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Rather than touring students through the textbook, teachers invited students to participate in the authentic work of the field. For example, a skillful science teacher in a high-poverty-district high school offered a course in which her students designed, researched, carried out and wrote up original experiments.
Schools need to become much more deeply attached to the world beyond their walls. Extracurriculars gain much of their power from their connections to their associated professional domains. School subjects, in comparison, feel devoid of context. Promising schools tackle this dilemma in different ways: Some use project-based learning to engage students in their local communities; some collaborate with museums, employers and others who can give students experiences in professional domains; still others prioritize hiring teachers who have had experience working in (and not just teaching about) their fields. All of these choices bring meaning to work that is too often taught in a vacuum.
Teachers need both more freedom and more support. They need longer class periods, opportunities for collaboration and teaching loads small enough to allow them to form real relationships with students. They need expectations for topic coverage that permit more opportunities for depth. They need districts that focus less on compliance and more on helping teachers learn in rich ways that parallel how those teachers might teach their students. Finally, teachers need parents who ask, “What is my child curious about?” rather than “How did she do on the test?”
Most important of all, high school students need to be granted much more agency, responsibility and choice. While there are some things that everyone should know, much of what will help students in college and beyond are skills: the ability to speak and write persuasively, to reason and engage with one another’s reasoning and to think about core content in complicated ways. Happily, there are multiple paths to achieving these ends. Students can choose what scientific puzzles to explore and what English or history electives to take while still developing a shared foundation of skills.
The more we can create similar opportunities in core subjects — giving students the freedom to define authentic and purposeful goals for their learning, creating opportunities for
students to lead that learning, and helping them to refine their work until it meets high standards of quality — the deeper their learning and engagement will be.
— Read on www.nytimes.com/2019/03/30/opinion/sunday/fix-high-school-education.html
Next Post: Teaching students how to discover and write about issues that matter to them
April 5, 2019 at 10:29 pm
I totally agree with this article. Education, especially high school education is important for student in the further. High school education is like foundation in young people. So, why we don’t improve education?
In my country (Kazakhstan), I think, good education needs work more than ever. Everything around us develop very fast. Teachers should use more modern way to learn subject. Student should inspire by teacher, by learning, by researching. Good education is good country, right?
How about ‘hard’ skills and ‘soft’ skills? where we take it from? Is it one of the basic skills in life? Do we need learn it deeply?
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Amid Amidi, editor of the animation news site Cartoon Brew, once wrote that “certain aspects of Japanese cartoons […] turn me off, and surprisingly these elements remain consistent throughout all of the anime I’ve seen, whether it’s a cheaply-produced OAV or a classy Miyazaki production. Namely, it is the unappealing and cold nature of their character designs, and the general lack of dynamics and complexity in their personality animation. The death of animation is if you don’t find the characters believable because subsequently the value and effectiveness of the stories those characters are telling is diminished,” praying “that the next international animation fad will be more visually stimulating and appealing.” Amidi’s opinion isn’t an outlier; in reviewing Hayao Miyazaki’s films, esteemed historian Michael Barrier remarked that “Miyazaki’s human characters, typically for Japanese animation, are little more than ciphers, their appearance and their actions almost wholly dictated by formulas,” with Thad Komorowski adding that anime “violates so many principles of animation—where’s the squash and stretch? the secondary action?—that it would make more sense to just shoot it in live action,” much of it showing “disdain for what makes animation a unique medium.” One could chalk this up to that characteristically American provincialism but this opinion isn’t uncommon elsewhere. In defending the older generation of Soyuzmultfilm artists, Fyodor Khitruk contrasts them with “those Pokemon”, arguing that at least the Russians mastered the essentials before breaking the rules. Even Giannalberto Bendazzi, an open-minded advocate for animation across the world, has plainly stated that “anime is badly animated” and that, barring a few exceptions, TV animation “requires little attention as far as creativity is concerned.” If any concession is made for the Japanese it’s usually in terms of their layouts and direction, the implication being that those layouts come at the expense of what actually counts. Listen to most intelligent animation writers and you might come to the conclusion that the individual animator is of absolutely no value in the Japanese system.
This must come as a surprise to sakuga fans, enthusiasts who value the animation in anime above all else ( ‘sakuga’ meaning ‘production drawing’ but also serving as a fan term for animation in general). The activities of sakuga fans and Western cartoon fans are much the same: they both read up on the history of their respective industries, catalog and attribute scenes to specific animators, discuss the theory behind technique, and edit together showreels. There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of showreels for Japanese animators on sites like YouTube and Catsuka yet there seems to be a wall of separation between sakuga fans and the Western establishment. Why is that?
There’s a number of reasons. One of the most obvious is that the best examples of Japanese animation are usually hidden in relatively cheap OVAs, TV shows, and non-Ghibli films. It’s generally true that the best Hollywood cartoons cost a lot to make, and Miyazaki’s films are some of the most expensive in Japan, so one might reasonably infer that Miyazaki’s films are the best the Japanese can offer. Among sakuga fans, however, Miyazaki has something of a pernicious reputation for watering down the quality in his films, “correcting” nearly every shot to match his uniform style. It’s become a running joke that Miyazaki will invite talented animators from outside of Ghibli to animate on his films only to have them produce their least interesting work. That Miyazaki regularly badmouths the rest of the industry no doubt contributes to this misperception. As a result many Americans assume the only alternatives to Ghibli are low quality long-runners like Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z.
Exacerbating this is a lack of competent gatekeeping. American anime fansites and magazines have until recently shown complete indifference to the art of animation. Anime became popular overseas not for its contributions to craft but for its novel take on certain scifi conventions, its explicit sexual content, and its longform storytelling. The few genuine anime researchers like Fred Patten and Jonathan Clements are more often interested in the macro- aspects of the industry, its economics and social impact, than the labors of individual artists. It’s not uncommon to see a supposed expert display cavalier ignorance to the basics of animated technique.
Format is another consideration. The format of a typical Hollywood cartoon is seven minutes of uninterrupted motion. The animation is always active and, when the stars align, always engaging. By contrast, even the most tricked-out sakuga anime will have moments of downtime: stills, pans across background art, flapping mouths. Most of the time sakuga fans are fishing standout scenes from largely uninvolved productions; even Naruto has moments of inspired animation here and there. That doesn’t negate the great work that still gets turned out but to Western eyes this is seen as an abdication of the medium’s demands – “I like my animation animated.” Moreover, this difference in format puts American animation at a unique advantage. Because the corpus of American animation is relatively small and complete, fans know their field inside and out. Watching the same handful of shorts over and over again makes the subtleties of great animation easier to discern, even for non-experts (“Rank heresy it may be to say, the list of animated cartoons that warrant a length greater than thirty minutes is minuscule” Thad Komorowski). This means the theoretical core behind the Hollywood cartoon is extremely robust, bolstered by multiple decades of back-and-forth between professionals and historians. It’s easier for the Americans to dismiss alternative styles because the rules they follow have been thoroughly tested; any objection you might think of has already been accounted for. On the other hand because animation quality in anime is generally diffuse, sakuga fans tend to take a pluralistic tack on style. Movement, dynamism, panache of any kind is welcome since it loosens up normally stiff drawings. That isn’t to say there isn’t rigorous, theoretically dense writing on sakuga out there, but most of it is in Japanese or spoken between friends on chat rooms. It’s rarely committed to accessible, English-language text.
But even if the full picture was coming through, it’s unlikely this debate would be easily resolved. What’s at stake here is how we define the medium of animation. That is, strip away all those aspects of animation that have superior alternatives elsewhere – story, music, draftsmanship – and look at what’s left. That is animation. The goal of animation criticism, then, is to determine those things which only animation can provide. The potential answers to this question go far beyond platitudes about “making the impossible possible” and into identifying the fundamental characteristics of setting drawings in sequence one after the other. What might look like trivial quibblings to outsiders – all that matters is whether the film’s good or not, right? – can be enormously consequential in how we discuss animation on a higher level. Animation shouldn’t exist for its own sake, certainly, and there’s no shortage of animated films that are as vacuous as they are pretty, but without any way of meaningfully differentiating itself from other forms of art it might as well not exist at all. The Americans and the Japanese are the two biggest representatives of mainstream narrative animation, yet they differ so radically in their understanding of the medium that it’s impossible for us to judge one by the standards of the other. We have to step outside the fannish, tribalistic in-fighting and try to unpack the underlying theory at work.
Perhaps the best way to go about this would be by looking at the context in which both systems emerged: Golden Age cartoons tend to operate under the same set of standards as live action films from that time period, and the same is true for anime and post-war filmmaking.
Hollywood films from the 20s to the 50s placed a particularly strong emphasis on performance. A night at the movies meant watching stars like Jimmy Stewart and Katharine Hepburn act and all other aspects of direction – cinematography, editing, mise en scene – were geared towards serving that end (the so-called ‘continuity system’ of filmmaking). The best films of even the most stylistically individual auteurs like Hitchcock, Welles, and Ford were built on the bedrock of strong (or subtle) performances.
This is echoed in the many distinct personalities that populated Hollywood cartoons. Characters like Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny are extrapolations of their live action contemporaries like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and the Marx Brothers. The guiding metaphor of American animation is that the animator is an actor, that they’re bringing inanimate drawings to life. Hence Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas naming their landmark book on Disney The Illusion of Life, or the English word ‘animation’ itself (‘animus’ being the Latin word for soul). When the Disney studio set about making the first feature-length cel animated film, the bulk of their focus wasn’t on the sets, camerawork, or staging but on how characters like Snow White and Grumpy might connect with audiences as if they were real actors. Though staging and such were important, to not have the human connection would be unthinkable. Not everyone followed this ideology – UPA famously broke from Disney’s methods, rethinking animation, per Zack Schwartz, as a printing-press rather than a duplicate of the live action camera, and early East Coast cartooning had different priorities, favoring all-encompassing spectacle over focused performance – but there’s a clear through-line from Felix the Cat to the West Coast triumvirate of Disney-Warner-MGM that traces the development of these ideas.
The techniques of full animation developed with these priorities in mind. Golden Age cartoons were almost always animated on the 1s or 2s (that is, one drawing per every frame or every two frames), giving a sense of on-screen presence that a lower framerate couldn’t equal. A Newtonian universe of cartoon physics was invented – squash and stretch, follow-through, secondary action, moving holds – to further strengthen the illusion that the on-screen characters exist in an internally consistent version of reality. And even though the overwhelming majority of US animation was cast by sequence, the concept of casting by character first developed at Disney before the war. All this with the intention that audience members don’t see the characters as animation. For Americans, the art of animation isn’t about the individual drawings that compose a sequence but about how those drawings interact with each-other in motion. To call too much attention to a specific frame is to confuse living animation for static illustration (Winsor McCay is often faulted along these lines despite the perspectival accuracy and graphic punch of his films). Likewise, animators such as Norm Ferguson could be comparatively weak in traditional draftsmanship skills but still capable at their job. American animation should be seen the cinematic evolution of figural art, bringing all manner of inanimate or impossible entities to life and placing them in a humanistic context. This is not so much anti-abstraction (most of these critics treat abstract animation as practically a separate medium with separate requirements) as it is a way of narrowing the scope of conventional drama to its meatiest center.
This is why the expectation for a good character animator is that they disappear into their role. Michael Barrier compares the Hollywood animator to a method actor, except the ‘actor’ created by the animator has no distinction between their exterior role and their inner psychology. It’s important to emphasize that although technical skills and consistent drawings are what separates a professional from an amateur, the soul of Hollywood animation is in the performance. Hence why most historians rank the rougher pre-war films like Dumbo and Snow White above the lavish features of the 50s and on. 101 Dalmatians might be polished to a mirror shine, but the characters are empty shells, stock gestures drawn to consummate perfection.
It’s obvious that anime doesn’t share these priorities. Even though there were a few personality animators of the Disney mold early on at Toei Doga (notably Yasuji Mori), Japanese animation quickly diverged. Character acting in anime is often symbolic. That is, personality is conveyed through shorthands for a particular emotional response (one doesn’t need to watch more than a few yonkoma comedies to learn what those shorthands are). Most of the time the ‘roles’ in anime are little more than stock archetypes or emblems of a particular social class, give or take a few distinguishing quirks. Even in serious productions like Miyazaki’s the animation rarely has specificity of character – any given Miyazaki heroine is interchangeable with any other. And when we’re able to be emotionally affected by what happens to a character or empathize with their situation, the acting is almost never the reason why. This is probably why anime characters are appealing to fanartists and fanfictionists; they’re nearly blank slates.
Furthermore, anime is limited animation, utilizing a significantly smaller number of drawings per minute of film than even the worst studios of the Golden Age like Famous and Terrytoons. Not only do less drawings mean less of an on-stage presence but the fundamental principles of traditional animation – the squash and stretch, the follow-through, and so on – are no longer presumed. From a Western point of view, this is much worse than the false sincerity of post-war Disney: Disney was driven by cliches, sure, but the Japs can’t even do the basics! The party line in America has been that limited animation “paved the way for the destruction of the cartoon art form,” so it’s no wonder the entirety of anime is passed over with quasi-ethnic rationalizations about “the stylized extravagance of kabuki” and the supposed cold indifference Japanese animators have towards their subjects (Miyazaki has voiced a similar argument, unsurprisingly).
But the notion that Japanese animation came about in unenlightened savagery doesn’t square up with historical fact. On the contrary, the industry’s founders actively sought out knowledge about how things were run on the West Coast. Yasuo Otsuka religiously studied Preston Blair’s book on Disney technique, Sadao Tsukioka went through Disney film stock frame-by-frame, and Toei executives even sent Nichido head Taiji Yabushita on a fact-finding trip abroad before setting up their own studio. When Makoto Nagasawa broke from the Disney tradition, his inspirations were Warner and UPA. Though the intent was different, the seconding system of the early Toei features was not unlike Disney’s supervising animator system, where one veteran oversees a team of subordinate animators. And even Hayao Miyazaki, quite possibly the harshest critic of Disney at Toei, found much to enjoy in their competitor the Fleischers. In general the 50s were great for animation consumption in Japan. The removal of the imperial government’s xenophobic censorship laws and the discounted prices of foreign imports led to an influx of animation from all over the world, not only from America but also from France (Paul Grimault), Czechoslovakia (Jiri Trnka), Canada (Norman McLaren), and Britain (Halas/Batchelor). Squint and the early days of anime start to resemble the various New Waves that were happening in live action cinema around the same time. Like the New Wave, anime was built on an admiration for the tradition that came before it, but also like the New Wave its artists consciously went in a different direction.
We could extend this (admittedly crude) analogy further. It’s sometimes thought that with the collapse of the classical Hollywood system, the director’s profile was raised. No longer the invisible steward of actors whose individuality strained against the demands of continuity filmmaking, film form could be used as expression in its own right. Cinematography, editing, and mise en scene usurped the significance of performance and staging. Moreover, the Paramount Decrees weakened the studio monopoly, resulting in a democratization of the means of production. This meant more low budget features with nonprofessional actors and verite photography. Of course film history doesn’t cut nearly this cleanly but it’s a reading which influenced one of anime’s seminal figures, Isao Takahata. Takahata, leader of the young turks at Toei Doga, completely reconceived creative authorship in anime under the aegis of French film theory, Italian neorealism, and Brechtian dramaturgy. The anime storyboard would be the conduit for personal expression, every cut, every pan, every sound cue under the absolute control of the director. This isn’t completely removed from the conception of the director in the West – Warner directors famously exerted close control over the look of their films – but it reflects changing priorities. It’s no accident that the anime industry has produced far more idiosyncratic directors than the Disney machine: Mamoru Oshii, Masaaki Yuasa, Kenji Nakamura, Koji Morimoto, Hiroyuki Imaishi, Osamu Dezaki, Hideaki Anno, Kunihiko Ikuhara, Mamoru Hosoda, and Akiyuki Shinbo, to name only a few.
However, the above seems to confirm the stereotype that anime is a “director’s medium” and not an “animator’s medium”. If the guiding metaphor in traditional animation is that the animator is an actor, and the Takahata storyboard isn’t dependent on strong performances, then there’s the risk that regardless of what anime might achieve they are, in the final analysis, “mere manga,” motion comics that don’t exploit the unique properties of the animated medium. Yet Japan’s animators evolved in tandem with the industry. After all, before Takahata it was the animators at Toei Doga, not the directors, who held the most creative responsibility for the finished product. But they were in most cases not actors. A better metaphor would be that Japanese animators are like cinematographers. They’re concerned with how a scene is shot, how it’s choreographed, how things move in-frame. This is predicated on a far more generalized understanding of animation, animation as the medium of artificial motion. The word douga (, ‘moving drawings’) captures this sense better than the Latinate animation. Thus character animation in Japan isn’t about character per se but the human form in isolation. If a Japanese animator is assigned a scene where someone is tapping their fingers on a desk, the questions they’re asking aren’t “How can I use this scene to illuminate the character’s personality? What does this action tell us about how they think and feel?” but “How does the finger tapping itself look? How should the fingers move as they tap the desk? How can I make this gesture expressive in isolation?” Peter Chung sums it up succinctly: anime is the “art of creating and controlling movement. It’s all about using motion itself as a means of self expression.”
Naturally, this conception of the medium had trouble fitting in Disney’s Newtonian universe. Though the most skilled Japanese animators make use of certain aspects of full animation, a new set of tricks was necessary for limited. One of the most essential tricks was framerate modulation. This is a fan jargon term prone to a lot of confusion as it can describe anything from merely animating two characters on two different framerates to animating a single character on multiple different framerates in a single arc of motion. The latter is the more common usage when describing anime, though the term (‘disintermediation’) is perhaps more fitting. Yasuo Otsuka and Makoto Nagasawa began experimenting with framerate during the heyday of Toei Doga (though traditional animators like Yasuji Mori played with framerate in a more minor capacity as early as Hakujaden) and their experiments bore fruit during the transition to television. Rather than animate steadily on the 3s, Japanese animation ranges from 1s to 4s at the drop of a hat. The idea is that by producing more drawings for slower arcs of motion and fewer for the fast parts, the eye is tricked into inferring movement that wasn’t actually there. This is impressionistic motion, more representative of how the eye sees movement in real life than the ideal form found in traditional animation. Think of it as anime’s jazz to Hollywood’s classical. Of course American animation is extremely varied in its timing as well but varying the framerate between extremes, as opposed to varying the spacing and composition of forms under a stable framerate, most strongly characterizes anime (though as with most innovations of this type you can find earlier examples elsewhere, as in Bill Nolan’s Oswald cartoons). In general, manipulation of framerate has become an important tool for Japanese animators, such as how Yoshihiko Umakoshi in Mushishi animated the mystical Mushi on a smoother rate than the humans in order to evoke their alien strangeness, or how Takeshi Koike alternates lighting-fast syncopations with slowmo to give his work the slick texture of a graphic novel.
Secondly, due to the greatly simplified power structure in Japan, animators have more leeway in experimenting with workflow, processing, and extended technique. Except in the case of a dedicated layout man, all key animators are required to draw their own layouts, which has a significant effect in how animators conceptualize their work (think of all the ostentatious camerawork you see in anime-style action scenes). The more adventurous get involved in other aspects of production as well: Kou Yoshinari handling the digital post-production on all his cuts, Shinya Ohira layering his scenes so densely they can’t be filmed by traditional cameras, action animators like Yutaka Nakamura choreographing their own fights instead of the director, and Mitsuo Iso’s “full limited”, where the key animator does every drawing himself with no inbetweeners touching the scene at all. Since Japanese animation is relatively decentralized, with subcontractors, small studios, and freelancers outnumbering big corporations, artists are inclined to think in terms of their scene or their episode rather than the show as a whole. This is why the best cuts in anime can feel like their own film-within-a-film, entirely disconnected from what surrounds them. Diversity, variety, and unevenness are the principal virtues of sakuga.
That isn’t to say there’s no such thing as consistency in anime. Frequently it’s the constraints of time rather than money that causes directors to spread their talent thin. One countermeasure against this is the sakuga kantoku (, ‘animation director’, also know as the sakkan), a remnant of Toei’s seconding system. The sakkan is an animator, usually the character designer, responsible for overseeing every key frame in a given project. There’s a spectrum of opinions on how to approach the role, ranging from close correction of every drawing to letting everything in untouched. Some animators, like Kenichi Konishi, are arguably as famous for their sakkan work as they are for their animation. Sakkans are present on every production from top flight features to bottom of the barrel TV shows, and though their importance to the former is obvious, a good sakkan can help compensate for the lapses of animation in the latter. Lip flaps and minimal gestures are significantly more tolerable when the lineart is jolted alive by the hand of skilled animator. Of course directors can help improve consistency too by carefully doling out assignments and pacing their storyboard so the best animators can make the biggest impact. There’s also the phenomenon of the “one man episode” where a single animator draws all the keys alone (see Space Dandy 18 for a recent example).
Yet the profoundest development within anime was the collapse of the distinction between character, background, and effects. Traditional Hollywood animation relied on a hierarchy of genres: aside from a few exceptional cases (Fantasia), effects animators never held the prestige that character animators did. In anime, however, many of the most renowned animators – Shinya Ohira, Yutaka Nakamura, Yoh Yoshinari, Shinji Hashimoto, Norio Matsumoto – are known for integrating all components of the frame together into one cohesive whole. It makes sense that if Japanese animators are cinematographers, then everything that can be filmed must be taken as their subject. Generally this results in a lot of flashy and gimmicky action scenes, and old-school Hollywood partisans, never the biggest fans of macho action cinema anyway, will sometimes accuse this style of animation of being ephemeral and superficial. Besides the fact that action, like slapstick comedy, shouldn’t be brushed aside as categorically thoughtless, it’s simply untrue that Japanese animators are only interested in making a first impression. Just as in the best of Western animation, the best of sakuga can depict the inner world in vivid detail, but if traditional animation is seen in the ‘third person’, as it were, then anime should be considered ‘first person’. We see what the character feels, not how they act. For instance, in Ohira’s Wanwa the Doggy the surrounding environment is an expression of the main character’s emotional turmoil, such that it’s sometimes hard to tell where a character ends and the effects begin. I’ve seen it suggested that this approach would be better served with live action actors swaddled in CG effects since you would have the best of both worlds but I find this argument off-base. Putting live action and CG animation in close proximity can only highlight their differences, whereas an expressionistic mindscape like the one in Wanwa only works if everything – characters, effects, backgrounds – is made of the same material and composed by the same hand.
Speaking in abstract terms, Japanese and American animation tend to have their own distinct sense of beauty. Anime is often wrought, deliberate, and charged with a kind of anxiety that demands a visceral reaction, whereas American cartoons strive to appear effortless and graceful, as perfect without an audience as with, full of balance and poise even in the extremes of caricature. There might be a technological explanation for this – the Japanese use a top-mounted peg on their drawing desks while the Americans use a bottom-mounted one, a difference which Peter Chung describes in terms of animating analytically (top) vs animating by feel (bottom) – but I think it goes somewhat deeper. As a pulp industry with relatively little oversight from executives, the style of anime is in large part driven by the id of its makers. It’s democratic (instead of merely collective), with all the messiness and incremental advancement that entails. There’s a reason why both Miyazaki and Otsuka have said that young people make for the best animators.
However strong an effect technology has exerted on the development of the two industries, the most salient differences remain aesthetic in nature. This is born out by the fact that in their free time Japanese animators don’t draw or animate like Americans. They prefer to animate in limited, perverse though it may seem. Trying to compare their output without this in mind would be like comparing an ink wash landscape with a Renaissance nude. The fact that both traditions can be highly refined while entirely incommensurable is testament to the broad sweep of animation as a medium.
That none of this has reached the mainstream of cartooning can certainly be blamed on the stubborn ignorance of the other side, but ultimately it’s a two way street. The average Japanese animator is astonishingly insular and even the best sakuga writers like Ben Ettinger often have no interest in how things are run in the States. Even when someone like Toshiyuki Inoue, the veritable Dean of Sakuga, lists Bill Tytla and Milt Kahl among his favorites, it’s without an understanding of the full context behind those artists and their accomplishments. We live an artistic culture far more international than ever before. An American film critic not knowing who Hou Hsiao-hsien is would be seen as amateurish as a Taiwanese film critic not knowing the name Monte Hellman. Yet in animation, scarce few recognize equally the genius of a Shinji Hashimoto and a Jim Tyer, of a Yoshinori Kanada and a Ward Kimball, of a Hisashi Mori and an Emery Hawkins, to say nothing of the many great artists from the rest of the world. No one can claim be a fan of this medium without giving the bare minimum of engagement to the entire medium, especially in an age when the internet has made this information as easy as ever to find. And even if it were true that one side is “right”, that “Only the Americans know how to animate properly” as Tissa David once said, such broadsides aren’t the result of empirically-informed inquiry but are instead the laziest form of imperialism, generalizations from a sample size in the double digits. It might be that Japanese animation is flawed at a fundamental level, but there’s a massive, complex chunk of history one must wade through before that conclusion can become defensible.
This ignorance is harder to justify in recent years with the changing landscape of commercial animation. In the US, mass market 2D is all but dead. Features are exclusively CG and TV shows are lifeless flashtoons with virtually none of their animation produced domestically. This isn’t a new state of affairs and many seasoned animation fans have made their peace with this fact. Undoubtedly the best of US animation since the 60s has been independent: John and Faith Hubley, John Canemaker, early Ralph Bakshi, Suzan Pitt, Michael Sporn, Mark Kausler. Still, many struggle to talk about any animation from the last 50 years without reflexively comparing it to the Golden Age. The traditional cartooning establishment has their head stuck in the past.
Meanwhile, anime is slowly becoming the lingua franca of animation worldwide. The best animators in China and Korea are strongly influenced by the Japanese style, and prominent young talent in the West like Ulysse Malassagne and LeSean Thomas are trying to bridge the gap. Talk to any professor at CalArts or Gobelins and they’ll tell you the influence of anime on the younger generation is unavoidable. And in terms of raw technique, television shows like Dennou Coil, Cowboy Bebop, Hyouka, and Space Dandy have no parallel in the States. This is not an argument that the US should abandon their unique tradition in favor of foreign influence. Rather, the Japanese took the challenges of modern production seriously and we should pay attention to what they can teach us. Even if you remain unconvinced, even if the best Japanese animation will always seem somehow lesser, it can’t be denied that, more than anyone else, the Japanese have furthered animation as an artform within the economic confines of the modern world. Any attempt to build a viable industry around 2D animation in the future will have to look towards the Japanese for guidance, just as the Japanese looked towards the Americans when they first set out.
[The paragraph on framerate modulation was reworded and restructured based on input from lovcrimson in the comments below. The third to last paragraph was rewritten because I felt my tone was too strident, polemics and rhetoric getting in the way of what I was actually trying to say.]
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About the author
World animation guy for Wave Motion Cannon. Not a professional animator or involved in the business in any way. All of my research comes from secondary sources so if you notice a mistake, please let me know.
iblessall January 9, 2016 — 1:29 am
Great stuff—hope to see more of your writing on here.
In terms of our current outlook on animation as a medium, I think it’s somewhat telling that—and your piece has doubled my impression of this—I’m more or less ignorant of American animation. I don’t have a huge grudge against 3D animation or anything, but the unique aesthetic of hand-drawn animation (from whatever country) is something I’m particularly keen on. Yet, as you’ve mentioned, there’s not much of that to be had in America at this time, and certainly not in the sheer quantity it exists in Japan.
And so, if I wanted to better educate myself on American animation, it seems that the most viable option is to return to the Golden Age of Disney animation, and so on. But—and here I suppose I bear some of the fault—my interest in making those sorts of efforts is severely limited by the fact that there’s basically no modern touchstone of that Golden Age. Sure, there are homegrown American animated shows on places like Cartoon Network, but as of now I’ve yet to hear or see of anything in that crowds (or elsewhere on Western shores) that’s induced my interest.
My desire to dig deeper in anime—to see the shows and the franchises that make up its history, to learn more about the great animators working within the industry—has been motivated by having a consistent body of modern work beckoning me to say, “If I truly like this as much as I say I do, I really ought to find where it came from.” Will we ever see a American 2D animation industry comparable to the current Japanese climate, as unhealthy as it may be for the individual animator and as commercially governed as it is by a tiny subset of hardcore fans? I don’t know.
I don’t think it’s necessary for American animation to start really producing new stuff to compel animation fans to return to the roots of American animation, but it’s interesting to note that, for all of the American establishment’s claims to superiority of craft, they’ve allowed that same craft to largely die out. A form of hypocrisy, you perhaps could argue.
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tamerlane January 9, 2016 — 1:50 am
I don’t fault anyone for not being ultra-knowledgeable about American animation, just as I don’t fault anyone for not caring about the decidedly niche hobby of animation. No one should feel guilty for not being a gigantic nerd (unless they’re claiming to be knowledgeable about a particular subject when they aren’t). Though there’s something your comment brings up that I think is interesting: You can’t get into Oldskool American animation because there’s no modern reference point for it. I see where you’re coming from but I’d argue that, in a lot of ways, anime is that modern reference point. It’s built on the back on that tradition.
That said, since there’s a chasm between fans of the older stuff and fans of modern “American” cartoons on Cartoon Network or w/e, you don’t have that dedicated ecosystem of fansubbers and streaming you get for anime. The history isn’t common knowledge. Hell, tons of classic Warner cartoons haven’t had an HD release.
As for the future of American animation I don’t know. Quality independent stuff will always get produced over here, but that’s true of nearly every country including Japan. What’s interesting is in a lot of ascendent industries like China and France you have artists blurring those distinctions, mixing Eastern and Western styles together. Maybe the future of animation is somewhere between the two.
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Tommy José Stathes January 11, 2016 — 2:20 am
“And so, if I wanted to better educate myself on American animation, it seems that the most viable option is to return to the Golden Age of Disney animation, and so on. But—and here I suppose I bear some of the fault—my interest in making those sorts of efforts is severely limited by the fact that there’s basically no modern touchstone of that Golden Age.”
I’ll agree that there are few or modern American touchstones linking to that past, in the way of new animation productions, as you suggest. That’s one obvious avenue by which new generations of animation viewers would possibly wonder about and investigate American animation history. There’s one other obvious problem, however.
As a child of the 90s, I was lucky enough to see that some Golden Age animation was still in limited regular rotation on television (i.e. as force-fed viewing material) and especially visible through the inexpensive VHS tapes that littered all sorts of retail stores. I also grew up around various relatives and family friends who nostalgically recalled seeing these films during their initial release in the 1930s, as well as with parents and aunts & uncles who saw them on television in the 1950s and onward. Albeit the gradual death of ‘silent generation’ grandparents as witnesses to these films; younger generations who have no firsthand experiences with these films becoming new parents; the death of rampant super-cheap home video offerings (again, as very visible and ‘force-fed’ entertainment options) and the burgeoning of an entirely new method of media consumption, much of this material (and more than what had been available in the 1990s or prior) is still actually very visible (i.e. Youtube), but only those who know to look for it ever wind up seeing it now. It’s no longer being force-fed to the masses as run-of-the-mill kiddie entertainment fodder.
Obviously, many children and adults who would see these early films were not all going to become animation fanatics or investigate their history with any intent, but at least media offerings and consumption in past decades gave the select few with a keen eye for animation and an interest in history (like myself) a stronger push to form an intense curiosity and run with it.
I’m an archivist and historian of early animation, and I have no idea about how the current animation landscape will proceed or what to do about its shortcomings. I do strongly urge any readers with at least an inkling of interest in animation history, though, to support the sparse releases of this sort of material that do come out. Colleagues like Steve Stanchfield (Thunderbean Animation) and myself (Cartoons On Film) are doing all we can to bring historic orphaned animated films (material that is not owned or controlled by any other entity) back into general circulation. As someone who has sat in on animation history classes in the past few years or lectured in/taught them myself, I’m often surprised by how little many of the genuinely enthusiastic students know about basic American animation history, as well as its early roots. The books and DVDs and informative blogs do exist…we’re just sorry they’re not more popular, or force-fed to the masses as Looney Tunes or Popeye once were.
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Paris December 6, 2017 — 3:47 pm
Can you give me suggestions? I don’t care if it’s books, websites or youtube channels. I just want to learn more.
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ibcf January 9, 2016 — 2:55 am
I agree, most American animators are ignorant about the innovative techniques and approaches that the Japanese have brought to the medium. However, Americans would argue that general audiences are more concerned about characters than animated visuals. Witness John K’s rants about Disney’s hyper-realistic effects and UPA’s focus on design. I don’t know if there’s a right or wrong answer here, but both viewpoints should be considered.
I think good character animation can survive even in today’s economic reality. Even on a limited budget you can squeeze in interesting expressions, poses, and movement. Not all Americans hate limited; I often see praise for early Hanna-Barbera and 60’s anime for having good designs and drawings. Actually, 60’s/early 70’s anime tends to have a more cartoony aesthetic and greater emphasis on the characters. You don’t see much of that anymore (besides Lupin). Maybe that’s what Americans are missing.
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tamerlane January 9, 2016 — 3:24 am
I certainly hope traditional character animation doesn’t die out (and I hope I didn’t come off that way in this article, I’m equally passionate about both traditions), and I don’t think it will. It’s just moved to the independent sphere. Last year had new projects by Richard Williams and Ralph Bakshi, and a new Sylvain Chomet movie is set for 2017. Ideally there’d be more opportunities for guys like these to pull off large-scale projects but the market is not receptive. The efforts of foreign distributors, particularly GKIDS, have helped to broaden the palate for the average American movie-goer with regard to animation, so maybe one day we’ll see these talented independent artists gain a stronger foothold. But for now we should be pragmatic. No matter what John K thinks the average viewer wants the basic fact remains that anime has survived in this climate while traditional 2D cartooning has not. Maybe the lessons Japan can teach us have less to do with style and more to do with workflow, organization, and economics, but those are valuable lessons nonetheless.
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ibcf January 9, 2016 — 4:11 am
Yeah, American commercial animation definitely needs an overhaul. It’s a system set up for failure; anything that isn’t garbage is a miracle. But if we changed the workflow and organization and such, I think good character animation could realistically survive in a limited form.
(btw sorry about the double comment, the first one didn’t seem to make it through)
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amandroid009 June 9, 2016 — 7:29 pm
Thank you for the article, man.
For me personally, I’ve spent some time on one side and then the other: under John K.’s oftentimes hypocritical, dogmatic stance on Western animation and trying to teach myself cartooning/animation the “right” way and then going more into anime because of a lot of reasons (mostly because I felt hampered and stilted and frustrated with my own work) I’ve grown up just hoovering up ANY kind of animation I could get my hands on and I don’t want to come off like it’s any different for other children of the nineties but there was such a variety of stuff and it’s only now I am able to sift through everything and put labels or them (this is a Golden Age-era Silly Symphony, this is Fleischer, etc.) and even though I consider “Princess Mononoke” the first anime I’d ever seen, I recently went back and rewatched “Little Nemo in Slumberland”, which I watched habitually as a child and knowing it’s a American/Japanese co-production explained a lot. I’m not able to describe it very well but it’s something about the gestures and the movements of the character that feel really “anime-esque” in conjunction with the Western squashing and stretching that felt really different, almost jarring at times.
Before I hadn’t thought about it very analytically but I don’t deal in extremes in preference or approach, like Western animation is better than anime or vice versa just because they’re both animation but coming from different approaches or methods but it does at times feel like fighting an uphill battle trying to vouch for anime as an art form when oftentimes its is, like you said, limited and uses stock facial expressions or gestures BUT at the same time, there isn’t a lot (in my experience) of resources to find keyframes or animatics or storyboards or just academic criticism about anime the same way there is Western animation, especially when it comes to Disney. In Golden-Age Disney features like “Snow White”, there is, I feel, an universality about the gestures and expressions that feel stock (cute animal characters falling down onto their butts, stuff like that) and Japanese animation is full of it’s own stock things (nosebleeds, the super-deformed expressions) that are specific to Japanese experiences and tropes, like my Dad whenever walks by me when I’m watching anime, he’ll note that characters that have outfits that emphasis shoulders, like capes with big shoulderpads or shoulder armor that it feels very “kabuki” and I wish I knew if things like that, even if it’s taking place in a far distant future, is a deliberate choice or unconscious based on that artist’s own cultural traditions. I also wonder sometimes if the opposite occurs, like a Japanese artist or animator seeing something like a Valentines day-themed “Silly Symphonies” with cupids flying around shooting arrows and people have hearts flying around them and just not understanding our own Western visual shorthand traditions.
I don’t know if I had a point to this comment but…I wanted to weigh in a little
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FierceAlchemist January 9, 2016 — 6:00 am
Very nice article. I agree that its a two-way street with sakuga fans and traditional western animation fans. I’m a big sakuga fan but I’ve also read The Illusion of Life and I respect the amazing draftsmanship and craft of the Nine Old Men. Even the best realistic Japanese animators like Inoue and Okiura would be hard-pressed to match the draftsmanship and subtle character acting of Milt Kahl.
But as you pointed out, the animator is Japan is not as constricted by the director as many Western pundits would say. I love the fact that animators have in-depth conversations with the director about their cuts and are allowed to bring their own personal style to their animation. Under the Disney system, any animation that differs from the character model or significantly stands apart from the rest is considered a failure, it all has to blend together to create the illusion of life. I’d argue that the Japanese philosophy is more animation for animation’s sake rather than for the purposes of character. Just look at Space Dandy or One Punch Man, both are literally playgrounds for ambitious directors and animators to go all-out, with no regards for visual continuity.
If I can make one suggestion about future articles, it would be to either include hyperlinks in the text or a “works cited” at the bottom for your quotes. I’ve read Peter Chung’s post on anipages about the differences between the East and West’s styles and I’m glad you brought it up, but it would be great if you included a link to that for those who haven’t read it.
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@SexyVoice January 9, 2016 — 6:42 am
My experience as an on-the-internet sakuga nerd interacting with less than knowledgeable folk about the overall process of animation was always a relatively frustrating experience. Take this for example, when Kaneda passed way back in 09 a then 18-19 year old me tried to celebrate his idiosyncrasies and vast impact on animation in Japan on 4chan (both on /a/ the anime board and /co/ the comics and cartoons board) but I found that I was met with a few things:
General unfamiliarity with the subject matter (animation as a whole)
Dismissal due to “anime” (western cartoon fans)
Negativity due to “overanalysis” (/a/ posters who can’t be fucked to care about technique)
Some shitty youtube video where this dude swore anime was trash because it lacked “keyframes” (lmao)
General ignorance made it hard for me to first “teach” animation to people and then host a discussion with them on that subject applied outwardly to things I actually wanted to talk about. I mean some people thought “Kaneda-style” animation was me having invented a terminology to insult western animation (like Canada style maybe??? lol i dunno) but in the end struggling with cesspool 4chan arguments forced me to know my shit so to speak, I had no choice but to know animation inside-and-out in order to properly promote sakuga to western fans. Reading The Animators Survival kit and the seminal The Illusion of Life, seeking out true historical context (for what was ultimately my love of animation and not merely sakuga) in order to frame discussion in familiar terms to better convey animation to those with little or no experience with anime was a worthy endeavor for me at the time… But I guess I stopped posting on 4chan, moved to Twitter and watched less and less anime. Oh well!
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Oh I misspelled Kanada, I always think it looks to similar to Canada…
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(Post author)
tamerlane January 9, 2016 — 7:28 am
Same. For as much as the rhetoric in this article might suggest otherwise, I think ignorance about ‘the other side’ is a massive problem among sakuga fans. In general, I’m dismayed that so little of the canon is common knowledge in animation circles. Forget this US v Japan shit, there are substantial animation traditions in Russia, Hungary, Estonia, France, China, Canada, the Czech Republic, Poland, and more, that are just as isolated. In the world of film, expertise is measured by one’s intimate knowledge about ALL traditions, not merely that of one’s country of origin. In the case of animation, where truly great films are in vanishingly short supply, I can’t understand why a self-proclaimed animation fan wouldn’t be seeking this stuff out with zeal. Moreover, how can we know this or that anime is exceptional if we don’t know what the rest of the world is doing? My call here is less for automatic acceptance of all of anime than greater awareness. It’s okay to argue that anime is shit if you’ve given it a fair try.
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Iju January 17, 2016 — 10:38 pm
LOL gotta give me that vid! X D
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@SexyVoice January 9, 2016 — 7:35 am
I’m glad the community can count you, ibcf, magnil, Xiaoyi and others in our midst. Breaking down the barrier of entry by sheer enthusiasm for (non-Japanese) animation helps immesurably in exposing sakuga fans to the greater expanse of animation.
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tamerlane January 9, 2016 — 7:39 am
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Tehbeefer January 9, 2016 — 2:30 pm
Good article, and the author did a nice job examining what perspectives animators hold of their role in animation production and how that influences their art. I’m saving this (and that gorgeous Ohira cut) for later reference.
I do want to disagree with the line, “In the US, mass market 2D is all but dead. Features are exclusively CG and TV shows are lifeless flashtoons with virtually none of their animation produced domestically.”, but I’m not aware enough about what is actually on TV in the USA to refute it. I mean, 2D CG animation is definitely a thing and very much still animation after all. Hybrid traditional/3DCG animation is now pretty normal, and “3D anime” like those made by Polygon Pictures (Sidonia, Ajin, and the Ghibli co-production Ronja the Robber’s Daughter) are becoming more common all the time, and it’s not like anime doesn’t outsource a lot overseas as well.
“And even **Hayao Miyazaki(Is this name right?)**, quite possibly the harshest critic of Disney at Toei, found much to enjoy in their competitor the Fleischers.”
“Though the most skilled Japanese animators still study certain aspects of full animation, a new set of tricks to take advantage of **limited (animation?)** was necessary”
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lovcrimson January 9, 2016 — 5:15 pm
Awesome article. I agree with most of your opnions and your examples given, however I think I should share some my two cents on this topic. I still has some difficulties in English writing so forgive me if I have any my grammar mistakes.
You’ve mentiond “frame rate modulation” in your post, though I always think this term could be misleading since we already had that term for display devices. I’ve been searching for the corresponding Japanese term for long time and couldn’t find it.
The defination for “frame rate modulation” of animation in English community varies from one to another, and this is the main reason that I think this term should be challenged. Some defines it as frames/drawing changing BETWEEN different scenes (like what Sakuga Panel has described as), for example, using 3s for dynamic action scenes and 2s for smoother scenes. But if so, the concept of “frame rate modulation” isn’t a big deal, since we all know that even Disney has varies frames/drawing from scene to scene. Ben Ettinger would argue that the standard Disney rule was “1 frame/cel during pans and 2 frames/cel any other time”, but it’s not the truth. Not to mentioned Shamus Culhane or who else used a lot of 3s fast actions in his cartoons. I even remember David Hand talked about they tried 4s in one scene and it looked decent.
Even if we defines it as modulation INSIDE one scene(as it should be), we still got a bunch of western animators using varies of frames/drawing in a single long scene, like waking in 2s and turns around in 1s. More often we would breakdown a long scene into serveral parts by drawing “keys”, and used different frames/drawing between “keys” if necessary. The only difference between Japanese animators and typical western animators in this concept, I think is that some Japanese animators would even use different frames/drawing on “breakdowns”(if we use western vocabulary, though it could be inacurate for those straight-ahead animators) between “extremes”, thus every bits of action looks timed differently. It is there in Otsuka Yasuo’s Samurai Giants’ opening, but still not yet in Horus no Daibouken. I say typical western animators because not every western animator uses the same frames/drawing for “breakdowns”. Bill Nolan had used that technique a lot in 30s when he animated fancy-free comical dances, 40 years before Otsuka Yasuo, though he didn’t coined any term for that. I believe there must be others in the west especially those tend to work straight-ahead, if we take a closer look into their works.
Rather than “frame rate modulation”, I think the core of Japanese animation is and you would see it mentioned in a lot of Japanese books. For explanation, see http://helloprohealing.blog.jp/archives/34112424.html (starts from 18:00).
While I agree “the stubborn ignorance of the American animation establishment shares a far greater blame” than the sakuga fans, actually the Japanese industry isn’t an exception. As Peter Chung stated, “animators in each culture are extremely knowledgeable about the minutiae of their own industry’s history, but almost totally unaware of the individual achievements of artists of the other side. To Japanese animators, most American animation looks the same – and vice versa.” You took Toshiyuki Inoue as example, but he’s the most knowledgeable people about western animators in Japan and even he only knows about the Disney school of animators(I say school because I count Don Bluth in). I never seen any professional Japanese animators mentioning non-Disney animators such as Jim Tyer, Emery Hawkins or Rod Scibner, let alone those indie animators. Early Japanese animators took inspration from Warner and UPA, but it’s more like western animators took inspration from Studio Ghibli recently, they didn’t pay much attention to individual artists.
I realized it when I met Sadao Tsukioka last year. Indeed he cited UPA cartoons as his inspration for limited animation, though ironically he gave the credit to Stephen Bosustow for those animation techniques, as we know that should be Bobe Cannon’s title. Mind you, Sadao Tsukioka is the representative of some Japanese animation academic organization(I don’t remember its name). Well, at least they know their industry’s history, which is awesome. We Chinese even don’t know about who animated what in our most significant cartoons(so I’m trying to do that), and I can bet French/Korean animation historians rarely know that as well.
We all should be grateful for living in such a globalized society which facilitates cultural exchanges. There are some Japanese trying to get educated about western individual animators, and vice versa. Breaking the cultural barriers would be quite difficult, but at least we have hope, thanks to the Internet.
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(Post author)
tamerlane January 9, 2016 — 7:24 pm
I was aware of examples of what we might call simple framerate modulation in both American cartoons and early Toei Doga, but I didn’t know if there was a linguistic distinction between modulating the framerate between scenes and characters vs modulating it within a single arc of motion. The word you give (which gives the badass name ‘disintermediation’ through machine translation) probably fits better since it’s at the breakdown when quintessentially anime timing is most noticeable. That Bill Nolan fact is very interesting; I’m a big fan of his Oswald cartoons so next time I watch them I’ll be on the lookout for that. Crediting innovations in any field of art, even one as small as animation, can be difficult to keep track of. Even if we exclude America entirely, Mitsuo Iso wasn’t even the first one in Japan to cut out inbetweens. Nonetheless I’ll edit the article to clear this confusion up.
With regard to the comment about equal ignorance on both side, I know. I have to fess up that there was a bit of rhetorical trickery in this article. I thought I could more easy sell sakuga fans on rectifying their own gaps in knowledge if it’s in the context of criticizing the other side for the same. Jim Tyer, Emery Hawkins, and Rod Scribner (three of my favorite animators of all time incidentally) deserve to be better known among sakuga fans, no doubt. In my defense, and this may be totally due to self-selection, I’ve seen way more JP animators praise individual Western cartoons here and there than American animators praise anime (mainly through animestyle top 10 lists and such). Their praise may not be systematic or with regard to specific animators, but it’s still noticeable. I feel less guilty about being misleading there than I would if I argued the opposite (that Western animators are more knowledgeable about anime than JP animators are about Western cartoons).
Also your English is great! Please don’t let that dissuade you from writing informative comments like these.
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Igor April 13, 2017 — 9:48 am
I don’t know if “” can mean “disintermediation” (I’m not even sure what is that) but jisho.org gives “outlined; lacking content” which is probably closer to the actual meaning in context of animation (interpreted literally from the components it could be translated as “removing/taking out the middle (part)”).
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Lighthalzen October 29, 2016 — 12:00 pm
I wish I understood Japanese, the particularity mentioned in the article seems interesting but I don’t really get it. Thanks for the comment though.
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magnil January 9, 2016 — 5:18 pm
Awesome article. I agree with most of your opnions and your examples given, however I think I should share some my two cents on this topic. I still has some difficulties in English writing so forgive me if I have any my grammar mistakes.
You’ve mentiond “frame rate modulation” in your post, though I always think this term could be misleading since we already had that term for display devices. I’ve been searching for the corresponding Japanese term for long time and couldn’t find it.
The defination for “frame rate modulation” of animation in English community varies from one to another, and this is the main reason that I think this term should be challenged. Some defines it as frames/drawing changing BETWEEN different scenes (like what Sakuga Panel has described as), for example, using 3s for dynamic action scenes and 2s for smoother scenes. But if so, the concept of “frame rate modulation” isn’t a big deal, since we all know that even Disney has varies frames/drawing from scene to scene. Ben Ettinger would argue that the standard Disney rule was “1 frame/cel during pans and 2 frames/cel any other time”, but it’s not the truth. Not to mentioned Shamus Culhane or who else used a lot of 3s fast actions in his cartoons. I even remember David Hand talked about they tried 4s in one scene and it looked decent.
Even if we defines it as modulation INSIDE one scene(as it should be), we still got a bunch of western animators using varies of frames/drawing in a single long scene, like waking in 2s and turns around in 1s. More often we would breakdown a long scene into serveral parts by drawing “keys”, and used different frames/drawing between “keys” if necessary. The only difference between Japanese animators and typical western animators in this concept, I think is that some Japanese animators would even use different frames/drawing on “breakdowns”(if we use western vocabulary, though it could be inacurate for those straight-ahead animators) between “extremes”, thus every bits of action looks timed differently. It is there in Otsuka Yasuo’s Samurai Giants’ opening, but still not yet in Horus no Daibouken. I say typical western animators because not every western animator uses the same frames/drawing for “breakdowns”. Bill Nolan had used that technique a lot in 30s when he animated fancy-free comical dances, 40 years before Otsuka Yasuo, though he didn’t coined any term for that. I believe there must be others in the west especially those tend to work straight-ahead, if we take a closer look into their works.
