and published in the Federal Register on October 4, 1993. EO 12866 built on previous regulatory oversight executive orders in establishing...
Miller, Sofie E.
Federal government, Regulatory policy, Regulatory studies, Commentaries, Regulation, and Public policy
Regulatory Studies Center
2. EPA’s Retrospective Review of Regulations: Will it Reduce Manufacturing Burdens?
Through a series of Executive Orders, President Obama has encouraged federal regulatory agencies to review existing regulations “that may be outmoded, ineffective, insufficient, or excessively burdensome, and to modify, streamline, expand, or repeal them in accordance with what has been learned.”...
Working Paper, Regulatory Policy, Environmental Protection Agency, Regulatory Studies, Environmental Policy, Regulation, and Public Policy
3. The Department of Energy’s Regulatory Burden Request for Information “Reducing Regulatory Burden”
This response to the Department of Energy’s request for information on reducing regulatory burdens does not represent the views of any particular affected party or special interest, but is designed to improve DOE rulemakings and enhance DOE’s retrospective review efforts. As DOE notes in its...
Public Comments, Regulatory Policy, Public Interest, Regulatory Studies, Economic Analysis, Regulation, Administrative Law, and Public Policy
4. TSA Must Subject its Controversial Passenger Screening to Public Scrutiny
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has used advanced imaging technology (AIT) to screen airline passengers for weapons since 2007. While the traveling public and defenders of civil liberties have been vocally critical of the practice, those objections have largely fallen on deaf...
5. Reforming the Energy Policy and Conservation Act: Learning from Experience on Energy Efficiency
The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA), as amended, grants the Department of Energy (DOE) broad authority to regulate the maximum energy intensiveness of everyday household appliances such as microwaves and dishwashers. As the pace of these energy efficiency regulations has...
Regulation , Working Paper, Energy, Public Interest, Regulatory Studies, Public Policy, and Regulatory Policy
6. Now is the Perfect Time to Review Outdated Diabetic Driver Rules
On January 18, 2011, President Obama signed Executive Order 13563, Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review, instructing agencies to retrospectively review their rules to identify outmoded, ineffective, and excessively burdensome requirements. In light of a recent news article detailing some...
7. Learning from Experience: Retrospective Review of Regulations in 2014
Working Paper, Regulatory Policy, Public Interest, Regulatory Studies, Public Policy, and Regulation
8. What the Unified Agenda Tells Us About Notice and Comment Rulemaking
Last month, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report finding that federal agencies published about 35 percent of the major rules issued between 2003 and 2010 without seeking public comment through a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM). As Susan Dudley explained in a policy...
9. Section 2 of the Executive Order of January 30, 2017, Titled “Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs”
The George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center improves regulatory policy through research, education, and outreach. As part of its mission, the Center conducts careful and independent analyses to assess rulemaking proposals from the perspective of the public interest. This comment...
Dudley, Susan E., Mannix, Brian F., Miller, Sofie E., and Pérez. Daniel R.
Public Comments, Regulatory Policy, Public Interest, Regulatory Studies, Economic Analysis, Public Policy, Administrative Law, and Regulation
10. The Department of Energy’s Proposed Rule Energy Conservation Standards for Manufactured Housing
This comment on the Department of Energy’s (DOE or the Department) proposed rule establishing new energy efficiency standards for manufactured housing does not represent the views of any particular affected party or special interest, but is designed to evaluate the effect of DOE’s proposal on...
11. Reducing Burdens? Tier 3 Tells Another Story
Recognizing that unjustified regulatory burdens can be particularly challenging in a weak economy, President Obama issued Executive Order 13563 instructing each regulatory agency to “periodically review its existing significant regulations to determine whether any such regulations should be...
12. Safety Standard Addressing Blade-Contact Injuries on Table Saws
Prepared Statement of Sofie E. Miller & Jacob Yarborough, The George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center, Hearing on Safety Standard Addressing Blade-Contact Injuries on Table Saws Before the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission on August 9, 2017.
Miller, Sofie E. and Yarborough, Jacob
Federal government, Regulatory policy, Regulatory studies, Regulation, Public policy, Testimony, and Testimonies
13. DOT Rule Doesn’t Address Market Failure: An Analysis of EO 12866 Requirements
Executive Order 12866 outlines some fundamental tenets of U.S. regulatory policy, instructing regulatory agencies to identify the problems that they are attempting to solve through new rules and to promulgate rules that are cost-effective. These instructions are intended to make sure that rules...
14. Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Central Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps
The George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center improves regulatory policy through research, education, and outreach. As part of its mission, the Center conducts careful and independent analyses to assess rulemaking from the perspective of the public interest. This comment on the...
15. Renewable Fuel Standard Program: Standards for 2017 and Biomass-Based Diesel Volume for 2018
This comment on the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule establishing renewable fuel standards for 2017 and 2018 does not represent the views of any particular affected party or special interest, but is designed to evaluate the effect of EPA’s proposal on overall consumer welfare...
16. Reducing the Regulatory Burden: Recommendations for FDA’s Proposed Food Safety Rule
In January, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a proposed rule, Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption, establishing minimum standards for the safe growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of produce. Our examination of the...
West, Cassidy B. and Miller, Sofie E.
17. OMB’s Draft 2013 Report to Congress on Regulatory Costs and Benefits has Limitations
The benefits and costs of regulations, individually and in the aggregate, are notoriously hard to measure. In an attempt to measure the size and scope of regulation, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) each year submits to Congress an accounting statement and associated report providing...
Dudley, Susan E. and Miller, Sofie E.
18. President Nominates Howard Shelanski to be OIRA Administrator
Last week, President Obama nominated Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chief Economist Howard Shelanski to be the next Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). If confirmed by the Senate, Shelanski would fill the...
19. Oversight of the Renewable Fuel Standard
Prepared Statement by Sofie E. Miller, Senior Policy Analyst, The George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center, Hearing on Oversight of the Renewable Fuel Standard before the Environment and Public Works Committee on February 24, 2016.
20. Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking
The Center provides these comments regarding question numbers 1, 10, and 15-19 presented in the Supplementary Information section of the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking’s (the Commission’s) Federal Register notice issued on September 14, 2016. Regulation may have a larger impact on...
Perez, Daniel R., Peacock, Marcus C., and Miller, Sofie E.
Public Comments, Regulatory Policy, Public Interest, Economic Analysis, Regulatory Stuides, Administrative Law, Regulation, and Public Policy
21. Measuring Regulatory Activity: Pre- and Post-Shutdown
Until it ended last week, the government shutdown had a visible effect on the regulatory activities of federal agencies. Due to the appropriations lapse, many agencies discontinued work they did not deem necessary to protect human life and property, which meant that most regulations underway were...
22. Federal Automated Vehicles Policy: Accelerating the Next Revolution In Roadway Safety
This comment on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s policy guidance on driverless car technology does not represent the views of any particular affected party or special interest, but is designed to evaluate the effect of NHTSA’s policy on overall societal welfare.The National...
Pérez, Daniel R., Beales, Howard, and Miller, Sofie E.
Reggulation, Public Comments, Regulatory Policy, Public Interest, Regulatory Studies, Economic Analysis, Public Policy, and Administrative Law
23. DOE Relies on Private Benefits to Justify $3 Billion Energy Efficiency Rule
According to DOE’s proposed rule, furnace fans achieving these energy efficiency levels “are already commercially available for at least some, if not most, product classes covered by this proposal.” That is, in many cases, consumers already have the option to purchase a higher-cost,...
24. When Environmental Quality Isn’t the Goal: New EPA Fuel Standards Foul the Air
Environmental Protection Agency regulations are sometimes presented as economically efficient, correcting a market failure and maximizing net social benefits; other times they appear to subordinate that goal and instead pursue the single-minded objective of reduced pollution. And sometimes they...
25. Notice & Comment: How Agencies Use Advance Notices of Proposed Rulemaking
On June 4, 2015, Susan E. Dudley appeared before a Roundtable Discussion of the Senate Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management and gave testimony on practical solutions for improving the federal regulatory process. During the discussion, members of the subcommittee mentioned the...
Arumugam, Saayee and Miller, Sofie E.
Working Paper, Regulatory Policy, Public Interest, Regulatory Studies, Regulation, and Public Policy
26. Home Appliance Energy Efficiency Standards under the Department of Energy–Stakeholder Perspectives
Prepared Statement of Sofie E. Miller, The George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center, Hearing on Home Appliance Energy Efficiency Standards under the Department of Energy–Stakeholder Perspectives before the United States Senate June 10, 2016.
