November 15, 2012 / 10:30 PM / 7 years ago
Mexico lawmaker introduces bill to legalize marijuana
Noe Torres
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A leftist Mexican lawmaker on Thursday presented a bill to legalize the production, sale and use of marijuana, adding to a growing chorus of Latin American politicians who are rejecting the prohibitionist policies of the United States.
The bill is unlikely to win much support in Congress since a strong majority of Mexicans are firmly against legalizing drugs, but may spur a broader debate in Mexico after two U.S. states voted to allow recreational use of marijuana last week. U.S. officials have said it remains illegal and that they are reviewing the state actions.
The split between local and federal governments in the United States is feeding a growing challenge in Latin America to the four-decade-old policies that Washington promoted, and often bankrolled, to disrupt illegal drug cultivation and smuggling.
“The prohibitionist paradigm is a complete failure,” said Fernando Belaunzaran, the author of the bill from the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), who presented the proposal in Mexico’s lower house of Congress.
“All this has done is spur more violence, the business continues. The country that has paid the highest costs is Mexico,” he said in a telephone interview.
A conflict between drug gangs and security forces has killed more than 60,000 people during the six-year rule of outgoing President Felipe Calderon, who has repeatedly demanded the United States to do more to curb demand for illegal drugs.
Frustration with U.S. policy deepened after voters in Washington state and Colorado approved the recreational use of marijuana.
Still, there is little popular support for marijuana legalization in Mexico. Recent polls show two-thirds or more of Mexicans are opposed to making it legal. Several other bills to legalize the drug have been rejected in recent years.
Mexican leftists form the second biggest bloc in the lower house, behind the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) that won the presidency in an election in July. The leftist coalition has more seats than Calderon’s conservatives.
“It is important to open the debate, but I do not think this will advance,” said political analyst Fernando Dworak. “In reality, it is just not part of the legislative agenda.”
Across Latin America, there is a growing view that Washington’s “war on drugs” is not working.
Uruguay’s government submitted a legalization bill to Congress this week that would put the state in charge of marijuana cultivation and distribution, while also allowing for individuals to grow plants at home.
In September, Calderon and the leaders of Colombia and Guatemala - historically three of the most reliable U.S. partners on drug interdiction - called on world governments to explore new alternatives to the problem.
The chief advisor of incoming President Enrique Pena Nieto, Luis Videgaray, said last week that the votes in Washington and Colorado mean Mexico must rethink its approach to the trade, though he said Pena Nieto was opposed to legalization of drugs.
Last week, the governor of Chihuahua, one of the Mexican states worst hit by drugs violence, told Reuters Mexico should legalize export of marijuana. The governor, Cesar Duarte, is an ally of Pena Nieto, who takes office on December 1.
Additional reporting by Michael O'Boyle; Editing by Jackie Frank


Home Jihad A terrorist’s suicide and the matter of hell
A terrorist’s suicide and the matter of hell
Where does the recently deceased Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi currently reside?
Source: The Catholic World Report, By William Kilpatrick, November 5, 2019
The death of terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi raises some important questions about Islamic beliefs, as well as about the motivations of terrorists.
Terrorist leaders claim that their actions are perfectly in accord with the Koran, the Hadith, the Sira (The Life of Muhammad), and traditional Islamic beliefs. They can point out, for instance, that Muhammad and his troops engaged in the very behaviors for which ISIS is now condemned—rape, sex-slavery, torture, and beheadings. They can also point to numerous passages in Islamic scriptures which present jihad against unbelievers as the highest service to Allah.
On the other hand, moderate Muslims claim that terrorists misunderstand Islam: they have perverted the faith and even betrayed it. Moderate imams insist that terror has nothing to do with Islam, and they can produce different sets of verses to prove the point.
But if terrorists are ignorant of Islam as moderates claim, why do several studies reveal that jihadists are better educated than the average Muslim? And, more to the point, why did the Washington Post refer to al-Baghdadi as an “austere religious scholar”? Well, I don’t know much about his degree of austereness, but he did have a degree—a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from the University of Baghdad.
Likewise, Omar Abdel Rahman, the mastermind behind the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, had a Ph.D. in Islamic Jurisprudence from Al-Azhar University. So did Abdullah Azzam, mentor to Osama bin Laden, and the founder of MAK (later renamed al-Qaeda). And Anwar al-Awlaki, the chief propagandist for al-Qaeda and mentor to numerous terrorists, was working on a Ph.D. at George Washington University before he went full jihad.
So, the argument that terrorists are ignorant of Islam doesn’t hold water.
As is now well known, al-Baghdadi, who was appropriately dressed for the occasion in a bomb vest, blew himself up when a member of the Army K-9 corps chased him down in a tunnel. Which brings up a question about Dr. Al-Baghdadi that should be of interest to jihadis and infidels alike. The question is, where does he currently reside? In the words of the elusive Scarlet Pimpernel, “Is he in heaven, or is he in hell?”
Suicide is prohibited in Islam. According to Koran 4:29, those who take their own lives are destined for eternal hellfire. But don’t jump to the conclusion that al-Baghdadi must therefore be in hell. According to a great many Islamic scholars, suicide bombers go straight to paradise and the company of 72 eternally young virgins.
It seems like a contradiction. What’s the catch? The “catch”is that, in the Arab world, suicide bombers are not called “suicide bombers.” They are called “martyrs,” and they are highly honored. What we call a suicide bombing, they call a “martyrdom operation.” And, apparently, that makes it okay. Killing oneself for the sake of killing oneself is a sin, but, in the words of Islam scholar Daniel Pipes, “killing oneself in order to harm non-Muslims is an act of deep piety.” So the same action can be either a sin if committed out of despair, or a supreme form of jihad if committed for the sake of Allah.
But how about al-Baghdadi? Although two of his children died with him, he didn’t manage to harm any infidels, excepting the attack dog, who is expected to survive. His failure brings several questions to mind. Are good intentions enough? Or does Allah reserve brides only for successful jihadists? Should Baghdadi have waited until the American troops were within range before pulling the pin? Why didn’t he wait? Did he turn coward in the face of the approaching dog? Was he overly anxious to get to his reward? Did he kill himself mainly out of love of Allah or mainly out of lust for heavenly virgins?
These are questions that every potential jihadist should be asking himself. And the wonder is that such questions aren’t raised more often by non-Muslims, seeing that every infidel is potentially a ticket to paradise for some jihadist.
It’s often said that we are in an ideological war with Islamists. Shouldn’t we, then, take every opportunity to force Islamists to question their ideological system? The death of al-Baghdadi provides a golden opportunity to pose some questions that would help to clarify the minds of jihadists, while helping infidels come to a better understanding of Islam.
“Is Baghdadi in hell?” The question could be posed to Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb and other prominent Islamic leaders. The point is not to get the answer but to raise the question. The Grand Imam and others may decline to answer, or they may answer in evasive or equivocal ways. No matter. The mere fact that they want to avoid the question will speak volumes. The important thing is to bring this and similar questions out in the open.
Is Baghdadi in hell? Or do Muslims worship a God who rewards the leader of a brutal band of killers, torturers and rapists with eternal bliss? Inquiring minds want to know.
But, of course, there are apparently very few inquiring minds left in the West. These are central questions, but they are the kind of questions that far too many reporters, politicians, and Catholic dialoguers take pains to avoid. There are as few establishment figures willing to ask such questions as there are moderate imams anxious to answer them. Admittedly, some imams do from time to time issue fatwas forbidding terrorism and the taking of innocent lives. But these are generally worded in such a way that enough loopholes are left for a column of jihadists to drive through.
Besides, jihadists and jihadists in the making don’t generally pay much attention to moderate imams. They do, however, spend a lot of time on the Internet exploring websites and exchanging notes with others of like mind. So, the Internet is the place to go if you want to raise the uncomfortable questions that the mainstream media refuses to raise.
As to where, exactly, one goes on the Internet, it’s not an area with which I have much familiarity; but I notice that there are a number of young, outspoken conservative YouTube commentator/personalities who wouldn’t mind broaching these subjects. In addition, there are a number of Christian apologists, such as David Wood of Acts 17 Apologetics Ministry, who interact frequently with their Muslim counterparts, and whose video blogs are followed closely by both Christians and Muslims. Of course, the FBI, Army Intelligence, and other intelligence agencies undoubtedly do know where the action is on the Internet, and for all I know they may already be exploiting the “Baghdadi in hell” meme. But I have my doubts.
However they are conveyed, these are the kinds of questions that ought to be asked in public over and over until they begin to echo and reverberate both in the minds of Muslims and naïve Westerners as well. We should especially encourage potential jihadists to question themselves. Do they really want to throw the dice? What if they muff the martyrdom operation and only manage to blow themselves up? Can they count on their capricious God to reward them for good effort? Are they undertaking the martyrdom mission primarily out of love of God or out of love of sex? Better be careful here. It’s easy to fool yourself. But Allah knows all, and he knows if your motives are pure. If your motive for taking your life is no more than the hope of promised sensual rewards, then you go to hell. It’s a tough calculation. As Clint Eastwood might put it, “Do you feel lucky?”