Rather than “frame rate modulation”, I think the core of Japanese animation is and you would see it mentioned in a lot of Japanese books. For explanation, see http://helloprohealing.blog.jp/archives/34112424.html (starts from 18:00).
While I agree “the stubborn ignorance of the American animation establishment shares a far greater blame” than the sakuga fans, actually the Japanese industry isn’t an exception. As Peter Chung stated, “animators in each culture are extremely knowledgeable about the minutiae of their own industry’s history, but almost totally unaware of the individual achievements of artists of the other side. To Japanese animators, most American animation looks the same – and vice versa.” You took Toshiyuki Inoue as example, but he’s the most knowledgeable people about western animators in Japan and even he only knows about the Disney school of animators(I say school because I count Don Bluth in). I never seen any professional Japanese animators mentioning non-Disney animators such as Jim Tyer, Emery Hawkins or Rod Scibner, let alone those indie animators. Early Japanese animators took inspration from Warner and UPA, but it’s more like western animators took inspration from Studio Ghibli recently, they didn’t pay much attention to individual artists.
I realized it when I met Sadao Tsukioka last year. Indeed he cited UPA cartoons as his inspration for limited animation, though ironically he gave the credit to Stephen Bosustow for those animation techniques, as we know that should be Bobe Cannon’s title. Mind you, Sadao Tsukioka is the representative of some Japanese animation academic organization(I don’t remember its name). Well, at least they know their industry’s history, which is awesome. We Chinese even don’t know about who animated what in our most significant cartoons(so I’m trying to do that), and I can bet French/Korean animation historians rarely know that as well.
We all should be grateful for living in such a globalized society which facilitates cultural exchanges. There are some Japanese trying to get educated about western individual animators, and vice versa. Breaking the cultural barriers would be quite difficult, but at least we have hope, thanks to the Internet.
LikeLiked by 2 people
animecommentary January 9, 2016 — 10:16 pm
This should qualify as one of the best articles about animation ever. XD I mean it; I learned so much from it that I decided to go back and see who else doesn’t receive much notice. I’d also include Svankmajer, O’Galop, Brakhage and other pioneers in the same list; stop motion animation may not be the most accessible medium, but Svankmajer showed how one could apply it effectively. As for O’Galop, he was one of the earliest French animators – check him out if you have the time. This also got me wondering about animation from other countries; Senegal has Pictoon, for example, and not many people think of the African continent when discussing film in general.
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(Post author)
tamerlane January 9, 2016 — 10:23 pm
Wrt Africa, Giannalberto Bendazzi wrote about the continent’s animation here https://www.brunel.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/110751/Giannalberto-Bendazzi-African-Cinema-Animation–Il-cinema-danimazione-africano.pdf. The great South African animator William Kentridge is probably my favorite of those I’ve seen but a lot of what he mentions, esp Egyptian animation, is hard to get ahold of.
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I would first like to apologize to both tamer and anyone who reads this comment for the amount of quoting I’m about to do in the following paragraphs, in my defense however, I’d like to signify that this comment is probably going to be-in it’s majority- somewhat of a summary of the article with some commentary on my part. My point of view is that of someone with a fair background on Anime in general and it’s famous directors, a little background on Sakuga and animators and very little background on Western and American animation (A number of Disney classics, Tom and Jerry and WB). A point of view which I think resonates with some of the readers, but before going on to that, some General thoughts:
Thinking about American animation (I’ll stick to that since that is the vast majority of what I saw rather than Western) in comparison to anime always gave me a peculiar feeling which I could never shake off, I always knew the good works were a good deal above the vast majority of anime I saw but couldn’t put my hand on why that was the case and why I still preferred anime over them. You mentioned several potential reasons why that is for many in the anime fandom, more mature themes being also a valid reason among many others(which certainly appealed to me more as I was younger) but it still felt lacking. I always had a slight dislike for the theatricality and-what I perceived- as excessive movement in cartoons (which could be perhaps the reason I’m not nearly amazed by Sakuga as many of it’s fans, despite finding greater appreciation of it as time goes and finding it pretty cool in general). Conversely, this is also probably why I subconsciously found the subtlety and heavy reliance on symbols in anime very appealing. This reliance led to a contrast in characters between those two traditions which I will touch upon when it’s mentioned in the article and which led to me taking much greater interest in anime direction in recent years.
Indeed, one of the main themes of the article is how those two schools of animation developed to have such a difference in philosophies that reflected itself in format, priorities while animating, degree of importance of other factors (such as music) among many other things, and as I reached the part where this phrase is mentioned:
“I like my animation animated.”
to summarize why American animation fans dislike anime, I found myself very sympathetic to their view. If one has an idea of the basics of what makes animation what it is, and then someone comes and walks over it in favor of something that is seemingly of little importance in comparison, it’s bound for one to find such a work distasteful (especially when one keeps in mind how trashy a good deal- if not the majority-of anime is).
The article then goes on to provide a very interesting insight (especially to the uninformed reader) into the development of American animation(which sheds more direct light on why the aforementioned dislike took place from a theoretical point of view), some of which I will quote and comment on here:
1-“Because the corpus of American animation is relatively small and complete”
I found this to be interesting when one looks at the shear scale of the anime industry in Japan, which-despite being both financially and in terms of labor-force inferior in comparison to former American studios( this is an assumption admittedly)- produces tens of shows every season. I always personally found it stunning how one country can produce this amount of animation by itself and reading on how the Japanese generally emphasize quantity and subtelty in animation as means of coping with the market (among other things) in comparison to American animation which heavily favors expressive and dynamic animation (animation itself basically), as the core of the whole process.
2-“This means the theoretical core behind the Hollywood cartoon is extremely robust,
bolstered by multiple decades of back-and-forth between professionals and historians.
This is insightful in considering why the views seem to have cemented themselves in American circles. Indeed, the analogy comparing it to classical music feels extremely fitting to me.
3-“were built on the bedrock of strong (or subtle) performances.
This is echoed in the many distinct personalities that populated Hollywood cartoons.”
Reading this, it finally clicked to me why there was such focus on expressive characters in American animation, it wasn’t just a personal impression I had, nor was it without reason and background.
4-“To call too much attention to a specific frame is to confuse living animation for static illustration”
Reading this, I remembered how it’s a staple habit of anime fans to provide frames from scenes liked, or to commend particular frames for being particularly artistic or beautiful (in other words, an aspect of anime which many anime fans doubtlessly like), something which simply doesn’t apply to American animation.
5-“Likewise, animators such as Norm Ferguson could be comparatively weak in traditional draftsmanship skills but still capable at their job.”
5,1-“It’s important to emphasize that although technical skills and consistent drawings are what separates a professional from an amateur, the soul of Hollywood animation is in the acting.
Hence why most historians rank the rougher pre-war films like Dumbo and Snow White above the lavish features of the 50s and on. ”
Basically the skills one needs to be a good animator differ a good deal from those needed to be a good painter or illustrator. “Putting the life into the characters” is the animator’s job from this perspective.
6-“This is why the expectation for a good character animator is that they disappear into their role. Michael Barrier compares the Hollywood animator to a method actor, except the ‘actor’
created by the animator has no distinction between their exterior role and their inner psychology.
6,1-“Japanese animation quickly diverged. Character acting in anime is often symbolic. That is, personality is conveyed through shorthands for a particular emotional response
If one asked me to give one reason I disliked many characters in American animation or found them basic, then it would easily be this (6). Having had an interest in psychology for long years (enough to actually major in it) is what made me stop looking back on American animation for many many years after finding anime. Characters that reflected their entire being in their actions struck me as critically one dimensional and far from the human experience, and although I can see that this critique is both harsh and partially misled- not to mention that it’s due to a philosophical difference in traditions and fully deliberate-it’s still the main reason I prefer anime.
I also found 6.1 to be very insightful when one considers how much psychoanalysis is referenced in anime and how much influence it seems to play in some works. In addition, many renowned works on the psychology of anime related individuals or fans (works like The beautiful fighting girl) are also from a psychoanalytical perspective (Focus on symbols, subconscious, etc).
There is however a second and very big reason I prefer anime, direction:
1- “The anime storyboard would be the conduit for personal expression, every cut, every pan, every sound cue under the absolute control of the director”
1.1-Peter Chung sums it up succinctly: anime is the “art of creating and controlling movement.
It’s all about using motion itself as a means of self expression.”
1.2-For instance, in Ohira’s Wanwa the Doggy the surrounding environment is an expression of the main character’s emotional turmoil,
such that it’s sometimes hard to tell where a character ends and the effects begin. We see what the character feels, not how they act.
The fact that the director has the entire resources in the shot at his disposal to convey a certain feeling in anime is utterly baffling to me, it’s also the reason why I took interest in direction in general, but that of animation feels like a level above in the space and potential. It feels to me like walking in the street and finding that background music started playing and the environment changing based on one’s mood and emotions… The subtlety, and symbolism a director can insert into a single shot or scene is astonishing, it can relay so much meaning and depth when it’s realized to it’s full potential….
I didn’t want to talk much about the conflict itself and how it’s viewed by fans of both traditions but a little probably needs to be said:
1-I believe that this difference is meant to be seen as just that, a difference in philosophy that led to greatly diverging traditions. It’s up to us to have preferences but there is simply no better or worse here, no good and bad, it’s just a matter of preference and beliefs.
2-The rift between the two is indeed very sad and it would be very cool if at least fans on both sides can come closer to each other but I think it begins for anime fans by realizing that many of the works of Western and American animation are legitimate works of art that have shitton of thought, theory and tradition behind them and dismissing them as “works for children” or whatnot is outright stupid, being ignorant can be okay, spouting bullshit never is.
3-Finally, it saddens me greatly how traditional Animation fell out of the mainstream in the west and I would like to put one final quote in concluding this comment:
“This is not an argument that the US should abandon their unique tradition in favor of foreign influence.
Rather, the Japanese took the challenges of modern production seriously and we should pay attention to what they can teach us.”
I’m both sorry and thankful for the time you took in read this extremely long comment, and I ask you to forgive any mistakes as English isn’t my mother tongue.
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tamerlane January 10, 2016 — 12:01 am
Don’t apologize for a long comment. I’m flattered you took the time to write it!
The quantity v quality issue is an interesting sidebar to this. Toshiyuki Inoue once said that aspiring animators should learn to not only produce high quality work but produce it on the quick. That’s why compared to his peers like Ohira and Iso, who take forever on their scenes, he emphasizes turning out a regular stream of content. Quality and quantity is the only way to beat the pervasive mediocrity in the anime industry (probably why Inoue is a huge fan of KyotoAni; they’re super consistent AND high volume). From what I’ve read, it seems that anime is very much “learn as you go” rather than in the US where making your way up from inbetweening to key animation is a long and arduous journey.
Your criticism of US animation’s theatricality is a common one among anime fans. I would say that, in general, any character animation that mugs the camera and acts too self-aware is bad character animation. You get this in a lot of those Silver Age Disney features – characters that might as well be winking at the camera. But I would say the best of American animation isn’t stagey but exaggerated, caricatured, and expressive. The Americans didn’t develop this complex and convoluted system of traditional animation just to mimic what live action actors can already do. The dwarves in Snow White can move their faces in ways that don’t respect the normal laws of anatomy, Scribner’s Daffy literally distorts and mutates his body with his emotions, and Emery Hawkins’s famous Greedy scene shows how strange and out-there ‘traditional’ character animation can get. I won’t begrudge anyone their preferences – I get fatigued by an overabundance of either – but I recommend giving US cartoons another try every one and a while. Even if you dislike them, you’ll know exactly why you do.
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theplake January 11, 2016 — 2:23 am
This mirrors in many ways how I feel about the way the West looks at anime, I had trouble understanding why beyond perhaps cultural differences as far as content goes(which I think is definitely true), but one too many times I’ve seem people that say are interested in animation that would completly disregard anything coming from Japan and I couldn’t shake the feeling there had to be something else to it.
Of all the things you mentioned I think that the body of work of American animation being smaller and therefore it is easier to have a full grasp on, rings the most true to me.
One too many times I have seen someone say “this is the best animated scene of all time!” when talking about some arbitrary moment in any western film or TV show and I couldn’t help but say “but anime brings us something like that about every other week!”. Except I wouldn’t actually say it because there’s a stigma about bringing up anime when people aren’t already talking about it.
Which I think is still the biggest contributor when talking about Sakuga fans being bad ambassadors. It’s badly looked upon to bring anime up when it’s “uncalled” for.
I’m not sure I agree on the reasons you give for anime attracting fanfiction at all though, I think that might be a completly different phenomenon, either that or I missinterpreted your point there.
A++ for mentioning Hyouka, still one of the best looking T.V. shows of all time.
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Novid January 11, 2016 — 6:15 am
I want to keep this short and sweet.
There isn’t a lot of articles like this in the internet. This article is one of the rare ones that makes one think on what is, what could have been, what went wrong, what others got wrong and what is in the future for fans of the animation world.
This essay is truly beautiful in the way that says – there is a world beyond this. There were worlds beyond all of the corporate and incorporated works. And for rare times, those small rare times where Americans saw other work from other places. I think the sad thing and the reason why things seem so dead in the business in the US now is that the people who work in the industry now, were second tier folks compared to Michael Sporn and others, who the bigger animation houses never gave them a chance in the business after John K lost Ren And Stimpy to Nick and After Titan AE’s animated series fell through and got retooled after Bluth capitulated to Fox and the rest of those folks during the production of the Movie.
The story of American animation right after Titan AE, the success of Pokemon some time later and the move away from something substantial to the dross and the gameplaying from the rest of business would fill whole novels. But i think one needs to look at what happened to Thundercats 2011 and its missed opportunities and then the shows that took place AFTER CN stated that there were going to be no more episodes of the Thundercats 2011 and what has happened to each of the fanbases of the shows that did live. Did it help their networks? Did it help gain respect of infamy?
Because what i see, is that US animation is lead by those – after all is said and done, that finally realizes that they didn’t do a good enough job convincing both their students and their fans that animation done in the west was worth more than a toy grab or a feather in ones cap. Now – their second tier animation students, who were no where near as talented as the men and women i mentioned above, have shows on CN and Nick that are nowhere close to even Spongebob, Ferb and others. And now they play political games with their aduiance in order for these second tier animators and that fanbase they wish to reach, to have ownership of a show with no declarable catch other than misguided sensuality coded in jewels (it doesnt help matters when said fans of said show, told another fan to go kill her self because she drew one of the mains with less thickness than what the creators did).
Amid Amidi may be one of the more closely connected and younger of these critics and leaders, but he will continue to search for something that will not exist as long as the leaders of this said business protect folks that will never promote or push the medium forward. He can judge all the rest of the animation panels in the world, and do a great job on it – but he will never find the next animation style hit.
Because that style hit cannot exist without any imprint from Japan regardless of what anybody thinks. And this is where we come to the reasons why. America has gone through traumas that it hasn’t gotten over. It shows it its movies, TV and music. Yet its animation – is showing concepts from decades before. Japan does this as well, but very recently it started to go and talk about these issues in a very honest and satirical manner. American animation is stuck in post 1994 Lion King mode. It had so many chances to move forward, but because corporate saw toy money (which is mostly gone) nothing gets done. And so – nothing the US does in Animation has a impact as Lion King does (or Wall-E for CGI) but they have social-corporate impact.
It maybe high time to see a way to rebuild the US industry with Anime as one of the cores.
Thank you for this essay
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L. S. January 13, 2016 — 10:09 pm
Disclaimer: Anime fan linked here from an anime site, I know next to nothing about animation, even Sakuga. I write stories and spend a lot of time analyzing storytelling and character development, in anime, novels, theater, western animation, and all sorts of media. So that got me curious – you say that anime characters tend to be animated as symbols, “blank slates,” and not fully fleshed out characters. Did you mean this across the board, or in general? Does this mean something different from an animation perspective than a writing perspective? In the anime I like, which aren’t the most popular ones but are still anime, the characters are well written and the animation supports this, as do the character designs. I see moments when the animation, and the character’s movement, adds to the character development, and it could be that I just don’t know enough, but maybe the shows I connect with are exceptions to the rule. I’m not talking about things like Sword Art Online or Bleach. The thing that spring to mind first is a series called K Project. There are these little character moments, facial expressions and small gestures that they really could have gotten by without adding, but the fact that they did adds miles of depth to the characters – and keeps the viewer engaged while the show takes it’s time to reveal what’s going on. Those do a lot to endear the characters to you, similar to watching a great actor in live-action, like you said it should be, and it’s a large part of the show’s appeal. That, and the nostalgia caused by its similarities to great mid-00’s anime series like Fullmetal Alchemist (’03), Code Geass, Samurai Champloo, and others, which I’d say also have these qualities. I’m not saying these are the best examples of Sakuga or anime or anything from an animation standpoint… I just was wondering where this sort of thing fits into that description of the issues with character animation in anime. Maybe it’s something that’s only relevant coming at it from a story perspective and not an animation one, in which case, sorry for the long comment.
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tamerlane January 13, 2016 — 10:55 pm
I probably should’ve been more specific in the article, but I wasn’t trying to say that there’s absolutely no moments of characterization in anime. It’s that those moments usually stem from aspects of filmmaking other than the acting; framing, lighting, the rhythm of the editing, and so on. For example, every character in Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell is blank faced and emotionless at pretty much all times, but the dense atmosphere that Oshii builds around them lends their interactions a sense of melancholy and emotional poignancy. Their inner feelings are externalized into the world around them (hence why I think “expressionist” is a good descriptor). But if you look at the ‘actors’ themselves, they aren’t doing much. If you’ve ever seen any of the films of Robert Bresson, with his impassive actor-models, it’s sort of like that. To Americans all anime characters are ‘actor-models’ and since they consider the core of narrative cartooning to be character animation and character animation alone, they’ll look at films like Spirited Away and Perfect Blue and wonder why they couldn’t be filmed in live action with CG or special effects.
Granted it’s not all black and white – there are examples of ‘acting’ in anime, no doubt – but it’s not as much of a singular focus as it is in the West. There might be a few distinguishing quirks separating boisterous genki girl A from boisterous genki girl B, but it’s not surprising to see fans have massively different interpretations of the same character, whereas Golden Age animation is too specific to allow that. This might be an intended feature: if the parameters for a character are less rigid, it’s easier to imagine oneself and one’s friends in the positions of the main cast. Hence the supposedly escapist nature of anime.
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Iju January 18, 2016 — 1:49 am
that “acting” you talk about that cartoons once have are unfortunately only seen in CGI movies. the detail of the human moments – down to hair and the simple sway of clothing – is put in and is quickly and clearly seen. but that’s about all the places you’re going to find it now. people don’t bother with that in cartoons anymore. the characters are stocky and easy to draw, the hair has next to no movement unless there is “necessary scenes” for it to happen (such as a big gust of wind has come and/or a really big explosion and such). the same is with clothes and the like.
if you want to really see the “acting” in recent days, look at when marnie was there (i haven’t seen it in the conversation thus far so i’m assumign you haven’t seen it). the story is pretty much meh but my gosh the detail (what you call acting) in there is no joke. it seemed like the one movie that ghibli just simply wanted to show off.
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reanimator January 16, 2016 — 8:16 am
Thank you for the excellent post. I have so much things to say…Oh well..
As a guy who is Sakuga fan; have studied Disney-style animating method; and enjoyed European feature animations all while in a certain art school, I try not to have limited view on what animation should be. While there is nothing wrong having great character animation, what disappoints me is that it could not adjust itself accordingly (due to rabid fan expectations) to make better 2D animation in America. For one thing, I see gross inefficiency and singular mindset of “character animation trumps everything else” are not helping to produce better 2D animation production in America.
Since changes in media landscape has impacted how animation should be made along with much smaller budget and more individual groups, efficiency comes into play as there are severe limitations. As for efficiency itself, never-pausing character animation used in Golden/Silver Age is impractical today as it consumes precious time and money which most animation producers will never have. So where do we use character animation? If Japanese has taught us anything, then we should use it on most pivotal scene in the given animated show, not spreading it out to “mundane” scenes that don’t require Academy award performance. I think we became so inefficient and ignorant that we slowly killed our 2D animation industry without giving much thought. As long as lavish character animation is all over the place, we wrongly assumed that millions of people will to pay money to watch for it, when in reality it’s the other factors that makes or break the show.
It is shameful that supporters of western 2D animations call others inferior as we strangled our own animation industry by being inefficient and ignorant. Instead of fighting tooth and nail to make 2D animation relevant in commercial arena, we ran the business as usual thus brought ruins to the industry. If we look at failure of recent expensive 2D feature animations, why did they failed despite lavish character animation and higher-than-high budget? For one thing, feature 2D animations failed to capture attention from young people who are used to interactive medium of video game and social media. In media world, it’s the young people who spend their income more than older people. Fairy tale or not, I do think that 1930’s method of cinematic expression can’t resonate well with young people’s conscious. Overdeveloped character and tightfisted control of audience expectation along with never-pausing character animation doesn’t give breathing room for audience who want things loose and approachable like video game.
When TV animation work in the America is simply about storyboarding and designing, then will the new generation of directors and designers alone will have needed knowledge and experience that can bring up 2D animation as relevant art form? It’s not the high budget that makes animation relevant, but passing the knowledge and allowing new generation to express themselves in their own way is what keeping animation alive and relevant.
To me, groaning about not doing the same way as Golden/Silver Age is disingenuous to the art form and is not supporting new generation of animation artists who want to carry the torch and trying to make the animation art better in the arena of commercial animation.
When cartoon fans, critics, and professionals solely judge quality of animation for character animation alone, I do think this defeats the purpose of having other artists working on animation as well. If character animation is the sole reason for “quality animation”, then what is the point of having writers, actors, art director, FX animator, colorist, and many others if assumption is that audience will only care about how characters move?
Of course there are excellent independent 2D animations all over the U.S. and the world are being produced every year, but they don’t have marketing power associated commercial animations to present it to mass audience. Even with proliferation of streaming videos, it is still hit or miss for wider attention
As I said earlier, the “character animation is all” mindset is outdated and unappealing. Why is that? Even though method acting that influenced Golden Age character animation is relevant, but its mannerism, timing, designs, cinematography are need to be up to date with what new generation wants to see and experience. Live action film has been going through changes with directors who built their skills through smaller innovative independent films and TV, and they bring new ideas and concepts from that experience. It’s sad that commercial 2D animation here aren’t flexible enough to recognize and support the needed changes. If Anime taught one thing is that their method is flexible enough to allow young artists to shine whether it’s director or animator.
As for Sakuga fandom, I do get tired of seeing flashy animation which doesn’t look all that inspiring. Nowadays, young Japanese animators are just seem to be copying animation done by great predecessors. I’d rather see bold experimentation with trial and error and taking inspiration from life than limiting themselves by copying others. Seeing tons of Sakuga MAD video is nice and all, but I wish that more animation sequence have unique expressive quality rather it’s just fancy movement with pizzazz. Also diversifying good animation to character acting, not just FX and action sequence.
Sorry about my long-winded rant. You just brought up excellent points and I can’t help myself.
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tamerlane January 16, 2016 — 9:13 am
I’m reminded of a few of Peter Chung’s statements. He says that Western animators tend to become obsessed with the process of animating itself to the point that they ignore the shape of the final product. He’s also said that Western directors tend to sublimate their own desires and individuality for the purpose of pleasing the audience (hence why American animation writers often have strong opinions on “what the audience wants”). This combination of factors worked beautifully for the kind of broad, vaudeville-derived comedy that defined much of the Golden Age but in the modern world where tastes are both more balkanized and diverse, it’s not sustainable. The question “Why does animation matter at all?” is one that ought to be asked with greater frequency.
Ironically anime has the opposite problem. Far too much anime is made By Otaku For Otaku, appealing to the dumbest personal desires of its makers with no attempt at wider appeal. This is why I see the West/East issue as a two way street. Both sides have a lot they could learn from the other.
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jakewyatt January 17, 2016 — 3:32 am
Loved the article! I’m sure you heard/read this from a credible source, but Brad Bird definitely didn’t board The Incredibles by himself. That film was boarded and re-boarded by an entire story team and versioned into several animatics along the way by a team of editors. Bird did write it, though. And he DID animate the Hogarth On Coffee sequence from The Iron Giant by himself.
Anyway, just thought you should know!
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tamerlane January 17, 2016 — 6:40 am
Oh! I’ll make that correction right away then. Thanks for the heads up!
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Nicholas Walstrom January 19, 2016 — 10:24 pm
I think this is a very good article overall but for your statement that “you’d be hard pressed to find a Western animator praise an anime specifically for its craft, or even praise a non-Ghibli anime without caveat”. I’m sure you’ve seen Peter Chung mention on the AniPages forums that he got a very positive response to showing Lupin to people at Disney, and Yasuo Otsuka’s Joy in Motion mentioning that Ollie Johnston felt that Down Town was superior to Disney movies (boy would I love a closer to firsthand source on that one…)
And if you look at those in the television animation industry rather than just Hollywood, the two-way admiration is even clearer. (And it certainly makes sense to, since so many television anime are mentioned in the article.) So much of American television animation clearly takes from Japanese anime. Usually mostly superficial elements that the staff members find cool, but for example Steven Universe often goes far beyond shout-outs to specific shows to having a cadence more like that of an anime. And you can see photos of Rebecca Sugar and Ian Jones-Quartey at Trigger, followed by caricatures of them in Little Witch Academia 2…
There’s a lot of love for Japanese media from westerners involved in the animation process. The disrespect or disregarding of it is almost entirely on the part of critics who don’t do much animation themselves, people on the corporate side of production who leave the creative duties to other people, and the occasional salty curmudgeon.
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tamerlane January 19, 2016 — 11:36 pm
I don’t completely disagree with this. The situation is getting better on both ends, and the more I reflect on it the polemical tone towards the end was perhaps a bit much. This last year I’ve become really frustrated by the provincial nature of animation scholarship. The rest of the arts are largely international (imagine a film critic who doesn’t recognize the name Takashi Miike or Hou Hsiao-hsien) while animation seems significantly more fractured. Not simply East v West but within the West, the Hollywood tradition v the artfilm tradition that Chris Robinson et al promote, and West v Eastern Europe, and so on. There’s too few generalists in animation.
Still, a few things to note:
Most praise of Ghibli I’ve seen from Western animators is rarely about the animation itself. I forget which Disney animator said Cagliostro was “90% layout” (Thomas?) but I think that captures the mentality towards anime well. It can be well-directed and well-written but never well-animated. Even major defenders of Ghibli like Michael Sporn have said things to the effect like “Spirited Away is the first time Miyazaki has attempted real character animation”. Not that there’s anything wrong with appreciating Ghibli films for their direction (they’ve made very many fantastic films after all) but their name is often deployed as an excuse not to engage with anime on a craft level. If Ghibli is the best anime can offer, then it’s not worth digging deeper.
American TV is a different beast, true, but most American TV cartoons aren’t really American animation per se. Almost all of them have their keys outsourced to Korea with Americans only providing storyboard art and layouts. We could say that these anti-anime critics are all old codgers who can’t get with the times but many of these critics have valid points, know the history far better than the younger generation, and write with a seriousness that the anime fan world lacks entirely (with the notable exception of Ben Ettinger).
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Nicholas Walstrom January 20, 2016 — 12:10 am
Yeah, western TV animation is usually outsourced, but the overall look and feel is still closely controlled through the work done domestically, and bits of animation here and there are often done so as well. Based on their overall work you certainly can’t say Rebecca Sugar and Ian JQ aren’t animators. Same goes for Bruce Timm, who has been very lavish with his praise for TMS, and Kent Butterworth who praised Toei’s strong handling of effects animation and action scenes, and Don Bluth who considers Ghibli movies “full animation” rather than “anime” (all right, that last one still fits your point perfectly…)
Anyway, there’s clearly a reason Masaaki Yuasa’s Adventure Time was animated by his own crew in Japan. Same goes for Imaishi’s opening for Black Dynamite. And of course Aaron McGruder switched to having The Boondocks animated by Madhouse when he got the chance.
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tamerlane January 20, 2016 — 2:21 am
Speaking with you & others, I felt compelled to rewrite the conclusion a bit. I’m satisfied with how even-handed much of the article is so that polemicizing at the end looks particularly out of place. I’ll also concede American TV animation, esp after the 90s, is not my strong suit and some of the examples you provide I’ve never heard of before (got a link for those Bruce Timm and Kent Butterworth comments?)
The situation is getting better, most def. But on the consumer and critical level these debates have barely occurred, so it feels like we’re a long way from where we need to be.
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Nicholas Walstrom January 20, 2016 — 2:45 am
See this interview with Butterworth, which is also very worthwhile for his comments on clashing with Groening’s direction on The Simpsons: http://johnpannozzi.blogspot.com/2008/07/all-about-kent-butterworth.html
For Timm on TMS, look to his comments on the Batman episode “Feat of Clay: Part 2” (and if you haven’t watched the episode, you absolutely must; I guarantee you’ll be blown away). The following is excerpted from World’s Finest Online:
Noted Timm, “I think when we shipped them ‘Clayface,’ they said to themselves: They think they know everything, but we’ll show them how do do this show. We’ll change Batman’s colors. We’ll do special color key treatments on the villains when they’re walking over the green vat. We’ll blow them away.’ If that’s their revenge, thank you for proving us wrong. I was so happy with that episode.” “The sequence where Daggett and Germs are walking over that green vat, those characters look like they’re three-dimensional. They look like they’re rotoscoped. When Daggett slowly turns toward the camera, the shadows really wrap around his face. It’s as if they’re real! They did all those colors themselves. We couldn’t even ask for those colors if we wanted to. They aren’t even in our palette. They had to specially mix those colors.”
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Iju January 24, 2016 — 4:54 am
so basically what the historians are saying is that they see the 12 principles of animation as law, and since anime doesn’t follow that (outside of key animation), they hate it. correct?
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Anonymous July 9, 2017 — 12:57 pm
If you read this article and that’s all you got out of it, I’m not sure if there’s anything else to be said, but I will offer my perspective.
Seems to me (at least from the anime that I have been exposed to) that the Japanese don’t even know what they follow (or try to). They are unaware of the history of the craft, the actual art and form of breathing life into drawings. I mean to say, they break the rules before knowing it. Seems to me they have no real respect for the craft and this ignorance is what turns me away from anime the most. From a Western perspective, they don’t *get* it. Call it culture shock, but that’s not all. What irks me the most is that anime’s influence has turned animation from an art form to another asinine element of pop culture consumed mainly by teenagers. I believe anime is such a big contributor to the line of thought that makes people think cartoons are just for kids, and can’t be anything more. Doesn’t help that anime fans have garnered such a bad reputation.
Historians exist to make people aware of history. If they hate it, maybe it’s because they don’t see any real history, real significance in terms of the craft of animation in anime. Nothing so imperialist as your suggestion.
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JCC April 16, 2016 — 8:10 pm
Where would you say Korean contractor animation fits in? (Like the animation for the Simpsons.) It seems like both old-school Western animators and sakuga fans are dismissive of it, but surely it is the most commercially successful style of animation? Both America and Japan outsource a bunch of work. I wonder if this is due to the unusual silence of Korean animators (other than maybe Studio Mir) on the usual social media sites?
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reanimator May 13, 2016 — 3:26 am
Just to be clear, I’m a Korean-American citizen who can read, write, and speak Korean.
I don’t know about western animation fans, but there are some great Korean animators who are known to Sakuga fans. I think fans tend to notice Korean animators more when Korean animators ditch subcontract studio in Korea and establish themselves to bigger, well-known Japanese studios as key animator and/or Animation Director.
Just like Japanese animators, many Korean animators don’t speak English and it’s up to individual fans to seek out information about them in Korean. How did certain anime creators got popular in the West? It was the fans who actively sought out Japanese animation artists of their favorite shows and putting them on spotlight. No matter how fluent that Korean animator’s English might be, it’s pointless when fans aren’t interested in his work. So if that Korean animator’s style or idiosyncrasy doesn’t click with Sakuga fans at large, then they’re not going to put his work in spotlight.
In most cases, Korean names are shown in English on Anime end credits, so fans will eventually find out which Korean animator drew their favorite scenes. My new favorite Korean animator is, Han Seung-Ah, who was the animator for Osomatsu-San. I like her work because of her stop motion animation used in the ending credit.
Even contracted Japanese animators themselves have hard time getting credited on their own country’s shows. Imagine what is like being a subcontractor in Korea. Only the subcontract company name will show up instead of individual names.
As for Korean animation industry, let’s say that they still have a lot of problems as viable business and now Korean government is involved as well. Is it a good thing? I have mixed feeling about it because Japanese sold their cartoons to America without government help. Even with government help, the quality of their contents will not improve overnight as there are numerous obstacles to overcome.
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Blond June 6, 2016 — 2:15 am
he he he by reading this, I’m sure you’ve already seen and got inspired by the ”Sakuga” series uploaded by Sean Bires on Youtube. I’m sharing his conference as much as I can to people so that they can truly recognize the ingenuosity and creativity that lies within signature-based animation.
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Nic Sweet June 6, 2016 — 4:41 am
Animation means to breath life into-. Back in the day when cave men blow-sprayed paint to make a hand negative. That was animation. Even still drawings can be animated. 1375-1425; late Middle English animat < Latin animātus filled with breath or air, quickened, animated (past participle of animāre). See anima, -ate1 http://www.dictionary.com/browse/animate
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Francois Jordaan June 21, 2016 — 9:43 pm
Thank you for a wonderful article. I’ve long wished someone would grapple with this subject thoroughly.
I’ve not read all the comments you’ve received, so forgive me if I make points others have already made. I certainly understand the criticism that anime characters tend to be cyphers, with relatively limited expressiveness. But sometimes I think it’s more a matter of subtlety and naturalism in anime, rather than stock gestures and unexpressiveness. This is why there’s a whole genre called “slice of life” anime, an unimaginable category in mainstream Western animation. I derive great pleasure from Japanese animators depicting fleeting, subtle actions or gestures that may sometimes not even be narratively necessary. A character stumbling during a fast run. The way Chihiro puts on her shoes in Kamajii’s room. How Hana juggles two werewolf-toddlers in her tiny apartment.
By contrast, Western animation — following the precedent set by Disney — tends towards to over-acting in my opinion. Disney feature animation (up to the present day) often seem to me to follow a Broadway musical style of acting — with ostentatious, easily-read gestures and a high level of caricature. I’m not saying this is wrong — I enjoy it as well and have an enormous respect for the animators’ skills — but a great reason why I enjoy Japanese anime is because it *doesn’t* take this approach to acting. And it’s something I would love to see more of in Western animation, but the likelihood of this seems slim. (The Illusionist is a good example, but obviously far from mainstream.)
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someone November 29, 2016 — 10:55 am
“Most of the time the ‘roles’ in anime are little more than stock archetypes or emblems of a particular social class, give or take a few distinguishing quirks. Even in serious productions like Miyazaki’s the animation rarely has specificity of character – any given Miyazaki heroine is interchangeable with any other. And when we’re able to be emotionally affected by what happens to a character or empathize with their situation, the acting is almost never the reason why. This is probably why anime characters are appealing to fanartists and fanfictionists; they’re nearly blank slates.”
Utterly absurd and completely wrong, and seems like something written by someone who has never watched any anime and is only repeating things he’s heard about it.
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Such a well thought out article this needs to spread far and wide
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Tim Foley May 29, 2017 — 7:41 pm
This reminds me of something my father–a bit of a cinematography buff–once told me about the difference in directorial style between Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick, which, paraphrasing, was “A great Kubrick shot blows you away. A great Spielberg shot is invisible.” The golden age of American animation was concerned with the beauty of motion itself, the aesthetic possibilities unique to the medium; it’s telling that it was first–and perhaps always foremost, even with the advent of Disney’s more operatic storytelling–used for comedy. This has lead not just to a dismissal of other animation traditions within the American community, but also to a dismissal of the entire medium by much of film academia and the public at large. Animation, in their eyes, is to be used for children’s stories and gags, not much beyond. Aside from a few dozen TV comedies, and the brief heyday of adult-oriented animated theatrical features in the seventies (Both of which are still thought of as novelties), animation is still generally treated in the west as “Kid’s stuff.”
Meanwhile, in Japan, where the animation itself is more subtle and the story it’s telling tends to take precedent, it has been a given that adults consume animation and as such can be marketed to for decades. Artistic possibilities have bloomed in that environment, leading to numerous distinct genres and myriads upon myriads of unique, independent works. While the AMPAS trots out five family-friendly comedic adventures every year to fill up the “Best animated feature” category, Japanese animated features can be character dramas, mature romances, psychological thrillers, war stories, comedies, the list goes on. Putting the overall vision for the story ahead of impressive animation may give some audiences a harder time suspending their disbelief, but it appears to also lead to a much ricer artistic landscape.
One more note: I strongly disagree with the statement that western animated television shows are “Lifeless flashtoons” across the board. Some of the most fantastically powerful and entertaining television ever made has been produced in the past few years by Cartoon Network and Disney Channel, and I think the influence of anime is a big reason why. Yes, the animation itself is outsourced, and the gorgeous constant motion of old Looney Toons or Disney features is absent, but a similar trade is made: a greater sense of authorial voice, and a previously unheard of level of artistic freedom. For pure animation, sure, “Duck Amuck” and “The Cat Concerto” are more impressive than “Lemonhope” or “Mr. Greg”, but the latter two are lightyears ahead of them in terms of writing, style, atmosphere, dramatic ambition, and thematic depth. Any definition of great animation which excludes “Adventure Time”, one of the most visionary and brilliant works of art the 21st century has yet produced, or indeed “Steven Universe”, “Gravity Falls”, “Over the Garden Wall”, or “Star vs the Forces of Evil”, is not one I’m interested in giving much credence to.
As pointed out at the start of the article, we’re sort of talking about two different arts here, the art of storytelling and the art of animation. But surely the same could be said for filmmaking: aren’t all great films that are not pure exercises in cinematography also triumphs in the art of screenwriting? Not to mention acting? I think that’s an important lesson for people who dismiss either anime or the best of the current generation of children’s cartoons: like any medium, animation should be allowed to not call attention to itself if it’s in the service of a truly great story. Not all great animation blows you away; great animation can be invisible.
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ibcf May 30, 2017 — 8:13 pm
I agree with some of your points—anime has certainly helped diversify the range of themes and genres in animation, and great cinematography/animation doesn’t always have to be overt.
But you seem to imply (correct me if I’m wrong) that animated works that place emphasis on visuals will necessarily be deficient in other aspects. Aren’t Miyazaki’s films known for their spectacular animated set pieces? I don’t think the visuals take a backseat to the story in Spirited Away, Mononoke, or Ponyo, and yet they are also some of the most thematically rich anime out there. Same with Takahata, Oshii, Kon, Sugii…
I’m also not sure I agree with your assessment of Western vs. Japanese animation’s priorities. American animation is indeed more restricted in its scope, but that’s not because it’s primarily concerned with the beauty of motion. If anything, the opposite is true! Here’s a quote from Peter Chung—he’s a veteran animator with the unique distinction of having worked extensively in both countries:
“Japanese animation theory is that animation is the art of creating and controlling movement. It’s all about using motion itself as a means of self expression. American animators define what they do much more narrowly: animation is the art of creating life. Not making drawings move, but making them live. This may seem like a mere semantic distinction, but the difference permeates every aspect of the animator’s thinking.”
So the issue isn’t that the medium is inherently limited, it’s how the artists specifically use it! And even then, I’d argue that America’s emphasis on “life” has merit. The shallowness and preoccupation with comedy likely has more to do with the accepted standards of Hollywood short subjects in the old days (and perhaps Walt Disney’s kitschy tastes to some degree).
I agree with your Spielberg/Kubrick analogy in principle. But if we’re directly comparing animation to cinematography, I don’t think it benefits any of the examples you cite. Spielberg may have a more subtle style, but he still applies the art with a high level of skill. There’s nothing lesser about his approach. On the other hand, the animation in modern American TV cartoons is simply poor for the most part. There’s no subtlety or artistry in it; at best, it’s merely a tool to get the characters from point A to point B. The poses and expressions are watered down from the storyboards, and the timing is cold and mechanical. It’s not the artist’s fault— the production system is to blame—but still, I can’t make excuses for the final results.
I prefer anime because Japanese artists (at least some of them) are allowed to strive for the best possible results, both story-wise and visually. Again, I find it odd that you seem be saying that anime emphasizes non-visual elements over animation. For the most part, mainstream anime has been far more visually striking than American cartoons for at least the past half-century. Maybe you’re conflating higher frame rates with “animation quality.” The artistic value of a piece of animation has much more to do with the timing, spacing, and look of drawings than smoothness. TV anime has been far more successful than American TV cartoons in that regard.
I’ve seen some of those western shows, and I agree that they’ve improved over the years in a thematic and storytelling sense. They certainly deserve praise for their advances. But do they really stack up to what Japanese animation has already been consistently achieving for decades? Moreover, can they truly be counted among “the most visionary and brilliant works of art” in the 21st century? I’m sorry, but that almost sounds patronizing to me.
I’ll reiterate what tamerlane said in the other article: there’s some well-directed and well-written animation out there, but they can’t compare to the greatest works of live-action film and literature. On the other hand, the best animation is totally novel and unique! There’s literally nothing else like it. If you’re making an animated film, why retread old ground when there’s a vast, unexplored medium waiting to be tapped?
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Tim Foley May 31, 2017 — 5:08 am
Good points all around; I agree on some and disagree on others. I was more than a bit reductionist in my picture of the animation world as “Complex stories with simple animation vs basic stories with pretty animation.” Plus, I think the point I was making in the first place isn’t entirely relevant to the article at hand, since its subject is the pure craft of animation and my point had more to do with the storytelling possibilities that have been explored using that craft. I still think it’s slightly pointless to separate those two, like separating cinematography from the rest of filmmaking, because it removes the experience of consuming art from the emotional impact it makes and makes into a sort of sport spectatorship, an appreciation of raw technical ability for its own sake. That simply doesn’t interest me very much, so my natural instinct whenever a discussion like this comes up is to stick my big dumb head in and say “Yeah, but what about the FEELINGS, man?”
My spiel about limited animation was more in response to the wrongheaded views of outsiders to the anime community addressed early in the article. It’s undeniable that Japanese character animation–outside of setpieces–tends to be comparatively limited, and I was agreeing with the article that this is a reflection of different ideas about what constitutes “Good” animation rather than simply failure to live up to our standards through misguidedness or laziness, an accusation as common as it is ludicrous. And I stand by my position that part of why this works–when it works–is a higher standard of storytelling. Snow White is a boring shell of a character, but is so mesmerizing to watch in motion that her film is carried effectively. Spike Spiegel has almost no detail in his face besides his eyes and his mouth, but he’s such a compellingly written and acted character that your belief is still effectively suspended. I think the wider range and depth of stories grew out of the animation style, not the other way around.
I would tend to agree that for the most part, Japanese animation has been far more visually interesting–as well as thematically interesting–than American animation for most of the history of both traditions. That was my point about the influence of anime bringing a higher standard to American television: the best we’ve ever had to offer are all relatively recent, post-Japanamerica efforts. Each of those shows I mentioned–whose quality I absolutely still stand by–are only as good as they are because their creators clearly grew up being exposed to anime, which informed their ideas about what animation could be; and when they had their shot to make their own shows, they saw no reason to abandon that wider definition. We’re just now getting around to figuring out the stuff Japan had down twenty-thirty years ago, so we’ve obviously produced FEWER great works so far, but I see no reason to call them LESSER works than the best of anime. I’m not beating any nationalist drum here, I’m saying we’ve maybe produced like five shows worthy mentioning alongside Japan’s best thirty. And I’m saying that the limits of outsourced animation should no more count against them than the difference from western animation priorities counts against anime.
I won’t go rambling on defending those specific shows or my statements about them–that’s more to do with my taste than any observations about the artistic climate, and discussion of this nature is better based in principle than passion. Also, I write far too much about “Adventure Time” already, it can’t be good for my health. I make no apology for the status I awarded it, except to say that I would certainly also extend that status to “Wolf’s Rain”, and probably others. I’m naturally generous rather stingy with my artistic praise; I love a lot of things, and am not wired to hunt for flaws. I suppose that’s why my final disagreement is with that last reference: I’d say a handful of animated works certainly stack up to the best of film and literature. Why wouldn’t they? How could they not? It’s a medium which has attracted thousand of deeply creative and inspired people to it for nearly a century; a few of those people are bound to be both talented and lucky enough to produce a real, true masterpiece. Sure, restrictions have been placed on it, but that’s true of all mediums; art is invariably tied to cultural context, and artists learn to either work around that or work within it. Animation, whether that’s anime, American children’s cartoons, or the all-too infrequent crossovers from Europe or elsewhere, is no different.
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Frank Beef March 30, 2019 — 7:51 am
Wonderful article! Thank you so much for making it!
A Showcase of Australian Animation | Fantastic Memes
الجزء الأول:لم بقيت ستون عاماً من تاريخ الأنميشن مدفونة تحت التراب | Zenakusousai
الجزء الأول:لم بقت ستون عاماً من تاريخ الأنميشن مدفونة تحت التراب | Zenakusousai
No davvero, che cos’è “sakuga”? Riflessioni di KBnet e FAR – FAR from Animation
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We have made certain to censor sensitive materials in this article, while preserving enough information to ensure our readers of its veracity. The majority of the screenshots included in this article are from a Facebook group that has closed, thus making the information inaccessible. However, by the nature of social networks and the internet, some of the information included in this article may be possible to locate online. For more information on the author of this investigation and the Marines United scandal, please see this Buzzfeed News piece featuring the author and his previous work on the subject.
It started in November 2016. A collective of self-styled hackers and internet trolls calling themselves “214” created a closed Facebook group focusing on BDSM and kink. The first posts in the group included photographs of sex toys along with some memes, and eventually the group began to expand as it gained popularity. Many began to join the closed group and posted pictures of themselves with their name, age, and location, hoping to meet others with shared interests. Some representative examples include a nice-looking guy named James, a self-described dom who likes anime and was looking for a sub. Another member of the group was Joe, a fifty-year-old self-described “daddy dom.” Women posted as well in this quiet and well-mannered community of people looking to connect.
In this closed Facebook group, users continued to interact without major incident for several months. At the time, it was a pleasant example of how a group on Facebook could operate when focused on a topic such as BDSM or kink — a bit different than your typical group, but full of polite and kind users. In a totally different Facebook group, storm clouds of drama began gathering, which would soon reach the “214” BDSM group.
On March 4 of this year, Thomas Brennan, a veteran Marine who founded the military journalism site War Horse, ran a story with investigative reporting publication Reveal that garnered international attention. This story published names and detailed the work of a 30,000-member Facebook group called Marines United (MU). The group’s membership consisted almost exclusively of men, most of which fell into a few distinct categories: US Marines, Navy Corpsmen, and British Royal Marines. The group was like many other groups, but there was something that filled the pages of the group that brought tremendous scrutiny – pictures of naked women, the vast majority of whom did not consent to these pictures being shared. There were countless of these pictures, with women of every shape, size, and ethnicity. While many of these pictures were of Marines, there were also girlfriends and ex-girlfriends, wives and ex-wives, random girls near base, and a lot of one night stands.
The majority of these pictures were revenge porn — explicit photographs or videos of a former partner distributed online, often after a break-up with the intention of humiliating them. Pictures and videos of women in the military along with those of girlfriends and wives of military personnel were one of the common themes of MU. There were also pictures of women taken secretly or without their consent, pictures of girls stolen from hard drives, and in some rarer cases, women who snapped and shared pictures of themselves to the group purposefully. Members of the group viewed and commented on these pictures, asking for more information about the women: where they lived, where worked, what rank they were, and to which unit they were assigned. They also discussed sexually assaulting the women in the pictures, and what they would do to them if they found them in real life.
With Brennan and his Reveal compatriots maneuvering on MU, the whole debacle surrounding the exploitative Facebook group became a media frenzy. Facebook shut down the MU group and many breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that this evil group was gone and America was now safe from sexually deviant Marines online. But things are rarely so simple, and new groups were formed in the shadow of MU, sprouting up on Facebook in attempts to recreate MU. One by one, these groups sprouted up and were in turn uprooted by Facebook, but the social network was not able to work as fast as the displaced MU members. A confidential informant within these groups stated that they kept getting invites to new groups, but by the time they were able to get home from work and join the groups, Facebook had already shut them down. Undeterred, the men of the defunct (but not forgotten) MU group continued creating new groups to share their ill-gotten pictures across Facebook and beyond. Like the hydra, for each group that was cut down, two more would grow in its place.
At this point, any revenge porn with a connection to the military started to be referred to as “MU,” with no shortage of like-minded groups popping up online. Marines United became more than just a thirty-thousand member group — it became a concept or movement, and a symbol of rebellion against the Marine Corps chain of command and NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service).
Elsewhere in the BDSM group, all remained quiet, as the members continued to chat and share content that did not include revenge porn, or malicious messages targeting women. Then on March 7th of this year, a very straightforward picture was posted to the group by a man named Ramos Jerome.
This was the first picture that hinted towards the coming storm, though it’s doubtful if the “nudes are safe” with Ramos. A week later, on March 14th, the first nude picture of a female soldier was shared by Mike Sican, an admin of the BDSM group and a member of a mysterious organization called 214.