27. Much-anticipated CO2 Emissions Rule Renders Zero Benefits or Costs in Agency Analysis
On September 20th, the Environmental Protection Agency released a much-anticipated proposed rule that would limit the emissions of CO2 by new coal- and natural gas-fired power plants, or electric utility generating units (EGUs). This proposal is one of many regulatory actions being undertaken by...
28. Examining How Small Businesses Confront and Shape Regulations
Prepared Statement of Sofie E. Miller & Daniel R. Pérez, The George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center, Hearing on Examining How Small Businesses Confront and Shape Regulations Before the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee United States Senate on March 29, 2017.
Pérez, Daniel R. and Miller, Sofie E.
29. The Social Cost of Foregoing Public Participation in the SCC
The Department of Energy (“DOE”) is seeking public comment on whether it was appropriate to rely on an estimate of the “social cost of carbon” (“SCC”) in a final rulemaking without undergoing public comment. When DOE published a proposed rule to set energy efficiency standards for microwave ovens...
Dudley, Susan E., Mannix, Brian F., and Miller, Sofie E.
30. Ten Regulatory Process Reforms President-Elect Trump Could Undertake
President-elect Trump has promised to “reform the entire regulatory code to ensure that we keep jobs and wealth in America.”To that end, scholars at the George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center offer a list of 10 reforms to regulatory processes that could be accomplished through...
Dudley, Susan E., Peacock, Marcus, Mannix, Brian F., Miller, Sofie E., and Pérez, Daniel
Regulation , Politics, Working Paper, Regulatory Policy, Regulatory Studies, and Public Policy
31. Public Interest Comment on The Office of Management and Budget’s 2015 Draft Report to Congress on the Benefits and Costs of Federal Regulations
OMB’s 2015 Draft Report to Congress on the Benefits and Costs of Federal Regulations (the Report) provides the public valuable information both on estimates of the effects of major executive branch regulations and also on OMB’s focus and priorities. It also offers valuable recommendations that we...
32. Whose Benefits Are They, Anyway? Examining the Benefits of Energy Efficiency Rules 2007 - 2014
The Energy Policy and Conservation Act authorizes the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish energy efficiency standards for consumer appliances that are both technologically feasible and economically justified, while also resulting in a “significant conservation of energy.” To justify its...
Public Policy , Working Paper, Regulatory Policy, Public Interest, Regulatory Studies, Regulation, and Energy Efficiency
33. DOE’s Proposed Commercial Refrigeration Rule Claims to Save Retailers Money by Reducing their Choices
In September, the Department of Energy (DOE) published a proposed rule setting energy efficiency standards for 49 different types of commercial refrigeration equipment, establishing maximum allowable energy usage standards as a function of either refrigerated volume or total display area for each...
34. The Federal Government on Autopilot: Delegation of Regulatory Authority to an Unaccountable Bureaucracy
Prepared Statement of Sofie E. Miller, Senior Policy Analyst, The George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center, Hearing on The Federal Government on Autopilot: Delegation of Regulatory Authority to an Unaccountable Bureaucracy before the United States House of Representatives Judiciary...
35. Regulatory Reforms to Enhance Competition: Recommendations for Implementing Executive Order 13725
Since the formation of the U.S. federal regulatory system, regulations have had a significant influence on marketplace competition. Regulations often seek to improve competition by restraining monopolies; others tend to reduce competition by establishing one-size-fits-all standards for consumer...
Pérez, Daniel R., Dudley, Susan E., Mannix, Brian F., and Miller, Sofie E.
Regulation , Politics, Working Paper, Public Policy, and Regulatory Policy
36. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Proposed Rule Renewable Fuel Standard Program: Standards for 2014, 2015, and 2016 and Biomass-Based Diesel Volume for 2017
As a part of its Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program, the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing biofuel blending targets for 2014, 2015, and 2016. The RFS requires refiners to blend specific amounts of renewable fuels into transportation fuel, such as gasoline and diesel. The RFS...
Administratie Law, Public Comments, Regulatory Policy, Public Interest, Regulatory Studies, Economic Analysis, Public Policy, and Regulation
37. Questionable Benefits: NHTSA Proposed Rule Mandates Noisy Cars
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently published a proposed rule that would require hybrid and electric vehicles to make a minimum amount of sound while being operated at speeds slower than 18 miles per hour. Because they use an electric motor, hybrid and electric vehicles...