The goal here should be to instill doubts in the minds of Muslims about some of the more extreme beliefs that come with their faith. Hopefully, the initial question about Baghdadi’s fate will lead the would-be jihadist on to other questions. Does he really believe it’s okay to murder women here on earth so that he can have women in heaven? What kind of a person is he? Does he actually believe that God has set aside 72 virgins exclusively to serve him in paradise? Isn’t that just an adolescent day dream? Has he ever wondered if virgins in paradise isn’t just a con game designed to get him to enlist in the jihad?
If it all sounds insensitive—and highly dangerous to boot—consider that the walking-on-eggshells approach to Islam has yielded zero results and has, arguably, made the world a more dangerous place. By contrast, tough questions can open minds. They may even give a young man the chance of growing up instead of blowing up.
Like Christians, Muslims believe in hell. Unlike most Christians today, however, they worry a lot about going there. Indeed jihad is often presented to young Muslims as the surest way of wiping the slate clean, earning Allah’s favor, and avoiding hell. It’s important therefore, to try and implant some seeds of doubt about that. If even a small number of Muslims become convinced that the path of jihad is the surest road to hell, it might eventually make a world of difference.
The question about Baghdadi’s fate may also have a salutary effect on naive Christians and gullible secularists. It may come as a surprise to some of them that many Muslims believe that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is safely ensconced in paradise as a reward for his heroic deeds. Perhaps the news will help them develop a more clear- headed view of what “diversity of religions” really entails.
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Ohio State’s Justin Fields named Big Ten’s QB, Offensive Player of the Year
by: NBC4 Staff
Posted: Dec 4, 2019 / 05:30 PM EST / Updated: Dec 4, 2019 / 05:42 PM EST
COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields has been named the Big Ten’s Quarterback and Offensive Player of the Year.
In his first season with Ohio State, Fields has 37 touchdowns and one interceptions. He has a total of 10 rushing touchdowns.
Fields has led the Buckeyes to a 12-0, 9-0 record in the Big Ten and No. 1 CFP.
Ohio State will head to the Big Ten championship game to face No. 13 Wisconsin on Saturday with a spot in the College Football Playoff in sight.
More Buckeyes Stories
No. 21 Buckeyes beat Nebraska, snap 4-game losing streak
COLUMBUS (AP) -- C.J. Walker scored 18 and No. 21 Ohio State snapped a four-game losing streak by beating Nebraska 80-68.
Freshman guard D.J. Carton chipped in 13 for the Buckeyes and Kaleb Wesson had 13 points and 14 rebounds.
Two Buckeyes suspended for Nebraska game
by Justin Holbrock / Jan 14, 2020
COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Ohio State men's basketball head coach Chris Holtmann has suspended sophomore guards Luther Muhammad and Duane Washington Jr. for Tuesday's game against Nebraska.
The news comes from Dan Wallenberg, the associate athletic director for communications at The Ohio State University.
Buckeyes drop to no. 21 in latest basketball poll after 4 straight losses
Good luck finding any team in the country that notches a better pair of road wins in the same week than Baylor, which followed up a victory at Texas Tech by invading Allen Fieldhouse and thumping Kansas on its home floor.
As a result? The Bears leapfrogged the Jayhawks and Duke into the second spot in The Associated Press men's college basketball poll on Monday. They finished with 1,567 points in voting by 65 media members who regularly cover the game, just seven back of top-ranked Gonzaga — even though Baylor had 31 first-place votes and the Bulldogs had 30.


Home > Journals > Chemistry & Materials Science | Engineering > OPJ
OPJ> Vol.2 No.4, December 2012
Speckle Reduction in Imaging Projection Systems
Abstract Full-Text HTML Download as PDF (Size:1371KB) PP. 338-343
DOI: 10.4236/opj.2012.24042 4,205 Downloads 6,874 Views Citations
Weston Thomas, Christopher Middlebrook
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, USA.
Diffractive diffusers (phase gratings) are routinely used for homogenizing and beam shaping for laser beam applications. Another use for diffractive diffusers is in the reduction of speckle for pico-projection systems. While diffusers are unable to completely eliminate speckle they can be utilized to decrease the resultant contrast to provide a more visually acceptable image. Research has been conducted to quantify and measure the diffusers overall ability in speckle reduction. A theoretical Fourier optics model is used to provide the diffuser’s stationary and in-motion performance in terms of the resultant contrast level. Contrast measurements of two diffractive diffusers are calculated theoretically and compared with experimental results. Having a working theoretical model to accurately predict the performance of the diffractive diffuser allows for the verification of new diffuser designs specifically for pico-projection system applications.
Diffractive Diffusers; Speckle Contrast Reduction; Laser Pico-Projectors
W. Thomas and C. Middlebrook, "Speckle Reduction in Imaging Projection Systems," Optics and Photonics Journal, Vol. 2 No. 4, 2012, pp. 338-343. doi: 10.4236/opj.2012.24042.
[1] J. W. Goodman, “Speckle Phenomena in Optics: Theory and Applications,” Roberts & Company, Englewood, 2007, p. 387.
[2] J. I. Trisnadi, “Hadamard Speckle Contrast Reduction,” Optics Letters, Vol. 29, No. 1, 2004, pp. 11-13. doi:10.1364/OL.29.000011
[3] W. Thomas, C. Middlebrook and J. Smith, “Laser Speckle Contrast Reduction Measurement Using Diffractive Diffusers,” Proceedings of SPIE, Emerging Liquid Crystal Technological IV, Vol. 7232, 2009, 11 p.
[4] D. D. Duncan, S. J. Kirkpatrick and R. K. Wang, “Statistics of Local Speckle Contrast,” Journal of the Optical Society of America, Vol. 25, No. 1, 2008, pp. 9-15. doi:10.1364/JOSAA.25.000009
[5] C. N. Kurtz, H. O. Hoadley and J. J. Depalma, “Design and Synthesis of Random Phase Diffuser,” Journal of the Optical Society of America, Vol. 63, No. 9, 1973, pp. 10801092. doi:10.1364/JOSA.63.001080
[6] C. N. Kurtz, “Transmittance Characteristics of Surface Diffusers and the Design of Nearly Band-Limited Binary Diffusers,” Journal of the Optical Society of America, Vol. 62, No. 8, 1972, pp. 982-989. doi:10.1364/JOSA.62.000982
[7] J. W. Goodman, “Statistical Optics,” Wiley Classics Library, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, 2000, p. 550.
[8] Y. Nakayama and M. Kato, “Diffuser with Pseudorandom Phase Sequence,” Journal of the Optical Society of America, Vol. 69, No. 10, 1979, pp. 1367-1372. doi:10.1364/JOSA.69.001367
[9] D. Voelz, “Computational Fourier Optics: A MATLAB Tutorial,” SPIE Tutorial Texts, SPIE Press, Bellingham, 2011, p. 250.
[10] D. A. Gremaux, “Limits of Scalar Diffraction Theory for Conducting Gratings,” Applied Optics, Vol. 32, No. 11, 1993, pp. 1948-1953. doi:10.1364/AO.32.001948
[11] J. E. Harvey, “Fourier Treatment of Near-Field Diffraction Theory,” American Journal of Physics, Vol. 47, No. 11, 1979, pp. 974-980. doi:10.1119/1.11600
[12] J. T. Verdeyen, “Laser Electronics,” In: J. Nick Holonyak, Ed., Prentice Hall Series in Solid State Physical Electronics, 3rd Edition, Prentice Hall, Saddle River, 2000, p. 778.
[13] H. Loui, “Fourier Propagation, in Numerical Methods in Photonics Project 2004,” University of Colorado, Boulder, pp. 1-5.
[14] J. W. Goodman, “Introduction to Fourier Optics,” 3rd Edition, Roberts & Company, Englewood, 2005.
[15] M. Livingstone, “Vision & Art: The Biology of Seeing,” Harry N. Abrams, New York, 2002.
[16] J. W. Tom, A. Ponticorvo and A. K. Dunn, “Efficient Processing of Laser Speckle Contrast Images,” IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, Vol. 27, No. 12, 2008, pp. 1728-1738. doi:10.1109/TMI.2008.925081
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37 BScs in Computer Arts 2020
Computer arts courses prepare students for an industry becoming progressively more reliant on digital technology. Classes teach participants to work with new technology and how to implement their artistic styles within the professional world to successfully build a career in this field.