Who was and is this Mike Sican? To the discerning eye it would appear that his name is a play on the word “Mexican,” making his identity even harder to discern. Really, it is unclear if he really is a man at all — one person jokingly called him a hacker, and he uses a child as his profile picture.
It’s very likely that Mike Sican also goes by the name Candace Cox, as well as other burner accounts associated with Marines United (214), the new identity of the old BDSM group. While Mike’s identity is hard to pin down, his views on women are very clear. In a post from March 14, Mike writes:
“In case anybody is wondering the girls don’t care if their pictures were taken. They know the only purpose they serve is a pin cushion for the guys. The media is trying to get people in trouble and act like marines showing pictures is wrong. All I’ve got to say is fuck em, the marines can take pictures of the pin cushions and share them. Get over it.”
Mike is apparently the person responsible for transforming the BDSM group into a new version of MU, as seen in the post below from March 14. The group name was changed to Marines United (214), and Mike advertised a secret and larger group of 20,000 members “behind” the MU (214) front group.
The former members of the BDSM group were quite shocked by the change in the group. They did not understand why there were suddenly hundreds of Marines joining their previously small collection of membrers. One member of the BDSM group was especially distraught, sharing her anger at seeing pictures of nude women in military uniforms, saying that it was “disrespectful to the people that represent that uniform.” Mike replied with “They are only pin cushions, someone has to keep the males happy while they are protecting the country.” Still, some of the original members of the group continued posting with content related to BDSM and kink, even though this group had been overrun with Marines looking for and sharing nude pictures of female soldiers.
The war between the BDSM members and the horde of Marines United fanboys had reached a boiling point, with each side accusing the other of not deserving to be in the bizarre hybrid group. Military personnel would be accepted into the group expecting a MU clone, and then immediately start wondering why there were non-military members of the group, along with women, as the original MU group was almost exclusively male.
Clearly, the group could not function as both a discrete group for users interested in BDSM and kink, and also a group filled with aggressive men sharing stolen pictures of nude women. Many of the group’s admins had references to “214” in their profiles, making clear that the result of the conflict between the BDSM and MU group would be resolved in the favor of the former. But what does “214” mean?
The 214 group started the BDSM Facebook group in 2016 with the intention of using it as a tool for a yet-to-be-determined purpose in the future. Camelot Global (or CG, a collection of active and former military personnel who worked on identifying new MU-type sites) member John Albert (the author of this article) reached out to Kent Dahlgren, one of the admins of MU214, and asked if Kent knew the name of the group when it was first started. He replied,
It became clear that this was all just part of a strategy that 214 had used before: using a previously-created BDSM group with a large collection of members, and then flip the group, changing the name and identity of the group. People looking for a new MU group saw this group created by 214 and noticed how many members it had gathered, giving the “new” group, MU214, greater legitimacy. People joined this new group, leading to MU214 becoming what was seen as the true heir to Marines United. Just as with the infamous original group, users exchanged revenge porn and participated in lewd conversation about the women in the photographs and videos.
Camelot Global discovered the group and began collecting information. James LaPorta, a Marine veteran and journalist for the Daily Beast, had already joined the MU214 group and was gathering information on the group’s activity. On March 24th, he was tagged in a post calling him out:
“James Laporta, come at me, I got 30k worth of pics and vids if you wanna snitch on that. The old saying, snitches get stitches. This is a brother hood, so don’t fuck with it.”
Thomas Brennan, the War Horse journalist who worked with Reveal on the investigation into Marines United, was at one point a member of MU214 as well. On March 19th he was asked, “So what is the game plan? what are you aiming to do?” Brennan replied, “Continue to protect those who can’t protect themselves.” On March 25th a post was made on MU214, bragging that the admins had uncovered an “investigative journalist in our midst…” They banned the individual. The post did not identify the specific journalist, but it could have been Brennan. However, at the time of the post, he was no longer a member of the group. Regardless of this ban, people who had infiltrated the MU214 group collected information both on the Facebook group and in other locations, where people would actively share information and attempt to identify and locate the women in photographs.
A source at CG was able to talk to one of the members of MU214 who was in the group when it was still just a BDSM community. When asked about the backstory of MU214, she replied, “I don’t know much about the group, I was invited by a friend and after I discovered what the group is all about, I stop visiting the group.” She went on to say that she had joined the group in 2016, but had stopped being an active participant months ago.
On March 15, a day after the BDSM group transformed into MU214, a new facet of this story emerged: admins began posting about a way to buy the collection of nude photos and videos connected to the original MU group. Chandra Viswas posted a screenshot about the selling of files on March 15 and 19. Simon Euchner posted the same screenshot on March 22nd.
The pictures were being sold on a site called AlphaBay, the largest online darknet market on the Tor network. Over the past few years, there have been rumblings that AlphaBay has close ties with Russian organized crime groups, and by extension, potential links to organs of the Russian security services, as detailed by CyberScoop in a recent investigation. Recently, after reviewing the evidence I helped collect on these photographs being sold on AlphaBay, Military Times raised the possibility of the explicit photographs being used as blackmail against the victims. Due to the professions of many of the victims in the photographs, many of these active duty women have security clearance, giving them access to sensitive information–raising the possibility for “a legitimate national security threat,” as stated by a criminology professor quoted by Military Times.
The investigation continues
Since the April 6 article published by the Military Times on MU214 and their potential connection to organized crime, many who have worked as sources and collected information about MU214 and other groups have been targeted with death threats–including the author of this investigation.
This week, Facebook shut down the Marines United (214) group. They also shut down three other MU-type groups: “MU-1,” “Marines United 4.0,” and “Veterans Who Don’t Give a Fuck (No Wooks)”. As of this article’s release, the group “Marines United! Florida Chapter” is still active on Facebook.
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Well, the indignities of old age keep piling up. And I thought that I was making so much progress. Hopefully these bitchy little posts will run their course, and I can look at something besides my own navel. I am so tired of my griping. My bladder is a mess, much like a balloon that as lost all elasticity, so I wear a catheter for the rest of my life. I have been diagnosed with severe COPD and emphysema, so my physical therapy is not going to yield the results I hoped for. I am fighting a holding action now.
The one bright ray of sunshine is that the latest heart stents I had installed ended over five decades of discomfort. Funny how you can carry so much pain and not realize it until it stops. I still have an upcoming pulmonary consult at the end of the month, and a sleep study the month after. At some point all this must stop, but fight has noy been beat out of me yet.
Soon, I’ll be back to remarking on the ever-expanding circles of stupid that has engulfed the nation. It is strange how we laughed at these fools before. I sure am not laughing now. I am thinking there is no cure for it. Even so, come Melech Y’shua. It is time.
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Boo said:
January 20, 2022 at 12:06 pm
Do what you have to…..I need to get down there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rivergirl said:
January 20, 2022 at 5:01 pm
Hang in there… and gripe as much as you want. You’ve earned it.
January 20, 2022 at 5:16 pm
Would kegel exercises help? That is one thing I learned in yoga….strengthens pelvic floor muscles. Are you incontinent or is your bladder collapsing? I had a supervisor years ago that had to have her bladder re-attached to her insides. It had collapsed.
I like when you bitch and point out stupidity.
I tried to look up Melech Y’shua. I still don’t quite understand.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 20, 2022 at 7:09 pm
Melech Y’shuah is a transliteration of the Hebrew. Melech can mean King or Lord, and can refer to Cherubim, the mightiest of angels. Y’shuah is translated as Jesus, Savior, or one who saves. In Hebrew, context is everything since there isn’t a lot of words in the language compared to English. In this context, it means “Come, Lord Jesus” if you are a Christian.
My understanding is that my poor abused bladder has been stretched too far and has lost all its elasticity. Kegels would actually make it harder to pee for me since the prostrate and other muscles would be even stronger.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 21, 2022 at 12:59 pm
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 22, 2022 at 6:56 pm
Funny, but for someone who likes words as much as I do, I can never find them when I want to say something important. I’ll go with this: I’m sorry you’re undergoing so much misery just now. I hope (and believe) you have the desire and grit to get through it. Getting older and wiser doesn’t magically make life grand, just like getting rich doesn’t eliminate problems, just gives you a different set of them. There is still plenty of life ahead of you, but there is bound to be a learning curve because you’ll have to learn new ways of doing old things.
In one of these posts you mentioned your concern about Snookums, how you feel like you’re abandoning her when she needs you most. I get it. I doubt I’m telling you anything you don’t already know, but communication really is key. Jim and I always knew he’d go first, simply by virtue of our age difference and, periodically, he’d let me know what he did and didn’t want to do or have done when the time came. We had all those conversations again, all together, when he was given that final prognosis. That was the best, most generous, thing he ever did for me. Because when things happened and decisions had to be made, and people looked to me to make them – I could do it with a clear conscience and a peaceful mind, because I KNEW I was doing exactly as he wished.
You also mentioned wanting to chronicle this, I would encourage you to do so. Writing helps to organize the mind, for starters and it’s possible you could help someone else going through the same or similar. Do you remember a fella named Dave, from Colorado, back in the Multiply days? I can’t remember his last name, just his face and his dog Heidi. When I “met” him, he was fighting stage four cancer, and he wrote about it. The good days, the really bad days, all of it, in hopes it might help someone else going through it know what to expect. Helluva guy, I think you might have liked him.
Christ on a cheez-nip, I’ve written a novella, didn’t mean to do that! So – you keep fighting the good fight, and I’ll pop round now and again with some ginger snaps or apple pie or something else to soak up that good coffee.
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Here’s my list of the tell-tale signs that indicate you and your home need a higher level of humidity:
1. Your skin feels dry, your lips are chapped, your throat is sore
3. Your son had a bloody nose out of the blue the other day for no reason
4. Your piano doesn’t sound right though you had it professionally tuned recently
5. The space between the wooden planks in your floor is widening
6. Everyone in your family has had at least 1 cold this season
7. You’ve noticed that some of your painted surfaces have chipped
8. Your plants are turning brown on the tips of their leaves
9. The caulking around your crown molding is cracked
10. You feel cold all the time so you keep compensating by increasing the temperature of your heating system.
Here’s what low humidity can do to you and your home based on my 40+ years’ experience helping homeowners achieve a more comfortable environment:
Improper humidity can aggravate allergy, asthma and sinus conditions, and is often a cause of sore throats, chapped lips and rough skin in the winter.
Viruses that cause the common cold and flu tend to flourish in low humidity environments.
Low humidity levels can damage the wood in your home including furniture and floors as well as other expensive items such as musical instruments and wooden trim.
Static electricity may feel painful, but what’s even more shocking is the damage to expensive electronic equipment from static electricity due to dry indoor air.
The EPA suggests that maintaining a relative humidity level between 40 – 50% is ideal for you as well as all the wooden components and contents of your home. That’s difficult to attain without the help of a humidifier. I’ve found that the best and most controllable humidifying system you can install is a whole house humidifier which connects to your furnace and distributes water vapor directly into the heated air through your duct work. The humidity level is regulated using a controller called a humidistat. Whole house humidifiers come in different sizes but a typical model will emit 17 gallons of water vapor per day for houses up to approximately 4,500 square feet. What’s more, there are even whole-house humidifiers for homes without duct work and for larger homes.
Interested in more information?
Moist, comfortable heat is just a phone call away! A reputable heating company, like Cooper Mechanical, will assess your situation and recommend the right type of system for your house at no charge to you. Then, a professional installation team will set-up your new system at a very reasonable price. If you’re scheduled for preventative maintenance or heater repair, take the opportunity to discuss whole-house humidifiers with your service tech. It’s an easy fix!
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Sanding a wood floor is a tough task that is usually done with a power sander. If you need to get the project done and can't get a hold of a power sander, you can still sand the floor by hand, it will just take much longer and require much more effort. Sanding a flat surface by hand is generally done with the sandpaper wrapped around a wood block as the paper needs even pressure to avoid digging trenches into the wood when you sand it.
Remove all furniture and decorations from the room. Tape up any cabinets or cupboards, as the dust you will create will get everywhere.
Walk over the floor with your nail set and hammer. Drive down any nails that are sticking up from the floor. Be sure you don't miss any, as these will quickly tear up your sanding block. Vacuum the wood floor thoroughly when you are done.
Put on your knee pads and mask, then walk to one corner of the room. Place a piece of 60-grit sandpaper around your sanding block and get on your knees.
Sand the floor, starting with the board in the corner of the room. Apply light pressure to the sanding block and sand with the grain of the wood. Once you have sanded the board, move the block half-way over the adjacent board and sand again. Continue in this manner, sanding back and forth with the grain of the wood, until you have finished the entire floor. Check your sandpaper regularly and replace the piece once it becomes smooth.
Vacuum up the dust from the entire room. Go back to the first corner and put a piece of 80-grit sandpaper on the block. Repeat the entire process, then do it again with a piece of 120-grit sandpaper. This should be enough sanding for a floor, but it you want your floor even smoother, you can keep increasing the grit of the sandpaper until you are satisfied.
Some sanding blocks are designed to be used with a telescoping handle. This will reduce the amount of pressure on the block, meaning you may have to sand the area for a greater amount of time, but you will save yourself a lot of discomfort by being able to do the whole process standing up.
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Chimneys and a tank are pictured at the BASF chemical plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Chimneys and a tank are pictured at the BASF chemical plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
by: DAVID McHUGH, Associated Press
Posted: Oct 3, 2022 / 01:04 AM EDT
Updated: Oct 3, 2022 / 02:03 PM EDT
Chimneys and a tank are pictured at the BASF chemical plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Chimneys and a tank are pictured at the BASF chemical plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
by: DAVID McHUGH, Associated Press
Posted: Oct 3, 2022 / 01:04 AM EDT
Updated: Oct 3, 2022 / 02:03 PM EDT
Europe faces “unprecedented risks” to its natural gas supplies this winter after Russia cut off most pipeline shipments, the International Energy Agency said Monday, warning that European nations could wind up competing with Asia for already scarce and expensive liquid gas that comes by ship.
The Paris-based IEA said in its quarterly gas report that the European Union’s 27 countries would need to reduce natural gas use by 13% over the winter in case of a complete Russian cutoff amid the war in Ukraine. Much of that cutback would have to come from consumer behavior such as turning down thermostats by 1 degree and adjusting boiler temperatures as well as industrial and utility conservation, the group said.
The EU on Friday agreed to mandate a reduction in electricity consumption by at least 5% during peak price hours.
Just a trickle of Russian gas is still arriving in pipelines through Ukraine to Slovakia and across the Black Sea through Turkey to Bulgaria. Two other routes, under the Baltic Sea to Germany and through Belarus and Poland, have shut down.
Another hazard highlighted by the study was a late winter cold snap, which would be particularly challenging because underground gas reserves flow more slowly at the end of the season due to less gas and lower pressure in the storage caverns. The EU has already filled storage to 88%, ahead of its goal of 80% before winter. The IEA assumed 90% would be needed in its Russian gas cutoff scenario.
Businesses in Europe have already cut back natural gas use, sometimes simply by abandoning energy-intensive activity such as making steel and fertilizer, while smaller businesses like bakeries are feeling a severe crimp in their costs.
High prices for natural gas, which is used for heating homes, generating electricity and a host of industrial processes, are fueling record consumer inflation of 10% in the 19 EU nations that use the shared euro currency. The high energy prices are sapping so much consumer purchasing power that economists predict a recession at the end of this year and the beginning of next.
European governments and utilities have made up much of the Russian shortfall by purchasing expensive supplies of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, that comes by ship from countries such as the U.S. and Qatar and by obtaining increased pipeline supplies from Norway and Azerbaijan.
The goal is to prevent storage levels from falling so far that governments must ration gas to businesses. Gas storage must remain above 33% for a secure winter, according to the IEA, while levels below that risk shortages if there’s a late cold snap.
Lower levels also would make it harder for Europe to refill storage next summer, while higher reserves from conservation would help lower extremely high energy prices.
French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne on Monday played down concerns of gas shortages, saying her country has diversified its supplies and stocked up “to the maximum.”
“We are ready to face this winter,” she told France’s lower house of parliament. Reiterating her government’s drive for energy saving, Borne added there are no risks of energy cuts in coming months “if everyone plays their part.”
European leaders say the cutback in Russian gas is energy blackmail aimed at pressuring governments over their support for Ukraine and sanctions against Moscow.
Since Russia halted gas flows this month through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline running under the Baltic Sea to Germany, it and the parallel Nord Stream 2 — built but never operated after Germany refused to certify it — were damaged in underwater explosions that European governments say are sabotage.
Demand for liquefied gas has driven up prices and tightened supply to the extent that poorer countries in Asia cannot afford it. Bangladesh is experiencing widespread power blackouts, while Pakistan faces rolling blackouts and has introduced reduced working hours so shops and factories can save electricity.
“Inter-regional competition in LNG procurement may create further tensions, as additional European needs would put more pressure on other buyers, especially in Asia, and conversely cold spells in Northeast Asia could limit Europe’s access to LNG,” the agency said.
The gas crisis in Europe has also deprived Asian countries of the limited number of floating regasification terminals, which were expected to play a major role in LNG imports in Southeast Asia. Europe has secured 12 of the vessels and plans another nine.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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You may search an extended reimbursement period or a lower interest rate. Doing so may let you repay the mortgage and decrease your month-to-month funds. Most lenders look at your earnings to determine whether to offer you a mortgage and your revenue may be what triggered you to fall behind in your mortgage payments within the first place, resulting in the foreclosure action. If the courtroom gives the lender or another creditor conduct of sale, you cannot sell the property your self. The creditor with conduct of sale presents a purchaser’s provide at a court listening to.
Lenders require appraisals before they offer house loans as a result of they should know that they aren’t lending you an excessive amount of money. Most banks hand foreclosed properties off to an actual property owned (REO) agent who works with normal real property brokers to find a purchaser.
Finally, title exams require examiners to be present on the clerk’s workplace to go looking the physical records. As a end result, authorities closures have brought on lenders to delay foreclosure proceedings as a result of they cannot acquire minutes of foreclosure or similar title products. Bank of America quickly confronted alogistical and reputational nightmare.
45.032 any funds remaining after the disbursements ordered by the final judgment turn into generally known as “surplus funds”. The proprietor of report at the time the Lis Pendens was recorded might file an “A Owner’s Claim for Mortgage Foreclosure Surplus”, if they meet the statutory requirements to assert the excess funds. If there’s not a declare for the excess funds within 60 days from the Certificate of Disbursements being filed the Clerk is required to nominate a Surplus Trustee pursuant to F.S.
The mediation shall be scheduled to conclude inside 90 days of mediator project. The list should indicate specs regarding the documents, similar to time frame or scope, and shall be submitted to the mediator and the homeowner within 5 days of the document convention or call. The proprietor after foreclosure, usually a financial institution, will usually rent an actual estate agent to market the property. Deficiency judgment—The sum of money still due to a creditor on a defaulted loan after a house is sold at auction or sheriff’s sale, the place the money raised at the sale does not absolutely cover the quantity owed. Deficiency judgments are frequently the topic of debate in mortgage foreclosure circumstances.
Also, bank and private investor-owned loans usually are not throughout the limits of the HUD steering. In some states, the lender must go to court to get permission to carry a foreclosure sale. In different states, the lender solely has to inform you and publicize the sale within the newspaper. In both type of state, if there is something legally incorrect with the foreclosure, you possibly can go to court to stop it or delay it.
Step three: Get Approved For A Mortgage To Finance Your Purchase.
The tax deed to which this discover relates is dated the sixth day of August 2019 and is recorded within the office of the Clerk of the Superior Court of Carroll County, Georgia, in Deed Book 5743, Page 759. As developers created suburban landscapes out of the farms of this as soon as-rural area, black families began shifting to Prince George’s from the city to benefit from the lower housing costs. In response, actual estate agents began working towards what is known as blockbusting, selling a home to a black household then urging all the white families to move out as a result of the presence blacks within the neighborhood would allegedly cause property values to decline. It turned out that a number of of the major banks had been purposely giving individuals of shade subprime mortgages, including borrowers who would have certified for a main loan.
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The Queen’s Speech has taken place; now’s the ideal time to review the energy and low carbon agenda within.
3 September 2021
We’ve unpacked the key points from government’s new hydrogen strategy (it’s an easy read!), and we’ve also got advice on how your business can take action in response to the latest damning evidence on climate change. Those articles and more are below, and if you need advice on your company’s energy challenges, get in touch.
Could ESOS and SECR become more closely aligned?
30 July 2021
ESOS and SECR have coexisted for over two years, with separate but closely related aims. Now the government is consulting on wide-ranging changes to ESOS which could not only strengthen the scheme, but bring it into closer alignment with SECR.
July’s energy and climate news: ESOS changes to climate speeches
30 July 2021
We’ve got details of the proposed shake up of the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme, as well as a quick breakdown of the government’s strategy for net zero transport.
Earth Overshoot Day 2021: how businesses can tread lighter
28 July 2021
Most of us know the feeling of having too much month at the end of the money. But this Thursday will mark the moment when there is too much of 2021 left for the earth to sustainably handle.
June’s energy and climate news: your 5-minute speed read
30 June 2021
June saw green pledges made and reaffirmed by world leaders at the G7 summit, but a major report from the Climate Change Committee has urged the UK government to back up words with action.
Net zero farming: the business benefits and where to start
25 June 2021
As the need to cut emissions becomes more urgent, many hard-working UK farmers are getting ahead of the curve. Any action taken now will reap rewards in the near future.
Climate risk reporting and milestones to net zero – our energy news round up
4 June 2021
The latest insights on climate change and net zero, as well as a short guide to climate risk reporting, or TFCD; which will soon become mandatory for some organisations.
Earth Day, green business funding and tightening climate targets
5 May 2021
We explore the funding opportunities available to help businesses reduce their carbon emissions, take a look at the impact of Earth Day, and of course, cover the latest low carbon news.
UK emissions, aviation and £10m investment in the latest Energy Advice round up
8 March 2021
The good news is that UK greenhouse gas emissions are down according to the latest figures, but it’s not the whole story…
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COVINGTON — Student participation in two new sports were approved by the Covington Exempted Village School District Board of Education Wednesday evening during their regularly scheduled meeting.
Participating in indoor track and field and the 2023 OHSAA swimming championships were both approved. The school will not provide any financial contributions to either sport other than paying OHSAA dues to have additional sports.
Jim Sagona, the director of curriculum and technology, shared several updates. The English language arts review team are conducting a curriculum revision and will soon be gathering materials from publishers to do a valuation matrix, which will narrow down a recommendation for presentation to the board later in spring of 2023. The district literacy team continues to meet bi-weekly and will begin working to address the eighteen-hour dyslexia training mandate for K-3 based on the Ohio dyslexia law.
On the technology front, several equipment installations are underway. Vape sensors have recently been installed, a final Pixellot camera will soon be installed in the junior high gym, and the school will have a new internet firewall installed by the end of the year. Sagona recently attended the Ohio state CoSN, a conference focused on educational technology. There were two main takeaways from the conference, the first being cybersecurity.
“Reports are showing about 14% of all cybersecurity events are aimed at K-12 schools, which is a high and concerning experience,” Sagona said.
The other area of focus is student data privacy and looking at what information is being given to other organizations, what information is being generated by those organizations, and tracking where that data goes. Future technology projects include getting a bid on wireless access point upgrades and replacements. If the school utilizes the FCC’s E-Rate program to complete the upgrade, the FCC will cover 60% of the cost.
District Superintendent Dr. Joseph Hoelzle shared updates on behalf of the athletic and transportation director and the custodial maintenance coordinator. The maintenance department is working on the concrete channel at the retention pond behind the school. The board approved a resolution to enter a contract with Finfrock Construction for this project. New cabinets for the art room have been ordered but aren’t expected until summer of 2023. There are also several doors that will be installed or replaced in the coming months. The final maintenance item on the agenda is a solution for watering the football practice fields. The maintenance department is waiting on a quote for the plumbing before proceeding.
Hoelzle also shared that next month the athletic and transportation director will be looking into acquiring another school bus. During the athletic department updates, he congratulated all the fall athletes, including the marching band, on an overall GPA of 3.42.
“I think that’s a phenomenal attest to our student work in the classroom as well as outside the classrooms,” he said.
Other highlights include Asher Long placing 18th in the state cross country meet and the volleyball team making it to the district finals.
The board received the October financial reports and the five-year forecast. There are currently approximately 33% of student fees outstanding, totaling $14,568. Income tax received in October is up $130,000 compared to the same quarter last year. The district one-year audit is underway due to federal money received and is not-to-exceed $15,990.
Hoelzle commented on the school’s FFA chapter attending the National FFA Convention. They received a three star national chapter award, which is the highest level rating offered by the National FFA. The Band of Bucc Pride received an excellent rating and the percussion section received a superior rating at the OMEA state marching band contest held in Piqua two weeks ago.
“A lot of positive highlights here from the last month of our kids doing things on a bigger stage than just Covington – doing great things,” Hoelzle said.
The board accepted nine donations of various amounts, approved four certified substitute teachers for the remainder of the school year, approved several supplemental contracts for athletic coaches, and approved seventeen volunteers for the Athletics department. The board also approved overnight trips for both the high school and junior high wrestling teams. An updated contract with New Creations Counseling Center was approved, increasing the contract from one and a half days per week to two days per week. A sound system upgrade and installation for Smith Field was approved, as was an amendment to a resolution which increased substitute teacher pay to $120 per day after teaching in the district for 31 full days.
Winter walking hours will be available again to the public on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 6:15 to 7:15 a.m. These hours begin on Nov. 28 and end in March. If there is a two-hour delay or closure, the hours will be cancelled. Anyone wishing to participate in the indoor walking hours should enter the main high school entrance at door number 28.
The January organizational meeting and regular meeting will both be held on Wednesday, Jan. 4, at 5:30 p.m. The regular meeting for the month of December has been moved to Thursday, Dec. 5, at 5:30 p.m.
The writer is a regular contributor to Miami Valley Today and Sunday News.
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In my career as a prosecutor, I have worked with hundreds of victims of domestic violence. I have seen the toll that violence takes on the bodies, spirits, and children of these women. Sadly, more than one mother has removed herself and her children from the church when she perceived a congregational indifference to her need to survive.
Domestic violence is nothing less than a direct attack by the devil on our families and our faith. As Christians, we must dedicate ourselves to understanding the dynamics of violence and ensure that we do not take any action that contributes to the cycle of abuse.
In my experience, congregations adhering to the following guidelines are the best prepared and the most effective in combating the sin of domestic violence.
FIRST, our clergy and congregations need to ensure the safety of domestic violence victims. The goal of family preservation cannot be achieved by returning a victim home to endure additional poundings. All too often, such advice leads to the serious injury or death of our mothers, the imprisonment of our fathers, and the foster care placement of our children.
Each year, 4,000 women in the United States are killed by their spouses. The United States Surgeon General cites domestic violence as the leading cause of bodily injury to American women. Much of this violence could have been avoided, and many families saved, if we had not insisted on continuing a dangerous living arrangement.
In many cases, family preservation is possible only after the victim and perpetrator are living apart, and the perpetrator accesses spiritual and professional help. Domestic abusers may have unresolved childhood issues, and many suffer from alcohol or drug dependency. Many abusers are so dedicated to the use of power to maintain their relationships that these complex dynamics cannot be addressed until there is a separation.
In cases where an abusive husband fails to take the necessary steps to end the terror he inflicts on his family, that husband has not only failed to love his wife as Christ commands, he has abandoned her. In such a case, there is a scriptural basis for divorce (1 Corinthians 7:15). We must not be shy in saying so.
SECOND, we need to care for the spiritual needs of women victimized by violence. Some Christian victims of violence are confused by the abuse and believe that if God chose their husband, God wills the violence. We must remind these women that violence is inconsistent with God’s will for our marriages. The doctrine of submission has nothing to do with the receipt of blows.
THIRD, our congregations need to tend to the spiritual and physical needs of children growing up in violent homes. Children raised in such homes have higher rates of truancy, drug and alcohol problems, and suicide. Many of these children choose a life of crime. Ninety percent of the men in Minnesota prisons grew up in homes where violence was the norm.
When children turn to crime, drugs, and suicide, it is a clarion call to recognize and address their spiritual needs. When church-going dad beats church-going mom, and a congregation of Christians looks the other way, it is understandable why many children abandon their faith and look elsewhere for comfort. It’s not always easy to reach out to children of violent homes, but, if we do not act, the devil and his agents are willing to fill the void.
FOURTH, we must insist that domestic abusers be accountable for their sin. Adam was the first man to blame his wife for his sin. Domestic abusers are adept at continuing this tradition.
As a prosecutor, it is disheartening to view the photographs of bruised and bloodied women and then read the statements of abusers who blame the beating on the victim. I know domestic abusers who blame their violence on the alleged nagging, obesity, cooking deficits, and sexual shortcomings of their wives. Abusers use such excuses as a blatant attempt to whitewash their sin.
As Christians, we must be firm with domestic abusers. Just as god did not allow Adam to blame his sin on Eve, we must remind domestic abusers that they alone are responsible for their sin, and they alone must answer to God.
FIFTH, we should encourage domestic abusers to make themselves right with the law. After decades of avoidance, police and prosecutors at long last have begun to take seriously the crime of domestic violence.
Unfortunately, many abusers blame the victim when a police officer arrests them or a prosecutor seeks jail or other sanctions against an abuser. Some abusers hire unscrupulous defense attorneys or otherwise seek to use the legal system to further intimidate or manipulate the victim. Such conduct may be legal, but it is sinful. As Christians, we must say so.
SIXTH, we must resist the temptation to be silent about the sin of domestic violence. Our preachers must preach and our teachers must teach that husbands who love their wives as Christ loved the church do not beat them. We must call to repentance those who do abuse and forgive those who heed this call. Abusers who do not repent and choose to continue the sin of domestic violence must be disciplined in a scriptural manner.
FINALLY, and most important, we need to pray that God will guide our efforts to end the assault of our spouses and the emotional torture of our children. May God speed the day when our families are safe in heaven, and the violence we knew on earth is only a memory.
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"With arthritis-inherited from my mothers side of the family-it has been very important to me to stay on top of keeping my bones aligned and strong. All in all I have been doing Chiropractic for several years and I would hate to think what shape I would be in if I hadn't."
What would you say to a friend or family member who is curious about Chiropractic care?
"To try it-everything to gain and nothing to lose."
What has please you most in your treatment at our practice?
"The closeness of the office. The warmth and caring of everyone (staff) and especially Dr. K's good 'bench-side manner'."
How has Chiropractic care improved your life?
"2 1/2 years ago I was in a car accident. I suffered whiplash, ligament damage, tingling in my shoulder, lack of rotation in my neck. I always had Chiropractic treatments, but now I really needed adjustments to get the pressure off the damaged nerves. If it weren't for Chiropractic treatments, I'm sure I would be a candidate for surgery. Dr. Kaplan is also educated in supplements that work along with helping your healing. Massage is also recommended therapy as a follow up for adjustments."
What would you say to a friend or family member who was curious about Chiropractic?
"My family members, three so far, highly recommend Chiropractic treatments and follow up massage visits."
Additional notes/comments:
"My daughter, has had two surgeries on her neck, hand, and a knee replacement. I believe she'd be better off today if she stayed longer with adjustments and massage."
How has Chiropractic care improved your life?
"I have had neck issues for years. Been to numerous medical doctors with countless tests only to be told they could not find anything wrong. In 2014 when turning my head a certain way things became worse with dizziness and nausea so I decided to try chiropractic which was the best decision I ever made! Surprising enough after my first treatment I could feel the difference. After a couple weeks I can honestly say that I have not felt this good in years."
What would you say to a friend or family member who was curious about Chiropractic?
"Do not hesitate. It is painless, does not take a lot of time and it works!
What has please you most in your treatment at our practice?
"Chiropractic has made me feel good physically and mentally".
Additional notes/comments:
"Everyone at Dr. Kaplan's office is wonderful. I could not be happier."
"Drs. told me I would need neck surgery went to Dr. Kaplan and he worked miracles. No surgery dancing on the table!!!"
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In one way, it’s unfortunate that the third annual Northumberland Hispanic Heritage Month Festival in October had to go all-virtual.
On the other hand, event director Emilio Ojeda said, “because of that, we had a wider and broader audience beyond the members of the club.”
For example, their on-line workshop on HUICHOL-style yarn method (a traditional paint method used by the Huichol natives of Sierra Madre in Mexico), local participants were joined by those from Venezuela, Chile, Mexico, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Ojeda recently shared some highlights of the festival, which covers the gamut from art to movies and music.
Organized in partnership with Trent University (with a grant from the Spanish Film Club PRAGDA), the festival opened with the film Primas (“Cousins”) from Canadian-Argentine filmmaker Laura Bari. Emilio described it as a heartfelt story of two cousins growing up together and overcoming heinous acts of violence that marked their childhood.
Other internationally acclaimed and award-winning films that rounded out the bill included Guie’dani’s Navel, The Awakening of the Ants and The Infiltrators (which showed the reality of woman empowerment and immigration from a US perspective).
Ojeda also singled out Perfect Strangers (“an electrifying Mexican comedy about a seemingly simple dinner party) and the documentary Miguelito. This one tells the story of an 11-year-old Puerto Rican boy who went from fame – recording an album with the finest salsa musicians of his time, performing with Eddie Palmieri at Madison Square Garden in front of 20,000 fans – to a complete disappearance from public life.
Then there was the Noche Latina virtual party, a live interactive event – “two hours of music, dance and learning with our Carla Gonzalez and her LatinTrain and DJ Alexis Barria,” Ojeda said.
Carla Gonzalez and her LatinTrain were also part of the virtual concert Melodias del Corazon (Melodies from the Heart), which showcased both local talent and beautiful Northumberland sites, with the great voices of Rosa Orteta and Fabian Arciniegas also making up part of the program.
The heritage-and-art exhibition this year was Our Voyage: Family Bonds and Belonging, with artifacts, art and stories shared by members of the local community that show a strong link to their cultures, family and friends that were part of their journey to Canada.
“It was different, it was challenging, but I am really happy with the results,” Ojeda declared.
While all forecasts seem to point to a less-dangerous October 2021 on the COVID-19 front for the fourth annual festival, the opportunity to reach people around the world was such a wonderful surprise that he is foreseeing a mix of virtual and in-person events for the fourth annual festival next year.
The big party that is one focus of the festival, for example, can be an event that is at the same time in-person and on-line.
“While we have an in-person party, we can also offer a virtual party for the rest of the world,” he said.
This year’s festival sponsors were Northumberland County, Cameco, the Town of Cobourg and the Government of Canada with, as previously noted, Trent University working in partnership.
Emilio also noted an important addition to the board of directors this year, as Ixchel Suarez assumed the position of secretary. A renowned textile artist who recently moved to Trent Hills, she has opened the Oak Heights Art Gallery to present the work of great Canadian artists in addition to her own. The Oak Heights gallery is located at 341 Covert Hill Rd. in Warkworth, next to the Villa Conti Italian Restaurant and Vinery.
The Northumberland Hispanic Heritage Month Festival is always accompanied by an awareness-raising presentation to Northumberland County council, who obligingly declare October Hispanic Heritage Month – and did so for 2020.
Credit for the organizing goes to the Northumberland Hispanic Culture Club – which Ojeda pointed out is always open to new members.
“Due to Covid-19 all events were help virtually, and because of that, we had a wider and broader audience beyond the members of the club,” Emilio Ojeda, events coordinator.
Article by Sue Dickens
Northumberland – The Northumberland Hispanic Heritage Month Festival just wrapped up and by all accounts it was a huge success in spite of the pandemic protocols…just in a different way.
The festival ran from October through November, 2020
This was the Northumberland Hispanic Heritage Month Festival 3rd successful year,” said Emilio Ojeda, the events coordinator.
“Due to Covid-19 all events were help virtually, and because of that, we had a wider and broader audience beyond the members of the club,” he added.
Ojeda went on to say, “Our 3rd Northumberland Hispanic Film Festival, in partnership with Trent University and a grant by the Spanish Film Club from PRAGDA , opened with the film “PRIMAS” (cousins) from the Canadian Argentinian Laura Bari.
“This is a heartfelt story of two cousins that come of age together, overcoming the heinous acts of violence that disrupted their childhood.”
Other world acclaimed and award winning films GUIE’DANI’S NAVEL, THE AWAKENING OF THE ANTS and THE INFILTRATORS showed the reality of woman, woman empowerment and the reality of immigration from the US perspective. “This year we screened PERFECT STRANGERS an electrifying Mexican comedy about a seemingly simple dinner party and MIGUELITO a documentary of a 1973, an 11-year-old Puerto Rican boy that went from famous to missing. Within a year Miguelito went on to record an album with the finest salsa musicians of the time, to finally performing with Eddie Palmieri at Madison Square Garden in front of 20,000 people. A year later, he had disappeared from public life.
“The Noche Latina Virtual Party interacted with participants live. There was two hours of music, dance and dance learning with our Carla Gonzalez and her LatinTrain and DJ Alexis Barria.
“The virtual Concert “Melodías del Corazón” (Melodies from the Heart) showed local talent and how beautiful our Northumberland sites are with the great voices of Rosa Ortega, Fabian Arciniegas, and Carla Gonzalez and her LatinTrain
“The Heritage and Art Exhibition was the final event and it premiered Mon., Nov. 23 on the Youtube Channel at https://youtu.be/F3o3GYKODLk and can still be viewed.
It was called “Our Voyage: Family Bonds & Belongings” and showcased artifacts, art and stories of the local community and that strong link to local cultures, family and friends in their journey to Canada.
Sponsors of this year’s festival included Northumberland County, Cameco, Town of Cobourg and Government of Canada. Partner with us was Trent University.
“This year we had an important addition to the board of Director. Ixchel Suarez joined us in the position of secretary. Ixchel, a renowned textile artist recently moved to Trent Hills and opened the Oak Heights Art Gallery bringing her own art, workshops and presenting great Canadian artists,” said Ojeda.
The Oak Heights Gallery is located at 341 Covert Hill Road, Warkworth, next to Villa Conti Italian Restaurant and Vinery.
They will be holding its virtual Christmas party on Dec. 19 at 2 p.m. Party is with live music with Carla and her LatinTrain and Dj and it is open to everybody, and again, will be transmitted through our Youtube Channel.
Editor’s Note: Emilio Ojeda is also the Settlement Service Coordinator for Northumberland County
November 2020
November 2018
Proudly Hispanic
The term Hispanic (Spanish: hispano or hispánico, Galician: hispánico, Asturian: hispanu, Basque: hispaniar, Catalan: hispà, hispàno) broadly refers to the people, nations, and cultures that have a historical link to Spain. It commonly applies to countries once colonized by the Spanish Empire in the Americas and Asia, particularly the countries of Latin America and the Philippines. It could be argued that the term should apply to all Spanish-speaking cultures or countries, as the historical roots of the word specifically pertain to the Iberian region. It is difficult to label a nation or culture with one term, such as Hispanic, as the ethnicity, customs, traditions, and art forms (music, literature, dress, culture, cuisine, and others) vary greatly by country and region. The Spanish language and Spanish culture are the main traditions.
Hispanic originally referred to the people of ancient Roman Hispania, which roughly comprised the Iberian Peninsula, including the contemporary states of Spain, Portugal, Andorra, and the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar.
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Her understanding husband was raised Catholic (even steeped in it), but is barely a practicing Catholic now. He seems neither devout nor fervent, although many of his family members are Catholic.
She says he did not urge her at all, did not even encourage her—which might have been understandable.
Their preteen son has been attending a private Catholic school, which, by all accounts, seems to have a good academic program, run by well-intentioned people. It seems to be a promising launching pad for a potentially bright future at high school and college, though that, of course, remains to be seen. He enjoys school, is an avid student and does well academically. What is perhaps equally important is he seems well adjusted.
But she says, neither did he pressure her.
What led her to her decision was observing the lives of several of her close female friends. She both liked and admired them, and decided she wanted to be more like them, including in her spiritual journey.
So, on her own and with the aid of some classes, she studied Catholicism and found its teachings to be to her liking. They seemed a good fit.
She wasn’t raised Catholic. Rather, like her brother, she was raised Protestant, in a religion that seemed to have little time for Catholics. The interpretation of Holy Writ by Seventh-day Adventists was that the number 666 represented the pope, leader of the Catholic organization. Catholics and all things Catholic were to be regarded with at least a modicum of suspicion. End-time persecution might arise from amongst their ranks.
I have a sister-in-law who was raised Catholic. She and her family eventually became Seventh-day Adventists; not all at once, but different ones at different times.
I cannot say we loved them any less when they were Catholic, but I also cannot say we did not love them more after they changed faiths. And, in that regard, I cannot say with assurance we were that unusual.
When my grandson was younger, his family sporadically attended the local Seventh-day Adventist Church. He attended cradle roll, then kindergarten, and seemed to find them at least reasonably satisfying. It seemed a good idea to believe in something greater than ourselves.
But something was missing. I myself did not find ease in the church. There are numerous issues, some of which readers may interpret to be nit-picking, so I will omit mention.
Suffice it to say, they never attended regularly, and invitations from some well-intentioned people to become closer members of that church family were gently rebuffed.
Her mother had mixed feelings about the transpiration of events, but daughter is an adult and, like the rest of us, makes decisions the consequences of which we may only learn later. And what is life, if not a series of learning experiences?
I admit to mixed feelings, but think it better that she be asking questions rather than, like some disenchanted believers, give up asking at all.
I also think that it is better that my grandson be raised in some religion than that he not be exposed to religion at all. This is not to say, of course, that he will be better for having been raised a Catholic. I don’t think he will be necessarily worse, however. Just as there are recovering Catholics, there are also recovering Seventh-day Adventists. And members of other religions.
The Bible they keep at home is not dissimilar to the ones that dotted the house in which my children grew up.
We consult it on occasion, the better to learn the many lessons it contains.
Grandson seems to have a naturally sweet, convivial disposition. I think his attending Catholic school should do nothing to detract from that. If anything, it may clarify his thinking and improve his behavior.
I do not know the extent to which my daughter will participate in her newfound church. Nor what effect it will have on her. She has always been a kind, compassionate person and an animal lover. I don’t see those qualities being in jeopardy.
Just as Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) used to say (quoting 19th-century Unitarian minister and Transcendental abolitionist Theodore Parker): “The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.” I believe the prayers we utter on the behalf of our children are not uttered in vain. Like the aforementioned arc, the answers may seem a long time in coming.
In fact, my understanding of the way the universe is ordered is those prayers may be heard before the prayers that are uttered on our own behalf.
So let us continue to supplicate on behalf of our children and grandchildren. On behalf of others. And, last but not least, on behalf of ourselves. That we might more fully understand and live the twin precepts articulated by the Master: love for the Almighty and love for our fellow man. For these precepts distill the Decalogue and define the way we are expected to live. And, with grace, find the path to life eternal.
The Good Place (or heaven, if you prefer) will hold surprises. Some who thought they would be among the sheep will end up in the flock of goats. And vice-versa. Matthew 25 speaks of this.
One of the greatest wonders is that some of us may be fortunate enough to be in a better place than we thought we might be. I believe the distinction between labels, creeds and religions will be blurred. All walks of life may be represented.
It is not so much what we call ourselves, but how we relate to our fellow man that matters.
The author prefers to remain anonymous.
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ADRA Delivers Thousands of Supplies to Beirut Hospitals Struggling to Treat COVID-19 Patients How Does Our Opinion of Islam Affect Our Mission?
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Dr. Jorge Mirabelli MD is a Neurologist that deals with patients out of his office in South Daytona, FL. He has been practicing medicine since his medical license was received in 2008. His medical license was issued in the state of Florida.
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NEWARK, N.J. (CNS) — Although Sister Miriam Teresa Demjanovich was personally unassuming, the spiritual impact she had on other Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth was so unmistakable that they began the effort to have her canonized soon after her May 8, 1927, death in Paterson.
Her cause will advance Oct. 4, when she will be declared Blessed Miriam Teresa at a beatification Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. She will be the first American to be beatified in the United States.
Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, will celebrate the Mass, joined by Newark Archbishop John J. Myers, Paterson Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli and Bishop Kurt Burnette, head of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic.
The church leaders represent local churches that all claim the daughter of Slovakian immigrants — she was born in Bayonne, baptized in the Eastern Catholic Church and educated at St. Elizabeth College in Morris Township, where her remains are entombed in the chapel of her congregation’s motherhouse.
Cardinal Amato will read the declaration of beatification near the beginning of Mass after a short biography is read and a portrait of her is unveiled.
Many Sisters of Charity plan to attend the liturgy, which will include a procession with a reliquary containing locks of Sister Miriam’s reddish brown hair, cut after her death of appendicitis at age 26.
Sister Miriam was known for her bad eyesight, and her intercession was invoked for Michael Mencer, a New Jersey boy who was going blind. His complete cure in 1964 was authenticated by the Vatican as having no medical explanation and was endorsed by Pope Francis in December.
In general, one confirmed miracle is needed for beatification and a second such miracle for canonization.
The youngest of seven, Sister Miriam delayed college to care for her invalid mother, who died when “Treat” — as Sister Miriam was called — was 18. Because of her poor eyesight, she was rejected by the convent of contemplatives she wanted to enter before she joined a teaching community.
“Miriam’s life of aligning her life to the will of God is a model for all of us,” said Sister Mary Canavan, a former general superior of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth who is the fourth sister to serve as vice postulator of Sister Miriam’s cause.
“I don’t know if we need another saint in the church per se, except that her message that we all are called to holiness is significant to everyone in this troubled world, because it will take all of us to help bring about the reign of God,” Sister Mary told the New Jersey Catholic, Newark’s archdiocesan magazine.
Sister Mary also noted that Sister Miriam embraced selflessness and had an acute awareness of God’s presence in her life.
Because she was baptized in the Eastern Catholic Church, her cause also is championed by the Eparchy of Passaic, which has jurisdiction over the Byzantine churches from Maine to Florida. Also endorsing the cause is the Archdiocese of Newark, where Bayonne is located, and the Diocese of Paterson, whose territory includes the Chapel of the Holy Family in the Convent Station section of Morris Township, where Sister Miriam’s body is entombed.
Sister Miriam was said to be aware of a special call at age 3. “Even before she entered the Sisters of Charity, she was living a saintly life,” Sister Mary said.
After graduating second in her class from Bayonne High School in 1917, she cared for her mother and her family for two years before enrolling at the College of St. Elizabeth in Convent Station.
She majored in literature and graduated in 1923 with highest honors “but was in a state of perplexity as to the future,” according to a biography by Sister Mary Zita Geis, a Sister of Charity.
Sister Miriam was drawn to a contemplative Carmelite community in New York but was rejected because her poor eyesight would have prevented her from helping with the sewing of the liturgical vestments the nuns made to support themselves.
The Sisters of Charity hired her to teach Latin and English at the Academy of St. Aloysius in Jersey City, which closed in 2006. She left teaching to care for her ill father, who operated a shoe repair business and after he died, she entered the Sisters of Charity novitiate in 1925.
In the winter of 1927, she was hospitalized several times and so, when she complained of pain just a few months later, her superiors suspected hypochondria. When she was again hospitalized, it was for acute appendicitis. She died just after taking her vows as a fully professed sister.
Only after her death did confidantes reveal she had described having a vision of Mary in her sophomore year and of walking with St. Therese, which occurred during her novitiate.
On her body’s return to Convent Station from the hospital, one of the sisters cut locks of her hair. After her burial, visitors began chipping pieces from the granite cross at her grave.
Sister Mary said her work on Sister Miriam’s cause has helped her to better understand the Gospel message “Many are called, but few are chosen,” which she said is embodied in Sister Miriam, an example of living a holy life.
(Frank is editor of the New Jersey Catholic magazine and associate publisher of The Catholic Advocate, the news outlets of the Archdiocese of Newark.)
(Copyright © 2014 Catholic News Service/United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news services may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to, such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method in whole or in part, without prior written authority of Catholic News Service.)
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| 8,974 |
It’s been over seven months since I wrote Sowing in Tears and not a lot has changed. In this stage of our journey, it feels like we have not only sown in tears (Psalm 126:5), but we have sacrificed everything to water and fertilize these seeds. Still, we have not seen even the beginning of a sprout.
About a month ago, my husband was miraculously given a job. After months and months of trying to find work, this opportunity practically fell in his lap. It was such a huge provision and we were so grateful.
Then, two weeks ago, he injured himself and has been unable to work. Just as things were looking promising to us, there’s another problem.
In so many areas of our lives, we continue to sow with no reaping. Even normal things like eating healthy and exercising are not giving me results like they did previously. It’s very discouraging.
My faith has never been stretched like this before. Months ago, I felt like that was as far as my faith would go, yet here I am. That, in and of itself, is a miracle—a sign that God really does continue to strengthen us and renew our hope. Each time I start feeling completely discouraged, like I can’t go on anymore, God gives me an extra measure of faith.
Faith is never easy. But what is faith, really? Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Not long ago, I would have considered faith to be my belief in God. Belief in God is an absolutely necessary part in a Christian’s life, but perhaps belief is more like a prerequisite for faith. Don’t get me wrong: We need to begin at this level of believing God’s Word, but it seems as though many believers have stopped at this point.
Even our initial belief in God calls for faith. Each step of obedience, each step towards God, each time we crack open the Bible to read—it is all done in faith that believes this all matters and will somehow make a difference.