Working Paper7
Miller, Sofie E.[remove]37
Dudley, Susan E.6
Pérez, Daniel R.3
Arumugam, Saayee1
Public policy21 | cc/2020-05/en_head_0049.json.gz/line1079 |
__label__wiki | 0.641938 | 0.641938 | News Release - July 20, 2015
BioSpecifics Announces Approval of XIAFLEX(R) in Japan for the Treatment of Dupuytren's Contracture
LYNBROOK, N.Y., July 20, 2015 -- (Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network) -- BioSpecifics Technologies Corp. (BSTC), a biopharmaceutical company developing first in class collagenase-based products, announced that Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation (Asahi Kasei) has received approval for its regulatory application to the Japanese Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Agency (PMDA) for XIAFLEX® (collagenase clostridium histolyticum) for the treatment of patients with Dupuytren's contracture in Japan. Asahi has the rights to develop and market XIAFLEX in Japan through an agreement with BioSpecifics' partner Endo International plc (Endo). BioSpecifics will receive a milestone payment upon commercial launch in Japan.
"This approval in Japan marks another milestone in our globalization strategy for XIAFLEX and we look forward to the upcoming commercial launch. We believe Asahi Kasei's strong development and commercialization organizations will greatly enhance the sales potential of XIAFLEX in this region," commented Thomas L. Wegman, President of BioSpecifics. "We are very happy that these patients now have a minimally-invasive non-surgical treatment option available to them."
About Dupuytren's Contracture
Dupuytren's contracture is caused by an abnormal accumulation of collagen in the palm of the hand characterized by the formation of nodules or lumps in the early stages. As the disease progresses, a cord is formed and the fingers may become progressively contracted.
About BioSpecifics Technologies Corp.
BioSpecifics Technologies Corp. is a biopharmaceutical company that has developed injectable collagenase for twelve clinical indications to date. Injectable collagenase is approved for marketing as XIAFLEX® (collagenase clostridium histolyticum or CCH) in the U.S. for the treatment of adult Dupuytren's contracture patients with up to two palpable cords in the same palm and for Peyronie's disease in men with a palpable plaque and a curvature deformity of 30 degrees or greater at the start of therapy. XIAFLEX is marketed in the U.S. by BioSpecifics' partner, Endo International plc (Endo), following the acquisition of Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. by Endo. Endo has the following partnerships outside the U.S. for XIAFLEX in Dupuytren's contracture and Peyronie's disease: Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB has marketing rights for XIAPEX® (the EU tradename for CCH) in 71 Eurasian and African countries, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd. has rights in Canada, Australia, Mexico and Brazil, and Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation in Japan. CCH is in clinical development for the treatment of several additional promising indications. Endo is managing the clinical development of CCH for frozen shoulder syndrome and cellulite as well as development in canine lipoma. BioSpecifics is currently managing the clinical development of CCH for the treatment of human lipoma and preclinical development for uterine fibroids. For more information, please visit www.biospecifics.com.
This release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of, and made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of, the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact are "forward-looking statements." The forward-looking statements include statements concerning, among other things, whether BioSpecifics will receive a milestone payment upon commercial launch in Japan and whether and to what extent Asahi Kasei's development and commercialization organizations will enhance the sales potential of XIAFLEX in Japan. In some cases, these statements can be identified by forward-looking words such as "believe, and whether BioSpecifics "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "estimate," "likely," "may," "will," "could," "continue," "project," "predict," "goal," the negative or plural of these words, and other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are predictions based on BioSpecifics' current expectations and its projections about future events. There are a number of important factors that could cause BioSpecifics' actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements including, among other things, the ability of Endo and its partners, Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB, to achieve their objectives for XIAFLEX in their applicable territories; the market for XIAFLEX in, and timing, initiation and outcome of clinical trials for, additional indications including frozen shoulder, cellulite, human lipoma, canine lipoma and uterine fibroids; the potential of CCH to be used in additional indications; Endo modifying their objectives or allocating resources other than to CCH; and other risk factors identified in BioSpecifics' Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the first quarter ended March 31, 2015, its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, and its Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements included in this Report are made as of the date hereof, are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements included in this Report and, except as may be required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
Source: BioSpecifics Technologies
Search: BioSpecifics Technologies
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