BSc in Computer Arts
Online | Courses | Pathway Programs
37 Results in Computer Arts
Bachelor of Science in Game Art
Winter Park, USA
In Full Sail’s Game Art program, you’ll learn to create 3D content to suit any game – no matter the mood, genre, or platform. You’ll take traditional art and animation princ ... +
In Full Sail’s Game Art program, you’ll learn to create 3D content to suit any game – no matter the mood, genre, or platform. You’ll take traditional art and animation principles and apply them to models that look, move, and articulate realistically. -
BSc in Creative Media and Game Technologies
Breda, Netherlands
Is it your dream to work in the game industry? In our game programme, one of the best in the world, you learn how to make interesting, attractive and, above all, playable game ... +
Is it your dream to work in the game industry? In our game programme, one of the best in the world, you learn how to make interesting, attractive and, above all, playable games. -
BSc (Hons) in Computer Game Development
Wrexham, United Kingdom
Rated first in Wales for overall satisfaction and teaching, this course is designed to develop strong technical game development and project management skills to enhance your ... +
Rated first in Wales for overall satisfaction and teaching, this course is designed to develop strong technical game development and project management skills to enhance your employability. -
Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Computer Games and Animation (Top Up)
This course includes the foundations of computing, programming, and a more advanced study of techniques for programming and producing software that can output high-quality thr ... +
This course includes the foundations of computing, programming, and a more advanced study of techniques for programming and producing software that can output high-quality three-dimensional graphics in real time. -
BSc (Hons) Games Development
Our BSc (Hons) Games Development degree is all about hands-on games development. On this course, you’ll learn the end-to-end process of making games and discover what it takes ... +
Our BSc (Hons) Games Development degree is all about hands-on games development. On this course, you’ll learn the end-to-end process of making games and discover what it takes to become a successful games developer. -
BSc (Hons) in Virtual and Augmented Reality
Bradford, United Kingdom
This brand-new BSc (Hons) programme in Virtual and Augmented Reality (with placement year) is one of the first of its kind in the UK. It sits alongside our established games d ... +
This brand-new BSc (Hons) programme in Virtual and Augmented Reality (with placement year) is one of the first of its kind in the UK. It sits alongside our established games design, animation, visual effects and film production programmes, representing the future direction of these industries. It will give you the technical and creative skills you need to become a professional virtual/augmented/ mixed reality artist, equipped to enter a fast-growing and incredibly exciting sector. -
BSc (Hons) Games Design
This course will equip you with the specialist skills and knowledge to enter the games, digital and creative entertainment industries. You will focus on three main areas: prog ... +
This course will equip you with the specialist skills and knowledge to enter the games, digital and creative entertainment industries. You will focus on three main areas: programming and software engineering; art, concept and asset production; and game design studies, practice and theory. -
BSc (Hons) in Computer Systems (Computer Games Programming)
Academic City, United Arab Emirates
Our four-year BSc Computer Systems (Computer Games Programming) Honours degree is oriented to constructing robust and useable computer games. We aim to teach people not only h ... +
Our four-year BSc Computer Systems (Computer Games Programming) Honours degree is oriented to constructing robust and useable computer games. We aim to teach people not only how to deploy cutting edge games but also help them to develop other professional skills that will enable them to communicate clearly, work independently and cooperate effectively. In the gaming industry, where business transactions are underpinned by technology, workplaces need individuals who can create effective systems. Our graduates will move into the games development industry armed with a blend of interpersonal and technical skills that will meet current needs and the needs of the organisations of the future. -
Bachelor of Science in Game Programming
A Bachelor of Science in Game Programming prepares students for an exciting, rewarding and in-demand career in an industry where tech and creativity intersect. Bring compellin ... +
A Bachelor of Science in Game Programming prepares students for an exciting, rewarding and in-demand career in an industry where tech and creativity intersect. Bring compelling stories, interesting characters and unique strategies to life through a program that merges applied art, computer science and software programming. Study and work with like-minded creatives to design and develop the next generation of video games with a holistic approach that incorporates state-of-the-art equipment and exceptional teaching by industry insiders at the forefront of their field. Get ready to make gaming your life’s work. -
BSc (Hons) in Computer Games (Software Development)
Study Computer Games (Software Development) and learn to programme in the studios, labs and lecture halls where this specialism flourishes. GCU has an active games department ... +
Study Computer Games (Software Development) and learn to programme in the studios, labs and lecture halls where this specialism flourishes. GCU has an active games department and students are involved in competitions, events and gaming challenges. -
BSc (Hons) Computer Games Programming
The BSc (Hons) Computer Games Programming is a well-structured programme that equips students with both the theoretical grounding and the practical skills they need to develop ... +
The BSc (Hons) Computer Games Programming is a well-structured programme that equips students with both the theoretical grounding and the practical skills they need to develop compelling computer games. -
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BSc Honours in Computer Games Development
Computer Games Development combines technology and creativity in a multidisciplinary way. The games industry is still an expanding and challenging sector with continually evol ... +
Computer Games Development combines technology and creativity in a multidisciplinary way. The games industry is still an expanding and challenging sector with continually evolving ideas and cutting-edge technologies. It requires practitioners to exercise more ﬂexibility in software speciﬁcations and functionality, through adapting their approaches to design and management while keeping abreast of broad changes to technology. -
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BSc in International Digital Arts and Entertainment
DAE is a 180 ECTS full-time bachelor programme designed by and developed for creative, ambitious, passionate and exceptional individuals.
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B.Sc. in Game Designing
Bengaluru, India +1 More
B.Sc. Animation Game Designing and Development or Bachelor of Science in Animation Game Designing and Development is a three-year graduate programme. The course focuses on the ... +
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Guns N' Roses To Perform At Super Bowl Music Fest
Guns N' Roses first concert since its incredible 'Not in This Lifetime' tour ended this fall will be part of the lead up to the 54th Super Bowl.
GNR will perform January 31, 2020, on Night 2 of the Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest. The fest also features DJ Khaled and DaBaby performing on Night 1 and last year's Super Bowl halftime performers Maroon 5 performing on Night 3.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers and YouTube's most-viewed band from the '80s and '90s, revealed the news Thursday via Twitter. Tickets to the general public go on sale December 9. Nightrain fan club members have access to pre-sale tickets, beginning Friday, December 6, at noon. Fans need only log into their Nightrain accounts to get the pre-sale code.
Next year will be significant for this new version of Guns N' Roses. After completing the 'Not in This Lifetime' tour, the band is making new music a priority this fall and winter. While Slash and Duff McKagan have each expressed excitement about bringing GNR forward into a new decade, there's no shortage of questions surrounding how the band dynamics might change in the studio.
While front man Axl Rose famously took a decade to complete GNR's sixth studio album, Chinese Democracy (released in 2008), and hasn't released anything new since, Slash and McKagan have remained prolific since leaving GNR in the '90s.
In addition to a number of solo albums and records with different bands, Slash released his third album with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators in the fall of 2018 and toured the world in support of it. McKagan released his third solo album, Tenderness, this past spring, and then played bass on Ozzy Osbourne's forthcoming studio album.
There are no signs of friction between the three GNR originals so far, but it's hard to say whether a new GNR release is imminent or if the band would dare play anything new during such a high profile gig as the Super Bowl Music Fest.
When GNR announces more 2020 concerts, go here for tickets and more details.


The Trillings
– Sidney Hook, "The Trillings," October 1, 2015.
Excerpt: I first met Lionel Trilling at the artists’ colony at Yaddo, in Saratoga Springs, in the summer of 1931 (or maybe 1932; I was at Yaddo for two or three years). I was impressed by a certain gentleness of outlook. He had just come to terms with the… More
Beyond Liberalism
– Williams, Raymond. "Beyond Liberalism." The Manchester Guardian," April 1966. Reprinted in Lionel Trilling and the Critics: Opposing Selves.
Excerpt: I had been puzzled for many years to know the source of a particular North Atlantic definition and structure of “the modern.” I had met it repeatedly, at my end of the large-scale commuter traffic of literary academics. Just who, I… More
Liberalism, History, and Mr. Trilling
– Howe, Irving. "Liberalism, History, and Mr. Trilling." The Nation. Reprinted in Lionel Trilling and the Critics: Opposing Selves.
Excerpt: Lionel Trilling’s new book of essays, “The Liberal Imagination,” (Viking, $3.50), has as its central purpose a criticism of the liberal mind “as it drifts toward a denial of the emotions and the imagination.”… More
– Spender, Stephen. "Beyond Liberalism." Commentary, August 1950. Reprinted in Lionel Trilling and the Critics: Opposing Selves.
Excerpt: Mr. Trilling thinks the liberal imagination defective, and it is scarcely too much to say that his book might well be entitled “The Liberal Lack of Imagination.” What it amounts to is that liberals are inclined to—or do—live within a… More
Trilling’s Matthew Arnold
– Barzun, Jacques. "Trilling's Matthew Arnold." Review of Matthew Arnold, by Lionel Trilling. Columbia University Quarterly, March 1939. Reprinted in Lionel Trilling and the Critics: Opposing Selves.
Excerpt: “The Critic’s business is to carp; the scholar’s business is to bore.” No one, of course, has the courage to honor those maxims in words, but many of us show by our actions that our feelings approve them. We read the… More
Uncle Matthew
– Wilson, Edmund. "Uncle Matthew." Review of Matthew Arnold, by Lionel Trilling. The New Republic, March 1939. Reprinted in Lionel Trilling and the Critics: Opposing Selves.
Excerpt: But if Mr. Trilling has followed this fashion it is evidently not due to lack of competence. His observations on Arnold’s style are admirably phrased as well as just: “The Victorians, with Keats and Tennyson in mind, like to watch for the soft… More
Does Lionel Trilling Matter?
– Massie, Allan. “Does Lionel Trilling Matter?” Review of Why Trilling Matters, by Adam Kirsch (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011). Times Literary Supplement, February 1, 2012.