We need faith in everyday moments. We need faith when we eat right and exercise. We need to be able to “see” the future results of our hard work and believe that our sacrifices will be worth it.
We need faith when we go to college, sacrificing money, time, and energy. We have faith that a college education will provide more opportunities for us and enable us to do well in our careers.
We need faith when we parent our children! We need to know that our discipline and sacrifices will eventually show results. We hope for our child to mature into a responsible adult, but right now he’s a whiny toddler throwing a fit in the middle of Target. Faith.
Speaking of parenting, I believe raising a toddler is one of the biggest steps of faith. How many years does a parent invest and sacrifice into a child during the infant/toddler years before she sees results? It takes years! YEARS! But the parent presses on, disciplining and investing into this child with faith of seeing results.
The point is, faith is more than our beliefs. Faith requires action. It’s a risky step that puts our beliefs to the test. Faith sees beyond what we can see in the natural and presses on towards a better future. Biblically speaking, we are hoping for God’s promises to come to fruition—promises spoken of in His Word and promises He’s spoken directly to us for our lives.
Our faith stands on the foundation of the goodness of God and the reliability of His Word. As Bill Johnson says, “The revelation of the goodness of God is our invitation to the life of faith.” It’s our knowledge and experience of the goodness of God that enables us to step out in faith. And faith isn’t through our efforts, but rather our surrender.
What I am learning through this season is that faith requires that I let go of my reputation. It’s funny how we esteem Christians when they play it safe—read the Bible, go to church, lead small groups—you know, the usual (which was how Josh and I lived most of our adult lives). These people seem so mature and wise (I remember those good ol’ days of thinking I had my life all figured out). Then when Christians take God at His Word and give up everything to follow Him, they’re seen as crazy! Yet, wasn’t this the example we see throughout the Bible?
Think about Noah for a second. Noah had to have a crazy amount of faith. God told him to build a boat because He was going to flood the earth…in 100 years. Day in and day out as Noah and his sons erected this monstrous ark, they endured mocking and ridicule. How easy would it have been to give up after just a few days or weeks of this? Noah remained faithful, looking like a fool to those around him, for the entire 100 years.
Are you willing to be considered a fool in the world’s eyes?
I am also learning that the measure of our faith is not in the initial size—our zeal and passion in the beginning. The measure of our faith lies in our perseverance when we don’t see immediate results. In other words, how quickly do you give up?
Perseverance is the difficult part of faith, especially when you notice the trend in the lives of the men and women of faith. There’s a reason the people mentioned in Hebrews 11 were called men and women of faith. It’s not because God gave them promises and proceeded to immediately fulfill them. No, they had to wait. And wait. And wait. Some of them did not even see the fulfillment of the promise in their lifetimes.
Abraham never saw his descendants inherit the Promised Land. Moses only saw the Promised Land from afar. “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth” (Hebrews 11:13).
I sincerely hope that this is not our fate. I hope my family sees the fulfillment of our surrendered lives and journey of faith. After all, “He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6), but even Moses understood that no Promised Land is worth it without the Presence of God. Even if we don’t see this fulfillment, though, we will continue to move forward and not give up because I believe in the goodness of God and trust His purpose for my life.
When we started this journey, I promised to be open and honest with my readers. I didn’t want to sugarcoat our experiences. Many times, we are filled with gratitude with what God has done in our lives. This journey has been exciting and new, filled with unexpected blessings, new friends, amazing experiences, and fun adventures.
The most miraculous part has been how God has been changing us on the inside. It’s all the stuff people can’t see. It’s the roots that are going down deep, preparing for an insurgence of nourishment that makes us stronger and more of a blessing to those around us.
For now, though, this journey is still hard. We get discouraged. We lose heart. It leaves us in a place of completely depending on God. We are perfectly positioned so that we have no choice but to rely on God. It’s a season of learning to trust. Trust requires that we stop leaning on our own understanding and that we stop creating safety nets because we don’t think God will come through. Trust means all in. We are all in.
I really appreciate your feedback and support! Let me know what stuck out to you the most regarding the topic of faith. Are you on a similar journey? Has God called you to something that seems risky? Comment below with your stories, thoughts, or questions!
For more on living a life of faith based on the goodness of God, read Bill Johnson’s “God is Good” and “Dreaming with God“.
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Published by Dani
I began this blog as a way for friends and family to stay connected, but also to create a forum where we can discuss life, God, and relationships. As an introvert, I've used writing as a primary means to communicate my thoughts and feelings. My objective is to create a safe place for followers of Jesus to be encouraged and join me on this journey of pursuing God. I may not be theologically correct on all issues and that's ok. Life is meant to be an adventure of risk and joy. While life may look messy at times, I want to be open with my journey in hopes that my story will be an encouragement to you! View all posts by Dani
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11 thoughts on “Faith is Harder Than I Thought”
June 23, 2017 at 7:11 am
Ugh. Is there such a thing as a comfy punch in the stomach? I’m really grateful to the Lord that so much of what you’re writing is what I’m going through. My faith used to be stronger – like, a couple weeks ago it seemed stronger. I needed this. God is also dealing with me about loving my reputation more than I love Him and His ways. Thanks.
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Dani says:
June 23, 2017 at 5:34 pm
Jamie, you are amazing. This is encouraging TO ME, knowing that my words can help you feel like you’re not alone. Sometimes I don’t know who will understand what the heck I’m writing about, but if just ONE PERSON can connect with it, that makes all the difference in the world to me. It encourages me to keep being vulnerable and writing. Love you, lady.
Also, from what you say, it sounds like God is taking you to a new level of faith. He gives us a measure of faith and when we step out in risk (that feeling of leaping of a cliff, hoping for God to catch you), we start doubting ourselves and our level of faith. BUT THEN God catches us, renews our strength, and causes us to trust Him even more. He’s taking you deep, Jamie. It sucks and it feels like we’ll never see the fruit of what we’re going through, but that’s the life of faith.
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June 24, 2017 at 12:05 am
I just left you a giant paragraph reply. Somewhere in the posting/login process, it ditched it.
Suffice to say, I was crying (about God’s reminders to me in what you wrote; not the aggravating login process). I thank you so much for your transparency. I actually think it may have been you that posted about it recently, but sometimes God’s deliverance is not from our struggles, but IN our struggles.
I read recently about some Christians dealing with specific temptations. It was remarkable to me how well it hit home when they spoke of not really wishing their struggles away. Their pull toward those things actually led them to a tighter relationship with Jesus than they ever would’ve had without it. It’s true. Sometimes I think God’s totally done with me. My lack of faith in His ability to help me is staggering even to me. (Please note: most of my problems are continual and self-inflicted.) He’s been so faithful, placing tangible reminders in my life of his love, faithfulness, and power. And I still doubt His sovereignty. It seems to me that if I was just focused enough, or faithful enough, that my struggles would be over. He’s done that for me in the past.
But maybe I’m looking at it the wrong way. The goal is pure holiness, true. But as an end-result, not as a process. The goal of the process is relationship, and struggles are a convincing tether. But He’s good. He’s not a bully, desperate for friends. He’s tethering me to Him for MY benefit. He’s not going to leave me. He’s got a plan, and it’s for my good.
There are just times that faith has to be more deliberate than others, I guess. I’ve been listening to the wrong voice. Thank you for speaking encouragement into my life. I need it.
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Dani says:
June 24, 2017 at 2:33 pm
I’m definitely in one of those times where “faith has to be more deliberate” than other times. It’s hard. I hear that when we feel that God is distant, it’s because He trusts us to do what He’s put before us, like when we let our kids have space to show we trust them. It’s not a withdrawal; it’s a trusting responsibility.
What I do during these times is remind myself of God’s faithfulness. I have God’s promises that have been spoke over me and my family written out so that I can return to them. I have testimonies that I can reflect on. And when I’m too weak to even do that, I ask my close friends and my husband to do it for me! Sometimes I’m just like, “I don’t even have the ability to be thankful right now!” I get it.
The biggest reminder is that God is good, and not in some mysterious “He enjoys my pain” weirdness. He’s our good Father who has good in store for us, and not just for the afterlife, but in this life! He is reward now in this life.
I really appreciate your honesty and openness. You really are doing a great job. You’re on the journey that most people avoid their entire lives. You’re doing it!
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June 25, 2017 at 9:03 am
Yes, believing God seems like it shouldn’t take so much effort! But it is a choice. And when I don’t feel I have the capacity to conjure up any promises of His, I’m with ya: ask for help. But honestly, sometimes that’s not always an option – at the very least, not in specific matters. So another thing that helps me when He feels silent is reading my Bible. Drawing near to God despite not feeling Him drawing near yet is TOUGH. But we are promised that He will. The funny thing is, He’s speaking to me through His Word, through you, through reminders I see throughout the day…even if I don’t feel or hear Him all the time. He’s been giving me lil hope nuggets – kinda like connect-the-dots. It’s like He’s encouraging me to keep going, even if I’ve got blinders on. Even if I feel duly rejected. I’m definitely going through trials and testing right now. He just seems quieter. Part of me believes these hope nuggets are reassurances from God, part of me believes they’re wishful thinking. It’s a real struggle for me. So if you would keep me in your prayers, I’d certainly appreciate it. I’ll pray for you, dear friend.
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Dani says:
June 25, 2017 at 8:16 pm
Yes, I will definitely be praying for you. These seasons are so tough. I’m right there with you. That is awesome that you are able to see all the little blessings of God along the way. It’s like the manna in the desert. He sustains us even in the dry seasons. And continue digging into the word. That is our bread. Bill Johnson said when people tell him they aren’t hearing from God, he asks them if they’ve been reading the Bible! Hello! God’s words right there for us to read every day! Haha. Go to those places that give you life and feed your soul–reading the Bible, quiet time with God, talking with good friends, getting out in nature, worshipping, etc. Text me too! I’m here for you!
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June 25, 2017 at 8:37 pm
Dani says:
June 25, 2017 at 11:53 pm
Cam says:
July 5, 2017 at 3:12 am
Thank you for your post. I too did not know that “walking by faith ” and trusting God would be so lonely and difficult at times . I have yet to hear from God and am not sure of what I should be doing during this season. I grow weary too and often think I’m being punished. The silence from God is harder than not seeing the manifestations. I appreciate your openness about the process and hope its just a bad day for me and that I’m not giving up. Reading how long some in the bible waited for prayers to be answered is devastating and depressing. Please continue to update how things are going for you and your family. Blessings
Dani says:
July 5, 2017 at 5:48 am
Thanks so much for your input. Yes, it’s so hard. I have to remind myself that the fact that I’m not giving up is a sign that I have more faith than I realize. Because I get discouraged. I get impatient. It’s all apart of this process of working out our faith. And you’re doing it!!! Most people don’t even get that far in their faith, so be encouraged! You’re doing a great job, even if it doesn’t feel like it at times. I will definitely keep everyone updated on how we’re doing. It’s an up and down journey. We have good days and bad days… and some REALLY bad days. But our God is faithful. Let us continue to seek His Kingdom in the midst of everything.
| 16,283 |
Increasingly, Australians have been led to believe that same-sex marriage is the great inevitable. The legal definition of marriage may well change in 2017, but the case for change has been less about cogent reasoning, and much to do with emotive stories and slick slogans. One should not ignore peoples personal experiences, but if we are to be fair, we will also listen to the equally powerful stories of same-sex attracted people who are asking us not to change the marriage definition. Yet, stories alone should not dictate Australian law.
Disappointingly, many people have been driven to silence, following a constant tirade of abuse from numerous politicians and media personalities. To even question the validity of same sex marriage is paramount to a new social heresy according to some. But it is possible, indeed desirable to speak for the dignity of LGBTI persons, and to seek their well being, without making the logical misstep of calling for marriage redefinition.
My local member, shadow Attorney General, Mark Dreyfus, suggested on the weekend that, “Anyone who thinks they can delay marriage equality in Australia further is standing in the way of history. Time to catch up with reality.”
While I’m impressed with Mr Dreyfus’ Delphic like insight, we also know how history shows that people often make the wrong choices. It may well be that there are good reasons for holding to the classical definition of marriage, and therefore, having sensible recourse for explaining to the Australian people that we should refrain from any change.
You see, the question remains, what is marriage?
What is it about the nature of marriage that requires us to remove man and woman from its definition?
Is it love?
Love is of course a wonderful thing, and there are many kinds of love, but is this argument sufficient? Surely, not every loving relationship should be called marriage? The reality is, there must be more to marriage than love, otherwise even the proposed redefinition is discriminatory and inadequate.
But Australia has already changed the definition of marriage
Another argument that has been put forward is the view that marriage morphed throughout history, therefore it’s okay to once again institute change. This thesis however is nothing more than an example of historical revisionism. The 2004 amendment to the 1961 Marriage Act did not change the nature of marriage, it simply spelled out what was already established belief and practice. And when the Marriage Act was enacted in 1961, it was not reinventing the definition of marriage, but delineating what was known to be true about marriage; it was a self evident truth. Similarly, the Family Law Act 1975 which established the principle of no-fault divorce, did not alter the meaning of marriage, but wholly depended upon it.
What about the argument of equality?
The phrase ‘marriage equality’ is often cited, and it’s a clever piece of marketing, but it is also self-defeating and potentially disingenuous. First of all, all sides in the marriage debate believe in marriage equality, but equality depends on how one defines marriage. Second, if the current debate is really about honouring equality, for whom is it attaining equality? The draft definition will continue to discriminate against polygamists and polyamorists, and it will also discriminate against those who believe marriage should have fixed term rather than ‘being for life’. If proponents of ‘marriage equality’ are in fact wanting equality for all, it makes sense to ask, why do they insist marriage should remain between 2 persons and be intended for life?
Such questions are not difficult to answer for those holding to the traditional and historical understanding of marriage, but I am yet to hear a persuasive argument from those advocating change. Indeed, I am keen to hear one.
As far as I can see, pretty much everyone in the marriage debate discerns a level of discrimination, but the question is at what point? What is it about marriage that requires 2 persons and life long commitment?
After an interesting dialogue last year, one interlocutor wrote to me saying, “marriage is about what people want it to be, whether it’s about love, convenience, social acceptance, children, getting a visa or whatever.”
I appreciated his honesty, and it demonstrated that when nudged, the reasoning for marriage change frequently ends in this same place of vagueness and imprecision. But arguing that the meaning of marriage is malleable is a fast track to making marriage meaningless. Conversations such as this one revealed the argument boils down to individualism, and to the belief that I am free to determine meaning as I like. As appealing as that may at first sound, it’s ultimately fallacious and counter-productive for a healthy society.
If I walked along the Monash freeway, I would soon find myself in trouble because the Monash freeway is not designed for pedestrians. Others may join with me and begin campaigning for pedestrian access along the Monash freeway, but it’s illogical because Freeways are not designed for any and all modes of travel.
Similarly, marriage is and has always been designed for a particular type of relationship: a loving consensual relationship between a man and a woman, intended for life, for personal relationship, for procreation, and for the building of society. There is something inherently unique about this covenantal relationship that we call marriage, and which can only be fulfilled by a man and a woman. As an example, biologically, the act of procreation requires 2 persons: a man and a woman. And such is the intimacy of this sexual union, that it requires the kind of loving commitment that marriage provides. We all know children who grow up without a father or without a mother, but I don’t know of anyone who believes that this is a good thing. It is sometimes necessary given the awful reality of domestic violence, or the tragic death of a parent, but does anyone truly believe that the ideal context for raising children is without a mum and dad?
If Australia is to change the Marriage Act, we need better reasoning than what we have heard thus far. And 2016’s argument, ‘well, the Americans have done it’, probably doesn’t hold so much weight anymore!
I trust people won’t confuse my frankness here with glibness or insensitivity, for I do not wish to cause hurt to any for whom this is a personal issue. I genuinely desire for you to have life to the full, as Jesus spoke about (John 10:10). It is also possible that there will be a few ‘religious’ people who will read my words and use them to agitate views about homosexuality that I do not share; they will not find an ally here because the God whom I know and serve has made every human being in his image and they are deserving of love and dignity. That marriage is for a man and a woman is a good thing, which even many gay and lesbian people recognise and affirm.
Is it wise to redefine marriage? Which ever way you respond to that question, we need to also answer these questions: what is marriage, and with what reason(s) do you define at such?
This post is a updated version of a piece published last year
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marriage, marriage plebiscite, same sex marriage
Why David Marr is wrong about Religious Freedom →
August 9, 2017 at 6:52 pm
An interesting take on this issue, Murray.
Just a couple of questions.
1. If marriage is, as you suggest, defined at least partly in terms of procreation, then you would have to exclude those who are medically unable to reproduce; for example, post-menopausal women, or individuals who have been tested and found to be infertile. Perhaps those who have already married and been found infertile (and not yet had kids) would have their marriages annulled. Or if you don’t exclude these individuals, your argument re procreation becomes rather ambiguous. How do you reconcile it?
2. You ask, “Does anyone truly believe that the ideal context for raising children is without a mum and dad?” The pro-same-sex-marriage camp has answered this question unequivocally, “Yes”. They cite studies that have measured the wellbeing of children raised by same-sex couples, into adulthood, and each one confirms the result: that, on average, these children do at least as well, or even better, than children raised by heterosexual couples. One reason offered for the disparity is that it’s much harder for same-sex couples to acquire children, and so couples represented in the sample must have a high level of commitment to parenthood (whereas many heterosexual couples, don’t). I know these papers are easy to find and I’m sure you’re quite capable of finding them. The question is, how do you justify your view that children need a parent of each sex, in the face of substantial evidence to the contrary?
I support your appeal to rational, civil discourse, but I fear you’re allowing preconceived ideas to drive your reasoning.
August 10, 2017 at 12:54 pm
1. CPX have a series of short videos that are helpful here – https://publicchristianity.org/library/what-is-marriage
2. Of course, there will be some people who argue that. But do most people really believe that it is better for children to have 2 mums or 2 dads (a biological impossibility btw), or to have a mum and dad? A number of AMA doctors have recently published an important letter, which examines some of the claims that you’ve alluded to above. It’s worth reading – http://www.critiqueama.com/
August 11, 2017 at 12:32 pm
You live in a very cookie cutter world if you believe that two mums and two dads can’t be achieved “naturally”.
There are many, many children who have two mums and two dads who were born from previous relationships.
Not having Marriage Equality hurts these children. What Christian website gives a solution for this?
Thanks,
August 11, 2017 at 9:51 pm
I don’t think the CPX videos resolve the first issue: either the question of parenting matters in the definition of marriage, or it doesn’t. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
On the second question, the dissenting letter makes for interesting reading, but it seems to do the same thing it accuses the AMA of: cherry-picking the evidence. See for example: https://thinkprogress.org/the-conservative-argument-against-same-sex-parenting-just-fell-apart-134776373c61/
The papers the letter refers positively to, have been widely criticised for comparing unlike samples. I.e. if you compare children who are with their biological parents with those who aren’t, the first group will have better outcomes regardless of the sexuality of the second group’s parents. Comparing children of same-sex parents with any children of heterosexual parents, is not properly controlled, as the majority of the latter group has the biological advantage. You’d need to compare children with like biological circumstances. Eg. Heterosexual remarried with homosexual remarried.
I think many Christians can be fairly charged with having selective hearing when it comes to scientific research of controversial topics. And it’s not a good look. Science works best when you put aside those preconceptions and investigate with an open mind. I try to listen carefully to what science is saying, and then ask how it reconciles with my faith.
August 11, 2017 at 10:41 pm
I think it’s rather bold of you to suggest these Doctors (& others) are cherry picking and not approaching research fairly.
August 11, 2017 at 11:37 pm
Maybe, but they do seem to be swimming against the tide of evidence. Surely if their case were as compelling as you seem to think it is, they’d have managed to get more than six signatories (the AMA isn’t exactly small).
August 13, 2017 at 1:34 pm
Psychologists clearly indicate that the STABILITY of the parent/s are far more beneficial to children than the fact there is 1 male and 1 female involved.
Such studies have looked at cases such as households where there is domestic violence, or conflict between the parents, and it has been shown that even a single parent provides more benefit to a child, than forcing the child to remain in a bad situation where they have 1 mum and 1 dad who are constantly arguing.
Children flourish from stability, love, consistency, self-esteem… The gender or quantity of the parents that provide this is irrelevant.
You only need to ask one of the many single mothers out there whether their children are better of now the relationship with an abusive father is over, or if they were better off when he was there and you would learn this simple fact. But you are so focused on trying to preserve your religious dogma that you are quite happy to trample over everyone else’s happiness just so you can feel safe and comfortable in your ignrance
August 13, 2017 at 12:18 pm
I read this awhile ago and found it helpful, as I used to struggle with that first question too:
August 13, 2017 at 1:29 pm
You do realize that all 4 of those reasons given in that article also apply to same-sex marriages?
The only point that even remotely may be in contention is the first one which says “mother and father”. But this is completely contradicted in cases such as adoption where the mother and father are not bonded as they suggest and in fact that is overturned by the government SPECIFICALLY for those who have chosen to parent the child. In this instance, they may also be turned over to single parents as well as couples and whether or not the couple are of opposite genders is irrelevant.
You should still struggle with it… this article only further supports the validity of same sex marriage as it clearly indicates it is the union and stable foundation for the raising of children (or potential to raise children should that happen) which is EQUALLY supported by any form of marriage involving 2 people
August 10, 2017 at 11:43 am
When my wife and I married 37 years ago we knew we would never have children
37 years later we are still married and we can still say “My Wife or My Husband”
Our commitment to each other is still valid and accepted by the society
37 years ago 2 of our gay friends formed a partnership, they still cannot say they are married.
14 years ago 2 of our gay friends formed a partnership, last year they gave birth to 2 wonderful children, they know being married is the best relationship to raise children, but they are not allowed to marry and provide that security for their sons.
I think those who oppose same sex marriage need to go to the bible and see what Jesus said about love
and the old testament to see what god said about the sins of sodom
Ezekiel 16:49-50 “49 “‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.”
The sins of Sodom are indeed serious and prevalent and we need to eradicate them !
August 13, 2017 at 1:23 pm
Why cherry pick phrases from the bible?
Do you just ignore those passages which talk about homosexuality being abominations or slavery being acceptable?
I agree with your sentiment… but trying to use a book to validate those views, when that same book is the reason we are in this position in the first place sadly is not helpful. Either agree with the whole lot, or throw it out, but picking and choosing which verses are useful and just ignoring those which are abhorrent doesn’t help anyone.
August 12, 2017 at 11:44 pm
While you were spending time on this subject, thousands of children died from malnutrition and related diseases. Seems to me a far more pressing matter. Move on.
August 13, 2017 at 1:13 pm
You could not be more distastefully wrong on so many points as you are here, and quite frankly, your religious based bigotry is showing.
Love and marriage are correlations NOT causation. One can be married and not in love and they can also be in love and not married. To even bring up a topic of love as if it is somehow a single simplistic and all encompassing reason for wanting marriage equality is purposely misleading and an underhanded attempt to redirect away from the issue.
If love was even a primary component of the institute of marriage, then one could simply state that they are no longer in love as reasons for divorce and guess what? This reason is not satisfactory.
What you have done here is set up a strawman. Nobody has ever said that love is the single and sole reason for marriage equality, so your attempt to claim one would be discriminatory to do so is creating your own false interpretation of the argument of others and then easily knocking it down.
This is both poor reasoning and showing clear bias. You are literally trying to find excuses to an answer you have already predetermined. Extremely dishonest.
Yet again another completely false strawman. You seem to think that equality is something that must be gained “All or nothing”, where you should not even make a single move closer to equality unless you have the entire problem licked. So your claim that we should not take one step closer towards it be at least resolving this EASY issue, because of red herrings like polygamy, which suggests that unless you can solve the hardest issue, you shouldn’t even try to to solve the easy issue is repugnant.
People in same sex relationships have made it clear that they would like equality and they have made a reasonable case to have it, and thus they should get it because the reasons they provide are sound. If polygamists would like to also share in that equality than AS A SEPARATE CASE, they can make their claim known, provide their own reasoning and that will also be assessed on its own merits.
You DO NOT lump them all together and then claim that you do not solve ANY equality until you have complete 100% equality across the board. Could you imagine women’s suffrage if they had used your kind of reasoning… women would not have been given the vote or been allowed to work unless we had completely solved gender equality.
Can you see how absolutely absurd that is?
You are missing the point. The counter claim to why same sex marriage can not be made law is because those against it claim the law cannot be change. Thus it is countered by the fact that the law has previously been revised. It doesn’t matter what that revision is it counters the ignorant claims that you simply cannot do it by proving it has been done before.
“If I walked along the Monash freeway, I would soon find myself in trouble because the Monash freeway is not designed for pedestrians. Others may join with me and begin campaigning for pedestrian access along the Monash freeway, but it’s illogical because Freeways are not designed for any and all modes of travel.
Similarly, marriage is and has always been designed for a particular type of relationship: a loving consensual relationship between a man and a woman, intended for life, for personal relationship, for procreation, and for the building of society”
This would have to be the most arrogant, egotistical and selfishly boorish statement I have ever read. You are essentially saying that when a man and a woman get married, even if the two people involved are completely ill equipped to be married, they are cars and same sex couples are pedestrians. That somehow the very fact that the couple is comprised of a man and a woman makes them capable of navigating the “freeway” which is not possible if the couple is composed of the same gender.
How absolutely condescending you are.
What is worse… Your final statement could just as easily be written:
“marriage is and has always been designed for a particular type of relationship: a loving consensual relationship between TWO PEOPLE, [intended for life], for personal relationship, [for RAISING OF CHILDREN], and for the building of society”
Unless of course you are wanting to deny anyone who is incapable of having children from being married, condemning all fertility clinics for assisting with children via means other than “procreation”, denying everyone who has adopted children or anyone who has foster cared for children.
I also made two key phrases optional, as neither of them are absolutely mandatory for the purpose of marriage, as the 50% divorce rate clearly indicates. While the intention would be for life, to blindly act as if this is mandatory is just plain delusional.
Not once in your entire article have you mentioned the other reasons why people get married, the ability to act upon behalf of your partner, to be present at hospitals during critical times, to be the next of kin in the event of issues, to legally be present in many cases and many other things…. For you to ignore so many other things and focus purely on your ignorant religious perspective is both disgusting and dishonest.
Stop playing the victim and acting as if you are being “attacked” for having a different point of view. Freedom of speech also means the freedom to criticize bad ideas, to point out bigotry and ignorance and to take the responsibility of your words and FACE the consequences of the things you say. Nobody is silencing you, you just like to play the victim if anyone dares to challenge your stone age view on a practice which no longer BELONGS to you or your church.
I am sorry to tell you this… but there is a reason why the government REMOVED the registration of marriage from the church. It was because they knew the church were incapable of being unbias, and that they would abuse this by deciding for themselves who could and could not get married.
Ask yourself this… If someone told YOU that you couldn’t get married, would you accept that? If you wouldn’t then why do you expect other people to just accept it?
August 15, 2017 at 12:24 pm
seems like you people cannot make any relevant comments without resorting to personal attacks…any disagreement is bigotry, arrogance, hypocrisy…
August 14, 2017 at 7:32 pm
Thank you for sharing, Lizzie. I certainly found some acceptable reasoning in that article, particularly in Point 1.
I’m not sure that anyone’s mind will be changed now that the dialogue has taken on a decidedly more heated tone. In my experience this is where barriers go up and people tend to gravitate to their separate camps.
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The other day I connected with a former coaching client and I asked him how he was dealing with our current situation. His answer was inspiring so I thought I would share it with you.
He works in the gaming industry and like so many his business has come to a complete halt over the past month and the road back isn’t going to be easy. He shared with me that for about a week he was starting to get really angry and negative. Anyone that has met this person would know that he is one of the most positive people you could ever come into contact with, his energy and enthusiasm is contagious. He realized quickly that this wasn’t going to work for him.
During this brief period of negativity he had a moment of clarity and made a simple choice. He chose to come out of this situation stronger than he was when he entered into it.
I was so intrigued by his response, so I asked him what he meant?
He said stronger in every way meant first taking care of his health and physical fitness. He has been working out most every day- getting outside to walk his dog, riding his bike, going for a run when he can. This also meant eating the right kinds of food that will provide him energy instead of take it away.
Stronger also meant mentally. He’s enrolled in several on-line courses and webinars to build his knowledge and skills. He is also taking a course with his entire sales team and they are making time to stop and engage in discussion regarding the program and how it can impact their business and their lives.
Stronger also meant creating a new business that is in line with his current business. Building a new brand, creating marketing material, a website and social media channels. These tasks have all kept him active an engaged in a positive experience that can help keep him energized and excited well into the future.
Stronger also meant the relationships he’s built with his business contacts and customers. Staying in touch and reaching out to connect so that when we turn the economy back on, he will be ready to serve them and meet their specific needs in the new normal.
Stronger also meant connecting with those people in his life that mean the most to him. Sharing himself and his energy with those he cares about, letting them know how important they are to him, and reinforcing the bond that he already has with friends and family.
As we near the end of our lock-down period and begin the process of re-igniting our businesses and our economy a few things will be essential.
Number one– how we’ve taken care of ourselves during this “great pause” will absolutely set us up for success of non-success as we get back to the business of doing business.
Number two– the relationships you’ve built in your business and in your life are going to be more important than ever before. How have you nurtured your most important relationships during this time?
Number three– Your skill level is going to be extremely important in the New Normal. If you were marginally good or just getting by before that’s no longer going to cut it. Planning for success moving forward means upping your game to levels you’ve never thought possible. If you haven’t learned something new over the past month than my question for you is:
What the heck are you waiting for?
This week think about the following:
What are you doing during this time to come out of this “Great Pause” stronger then when we started it?
How do you plan to re-engage in your business and in your life once we hit the start button again?
What skills have you learned or refined that will make you stronger when we emerge from our current situation.
Thought for the week:
You can’t be brave if you’ve only had wonderful things happen to you. –Mary Tyler Moore
Cheers to you, your success, and most of all your health
Coach Tim
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Over the last two years there has been overwhelming support around buying black, but very little guidance on how and where to buy black. Furthermore,…
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Walmart has been a long standing supporter of black owned brands. They currently sell over 20 brands, with many more in the pipeline. As we…
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Welcome to My Travel Blog which cover various travel related articles, pictures, videos, hotel reviews, flight reviews, travel blog, travel reviews, travel stories and many more.
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Showing posts from June 14, 2017
June 14, 2017
Rewalsar Lake (Mandi) When I was a kid then I used to hear about the Rewalsar town and a small lake situated in the middle of this town from my mother who visited it many times during her childhood. I only got the opportunity to visit Rewalsar town when I was in my twenties and now I have visited it three times. Rewalsar is a popular tourist destination in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh and many tourists visit it. This town is situated just 22 KM away from Mandi city and situated on the old road route which connects Mandi to Punjab. An Old Shiva Temple at Rewalsar To reach Rewalsar, you need to take state highway 26 from Mandi or Khalkhar. As we approach the Rewalsar town from Khalkhar side we descend on the road and the lake starts appearing just before reaching the town. Whereas when we come from the Mandi side, then you witness steep ascend on the road. Mahatma Buddha Temple The main attraction of Rewalsar is its lake which is situated in the middle
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My visit to Baba Dhune Waleji Maharaj Temple complex (Rampur Sani, Nangal)
June 14, 2017
Inside Shiva Temple I love to travel and therefore, often gets a chance to visit many places which I have not seen before. India is a country of Temples and we can find many temples around us. While some of the temples are very popular and everyone knows about them. However, still, there are many other temples which are not very popular but have good popularity in the local region. The Temple Baba Dhune Waleji Maharaj at Rampur Sani, Nangal is one such temple. This temple is situated between two canals originating from the Nangal Dam and it is the place where the main Maharaj of the temple used to meditate and worship. Today, at this place, we can find a big temple complex with many small temples, Goshala and marriage hall. This temple is situated away from the main road, and to reach this temple you need to cross the main Bhakra Canal and take the small road adjacent to the Bhakra canal. Many people who visit this temple also take bath in the adjoining canal where an iron net
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Obesity affects us all in some way or the other. And just like in other areas of our lives, etiquette is mandatory. And we all know how rude people can be when it comes to physical appearances.
“He broke the leg of an antique chair because of his weight and didn’t sit on it properly. Then he knocked a table over that sent a very expensive lamp crashing to the floor,” a friend recounted about a guest. What did he do? “I just smiled and made a joke and asked, “What else are you considering for extinction?" His way of handling the situation was with humor. Even his guest laughed. Whatever you do, don't start sulking and talking about how valuable something was. Maybe the chair was delicate to begin with and anyone could've caused the chair's leg to break.
Should a person offer to pay for a repair? Our friend with the broken chair said he wouldn't ask. "If a person breaks a piece of furniture because of their weight, they should at least offer to pay for the repair," said an aunt of an overweight niece. "They should know better before sitting down." While we think an offer is thoughtful, a gracious host most likely wouldn't accept it.
If you think a piece of furniture can't handle but so much weight, you should show your guest to a seat where you’ll know they’ll be safe. But it cuts both ways, if you think that a chair may not be sturdy enough for your weight, there’s nothing wrong with saying, “I think I’ll sit on the sofa, if you don’t mind.” Make your host feel comfortable by letting them know what makes you more comfortable.
“I have a friend who's obese and when she comes to town, I make sure I have a few restaurants for her to choose from where I’ll know she’ll be comfortable,” explained a New Yorker. “I worry when we go to the movies, but so far, it hasn’t been a problem. And I never say anything, the last thing I want to do is hurt her feelings. That's not right.”
As far as conversation goes, we all have to learn to live in a world where slips of the tongue and poor choices of words happen and can be hurtful. Be sensitive to who’s sitting at the table, don’t bring up Weight Watchers if there’s a person at the table who could use some weight watching. If that person brings up the subject of weight you can listen but don't make it the hot topic of the evening. We find this kind of conversation on the dull side and it goes nowhere fast. If something is said that can be misconstrued as a dig to a person's weight, let it go, no kicking under the table. The reaction of the kicked could create an embarrassing mess.
Keep compliments honest and earnest. One of the most elegant men we know is a big guy. His social graces outweigh his weight. When people pay him a compliment on his impeccable appearance, there's never the tone of, "You sure can dress for a big man."
If you're having a dinner party, no need to go buy a whole side of a cow because you've decided, and most likely, wrongly, that one person is going to eat a huge quantity of food. Sure there should be enough, but as a host, it's more important for you to know if your guests have any food allergies or if there are foods they absolutely won't eat. And don't take it upon yourself to put an overweight guest on a diet, cook as you usually do. If you're known for your baking, don't become the food police and serve a fruit salad.
At the end of the day or dinner, when it comes to exhibiting manners with respect to obesity, we suggest that you aim to be the biggest in the room.
Labels: banquette seating, dinner guests, hostessing, manners for obese, manners for the overweight, obesity, Overweight
2 comments:
Monte Mathews said...
I'll never forget being at the Cipriani in Venice when a huge American woman arrived for lunch. As she sat down, the chair collapsed around her and about ten waiters, maitre d's and busboys appeared out of nowhere and lfited her off the ground. "Nothing like making an entrance" she announced to everyone on the terrace. I loved her spunk
September 29, 2010 at 4:47 PM
Anonymous said...
'm glad someone is dealing with the 600 pound elephant in the room..(pun intended)...
but you do think about those things when dealing with someone unusually large....
and what about the airplane...can they fit in those seats.....i have a friend who said
when he gets on the airplane....as he walks down the aisle tyring to find his seat...he sees the
looks in the people,s eyes as they say to themselves..." i hope the fat guy isn't sitting next to me"!
September 30, 2010 at 10:21 AM
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A U.S. soldier walks past an M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher vehicle, during the "African Lion" military exercise on June 9, 2021. Russian hackers have reported launched a cyberattack on American military company Lockheed Martin, the maker of the HIMARS. | Image by Fadel Senna/Getty Images
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By Mark Hebert - Staff Writer
Russian hackers claimed Monday to have launched an attack on global arms-manufacturer Lockheed Martin, threatening the company and its employees.
A pro-Kremlin news outlet, Life.ru, published a statement by the hacker groups Killnet and Killmilk, condemning Lockheed Martin for allegedly being an “actual sponsor of world terrorism” responsible for at least tens of thousands of deaths, and framing their actions as a response to Western arms-sales to Ukraine, according to the EurAsian Times.
They continued:
“The notorious HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems, supplied to Ukraine by the aforementioned military-industrial corporation, allow the criminal authorities of the Kyiv regime to kill civilians, destroy the infrastructure and social facilities of the still temporarily occupied Ukraine.”
The hackers claimed they targeted the company’s production systems and also threatened to release the personal information of Lockheed employees so they could be “persecuted and destroyed around the world!”
In a separate Telegram app posted by Killmilk, the hacker group wrote, “I call on all hacker groups to create an escalation in Lockheed Martin’s production cycles around the world, as well as to spread personal information about the terrorists of this company.”
For its part, Lockheed Martin has not made any public statement on the alleged hack, nor has a U.S. government spokesperson confirmed that any such thing occurred.
However, a so-called Russian military expert, Alexei Leonkov, appeared on Russian television in late July, claiming that the Russian military had managed to hack into the U.S. HIMARS deployed in Ukraine.
“The American system has been hacked. And our secret development will be deployed in all directions. A good system, I can’t name it yet, but it works at much greater distances, instantly fixing the launch site. For the Americans, this was a very unpleasant surprise,” said Leonkov, per Pravda.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu subsequently stated on Tuesday that Russia had destroyed six HIMARS since the start of the Ukrainian conflict, Reuters reported.
“We are aware of these latest claims by Minister Shoigu and they are again patently false,” stated Todd Breasseale, the Pentagon’s acting spokesman.
“What is happening, however, is that the Ukrainians are employing with devastating accuracy and effectiveness, each of the fully accounted for precision missile systems the U.S., our Allies, and partners have provided them to defend against Russia’s brutal, criminal invasion,” said Breasseale.
For more Dallas crime-related news, see how Dallas City Councilmember Chad West of District 1 was named The Dallas Express’ Crime Boss of the Month for April 2022.
We welcome and appreciate comments on The Dallas Express as part of a healthy dialogue. We do ask that you be kind. Kind to each other and to everyone else in your comments. For more information, please refer to our Complete Comment Moderation Policy.
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Categorized in: BridgingApps Reviewed App Announcement Posted on: May 26, 2015 Last updated on: May 30, 2017 Written by: Amy Barry Comments: 0
Love to Count by Pirate Trio is an app that helps students understand why math skills are important. This app teaches from an early age why numbers have meaning and how basic math problems and concepts help us solve basic questions of everyday life.
Through games like splitting a pizza evenly for the pirates or counting the number of fish caught, children can earn virtual prizes which motivates the students to continue play. Other concepts included are telling their left hand from right, time telling, shapes and addition. The basic concept of the app blends simple math skills into fun pirate games.
Love to Count by Pirate Trio helps teach and perfect such skills as:
– knowing the sequence of numbers from 1 to 10
– counting up and down
– understanding the relationship between numbers (1,2,3…) and ordinals (first, second, third…)
– adding and subtracting
– making 10
– learning halves, quarters and thirds; recognition of symmetrical division
– recognizing left from right.
Parents are provided with a tracking screen which is helpful for evaluating child’s progress. The logging system allows the app to be used by more than 1 child without loosing their scores and rewards given for correct answers.
Love to Count by Pirate Trio aims to encourage children to discover and understand maths, rather than learn it by heart. Solving these logical puzzles will play an important part in development and build their confidence at this early stage of schooling.
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Carson City is a lovely and energetic city in the state of Nevada. This pleasant city, with a population of around 55,000 people, began as a stopover for immigrants heading to California. It has since grown into a dynamic, diversified city with great neighborhoods, top-rated schools, diverse retail and eating districts, top-tier amenities, and infinite entertainment possibilities.
If you are looking to relocate to this thriving city or build some new commercial space in it, then get to know 15 of the best general contractors in Carson City, Nevada. Our editorial team chose these firms for their extensive skills, impressive portfolios, and awards.
Based in Reno, Neil Adams Building has supplied design, construction, and renovation services to the area since its inception in 1981. Over the years, the firm has gained extensive experience and experience building exceptional projects that reflect clients’ unique visions. The firm has been in the industry for over 41 years, building a reputation for quality, workmanship, design, and dependability showcased throughout its impressive portfolio. It provides design, construction, and remodeling services focused on residential projects.
One of the firm’s notable projects is the Montreux – Italian Villa, a mid-sized southwestern one-level home in Reno. The firm used an earthy color palette and rustic accents throughout the space, creating an atmosphere that is warm and inviting. It features mixed sidings that add visual interest and large windows that bring in lots of natural light and plenty of breezes.
King Bee Construction was established in 2009 as a Reno, Nevada-based general construction firm. It offers remodeling, fencing, framing, repairs, stairs, maintenance, insulation, drywall, finish carpentry, siding, weather stripping, overhead doors, decks, and porter services. With 13 years in the industry, the firm has remained committed to being the most competent and dependable renovation company in the Truckee Meadows area. The firm feels success follows client satisfaction, so it continuously strives for excellence to deliver projects on time and within budget. Its client-centered processes and integrated, hands-on approach allow it to deliver professionalism, accountability, and outstanding follow-through, ensuring superior quality on every project.
This stunning rustic kitchen is a stellar example of the firm’s impressive portfolio. Framed by a rustic design, the project features natural design elements through the wooden cabinetry, granite countertop, and beige walls. It also features a U-shaped layout with the breakfast bar extended to add more workspace. The kitchen island serves as the focal center of the practical and efficient area.
Lopiccolo Construction has been in the industry since 1995, but its team of highly-skilled designers and builders has over 60 years of combined expertise. The firm is based in Northern Nevada but it has expanded its reach to serve Southern Nevada and California. Residential and commercial construction and renovations are part of the firm’s diverse portfolio. Thanks to its commitment to excellence, the firm’s integrated, hands-on and personalized approach guarantees that each job meets client expectations. As a result, the firm has earned plenty of good testimonials and positive feedback from a long list of delighted customers who have experienced a smooth and seamless project delivery.
This featured project is a new remodel in Carson City, where the firm updated the outdated space into a new design that suits its client’s personality and needs. The project features a transitional design with a rustic charm, evident through its dark, hardwood floors. Its white walls bring a light and airy feel to the space, and one wooden accent wall for the fireplace provides the focal point.
Founded in 1996, Howe Construction continues to serve as a general contractor in the Incline Village and Lake Tahoe areas as well as Minden, Carson City, and Reno. It offers a wide variety of services through its single-source solutions, including custom homes, remodeling, commercial, and construction management. Over the years, the firm has built a solid reputation for providing high-quality construction, exceptional customer service, and fair pricing on all of its projects. The firm is committed to delivering the highest quality, value, and affordability. The firm’s superior quality, impeccable professionalism, and outstanding customer services are supported by cutting-edge technology and creative design-build solutions.
One of the firm’s notable projects is the Lake Tahoe Custom Home in Glenbrook. This cabin-style home features natural design elements that give it a rustic charm thanks to its wood and stone exterior. This custom home has been successfully integrated into its surroundings, embracing the rustic appeal of mountain life through natural components, natural textiles, and a warm earth-toned color scheme.
Since its inception in 2008, Curtis Bros Construction has provided exceptional customer service while providing distinctive designs and high level of craftsmanship. Since then, the firm has continued to expand its experience and expertise, maintaining steady growth by offering flexibility in adapting to its clients’ ever-changing needs. The firm has put together an impressive portfolio of diverse projects that demonstrate its outstanding workmanship and design skills. It has solidified its reputation as an industry leader through its solid track record of satisfied clients who have testified to the firm’s quality results and stress-free delivery.
The firm has worked on a range of projects that includes several design styles, including traditional, modern, and contemporary. This featured project is a Southwestern-style kitchen in Reno, Nevada. Its light walls are complemented by the warm hardwood floors and wooden cabinetry, which create a bright and airy atmosphere. It also features many windows that bring in natural sunlight.
Ryan Built Construction, Inc.
Ryan Built Construction is a general construction firm founded in 2015 that specializes in custom house construction in the greater Reno-Tahoe area. The firm’s impressive portfolio includes diverse residential projects such as custom houses, additions, and remodels. Backed by an expert team, the firm handles every project detail from start to finish, including property location, architectural design, interior design, and landscaping. Despite the fact that the firm has only been in the industry for seven years, it has earned its strong reputation by consistently delivering a positive experience for its clients. The firm only takes on a few assignments at a time to ensure a hands-on and personal service to each client. The firm wants that relationship to be based on excellent communication and framed by its close attention to detail.
This stunning interior is one of the firm’s notable projects—a luxurious and sophisticated design with ample rustic charm. Wooden design elements are used throughout the space—the hardwood floors, wooden doors, and ceiling accents complement the crisp white walls. The stone-clad fireplace serves as visual interest—a great accent to the elegant space.
Since its inception in 1978, Bridges Construction has served Carson City, Northern Nevada, and the neighboring areas with exceptional projects. With nearly 45 years of experience in the industry, the firm has a recognized track record for quality, experience, and cost-effectiveness. Its rich history spans generations of the Bridges family building unique homes, taking great pleasure in their excellent finished work and attention to detail. Over the years, the firm has perfected its customer service and scheduling abilities to ensure a smooth and seamless construction experience. As a result, it has consistently delivered its projects on schedule and within budget.
This kitchen remodel is one of the firm’s notable projects, which features a transitional design with a unique mix of traditional and modern elements. The dark, wooden cabinetry offers a great contrast to the light walls, flooring, and countertops. It includes a lot of cabinetry for added storage space.
Nevada Trimpak, Inc.
Founded in 1983, Nevada Trimpak is a general construction company that provides a wide variety of services throughout Carson City and its neighboring areas. Kitchen and bathroom remodels, stone fireplace mantels, doors, windows, and water, smoke, and fire damage restorations are among the services offered by the firm. The firm is backed by a highly-skilled team that offers extensive experience and expertise to deliver the best possible outcomes. Nevada Timpak is committed to fully comprehending its client’s unique visions and demands, then translating them into actual spaces that reflect their personality and lifestyle.
This rustic kitchen serves as a testament to the firm’s superior quality. It is focused by an earth-toned color palette and natural design elements such as wooden cabinetry, hardwood floors, and stone accents. The kitchen island is strategically placed at the center for maximum efficiency and additional workspace and storage.
Premier Restoration & Remodel Inc. is a general contracting firm specializing in repairs, remodels, and restorations for residential and small commercial facilities damaged by water, wind, smoke, or fire. Initially founded as First General Fire & Flood Restoration, Inc. in 2002, the firm became Premier Restoration & Remodel, Inc. in 2010 to expand its reach. Over the years, the firm has established a solid portfolio of exceptional projects delivered within budget and time constraints by its expert team. Its dedication to excellence has consistently resulted in high-quality craftsmanship and a smooth and seamless construction experience.
The firm completely transformed this outdated kitchen in Reno. The new space features a sleek, sophisticated design with an open-concept layout, creating a more streamlined and optimized workflow. With its dark cabinetry, the kitchen island serves as a great contrast to the white countertops, white cabinetry, and silver hardware.
716 West 6th Street, Reno, NV 89503
Tim Milton Construction has provided the finest quality of construction workmanship to the Northern Nevada region since 2001. The firm uses an integrated, personalized, and hands-on approach that emphasizes listening to its customers and maintaining constant communication with them throughout its life cycle. As a result, the firm has built solid, long-term connections with its stakeholders. It provides a comprehensive set of services to residential and commercial markets. Along with an impressive portfolio of more than 30 single-family houses, three big churches, and dozens of commercial tenant improvement projects, the firm has proven its ability to deliver projects that exceed expectations.
The Batts Residence in Reno is one of the firm’s notable projects. This project aimed to bring the house back to life with modern facilities and a new French Country style while capturing the soul of the house they had lost. The firm delivered on this project through a commitment to making the experience as enjoyable as possible while ensuring the client’s vision was completely realized.
Founded in 2016, Empire Construction is a general contractor with a solid track record and an impressive portfolio of exceptional projects. Although the firm has been in the industry for only six years, it has repeatedly proven its ability to deliver diverse projects, with specialties in high-quality remodeling, renovation, repair, maintenance, and construction services for commercial and residential structures. The firm is backed by a skilled team that can handle any project, no matter how large or complex. The firm has remained dedicated to its core values of integrity, respect, and good relationships with its stakeholders, creating streamlined, optimized, client-centered processes.
This sophisticated and minimalistic bathroom is a perfect example of the firm’s abilities. The new bathroom features a contemporary design with white walls contrasting the black flooring and the white cabinetry contrasting the black countertop. The subway tiles in the glass-enclosed shower areas add to the modern feel of the space.
Triple M Construction has been in business since 1987, specializing in commercial, agricultural, and residential projects such as interior/exterior remodel, design/build, ground-up construction, barns, garages, and other modular constructions. Over the years, the firm has remained committed to its goal of delivering high-quality products while keeping costs under control, meeting tight deadlines, and providing enough oversight on all assignments. This feat has been made possible by its integrated and collaborative approach that ensures every project detail is meticulously managed. With the client’s best interests at the forefront, Triple M Construction is dedicated to providing exceptional value on every job.
One of the firm’s notable projects is this rustic home, which features a unique stone-clad exterior wall that creates a natural design. The home blends seamlessly into its surroundings, and the interior frames the stunning views on all sides. The white walls complement the dark asphalt roofing, adding visual interest to the design.