Excerpt: In setting out to demonstrate that Trilling still matters, Kirsch is asserting the value of literature and a literary culture. If Trilling thought and wrote, frequently, about the relation of literature to society, it was because, like Matthew Arnold… More
Lionel Trilling and the Social Imagination
– Beran, Michael Knox. “Lionel Trilling and the Social Imagination.” City Journal, Winter 2011.
Excerpt: Trilling’s hostility to the social imagination is nowhere more evident than in the fourth essay in The Liberal Imagination, a meditation on Henry James’s 1886 novel The Princess Casamassima in which Trilling fingers a line of nineteenth-century… More
Lionel Trilling’s Life of the Mind
– Kimmage, Michael. “Lionel Trilling’s Life of the Mind.” New York Times, November 3, 2011.
Excerpt: As Kirsch writes, paraphrasing Trilling’s perspective, “Art is the form in which the writer, and through him the reader, can face down the intolerable contradictions of history.” The Russian short-story writer Isaac Babel was a case in point.… More
Why Trilling Matters
– Kirsch, Adam. Why Trilling Matters. New Haven : Yale University Press, 2011.
Lionel Trilling and Irving Howe: And Other Stories of Literary Friendship
– Alexander, Edward. Lionel Trilling & Irving Howe: and other stories of literary friendship. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 2009.
The Conservative Turn: Lionel Trilling, Whittaker Chambers, and the Lessons of Anti-Communism
– Kimmage, Michael. The Conservative Turn: Lionel Trilling, Whittaker Chambers, and the Lessons of Anti-Communism. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2009.
Underrated: Lionel Trilling
– Himmelfarb, Gertrude. “Underrated: Lionel Trilling.” Standpoint, April 2009.
Excerpt: When Lionel Trilling died in 1975, he was not only the most eminent literary critic in America, but also, some would argue, the most eminent intellectual figure. Three years before his death, he received the first of the Thomas Jefferson Awards, the… More
Regrets Only: Lionel Trilling and His Discontents
– Menand, Louis. "Regrets Only: Lionel Trilling and his discontents." New Yorker, September 29, 2008.
Excerpt: Most people who picked up the book in 1950 would have understood it as an attack on the dogmatism and philistinism of the fellow-travelling left, but the term “liberal” is never defined in “The Liberal Imagination.” And there are, as a matter… More
Introduction to The Moral Obligation to Be Intelligent: Selected Essays
– Wieseltier, Leon. Introduction to The Moral Obligation to Be Intelligent: Selected Essays, ix-xvi. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 2008.
Excerpt: Trilling emphatically believed that “the problems of Life” must indeed be brought before the mind, thought not for the purpose of eliciting anything so simple and so heartening as “answers.” The elements of Erskine’s… More
When Men Were the Only Models We Had: My Teachers Barzun, Fadiman, and Trilling
– Heilbrun, Carolyn G. When Men Were the Only Models We Had: My Teachers Barzun, Fadiman, and Trilling. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002.
Introduction to The Middle of the Journey
– Engel, Monroe. Introduction to The Middle of the Journey, by Lionel Trilling, v-xi. New York: New York Review of Books, 2002.
Excerpt: In its own forceful way, very unlike either Faulkner or Hemingway, The Middle of the Journey too is “at work upon the recalcitrant stuff of life.” This is discomfortingly evident in the ways in which the novel portrays the significant… More
– Delbanco, Andrew. “Night Vision.” Review of The Moral Obligation to be Intelligent: Selected Essays, by Lionel Trilling, edited with an introduction by Leon Wieseltier (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000). New York Review of Books, January 11, 2001.
Excerpt: Trilling’s real distinctiveness, I think, is that he was at heart a teacher. He carried into his writing the classroom principle that stating any proposition without at least a hint of doubt about its validity is a form of bullying. His only dogma… More
The Last Great Critic
– Glick, Nathan. “The Last Great Critic.” The Atlantic, July 2000.
Excerpt: I CANNOT close this review without noting two contributions by the editor. John Rodden’s introductory survey of the contents of this collection is richly but casually informative; it is also lively, witty, opinionated, and fair-minded. His… More
Lionel Trilling and the Critics: Opposing Selves
– Rodden, John, ed. Lionel Trilling and the Critics: Opposing Selves. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1999.
Collection of essays by prominent critics on Trilling’s career; includes many of the most important essays on Trilling’s work published during his lifetime.
Lionel Trilling: An Annotated Bibliography
– Leitch, Thomas M. Lionel Trilling: An Annotated Bibliography. New York: Garland, 1993.
The Beginning of the Journey: The Marriage of Diana and Lionel Trilling
– Trilling, Diana. The Beginning of the Journey: The Marriage of Diana and Lionel Trilling. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1993.
Lionel Trilling: The Work of Liberation
– O'Hara, Daniel T. Lionel Trilling: The Work of Liberation. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988.
– Tanner, Stephen L. Lionel Trilling. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1988.
Lionel Trilling and the Fate of Cultural Criticism
– Krupnick, Mark. Lionel Trilling and the Fate of Cultural Criticism. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 1986.
Lionel Trilling: Mind and Character
– Shoben, Jr., Edward Joseph. Lionel Trilling: Mind and Character. New York: F. Ungar Publishing Company, 1981.
Lionel Trilling: Criticism and Politics
– Chace, William M. Lionel Trilling: Criticism and Politics. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1980.
Lionel Trilling: Negative Capability and the Wisdom of Avoidance
– Boyers, Robert. Lionel Trilling: Negative Capability and the Wisdom of Avoidance. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 1977.
Art, Politics, and Will: Essays in Honor of Lionel Trilling
– Anderson, Quentin, Stephen Donadio, and Steven Marcus, eds. Art, Politics, and Will: Essays in Honor of Lionel Trilling. New York: Basic Books, 1977.
Art, Politics, and Will was originally conceived as a Festschrift for Trilling. However, he passed away before the book could be published, and it was converted into a memorial volume. The book contains relatively little criticism that engages directly with… More
Three American Moralists: Mailer, Bellow, Trilling
– Scott, Jr., Nathan A. Three American Moralists: Mailer, Bellow, Trilling. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1973.
Lionel Trilling and the Conservative Imagination
– Frank, Joseph. "Lionel Trilling and the Conservative Imagination." Sewanee Review, Spring 1956. Reprinted in Lionel Trilling and the Critics: Opposing Selves, edited by John Rodden (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1999).
Excerpts: The career and reputation of Lionel Trilling as a literary critic pose something of an anomaly. Not, we should hasten to add, that Mr. Trilling does not deserve all the encomiums that have been lavished on him or the considerable influence he enjoys… More
The Moral Critic
– Kristol, Irving. "The Moral Critic." Review of E.M. Forster, by Lionel Trilling. Enquiry, April 1944. Reprinted in Lionel Trilling and the Critics: Opposing Selves, edited by John Rodden (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1999).
Excerpts: [I]n that very same article Mr. Trilling incorporated two distinct chidings. He was angry with the Left for having surrendered its traditional moral vision, and at the same time accused it of allowing this vision to blind it to the true principles… More


Richard Marx - Hazard
Charles to Walk Meghan Down the Aisle
Prince Charles is to walk Meghan Markle down the aisle at the royal wedding, Kensington Palace has announced.
The prince is said to be "pleased" to be welcoming Ms Markle to the Royal Family by giving her away.
The palace statement in full read: "Ms Meghan Markle has asked His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to accompany her down the aisle of the quire of St George's chapel on her wedding day. The Prince of Wales is pleased to be able to welcome Ms Markle to the Royal Family in this way."
It follows news this week that Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, will not be attending the ceremony on medical advice after undergoing heart surgery.
In a statement released by Kensington Palace on Thursday, the bride-to-be said: "Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding. I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health."
It has also been confirmed the Duke of Edinburgh will attend the wedding after recovering from a hip operation.
Philip, 96, was seen at the Royal Windsor Horse Show last week - the first public sighting of the Queen's consort since he left hospital.
Later today, the Queen will have Meghan's mother over for tea.
Doria Ragland has already met some of her new in-laws, including Charles, William and Kate.
Dave Brookes playing Richard Marx - Hazard


Priyanka Chopra Finishes First On Imdb’s Top 10 Stars Of Indian Cinema And Television List
by Filmfare | December 6, 2019, 3:14 PM IST
In the past few years, Priyanka Chopra has managed to expand her horizons and transformed herself into a true global superstar. With successful projects in India and in the United States, Priyanka has proved that she’s a powerhouse of talent. And now, it looks like even the popular website IMDB (International Movie Data Base) seems to agree with that statement. The website has given our desi girl the number one spot in the list Top 10 Stars of Indian Cinema and Television list.
The positions are based on the IMDbPro STARmeter rankings, which are calculated on the basis of the page views each star manages to earn from the 200 million visitors that the site receives on a monthly basis. Model and Actress Disha Patani, who was last seen in Bharat, secured the second spot in the list. Hrithik Roshan, who had a great 2019 thanks to Super 30 and War, managed to earn third place on the list. Kiara Advani managed to grab the number four spot on the list while superstars Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan finished at the fourth and fifth place respectively.
Priyanka Chopra was last seen in Shonali Bose’s The Sky Is Pink. Along with Priyanka, the film also starred Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim and Rohit Saraf in leading roles.
More on: Priyanka Chopra, IMDB


Blake M. Petit
Author, Teacher, Geek Pundit
Buy Blake’s Work
How I Went Pokémon Go
July 11, 2016 July 11, 2016 blakemp Geek Punditry	Pokémon, Pokémon Go
I’ve never played a Pokémon game. I don’t say this with any sort of value judgment or as an elitist point, I’m just trying to give you a baseline for what I’m about to talk about. I never played the card game, I’ve never owned any handheld unit like a Game Boy or any of its many successors, and I haven’t had a console since the Sega Genesis. I’ve watched a few episodes of one of the cartoons (the first one, I think, from the 90s, which was on before or after something I wanted to watch and I was too lazy to change the channel), and I saw the first movie in the theater because a buddy of mine wanted to see it and paid for a bunch of us to go with him so he didn’t have to go alone. I don’t remember much about the film, but I remember being glad I hadn’t paid for it.
I say all this so that you understand, I didn’t have any real interest when they released Pokémon Go a few days ago. I thought the furor was mildly amusing, cracked a few jokes about it, I figured it would die down. But people kept talking, and some of the things I was hearing were intriguing. And then — and this was my downfall — my wife and brother both started playing the game, and there’s no way I was going to let either of them show me up.
I assume by now most of you reading this, like 95 percent of the civilized world, have played the game and don’t need me to explain what it is. But let me explain why, in just a few days, I think it’s become so damned addictive. I know it’s not a groundbreaking concept — the Augmented Reality Game has been around in one form or another for quite some time, and I’m told that Pokémon Go itself is built on the framework of an earlier game called Ingress. The popularity of the preexisting franchise, however, gave this one a major boost and put it in the hands not only of those who already loved the previous Pokémon games, but also people like myself, who have never really dealt with them before.
Much has been said about the fact that the game forces people to go out into the real world and hunt for Pokémon — in essence, this is a mobile phone game that is tricking people into exercising. Let’s face it, guys, exercising sucks. I totally respect anyone who has the willpower to go out there and do it every day, but I look at them a little sideways when they talk about how great it feels. I exercise–
(Hold on a second, there’s a Bulbasaur in here.)
(Got him.)
As I was saying, I don’t exercise nearly as much as I should, but when I do it, I do it because I know I have to, not because it feels good to go outside in 95-degree heat, walk a mile or two, and then walk home for no apparent reason. This game, this ridiculous game, is giving people a reason to do it. Granted, one would think that improved health would be motivation enough, but clearly it isn’t, not for a hell of a lot of us.
There’s also a social aspect. Since there are people trying to capture the same Pokémon as everyone else, you’re going out and interacting with people. Naturally, there’s a degree of stranger danger to be wary of, there have already been a few news reports about people using the game to lure people and rob them, and for God’s sake, did you hear about that poor girl who was hunting water Pokémon down by the creek and found a dead body? But if you don’t go chasing your Pokémon down any dark alleys, you’ll probably be okay. I’ve seen people playing this game at the mall, walking down the sidewalk… two nights ago Erin and I were at a bar for dinner and to watch the Pirates game, and I heard a girl at a table behind us shout, “He’s just a little bat! He’s just flying there! Don’t pick on him!” (The bar was infested with Zubats, I should have mentioned that.)
I’ve been farming this station in our hotel for two days.
And oddly enough — here’s one I haven’t heard too many people discuss — there’s a bizarre community aspect to the game as well. I have no idea how the developers of this game decided on the spots for the Pokéstations and Gyms, but they all correspond to real-world landmarks: buildings, churches, police stations, monuments, works of art. In the Monroeville Mall outside of Pittsburgh, there are at least four separate Pokéstations corresponding to murals or sculptures, some of which I’ve never noticed before even though I’ve been to that mall a dozen times since I met my Monroeville-native wife. We’re in Pittsburgh right now visiting family, but I’m actually really anxious to get back home to the New Orleans area to see what spots were chosen down there. This game is making people learn about their community as well.
I’m not claiming I’ll ever be a master at this game. I still don’t know exactly what the hell I’m supposed to be doing, other than catching the Pokémon and getting more balls to enable myself to catch still more Pokémon. When I reached Level Five I wound up on the Red Team, and I have no idea what that means except that my friend Kenny joined the Yellow Team, so I presumably have to beat him with a sack full of rusty doorknobs the next time I see him.
Dammit, Oddish, you’re worse than Clippy.
(Wait, there’s one on my laptop…)
But somehow, this game landed at exactly the right time. Turning on the news for the past few weeks has been nothing but misery: violence and hatred and the Zika virus and for some reason Fox is still trying to make a Gambit movie… everything horrible about the world has been shoved into our faces. And that’s just globally. Personally, we’ve had family issues we’ve been trying to get resolved (no, I won’t be more specific, but good thoughts and prayers are appreciated) that have put my wife under serious stress over the last few days. This preposterous and unlikely game has been a rare bright spot, something fun and silly that you can use to take your mind off things for a moment no matter where you are.
It’s not perfect, I know. The first time I see some jerk trying to catch Pokémon in a movie theater I’ll want to shove a Jigglypuff up his ass, and I already am preparing a script for what I’m going to say when school starts again and I have students trying to chase around a Squirtle in my classroom. But for now, when it really matters quite a bit…
…it’s a nice, necessary diversion.
I know a few people — friends, even — who have a sincere hatred for the whole Pokémon concept and will likely mock me for even downloading it. I don’t care. I’m into plenty enough nerdy things that I have no right to pick on someone for this game even if I wasn’t playing it. But as a player, I’m enjoying myself, and in a better way than so many other games.
Also, Team Valor for life.
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NYLJ100 Ranks Moses & Singer
Moses & Singer LLP is the fourth largest single-office law firm in New York State – according to the NYLJ100 – with Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz in the top spot. "This confirms the success of our practice model, a committed and stable team of New York lawyers who know and work constantly with each other to serve our clients' best interests," said Chairman, Alan Kolod. "Our depth in New York City is comparable to much larger international firms, but without the multi-office overhead, quality control and conflicts challenges." According to Managing Partner, Jay Fialkoff, "We routinely handle matters throughout the country for our clients and are free to use the best local counsel in jurisdictions outside New York. The firm frequently partners with other firms through our affiliation with MSI Global Alliance, a 250 member alliance of independent professional firms in over 100 jurisdictions." Among the NYLJ100’s largest private law firms world-wide with an office in New York State, Moses & Singer ranks 80th. Firm rankings are based on number of attorneys in New York State. To see the complete list, click here.
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YOUTH CHARGED FOR BOMB
Staff reportsSUN-SENTINEL
FORT LAUDERDALE -- A youth described by police as a "brilliant" student was arrested on Tuesday on charges of building an explosive device and wiring it to the locker of a student at Cardinal Gibbons Catholic High School.
The school, in the 4600 block of Bayview Drive, was evacuated after school officials learned the device had been placed in a locker, police spokesman Ott Cefkin said.
The bomb turned out to be a bottle rocket wired with batteries and a pressure switch, Cefkin said.
The student, 14, whose name was not released, said he planted the device as a prank because he was bored and could not get a job.
The boy, a straight-A student, was charged with possession of an explosive device, a felony, and was released to his parents, Cefkin said.


Oxford American - Navigation
Women Artists Fund
Issue 100, Spring 2018
It Had to Be Memphis
By Benjamin Hedin | March 13, 2018
“Lorraine Motel Study: iPad Painting” (2012), by Fabian Marcaccio. Courtesy of Galerie Thomas Schulte
“What about that old beat-up church by the Forum?” asked Frank Smith after learning his congregation would have to move. Downtown Church, a sect of Evangelical Presbyterians in Memphis, has no fixed address. They had been meeting for Sunday service in Central Station, Memphis’s old train depot. When it closed for renovation, Smith approached his pastor about this other property on the corner of Hernando and Pontotoc, adjacent to the FedEx Forum, where the NBA’s Grizzlies play. He knew the domed, limestone structure had historic significance, but it was in rough shape. Boards covered the stained glass. The fellowship hall behind the chapel had caved in. Richard Rieves, the pastor of Downtown Church, could only laugh at first. But then he began to cry. “If you want to mess with it, fine,” he said to Smith. “But I don’t want any part of it.”
The church Smith was thinking of turned out to be Clayborn Temple, built in the 1890s and once the largest house of worship south of the Ohio River. Yet it is best known for its role in the strike called in February of 1968 by the sanitation workers of Memphis. They sought union recognition and higher wages, and each day a group of them would gather at Clayborn and march to City Hall. Malcolm Blackburn, Clayborn’s minister, was also a journeyman printer, and he was the one who made those signs, iconic now and bearing a phrase he had heard on one of the marches and to which he added a slight flourish, a line reminding you where the emphasis falls: I AM A MAN.
Eventually, the strike earned the attention of Martin Luther King Jr., who was plotting the Poor People’s Campaign and saw in the sanitation workers’ struggle a microcosm of what he envisaged to be the next stage of the civil rights movement: a focus on economic equality. King came to Memphis on their behalf, and was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel, half a mile from Clayborn, on April 4, 1968.