BGTC Construction is a family-owned and operated licensed general contracting firm based in Carson City that serves the whole state of Nevada. Although the firm has only been in the industry for eight years, it has quickly established itself as one of the best contractors in the area. The firm’s success can be attributed to the integrity of its people, its commitment to working with respect and consideration, and its passion for designing and building stunning, long-lasting structures that are environmentally friendly. Its impressive portfolio includes new home construction, remodels, garages, barns, outbuildings, duplexes, and light commercial projects. Over the years, it has earned a lot of positive feedback from a lengthy list of satisfied clients willing to testify to the superior quality of the firm’s work.
The firm is accredited by several prestigious organizations, including the Nevada State Contractors Board. One of the firm’s notable projects is this stunning and elegant home, which features an earth-toned color scheme and large windows that bring in lots of natural light. The stone-clad accent adds visual interest to the area, adding a rustic twist to the luxurious design.
Lamborn Enterprizes, Inc.
Since 1998, Lamborn Enterprizes has serviced the Northern Nevada area with exceptional residential and commercial projects. The firm is owned by a third-generation family of builders based in Carson City. They bring years of knowledge in building phases as general contractors. The firm started out as Empire Framing Contractors in 1998 and it has a long history of precision framing and specializes in steep, complex roofs. The firm has been renamed Lamborn Enterprizes, a general contractor for all building phases. The firm provides remodels, additions, man-caves, big RV garages, workshops, and new construction for custom residential and commercial structures. Its impressive portfolio and solid track record of satisfied clients have earned the firm its well-deserved reputation as a reliable, trustworthy contractor.
This featured project is a custom luxury home that features a sophisticated and rustic design. The home’s exterior walls include a stone wall accent, which complements the white walls and dark roofing. It also includes a lot of windows, which add to the bright and airy feel of the interior space.
Since 2004, Christ Peterson General Contractors has served as a licensed commercial and residential construction firm in Northern Nevada, serving the Carson City area and its neighboring counties. As a part of its commitment to excellence, the firm uses only high-quality materials. It has a vast selection to fulfill all of the client’s design needs, ensuring that each space clearly reflects the customer’s goals, personalities, and lifestyle. All projects are meticulously planned and timed to meet each deadline and budget constraint. The firm’s high standards of dependability and integrity have resulted in a long list of happy customers willing to provide positive feedback.
The firm provided exterior remodeling services to completely transform this space with a new traditional and sophisticated design. It features a clean design with light beige walls and white window moldings complementing the dark roofing. The stone-clad columns add visual interest and a rustic charm to the home.
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There is no easy answer when it comes to addiction recovery. Every situation is different, and what works for one person might not work for another. That being said, many people successfully recover from addiction and go on to live happy and productive lives. If you are a recovering alcoholic, it might be wondering if you can work in a pharmacy. The answer is yes, but it depends on the individual case. In this blog post, we will explore the question of whether or not recovering alcoholics can work in pharmacies.
What is a recovering alcoholic?
A recovering alcoholic has struggled with alcohol addiction but is now abstaining from drinking. For many people, recovery is a lifelong process that requires ongoing effort and support. There are various approaches to recovery, but all involve abstaining from alcohol and making positive lifestyle changes. Some people may attend support groups or therapy, while others may go through detox and rehab. No matter what approach is taken, recovery is a complex but rewarding journey. With dedication and effort, anyone can achieve sobriety and build a fulfilling life in recovery.
How do you know if you are one
How do you know if you are an empath? Do you have much empathy? If you have much empathy for others, you might be an empath. Empaths are susceptible to the emotions and energies of those around them. They often absorb the feelings of others, which can lead to feeling overwhelmed or drained. Empaths also tend to be profoundly compassionate and caring people. If you find yourself drawn to helping others or feel a deep connection to nature, animals, and the planet, you may be an empath. Other common signs of being an empath include being highly intuitive, having strong intuition, and being a compassionate person. If you identify with any of these traits, then you might be an empath.
What are the signs and symptoms of alcoholism?
Alcoholism is a serious problem that can negatively affect a person’s health and well-being. Several signs and symptoms may indicate that someone is struggling with alcoholism. For example, they may frequently drink large amounts of alcohol, have difficulty limiting their drinking, experience withdrawal symptoms when they try to cut back on drinking, or continue to drink despite problems that are caused by or made worse by their drinking. If you notice any of these signs in yourself or someone you care about, getting help as soon as possible is important. Alcoholism is a treatable condition, but without treatment, it can lead to serious health problems and even death.
How does Alcoholics Anonymous work
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a twelve-step program to help individuals struggling with alcohol addiction. The program is based on the belief that alcoholism is a disease that can be effectively treated through sobriety and support. AA members meet regularly to share their experiences and support one another. The program also encourages members to develop relationships with a Higher Power, which can provide strength and guidance during difficult times. AA has been shown to be an effective alcoholism treatment, and it has helped millions of individuals achieve sobriety.
Can a recovering alcoholic work in a pharmacy
A recovering alcoholic can work in a pharmacy. Many people have been through the same thing and have gone on to lead successful lives. It is possible to get a job in a pharmacy if you are a recovering alcoholic. You will need to be honest with your employer about your condition and ensure you are not working alone. You should also avoid working with customers who are under the influence of alcohol. If you are comfortable with these conditions, working in a pharmacy can be a great option. Thank you for your question.
How do pharmacists help people with alcohol addiction?
Alcohol addiction is a severe problem that affects millions of people around the world. Left untreated can lead to liver disease, heart problems, and death. Fortunately, there are many ways to get help for alcohol addiction, and pharmacists play an essential role in treatment. Pharmacists can advise patients on which medications can help to reduce craving and withdrawal symptoms. They can also provide information on where to get counseling and other support services. In
addition, pharmacists can help to identify potential drug interactions that could make treatment less effective. By working closely with patients and their families, pharmacists can help to ensure that people with alcohol addiction get the treatment they need to recover.
Alcoholism is a serious addiction that many people struggle with. If you think you might be an alcoholic, it’s important to seek help and support from others who understand what you’re going through. Alcoholics Anonymous is one organization that can provide guidance and assistance in recovery. Pharmacists also play an important role in helping people with alcohol addiction by providing information about treatment options and medicine interactions.
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UC Irvine suspended the Muslim Student Union after several members disrupted a speech by the Israeli ambassador. The district attorney’s involvement at this stage is simply overkill.
When Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, was invited to UC Irvine last February to speak on the subject of U.S.-Israeli relations, members of the Muslim Student Union, a campus group, decided to protest his presence. They did so by repeatedly disrupting his speech — about a dozen times, standing up one by one to shout anti-Israel slogans until each was removed from the room.
The behavior of the students was wrong. They could have held up signs or distributed leaflets or chanted slogans outside the lecture hall, but they should not have tried to shut down the event by making it impossible for Oren to speak. Protesters have the right to voice their objections in many ways, but not to silence those they disagree with. This principle is especially important at a university, which exists, in part, to promote the free exchange of ideas.
The students were removed from the hall by police. Eleven were arrested and cited for “disturbing a public event,” although they were not criminally charged at the time. After an investigation, which found that the Muslim Student Union had planned the protest and subsequently conspired to deny its involvement, university officials suspended the group for an academic quarter.
That seemed reasonable. There was some dispute over whether it was the group that should have been punished or the individuals involved, but discipline of some sort was in order. The suspension ended last month; the group remains on probation.
Now, however, as the anniversary of the Feb. 8 fracas approaches, the Orange County district attorney’s office is apparently considering bringing criminal charges against the students before the deadline to do so expires. A grand jury in Orange County has been hearing testimony.
Criminal charges, however, are not appropriate. They would be overkill, a punishment out of proportion to the offense. Is it really necessary to threaten the futures of students who engaged in a nonviolent protest that didn’t, ultimately, stop Oren from delivering his remarks? These students have been punished already, in an effort to make clear the difference between legitimate protest and their unacceptable actions. We hope they’ve learned a lesson. Now it’s time to move on.
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This passage is titled “ The Year of the Lord's Favor” and is written by the prophet Isaiah. In the first section, Isaiah acknowledges his own anointing as a prophet and proclaims what Jesus would come on Earth to do. He describes the comfort and joy Jesus will provide for those who are hurting and also speaks of the deliverance of the Jews from captivity.
All in all, this passage serves as a reminder of both the hope and justice that the Gospel represents. It states that those who mourn will be comforted, ruined places will be restored, churches will grow, and ultimately justice will be served. As the church, we are called to proclaim the Good News and hold fast onto the hope that Jesus offers us. Although there may be difficulty, pain, and suffering, there is also comfort and favor as we remain steadfast in our faith. This provides us with a sense of peace, knowing that the Lord is always fighting for us and we are never alone. However, it is important to remember that it is not our righteousness that saves us, but the Lords. Isaiah reminds us of this when he says “For He has clothed me in garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of His righteousness”.
Dear Lord, we thank you for sending your one and only Son to provide comfort and healing for the brokenhearted. Help us to hold onto the hope that you offer us and remember that we are not alone in our struggles. We are so grateful for your grace and righteousness. Amen
“We are secure, not because we hold tightly to Jesus, but because he holds tightly to us.” - R.C Sprout
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- July 07, 2018
PRIESTHOOD: THE ANOINTED MINISTRY Exodus 40:12-16 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting... wash them with water. Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest (Exodus 40: 12-13). Priesthood among the people of God was a divine command and initiation. God wanted some people to be separated for the special ministry among his people. God appointed Aaron and his descendants to take up this kind of ministry among the people of God. Priests are always separated and appointed as channels that connect God with his people. All throughout the history of Israel, priests played an important role in connecting people with God and to lead and guide them in the statutes of God. But there are incidents in the Bible where the priests failed in their duties and that led the people to go away from God. So the priests have a special and significant ministry to perform in this world among his people. Two important things
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Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
- April 29, 2015
Community Formation Around Resurrection Experience Acts 23:1-10 Vinod Johnson Carmel MTC, Boston, MA 6 When Paul noticed that some were Sadducees and others were Pharisees, he called out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” Sometimes, the only thing that keeps you going through a brutal winter is the hope for the spring. It may have been a hard hope to hold on to this particular year in New England - a year in which Boston considered dumping not tea, but the ever growing mounds of snow into its harbor. And yet, the waist deep snow has dissolved away. White desolation has given way to increasingly visible green shoots of spring. A resurrection is at hand! In this passage, Paul tries to defend himself before the Sanhedrin Council. He seeks to drive a wedge between the Pharisees who believed in resurrection and the Sadducees who did not; even though neither believed in the resur
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Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
- January 04, 2015
Revelation for Liberation Acts 27:18-26 Sherine Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. “After winter comes the summer. After night comes the dawn. And after every storm, there comes clear open skies” so said a Scottish clergyman from the 1600s. It’s been said, that hope can sometimes be the most dangerous weapon. However, it’s sometimes the hardest weapon to carry when you’re living with the loss of a loved one, something that almost feels like a terrible nightmare that’ll never go away. It’s a weapon difficult to carry when day in and day out no one seems to hear or see those tears that are shed or silent cries that are made during a heartfelt prayer. It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you see your loved one lying on that hospital bed. It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you search and seek out answers to tell a child as to why they’ve been a
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The American Society of Journalists and Authors Inc., a professional association for independent writers, has decided to file a lawsuit on behalf of freelance writers to stop California’s new gig worker law, according to Billboard.
The lawsuit, which was filed by the ASJA and the National Press Photographers Association in federal court in Los Angeles, is aiming to stop the gig worker law, officially known as Assembly Bill 5, from changing the livelihoods of independent journalists including writers and photographers. The lawsuit claims that the law is unconstitutional and will devastate the lives of these freelancers.
This comes on the heels of Vox Media cutting ties to freelance writers ahead of the new law. In an article posted on SB Nation, executive director John Ness writes, “In the early weeks and months of 2020, we will end our contracts with most contractors at California brands. This shift is part of a business and staffing strategy that we have been exploring over the past two years, but one that is also necessary in light of California’s new independent contractor law, which goes into effect January 1, 2020. That new law makes it impossible for us to continue with our current California team site structure because it restricts contractors from producing more than 35 written content “submissions” per year. To comply with this new law, we will not be replacing California contractors with contractors from other states. Rather, we’re encouraging any contractors interested in one of our newly-created full-time or part-time employee positions to apply (you can find them here).”
“We have no choice but to go to court to protect the rights of independent writers and freelance journalists as a whole,” said Milton C. Toby, JD, president of ASJA in a written statement. “The stakes are too high, and we cannot stand by as our members and our colleagues face ill-conceived and potentially career-ending legislation.”
Assembly Bill 5, which takes effect Jan. 1, is full of exemptions and caveats that disfavor freelance journalists compared to other professions that engage in speech. Journalists are capped at 35 pieces of content per year, and if they exceed that, they must become employees. Journalists who record video instantly lose their ability to work independently. Marketers, grant writers, and graphic designers face no such limit.
“Under the law, a freelancer like me can write 200-plus press releases in a year for a marketing firm, and it’s no problem. But if a newspaper wants me to write a weekly column about local politics, it must put me on staff—a very unlikely prospect—or violate the law. Otherwise, I am silenced,” said San Diego freelance writer Randy Dotinga, a board member and former president of ASJA.
Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton, is the co-founder, and owner of TheIndustryCosign.com.
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Now the Saponi came from the West and there is very good evidence they originally came from Aztec and Mayan like city of Cahokia.
However it is possble the Mattamuskeet tribes could have had a Mayan and Aztec influence.
Now we know after the Saponi went into NC in the late 1600’s they was a Siouan speaking tribe, however when they came back to Virginia under Lt. gov Spotswood’s encouragement, the Saponi had now spoke mostly Algonkina words and was discribed nearly word for word that of the Mattamuskeet tribes (Algonkian speakers of the NC Coast).
The Saponi was mound builders but the Algonkinas was not mound builders.
Now the Saponi and the Mattamuskeet both had a wooden Idol statue who did not resmble themself (4 of these have been found), This idol resembled the tribes of Florida. Their body paint and tattoos also was that of the Florida tribes.
We know after the spainish attacked the Aztec and Mayans, the spainish set their eyes on Florida and they brought with them slaves. Desoto even made his way up into North Carolina. Many of the slaves they had was Aztec and Mayans.
An Untold Story of Ethnic Cleansing in America While American school children learn of columbus’s role in the discovery of the New World, they aren’t told the entire story. For example, Columbus employed both Moorish and Spanish sailors, and himself may have been Jewish. On his fourth voyage in 1502 he records two important discoveries:
First, on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, he discovered an iron pot and an old ship’s mast preserved in an Indian hut. He and his crew determined these artifacts had come from the Canary Islands. The Canaries, a Portuguese possession, had been a favorite dumping ground for Conversos of Muslim Berber origin.
Second, on July 31, 1502, came an even more extraordinary discovery. Off the island of Jamaica, Columbus encountered strange people on a strange ship that western historians have generally considered to be Mayan Indians.
This ship was forty feet ling with a diameter of eight feet, and had a shaded pavilion in the center. From a distance, Columbus thought it to be uncannily like the Moorish galleys he and so often seen the the Mediterranean. There were approximately forty men and women on thie galley and unlike the Jamaican Indians, these people wore clothing: sleeveless shirts and with showy colors and designs like those Columbus had seen, in his own, in Muslim Granada.
These so-called Mayan Indians carried a cargo of tools, copper implements, and forges for working copper. But perhaps Columbus’s striking observation was that the women aboard this galley “covered their faces like the women of Granada.” Were these truly Mayan Indians? Or simply one more case of biased historians refusing to accept the fact that Muslims could have reached the New World before Columbus? Columbus certainly considered the possibility.
The establishment of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607 was indeed an important event in American history. Bit is was by no means the first European settlement in the New World. The Spanish established the Santa Elena, South Carolina, colony in 1566, forty yrs before Jamestown. The colony thrived for more than twenty yrs until it was overrun by the English in 1587. But since the English won the battle for this Nation, Santa Elena was conveniently left out of American history books.
North African Berbers and Turks captured in the Mediterranean by the Spanish and Portuguese were regularly used as galley slaves in ships crossing the Atlantic. Once in the New World, these Muslim captives were assigned to slave labor on sugar plantations and in the mining operations of among other places, Cuba and Brazil.
Perhaps the most stunning evidence is the gene frequency research conducted in 1990 by Dr. James Guthrie, who performed a reanalysis of 177 Melungeon blood samples taken in 1969, in east Tennessee and SW Virginia. Dr Guthrie compared the frequency of certain genes within the Melungion sample to the know genetic make-up of nearly 200 other world population groups. His findings indicated no significant differences between the Melungeon people of east Tennessee and SW Virginia, and the people of North Africa and especially Morocco, Algeria and Libya and the Calician mountains of Spain and Portugal, Iraq, Cyprus, Malta, the Canary Islands and extreme southern Italy, and most interesting certain South American Indians and last but not least, the Turks.
We also know the slave trader and pirate / privateer was going to South America and bringing Natives back to England….it is said some of these was in fact Aztec
Sir Francis Drake’s men had went to Mexico City area and left some of his people….these men was repairing their ships and may have picked up Aztecs from the spainish for labor, from here they entered Florida and took a 11 month journey thru the trading paths of the Native Americans, the trip took 11 months before they made it to Canada, many men stop their journey so they may live among various tribes along the way, On this trading path after getting thru Florida the path would take you to the Cherokee then to the Occaneechi, then to the Saponi and Monacan villages.
Many slaves was brought from the Aztecs and Mayans into the West indies (Carribeans) and from there into Florida.
We also know even before the Spainish came, the Mayans and Florida shared the same coast and when they looked into the Gulf of Mexico they would have actually been facing each other. The Mayans by boat would have travel about a state’s distance away and entered Cuba, from there going another state’s distance away to reach the florida tribes.Or you could say the distance from the Mayans to the Florida tribes would almost the same as traveling from Miami, Florida to Atlanta, Georgia. So the Mayans could have traded with the Florida tribes prior to the Spainish contact and then the Aztecs could have had contact after Spainish contact.
The Spainish and Portuguese was often seen together, many descendants of Native Americans in the SE had many ancestors who claimed to be Portuguese, the Saponi descendants often have ancestors on records claiming Portuguese and Native descent. The Spainish was all over the SE during the early 1500’s.
So with that I can now show you very simular things.
Remember Cahokia was the USA’s version of the Aztec and Mayans, so keep that in mind also.
THE Discoveries of JOHN LEDERER from Virginia to the West of Carolina, and other parts of the Continent These parts were formerly possessed by the Tacci, alias Dogi but they are extinct; and the Indians now seated here, are distinguished into the several Nations of Mahoe, Nuntaneuck,aliàs Nuntaly, Nahyssan, Sapon, Managog, Mangoack, Akenatzy,and Monakin,&c. One Language is common to them all, though they differ in Dialects. The Indians now seated in these parts, are none of those which the English removed from Virginia, but a people driven by an Enemy from the Northwest, and invited to sit down here by an Oracle above four hundred years since, as they pretend: for the ancient inhabitants of Virginia were far more rude and barbarous, feeding onely upon raw flesh and fish, until these taught them to plant Corn, and shewed them the use of it. But before I treat of their ancient Manners and Customs, it is necessary I should shew by what means the knowledge of them hath been conveyed from former ages to posterity. Three ways they supply their want of Letters: first by Counters, secondly by Emblemes or Hieroglyphicks, thirdly by Tradition delivered in long Tales from father to son, which being children they are made to learn by rite.
Page 4 For Counters, they use either Pebbles, or short scantlings of straw or reeds. Where a Battel has been fought, or a Colony seated, they raise a small Pyramid of these stones, consisting of the number slain or transplanted. Their reeds and straws serve them in Religious Ceremonies: for they lay them orderly in a Circle when they prepare for Devotion or Sacrifice; and that performed, the Circle remains still for it is Sacriledge to disturb or to touch it the disposition and sorting of the straws and reeds, shew what kinde of Rites have there been celebrated, as Invocation, Sacrifice, Burial The faculties of the minde and body they commonly express by Emblems. By the figure of a Stag, they imply swiftness; by that of a Serpent, wrath; of a Lion, courage; of a Dog, fidelity; by a Swan, they signifie the English,alluding to their complexion, and flight over the Sea. An account of Time, and other things, they keep on a string or leather thong tied in knots of several colours. I took particular notice of small Wheels serving for this purpose among the Oenocks, because I have heard that the Mexicans use the same. Every Nation gives his particular Ensigne or Arms: The Sasquesahanaugh a Tarapine, or small Tortoise; the Akenatzy’s (This is the Occaneechi of the Saponi) a Serpent; the Nahyssanes (This is the Tutelo and holds the same for the Monacan and Manahaocs) three Arrows. In this they likewise agree with the Mexican Indians. They worship one God, Creater of all things, whom some call Okaee (Okee to the Mattamuskeet) ,others Mannith: to him alone the High priest, or Periku,offers Sacrifice; and yet they believe he has no regard to sublunary affairs, but commits the Government of Mankinde to lesser Deities, as Quiacosough and Tagkanysough,that is, good and evil Spirits: to these the inferiour Priests pay their devotion and Sacrifice, at which they make recitals, to a lamentable Tune, of the great things done by their Ancestors. From four women, viz. Pash, Sepoy, Askarin, and Maraskarin, they derive the Race of Mankinde; which they
Page 5 therefore divide into four Tribes, distinguished under several names. They very religiously observe the degrees of Marriage, which they limit not to distance of Kindred, but difference of Tribes, which are continued in the issue of the Females: now for two of the same Tribe to match, is abhorred as Incest, and punished with great severity. Their places of Burial they divide into four quarters, assigning to every Tribe one: for, to mingle their bodies, even when dead, they hold wicked and ominous. They commonly wrap up the corpse in beasts skins, and bury with it Provision and Housholdstuff for its use in the other world. When their great men die, they likewise slay prisoners of War to attend them (This was done by taking pine splinters and placing it all over the body then liting it on fire, when the prisoner fell to the ground a warrior would run up and hit him over the head with the Tomahawk, to not kill these prisoners was taken as disrespect to you great warriors and would anger the creator). They believe the transmigration of souls: for the Angry they say is possest with the spirit of a Serpent; the Bloudy, with that of a Wolf; the Timorous, of a Deer; the Faithful, of a Dog, &c. and therefore they are figured by these Emblemes. Elizium, or the abode of their lesser Deities, they place beyond the Mountains and Indian Ocean. Though they want those means of improving Humane Reason, which the use of Letters affords us; let us not therefore conclude them wholly destitute of Learning and Sciences: for by these little helps which they have found, many of them advance their natural understandings to great knowledge in Physick, Rhetorick, and Policie of Government: for I have been present at several of their Consultations and Debates, and to my admiration have heard some of their Seniors deliver themselves with as much Judgement and Eloquence as I should have expected from men of Civil education and Literature.
The Following is Part of the book, Dinwiddie County, “The Countrey of the Apamatica” compiled by the workers of the Writers’ Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Virginia…Based on the document written by Abraham Wood. Following nine days at Fort Henry, the expedition started for the Cherokee country. Wood saw Needham off with high hopes of his successful return in -the spring. However, in January, when Indian rumors came to the fort that Needham had been murdered, Wood sent a runner into the back country to get the facts. Before this emissary returned, however, Henry Hatcher, an independent trader who had lately been with the Occaneechi, came to Fort Henry and told of Needham’s murder, naming as his assassin John Hasecoll, an Occaneechi half-breed, known also as Indian John. This scoundrel, “a fat, thick, bluff-faced fellow,” was well known to both Wood and Needham, being none other than the Indian who had been with Needham on his first visit to the Cherokee. The party had proceeded more than 70 miles before Indian John’s designs began to take shape. Then, near the Saura town, when Needham rebuked an Indian for letting his pack slip while crossing a stream, Indian John had become surly and threatening. After camp was made that night, Needham had decided to restore discipline and, with a gesture of Garlessness, had thrown his hatchet to the ground near the guide, saying: “What, John, are you minded to kill me?” At this the halfbreed had shot the white man through the head. Terrified, the Tomahitans had fallen to their knees bewailing that now the English would be upon them for Needham’s death. But the murderer had ripped out Needham’s heart with his knife and shouted defiance to “all the English.” Then, turning on the cowering Tomahitans, he had ordered them to go on to their village and kill the white man waiting there for Needham’s return. With this he had stripped the body and had taken from the expedition packs as much as he could load on the dead leader’s horse, had given Needham’s sword to one of the Tomahitans and ridden toward the Occaneechi village. There he had boasted of what he had done and displayed the Englishman’s pistols. Some of the Tomahitans, hastening home and finding the king away, had dragged Gabriel Arthur to a stake and gathered dry canes from the river’s bank to pile at his feet. But, before the pyre was lighted, the king had come back, shot the ringleader, and taken the white boy to the safety of his own house. Soon the time was at hand for tribal marauding parties to go out, not only against white settlements but against enemy tribes. The king commanded Gabriel to go on these raids, promising that later in the spring he would personally conduct him back to his white master. After many adventures, which Wood recounted in his letter, the lad finally reached Fort Henry, where he was welcomed with great rejoicing-
1729: William Byrd while visiting one of the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Towns in Southampton County – “the young men danced to beat of a gore drum, stretched tight with a skin – the women wore Blue and Red Match Coats with their hair braided with Blue and White beads.” This is not Saponi..but it helps understand the use of the colors blue and Red.
7th. The next day being Sunday, we ordered notice to be sent to all the neighbourhood that there would be a sermon at this place, and an opportunity of christening their children. But the likelihood of rain got the better of their devotion, and what, perhaps, might still be a stronger motive of their curiosity. In the morning we despatched a runner to the Nottoway town, to let the Indians know we intended them a visit that evening, and our honest landlord was so kind as to be our pilot thither, being about four miles from his house. Accordingly in the afternoon we marched in good order to the town, where the female scouts, stationed on an eminence for that purpose, had no sooner spied us, but they gave notice of our approach to their fellow citizens by continual whoops and cries, which could not possibly have been more dismal at the sight of their most implacable enemies. This signal assembled all their great men, who received us in a body, and conducted us into the fort. This fort was a square piece of ground, inclosed with substantial puncheons, or strong palisades, about ten feet high, and leaning a little outwards, to make a scalade more difficult. Each side of the square might be about a hundred yards long, with loop-holes at proper distances, through which they may fire upon the enemy. Within this inclosure we found bark cabins sufficient to lodge all their people, in case they should be obliged to retire thither. These cabins are no other but close arbours made of saplings, arched at the Page 35 top, and covered so well with bark as to be proof against all weather. The fire is made in the middle, according to the Hibernian fashion, the smoke whereof finds no other vent but at the door, and so keeps the whole family warm, at the expense both of their eyes and complexion. The Indians have no standing furniture in their cabins but hurdles to repose their persons upon, which they cover with mats and deer-skins. We were conducted to the best apartments in the fort, which just before had been made ready for our reception, and adorned with new mats, that were very sweet and clean. The young men had painted themselves in a hideous manner, not so much for ornament as terror. In that frightful equipage they entertained us with sundry war dances, wherein they endeavoured to look as formidable as possible. The instrument they danced to was an Indian drum, that is, a large gourd with a skin braced tight over the mouth of it. The dancers all sang to the music, keeping exact time with their feet, while their heads and arms were screwed into a thousand menacing postures. Upon this occasion the ladies had arrayed themselves in all their finery. They were wrapped in their red and blue match coats, thrown so negligently about them, that their mahogany skins appeared in several parts, like the Lacedæmonian damsels of old. Their hair was braided with white and blue peak, and hung gracefully in a large roll upon their shoulders. This peak consists of small cylinders cut out of a conch shell, drilled through and strung like beads. It serves them both for money and jewels, the blue being of much greater value than the white, for the same reason that Ethiopian mistresses in France are dearer than French, because they are more scarce. The women wear necklaces and bracelets of these precious materials, when they have a mind to appear lovely. Though their complexions be a little sad-coloured, yet their shapes are very strait and well proportioned. Their faces are seldom handsome, yet they have an air of innocence and bashfulness, that with a little less dirt would not fail to make them desirable. Such charms might have had their full effect upon men who had been so long deprived of female conversation, but that the whole winter’s soil was so crusted on the skins of those dark angels, that it required a very strong appetite to approach them. The bear’s oil, with which they anoint their persons all over, makes their skins soft, and at the same time protects them from every species of vermin that use to be troublesome to other uncleanly people. We were unluckily so many, that they could not well make us the compliment of bed-fellows, according to the Indian rules of hospitality, though a grave matron whispered one of the commissioners very civilly in the ear, that if her daughter had been but one year older, she should have been at his devotion. It is by no means a loss of reputation among the Indians, for damsels that are single to have intrigues with the men; on the contrary, they account it an argument of superior merit to be liked by a great number of gallants. However, like the ladies that game, they are a little mercenary in their amours, and seldom bestow their favours out of stark love and kindness. But after these women have once appropriated their charms by marriage, they are from thenceforth faithful to their vows, and will hardly ever be tempted by an agreeable gallant, or be provoked by a brutal or even by a careless husband to go astray. The little work that is done among the Indians is done by the poor women, while the men are quite idle, or at most employed only in the gentlemanly diversions of hunting and fishing. I am sorry I cannot give a better account of the state of the poor Indians with respect to Christianity, although a great deal of pains has been and still continues to be taken with them. For my part, I must be of opinion, as I hinted before, that there is but one way of converting these poor infidels, and reclaiming them from barbarity, and that is, charitably to intermarry with them, according to the modern policy of the most Christian king in Canada and Louisiana.
April 15 1716: Spotwood visits the Saponi indians at Fort Christiana which he is met by . The Saponey are dresed for war and perform a war dance and practice shooting arrows, They numbered 200 men and had recently been Governed by a Queen, she had either died or was dying so are now governed by 12 men, these 12 men meet Spotswood as he arrives and lay several animal skins at his feet and bow to him at the same time. They inform Spotswood thru a interpretor that the Genitoes had surprised 15 of them and had killed these 15 men. They asked for Spotswood’s assitance in killing 15 of them (which is the code of the Saponi that if any of your men was killed then you could kill that same number but no more). He agreed that they may take revenge and that he would supply ammunition. They also complained of being cheated by the English which Spotswood furnished resitution. 60 young men then show up with feathers in their hair and thru their Ear like a Earring. Face painted blue and Red (the Saponi war colors). Their hair was cut in fantastic ways with some appearing like a Rooster’s comb. They had Blue and Red blankets wraped around them (their war dress), this made them appear like Furies, these men (the soliders) made no speach. Then the women enter, long straight hair to the waist, blanket tied around them and hanging like a petticoat, most of the women was naked from the waist up, the ones not naked from the waist up wore a Mantle over one shoulder made of two deer skins sewed together. These women was greased with bear oil on their head and body which gave a disagreeable smell due to the bear oil mixed with the smoke of their cabins (Cabins was the Saponi current homes). These women was modest and very faithful to their Husbands, straight and well limbed, good shape and extraordinary good features, they look wild and shy of Englishmen with which they will not allow to touch them. The Saponi village was a musket shot from Fort Christiana (which taught 77 children), the village cabins were all joined making a circle with 3 passages 6 feet wide each, the doors all faced inside the circle while the center of the cirlce was a tree stump which the 12 head men spoke on, the infants was hung from trees out of harms way by them being bound to boards in the shape of the child with the top being round in shape, a string went thru a hole on the top of the board making a hoop to place upon tree branches or pin of a post. The boys praticed bow and arrow shooting by shoot at the eye of a axe 20 yards away, spotswood gave the boys knifes and hourglasses. After their village war dance Spotswood treated them to food which they ate wildly. History of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of Virginia By Charles Campbell. Pg.385 (the book lists references). John Fontaine was the author of above.
Since the Catawba was are foten wrote about when the Saponi are wrote about, they traveled together very often, lived in each other’s villages, and often married each other, then a description of the Catawba should be mentioned. Originally composed of two separate tribes that merged as the Catawba: Catawba proper and Iswa. De Soto’s expedition apparently went directly through their homeland in 1540 but did not mention a name that can be attached to them with any certainty. Pardo met the Ysa (or Iswa) during 1566-67 but says nothing about the Catawba. Archeological evidence indicates that the Siouan-speaking tribes lived in the Carolinas for many years before contact. The Catawba was mainly in SC, they absorbed all the lower NC and upper Siouan speaking tribes. They lived in villages of circular, bark-covered houses, and dedicated temple structures were used for public gatherings and religious ceremonies. The Iroquois called the Catawba “flatheads” because they, as well as many of the other Siouan-speaking tribes of the area, practiced forehead flattening of males infants. Although the area was visited by De Soto in 1540. Pardo’s expedition during 1566-67 was the first to mention the Iswa, a branch of what would later become known as the Catawba. Catawba warriors had a fearsome reputation and an appearance to match: ponytail hairstyle with a distinctive war paint pattern of one eye in a black circle, the other in a white circle and remainder of the face painted black.
Now here is stuff that was wrote about several of the descendants of the Saponi who some later became known as the Melungeons.
THOUGHT TO BE DESCENDANTS OF AZTECS SANDUSKY REGISTER JUNE 5, 1894 From The Cincinatti Enquirer “I believe that the Melungeons of East Tennessee are the only living lineal descendants of the ancient Aztecs,” said R. C. Borden, of Asheville. “The Melungeons have always been a mystery and but few facts are known about them. They came to East Tennessee from North Carolina more than a century ago. They have mixed with no other race and have always been filthy and ignorant. A few of them have grown wealthy, but when they do no effort is made to associate with Americans. They have no traditions as to when or how or whence they came except as to their ancestors in North Carolina. Their names are of Portuguese origin, and their appearance suggests an admixture of Portuguese and Indian blood. They have been classed with Negroes but it is easily demonstrated that they are not of negro origin. I mingled with them a great deal at one time, and was fortunate enough to obtain their confidence through an act of kindness to one of their number. A few relics of great age can be found in the pottery and implements. Some of these marked with rude imitations of the Maltese cross. They have a tradition that their ancestors in North Carolina are buried in mounds. Putting these points together, I believe that they are descendants of the Aztecs and of Portuguese sailors who landed upon the North Carolina coast.
Great Southern Mysteries By E Randall Floyd Pg. 16 “It has also been posited that Melungeon’s ancestors was Mayans”. The Melungeons A Strange and Little Known Tennessee People Descendants of Aztecs and Pizarro’s Spaniards – Their Peculiar Manners and Customs – Speculations: “Who are These Peoplee? (From a Special Contributor) July 29, 1894 Several years ago, while traveling through upper East Tennessee, I incidentally heard of a peculiar race of people living in the mountain section of country embraced within the limits of Hancock county. Having heard enough to awaken my curiosity, I determined to investigate for myself their history, habits and race features, as I could find no written mention of them in any magazine, newspaper or historical word of the State.
In pursuance of my object I made several trips through their country and made a study of their habits of life and physical trait of character, gleaning what I could from them, of their traditions and history, and believe that I have now sufficient evidence to clearly establish who these people really are, and to what race they originally belonged, tracing them unerringly to the present time. In this I have been greatly aided by the kindly suggestions and valuable information received through the researches by Dr. Bachman, which he very kindly placed at my disposal for use in a more complete and extended historical sketch of these people, which I will publish later. I will now only attempt a brief sketch, showing who these people are, which has been a question much discussed, and about which many theories have been advanced. While following up and linking together the evidence which sowed clearly that theirs was even yet a distinctive, original race from ours, I visited the Anthropological Building at the World’s Fair, and there obtained conclusive evidence that I was not mistaken in the theory which I had believed the correct one.
Locally these people are known as “The Melungeons.” They are generally of fine appearance, being tall, and unusually well formed, with straight black or reddish hued brown hair, black or brown eyes, always keen and piercing in their glances, high cheek bones, square cut jaws, and of an erect – even – proud – carriage, some of their women being remarkable for their beauty. They are intelligent, but very reticent, and also reserved in manner; particularly so when interrogated as to their history. They are friendly with their fairer skinned neighbors, and in some instances have intermarried with them but as a rule they choose husbands or wives among themselves. They are strictly honest, yet distrustful to some extent of advances coming from strangers. They are firm friends, but implacable and even treacherous enemies. They live mostly in small frame or log houses, farm a little, hunt and fish and take life easy.
They have but little money, and seem to care but little for it. They go nearly always armed with rifle of shotgun, whether to trade at some neighboring town or to visit a neighbor. Some of them — mostly the younger members – can read and write fairly well enough for the ordinary transactions occurring in such a primitive community. They have and enjoy all the rights of citizenship, yet they live and move, a distinct and separate body from those around them, preserving their individuality and racial distinction.
“Who are these people?” has been asked thousands of times, doubtless by some passing traveler, who quickly noted their clean-cut, distinctive race features, speech and bearing. The answer made invariably is “Melungeons” – Our fathers who settled here along about 1790 to 1800, found them here, with another small settlement near Nashville’s present site.” This is all you can obtain in the way of information by casual inquiry. But investigation proves these people to be true descendants of the Aztecs, with the blood of Spain and Portugal, as I will endeavor to show later, and, in giving you the proofs, you must follow me in an apparently aimless ramble – or what at first will seem such to you – up among the cloud-crowned mountains, the dark, shadowy caves, where the sun peeps only at noon to lighten the gloom and gild the shadows with its golden light for an hour; beneath frowning, toppling cliffs, pass up the deep and gruesome gorges, wrapped in shadow and mystery beneath the giant firs; listen to the splashing, leaping waters of flowing brooklet, as it winds the sinuous way over, around and under the moss-covered rocks, or huge fragments hurled from the beetling cliffs above; through beds of ferns – only such ferns as can here be found – and sweet smelling woodland flowers; climb with me to the topmost peaks, where the “thunder heads” gather their forces for the coming storm, and the eagles build their nests.
Follow with me in the dusky light of waning day, that distant spiral column of smoke denoting the lowly roof, beneath which I shall find shelter for the night and enjoy with me the free hospitality of my host Nuno and his wife Luizan, with little Nonah and Cecilia and Juan peeping from the cracks between logs, with bright wondering eyes at their strange guest, and mark well these names, all around in the same family; three Spanish or Portuguese sounding and two Indian or Aztec; for in this is one of the direct evidences offered as to “who are these people.” Upon the top of one mountain we found the blackened rocks, fragments fused, fragments disintegrated and crumbled dust made by signal fires. Down in that dark cove we fund stone hammers, stone bowls, half formed upon the rock of which it is still a part. Within the shadows of that gloomy gorge we found arrow-heads of flint. We passed into a cave. It opened into a large cavern, through which a tiny brooklet flowed, and thence out into the gorge we just had left. In this cave is a broken copper medal, an iron implement too badly eaten into by rust to be recognized as to its name or use, a small bag composed of woven grss, a broken piece of pottery – a bowl – with – how strange? – the Maltese cross upon it. The pottery showed threads of grass baked in the clay, that it might be stronger in its structure, a broken dagger of finely tempered steel, before this destroying rust penetrated its polished surface. Further on a piece of heavy dark cloth, covered with shells and teeth of fish – salt water fish – sewn upon it with twisted fibers from the plant known as the “devils shoe string” – among the mountaineers of today – with a bone needle, for here is the needle close by, and not many feet off a broken piece of curved metal, unquestionably part of a helmet, and many other traces all of which you can find duplicates of at Nuno’s home, and which he shows to you with pretended indifference, but with secret reverence. As in the case of the names, we have in these relics a proof of presence of the Spanish soldier and Indian presence at the same time; or if you prefer the knight of Portugal and the Aztec Princess living in love and harmony together.But let us go out from this dark depository of ancient secrets, and once more, under the light of day, wend our way to the mouth of the gorge, then out upon a level basis, fertile and green, a mile or more in diameter, circular in its general form, locked in by towering mountains on every side except flowing from the forge just behind us the brooklet winds its way to nearly the center of this plain There it is joined by streams from several similar gorges. A small lake is formed of cold, clear water, and from this is a nobler stream flows out through a natural cleft in the solid mountain wall, narrow its channel and steep its bed. The waters rush through with a steady roar, resembling the deep-toned rumbling of thunder. Around this pool, or lake, I have mentioned, and covering several hundred aces in its bounds, is the remains of a rock wall built by human hands, and yet perfect beneath the surface, and easily traced. Within its bounds is a cemetery in the southwest corner. Who built so great and strong a wall as this must once have been? What people lie in that cemetery?
The fact that this wall was six feet thick laid in regular courses, and cemented together by the use of a mortar now difficult to determine its component parts, is proof that it was built by a people who certainly could not be classed as ignorant savages, and the further fact that it was built around a never-failing supply of pure water, in the center of a fertile plain with but one narrow outlet which could be guarded and defended and in which buffalo and other animals could be herded, shows that it had been selected with keen sagacity and for some well-defined purpose
If besieged by their enemies, they were prepared to stand with comfort a long one, and in times of peace secure against the depredations of ferocious animal marauders, with which the forest were then undoubtedly thickly inhabited No descent could be made successfully by men from the precipitous mountain sides, as these, being sparsely covered with vegetation, would at all times be exposed to view; and again, if a descent was made they would be at the mercy of those sheltered behind a strong and almost impregnable wall, while the distance was too great for a flight of arrows to prove destructive, or even the bolt from a crossbow or the shot from an harquebus fired from the surrounding heights.
Thus we find them at home and obtain an idea of the manner in which they lived. In brief, they were constantly at war with some other tribal race. They lived in fortified cities; their food consisted of fish and fowl and flesh, with edible plants, maize, roots and salads. There is, however, no vestige of grain food or slightest sign of their having ever tilled the soil. they had intercourse with the tribes along the seacoast or made expeditions there themselves, as proven by their clothing, which we have shown already in another part of this article in some instances to be a cloth ornamented with sea shells, shark’s teeth and animal teeth, serpents teeth, etc. Thus we know they strove to ornament their dress; probably used plumes and feathers in their headdress, wore picturesque costumes, mantels of furs and cloaks of bright-colored feathers. They bury their dead in two ways, although a common cemetery was used. One cloth or a fur mantle – laid full length upon the back, with arms crossed upon the breast, with the head to the west, the feet to the east. In other words, in rising the face would look toward the sun.
Slabs of stone encase the body, as a vault in appearance. In some instances inscriptions have been cut upon these, but in the lapse of centuries water and fire have destroyed all but the traces of these. In the other way the bodies are buried in a sitting position, with the knees doubled back over the breast and supporting the chin. These bodies are sown up in a mat of woven grass, or shroud of woven feathers, soft, thick and skillfully put together. These bodies are not encased with stone slabs, but sit with their faces turned toward the rising sun. These remains of walled cities and cemeteries have been found in several places in Tennessee. Haywood briefly mentions one discovered by the first settlers from Virginia and North Carolina near the present site of Nashville, but only in a casual way and without particulars. The ruins can yet be seen by excavating at that point and in other places, which I intend to mention in a later article.
When I visited the World’s Fair I spent ten long days in the anthropological building and also visited the cave of the cliff dwellers. To my great pleasure I found perfect duplicates of what my researches in the mountains of Tennessee had brought to light.
Now, let us take all the evidences we have before us-the names, features, bearings, habits, fondness for bright clothing and ornaments, traits of character and disposition, relics yet preserved in their homes, although unassociated as links in the chain of a direct history of their ancestry in the minds of the present tribe or race of “Melungeons,” yet is convincing to me that they are the diect descendants of the Aztecs and Portuguese, the latter commingling with the Aztecs probably as far back as the sixteenth century-I say this because I believe I can furnish proof of evidence difficult to refute of this being true-tat the Aztecs welcomed among them these few adventurers and that the union of the two races never extended farther than a limited area and a proportionately small amount of mixed blood, these being confined to the present limits of Tennessee, and represented now by a few hundred “Melungeons.” The terrible tribal conflicts, disease and later conflicts with our own people have decimated and destroyed all but a few of their descendants, who yet linger among the mountains, which once knew the presence of a great and powerful nation other than ours. This nation in Tennessee-as shown by the evidence I have introduced-both in their mode of burial and weapons and habits of life contained the blood also of another separate and distinct race in their veins, and that these were men of Portugal and Spain, who either deserted or were captured from De Soto’s army.
In this manner, I now close this hasty sketch of “Melungeons” of Tennessee, except to say that I have gathered and preserved many of their traditions, which I hope later to make public and further confirm the position assumed in this article. I would like, further, to suggest that the evidence found here, in New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Mexico, Peru and Chili, and the exhumations of Egyptian tombs prove that the Aztecs were the same race of people in each country above named, only modified by climate and surroundings; that they ruled in Egypt and ruled the Western Hemisphere, with the Maltese cross following them everywhere, and to the almost utter extinction of their people and their race down to the present race. there is indubitable proof of the existence of a Masonic order extending through centuries of time among the Aztecs.
R. A. BOWIE THE HISTORY OF VERACRUZ By John P. Schmal During the Fifteenth Century and the early years of the Sixteenth Century, the mighty Aztec Empire, ruled by the Mexica Indians from their capital city Tenochtitlán, began a concerted effort to subdue and incorporate the rich coastal areas into their domain. Eventually, Veracruz, along with portions of the neighboring states, would make up the Aztec provinces of Tochtepec, Cuetlaxtlan, Cempoallan, Quauhtochco, Jalapa, Misantla, and Tlatlauhquitepec. Sir Francis Drake (1545-1596) was a British explorer, slave-trader, privateer (a pirate working for a government) in the service of England, mayor of Plymouth, England, and naval officer (he was an Admiral).
Drake was also involved in the slave trade and was a fierce warrior and privateer. Drake and John Hawkins were on a slave-trading trip to the West Indies (backed by Queen Elizabeth) that ended with an attack by the Spanish fleet at San Juan de Ulua, near Veracruz, Mexico. The six English slave-trading ships were in the harbor for repairs, and only two ships survived the attack, those commanded by Hawkins and Drake; the Spanish did not want the English competing in their highly profitable slave-trading business. This battle led to a series of battles that later resulted in a war between Spain and England. In this war, England crushed the Spanish Armada in 1588 and became the dominant world power. Drake helped the British defeat the Spanish Armada; he was second in command. The Spanish called him El Draque, meaning “The Dragon.”
1513 Juan Ponce de Leon, in search of the fountain of youth and other fabulous riches, instead became the first European to land in Florida. At the time, he was also the first governor of Puerto Rico. On a later expedition, he discovered the Gulf Stream This current became very important for Spanish trips from Europe to the Americas.
The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico, exits through the Strait of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean. At about 30°W, 40°N, it splits in two, with the northern stream crossing to northern Europe and the southern stream recirculating off West Africa. It is part of the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre. The Gulf Stream influences the climate of the east coast of North America from Florida to Newfoundland, and the west coast of Europe. Its presence has led to the development of strong cyclones of all types, both within the atmosphere and within the ocean. The Gulf Stream is also a significant potential source of renewable power generation.
1539 Hernando De Soto was the first European to explore Florida and the southeastern US. He had already explored Nicaragua, and with Francisco Pizarro, won fame by toppling the Incan empire in Peru. De Soto landed on the west coast of Florida with 600 men, and spent four years looking for gold and brutalizing the native people. He died near the Mississippi River.
1526 Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón was the first European colonizer of what is now South Carolina, although his colony failed. He also explored Cape Fear.
1528 Panfilo de Narvaez led a disastrous expedition to settle Florida, when almost all of his men, and de Narvaez himself, died after being abandoned onshore. Four men survived, and spent the next eight years crossing Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, looking for a Spanish settlement. Cabeza de Vaca and his three companions were the first Europeans to explore the Southwest, and the first to contact many Southwestern tribes.
1565 Captain Pedro Menendez de Aviles established a settlement at St. Augustine, Florida, making it the oldest European city in the U.S.. De Aviles also explored the coastline of North America as far north as St. Helena Island, South Carolina, and had forts built along the coast for protection.
The Atlantic slave trade, also known as the transatlantic slave trade, was the trade of African people supplied to the colonies of the New World that occurred in and around the Atlantic Ocean. It lasted from the 16th century to the 19th century. Most slaves were shipped from West Africa and Central Africa and taken to the New World.
European colonists initially practiced systems of both bonded labor and Indian slavery, enslaving many of the natives of the New World. For a variety of reasons, Africans replaced Indians as the main population of slaves in the Americas. In some cases, such as on some of the Caribbean Islands, warfare and diseases such as smallpox eliminated the natives completely. In other cases, such as in South Carolina, Virginia, and New England, the need for alliances with native tribes coupled with the availability of African slaves at affordable prices (beginning in the early 18th century for these colonies) resulted in a shift away from Indian slavery.
A burial ground in Campeche, Mexico, suggests slaves had been brought there not long after Hernán Cortés completed the subjugation of Aztec and Mayan Mexico. The graveyard had been in use from approximately 1550 to the late 1600s.
The second leg of the triangle exported enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to South America, the Caribbean Islands, and North America.
The Atlantic Slave Trade was the result of, among other things, labor shortage. Native peoples were at first utilized as slave labor by Europeans, until a large number died from overwork and Old World diseases.
1502: Juan de Córdoba of Seville becomes the first merchant we can identify to send an African slave to the New World. Córdoba, like other merchants, is permitted by the Spanish authorities to send only one slave. Others send two or three.
1504: a small group of Africans – probably slaves captured from a Portuguese vessel – are brought to the court of King James IV of Scotland.
1509: Columbus’s son, Diego Cólon, becomes governor of the new Spanish empire in the Carribean. He soon complains that Native American slaves do not work hard enough.
22 January 1510: the start of the systematic transportation of African slaves to the New World: King Ferdinand of Spain authorises a shipment of 50 African slaves to be sent to Santo Domingo.
2 April 1513: Juan Ponce de Leon becomes the first European to reach the coast of what is now the United States of America (modern Florida).
1516: the governor of Cuba, Diego Velázquez, authorises slave-raiding expeditions to Central America. One group of slaves aboard a Spanish caravel rebel and kill the Spanish crew before sailing home – the first successful slave rebellion recorded in the New World. 1516: in his book Utopia, Sir Thomas More argues that his ideal society would have slaves but they would not be ‘non-combatant prisoners-of-war, slaves by birth, or purchases from foreign slave markets.’ Rather, they would be local convicts or ‘condemned criminals from other countries, who are acquired in large numbers, sometimes for a small payment, but usually for nothing.’ (Trans. Paul Turner, Penguin, 1965)
18 August 1518: in a significant escalation of the slave trade, Charles V grants his Flemish courtier Lorenzo de Gorrevod permission to import 4000 African slaves into New Spain. From this point onwards thousands of slaves are sent to the New World each year.
1522: A major slave rebellion breaks out on the island of Hispaniola. This is the first significant uprising of African slaves. After this, slave resistance becomes widespread and uprisings common.
1527: earliest records of sugar production in Jamaica, later a major sugar producing region of the British Empire. Sugar production is rapidly expanding throughout the Caribbean region at this time – with the mills almost exclusivly worked by African slaves.
November 1528: a slave called Esteban (or Estevanico) becomes the first African slave to step foot on what is now the United States of America. He was one of only four survivors of Pánfilo de Narváez’s failed expedition to Florida. He and the other three took eight years to walk to the Spanish colony in Mexico. After their return in 1536, the group’s leader, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, published an account of their journey through modern Texas and Mexico (1542).
1530: Juan de la Barrera, a Seville merchant, begins transporting slaves directly from Africa to the New World (before this, slaves had normally passed through Europe first). His lead is quickly followed by other slave traders.
22 January 1532: Martim Afonso de Souza founds the first Portuguese colony in Brazil at São Vicente. Sugar production begins almost immediately.
30 May 1539: Hernando de Soto, following reports from Cabeza de Vaca, lands on the coast of Florida. Of about 1200 men in his expedition, around 50 were African slaves. After exploring modern Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina, the expedition ended in disaster.
October 1562: John Hawkins of Plymouth becomes the first English sailor that we know about to have obtained African slaves – approximately 300 of them in Sierra Leone – for sale in the West Indies. Hawkins traded the slaves illegally with Spanish colonies, but the trip was profitable and others followed. These contributed to increasing tensions between England and Spain. (As well as initiating the English slave trade, Hawkins also introduced both the potato and tobacco to England.)
13 December 1577: Sir Francis Drake sets out from Plymouth on his circumnavigation of the globe. (Returns 26 September 1580)
1580: Following the death of King Henry of Portugal, and a short campaign by the duke of Alva, Spain and Portugal are united under Philip II of Spain. Spain thus becomes the most important colonial power – and the largest participant in the slave trade.
27 July 1585: the first English colony in the New World is established at Roanoke Island (modern North Carolina), organised by Sir Walter Raleigh and governed by Ralph Lane. It was not successful, and the colonists withdrew in June 1586.
16 November 1585: In the first of a series of attacks on Spanish colonial interests, Sir Francis Drake sacks the slave-trading settlement of Santiago in the Cape Verde Islands.
11 January 1586: Sir Francis Drake sacks the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo (modern Dominican republic). He goes on to sack Cartagena (modern Columbia) and St. Augustine (modern Florida). These acts of piracy are among the factors that precipitate war between England and Spain.
23 July 1587: A second English colony is founded at Roanoke Island, again organised by Sir Walter Raleigh. When it is revisted by English ships in August 1590, it has vanished without trace.
Admiral Sir John Hawkins (also spelled as John Hawkyns) (Plymouth 1532 – November 12, 1595) was an English shipbuilder, naval administrator and commander, merchant, navigator, and slave trader. As treasurer (1577) and controller (1589) of the navy, he rebuilt older ships and helped design the faster ships that withstood the Spanish Armada in 1588. He later devised the naval blockade to intercept Spanish treasure ships. One of the foremost seamen of 16th-century England, he was the chief architect of the Elizabethan navy. In the great battle in which the Spanish Armada was defeated in 1588, Hawkins served as a vice admiral. He was knighted for gallantry.
William, John’s father, was a confidant of Henry VIII of England and one of the principal sea captains of England.
The first Englishman recorded to have taken slaves from Africa was John Lok, a London trader who, in 1555, brought to England five slaves from Guinea. A second London trader taking slaves at that time was William Towerson whose fleet sailed into Plymouth following his 1556 voyage to Africa and from Plymouth on his 1557 voyage. Despite the exploits of Lok and Towerson, John Hawkins of Plymouth is widely acknowledged to be the pioneer of the English slave trade, because he was the first to run the Triangular trade, making a profit at every stop.
John Hawkins formed a syndicate of wealthy merchants to invest in the slave trade. In 1562, he set sail with three ships for the Caribbean via Sierra Leone. They hijacked a Portuguese slave ship and traded the 301 slaves in the Caribbean. Despite having two ships seized by the Spanish authorities, he sold the slaves in Santo Domingo and thus made a profit for his London investors. His voyage caused the Spanish to ban all Englishman ships from trading in their West Indies colonies.
In 1564, Queen Elizabeth I partnered with him by renting him the huge old 700-tonne ship Jesus of Lubeck, and he set forth on his second longer and more extensive voyage along with three small ships. Hawkins sailed to Borburata, privateering along the way. By the time he reached Borburata, he had captured around 400 Africans. After Borburata, Hawkins sailed to Rio de la Hacha. The Spanish officials tried to prevent Hawkins from selling the slaves by imposing taxes. Captain Hawkins refused the taxes and threatened to burn the towns. After selling his slaves, Captain Hawkins sailed to a French colony in Florida for a respite. Captain Hawkins returned to England in September 1566, his expedition a total success as his financiers made a 60% profit.
His third voyage was in 1567. Hawkins obtained many more slaves, and also augmented his cargo by capturing the Portuguese slave ship Madre de Dios (Mother of God) and its human cargo. He took about 400 slaves across the Atlantic on the third trip. At Vera Cruz he was chanced upon by a strong Spanish force that was bringing the new viceroy to the colony there. Only two of the English ships escaped destruction, and Hawkins’ voyage home was a miserable one. That of Hawkins’ gunner, Job Hartop was equally so and took many years.
Although his first three voyages were semi-piratical enterprises, Queen Elizabeth I was in need of money and saw pirates as fighting her battles at their own cost and risk.
Hawkins would write about the details of his third voyage in An Alliance to Raid for Slaves. Specifically he comments on how trading and raiding were closely related in the English slave trade and how European success in the slave trade directly depended on African allies who were willing to cooperate. He also comments on the level of violence he and his men used and encouraged in order to secure his captives. The title makes clear the basis of his methodology.
Hawkins pretended to be part of the Ridolfi plot to betray Queen Elizabeth in 1571. He offered his services to the Spanish, in order to obtain the release of prisoners and to discover plans for the proposed Spanish invasion of England.
His help in foiling the plot was rewarded, and in 1571 Hawkins entered Parliament to become a Member of Parliament. He also became Treasurer and controller of the Royal Navy (1573–1589).
His Navy financial reforms upset many who had vested interests – principally Mathew Baker and Phineas Pett – and these concocted a Royal Commission on Fraud against him in 1583. However, he was found innocent.
John Hawkins was determined that his navy, as well as having the best fleet of ships in the world, would also have the best quality of seamen, and so petitioned and won a pay increase for sailors, arguing that a smaller number of well-motivated and better-paid men would achieve substantially more than a larger group of uninterested men.
To learn more about Sir Francis Drake and John Hawkins’ trip to the land of the Aztecs in which John eventually ended up having to walk with his men from flroida all the way to canada….it was a 11 month journey…and many of the men went to live with native american tribes along the way.
It was done by John white. Study their idol….it is not fashioned from the NC Coastal algonkians…no tribe in NC wore their hair like that…..however there is some tribes which did.
There has been 3 or 4 of these idols found and is preserved to this day.
DeSoto’s huge army had landed in Florida in 1539. They circled thru Georgia, South and North Carolina, Tennessee, North Georgia and Alabama searching for gold along their way to supply ships at Mobile Bay. They lost their spoils in the fires of battle just above Mobile. DeSoto led his demoralized army due north, away from the ships and into Tennessee, to prevent their escape.
In 1541, DeSoto trekked north thru Kentucky and Indiana; his scouts as far as Chicago. NOT finding an ocean there, and thereby a passage to China as DeSoto had anticipated, but Lake Michigan instead, he marched southwest, thru Illinois, still searching for treasures and an ocean to westward.
When DeSoto sighted the Mississippi River, which obviously drained a continent and NOT an island as he had surmised, in disgust he trudged west thru Missouri, searching for Vaca’s legendary “wealthy” tribe.
Sickened by hostile natives in the Ozark Mountains, DeSoto turned south for escape. He died in Arkansas in 1542. His army fled toward Mexico City, Spain’s nearest outpost on the continent. They passed thru Louisiana and Texas; scouts as far as San Antonio. Not finding enough food or water to proceed, they retreated back to Arkansas.
His army built boats then drifted down the Great River, skirting Mississippi. Attacked, the army paddled downstream, thru Louisiana, then along the Texas Coast to Mexico in 1543. Half of the men survived.
Connections. This tribe belonged to the Timucuan or Timuquanan linguistic division of the Muskhogean linguistic family.
Location. Apparently about the headwaters of the Ocklawaha River.
History. The Acuera were first noted by De Soto in a letter written at Tampa Bay to the civil cabildo of Santiago de Cuba. According to information transmitted to him by his officer Baltazar de Gallegos, Acuera was “a large town where with much convenience we might winter,” but the Spaniards did not in fact pass through it, though, while they were at Ocale, they sent to Acuera for corn. The name appears later in Laudonniere’s narrative of the second French expedition to Florida, 1564-65 (1586), as a tribe allied with the Utina. It is noted sparingly in later Spanish documents but we learn that in 1604 there was an encounter between these Indians and Spanish troops and that there were two Acuera missions in 1655, San Luis and Santa Lucia, both of which had disappeared by 1680. The inland position of the Acuera is partly responsible for the few notices of them. The remnant was probably gathered into the “Pueblo de Timucua,” which stood near St. Augustine in 1736, and was finally removed to the Mosquito Lagoon and Halifax River in Volusia County, where Tomoka River keeps the name alive.
Take a look at the tribe Desoto was with in floridia:
The Timucua used tattoos as a status symbol. These tattoos were dotted designs created by poking holes in the skin with a sharp object like a hawk talon, shark’s tooth, or bone needle. Then a mixture of wood ashes (to prevent infection) and possibly berry juice was rubbed into the holes. The chief and his family had more tattoos than anyone else. Men and women were both tattooed. The chief and possibly his advisors (Principle Men) received a blue tattoo around their lips.
Permanent Body Modification Among The Maya Leah Huff There is considerable information, in both the ethnographical and archeological evidence, to support the suggestion that the Maya extensively practiced body modification before and at the time of the Spanish arrival. This modification ranges from forehead flattening, to cutting or tattooing, to possibly even implantation. However, in the last few decades of Maya research, this area has been highly disregarded, and passed off as either not being permanent body modification, or simply not being significant.
The forms of body modification suggested, however, are incredibly intricate and in some cases quite intense. It would be incredibly naive to pass these off as being insignificant, because I think it is quite clear that these were not insignificant to the Mayans! It is not possible to know the details of the people who had these modifications, and because some of them seemed to be practiced within all sectors of society, it cannot be easily fit into an hierarchical model. In this essay, I will attempt to outline the physical representations of the different facial modifications, and to offer possibilities as to how these may have been created. I will make no attempt to come to any definitive explanation, or even to give any proof to my or others’ claims, as I feel that I simply do not have the extent of knowledge of the Maya necessary to make such claims. However, I hope to show that this is an area of Maya research that has foolishly been ignored, as it is an area of great possibility in the drive to learn more about the Mayan people.
Flattened Forehead and Other Childhood Modifications The flattened forehead is one of the only body modification practices of the Maya that is clearly referenced in the ethnographic information. Spanish Bishop of the Yucatan, Deigo de Landa clearly describes the process through which mothers modified their babies to attain this look:
For four or five days after the child’s birth they laid him stretched out on a small bed made of wands and there, with his face up, they placed his head between two boards, one at the back of the head, and the other on the forehead, between which they pressed it very tightly and held him suffering there until the head remained flat and molded, which happened after a few days. Such was the misery and danger to the poor children that some were in peril of their lives, for the author saw one whose skull had been opened behind the ears; and so it must have been with many of them. De Landa also states that the Maya thought it beautiful to be cross-eyed, and so something would be hung from the child’s hair which would fall between the eyes and draw the child’s gaze inward and upward, which would eventually make them cross-eyed (de Landa p. 65). The child’s ears were also pierced at a young age, and de Landa claims that these were “much torn in sacrifice” (de Landa, p. 66).
Tattoo Tattooing among the Maya was clearly being practiced when the Spaniards first arrived in the New World, and it was described in detail by de Landa, and other chroniclers:
They tattooed their bodies, and the more they did this the more courageous and brave they were considered to be because tattooing was a great torment. It was done in the following way: the tattooist marked out the place that had been chosen with ink and then delicately cut in the pictures, and thus these marks remained on the body in blood and ink. The work was done little by little on account of the great pain it caused and afterwards they were ill because the work used to fester and ooze, but in spite of all this those who did not tattoo themselves were jeered at.
This form of tattooing would have created an image unlike any modern tattooing practices. By cutting the skin there is going to be a scar. If the substance rubbed into the wound to give it color kept the wound open, it would have healed from the inside out, giving the impression of the design being carved into the skin. Likewise, if the substance rubbed into the cut did not keep it open, but instead irritated the healing process, the scar would most likely raise. Sanchez de Aguilar, another Spanish chronicler, reports, “In the wounds they placed a certain black earth or ground-up carbon. When they were healed, the cicatrices remained with the figures of serpents and eagles which they had made with the lancets” (Thompson, p. 19). This form of tattooing is a fine line between tattooing and scarification, and I find no specific necessity to differentiate between the two. It is only important that the reader realize what a textured finish there would be in this process. We learn further from Thompson’s sources that both men and women tattooed themselves all over the body, specifically the legs, arms, torsos and face. The designs were usually described as figures, and it is reported that they often had their faces cut with the “form of the animal which they have as a charm” (Thompson p.21).
One chronicler refers to a Mayan cacique: “He had all his chin, breast, and stomach worked with iron with good paintings” (Thompson, p. 20). Thompson passes this off as another form of tattooing “naturally, there is no reason to suppose any implement of iron was used” (Thompson, p. 20). However, the same chronicler uses the term tattooing elsewhere in his writings. It is quite possible then that this process of “working with iron” may refer to a sort of branding, even though metallurgy had not advanced to include iron Mesoamerica. Branding usually creates a raised scar, but the amount of detail shown on the faces of many of the figurines could not have been created through scarification. It is a disappointment that there are no examples of tattooing on other parts of the body in the archaeological evidence with which to substantiate some of the claims made in the ethnographical record.
The images from the archaeological record which most likely refer to these practices are probably those that show raised full-facial and semi-facial designs and scrolls on the figurines, and Lady Xoc at Yaxchilan (Plates 2 & 5). These images amazed me, and as they are intricately detailed as being raised designs, my first thought was that they represent raised, keloided scars. However, these lines are very fine and detailed, whereas it is almost impossible to create scars that are raised, uniformly, with a width of less than 1/4 inch at minimum (Larratt, 1998). Given this information, it seems impossible that such intricate, uniform and highly raised symmetrical designs could be created through scarring. However, the high detail would easily have been created by the cutting/tattooing process which is described above, only the height shown on the figurines would most likely be exaggerated.
The images shown in lintels 24 and 26 at Yaxchilan struck me as tattoos (as opposed to blood scrolls) by the way that they are “textured” and detailed as opposed to being simple drops that seem to represent blood on other imagery. Schele states that these are clearly blood scrolls because in Lintel 24 Lady Xoc is shown giving blood, and that Lintel 26 would have represented the aftermath of this process. However the dates on these Lintels are not the same, and even though it represents the same ritual, there is no indication that the bloodletting scene shown on Lintel 24 would come before the scene in Lintel 26 during the ritual. It is only because the lintels have been read from left to right in their positioning on the structure that this order has been established. There is no concrete reason to believe that Lintel 24 should be read as having taken place before the other two lintels.
I would argue against Schele, and suggest that many, if not all, of these raised lines shown on images throughout the Maya world are indeed tattoos. The fact that tattooing was extensively practiced at the time of the Spanish arrival in the new world suggests that there must have been tattooing among the ancient Maya as well. Given this, it makes sense that tattooing would have been shown in the permanent artwork of the Maya. A continual difficulty with the specific case of Lady Xoc is that if this is a tattoo, and therefore permanent, why is it not shown on all of the Lady Xoc images? If it is a tattoo, it could be used as evidence to suggest that tattoos were not of importance as a status symbol, but rather served some other purpose that is not as easily explained as in the theocratic model of a definition of rank. It is unfortunate that there are no other clear, multiple images of the same person depicted with tattooing.
Tattoo Artists? The ethnographical evidence points towards the possibility that tattooing was a specialty and that there was a particular deity worshiped by these tattoo artists:
The tattooers obviously formed a kind of guild. They had their particular deity, Acat. Acat is translated as ink stand in the Pio Perez dictionary; as a doctor’s instrument case or a scribe’s pen case in the Motul dictionary. It is evident, therefore, that this deity was closely associated with he tools of the trade. Lopez de Cogolludo makes a statement which unfortunately is somewhat vague, but which implies that the tattooing of a body was regarded as converting it into flowers: ‘Idolos tambi‚n de los que labraban los cuerpos los indios, que dec¡an se convert¡an en flores, llamados Acat.
This final statement in fact also mentions the word idol, or deity (given that the Spaniards would have been negatively biased against this aspect of Mayan spirituality), and suggests that it is the tattoos of the images of deities that transforms the wearer into flowers. There is actually strong evidence that some of the facial designs on figurines in fact metaphorically transform the wearer into a god. Many figurines show full-facial scrolls similar to that shown in plate 4, and this particular design represents GI, or the Shark God, who is often referred to as one of the patron gods of Palenque (figures 8, 9 & 10). The main characteristics of this god are the squared eye with a curl that turns inward on from the exterior corner of the eye, the fish barbels or fins shown in a comma-like shape at the corner of the mouth, the single, prominent shark tooth, and large spiny oyster shells as ear flares (Miller and Taube, pp. 129-130, figure 11). The Shark God is closely linked to the rain-god Chac, and is both a creator and destroyer, the god of wind, breath, the number 6 and the patron of bloodletting and rulers (private conversation with Marvin Cohodas). The physical details of the Shark god make it possible to recognize the similarity with many of the scrolls shown on figurines, although there are other gods apparently represented in facial decorations. It is impossible to know the specific motivation for individuals to have decorated themselves in such a way that virtually transforms them into a god, and the possibility that they did this as a permanent physical transformation demands further study into the understanding of the relationship that the Maya had with their pantheon of deities.
Introduction to the Aztec Calendar The Calendar and the Sun Stone Mistakenly, one often refers to the Sun Stone, or the Stone of Axayacatl, as the Aztec Calendar. This sculpure does depict the 20 daysigns, and even the four era’s of Suns that preceeded the current Fifth Sun but is was not used as a calendar. Instead it was used as a sacrifical altar. So, what actually is the Aztec calendar? Not just one calendar There is not just one Aztec calendar, there are two more or less independent systems. One calendar, called the xiuhpohualli, has 365 days. It describes the days and rituals related to the seasons, and therefor might be called the agricultural year or the solar year. The other calendar has 260 days. In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, it is called the tonalpohualli or, the day-count. Most information on this Internet-site refers to the tonalpohualli, which is the sacred calendar.
The tonalpohualli and Aztec cosmology The tonalpohualli, or day-count, has been called a sacred calendar because its main purpose is that of a divinatory tool. It divides the days and rituals between the gods. For the Aztec mind this is extremely important. Without it the world would soon come to an end. According to Aztec cosmology, the universe is in a very delicate equilibrium. Opposing divine forces are competing for power. This equilibrium is in constant danger of being disrupted by shifting powers of the gods, of the elemental forces that influence our lifes. This struggle cannot be won by any god. The notion that everything ultimately consists of two opposing forces is essential to the Aztec worldview. The world is always on the brink of going under in a spiritual war, a war of gods competing for supreme power. To prevent this from happening, the gods have been given their own space, their own time, their own social groups, etcetera, to rule over. The tonalpohualli tells us how time is divided among the gods.
The system of the tonalpohualli The system of the tonalpohualli can be best understood by imagining two wheels that are connected to each other. One wheel has the numbers “one” to “thirteen” written on it. The second wheel has twenty symbols on it. In the initial situation, number “one” combines with the first symbol. This is the first day of the tonalpohualli. Now the wheels start moving and number “two” combines with the second glyph. This is the second day. After fourteen days, an Aztec week (trecena in Spanish) of thirteen days has passed. The wheel with the numbers shows number “one” again. The other wheel now shows the fourteenth symbol. After 260 days, the two wheels have returned to their initial position. The tonalpohualli starts all over again.
The xiuhpohualli The 365-day year or xihuitl consists of 18 months (meztli) of 20 days plus five extra (unlucky) days. The last day of the last month of the year gives its (tonalpohualli-) name to the xihuitl. This name is the “Xihuitl” information that is displayed by the calendar. A simple calculation learns that only four daysigns can “bear” (i.e. give their name to) the year. These are Calli, Tochtli, Acatl and Tecpatl for the Aztec calendar. A similar calculation tells us that the number of the xihuitl is raised every year. So year 1-Calli is followed by 2-Tochtli, etcetera. This means that every 52 years (4 times 13) the name of the year will be the same. A combination of 52 years is called a calendar round or xiuhmolpilli (bundle).
AZTEC VS. MAYAN CALEDARS The Aztec Calendar was basically similar to that of the Maya. The ritual day cycle was called Tonalpohualli and was formed, as was the Mayan Tzolkin, by the concurrence of a cycle of numerals 1 through 13 with a cycle of 20 day names, many of them similar to the day names of the Maya.
Where the Aztec differed most significantly from the Maya was in their more primitive number system and in their less precise way of recording dates. http://www.world-mysteries.com/sar_3.htm
Tlaloc was an important deity of rain and fertility of the Aztec mythology. Aztec people were living in Mexico during the fifteenth and sixteenth century. Tlaloc was pictured as a man wearing a net of clouds, a crown of heron feathers, foam sandals and carrying rattles to make thunder. Tlaloc brought on great wrath upon the Aztec people. He often used his lightning bolts to make the people sick. It is said that he had four different jugs of water in his possession. When he emptied the first one, it brought life to plants. The second would cause blight, the third brought on frost, and the fourth would bring total destruction.
He had a circle around each eye and face painted Blue.
Tlaloc, He Who Makes Things Sprout, the god of rain, lightning and thunder. Het is a fertility god, but also a wrathful deity. He is responsible for both floods and droughts.
Tlaloc is commonly depicted as a goggle-eyed blue being with jaguar fangs. Often he is presented wearing a net of clouds, a crown of heron feather and foam sandals. He carries rattles to make thunder.
Tlaloc was first married to the goddess Xochiquetzal, but then Tezcatlipoca kidnapped her. He later married Chalchihuitlicue. With Chalchihuitlicue he became the father of Tecciztecatl. Tlaloc has an older sister named Huixtocihuatl.
He is the ruler of Tlalocan, the fourth heaven. Tlalocan is the place of eternal spring, a paradise of green plants. Tlalocan is the destination in the afterlife for those who died violently from phenomena associated with water, such as by lightning, drowning and water-borne diseases. Tlaloc ruled over the third world, 4 Quiahuitl, the world that was destroyed by a fiery deluge. He is served by various rain spirits called the tlaloque.
In Tenochtitlan, ancient Mexico City, half of the central temple (“Huey Teocalli”) was dedicated to Tlaloc. The other half was dedicated to Huitzilopochtli, the god of the Mexica.
Tlaloc is both the protector of the seventh day, Mazatl (deer) and the seventh trecena, 1-Quiahuitl (rain). He is Lord of the Day for days with number 8 (“chicuei” in Nahuatl). Tlaloc is the nineth and last Lord of the Night.
Who was Tlaloc? The Aztec god Tlaloc was believed to be the god of rain, fertility, and lightning. He was one of the three main gods of the Aztec’s being Tlaloc, Huitzilopochtli, and Quetzalcoatl. Tlaloc was considered a beneficent god but was also greatly feared for he could cause floods, drought, or fling lightening throughout the land. He could send torrential rains, hurricanes, and instigate hunger with his powers if he was angry. Tlaloc was also sometimes called Nahuatl (meaning one who makes things sprout). He is often shown with very large bulging eyes, long fangs, and wearing a net of clouds. Tlaloc wears a headdress of heron feathers, carries rattles used to make the thunder, and sports foam sandals.
To appease this god, the Aztec people would offer up human sacrifices; in Tlaloc’s case it was usually children. The priest would however, would collect the tears of these young terrified victims as an additional offering. He would sometimes make them cry more through tortures like pulling out their nails. The tears were seen as rain, so the more they cried the better the season of rainfall. Parents saw the sacrifice of their children as an honor; other children were those taken captive from outside villages. Whichever the case, the important thing was to keep Tlaloc happy. By doing so, they believed they were provided the rains to produce healthy crops. Anyone who died from drowning, dropsy, lightning or anything else associated with water was thought to pass on to a place called Tlacocan, the paradise of fertility in the tallest mountain where Tlaloc lived and clouds were formed.
Great importance was given to the direction of the rains sent by Tlaloc.
Western rain was red from the setting sun and represented autumn. Southern rain represented the green fertility of summer and growth Eastern rain was golden, nourishing the crops of Spring and promising life. Northern rain contained hail and thunder bringing the warnings of destruction. Snow and hail storms were believed to contain and represent the bones of the dead. The Aztec’s so honored this god that they built a temple for him in Tenochtitlan next to the great temple for the god Huitzilopochtli. They created an image of Tlaloc adorned with a string of green beads called chalchihuitl (jade). On this idol, he wore bracelets of precious gems and gold. It is said there were no other idols decorated with as many jewels in this entire Mexican region. In fact, there is a large stone idol or statue of Tlaloc that stands today outside of the National Museum of Anthropology and History in Mexico City.
The Mayan and Aztec also used one person per drum and each drummer had two sticks. The Colors Red and Blue was very sacred to the Aztec and Mayan.
Defiently alot of stuff, but this is the most complete comparison Between the Aztec, Mayan, Saponi, and Coastal Tribes of NC which has ever been put in one place.
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Uncas, Sachem and Statesman
Researchers find 3,000-year-old Maya structure larger than their pyramids The discovery raises questions about large settlements in Central America
Death of First Nations man handcuffed and stepped on by police was accidental.
Uncas, Sachem and Statesman
#maketurtleislandgreatagain turtlegangnyc - June 12, 2020
Researchers find 3,000-year-old Maya structure larger than their pyramids The discovery raises questions about...
Daily Turtle turtlegangnyc - June 12, 2020
Death of First Nations man handcuffed and stepped on by police was accidental.
Daily Turtle turtlegangnyc - June 12, 2020
Fake Indians Rake in Millions in Contracts
Daily Turtle turtlegangnyc - February 23, 2020
Uncas, Sachem and Statesman
#maketurtleislandgreatagain June 12, 2020
Researchers find 3,000-year-old Maya structure larger than their pyramids The discovery...
Daily Turtle June 12, 2020
Death of First Nations man handcuffed and stepped on by police...
Daily Turtle June 12, 2020
Tribes continue to share gaming revenues in Oklahoma despite dispute with governor
Tribes in Oklahoma continue to share Class III gaming revenues with the state even though the Republican governor claims their agreements expired on January 1.
NIGA keeps close watch on coronavirus ahead of annual convention
The National Indian Gaming Association is getting ready for another successful tradeshow.
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe wins major victory in homelands litigation
The Trump administration's disjointed tribal homelands policy continues to crumble amid scrutiny in the courts and in Indian Country.
Native Sun News Today: Alcohol sales at casinos proposed
Voters of the Oglala Sioux Tribe are being asked to approve the sale of alcohol at gaming establishments on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation reopened their gaming facility after addressing fears connected to the coronavirus in Oregon.
Tribes at odds with governor over expansion of gaming in Connecticut
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe want to expand gaming in Connecticut but the governor is backing rival legislation that could undermine their rights.
Oklahoma governor won't let Indian ancestry doubts derail gaming dispute
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation but the tribe once tried to remove his ancestors from their rolls.
Umatilla Tribes shut down casino and takes precautions as coronavirus hits Indian Country
A casino employee tested 'presumptive positive' for the coronavirus, prompting the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation into action.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe isn't giving up despite a negative ruling from a federal appeals court.
'I don't think he can spell sovereignty': Oklahoma governor faces fire in high-profile gaming dispute
Tribal leaders ripped Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) to shreds in a blockbuster story that raises significant doubts about the Cherokee ancestry of the state's top executive.
#maketurtleislandgreatagain August 22, 2017
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#maketurtleislandgreatagain May 31, 2017
How the Cherokee Indians became White and mulatto:
Daily Turtle December 12, 2016
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The one day of the year if you are in a relationship, there is the pressure of making sure you get the correct gift and don’t end up single by the end of the day.
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There was a time when snow was the main material of construction in the Canadian North. A hand-made non-metallic snow knife was used by the locals for scraping ice and cutting hard, compacted snow into blocks, and pruning them for fitting together.
One of the construction tools used to build igluit is the snow knife, which is also known as the snow saw or pana. The weapon is also used by Arctic Inuit. The tool’s design is a curved blade with a handle that has a projection at its proximal end.
This is exclusively a man’s tool, and usually, one used in the winter. With its ax-like blade, it could perform tasks as diverse as barbecuing hair to catching flying fish.
A reindeer’s shin bone or hon was used to make the original knives. In time, iron, steel, and copper were used to create the later versions as metal became available.
You can spot ruined John Franklin’s ships, used on his expeditions in Nunavut’s arctic region, King William Island, where legendary snow knives can be found made from copper blades or refurbished scrap iron. In addition to musk-ox and horn handles roughly lashed together with sinew, their blades have dagger shapes and are double-edged.
Most of the knives created by the Inuit in Pelly Bay, Nunavut, have bone handles decorated with zigzag lines carved into the handles. In the 19th to early 20th century, Alaskan and Canadian snow knives were multipurpose tools also used to dig for berries and tell stories.
Their handles were typically made of bone riveted to walrus tusk using iron rivets. Iron rivets were probably reclaimed from old packing cases that visitors had abandoned.
Antler models from the 19th century featured spearhead shapes and holes in their handles. One would wear them around the neck, which is handy for having a knife in the dark while building in haste amidst winds and with numb hands.
The iron-made ones were considered more convenient on various levels. They are however more likely to break in extremely cold weather.
Due to the convenience of using modern, durable materials, the Inuit people can now enjoy the benefits of a quicker and easier construction process.
This tool features a wide blade that appears to have a flat edge. The grip on the other hand is narrow and curved at the base, from where it extends into a thick cylinder with a sharpened end protruding out of it.
The working portion of the knife is also thinner than its handle, giving it an overall slender appearance. You would find that the blade is long yet the handle is short and has an arrow-like head.
There are several original snow knives with tribal markings, which indicate the maker’s pride. The adornments were exquisitely engraved despite harsh conditions by spending several hours under such conditions.
This unique feature of this tool enables it to be propelled with a sweeping stroke that imparts momentum to it.
Snow knives also called snow saws and panas, are among the construction tools for making igloos or snow houses. It is an essential tool for erecting the walls, floors, and roofs of igloos.
Inuits use it as a weapon as well. The tool has a broad blade with a curved handle that terminates in a projection at its proximal end.
Hunting
Snow knives are part of traditional Inuit hunting equipment. Hunters use these knives to skin and gut game animals. In most cases, the snow knife replaces the hunters’ primary blade so that its broad grooved blade can be used for jointing meat.
Types
The snow knife, which was crafted from caribou antlers by the man who originally hunted them in Alaska for a season before turning to make these knives full-time is one of many examples that illustrate how complex and connected life on earth truly is. The blades are handcrafted with attention to detail.
When it comes to sledding on snow, the Nunatsiarmiut or Nunavimiut First Nations people of Quebec and their territory are experts. They used this metal-bladed snow knife dating from 1910-1914 that was unlike anything in Alaska. The blade is made out of steel rather than wood.
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These story knives were largely a toy for girls, rather than tools for a task. Often intricately carved and decorated, story knives were used to carve pictures in dirt or snow; playmates would try to guess what they were. A girl younger than the owner of the story knife would take possession of it as she grew up.
In a nutshell, the snow knife is more than just a tool. Instead, it is a piece of the Inuit culture, which has been passed down for generations.
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My name is Mark, who is passionate about knives. I love to share my knowledge. That’s the reason to start SkilledKnife.com. Hopefully, I would share some helpful info with you.
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Children who are very young or who have a high level of anxiety that interferes with the cooperation necessary for the dentist to perform treatment may require some level of sedation. Sedation is also helpful for special needs children. There are many safe and effective ways to sedate your child. Listed below are three methods we use in our office.
Prior to any appointment–
1. Please inform us of any change to your child’s health and/or medical condition.
2. Please inform us of any medications your child is taking on a daily basis.
This information is extremely important to ensure we take any precautions necessary while your child is under our care.
Nitrous oxide, commonly known as “laughing gas”, is used to reduce anxiety during dental treatment. Nitrous oxide is given through a small breathing mask that is placed over the child’s nose. With normal breathing, the nitrous oxide enters the lungs and has a mild sedative effect. The child is still awake but pain and time perception are altered. Nitrous oxide is a very safe and effective technique to use for treating children’s dental needs. The gas is mild, non-allergenic, has a rapid onset, is reversible, and is quickly eliminated from the body. While inhaling nitrous oxide, the child remains fully conscious and keeps all natural reflexes.
Prior to your appointment:
Please inform us of any change to your child’s health and/or medical condition. Please also advise us of any medications your child is taking the day of the appointment.
Tell us about any respiratory condition that makes breathing through the nose difficult for your child. It may limit the effectiveness of the nitrous oxide/oxygen.
Conscious Sedation is recommended for apprehensive children, very young children, and children with special needs. It is used to calm your child and to reduce the anxiety or discomfort associated with dental treatments. Your child may be quite drowsy, and may even fall asleep, but they will not become unconscious.
There are a variety of different medications, which can be used for conscious sedation. The doctor will prescribe the medication best suited for your child’s overall health and dental treatment recommendations. We will be happy to answer any questions you might have concerning the specific drugs we plan to give to your child.
Prior to your appointment:
Please notify us of any change in your child’s health and/or medical condition. Do not bring your child for treatment with a fever, ear infection or cold. Should your child become ill, contact us to see if it is necessary to postpone the appointment.
You must tell the doctor of any drugs that your child is currently taking and any drug reactions and/or change in medical history.
Please dress your child in loose fitting, comfortable clothing.
Please make sure that your child goes to the bathroom immediately prior to arriving at the office.
We ask you bring your child in to their appointment on an empty stomach; nothing to eat or drink past midnight the night before.
The child’s parent or legal guardian must remain at the office during the complete procedure.
Please watch your child closely while the medication is taking effect. Hold them in your lap or keep close to you. Do not let them “run around.”
Fussiness, irritability and even hallucinations are some of the side effects that could occur once the medication has taken effect.
After your appointment:
Please monitor your child’s behavior for the next 3-4 hours. Normal behavior during recovery may vary. Your child may be sleepy/groggy or he/she may be irritated/angry. In addition, if your child received VERSED visual disturbance (hallucinations) are a common side effect. The behavioral changes will diminish as the mediations wear off. If your child desires to sleep, please allow him/her to rest. It is very important to wake your child by 1:00 p.m. and keep him/her awake until his/her normal bedtime this evening. Keep activity to a level that does not require coordination. Absolutely no swimming, bike riding, skate boarding, roller skating, etc. for the remainder of the day. Resume usual activity tomorrow.
Your child can consume a soft diet today such as spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, yogurt, etc. Your child also received a local anesthesia rendering his/her cheek, tongue and lips numb. Watch him/her to make sure he/she does not bite these areas. If these areas are bitten, no pain will be felt immediately due to numbness, but the pain and swelling will appear after the numbness wears off.
For the safety of your child, we ask that you call our office at 2:00 p.m. to inform us of your child’s’ recovery status. We are available at all times to help your child have a positive experience. 281-341-7733
Occasionally with large amounts of treatment that need to be completed and a child with high anxiety, our doctors might discuss the option of IV sedation. The dentist performs the dental treatment in our office with the child anesthetized under IV sedation, which is administered and monitored by a board certified anesthesiologist. Before this appointment is scheduled we will go over all instructions to be followed prior to appointment and after treatment is completed.
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Yes, CASS tops are bra friendly. When worn with a bra, the tops help smooth out any visible bra lines and back bulges.
What is the difference between your products and others?
CASS uses only the finest fibers that feel soft, comfortable, and cool while providing full support up to DD without underwire. Styles retain shape and compression while feeling plush throughout the life of the product. They are made with cool, breathable styled fabric. Many styles available work well for all ages and look chic when layered and peeking through. It’s not just an underpinning or another SPANX … it’s every day wear!
Why is sizing by pant size?
The tops’ circumference keeps it in place.
Are they hot to wear?
The fabric is made with nylon and spandex that feels cool on the body and with breathable side panels engineered into tops, dresses, and bodysuits for ventilation.
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Posted on August 19, 2008 May 7, 2009 Author Meraj KhattakCategories GeneralTags agile, meeting, pakistan2 Comments on AgilePakistan First Meeting
I have been following a few blogs from their beginning. Daily Blog Tips is one such excellent blog, I find it very useful as it gives me the knowledge I need to have about today’s phenomenon “Blogs”.
Yesterday Daniel Scocco of Daily Blog Tips posted an article on “What is A Blog”, which is a group writing project. I found this question of “What is A Blog” very interesting as I recently started blogging, I also wanted to share with you that what do I think of “What is A Blog”?
I think it is a platform for me:
To share the experience I have
To share the knowledge I have
To learn from other people
As it is a group writing project, I am looking forward to read very interesting “What is A Blog” from other participants.
Posted on August 12, 2008 May 7, 2009 Author Meraj KhattakCategories GeneralTags blog, definition2 Comments on What Is A Blog?
Launched AgilePakistan with Sheheryar. The aim is to have a platform for the developers community in Pakistan to meet and discuss issues they face in developing small / large applications. For a more detailed description about this group click here.
I hope we could make a difference.
Posted on July 28, 2008 May 7, 2009 Author Meraj KhattakCategories GeneralTags agile, launch, pakistan
I have started this blog to share my knowledge about software development and learn from you. I hope this space becomes a useful place both for me and you.
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In the inaugural post for this blog, in March, 2021, I wrote that my mother and father taught me and my brothers everything we know about holy discomfort.
“My mother dreamed of tending her own home, raising a family,” I wrote. “She always joked that she honestly had wanted the picket fence! And yet she married a man whose immense moral integrity matched her own and practically guaranteed they would get into trouble. She and my father made every decision together, walked alongside and encouraged each other, for 64 years of marriage. Her courage, while quieter than my father’s, was nevertheless a powerful force in his life and ours, one I never truly honored at the time.”
Today, June 16, is her birthday. It would have been her 89th birthday, had she not died in 2016. Letting go of her life with characteristic lack of fanfare, one moment here and the next gone, slipping out the back door. I like to think that she is celebrating this birthday with my father.
It is the truth that, as a young woman, I never truly honored my mother’s courage. Her restraint stood in contrast to the outspokenness and passion I admired in my father. She was never a crusader like he was, never wanted to be out in front carrying the banner. But, “just like a tree that’s planted by the water,” as the spiritual says, my mother could not be moved when she believed something to be God’s will. When she stood on principle, she stood firm.
A black and white photo of my young mother greets me every morning from the front of my refrigerator. In the picture, she is a newlywed, sitting on the couch she chose for her new home. She loved that couch: it was a deep wine red with a raised design of roses, leaves, tendrils, vines. Her arms are folded low across her torso, her legs crossed. She raises her eyes and gazes steadily at the camera, with a slight smile. You could call it a shy smile–but there is something defiant in her gaze. Defiant, and triumphant. She is a woman who knows her own mind and her place in the world.
As the newlywed wife of a young farmer, the woman in the photo welcomed a man who worked with my father out in the fields, a Black man, into their home. Cleveland reluctantly accepted their invitation to join them at the table for lunch, at a time when to do so was considered an act of defiance and civil disobedience and could get any one of them killed. 50 years later, she recalled, “It just didn’t make sense to me—if they were out there in the field, they’d be eating lunch together in the truck, wouldn’t they? So why should that be any different if they came back up to the house?”
The house in which the photo was taken, the house where they broke bread with Cleveland, the one built by Grandpa Murden to one side of the farm, is still standing. The farm is gone, replaced by a big and shiny high school, but, although the house has gone through some cosmetic changes, the basic structure is still there.
My parents’ first home on West Neck Road, Princess Anne County; now Virginia Beach, VA
My mother was not destined to live long in that house. She thought she married a farmer. Turned out she married a minister of the gospel, a man of conscience.
While Dad was going to college and seminary, we moved around a lot, living in rented spaces. Until at last we moved into a parsonage built for us by a small church just west of Wake Forest, NC. My mother was ready to settle down. She planted cuttings from Granny’s azalea bushes behind the house, next to the woods.
She was not destined to live long in that house either. We welcomed what the community considered “the wrong people” into our home, to sit and eat at our table.
After the shooting in Wake Forest, my father suggested that my mother take my brothers and me to Norfolk, VA, to live with her mother. “And where will you be?” she asked.
“Oh, I’ll be here finishing up at the seminary,” he answered, casually. He had only one semester to go before graduating.
Her response was immediate and adamant. “Oh no. I’m not going anywhere without you. If you’re staying, I’m staying.”
We moved into one half of a large old manse in town, offered to us by a white couple who risked their home and reputations befriending us, while Dad completed seminary.
In the five months after the shooting, my father was invited to speak at Black churches across the state of North Carolina. The whole family went with him.
I remember that first Sunday. My mother left a beef roast slow-cooking in the oven so that we’d have something to eat as soon as we got back to the house. At the end of the service, one of the men of the church came to Dad and quietly said, “Rev. Shipp, we know you’re a busy man, but the ladies have prepared a little something for you, if you’d like to stay and have lunch. —Of course, we understand if you can’t.”
A look passed between my parents, and I knew my mother was thinking about that beef roast. Dad smiled broadly, “Well, I don’t know if the ladies expected to have to feed the whole family, but…”. He laughed. “If there’s enough food, we’re hungry.” The beef roast went to charred pieces in the oven, and from then on, Mom never prepared a Sunday meal. Everywhere we went, the ladies of the churches had always “prepared a little something.”
Which always turned out to be a feast. At first, the deacons and ladies wanted to seat our family on a dais, lifted up and away from the church members. My parents made it plain that we wanted to eat at the tables with everyone else.
As I was recently going through news clippings and letters Mom collected over the years related to the shooting, I was astonished to come across the draft of a letter my mother wrote to Warren Massenburg, my friend and the editor of The Voice. Written in the spring of 1970, her words cover five typed, double-spaced pages, with notes and additions scribbled in pencil, in the margins and between the lines.
She writes, “We have lived here in this town for over three and one half years…. How many times were we told what outstandingly fine children we had? But somehow their acceptance of black friends and the events of the past several months have changed all this…. The real heartache has not come from strangers but from those we loved and trusted and thought loved us, those we thought were our friends but who, when the going got tough, turned away, some believing and even telling lies. We are deeply grateful for those few who did not turn away!”
She writes about how, one night when Dad was away, “my 9-year-old son…came to my bedroom after he should have been asleep and said, ‘I can’t sleep because I keep hearing loud booms.’ And his eyes began to fill with tears as he said, ‘I’m scared and all I can think of is Daddy isn’t here and about the shooting.’ He prays often, ‘Please, God, keep Daddy safe and help him to protect us.’ Or ‘Help people who hate other people to stop hating and start loving other people like you do.’
“Do you wonder,” she asks, “why I must pray for the strength to love?”
Mom’s concern was not only for her family. “We are not the only ones in Wake Forest to live in fear. Why is this true in a town that has as many churches as Wake Forest? How can we call ourselves Christian? …I don’t wonder why some black men hate all white men. My real amazement and wonder comes from the realization that, after all they have suffered, some black men are still able to love and forgive white men. They far exceed my ability to love….”
My mother knew that our stand did not come without a price tag. In her closing paragraphs, she writes, “An attempt was made to murder us and it could be tried again. One of these may succeed—people have been killed before for practicing Christian love and probably will be again—but let me go on record with this statement: We may be killed and thousands more like us, but the cause for which we stand—Christian love and equality for all men—will not be killed because this is God‘s will and therefore it is right! God will have the final word. It may not be in my lifetime or yours, but God will be triumphant!”
She ends with words that echo Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “I continue to pray for the day when a man will be judged by the content of his character, not the color of his skin.”
There were times over the years when my mother grieved over the house she would never own, all the houses she had tried to make into homes. “Just once,” she lamented, “I’d like to have furniture that matches.” And she cried. It was not a joke.
There is so much more that I could write about my mother, about the ways in which she steadied and stood with my father, the way she supported him and our family. She supported us all, the way a load-bearing wall supports a house. Quietly. Without fanfare. Without calling attention to herself. Essential to the structure.
I guess that’s why, wherever our parents lived was the place we called home. Whatever house my mother tended, whatever home she made.
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Posted bykbryantshipp June 16, 2022 July 8, 2022 Posted inUncategorized
Published by kbryantshipp
Preacher woman, musician, lover of justice View more posts
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Bryant says:
June 16, 2022 at 9:46 am
Fascinating that I could have lived and loved my mother for over 56 years, but just now realize there was still so much I didn’t know about her.
How can we be a good, stable parent, but not hide our “humanness” from our kids?
LikeLiked by 1 person
kbshipp says:
June 16, 2022 at 9:59 am
I hear you. I’m learning new things about her all the time. As for your question, the fact that you ask it, gives me deep respect for you.
June 17, 2022 at 3:40 pm
Karen, this entry challenging and strong. Like you, I also was blessed with a strong father who I admired greatly, not so much my mother. I do, however, remember a time when she went against society’s view. This occured when I was already an adult, and her actions still bred a new respect for her in my mind. This entry has inspired/challened me to dig deeper with regard for my mother. I feel that I still have a lot to learn.
kbshipp says:
June 17, 2022 at 3:46 pm
Thank you for this beautiful message. It makes me happy that what I’ve written has inspired and challenged you to dig deeper. Much love.
Shirley McLean says:
June 18, 2022 at 3:45 pm
Love the story about your Mom, I was named after her. My Father Walter L. Bryant and your Mom-Shirley were cousins. My Dad loved her and through all the Bryant family drama, Shirley was there for him. My Mother (Herta) and I were informed by Jimmy Woods that your Dad Wesley had passed. I was able to find John and now you. My Mother and I sorry to hear of his passing and keeping you all in our prayers and thoughts.
kbshipp says:
June 18, 2022 at 5:33 pm
Thank you for writing, Shirley. I remember Walter and Herta, mainly through home movies. I would love to talk to you sometime. We will be in Virginia Beach to bury the ashes of both my mother and my father on July 11. Here is the link to the obituary: https://www.hennesseyheightsfuneralhome.com/obituaries/J-Shipp/#!/Obituary. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
June 19, 2022 at 4:09 am
I enjoyed reading your tribute to your mother. When I knew you, you told me all about the “shooting” and its effect on your family. You also did not have as much respect for your quiet, stay-at-home Mom at the time. Well, you were midway in your own development, and had turned away from God and Jesus Christ. No religion except for St. Francis of Assisi. One day, we were having lunch and I told you that you were not a true atheist. “I know what an atheist is like. My husband is an atheist. But you have a spiritual sense in you which you express in your music. You are not an Atheist.” We talked about music and spirituality I contributed what I could from ministers in my church. When you finally went to New York City to pursue a possible career in opera, you thanked me for “ministering” to you. Then, within a year, you had made a commitment to a religious group. Your father eventually became minister of a church in New Jersey, so you saw your parents more frequently. And your mother went back to school, took training to become a nurse. Suddenly, she became more interesting to you. Well there was much that happened during those years as you worked out your life. I visited you in New York City a few times. You had drifted unto being a music minister. This eventually led to your move to South and a job with a very liberal Baptist church as a music minister. I also have seen, over the years, how much you came to love and respect your mother. For some of us, it takes awhile to grow up and become what we were meant to be from the beginning
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[Herald Interview] “My ambition is huge, but there’s one thing I don’t want to change”: Dermot Kennedy
Court denies injunction against delisting of cryptocurrency Wemix
Indonesian Embassy hosts event to promote Korean tourists to North Sulawesi
[World Cup] Departing coach Bento thanks players for trust in his system
[Photo News] S. Korean World Cup players return home
Education
Second round of inter-Korean family reunions begins at Mount Kumgang
By Yonhap
Published : Aug 24, 2018 - 19:58 Updated : Aug 24, 2018 - 19:59
More article by this Writer
Tears streamed down the wrinkled face of Cho Jeong-gi as the 67-year-old South Korean met the North Korean father he has never seen.