In the decades following the strike, the owner of the church, the African Methodist Episcopal denomination, abandoned it—part of a general exodus that occurred in downtown Memphis after King’s death—and Clayborn was essentially given up to ruin. The plaster was torn from the ceiling, exposing the trellised skeleton of the roof, and flues were stolen from the organ. A beam stuck in the floor was all that prevented the dome from collapsing, and a tree grew inside, a Paulownia tomentosa, an exotic, invasive species, hairy and tubular, sprouting up from the basement into a room over the sanctuary and out a window.
Several attempts were made over the years to repair and reopen Clayborn (including an effort led by Rieves, Smith’s pastor, which explains why he responded the way he did when Smith first inquired about the church), but none were able to do what Smith finally accomplished in 2016: persuade the AME to give up the title. Smith is devout and wears an easy humility, even an innocence, and it would not have been possible for an old, rich white guy, as he calls himself, to take control of the most sacred landmark in the city’s civil rights history if he did not possess those qualities. He also has deep pockets. He moved to Memphis from Nashville in 1981 and worked for a financial brokerage firm before founding a software company that he sold for a handsome profit.
“We convinced them if we don’t do it then it’s going to fall down,” Smith told me one afternoon last summer, as we toured the building. Yet even once he had assumed ownership, Clayborn was in such a state he didn’t know what could be done with it. “When we got in here, it looked so bad we thought we’d tear it down and be lucky to save the stone walls,” he said. “But then we got this gift from God, an engineering report that said it would be expensive, but if you want, you can restore this place.”
With that Smith saw the chance to revive not only the church but also the mission it is known for. “Memphis has lived with the stigma of being the place where King was assassinated long enough,” he said. “He was here because he saw economic and social justice coming together with civil rights issues. That story is hardly known. We have an ambition of changing the narrative. How can we use this space as a platform for economic justice to be reimagined with the legacy of the sanitation workers?”
The restored church, he believes, can serve as a hub for activists and think tanks, a place, as he puts it, where difficult conversations can occur. By the fiftieth anniversary of King’s death, in April, Clayborn Temple will look largely as it did in 1968, though the engineer was correct to report that the project would be expensive. Ten million dollars is the cost. The organ is to be refurbished, the floor and pews replaced. And the tree growing out of the basement will have to be cut down.
The stigma Smith referred to, the sense of shame borne by those in Memphis for King’s death, is both pervasive and hard to define. This has to do, in part, with the apparent randomness of the location. King never planned to go to Memphis in 1968, and he spent only four days there in March and April of that year. He had cheated death so many times, and his assassin, James Earl Ray, was stalking him. In the weeks before, Ray had already been to Selma and Atlanta, looking for King.
Yet in some ways this only makes the wound deeper and more scabrous, the shame more difficult to dislodge. In chronicling the civil rights movement, one inevitably develops an interest in how racial crimes are remembered in the community where they happened—in the way they gradually turn into folklore— and in Memphis, I have discovered, a sense of fatedness clings to the King assassination. He should not have been killed here, but he was, and this simple fact overwhelms all other considerations, like Ray’s whereabouts or the luck that was required to catch King alone on the balcony of the Lorraine, a perfect shot. I heard it best from William Bell, the Stax legend. Bell was in the studio that evening in 1968, intending to record, but after King was pronounced dead he drove to WLOK and stayed on the air most of the night, pleading with people not to riot.
“We still bear the burden of It happened in Memphis,” he told me.
“But it could have happened anywhere,” I said.
“It could have been anywhere,” Bell agreed. “But it had to be Memphis.”
He could not explain why, but knew it to be true, an article of faith. And it made me curious to see what else, aside from the rebuilding of Clayborn Temple, was going on as the half-century commemoration of King’s death approached. Memphis would have to wrestle with the burden Bell had named, and what I expected to find was not celebration, or mournfulness, but a public display of that ancient and pained pursuit, the attempt to negotiate some truce with history.
Ms. Girlee’s Soul Food Restaurant is tucked away in north Memphis, off the tourist grid, and faithfully attended by regulars who come to sample the home-style dishes of fried chicken, oxtails, and yams. Baxter Leach and his wife, Jimmie, have owned the restaurant for more than thirty years, though until 2005 Leach’s main job was collecting garbage. He was born in Mississippi, near the town of Schlater, on the eastern rim of the Delta, and grew up on plantations. “I picked cotton, chopped cotton, drove tractors and mules when I was eight, nine years old,” he told me. “Sunup to sundown.”
He moved to Memphis in 1960 and began working for the sanitation department, though he was promptly fired for consorting with the union. “I’m from Mississippi,” he said. “I didn’t know about any union stuff. I told them I wasn’t, and they put me back to work. Best thing they ever did was fire me. I started participating in the union then, and I stayed with the union.”
Tennessee is a right-to-work state, of course, and the sanitation union—Chapter 1733 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees—had been slow to improve poor working conditions. Leach did not make much more than he would have picking cotton in Mississippi, and “we had nowhere to sit down and eat, wash our hands, nothing like that,” he told me. The Memphis Department of Public Works did not supply shower facilities or a locker room for the men to change in, and they were forbidden from eating meals or taking shelter from storms anywhere except the inside of their trucks, since Memphis’s upper crust did not like to see black garbage workers standing around their neighborhoods.
After the union voted to strike in February of 1968, Mayor Henry Loeb, citing a court order that ruled work stoppages illegal, refused to bargain with the sanitation workers unless they returned to their jobs. They would not, even after being attacked one afternoon by police with billy clubs and mace. King was called in soon after.
I asked Leach about King during our interview at the restaurant.
“Dr. King did not come to Memphis for the sanitation workers,” he said.
“He didn’t?”
“He came for everybody. Black, white, blue, it didn’t matter what color you were. He came for everybody. Everybody.”
In the most important sense, I reflected later, this is true. Memphis became the first thrust of the Poor People’s Campaign (and because of what transpired there, the last), a multiracial front, encompassing white coal miners, Chicano farmers, and Native Americans in addition to black workers. In the summer of 1968 King planned to lead them—legions of the country’s poor—to the National Mall, where they would camp in tents and demand a series of economic reforms. He thought of it as a second, more militant March on Washington. The aim was to shut down the city. The FBI, surveilling King as always, put it well in a report dated March 12, 1968: “It is King’s contention that the Government of the United States does not move until it is confronted dramatically.”
In devising this plan he went against the wishes of his staff, as I learned after visiting with Andrew Young, the former mayor of Atlanta and King’s principal aide-de-camp in those years. “None of us wanted a Poor People’s Campaign,” he told me. “Dr. King insisted on it, though. And I think he knew his days were numbered. He used to always say, ‘You’re going to die. You got no choice about that. Death is the ultimate democracy. You don’t have any choice about where you die, when you die, or how you die. The only choice is what you die for.’”
So yes. King came to Memphis for everybody. After his death, a settlement between the city and union was reached, but only after Abe Plough, a local businessman, donated $60,000 to cover the pay raise Leach and the others had won. The city agreed to recognize the union, and the sanitation workers who belonged to it were given a choice of where to allocate their retirement funds. Not trusting the city to play fair with a pension, they opted for Social Security, yet these accounts never added up to much. When Leach retired in 2005, he was making fourteen dollars an hour, with forty-three years of service behind him. He had no savings, just the modest income from the restaurant.
Last summer, Jim Strickland, the mayor of Memphis, announced that the city would be awarding pension grants of $50,000 to Leach and twenty-four others still living who had gone on strike fifty years ago. “The 1968 sanitation workers showed us how courage can change a city,” Strickland said. “It’s only right that today, as we near the fiftieth anniversary of Dr. King’s death in our city, we take this meaningful step to do right by them all.”
Around town, I noticed, these words, and even the gesture itself, were met by a lot of skepticism and derision. “That’s not a lot of money,” someone said to me. “Just enough to pay off their debt.” Another pointed out that since the funds came from the city’s surplus— taxpayer dollars—the men were effectively reimbursing themselves. And some questioned how the mayor could possibly claim to have done right by them, when the opportunity to do that was long gone. Leach had no quarrel with the gift. “I had no idea,” he said. “I was out of town when I heard. That was a blessing.” And though I was happy for him, I wondered if there was something lurid in the design of the act, the checks intended as hush money, to keep the surviving garbage workers from criticizing the city on the eve of the King anniversary.
Whatever its intention, the gift illustrated the imponderables reparations can loose. If the grant was about doing right by the sanitation workers, why did King’s death matter? Why pay them now, and how did anyone know when the tally was reached that would set things to right? Though the mayor announced the grant at $50,000, the City Council voted to increase the sum to $70,000. Was that the magic number? Perhaps, but no reason was given for the change. The city had fallen into a trap: In seeking to atone for the errors of the past, the mayor and City Council had instead provided occasion to relive those errors, unwittingly showing how difficult, if not impossible, atonement was.
Hampton Sides, the author of Hellhound on His Trail, a vivid work of true crime about the search for Ray, was six when King was shot. He remembers turning on the television in the house in east Memphis where he grew up and “seeing for the first time national news trained on my city,” he told me. “It was such a shocking thing that brought international attention and international ridicule, and it forced the city to look at itself.”
“Look at itself how?” I asked, and he began talking about men like Baxter Leach.
“Memphis has always been the capital of the Mississippi Delta, the richest cotton-growing territory in the nation. When mechanization came and huge numbers of blacks left these plantations, Memphis was the first city they went to. They didn’t have a marketable skill, so a lot of them became garbage workers. And it was a recapitulation of the plantation mentality: sharecroppers taking people’s garbage out. King could have been assassinated in any other place. But he was killed in this most racially fraught place on the Mississippi River at the head of the Mississippi Delta.”
Sides was explaining why “it had to be Memphis,” how, despite the apparent randomness of the location, the moment may not have been unearned. It was a legend of the South the way Faulkner would have written it: a curse planted generations ago, hidden for so long but then sprung catastrophically, the past always coming back to despoil the present. A city living off the exploits of black labor was deprived of its sustaining illusion, and punished in the form of shame, permanently weighted with the mark of April 4. “A lot of people in Memphis thought we didn’t have a racial problem,” Sides said. “A lot of white folks.”
King’s murder, then, was like a bill that came due. One the city has been trying, ever since, to pay back.
There is a vocal contingent in Memphis that sees the coming commemoration—the official program at least, with parades and gala luncheons scheduled—as nothing but a perversion of King’s legacy. Memphis, after all, has the highest poverty rate for any city in the United States with a metro population over one million. Any number of discouraging statistics about incarceration rates for blacks or the segregation of public schools can be adduced to round out the portrait. It will no doubt be a dominant storyline of the commemoration: Five decades after the thwarted start to the Poor People’s Campaign, the conditions that prompted that campaign have gone unchanged—or have even gotten worse.
“How are we going to hold the city accountable for the MLK Fifty celebrations?” Tami Sawyer asked me. She is one of the most visible organizers in Memphis and a current candidate for the Shelby County Commission. “Dr. King deserves to be recognized,” she said. “But we don’t have another fifty years. Black people in Memphis don’t.”
Sawyer belongs to a committee planning events at the National Civil Rights Museum, located on the site of the Lorraine Motel, and she is determined not to let the ceremony degenerate into a chorus of false pieties. The anniversary, in her mind, should be used to reclaim King for who he was, and she plans to do that through rallies and symposia held at the museum. “We have zero percent wealth, fifty years after King marched,” she told me, referring to Memphis’s black community. “‘I Am A Man’ has become the peace symbol; it has become the rainbow flag. It’s like, Oh, we love Dr. King. King was a revolutionary.”
It’s true that the version of King we encounter most is a superficial, insipid image. He is everywhere, invoked by those on the right and the left to justify seemingly any action, his words pasted on memes we see as we scroll down. But at six o’clock on the evening of April 4, 1968, King was a pariah, ridiculed by black militants as the apostle of a quaint and outdated theory of nonviolence, hounded by the FBI, scorned by white Americans as a hypocrite and agitator. An hour later he was transformed, and became a saint or martyr. The fact that he was a revolutionary, an enemy of the state, was forgotten.
And it’s hard to honor a revolutionary. Parades and balloons: That won’t play. “It’s going to be a beach party,” Sawyer said. But then I met Keedran Franklin. An activist who worked recently for the Fight for 15, an organization lobbying to raise the minimum wage to fifteen dollars an hour, Franklin has his own lead-in planned for the fiftieth anniversary, only this one entails “fifty days of civil disobedience, of people going to jail, and it’s going to end on the Fourth. We got a little trick up our sleeve.”
We were having coffee in a co-op in south Memphis, not the sort of place where you would expect to find police or city staffers, but he checked around the corner to see if anyone was eavesdropping.
“This whole city’s going to shut down,” he said. “Shit’s just going to stop. There will be no planes, no trains, no automobiles moving on one day.”
“You can do that?” I said.
Franklin had helped lead a similar demonstration before, in the summer of 2016. After a grand jury failed to indict the police officer who killed Darrius Stewart, a black teenager, more than a thousand protestors blocked traffic on the I-40 bridge connecting Memphis with Arkansas.
“What would your demands be?”
“Paying a livable wage here,” he said. “We have one hundred seventeen thousand low-wage workers in the city. How much would it take for them to be capped off to fifteen dollars an hour? I’m talking about bringing attention to everything, the impoverishment in this city, the poor education, everything. We just have to hit certain pinch points. The threat of stopping everything may help what we want to do. You put out the threat of stopping every form of transportation—they’re going to reach out.”
I could imagine the response to such a protest. Franklin and anyone demonstrating with him would be cast as an agitator, irreverent, gamboling for the spotlight and media attention—everything, in short, King was accused of in 1968 when he was planning to shut down Washington. In fact, that was going to be the hashtag, Franklin said, #WhatWouldMLKDo, and for once this was not a hypothetical appropriation: It is what MLK would do. So it seemed the best way, if not the only way, to honor King: to disrupt the fanfare surrounding the anniversary of his death, and do it by staging the sort of confrontation the FBI once feared, one whose backlash would remind us of how dangerous and unruly—how essentially unmanageable—King had been.
On the face of it, Franklin would appear to have nothing in common with Clayborn Temple savior Frank Smith: a black activist and a white millionaire, separated by three decades in age. Yet they share the belief that the Poor People’s Campaign can be recreated—our own time spliced with King’s. The word for this sort of belief is faith, and it is the obverse of the burden Memphis carries, convincing us that what we know to be true is not, that somehow fifty years is not too late.
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Benjamin Hedin
Points South
Clayborn Temple
Benjamin Hedin is the producer and writer of the Grammy-nominated documentary Two Trains Runnin’ and the author of In Search of the Movement: The Struggle for Civil Rights Then and Now.
More from Benjamin Hedin
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Trump rallies show support for president, draw multiple arrests
People convened across the country on Saturday
Updated: 10:12 PM CST Mar 4, 2017
From Colorado's state Capitol to Trump Tower in New York and the Washington Monument, groups of hundreds of people rallied for President Trump on Saturday, waving "Deplorables for Trump" signs and even carrying a life-size cutout of the president. The March 4 Trump demonstrations were held around the country, and supporters clashed with generally smaller groups of counter protesters. At least 10 people were arrested and many others bloodied and bruised as a Berkeley, California, rally supporting Trump turned violent Saturday when fistfights broke out between marchers and counterprotesters, and crowds of masked anarchists joined the fray. The fighting Saturday started even before the event began, with people throwing punches, swinging signs and tossing smoke bombs. Hundreds of people filled the park, with anarchists and counterdemonstrators far outnumbering what rally sponsors estimated were 60 to 75 Trump supporters. By 3 p.m., the self-proclaimed anarchists were dominating the crowd. Dressed all in black and wearing cloth bandanas over their faces, they stopped traffic as they marched from the park through downtown with the smaller mix of Trump supporters and counterprotesters. In the park, people opposed to Trump threw eggs and burned both American flags and the red “Make America Great Again” Trump campaign hats. People wore goggles, motorcycle helmets, gas masks or with their face half-covered with bandanas and were pushing each other, throwing punches and hitting each other with the sticks holding their signs. Video of the scattered fights shows smoke bombs being thrown at the crowd and at least one man pepper-spraying a brawling group. Berkeley police officers in riot gear are standing by at the rally of about 500 pro-Trump supporters and opponents at a park less than a mile from the University of California, Berkeley campus. Paramedics have helped at least two men, one bleeding from the head and the other with cuts on his face. Six people protesting the rally in St. Paul, Minnesota, were arrested on felony riot charges after they lit fireworks inside the Minnesota State Capitol and fled, police said. About 400 people attended the St. Paul event, and about 50 showed up to protest it. Some other minor scuffles between the dueling demonstrators were quickly defused. In Nashville, two people were arrested as protesters clashed with President Donald Trump supporters at the Tennessee Capitol. The groups at times cursed at each other and made physical contact, which state troopers broke up, WPLN reported. Near Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach Post reported that people on both sides exchanged profanity. Trump's motorcade briefly stopped so he could wave at supporters. In Ohio, Trump supporter Margaret Howe, 57, of Pataskala, said she increasingly fears civil war. "We did not want to have something like this happen," she said, adding, "We came out today because Trump deserves to see he still has people for him. It's just all sad." Outside the state Capitol in Denver, hundreds gathered, listening to speakers including former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo on the West Steps facing the mountains. Many in the crowd held American flags or wore red, white and blue and held signs with messages like "Veterans before Refugees." Chelsea Thomas, an accountant from Thornton, Colorado, brought her family to the rally — and a life-size cardboard cutout of Trump. She said the family has taken it with them on camping trips, boat rides and a country music festival. "It's nice to be surrounded by people who share your morals and opinions," said Thomas, as her son walked back and forth across the grass with a Trump flag. A group of counter protesters gathered nearby, separated from the rally by police tape. They chanted "No Trump. No KKK. No fascist USA" and held signs with messages like "Your vote was a hate crime." Rallies include speeches, signs Hundreds gathered in rallies on both ends of Pennsylvania to show support for Trump. Supporters waved signs and flags and listened to speeches during Saturday's "Spirit of America" rally in Bensalem's Neshaminy State Park in eastern Pennsylvania's Bucks County. "They love their country and they love what Donald Trump represents, which is about making America first," organizer Jim Worthington said. "... We are here to meet and make sure all Americans are prospering." In northwestern Pennsylvania, the Erie Times-News reported that about 100 people gathered at a square in downtown Erie for a similar demonstration. "We've got to get the whole country united behind this man," said Richard Brozell, 75, who along with his wife braved the mid-20s temperatures and stiff wind chill to attend. In Augusta Maine, more than 100 people turned out for the event that was supposed to last three hours, but ended early because of freezing temperatures. In Miami, supporters continued a rally while sipping espressos outside a Cuban restaurant, the Miami Herald reported. At a North Carolina rally, speakers said the dishonest media and left wing politicians were bordering on sedition in their opposition to the Republican president. Some men were seen walking through the Raleigh crowd carrying a Trump flag as well as a Confederate flag. Gathered just behind the rally was a handful of protesters, some of whom blew air horns in an attempt to disrupt the event. "We're gonna take our country back and we're gonna establish borders and have legal immigration and law and order," said Cherie Francis, of Cary, North Carolina. "And if you're against all that, then you should be afraid." In Indianapolis, about 30 Trump supporters rallied at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis to denounce what they see as unfair treatment of the Republican. A local organizer, 61-year-old Patty Collins, of Indianapolis, said Trump's critics "aren't giving him a chance." One attendee held a sign saying, "The silent majority stands with Trump." Some passing cars honked in support. Others shouted disapproval. Trump supporters turned out Saturday in Phoenix. Media outlets reported that several hundred people participated in the Phoenix event held on a lawn at the State Capitol. Some participants wore pro-Trump shirts. A small group of protesters also were on hand. In Lansing, Michigan, about 200 Trump supporters rallied on one side of the state Capitol while 100 critics gathered on another side. At one point, the president's fans shouted "get on the bus" and "go back to Mexico," The Detroit News reported. "Agree with President Trump or not, he is our president, and I think what I see happening in D.C. and with the Democrats — it can't stand," said Gary Taylor, 60. Supporters in Austin undeterred by rain In Texas, Austin police say about 300 people have rallied in support of Trump in a gathering outside the Capitol during rain. One of the organizers, Jennifer Drabbant of Austin, said there have been so many protests against Trump that she and others wanted to show there are people who support him. The Austin American-Statesman reports some in the crowd Saturday afternoon toted umbrellas and wore rain gear while carrying signs of support for Trump. Some of the marchers waved U.S. flags. One of the organizers, Jennifer Drabbant of Austin said there have been so many protests against Trump that she and others wanted to show there are people who support him. Participants walked from Wooldridge Square Park to the state Capitol for a rally that began with a prayer and then featured pro-Trump speeches. Sfgate.com contributed to this report.