“I am your first son, first son,” Cho said in a trembling voice. “I had no idea I would be able to meet you.”
Cho was among hundreds of people from the two Koreas who were reunited with their families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War at the North’s eastern resort of Mount Kumgang on Friday.
His 88-year-old father, Deok-yong, moved to the North alone during the war, before Jeong-gi was born. His mother passed away earlier this year before she could be notified of the event.
Two sisters separated by the Korean War meet one another at the second round of inter-Korean family reunion event at Mount Kumgang resort on Friday. (Yonhap)
A total of 326 South Koreans from 81 families met their long-lost kin during the second round of the meeting.
As with the first round of reunions that ended on Wednesday, this one was filled with tears, sigh and screams of joy in yet another emotional reminder of the tragic division of the peninsula.
“I thank you for being alive,” Woo Gi-ju, 79, from the South, said fighting back tears as she met her 86-year-old sister, Gi-bok, who was in a wheelchair. The elder Woo had left her after saying she would go to seek an education.
Kim Jeong-sook, 81, met her 85-year-old North Korean sister, Jeong-ok, who lost contact with her family after she went to the North’s eastern port city of Cheongjin to land a job.
“We came here along the rusty railway that you moved along (to the North),” Kim Jeong-sook said. “I didn’t know your face. ... How were you able to remember my name?”
The reunions will last until Sunday and the participants will meet on six occasions for 12 hours in total.
The reunions were held in line with the April inter-Korean summit agreement to “endeavor to swiftly resolve the humanitarian issues that resulted from the division of the nation” and proceed with reunion programs on the occasion of the Aug. 15 Liberation Day.
There are about 57,000 South Koreans wishing to reunite with their family members in the North. Before this week’s reunions, the two Koreas had held 20 rounds of such meetings since their first inter-Korean summit in 2000. (Yonhap)
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So, here I am looking at the new page of my really cool calendar. It’s May. Most people will think of flowers and perhaps rising waters. I used to think of crocus. That’s when my mother always said spring was here.
“The crocus are up beneath the evergreens,” she would say….for so many years….until she passed away on a beautiful Easter Sunday morning.
It’s also my 24th wedding anniversary.
But, I look toward the end of the May calendar and I see the last date: 31. That’s when I will turn 70 years old! I try to get my mind around that fact, but I realize that I’m not ready. I’m not ready to be or feel that old. Where did the decades go? Who was I as 36? 47? Who took the pictures? Am I in anyone’s album?
I know what many will say: “You’re as old as you feel, etc…” But that’s not the way I see it or feel it.
I have a delightful daughter,Erin, whose life is full with a fantastic husband and an awesome son, Elias. She is turning 45 years old. Where did the years go?
I have a son, Brian, who will turn thirty in mid-July. Where did the years go?
See the calendar photo above? Did I ever pull back the curtain for anyone? I don’t think I did. I spent a career teaching…but did I make any difference? I’ll never know.
There is a vase of lilacs just behind this laptop screen. Mariam bought them today. I can smell that special scent. It reminds me of the giant lilac bush that grew just behind my childhood home. So many memories from a fragrance…
I sometimes feel like I’m 18 again when I think of past girlfriends. Many probably forgot my name over the years. But, I know that all the young women I meet see me as their grandfather. That is not good for the male ego of any age.
Thank the stars that I met a woman who is older than me, looks younger than me and has more energy than me and is a hell of a lot smarter than me.
Mariam. You took a chance on me…like the ABBA song.
I just wish I had some creative energy…to write more and make her and my children proud of me.
I guess that’s what life is all about…finding a partner who shares the same values.
I did.
3 Comments Posted in Blogging, Creativity, Melancholy Thoughts, Memories, non-fiction, Real Personal History, Uncategorized Tagged birthdays in May, growing old, reflections on ageing, turning 70
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COVID-19 precautions and policies are in place to ensure the health and safety of our campus community. Information can be found on our main COVID-19 page
Pre-Law
Lake Forest College / Academics / Majors and Minors / Pre-Law
The Pre-Law Advising Program supports students who are considering a career in the field of law and assists them in the process of applying to law schools.
Students receive close personal attention and advice and have the opportunity to participate in events related to the law professions. Faculty on the Pre-Law Advising Committee offer counsel on the range of law schools most suitable for each student and during all phases of the application process. Our faculty members received their JDs from law schools such as Northwestern, William and Mary, University of Texas, University of Pennsylvania, and others.
There is no specific pattern of pre-law course work at Lake Forest College; a well-rounded, challenging four-year course of study in the liberal arts and all major undergraduate fields are appropriate training for future lawyers.
Students in the pre-law program:
visit area law schools
participate in regional and national mock trial tournaments
help host visits by law professionals and law school officials
receive help in preparing for taking the LSAT
engage in other activities related to careers in law.
Most students take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) in the summer or fall after their junior year, and complete the process of law school applications during the fall semester of their senior year.
Increasingly, students nationwide engage in pre-professional or volunteer work before beginning the study of law, so that students may consider applying to law schools at any phase during their post-collegiate careers. Lake Forest offers many volunteer and pre-professional opportunities for students interested in studying pre-law.
The Career Advancement Center also offers programming to help students prepare for a law profession, often working in collaboration with our alumni. The Lunch with Lawyers Program and the Alumni Mentor Program are just a couple of ways our alums assist students who are interested in law professions.
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Finding the answer to this was easy… Adrienne Simone Zocdoc…Zocdoc is a popular online visit scheduling system that is extensively used across the health care industry. Clients use the platform to discover doctors in their area, checked out other patient reviews, and to arrange consultations.
Enables clients to find your practice and book appointments online
Conserves clients and personnel time by automating consultation pointers
Gets evaluations to be posted onto your Zocdoc profile, which is a trustworthy site that adds to your web credibility
The system makes it easy for patients to cancel visits, which can possibly result in more last-minute cancellations
Stiff competition with other dental professionals on the platform
Must by hand confirm and enter visits into your practice management system
We use a strenuous software application review process to produce our unbiased, extensive research study.
Learn more about our software review process.
Given that introducing in 2007, Zocdoc has ended up being a household name in the healthcare industry. Their ingenious platform supplies clients with a modern method to search for in-network doctors by insurance coverage provider, book appointments outside of service hours, and read patient reviews, all in one place. Thousands of dental experts use Zocdoc to acquire brand-new patients.
Details on ZocDoc prices are:
1 year contract.
As an online appointment scheduling system, one of Zocdoc’s primary selling points is that it offers clients a practical method to book appointments on the go, at all hours of the day. If your practice does not currently use a way for patients to book appointments outside of service hours, you could be missing out on a significant segment of the population. Zocdoc reports that 45% of its appointments are booked beyond the practice’s service hours.
Practices that use Zocdoc are given a profile, which consists of info about the practice, patient evaluations, and a current schedule with available visit slots. Since Zocdoc reads your schedule directly from your practice management software application, patients can only request consultation times that are offered. Here’s Dr. Lawrence Spindel’s profile, who is a Zocdoc customer (you can also read his ideas on Zocdoc here):.
Numerous practices connect to their Zocdoc profile from their website, so that anyone who visits their practice’s website can quickly book appointments online. To do this, you can simply develop a button that says “Book a Consultation”, which connects clients to your Zocdoc profile.
After a client demands a consultation through your Zocdoc profile, you will need to confirm that the visit slot is still readily available, and Zocdoc will look after sending out a final verification to the client. One drawback of using Zocdoc is that it can only read your practice management system’s schedule– it can not edit it by including confirmed appointments. This implies that you’ll have to add each visit into your practice management system manually, after you’ve confirmed it.
When it comes to filling last-minute openings (e.g. due to cancellations), Zocdoc’s capability to pull from your practice management system’s live schedule is also useful. However, it is very important to note that some dental experts have actually reported that they dislike the reality that Zocdoc makes it extremely easy for users to cancel their visits. If you use Zocdoc, you’ll need to be prepared to accept that some percentage of the patients you draw in through Zocdoc might cancel their consultations with really little notice. Zocdoc has actually specified that it will lock a user’s account after they have actually cancelled or rescheduled too many appointments, however aside from that, it does not dole out any repercussions or fees to users who cancel or reschedule.
All things thought about, Zocdoc’s online appointment booking capabilities are an excellent selling point for bring in new clients, filling last-minute openings, and offering patients the capability to book appointment.
Zocdoc was founded in 2007 in New York City City. The first variation of the now-popular site covered only medical professionals in New York City. Now, the online doctor reservation and review site covers every major city in the United States, and millions of individuals book consultations through the site every month. Zocdoc is one of our leading 6 directory websites for medical professionals, but prior to you rush out and sign up, there are a few things you need to understand about the website.
here is a cost to be noted as a Zocdoc medical professional. Presently, Zocdoc charges medical professionals $300 a month to be noted. If the cost is worth the prospective visits you get, it is up to you to decide. If you are thinking about signing up, be sure to do some research study.
When choosing if your practice would benefit from becoming part of the service, you require to identify which– if any– doctors in your specialized and location are listed. You also wish to note how many reviews they have. Doing so will give you an excellent idea whether the Zocdoc system is successfully filling the appointment book for your local rivals, and if you might gain from signing up with fit.
In general, we discover that the doctors who benefit most from utilizing Zocdoc are those in bigger cities within a competitive market whose clients are in between the ages of 18 and 35.
It is very important that every profile you complete is complete. Nevertheless, on Zocdoc a robust, accurate profile is much more essential. This is because people making appointments frequently have an urgent requirement; you’ll just get a minute, if that, to impress them. They are making a fast choice and will only choose you if your profile looks much better, more total and more professional than the other guy.
Your first job is to guarantee that every piece of information you go into is accurate, especially your name, address, and phone number. Known as N.A.P., these crucial fields need to be right not only on Zocdoc but identical every location you’re noted online. For more on this (and to discover how a dash instead of a duration could ruin your online existence) read our short article, “Be Consistent for Better Local Search Results Page.”.
Next, select your profile image. This should be an expert grade headshot, not a quick photo from your phone. After this is done, it’s time to reinforce your profile by including extra images. All other images should be of your office, your personnel, and any other premium images that will offer prospective clients a good feeling about your practice. Your objective is to show them simply how expert, welcoming, and contemporary your workplace is.
Since the review gathering process runs out your hands on this website, your only job is to do what we hope you’re doing anyhow: offering exceptional, on-time health care.
The only other recommendation we have is to make good on the visits you use on Zocdoc. Not only can canceling or altering consultations garner bad evaluations, it can get your Zocdoc account locked. So just list consultations which will you have scheduled for Zocdoc recommendations or link your appointment booking system straight to Zocdoc. Adrienne Simone Zocdoc…
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U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet speaks during the opening of the 41th session of the Human Rights Council, at the European headquarters…
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet speaks during the opening of the 41th session of the Human Rights Council, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 24, 2019. Western countries are leading a simultaneous push at the U.N.’s top human rights body to scrutinize human rights in two of the world’s most influential countries: China and Russia (Magali Girardin/Keystone via AP, File)
UN rights body rejects Western bid to debate Xinjiang abuses
by: JAMEY KEATEN, Associated Press
Posted: Oct 6, 2022 / 02:52 AM PDT
Updated: Oct 6, 2022 / 08:35 PM PDT
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet speaks during the opening of the 41th session of the Human Rights Council, at the European headquarters…
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet speaks during the opening of the 41th session of the Human Rights Council, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 24, 2019. Western countries are leading a simultaneous push at the U.N.’s top human rights body to scrutinize human rights in two of the world’s most influential countries: China and Russia (Magali Girardin/Keystone via AP, File)
by: JAMEY KEATEN, Associated Press
Posted: Oct 6, 2022 / 02:52 AM PDT
Updated: Oct 6, 2022 / 08:35 PM PDT
GENEVA (AP) — In a close diplomatic victory for China, the U.N.’s top human rights body on Thursday voted down a proposal from Britain, Turkey, the United States and other mostly Western countries to hold a debate on alleged rights abuses against Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China’s western Xinjiang region.
At the 47-member state Human Rights Council, 17 countries voted in favor, 19 were against, and 11 abstained in a vote to hold a debate on Xinjiang at its next session in March. The vote amounted to a test of political and diplomatic clout between the West and Beijing, and would have marked the first time that China’s record on human rights would merit a specific agenda item at the council.
The result, prompting a smattering of applause in the chamber, followed days of diplomatic arm-twisting in Geneva and in many national capitals as leading Western countries tried to build momentum on a report from former U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet’s office, released Aug. 31, which found that possible “crimes against humanity” had occurred in Xinjiang.
A simple majority of voting countries was required.
China locked down “no” votes among its usual allies, plus many African countries and Persian Gulf states Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Somalia was the only African country, and only member state of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to vote “yes.” Turkey is in the OIC, but doesn’t have a council seat right now. Argentina, Brazil, India, Malaysia, Mexico and Ukraine were among countries that abstained.
“This is a missed opportunity by council members to hold China to the same standard as other countries,” Dolkun Isa, president of the World Uyghur Congress, said in a statement. “The international community cannot fail the victims of the Uyghur genocide.”
The U.N. rights office’s report stopped short of referring to abuses against Uyghurs as genocide, but some Western countries have.
The make-up of the council rotates among U.N. member states each year, and China — a powerful country with a permanent seat on the Security Council — has never been the subject of a country-specific resolution at the council since it was founded more than 16 years ago.
The proposal was just to hold a debate, with no consistent monitoring of the rights situation, and amounted to just about the least intrusive form of scrutiny that the council could seek.
The call stopped short of creating a team of investigators to look into possible crimes in Xinjiang, or appointing a special rapporteur — a tacit acknowledgement by the Western countries that going after increasingly influential China would be a tall order.
After the vote, China’s Foreign Ministry issued a lengthy statement saying that “for some time now, the U.S. and some other Western countries have been misinforming the public about Xinjiang and seeking political manipulation in the name of human rights simply to smear China’s image and contain China’s development.”
“The issues that the Human Rights Council truly needs to focus on are the serious human rights violations concerning the U.S., the UK and some Western forces, including systemic racism and racial discrimination, the rights of refugees and migrants, rampant gun violence, unilateral coercive measures, and massive killings of innocent civilians in overseas military operations,” said the statement, dated Friday but unsigned.
China says it never gave its support to Bachelet’s report, and warned of a bad precedent.
Michele Taylor, the U.S. ambassador, said the request for the debate aimed simply to “provide neutral forum for discussion.”
“No country represented here today has a perfect human rights record,” she said. “No country, no matter how powerful, should be excluded from council discussions. This includes my country — the United States — and it includes the People’s Republic of China.”
Human rights groups have accused China of sweeping a million or more people from the minority groups into detention camps where many have said they were tortured, sexually assaulted, and forced to abandon their language and religion. The camps were part of what the rights groups have called a ruthless campaign against extremism in Xinjiang that included draconian birth control policies and restrictions on people’s movement.
Some leading human rights advocacy groups expressed disappointment, but vowed to keep working for victims of abuses against Uyghurs and others in Xinjiang.
“Today’s vote protects the perpetrators of human rights violations rather than the victims — a dismaying result that puts the U.N.’s main human rights body in the farcical position of ignoring the findings of the U.N.’s own human rights office,” said Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard.
“Thirty member states’ silence — or worse, blocking of debate — in the face of the atrocities committed by the Chinese government further sullies the reputation of the Human Rights Council,” she added.
China called the prison-like camps, complete with barbed wire and guard towers, centers for job training and de-radicalization. It says they have since been closed, although monitoring groups say many formal inmates have merely been shifted to ordinary prisons to serve lengthy sentences.
On Friday, as part of dozens of proposals before the council, member states are also to consider a proposal from 26 European Union countries to appoint a “special rapporteur” on Russia, citing a string of concerns about mass arrests and detentions; harassment of journalists, opposition politicians, activists and rights defenders; and crackdowns — at times violent — on protesters against President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Director of the Centre for the Future of Schooling and Associate Dean, Dr David Hastie today thanked the ABC for its interest in innovative Hub-based teacher education models, and for permitting him some time on ABC TV to clarify elements which have elsewhere been misreported. The footage of the live interview can be found here. The program does not, he noted, allow students to 'skip attending a university'. Rather, what the program does is transfer agency from a tertiary-centred model, to a school-centred model, in which students complete an accredited tertiary degree in the sort of cadetship mode very common in other disciplines. It was not, Hastie noted, a direct appropriation of the British model, but rather it takes 'the best of British' and dispenses with the ideologically-driven applications which elsewhere have proven ineffective. It adopts the leading practices of the University of Melbourne's Clinical Practice Model, and improves on these by focussing on the student experience and career track.
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CFS researchers and staff contribute regularly to the FSB. The aim is to keep you in the loop as to the range of our activities, perhaps suggesting points of common interest.
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With our extensive industry experience and expertise, SanSo Networks Private Limited has established its reputation in the niche among companies for offering CISCO AMC Service Provider Service In Jhabua. Backed with state-of-the-art technology and knowledgeable staff, we bring you the loyalty of the brand to our patrons. We provide Cisco Products, HPE Products, Polycom Video Conferencing System, Fiber Patch Cord, Polycom and much more along with Rental Service, Cisco Email Security Service, etc.
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As a trusted company, we provide reliable CISCO AMC Service Provider Services in Jhabua that you can rely on. Browse our website and make your selection accordingly. If you need any support, give us a call now. Our experts are right here to help you.
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SanSo Networks Private Limited is a trusted Cisco Partner and aim to deliver the trusted brand loyalty to doorstep. With dedicated team of professionals and mission to excel, we have become a sought-after name in the market. We also ensure the Cisco products and services are available at industry leading prices without compromising in the brand quality.
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We have gained huge appreciation as a trusted UCS Dealer in India. Apart from Cisco products, we are also known for providing various professional services. Some of the highly demanded are Rental Service, Structured Cabling Solutions, Cisco Webex Service, Cisco Umbrella Service, Cisco Email Security Service, Amazon Web Services, BPO Solution, RF & UHF Based Solution, and more. Professionals are hired and utmost satisfaction is assured. The team is also available round the clock with assured assistance.
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Being the suppliers of Cisco Products and Services, you can easily contact us to avail the same. There is an online query form available on the website. Fill in your details and requirements, a call back will be arranged shortly. You can also call us directly or drop an email regarding your requirement. Moreover, you can also visit our office, the address is mentioned in the ‘Contact Us’ section of the website.
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National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Rick Scott (Fla.) announced during a closed-door Senate Republican Conference meeting Tuesday afternoon that he will challenge Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) for his job as top Senate GOP leader.
Scott’s spokesman, McKinley Lewis, confirmed the leadership challenge, which caught many Senate Republicans by surprise.
The Florida senator, who currently chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, laid out his case to become next Senate GOP leader in a three-page “Dear Colleague” letter circulated Tuesday.
“I believe it’s time for the Senate Republican Conference to be far more bold and resolute that we have been in the past. We must start saying what we are for, not just what we are against,” he wrote.
He promised that if elected leader he would “never surprise you with legislation and ask that you vote on something you haven’t had an opportunity to review.”
He also pledged “to always work to be transparent with each of you and to bring the conference together” and to “lead the conference in developing a positive, aspirational agenda that outlines our legislative goals and what Senate Republicans stand for.”
“I humbly ask for your vote as your next Republican Leader,” he concluded.
Scott had contemplated announcing his leadership bid last week but decided not to after Republicans failed to capture the Senate majority on Election Day.
But Scott gained more momentum over the past week after a group of Senate Republican conservatives, including Sens. Josh Hawley (Mo.), Marco Rubio (Fla.), Mike Lee (Utah) and Ted Cruz (Texas), called for the leadership elections, which are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, to be postponed until after the Georgia Senate runoff on Dec. 6.
The Florida Republican has support from several outside GOP groups, which met with senior Senate staff and a senior McConnell aide Tuesday morning, to renew the call to delay the leadership election until next month.
A group of conservatives called on Senate and House leaders in an open letter to delay leadership elections until the results in the Georgia Senate race and several House races where ballots are still being counted are known.
“It was explicitly made known by both groups and leaders that McConnell should delay the leadership election,” said a source familiar with the meeting.
The source said McConnell’s staff was “put over the fire over this.”
“There was obvious frustration, there was a lot of criticism in the room regarding Leader McConnell’s position” on passing an omnibus spending package at the end of the year, which the GOP leader appears to support, and the GOP’s leadership’s “belittling” of GOP senators who have called for a delay in the leadership election, the source reported.
Scott, Lee and Cruz penned an op-ed for Fox News in September calling on Republican leaders to pass a stop-gap spending measure lasting into next year so that House Republicans, who will likely be in the majority in 2023, can have more say in negotiating the omnibus spending package.
Updated 3:44 p.m.
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Your premium is afflicted by several different things On the subject of insurance policy for cars. Driving securely and responsibly will help lower your quality. Take into account the product and price of your automobile And just how you benefit from it, and other aspects when generating comparisons among charges. You usually tend to enter into an accident if you travel long distances. Discovering the right policy in your case is the greatest method to scale back your insurance plan quality.
Address
Automobile insurance costs
The everyday motor vehicle proprietor pays everywhere amongst $1,one hundred and $five,000 every year for insurance policies. Rates may perhaps differ from a single location to a different. In certain states, coverage that is certainly total is a lot more than minimum protection. Below are a few suggestions to have the most Value. Some states only require a least volume of legal responsibility, even so entire coverage usually provides a $five hundred deductible.
Selecting the right vehicle is very important simply because sure cars and trucks are more expensive than Other individuals, which can result in more expensive insurance plan charges. Specific cars are more high-priced to interchange and repair and maintenance, meaning the insurance policies fees are dearer. Motorists that have fantastic driving documents are more likely to get lower rates. Charges can also be influenced In accordance with gender and. Youthful motorists are typically far more dangerous than motorists who are more mature. Insurance policies corporations may possibly use credit scores so as to ascertain coverage premiums. Some states have legislation prohibiting this sort of use.
Types of Car Insurance coverage
There are six forms of car coverage coverages that are fundamental. It is possible to tailor your plan to handle numerous situations. Additionally it is imperative that you have liability insurance policies. Liability insurance policy is needed by law for most states, nevertheless you could possibly pick another sort of insurance coverage if you prefer. Legal responsibility coverage guards the driving force of your respective automobile together with you in the case that you are at fault in an accident. It pays for the damages caused by other motorists or accidents. Also, it can also address clinical payments.
A regular plan will incorporate many varieties of protection, which include legal responsibility, collision, in depth, uninsured/underinsured motorist, and clinical payments. These are typically critical coverages and need to be considered very seriously. Some coverages are mandatory in specific states. Other coverages are optional. Freeway Insurance coverage can assist you to choose the top protection to your demands. You’ll be ready Decide on An array of choices for coverage although preserving time and expense.
Vehicle insurance requires
Every condition has its personal list of minimum amount expectations for auto coverage. These guidelines is often damaged into three figures. California can be an example of this. It is required that you just be included a minimum of 15/30/5 for bodily accidents, and thirty/50/five assets damage legal responsibility. The numbers may be diverse, so you ought to Test the necessities of your point out ahead of driving. Although alternative insurance plan could possibly be a possibility, it isn’t always an ideal option.
Whilst your condition may need legal responsibility insurance coverage nonetheless, most lenders demand whole protection. The lender may possibly involve full coverage if your vehicle is staying financed. Complete protection features collision insurance policy and detailed insurance. Liability insurance policy addresses harm to Other individuals’s assets in the situation of a collision, but not your car or truck or your own personal. It is possible to Blend the liability insurance policy for house hurt with bodily personal injury legal responsibility insurance policies to acquire the most comprehensive coverage at an inexpensive Expense.
Needs for collision insurance
Your personal instances will dictate the extent to which you’re protected by collision coverage. This coverage is not really required in regulation, even so, lenders may well require it if they’re funding your car or truck. If you personal an auto bank loan, lenders may perhaps require you to buy collision insurance policy. This insurance policies is necessary for individuals who finance a motor vehicle, either new or employed.
Collision protection will protect the full value of your car inside the event while in the celebration of a collision. Though the insurance provider addresses the entire cost for repairs, it may not be sufficient to get a different automobile if it is stolen or harmed. To switch your vehicle, you may have to pay for it with all your personal money. Make sure you study and comprehend all conditions and terms ahead of getting car or truck insurance policy. Recognizing the deductible is critical.
Ways to get Auto Coverage
The process of acquiring vehicle insurance policies is often tough. There are a selection of elements to consider. Specific states demand minimal amounts of Home along with Uninsured motor motor vehicle coverage. This covers you to the difference between your fees along with the coverage restrictions from the motorist at fault. Particular states do not need that underinsured motorist coverage be incorporated. Here are several ideas to assist you discover the ideal insurance policies program for your specifications. These tips will simplify the procedure and help get monetary savings.
Car Insurance Companies
Protection to go over liability
For car coverage for being powerful, you need to be coated by legal responsibility insurance coverage. This may protect your house and you also from any statements of injuries. This coverage can be employed to buy defense or settlement In case you are blamed for a collision. There are many varieties of coverage, and it is crucial to be familiar with the excellence among them in order to avoid high-priced sudden expenditures. Condition Farm offers typical costs on numerous levels of protection. It could be improved to decide on a reasonable protection amount.
Car insurance coverage coverage
In most states, liability insurance policies is required to generally be coated in the policy. It addresses any damages or accidents that will take place to another human being’s home. This protection can even shield you in the situation that you are involved with One more driver. This coverage is suggested by numerous nations for motorists. It is the norm policy in virtually all states. It is important to recognize that the limits for legal responsibility insurance in Each and every point out differ. The quantity it’s essential to buy damages will depend upon the legal responsibility limit you’ve got set.
Residence coverage
Each condition has legal guidelines which make it illegal to push without the need of insurance policy. This safeguards the legal responsibility for property injury. If you lead to harm to a different’s assets, the liability coverage pays for repairs. But your vehicle coverage policy will not protect the motor vehicle’s damages. It is feasible to check the coverage prior to buying it. It truly is necessary to have assets protection for monetary stability. It helps you stay clear of staying left with huge insurance coverage charges should you bring about a mishap.
In order to buy the expense of a collision, your coverage policy should really incorporate some sort of assets problems insurance coverage. This coverage handles any damage you do on the car or truck of Yet another and consists of repairs. This protection also addresses the price of eradicating the debris still left at the rear of by a collision. Three quantities are utilized to define property coverage. They consist of bodily injuries protection per accident and home damages insurance plan for each incident. Greater limits provide far more defense. Be sure to go through the coverage in detail and question your agent For those who have any inquiries.
Uninsured motorist insurance coverage is offered in New York if one other driver isn’t insured sufficient to include the collision. The coverage is for incidents by which another driver isn’t identified or even the target has become strike-and-run. Although the Coverage Law SS 5217 states that coverage for uninsured motorist is necessary in all Bodily collisions, courts have interpreted it to become only applicable to collisions which have been Bodily.
Underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage are available in specific states, but in Other people, you will need to be coated by both. You can find supplemental coverage in the event It’s important to purchase professional medical costs or other expenditures by getting both equally coverages. Uninsured motorist protection will go over repairs in the event that the motorist is just not insured. This protection is optional, but it can be useful to have the minimum liability coverage.
For those who’ve never thought about the possibility, reductions on vehicle insurance are a great way to save cash and keep eco-friendly. New vehicles generally have security attributes like airbags and anti-lock brakes, which will decreased your premium. Other security measures, like daytime working lights and alarms against theft will allow you to acquire savings. Producing your quality payment on a yearly basis in comprehensive may also remove payment problems for twelve months. About 50 percent of all insurers present this sort of lower price.
You may be qualified to receive reductions In case your plan has become in power for several a long time. The bargains supplied vary based the length of time you have been With all the coverage. However, many providers offer you savings to customers who are faithful. Discounts is as substantial as fifteen% If your coverage is obtained no less than 7 days in advance of renewal. A lot of businesses supply special discounts to particular occupations, together with price cut provides. Academics can save ten% on their Liberty Mutual rates. Armed service staff get a further 15% low cost via Geico.
Young motorists are trying to get low-Price tag car insurance policy prices. If you’d like to conserve on vehicle insurance, here are some tips: Rising your deductible, getting an insurance coverage price cut that doesn’t need a claim, or locating a coverage via an insurance company in your area. These recommendations can help you save many hundreds of dollars on a yearly basis on your automobile insurance coverage. In addition they assist you get the top prices you can obtain. Keep reading To learn more. You will be glad that you choose to did.
Acquiring low-cost car coverage if you are an aspiring driver
Youthful motorists can reduce their vehicle coverage prices by driving safer, driving a lot less and allowing the insurance provider keep an eye on their driving behaviors. You may as well reduce your car insurance policies premiums by shopping all over. A lot of insurers charge an increased charge for young drivers It is critical to buy around. You will find various on the net equipment that let you Evaluate premiums and allow it to be very simple. When you have many cars, you could obtain a reduction, and all of these are guarded by the identical insurance company.
It is important to take a look at rates from several providers to make sure you get the best value and high-quality. It is achievable to seek out an agent that can develop with you and allow you make improvements as your driving information change. Comparing insurance policies that have similar protection could create a change. Deductibles and limitations might make a giant affect. If you are a young driver, it is important to get plenty of insurance policy to prevent money catastrophe.
Obtaining a no statements discount
No-promises reductions in your motor vehicle insurance policies is a superb process to economize. It might be worthwhile to talk to your insurance company how it can be used. The low cost may very well be well worth as many as 30% following one year, or as many as sixty five percent in the subsequent 5 years. It is actually depending on the insurance company you choose. Do not forget that the two yr no-promises reward could be dropped while in the function of a collision. Moreover, many promises may perhaps cause your no-promises reward becoming eliminated. You should notify your insurance company right away should you be involved with a mishap. If this isn’t finished, subsequent statements may be turned down.
For a little charge of about PS25 Most insurance plan businesses deliver no-promises discount insurance coverage. This lets you file a constrained number of statements on a yearly basis, with no worrying about the expense of your coverage rising. It is feasible to also insert it on to a different insurance policies policy When you have an incentive which is no-promises. Chances are you’ll shift your no-statements reward to another insurance company should you need to. It’s a good idea to continue to keep the no-claims price reduction.
In the event you are searhing for a lower-Price estimate for car insurance coverage, rising your deductibles is a wonderful choice to decreased your premiums. You are able to raise your deductibles and decrease 15% to 30% on the Charge, according to some estimates. The discounts you will get will fluctuate determined by your driving background, the kind of automobile you have, and also the guidelines of your point out. The expense of your yearly premium could possibly be diminished by elevating your deductibles nearly 40%
Even though elevating your deductible isn’t really the best option for every man or woman, it could aid you in preserving A large number of pounds In the long term. Professionals advise at minimum amount two months of living charges. Also, you will note a reduce in the price of your insurance policy. Moreover, it might enable you to conserve loads of cash If the claim ever is filed.
A policy with an insurance company that may be regional
For anyone with terrible credit history histories, it may be valuable to have an coverage coverage from regional insurance policies organizations. It will let you save cash each month with your monthly insurance coverage bill and you can take advantage of special discounts and Outstanding customer care. It can be done to acquire a plan with any regional insurance company throughout all fifty states of the United States. Moreover, you may lookup rates for every point out to find the ideal rates. It is important to notice, on the other hand, that credit scores normally takes time to further improve and drivers with weak credit score ratings might find yourself needing to spend over $400 for every annum.
Erie Insurance is yet another regional insurance company that gives small-Price tag car insurance coverage. The corporate was recognized in Pennsylvania in 1925 and proceeds to be running inside the current day. Erie offers vehicle insurance policy, in addition to home and lifetime insurance policies. Erie presents coverage only in some states, but In addition, it has in excess of 13,000 unbiased insurance agents all throughout The usa. It’s possible you’ll opt to work using an agent, or immediately Make contact with a regional supplier depending on the protection you require. It is having said that proposed that you just read through all good print prior to making a choice.
5 Things to take into consideration when comparing Automobile Insurance Quotes
For anyone who is substantial-possibility driver, you have to have a look at quotes for car insurance policies and Track down quite possibly the most very affordable insurance policy plan that meets your specifications. Also, it is best to check into the protection provided in your local space, to determine when you are competent for the decreased Value. It may be less costly to obtain extra protection Should your danger is lessen or you acknowledge better deductibles. It is actually all dependent on your needs. Fortunately, there are various decisions that are available to you personally.
Most inexpensive car insurance coverage for high-risk drivers
Should you be trying to find the lowest motor vehicle insurance plan quotation for prime-danger drivers, you are lucky. It will require just two mouse clicks to Track down a single. The internet can give you several estimates for protection that happen to be a portion of the expense of conventional coverage. It can make it more simple to enroll in insurance policy. All You will need to do is fill out a simple on the internet kind, shell out your top quality and you also’re accomplished! After you have submitted your payment, the insurance policies firm will deliver you with a card proving your insurance plan protection. Then, you can choose out a coverage.
Insurance providers could Consider you’re a large danger driver When you’ve got a very poor credit track record. This is because of The point that it is more very likely that you’ll be ready to make an insurance declare than an individual with superior credit score. Credit score rating performs a major role in the best way insurance coverage organizations watch you. A former DUI/DWI could increase your coverage premium as much as sixty five%. This is reminiscent of an additional $477 for a coverage that lasts 6 months. Insurance policy providers also contemplate your driving report. A DUI or DWI could increase your high quality by approximately $174. Additionally the cost of a rushing ticket could increase your top quality by 45%..
An DUI conviction with your history can help you in choosing the most economical automobile insurance policies company. Some providers like Progressive, American Relatives and Point out Farm give reduced rates for drivers with significant possibility. In addition to your credit score score, they’ll also evaluate the rating when pinpointing your costs. These things are considered by insurance coverage organizations when choosing the amount you’ll have to pay for for your plan. A small credit score score could lead to insurance policy prices to skyrocket, so It truly is critical to understand your credit score rating prior to creating an financial investment.
Drivers get the most reasonably priced car or truck insurance
There are many issues to take into account when you are searching for the most cost-effective vehicle coverage coverage for more youthful motorists. Your marital standing as well as your age will noticeably effects the cost of your automobile insurance. Your high quality can depend upon the type of car that you push. It truly is costlier to insure the best-overall performance vehicles than for minimal-efficiency types. It is essential to pick out an car with various safety features to acquire the lowest cost of vehicle insurance plan.
Look at Motor vehicle Insurance Quotations
Younger motorists can decrease the cost of their car insurance policy by reducing the level of coverage they need. Insurance coverage businesses frequently provide special discounts in case you are a fantastic university student, or if you are in driver instruction. If you’re linked to a mishap, even so, slicing your protection could result in sizeable out-of-pocket expenses. Make certain to take into consideration all doable implications and look for superior worth.
Small-cost auto insurance coverage isn’t really tricky to run into for teens. Even though the expense of a policy for motorists who’re 16 decades outdated is noticeably dearer than Older people, the cost could be reduced by incorporating a teen to an current insurance plan plan. While this will raise fees a median of $1461 every year however, it’s usually less expensive than purchasing a separate coverage policy. Additionally, when you are a younger driver, seek for reductions or other options to save cash.
The expense of insurance policy for autos will change depending on your driving history. You may have to shop all around for insurance that is certainly reasonably priced for minimal-chance motorists. Insurance coverage corporations take into account many different variables When selecting an insurance plan policy, which include your driving background as well as demographics and hazard stages. These are definitely the 5 primary elements to look at if you Look at insurance policy estimates. Do not forget that reduce insurance coverage rates will not suggest you have to compromise on excellent.
Firstly, take into account your zip code. These in superior-crime spots are likely to fork out costlier prices. Also, insurance coverage providers acquire site visitors quantity into account. Furthermore, make sure you do not need any statements or incidents reports, considering that This might increase your costs. Be aware that you need to usually Evaluate your premiums at the very least the moment every 6 months to ensure that you are not spending additional. It’s also advisable to consider acquiring a multi-plan low cost if you have various policies with a particular insurer.
Whilst credit score scores usually are not lawfully used by sure insurers in certain states, They are substantial On the subject of evaluating auto insurance policies costs. In Hawaii motorists with bad credit history are needed to be charged an additional 168% over similar thoroughly clean drivers. Massachusetts motorists with substantial hazard fork out thirty % under drivers with clean up credit. Fees will increase For brand spanking new motorists as a result of DUI or speeding tickets, in addition to undesirable credit history. Ensure that you get a number of quotations prior to making a choice.
Car Insurance coverage Around Me – Factors that Influence the cost of Vehicle Insurance policy
Price of insurance is influenced by the zip code where you live. If you reside in an area which includes significant crime and accident charges, you could assume to get charged far more for coverage offers. The expense of insurance is often affected by things including the quantity of traffic, accident heritage, along with other components. Coverage organizations usually take into account the driver’s driving history when determining simply how much to cost for their policy. A foul driving record will ordinarily trigger motorists to pay for more for protection than motorists who may have a fantastic driving file.
Car coverage: Exactly what is the price?
Coverage for cars has enhanced by between $fifty and $one hundred over the past 5 years as health and fitness treatment expenses happen to be rising. PIP and uninsured protection is necessary for drivers. These prerequisites are greater than the standard. A bulk of states demand only liability insurance policies, however Big apple demands motorists to hold each. The extra coverages could maximize insurance expenses and lift the expense of insurance policy. Past although not minimum motorists need to Test the bounds in their coverage.
In Big apple, the common man or woman pays 2.8 percent of their profits on vehicle insurance, that’s a little greater than the countrywide ordinary of 2.40 %. The persons of their 30s, 40s and 50s might be shelling out a little bit more than The standard. Rates are increased for the people aged 70and above than drivers with considerably less expertise. Having said that, rates for married motorists are larger than for one motorists.
Motorists can elect to endure defensive driving lessons along with pay back lower charges. The courses final for 320 minutes and go over driver Frame of mind and traffic laws. They involve defensive driving skills which can significantly reduced the cost of insurance plan. Additionally it is attainable to enhance your driving efficiency. This may lessen the price of your auto insurance estimate. Having said that, the Insurance policy Data Institute is in a position that may help you decide what precisely coverage you would like.
Car insurance is expensive in other states
Although fuel charges fluctuate throughout states, the price of car or truck insurance in other states could be greater or reduce than yours. This could result from An array of explanations, such as the rules of each state regarding insurance coverage and theft charges, The proportion of motorists who’re not insured, the rate of theft or The proportion of drivers who’re not insured. Climatic conditions can have an affect on the cost of insurance. The desk below exhibits the common cost of car coverage in several states. The estimates are determined by on the Assessment with the state’s insurance requirements.
Missouri is the cheapest state to invest in full-coverage auto insurance, paying only $944 lessen than Louisiana. Moreover, this state has considered one of the bottom costs per capita and is particularly positioned fifth during the rankings of expense of residing. Texas drivers are those who pay back the very best for vehicle insurance policy. They could fork out as superior as 33% of their once-a-year earnings. This might be due to the fact Texas can be a state with a great deal of lawsuits and a lot of drivers who are uninsured.
The typical Price for total coverage automobile coverage is $1771 every year. Louisiana may be the condition that has the very best rates for insurance coverage at $2,839. This signifies a 19% rise from 2020. Maine’s insurance top quality common is $858. It’s because states without having fault have a tendency to acquire larger insurance plan rates. There are plenty of elements that influence the price of insurance policies for automobiles in different states. There are a number of components to just take into account, which include your condition’s legislation regarding insurance policies.
Automobile insurance plan expenditures for motorists with higher risk
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Comparison of vehicle-insurance policy businesses
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Car or truck Insurance plan Quotation
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Enjoy Discount rates
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Premiums are identified according to the credit history score of insurance.
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Such a insurance does not use to each condition. As a result, consumers are not able to know if businesses make use of your score to come to a decision the amount they are going to demand. California, Hawaii Massachusetts Massachusetts and Michigan have all banned credit score-based insurance plan. Other states have restrictions on the use of credit-dependent insurance plan scores. The final choice is your choice around the degree to which your credit rating rating is appropriate for you. (motorbike Insurance coverage) (roadside Guidance Coverage) (“bundling Car”)(pet insurance coverage)[precise funds Worth](top-quality Declare Services](yacht Insurance plan)
Age has an effect on costs
There are several facets that have an affect on the cost of auto insurance policy bargains. Your price is influenced by your age by greater than 30 percent. In specific states, a young driver could spend approximately 4 periods as much as a thirty-calendar year-outdated. The lack of working experience is one more reason. Youthful drivers are usually a lot more probable be included into accidents. If you recognize the aspects that impact your insurance policies premiums and negotiating lessen prices yourself. Here are a few means that the age influences the cost of vehicle coverage.
On the whole the youthful you tend to be the reduced your insurance policies cost of coverage is going to be. Vehicle insurance charges will also be afflicted by your age if the driver is male. Youthful male motorists pay out fewer than motorists of older age on the other hand, the rates for drivers who are aged among six and seventy and up maximize substantially. Statistics clearly show that men are two plus a 50 % instances a lot more probable in a mishap having a automobile than Girls. Hence, the gender gap decreases as we grow old. (coverage solutions)(homeowners insurance plan)
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A Gullah-Geechee dinner at my house. Clockwise, from top: turnip greens, pepper vinegar, squash, watermelon, lima beans, corn, okra and tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, cured ham, fried chicken, crackling bread, and biscuits. Hoppin' John is in the center.
My family culinary roots are deeply embedded in Southern food and creole cuisine – more specifically, creole Gullah cuisine. I'm always preparing Gullah-Geechee recipes. Most people associate the term “Creole” only with Louisiana, but there was another important group in the southern U.S. who spoke a creole language. They inhabited the islands and coastal areas of northern Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and southernmost North Carolina.
What is a "creole"? According to the dictionary, there are several definitions. One entry defines the word this way:
"A black slave born in the Americas as opposed to one brought from Africa."
"Any pidgin language that has become established as the native language of a speech community. A creole usually arises when speakers of one language become economically or politically dominant over speakers of another. A simplified or modified form of the dominant group's language (pidgin), used for communication between the two groups, may eventually become the native language of the less-powerful community. Examples include Gullah (derived from English), spoken in the Sea Islands of the southeastern U.S...."
This particular group of people, the Gullahs, began with Africans who were brought to America as slaves in the mid-1700s. Their language and most of their customs, traditions, and culture were heavily influenced by those of West and Central Africa, along with the West Indies. When these slaves were first brought to the U.S. coastal South, many Native Americans still occupied the region, so they also had an influence on the Gullahs, especially in the area of culinary arts. From the Native American presence, the Gullahs learned to cook dishes made of corn and cornmeal and to gather and use sassafras leaves.
The name "Gullah" probably originated from Gola, an ethnic group living near the borders of Liberia and Sierra Leone in West Africa, where many of the Gullahs' ancestors had lived.
Charleston and Savannah were two of the most important ports in North America for the slave trade. Some slaves were brought directly from Africa to one of these ports, while others came by way of the Caribbean or Brazil. The slaves who came from rice-growing regions in Africa were eagerly purchased for the rice plantations of Georgia and South Carolina because of their experience and knowledge.
Slaves from Africa's "Rice Coast" were experts at cultivating rice. In fact, the slaves were much more knowledgeable about rice growing than their masters were. Remarkably, many of the Gullah ancestors shared their knowledge willingly with their oppressors. The rice plantation owners became wealthy with the help, sweat, and suffering of the black slaves.
My great-great grandparents, the Hollemans (for whom I'm named - my middle name is Holleman; Holle for short), owned such a plantation in the Low County of South Carolina, along with many slaves. This isn’t something I’m proud of, but it is part of my family history. My great-great-grandmother Jane had a Gullah house servant who served as a cook, and my grandmother used to tell me stories about this cook and all the wonderful foods she prepared, which she had learned about from her mother. Needless to say, my grandmother’s childhood stories had an impact on her culinary skills, which have been passed down through our family.
My great-grandmother and my grandmother spent much of their lives in Charleston and Savannah. Both cities were heavily influenced by the local slave culture, which is generally referred to as “Gullah” or “Gullah Gullah” in South Carolina and “Geechee” in Georgia, named after the Ogeechee River near Savannah. To avoid confusion, I’ll try to stick to the term “Gullah.”
I recently found my great-grandmother’s collection of recipes, and I was overjoyed to find many Gullah dishes among them. I’ve spent countless hours pouring over the colorfully named dishes, and I’ve prepared many of them. The recipes, along with the stories my grandmother had shared, piqued my interest in the Gullah culture, so I began researching extensively.
I never intended for this article to be so long, but once I got started, I couldn't seem to stop. Every time I researched a part of this puzzle, I found something else that interested me, leading to further exploration. I ended up reading numerous first-person narratives told by the slaves themselves, which really made history come alive. I also made phone calls to people on the Georgia coast who were knowledgeable about the Gullah-Geechee culture. I phoned relatives and poured over my family history, too.
Grammatically, this was a difficult article to write. In several instances, I had a hard time deciding between past and present tense. Since I’m trying to explain the history of the Gullahs and their cuisine, I often use the past tense. Remember, however, that this rich culture still exists, and most of the same cooking techniques and foods can still be found in the South. Many have come down to us as “Low Country” cuisine, or as “soul food.”
Unlike most other groups of slaves, the Gullah people were somewhat isolated. For the most part, they lived on remote sea islands, where few whites ventured.
This separation from European settlers became even more pronounced when malaria and yellow fever ran rampant through the coastal regions. Black slaves had some natural immunity from the diseases, but whites did not. As a result, many plantation owners moved inland during the rainy season to avoid the onslaught of disease-carrying mosquitoes. The fields and the running of the plantations were left in the hands of the Gullah “rice drivers.”
Because many groups of the Gullahs were left alone for long periods of time, without direct influence from whites, there was a powerful sense of family and community, and sharing food and meals with others was prevalent. Their distinctive culture flourished, with their language, folklore, farming practices, cooking techniques, and traditions being handed down from generation to generation, largely unchanged.
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Learn more about the first Gullahs:
A typical Southern slave market.
After Emancipation
When the U.S. Civil War broke out, most of the coastal plantation owners fled their sprawling farms, and once again, the Gullahs were left to themselves - until a few Quaker missionaries from Pennsylvania came to the area to educate the slaves. The Gullahs were among the first slaves in the South to experience their freedom, and the missionaries built a school on South Carolina's St. Helena Island, the first in the nation for newly freed slaves.
Because of the war, labor issues, and devastating hurricanes, most of the coastal plantations remained abandoned by their owners. The former slaves, however, remained behind, cut off from the outside world more than ever. Most of the plantations were divided and sold to the former slaves. Since some of the islands inhabited by the Gullahs were without bridges until the 1930s, the culture flourished untouched for decades.
In general, the Gullahs handled emancipation better than most inland slaves. They were used to being left unsupervised and depending on each other, and they were adept at taking care of themselves and their close-knit community.
Instead of the outside world's influencing the Gullahs, the Gullahs had a major impact on Southern cuisine - and not just on the custom of eating rice. I didn't realize just how many of the dishes I cook, along with those prepared by my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother before me, are steeped in Gullah tradition until I was deep in my research.
Foods were often cooked together in one big pot over a fire.
The early Gullahs were masters of survival. They made good use of whatever foods were available, and they invented creative ways to cook and season dishes. If they lacked an ingredient for a dish, they substituted it with something else.
Recipes were, and still are, practically unheard of among authentic Gullahs. Each dish was very personal – the cook added his or her own individual preferences. Even today, if you chat with one of the lovely Gullah women you might see weaving a basket of sweetgrass in the Charleston market and ask her for a recipe, she’ll probably share ingredients with you. If you press her for exact amounts, however, she’ll likely respond with something like, “ ‘Cordin’ to taste.”
The original Gullah slaves each received an allowance of food periodically from the plantation. This usually included rice, cornmeal, flour, salt meat or fish, molasses, peas, grits, butter, buttermilk, and sweet potatoes. At specific times of the year, other foods were added.
Unlike the “gang” labor on other plantations, where slaves worked from dawn until dusk, most of the sea island plantations used a task system. Each slave was assigned a duty to complete every day, and once the job was done, the slave was free to pursue other activities. Most spent this time hunting, fishing, working in their own garden plots, or tending their own livestock. There were exceptions, however. Some of the sea island plantation owners worked their slaves all day and gave them little food. As a result, a few of the Gullahs almost starved to death. Fortunately, this was rare.
Because of all the foods available for most of the sea island slaves, Gullah cuisine was rich and varied. Many of the dishes were cooked in one big pot. Meat, poultry, or fish were often cooked together with vegetables, peppers, legumes, and rice or potatoes. The original Gullahs had few items of cookware, so big iron kettles were used to their full advantage. Some foods, especially sweet potatoes and white potatoes, were often cooked in the ashes of a fire. Meats, fish, game, and poultry were also smoked or cooked over an open flame.
Cooking and sharing food meant much more to the Gullahs than simply supplying the body with sustenance. It was often almost ritualistic in nature, feeding the soul as well as the body. As the Gullahs themselves describe their cuisine, it’s “food that speaks to ya.”