From Colorado's state Capitol to Trump Tower in New York and the Washington Monument, groups of hundreds of people rallied for President Trump on Saturday, waving "Deplorables for Trump" signs and even carrying a life-size cutout of the president.
The March 4 Trump demonstrations were held around the country, and supporters clashed with generally smaller groups of counter protesters.
Leah Millis, San Francisco Chronicle
A women asks why she is being detained after Berkeley police officers tackled her to the ground after she ran from them following a pro-President Donald Trump rally and march at the Martin Luther Jr. Civic Center park March 4, 2017 in Berkeley, Calif.
At least 10 people were arrested and many others bloodied and bruised as a Berkeley, California, rally supporting Trump turned violent Saturday when fistfights broke out between marchers and counterprotesters, and crowds of masked anarchists joined the fray.
The fighting Saturday started even before the event began, with people throwing punches, swinging signs and tossing smoke bombs. Hundreds of people filled the park, with anarchists and counterdemonstrators far outnumbering what rally sponsors estimated were 60 to 75 Trump supporters.
By 3 p.m., the self-proclaimed anarchists were dominating the crowd. Dressed all in black and wearing cloth bandanas over their faces, they stopped traffic as they marched from the park through downtown with the smaller mix of Trump supporters and counterprotesters. In the park, people opposed to Trump threw eggs and burned both American flags and the red “Make America Great Again” Trump campaign hats.
Berkeley police officers arrest a Trump supporter who allegedly had a knife on him during a pro-President Donald Trump rally and march at the Martin Luther Jr. Civic Center park March 4, 2017 in Berkeley, Calif.
People wore goggles, motorcycle helmets, gas masks or with their face half-covered with bandanas and were pushing each other, throwing punches and hitting each other with the sticks holding their signs.
Video of the scattered fights shows smoke bombs being thrown at the crowd and at least one man pepper-spraying a brawling group.
Berkeley police officers in riot gear are standing by at the rally of about 500 pro-Trump supporters and opponents at a park less than a mile from the University of California, Berkeley campus.
Paramedics have helped at least two men, one bleeding from the head and the other with cuts on his face.
Hearst Television
Six people protesting the rally in St. Paul, Minnesota, were arrested on felony riot charges after they lit fireworks inside the Minnesota State Capitol and fled, police said. About 400 people attended the St. Paul event, and about 50 showed up to protest it. Some other minor scuffles between the dueling demonstrators were quickly defused.
In Nashville, two people were arrested as protesters clashed with President Donald Trump supporters at the Tennessee Capitol. The groups at times cursed at each other and made physical contact, which state troopers broke up, WPLN reported.
Near Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach Post reported that people on both sides exchanged profanity. Trump's motorcade briefly stopped so he could wave at supporters.
In Ohio, Trump supporter Margaret Howe, 57, of Pataskala, said she increasingly fears civil war.
"We did not want to have something like this happen," she said, adding, "We came out today because Trump deserves to see he still has people for him. It's just all sad."
Outside the state Capitol in Denver, hundreds gathered, listening to speakers including former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo on the West Steps facing the mountains. Many in the crowd held American flags or wore red, white and blue and held signs with messages like "Veterans before Refugees."
Chelsea Thomas, an accountant from Thornton, Colorado, brought her family to the rally — and a life-size cardboard cutout of Trump. She said the family has taken it with them on camping trips, boat rides and a country music festival.
"It's nice to be surrounded by people who share your morals and opinions," said Thomas, as her son walked back and forth across the grass with a Trump flag. A group of counter protesters gathered nearby, separated from the rally by police tape. They chanted "No Trump. No KKK. No fascist USA" and held signs with messages like "Your vote was a hate crime."
Rallies include speeches, signs
Hundreds gathered in rallies on both ends of Pennsylvania to show support for Trump.
Supporters waved signs and flags and listened to speeches during Saturday's "Spirit of America" rally in Bensalem's Neshaminy State Park in eastern Pennsylvania's Bucks County.
"They love their country and they love what Donald Trump represents, which is about making America first," organizer Jim Worthington said. "... We are here to meet and make sure all Americans are prospering."
In northwestern Pennsylvania, the Erie Times-News reported that about 100 people gathered at a square in downtown Erie for a similar demonstration. "We've got to get the whole country united behind this man," said Richard Brozell, 75, who along with his wife braved the mid-20s temperatures and stiff wind chill to attend.
In Augusta Maine, more than 100 people turned out for the event that was supposed to last three hours, but ended early because of freezing temperatures. In Miami, supporters continued a rally while sipping espressos outside a Cuban restaurant, the Miami Herald reported.
At a North Carolina rally, speakers said the dishonest media and left wing politicians were bordering on sedition in their opposition to the Republican president. Some men were seen walking through the Raleigh crowd carrying a Trump flag as well as a Confederate flag. Gathered just behind the rally was a handful of protesters, some of whom blew air horns in an attempt to disrupt the event.
"We're gonna take our country back and we're gonna establish borders and have legal immigration and law and order," said Cherie Francis, of Cary, North Carolina. "And if you're against all that, then you should be afraid."
In Indianapolis, about 30 Trump supporters rallied at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis to denounce what they see as unfair treatment of the Republican.
A local organizer, 61-year-old Patty Collins, of Indianapolis, said Trump's critics "aren't giving him a chance."
One attendee held a sign saying, "The silent majority stands with Trump." Some passing cars honked in support. Others shouted disapproval.
Trump supporters turned out Saturday in Phoenix. Media outlets reported that several hundred people participated in the Phoenix event held on a lawn at the State Capitol. Some participants wore pro-Trump shirts. A small group of protesters also were on hand.
In Lansing, Michigan, about 200 Trump supporters rallied on one side of the state Capitol while 100 critics gathered on another side. At one point, the president's fans shouted "get on the bus" and "go back to Mexico," The Detroit News reported.
"Agree with President Trump or not, he is our president, and I think what I see happening in D.C. and with the Democrats — it can't stand," said Gary Taylor, 60.
Supporters in Austin undeterred by rain
In Texas, Austin police say about 300 people have rallied in support of Trump in a gathering outside the Capitol during rain. One of the organizers, Jennifer Drabbant of Austin, said there have been so many protests against Trump that she and others wanted to show there are people who support him.
The Austin American-Statesman reports some in the crowd Saturday afternoon toted umbrellas and wore rain gear while carrying signs of support for Trump. Some of the marchers waved U.S. flags.
One of the organizers, Jennifer Drabbant of Austin said there have been so many protests against Trump that she and others wanted to show there are people who support him.
Participants walked from Wooldridge Square Park to the state Capitol for a rally that began with a prayer and then featured pro-Trump speeches.
Sfgate.com contributed to this report.