The French Connection
Like the Louisiana Creoles, the Gullahs were influenced by the French, albeit to a much lesser degree. In the late 1600s, Huguenots from France and Acadians from Nova Scotia began settling along the southeastern coast from northern Florida to North Carolina - the same areas that would be occupied by the Gullah people.
The French settlers undoubtedly had an influence on white European plantation owners. After the importation of slaves, cooking duties in the manors were assigned to the Gullahs, who followed orders from the mistress of the house, including her recipes. Needless to say, some of the French-inspired cuisine and culinary terms made their way into Gullah cooking. One example of this is "Huguenot torte," the most famous dessert of the Low Country. Another example is etouffe.
What Gullah cooking is all about:
Rice was the most important food for the original Gullahs.
The Importance of Rice
Rice was the most important staple for the original Gullah slaves. My mom told me that the first thing my great-grandmother did when she entered her kitchen to cook a meal was to put on a big pot of rice – evidence of the Gullah influence on Charlestonians and other inhabitants of the Low Country. Rice was usually eaten every day, sometimes even for breakfast, where it was often served with milk, raisins, and sweeteners like honey, cane syrup, or molasses.
At dinner and supper, other foods were usually spooned over a plate of rice or mixed with rice, as in red beans and rice or peas and rice. Rice was also made into bread and into a dessert, in the form of rice pudding.
How to make rice pudding:
Sweet potatoes, or yams, were an important staple.
Sweet Potatoes and White Potatoes
Sweet potatoes, often called “yams,” were another important crop of the Gullahs. Yams, which are actually a little different than sweet potatoes, had been a staple crop in Africa for over a thousand years prior to the slave trade. The Gullahs had no problem substituting sweet potatoes for their familiar yams, and they even began to use the names for the tubers interchangeably.
The sweet potatoes grew well in the long hot summers, and after they matured, they were “cured” for 10-14 days at high humidity and temperatures ranging from 80-85 degrees – perfect for Southern coastal summers. The curing process gave the tubers time for their starches to turn to sugar.
After curing, the sweet potatoes were usually placed in burlap bags and stored in barns, sheds, or closets. If cured properly, the potatoes would keep until May, and by that time, several other garden vegetables would be ready to harvest.
White potatoes were dug in the early summer and could be stored by packing them in dry rice or sand – both of which the Gullahs usually had a plentiful supply.
Both types of tubers were added to soups and stews or baked in the ashes of the fire. Sweet potatoes were made into pones, fufu, and pies.
Different types of seafood supplemented the diet.
Mmmm...shrimp from the Georgia coast!
Because the Gullahs lived along the coast and on barrier islands, seafood was plentiful and made up a large part of the diet. Dishes were often created from fish, shrimp, crab, mussels, clams, turtles, and oysters, and nothing was wasted. For example, a stew was made from the fish heads that were left over after the day’s catch had been cleaned.
Finned fishes inshore and near shore were available year round. Some of the species caught and eaten included flounder, redfish, weakfish, black drum, whiting, spots, sea trout, pompano, spadefish, sheepshead, bluefish, catfish, shark, and Spanish mackerel. In the fall months, mullet were caught at night with large nets, and in the early spring, shad were thick in the rivers. Most fresh fish were dredged in cornmeal and fried in hog lard; sometimes they were soaked in buttermilk first. Many species of fishes were salted down or smoked to preserve them. Eels, alligators, and turtle eggs were also consumed.
Crabs were usually caught in traps or lifted from the water with a dip net after being lured by a chicken neck tied to a string. The crabs were boiled, and the meat was "picked" and made into dishes like crab cakes, stews, and soups.
Fish were netted with cast nets woven in a West African pattern. Homemade poles and hooks were also used for finned fishes, but the Gullahs were artists with cast nets, and they could catch fish much more quickly in this manner, without having to use bait.
Cast nets with a small mesh were used to catch shrimp. The shrimp were eaten fried, boiled with corn and potatoes, or cooked with rice or grits.
Clams were dug from the shallows of coastal rivers and along the beaches. Oysters were “picked” at low tide from the numerous beds and were usually eaten only in the cooler months. The clams and oysters were usually dredged in cornmeal and fried in fat, made into a stew, or roasted in the shell over a fire. Oyster and clam shells were often cleaned and used as spoons.
Shrimp, clams, crabs, and mussels were sometimes boiled in a big pot with corn, potatoes, sausage, and spices, and the concoction was referred to as “Frogmore stew.” Today, a very similar dish is called “Low Country boil.”
Watch how a cast net is used to catch sheepshead:
How fish are caught with a cast net:
Tidal creeks and marshes held waterfowl, wildlife, and fish.
Raccoons and other wild game were hunted and trapped.
Most plantation Gullahs fished, trapped, or hunted in their spare time to supplement the family’s diet. The local woods held rabbits, wild turkeys, squirrels, opossums, raccoons, quail, doves, woodcock, and the occasional deer, while the marshes and wetlands were sources for ducks, geese, and other waterfowl. Some slaves were allowed to borrow firearms from the "big house," and a few marksmen owned their own guns as part of their job procuring game for the plantation. Gullahs who didn't have guns set snares and other kinds of traps.
Rabbits, squirrels, woodcock, dove, and quail were usually fried or cooked on a spit over the fire, while raccoons, ducks, and geese were usually baked or barbecued. To learn to fry quail, watch the video below.
Opossums were often trapped alive and kept penned for several weeks, during which time they were fed a diet of corn and clean water. Opossums are scavengers and largely survive from carrion in the wild, so feeding them corn vastly improves the taste of the meat. Dressed opossums were often baked with sweet potatoes.
Deer were butchered much the same as cattle and hogs. The loins were usually batter-fried and served with gravy, while the shoulders and hams were usually baked or smoked.
In the winter months, the woodland animals had thick coats, which were fairly valuable when cured. Even the meat of animals trapped for their fur was not wasted. Several accounts tell of the Gullahs' eating fox meat.
The Gullah males were proficient hunters and trappers, often trading surplus game and furs to plantation owners and other whites for molasses, sugar, flour, or other food items.
How to fry quail:
Most of the pork was cured.
Much of the pork the Gullahs procured were the leftovers from pigs the plantation owners had slaughtered. These consisted largely of the feet, ears, liver, stomach, jowls, spare ribs, and the intestines, which are called “chitterlings,” or “chitlins.” The feet were often brined or pickled, and intestines were cleaned, stripped, and boiled or fried. Hog killing was usually done in the late fall or winter, when the weather was cold enough to prevent spoilage.
Some of the Gullah people had a few hogs of their own. The animals were cheap to feed, as they were able to turn food scraps, acorns, roots, and garden refuse into high-protein meat. Much of the pork was cured. Hams, shoulders, and hocks were salted down and smoked over a slow fire in smokehouses. Bacon was made from cured pig bellies and side meat. Salt-cured pork would keep a long time without refrigeration.
The neckbones, pork chops, and ribs were usually eaten fresh. Neckbones and rice was a popular dish, as was smothered pork chops. Ribs were grilled over a fire or dredged in flour and fried in a skillet.
The scraps from the hog carcasses were usually chopped finely or ground, mixed with spices, and stuffed into pig intestines for sausage. Most of the sausages were smoked, but some were eaten fresh.
Pigs had another important role, too. Lard was rendered from their fat and was an important ingredient for frying and baking.
Many Gullahs kept chickens.
Many of the early Gullahs kept chickens. They were cheap to feed and were a constant source of eggs and meat. The birds would be ready to eat in less than three months after hatching. The females were often kept for laying eggs, while most of the young cockerels were grilled, baked, or fried. The practice of deep-frying chicken parts in hot oil was prevalent in West Africa, so this was nothing new for the Gullahs. The chicken feet were usually boiled with rice.
A hen might lay as many as 300 eggs a year. Once her egg production sharply decreased, after the age of about 12-18 months, the hen was slaughtered and eaten. Since the meat was tougher than that of a young chicken, the "spent layers" were often stewed, slow-cooked, or used in soups.
Below is a Geechee-Gullah recipe for chicken and rice soup:
Chicken and rice soup:
A wide variety of vegetables was available in the summer.
With the long growing seasons in coastal Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, summer crops were readily available for several months. Yellow squash, tomatoes, butter beans, eggplant, green beans, peppers, and okra were popular in Gullah Gullah cuisine.
Summer squashes were often stewed with onions, while tomatoes were eaten raw, made into sauces, and cooked in stews and soups. Fresh beans were usually boiled with ham hocks, while eggplant was baked, fried, or stewed. Green tomatoes were sometimes sliced, battered with cornmeal, and fried in hot lard. Peppers added flavor to a wide variety of dishes.
Okra was one of the most important foods in the Gullah culinary culture. The West African name for okra is okingumbo, from which the popular dish "gumbo" gets its name. Some of the most popular okra dishes, in addition to gumbo, were fried okra, okra and tomatoes, and okra soup. Okra was also used as a thickening agent.
Cabbage and other cool weather crops could be grown in the fall and the early spring.
Because of the South’s mild climate, several vegetables can be planted for spring and fall harvests. The most popular cool weather crops with the Gullahs were cabbage, onions, garden peas, carrots, celery, and different types of lettuces and greens.
Cabbage and green onions were often grown through the winter because they can withstand temperatures as low as 20 degrees, and in much of Gullah country, the temperature rarely dropped that low. Collards, mustard greens, and turnips, which were used for their roots as well as for their greens, will survive a light frost, so they were also popular fall crops.
Peas and carrots were often boiled together, and onions and celery were used to season a wide range of dishes. Greens and cabbage were seasoned with bacon grease or bits of cured pork and boiled in a large pot.
How to prepare and cook collard greens:
Dried beans provided protein when meat was scarce.
Dry beans had been grown in Africa for hundreds of years before the first slave was forced onto a ship. Undoubtedly, the Gullahs already knew how to grow, store, and cook dried beans before they arrived in the New World.
According to my great-grandmother, many of the produce farmers and plantation owners would share their bounty with the local Gullahs. After beans had been harvested, those missed by the gleaners were left on the vines to mature and dry. The Gullahs and poor whites would be allowed to gather the dried beans, which could be successfully stored for months without need of refrigeration.
The legumes gave the Gullahs a protein source when meat was scarce. Lima beans were a favorite, and they were often cooked for hours in a wash pot outdoors while the women were doing their weekly laundry. The limas were flavored with chunks of cured pork, onions, and peppers, then cooked down until the starches in the beans made a thick gravy.
Other types of dried beans were often cooked with rice. The mixture was seasoned with sausage, ham, peppers, herbs, and spices, according to the cook’s personal preferences.
Peanuts were another legume that figured prominently in Gullah cuisine, as they had been grown in West Africa and were a favorite with the Gullah people. The food had been introduced to Africa in the 1500s by Portuguese traders. Peanuts were often boiled in large pots over the fire or made into a paste and mixed with chicken stock and tomatoes to create a sauce.
How to make boiled peanuts:
Dried corn was ground into meal at a grist mill.
My "fried catfish and buttermilk hushpuppies."
Although flour was available, it wasn’t usually locally grown, so most of the breads were made from cornmeal – dried corn that had been ground or chopped into a coarse powder. This could be done manually, but most often the corn was taken to a grist mill for processing. Many large plantations had their own grist mill.
Cornmeal was turned into cornmeal mush, muffins, corn pones, and cornbread. The cornbread could be baked in an iron skillet or fried by spoonfuls. Sometimes leftover cornbread was mixed with chicken stock, onions, and celery for "dressing." Another popular dish was crackling bread – cornbread that contained bits of pig skin and fat from rendering lard.
Grits were another important staple. Corn was dried, soaked in lye, and rinsed to make hominy. The hominy was then dried and ground into grits. Grits were eaten for breakfast and often accompanied shrimp or fish at other meals. This practice is still common in the Deep South.
Flour was usually reserved for biscuits, pie crusts, cobblers, and dumplings.
Fresh corn was often boiled on the cob. Sometimes the niblets were scraped from the cob and made into fritters or added to stews.
How corn was turned into meal:
Wild blueberries were often baked into pies and cobblers.
Locally grown fruits included watermelons, figs, pears, grapes, scuppernongs, cantaloupes, and peaches. Sometimes apples were purchased from inland orchards. In the woods, wild fruits could be found in the summer. These included blackberries, “hog” plums, persimmons, and blueberries. Muscadine grapes also grew wild and were often referred to as “bullis grapes” or “swamp grapes.”
The favorite among the fresh fruits with the Gullahs was the watermelon. Watermelons had been grown in Africa for almost 4,000 years, so they were familiar to the slaves.
Mayhaws, small fruits that grew along creeks and in marshy areas, were picked in May and made into jelly.
The peaches, blackberries, pears, apples, and blueberries were often baked into pies and cobblers, and sometimes the grapes were dried into raisins. Even the skins of the grapes were saved and made into pies.
As mentioned earlier, nothing was wasted. After the flesh of a watermelon was eaten, the rind was turned into preserves or pickles. See the pickling process below:
The plantations kept a few dairy cows.
Dairy Products
Most plantations had their own "milk cows," so fresh milk and buttermilk were available in the winter but spoiled quickly in the warmer months. Any type of cheese was pretty rare. The most common dairy product was clabber, which was often eaten with breakfast, sweetened with molasses and flavored with nutmeg.
To make butter, the cream was skimmed from the top of a pail of milk and allowed to clabber. The clabber was then placed in a wooden or pottery churn and agitated with a "dasher" attached to a wooden handle. Slave children were often assigned this tedious task, and they would usually sing or chant to maintain a rhythm for churning. Butter would slowly accumulate into flecks. The mixture in the churn was then strained, and the solids were creamed together as butter, while the remaining liquid was referred to as "buttermilk."
Beef cattle
It was extremely rare for a slave to own cattle. Unlike pigs, cows are expensive to feed and are slow to mature. Also, they require a large amount of grazing land, which of course, the original Gullahs lacked.
Many plantations raised beef cattle, but the meat was largely reserved for the plantation owner and his family, or the live animals were sold to the beef market. Typically, when a steer was butchered, the only parts that might go to the slaves were the tongue and the tail, which was referred to as "oxtail."
The tongue was often smoked or boiled, and oxtails were usually sliced into small segments. Because they're tough, bony, and cartilagenous, they were usually braised or stewed for several hours in order to make them palatable. Sometimes they were made into a soup with rice, vegetables, and/or potatoes.
If you'd like to make your own oxtail stew, follow the instructions in the following video:
How to make oxtail stew:
A tea was made from sassafras leaves and roots.
By far, the most common drink was water, which was sometimes sweetened with sugar, molasses, or honey. Sometimes a drink was made by adding roasted okra to water, along with a sweetener.
A few generous plantation owners might include a little coffee in the slave rations, but this was fairly rare.
On special occasions, especially Christmas, the plantation owner might dispense small amounts of rum, whiskey, or wine to the slaves.
Sassafras, which has a rootbeer-like flavor, could be found growing in the woods and was a popular ingredient for making teas. Both the roots and leaves of the wild plants were used.
How sassafras was harvested and used:
Bell pepper, onion, and celery were used in many dishes.
The Gullahs, like the Louisiana Creoles, held the “holy trinity” of cooking in high esteem. This trio consists of onion, celery, and bell pepper. Any color of bell pepper can be used, but green and red were the most common among the Gullahs.
The culinary trinity was used to season many dishes, giving food a distinctive Creole taste.
Molasses was a common sweetener.
The Gullahs used a wide range of herbs, spices, and other seasonings, in addition to the ever-present trinity. Among the most popular were sesame seeds, nutmeg, basil, savory, thyme, parsley, cayenne, garlic, and black pepper.
Another important seasoning was learned from Native Americans: file powder. To make file, sassafras leaves were dried and ground. In addition to adding flavor, file was also used to thicken soups, stews, and sauces.
Hot peppers were used widely to give foods a “bite.”
Many of the slaves produced their own salt from boiling down seawater. Salt was also usually included in the monthly food allowances from the plantation masters, but it was often in short supply.
Also included in the usual food allowances were sugar, molasses, and honey. Industrious Gullahs might find more honey from wild hives in nearby woods.
In the fall, cane syrup was made. Stalks of sugar cane were fed into a mule-powered "grinder" that squeezed the juice from the cane. The juice was then boiled down into a syrup.
A cane grinding on the Georgia coast:
Frogmore stew is a common Gullah Gullah dish.
Ash cake – cornbread wrapped in a damp towel and baked in the ashes of a fire
Ashish - ashes
Barruh - a male hog that has been castrated before being slaughtered for its meat
Benne – sesame seeds. The seeds were made into cookies and candies and were believed to bring good luck. The seeds had arrived with the slaves in necklaces and were planted near the cabins or in the gardens.
Bile – to boil
Bittle – foods
Brekwus – breakfast
Brunswick stew – a mixture of corn, tomatoes, onions, rice, lima beans, potatoes, and chicken, pork, ground beef, and/or squirrel and other small game. The term “Brunswick stew” was not used widely in the Gullah region until the late nineteenth century. Food historians disagree as to the name’s origin, but most Georgians are convinced it originated in Brunswick, on the Georgia coast. A big iron wash pot and plaque in Brunswick, Georgia commemorate the first batch supposedly ever made.
Buckruhbittle - food eaten by whites
Cawch - to scorch
Cawnmeal dumplins – cornmeal and water dropped by spoonfuls into boiling greens
Chiney - glass or china plates, cups, and saucers
Chitlins and maw – pig intestines and stomach boiled, cut into small pieces, and seasoned with the trinity and hot peppers
Chow chow – a sweet, hot relish made of vegetables, peppers, vinegar, and sugar. This was a way to use and preserve late-season vegetables that might remain in the garden. When there weren’t enough of one type for a “mess,” the odds and ends were harvested for chow chow. The first mention of “chow chow” relish was in an eighteenth-century South Carolina cookbook. It was often eaten with dried beans and cornbread.
Clabbuh – curdled milk with a yogurt-like taste and texture
Coota – a soft-shell turtle that was often made into a soup
Corn fritters – fresh corn, cornmeal, and egg, dropped by spoonfuls into hot fat
Dub - dove
Fannuh - a shallow basket woven of grass, used for winnowing rice
Feeduhm - to serve a meal
Frogmore stew – shrimp, sausage, corn-on-the-cob, spices, and potatoes, all boiled together. Sometimes crabs and clams were included.
Fufu – pounded yams mixed with egg and onions, often served with stews or roasted meat
Greece - to add lard to a pan
Gullah rice – rice, sausage, chopped chicken livers, and the trinity
Hobo bread – flour, eggs, lard, raisins, nuts, sugar, and boiling water, baked in a loaf pan
Hoe cake – a bread made of salt, cornmeal, and water, traditionally cooked on a greased hoe over an open fire
Hull pie – a pie made of grape skins
Hush puppies – a mixture of cornmeal, buttermilk, egg, and onions, fried in hot fat
Jumble cakes – small sweet cakes. The dough was rolled into small ropes and formed into circles, then baked.
Kush – cornbread cooked on a griddle and topped with raw onions and ham gravy
Lassis cake – cake sweetened with molasses instead of sugar
Limpin’ Susan – shrimp and rice flavored with bell peppers and onions
Nyam – eats, eating, ate
Onion pie – onions, cheese, cream, and eggs baked in a pie crust
Pilau – rice with salted fish, pork, or wild game
Pot likker – the liquid left over from a pot of greens. This was “sopped” with cornbread.
Rashin - rations
Red rice – rice cooked with bacon, onions, and tomatoes
Rice bread – a heavy bread made from ground rice
Roostah pie - the stewed flesh of an older chicken baked in a pie crust with vegetables
Seafood muddle – a stew of fish stock, onions, celery, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, fish, clams, shrimp, and mussels
She-crab soup – a rich mixture of blue crabmeat, crab roe, cream, butter, and spices
Shrimp bog – bacon, shrimp, rice, tomatoes, and chicken broth
Supshun – any food that is especially nutritional and tasty
Squirrel burgoo – a stew of squirrel meat, beans, okra, and cornmeal
Sweet bread – bread made from wheat flour
Swimp ‘n’ grits – stewed shrimp, pork fat, and gravy, served over grits
Learn more about the Gullah language and hear a sample:
The original Gullahs weren't too concerned with healthy cooking techniques. They were more concerned with survival and taste. Cooking and eating were among the few pleasures they had. They didn't really have to worry about calories, anyway, because they did so much manual labor.
Unfortunately, most of us do have to be concerned about such things because compared to the Gullah slaves, we follow a sedentary lifestyle. There are several ways, however, to make traditional Gullah foods healthier.
Instead of seasoning vegetables with cured pork, use smoked turkey. Chicken and beef bouillon also add a lot of flavor to vegetables. To get a "smoky" taste without adding meat, use a few drops of Liquid Smoke flavoring.
Use a light oil for frying and sauteing instead of lard or bacon grease. A reduced-fat margarine can be substituted for butter, and fat-free buttermilk can take the place of whole buttermilk.
Splenda can be used instead of sugar, and sugar-free syrup can be substituted for cane syrup and molasses.
Use low-fat seasonings to add flavor to rice: bouillon, stewed tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, and herbs. You won't miss the fat!
Fried chicken is a Gullah favorite, and it's traditionally fried in lard. For a healthier recipe that includes a crunchy high-fiber coating, check out the video recipe below.
Admittedly, some of the lower-calorie and reduced-fat results won't be as tasty as the original recipes, but you'll still get the basic flavors that are traditional Gullah. Every once in a while, however, indulge in some real Gullah grub!
Although the Gullah once inhabited the Atlantic coast from Florida to North Carolina, most of the population is now limited to a few South Carolina and Georgia islands, including Sapelo, Daufuskie, and St. Helena. They’re struggling to keep their colorful heritage alive in the modern world. Developers have long had their eyes on the ancestral lands of the Gullahs on the beautiful isles, but most of the inhabitants refuse to sell, at any price.
Gullah Gullah cuisine has a dedicated following, and the number of fans is increasing. In fact, several restaurants along the Southern coast feature the distinctly flavored dishes, and a few of the eateries serve nothing but Gullah cuisine. Gullah cookbooks are also available.
Gullah heritage centers and festivals are also helping to educate people about this fascinating group of people. If you ever have the opportunity to attend one of the colorful events, come hungry. You’ll want to sample as many Gullah foods as you can!
If you'd like to learn more about this historical culture, view the beautiful videos below:
Comments
Leah from New York on May 20, 2018:
Wow this has so much info! I feel like I learned a lot from this article. Thanks for taking the time to write this. Very well written.
Shantina on December 02, 2013:
Hello, I just want to say that I am not sure why you think that the Gullah Geechee isn't alive and present in Florida but I am from Florida and I am very much in tune with my fellow GullahGeechee people.
idigwebsites from United States on November 26, 2013:
The food looks so hearty and very delicious... and its history is very interesting indeed! As much as I love to eat I also love food and culinary history, and I learn a lot about the Gullah cooking terms. Thanks for sharing your other side. :)
gracenin@hotmail.com on October 09, 2013:
Thanks for writing such an interesting and informative article , as well as the very interesting videos. I am from the Caribbean , a very small island. I can remember as a girl speaking and hearing , what we called pidgen english , but after reading this site , and thinking about some of the words we used and still do , that call broken english , I am wondering if my ancestors were of the gullah. Yes we had slaves from africa on the island . Any way again thanks for writing this article /page. I do wish that this information be taught in the schools , instead of hidden as though never were. Tanks fo de info ... me lern lots tday .
ologsinquito from USA on July 05, 2013:
Really interesting hub with so much information.
Yvette Stupart PhD from Jamaica on April 12, 2013:
An awesome hub. I learned a lot! Thanks.
bushraismail from ASIA on May 04, 2012:
that was lots of hard work......well written, awesome clicks.
louromano on March 11, 2012:
I feel the page part very interesting. thanks!!
Jim Higgins from Eugene, Oregon on February 22, 2012:
What a wonderfully informative article! I was raised in Texas til about the age of 15. My mother's family was from Georgia and it was not uncommon to have leftover rice served as hot cereal with brown sugar for breakfast.
The parts about the language were very interesting.
gagal69 on January 15, 2012:
Habee:
Thanks for a wonderful and informative site. I came to it by looking for a Hoppin John recipe, but came away with a wealth of understanding about the culture in early days in the South. I am from Georgia, but other family was from South Carolina. I'm sorry to say that some kept slaves, but have no control over what they did. Your description of how they lived was an eye-opener for me. Thank you so much for caring enough to go the extra mile with your research.
P Williams-Forson on January 03, 2012:
Great information here. I'll be sure to refer the page to my students. Well done--engaging, informative, and quite visually gripping. ---U of Maryland College Park
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on December 15, 2011:
Jean, I'm so glad you enjoyed the read! Thanks!
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on December 15, 2011:
Thanks, Alastar. I was really honored when I found out this hub won hub of the week in the contest, and when it won the grand prize, I was elated!! I put that $1,000 to good use! lol
Jean on December 03, 2011:
THANK YOU for such a wonderful history lesson, and the sharing of your family history!
The photos are great~
Alastar Packer from North Carolina on November 04, 2011:
Definitely worth a second..or third read and look-see habee. You really did put your heart and skills to work on the Gullah foods, recipes and history here. Out-standing Hub.
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on October 19, 2011:
Dr. Rock, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on October 19, 2011:
Alastar, thanks so much! I'm glad it was evident to you that my heart really went into this hub.
Dr Rockpile from USA on October 06, 2011:
What an amazing Hub! So much more than just food, but the stories and history behind it.
Alastar Packer from North Carolina on September 06, 2011:
habee, this is indeed a real labor of love hub if there ever was one. I thought it was just going to be on Gullah-Geechee food. You write on your families long roots in the low-country area of Charleston with heart and honesty along with the accompanying great pics. You've explained who the Gullah people were and their wonderful recipes. The Gullah related terms- and vids complete this extraordinary article. Congratulations on a quintessential Hub!
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on December 01, 2010:
Boomernurse, your kind comment really means a lot to me! Writing this was a real labor of love!
Gail Sobotkin from South Carolina on November 28, 2010:
This hub is truly unique and shows how the use of videos and practical hands on information can greatly enhance a reader's experience! I have bookmarked it as a favorite and will definitely be coming back to it.
My husband and I first learned about the Gullah culture when we visited Charleston and the surrounding plantations. Since then we've been able to attend a Gullah Festival on Hilton Head Island, visit Daufuskie Island, Beaufort, SC and some of the Georgia coast islands. But I've never seen so much information presented in such a helpful, interesting way as you've done here. Thanks for sharing your extensive knowledge and some of your family history. This hub is a cultural treasure!
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on November 23, 2010:
Editor, I'm so happy that you read and commented!
Saleheen, thanks for stopping by, and for your kind words!
Editor Supremo on November 21, 2010:
Interesting hub on the history and cuisine of special group of the slave trade. I am of caribbean heritage and a lot of the foods you mention I recognise as they were a part of my culinary childhood from my mother and grandmother.
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on July 10, 2010:
Lareerie, that's great! The more people who learn about the Gullahs, the better!
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on July 09, 2010:
Wow! Thanks, Patty! I love my red and white splatterware, but it's hard to find.
Paula Atwell from Cleveland, OH on July 09, 2010:
Wanted to come back and congratulate you on winning, but this hub is so outstanding and far above what I would have expected from a hub that you deserve every penny.
Just had a conversation with a friend about Gullahs after I read the hub for the first time. :)
Patty Inglish MS from USA and Asgardia, the First Space Nation on July 09, 2010:
This Hub contains more information than the documentary I viewed about Gullahs on an island off South Carolina's coast! I especially enjoy the vid about boiled peanuts, because now I know that I did not have to shell them all before eating them a few years ago. The tableware you use is also as attractive as the food you serve.
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on July 06, 2010:
Thanks, Barry - yes, it did! lol
Elayne, many thanks! I'm sure it was a tough decision for the judges.
Elayne from Rocky Mountains on July 06, 2010:
Wow - that was amazing and congrats on your winning hub. You deserved it. Very interesting and informative.
Barry Rutherford from Queensland Australia on July 06, 2010:
Well Done habee all your hard work on Hubpages has paid off...
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on July 05, 2010:
Anne, I'm so glad you enjoyed learning more about the Gullah culture!
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on July 05, 2010:
Rose, glad you enjoyed my labor of love!
msannec from Mississippi (The Delta) on July 05, 2010:
Wow Habee, this is an absolutely awesome hub! I learned so much from reading it, and it's so very fascinating. You should write a book. It would be great because the reader can tell your heart and soul is in it, not just information. Your heritage connection really makes it all come alive. Fabulous job!
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on July 05, 2010:
Thanks, Judy! Glad you stopped by!
rose56 on July 05, 2010:
I enjoyed reading this hub thanks.
judydianne from Palm Harbor, FL on July 02, 2010:
Congratulations, girl, on winning the best Hub of the week. You really deserved it on this one!
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on July 02, 2010:
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on July 02, 2010:
Thanks a bunch, MG! I'll save you a copy. lol
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on July 02, 2010:
Randy, remind me to tell you what Mel said about you and me!
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on July 02, 2010:
Anglnwu, maybe you have ESP?? lol
prettydarkhorse from US on July 02, 2010:
Congrats habee, truly deserving and enjoy some more hehe! Maita
Money Glitch from Texas on July 01, 2010:
Hey Congrats, on best hub! You definitely deserve it! Now I'm waiting for an autographed copy of the book. :)
Randy Godwin from Southern Georgia on July 01, 2010:
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on July 01, 2010:
Thanks, Queen! Glad you stopped by!
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on July 01, 2010:
Deb, I sometimes dream of having a cooking show, or maybe a restaurant. Sometimes I feel like my home is a restaurant! Glad you enjoyed the read, and thanks for visiting!
anglnwu on July 01, 2010:
Congrats, though I knew already, just from reading your hub. So in awe of u!
EC Mendoza from Philippines on July 01, 2010:
Wow! I learned a lot about the Gullahs! I got nostalgic 'coz I recalled our cow when we're still living in the country. Thank you for sharing sumptuous information about a colorful culture and cuisine from a different world. Congratulations, too!
Elder DeBorrah K Ogans on July 01, 2010:
Habee, WOW! Wonderful thorough job! You have a multiplicity of things to learn and enjoy here!!! Cooking, videos & history what a wonderful job you have done! Great assortment one must camp here more than a few moments to reap the benefits! I know without tasting you are a Great cook! You certainly are a Wonderful person!
I told you before you could do a "Cooking Show" and yes a Cookbook too! As they say "You go girl!"
No doubt that you put a great deal of love, sentiment and work into this hub! You certainly are gifted in this area! Great Job!
Thank you for sharing, In His Love, Peace & Blessings!
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on July 01, 2010:
HubCrafter, your comments have made my day! I really spent a lot of time and effort with this hub, and I'm so glad to know that it's so appreciated and enjoyed by others here. Thank you!
HubCrafter from Arizona on July 01, 2010:
Just finished this wonderful hub. After reading thru the comments I see you've already started on (what I thought was going to be an original idea)..turning this hub into a book! Great idea, girl!
Please be sure to include as many stories about family recollections as possible. The first-person stuff really makes it come to life.
This is such an admirable piece of writing...I just know you'll fill your book with all the heart and joy we've experienced here. Thanks so much for sharing this slice of Americana with us!
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on July 01, 2010:
KoffeeKlatch, I very much appreciate your kind comments! And feel free to use the hub with your classes. Did the hub sound like it was written by a retired teacher?? lol. That's me!
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on July 01, 2010:
Audrey, I just saw that.
Thanks a bunch for your continued support and for being my pal!
Susan Hazelton from Northern New York on July 01, 2010:
Awesome hu - the videos, writing, pictures, descriptions, everything. I agree with bayoulady, you really should use this as a book query. I bookmarked so I could use the information for my class, this information will be perfect for them to use for a project coming up in January.
Audrey Kirchner from Washington on July 01, 2010:
Congratulations of course on the nomination but congrats on being the featured hub!!
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on June 30, 2010:
Money Glitch, I imagine many of the same customs were observed by all slaves from West and Central Africa, and TN had slaves. Of course, as I mentioned, the original Gullahs also learned some techniques from Native Americans.
Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for visiting!
Money Glitch from Texas on June 30, 2010:
Wow what a wonderful tribute to the Gullahs. Found it very interesting reading especially because many of the techniques of curing and storing potatoes, ham, etc. are the same techniques that were used when I grew up on a farm in Tennessee.
Don't believe there were any Gullah relatives that I know of; most of my heritage is from the native American Indians however, I definitely can see similarities in the ways of food storage and preparation. Habee, you really out done yourself on this one. Great Job and congrats for being selected as a nominee!:)
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on June 30, 2010:
Maita, you are beautiful and awesome! I appreciate your kind comment!
prettydarkhorse from US on June 30, 2010:
I love this hub, specially yams and fishes and the history, thanks for the share and the knowledge, awesome habee, Congrats by the way, you deserve it! Beautiful and awesome like us, Maita
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on June 30, 2010:
Doc, I'ma thinkin' iffin you drive that fer from Canady, you all will be a wantin' more than jist swimp n grits. How bout some crab stew, biled goobers, watermillion, and sweet tada pie, too?
Glad you stopped by. This food is really awesome!
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on June 30, 2010:
Prasetio, you know me well - I do have a passion for writing. I also have a passion for food and history, so this hub was the perfect fit for me. Thanks!
SmilesDoc from Toronto, Canada on June 30, 2010:
I'll be over for suppuh for some swimp ‘n’ grits!
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on June 30, 2010:
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on June 30, 2010:
RD, maybe you guys can go this summer so we can hit the sheepshead in the fall.
I learn much from this hub. You always totally to create a beautiful hub. That's why your passion in writing was never end. I really enjoy this information. It open my eyes about various cuisine from over the world. Good work, my friend. I rate this Up.
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on June 30, 2010:
Kewl, Peggy! Come on over - I'll set an extra place at the table!
Ingenira on June 30, 2010:
Randy Godwin from Southern Georgia on June 30, 2010:
Don't know when we are going to Jamaica yet! Waiting on Josh and Brook to arrange their work leave!
Peggy Woods from Houston, Texas on June 30, 2010:
Congratulations on the nomination. This is a terrific history lesson combined with all of the recipes. Your heart and soul went into this hub. Tell you what...I am ready and willing to eat at your home anytime!!!
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on June 30, 2010:
Hi, Ray! Yeah, it's amonst a novella, huh? lol. I'm just in love with the subject! Glad you stopped by!
Raymond D Choiniere from USA on June 30, 2010:
Hey Habee, that's one heck of a long hub. Damn woman, make me come back to read over and over again, just to get the gist. LOL! Great hub though. I have bookmarked it to come back to. Thank you very much for the effort in sharing it. :)
Holle Abee (author) from Georgia on June 30, 2010:
Lakeerie, The Gulluh people are really fascinating. Here in the Deep South, we still use many African/Gullah/Geechee words. One of the most popular is "tote" - as a verb. Thanks for reading!
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Bachelor’s. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) supplies more extensive training than the ADN. It is typically a 4 year program offered at colleges and universities. Licensed RNs may be eligible to complete an accelerated program based on their prior training or degree and professional experience (RN to BSN). Those applying to the program might wish to advance to a clinical or administrative position, or be more competitive in the job market.
Master’s. The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) is usually a 2 year program after obtaining the BSN. The MSN program offers specialization training, for instance to become a nurse practitioner or focus on administration, management or teaching.
Once a graduating student has obtained one of the above degrees, she or he must pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) to become licensed. Other requirements for licensing change from state to state, so don’t forget to get in touch with the Kentucky board of nursing for any state requirements.
There are basically two scholastic accreditations available that provide education to become either an LPN or an LVN. The one that can be completed in the shortest period of time, normally about twelve months, is the certificate or diploma program. The next alternative is to obtain a Practical Nursing Associate Degree. These programs are more comprehensive in nature than the diploma alternative and usually require 2 years to finish. The advantage of Associate Degrees, along with offering a higher credential and more in-depth instruction, are that they provide more transferable credit toward a Bachelor’s Degree in nursing. No matter the type of credential you pursue, it should be Kentucky approved and accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or some other national accrediting organization. The NLNAC guarantees that the course of study effectively prepares students to become Practical Nurses, and that most graduates pass the 50 state required NCLEX-PN licensing exam.
Unlike some other licensed nurses, certified nursing assistants do not have to attain a college degree. CNA training can be received at Pinsonfork KY area community colleges or at vocational or trade schools. The length of the training program can take anywhere from 1 to three months, leading to either a certificate or a diploma. Under the 1987 Nursing Home Reform Act, students are required to have at least 75 hours of instruction, 16 of which need to be clinical or “hands-on” training hours. Keep in mind that this is the minimum period of training mandated and that each state has its specific prerequisites. So it’s essential to make sure that the program you enroll in not only fulfills the federal requirements, but likewise those for Kentucky or the state where you will be practicing. One recommendation is to contact the health or nursing board for your state to make sure that the education is state certified. As well as the training, each state requires a passing score on a competency test for certification. Depending on the state, there may be additional prerequisites as well.
What to Ask Nursing Schools
Once you have chosen which nursing degree to pursue, and if to attend your classes on campus near Pinsonfork KY or online, you can utilize the following pointers to begin narrowing down your choices. As you probably realize, there are many nursing schools and colleges within Kentucky and the United States. So it is necessary to lower the number of schools to select from to ensure that you will have a manageable list. As we previously pointed out, the location of the school and the expense of tuition are undoubtedly going to be the initial two factors that you will look at. But as we also emphasized, they should not be your sole qualifiers. So prior to making your final choice, use the following questions to see how your pick compares to the other programs.
Accreditation. It’s a good idea to make sure that the degree or certificate program in addition to the school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization. Aside from helping make sure that you get an excellent education, it may help in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are frequently not available in Pinsonfork KY for non-accredited schools.
Licensing Preparation. Licensing criteria for registered nurses are different from state to state. In all states, a passing score is required on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) as well as graduation from an accredited school. Certain states require a certain number of clinical hours be performed, as well as the passing of additional tests. It’s essential that the school you are attending not only provides an excellent education, but also readies you to satisfy the minimum licensing requirements for Kentucky or the state where you will be working.
Reputation. Visit online rating companies to see what the assessments are for each of the schools you are looking into. Ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews too. Additionally, get in touch with the Kentucky school licensing authority to find out if there are any complaints or compliance issues. Finally, you can contact some Pinsonfork KY healthcare organizations you’re interested in working for after graduation and ask what their opinions are of the schools as well.
Graduation and Job Placement Rates. Find out from the RN programs you are considering what their graduation rates are as well as how long on average it takes students to complete their programs. A low graduation rate may be an indication that students were displeased with the program and dropped out. It’s also imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. A high rate will not only verify that the school has a favorable reputation within the Pinsonfork KY medical community, but that it also has the network of contacts to help students attain employment.
Internship Programs. The most ideal way to acquire experience as a registered nurse is to work in a clinical environment. Virtually all nursing degree programs require a specific number of clinical hours be completed. Many states have minimum clinical hour prerequisites for licensing as well. Ask if the schools have associations with Pinsonfork KY hospitals, clinics or labs and help with the placement of students in internships.
Attending nursing schools online is growing into a more popular way to receive instruction and attain a nursing degree. Many schools will require attending on campus for part of the training, and virtually all programs call for a specific amount of clinical rotation hours conducted in a local healthcare center. But since the balance of the training can be accessed online, this method may be a more convenient approach to finding the free time to attend college for some Pinsonfork KY students. Concerning tuition, some online degree programs are less expensive than other on campus alternatives. Even supplemental expenses such as for commuting and study materials may be minimized, helping to make education more economical. And numerous online programs are accredited by organizations like the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) for BSN and MSN degrees. And so if your work and family responsibilities have left you with limited time to work toward your academic goals, it could be that an online nursing program will make it easier to fit a degree into your hectic schedule.
Attending a Nursing School near Pinsonfork KY?
Perhaps you have already made your decision to attend a Nursing Program in the greater Pinsonfork Kentucky area. If that is the case, then the following information may prove to be both educational and useful regarding the location of your future Alma Mater.
Pick the Right Nursing Degree near Pinsonfork KY
Selecting the ideal registered nursing degree program is probably the most critical first step to starting a new career in the healthcare field. There are many factors that you must consider when selecting a nursing school. These factors will be prioritized differently depending on your existing career objectives, obligations, and financial status. As we have highlighted in this post, it is essential that you select an RN college and a degree program that are each accredited and have outstanding reputations within the healthcare community. By utilizing our list of qualifying questions, you will be able to create a short list of schools to select from so that you can make your ultimate selection. And with the proper degree and training, combined with your hard work and ambition to succeed, you can become a licensed RN in Pinsonfork KY.
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Doctor of Nursing Practice | College of Nursing - University of Kentucky
“Practice-focused doctoral programs are designed to prepare experts in specialized advanced nursing practice. They focus heavily on practice that is innovative and evidence-based, reflecting the application of credible research findings." ... The baccalaureate and DNP programs at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing are accredited by ...
Athletics The University of Kentucky Athletics Department is a 22-sport program dedicated to competing at the highest level nationally and in the Southeastern Conference, while enriching the lives of its nearly 500 student-athletes – both during and after their time at UK – and honoring the deep connections it shares with its fans, the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the university it represents.
Nursing shortages still have a grip on Kentucky's health care system
In fact, the Kentucky Hospital Association recently released its 2022 Workforce Survey Report, which reported 13,423 full-time equivalent vacancies at the end of 2021. Registered nurses and ...
This new regulation applies to programs using all modalities, including online, in-person, or a combination of both. Regulation 34 CFR 668.43 (a) (5) (v) will require the nursing program to provide: a list of all states/jurisdictions where the institution’s curriculum meets state educational requirements for professional licensure or ...
Kentucky Programs of Nursing - Kentucky Board of Nursing
The Kentucky Board of Nursing only approves and regulates pre-licensure nursing education programs that originate in Kentucky. Information on all such vocational and professional nursing education programs that have received developmental, initial or full approval status can be found by searching the KBN document library for either of these ...
Northern Kentucky University, a growing metropolitan university on a thriving suburban campus near Cincinnati. ... Students studying nursing, occupational and physical therapies, as well as other health sciences, will develop their professional skills in a progressive environment. The center houses simulation spaces, clinical and nursing skill ...
The Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority is a public corporation and governmental agency created to improve access to college and technical training. KHEAA administers federal student loan programs, provides state financial aid and distributes information about college opportunities.
HBCU Nursing Programs & Schools - Registered nursing
Northern Kentucky University Online - Improve your career opportunities professional knowledge base, and achieve personal goals with our 100% online programs. ... Nursing Programs. Our evidence-based programs enhance your leadership abilities and prepare you for professional nursing roles across a broad spectrum of healthcare settings.
Nursing Programs. Post-Master's Doctor of Nursing Practice; Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing; Master of Science in Nursing – Nursing Education Concentration ... The 100% online Master of Business Administration program at Northern Kentucky University gives you valuable tools for career advancement while empowering you to ...
This entry was posted in Kentucky and tagged Accredited Nursing Schools near Pinsonfork KY 41555, Associates Degree in Nursing Online Pinsonfork KY 41555, Colleges for Nursing near Pinsonfork KY 41555, Colleges with Nursing Programs near Pinsonfork KY 41555, Nursing Classes Online Pinsonfork KY 41555, Nursing Colleges Near Me Pinsonfork KY 41555, Nursing School Prerequisites near Pinsonfork KY 41555, Nursing School Requirements near Pinsonfork KY 41555, RN Degrees near Pinsonfork KY 41555, RN Schools Near Me Pinsonfork KY 41555, Schools with Nursing Programs near Pinsonfork KY 41555 on July 16, 2018 by Ratchet.
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You simply look at what the Over / Under is and then bet on which you think it will be. There are over and under betting odds for pretty much every sport including baseball, football, hockey, UFC, Basketball, Horse racing, and much more. First there are the moneyline betting odds , which is the bet on who will win the event outright with no point spreads or other variables. You simply pick the team you think will win and place the bet. However, without using the odds, the payouts are usually much different then they would be with the odds in place. For the novice sports bettor, understanding how sports betting odds work can be one of the most confusing sets of numbers you’ve ever dealt with.
In the example above, laying Arsenal produced a larger liability than the potential profit.
This compensation may impact how and where listings appear.
The NFL features a wide variety of betting options that allows for odds to be placed on almost any activity occurring within the realm of professional football.
With the above in mind you should use quick form to scan a race card and identify two or three horses on the card who you think have a shot in the race.
Even though they offer much higher payouts, inside bets come with significantly smaller odds and probabilities to win. They Betting Baseball Parlays are occasionally preferred by high-rollers, but should be avoided by beginner players as they would limit they chances to win. Outside roulette bets come with better odds and higher probabilities to win.
Simply watching the games each week is a good start, but you must treat this as more of a job rather than a hobby if you truly want to be successful. TeamMoneyline Las Vegas Raiders-125 Kansas City Chiefs+135In this bet, the Raiders are the favorites, and the Kansas City Chiefs are the underdogs. The favorite will always have a (-) in front of their line, while the underdog will have a (+). To better explain NFL spread betting, we will use an example featuring the Las Vegas Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs. If you want to know “what are the betting lines for the NFL”, check out the NFL betting lines page.
First, let’s dive head-first into how to read college football betting lines and odds before your next round of wagers during the college football betting season. When betting on the point spread, the favorite will always be indicated with a minus (-) sign in front of their number. In this scenario from a highly-anticipated game from last season, the Clemson Tigers were -7 on the spread line.
All the sports that can be bet on are on SportsBetting and that includes boxing which is one sport that is known for having a lot of bettors in every match. All players have to be is 18 and older to sign up for an account here and things will be all good moving forward. Profiting is the goal so when it comes to betting on boxing matches, there are many of those prop bets here on SportsBetting.
You have to predict the outcome of the extra time of the match. You have to predict the total amount of goals of the match OR whether both, one or nether teams will score in the match. The outcome of the bet is based on the result at the end of the regular playing time including injury time. Unless otherwise specified for certain bet typologies, overtime and the following penalty shootout do not affect the outcome of the bet. You have to predict the outcome of the 2nd half with 3 possible double chance outcomes (1X, 12 & X2) and whether the both teams will score or not in the 2nd half only.
On the PGA it is the top 125 players that keep their full playing rights, whereas the top 110 players on the ET keep their card for the following season. The Fed-Ex Cup is played over four events, the first of which contains the top 125 players from that seasons US Money winners list. The second event sees that number cut to 100 before the third sees that number cut further to 70.
From MONDAY01/01, all of you who are pleased with our free of charge suggestions will get the chance to receive in your email the BetNumbers.gr team’s estimates for all the games of the day. Our homepage lists all available UK betting sitesand their new customer offers. West Ham is effectively starting the game with a two and a half goal advantage.
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Julia Roberts poses at a red carpet premiere in London in September. That same month, she spoke publicly about her family's friendship with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King.
Updated November 2, 2022 at 9:57 AM ET
The world is finally learning a thrilling fact about Julia Roberts' birth, exactly 55 years later: It was paid for by Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.
The connection between the two families wasn't necessarily a secret, but it resurfaced in a big way just before Roberts' Oct. 28 birthday, thanks to a recent interview and a viral tweet.
Late last month an account called @turnandstomp retweeted a fan video of young Roberts, adding: "Martin Luther King Jr paying for her birth is still a little known fact that sends me" — and later clarified that Scott King had contributed too. More than 100,000 people liked the tweet, and hundreds responded with evident shock and delight.
And on the actress' actual birthday, Zara Rahim — a consultant with a large social media following — reposted the tweet alongside a video clip of Roberts discussing the story with journalist Gayle King.
Today is Julia Roberts birthday! 55 years ago MLK and Coretta Scott King paid for her parents hospital bill after she was born. Can’t stop thinking about this since I read it. Here she is talking about it with @GayleKing https://t.co/5HvpNSUIYb pic.twitter.com/147x6d807W
— Zara Rahim (@ZaraRahim) October 28, 2022
The conversation was from A+E Networks and History Channel's HISTORYTalks live event in Washington, D.C., in September. In it, King notes that Roberts had two major historical figures in her life, and asked who paid the hospital bill when she was born.
"OK," Roberts smiles, before turning towards the audience and pointing at King. "Her research is very good."
After a brief exchange ("The King family..." Roberts says, to which King responds "Not my family") Roberts confirms that MLK and Coretta covered the costs. How did that come to happen?
"Obviously, because my parents couldn't pay for the hospital," answered Roberts, who was born in Smyrna, Ga., in 1967. She went on to explain that at the time her parents ran a theater school in Atlanta called the Actors and Writers Workshop.
"And one day Coretta Scott King called my mother and asked if her kids could be part of the school, 'cause they were having a hard time finding a place that would accept her kids, and my mom was like, 'Sure come on over,' " Roberts said. "And so they all just became friends and they helped us out of a jam."
The story came as a heartwarming surprise to many in the crowd (King asked), and to the scores of fans who shared their reactions on Twitter.
Bernice King, a lawyer and minister who is the youngest daughter of the late couple, tweeted that she was grateful — both to Roberts for sharing the story and that so many people were awed by it.
"I know the story well," she added, "But it is moving for me to be reminded of my parents' generosity and influence."
AP
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, sit with three of their four children in their Atlanta, Ga., home in 1963. From left are: Martin Luther King III, 5, Dexter Scott, 2, and Yolanda Denise, 7.
Roberts' parents ran an integrated theater school in Georgia
King noted in the interview how unusual it would have been for Black children to take acting classes alongside white children in the 1960s in the South, and how "extraordinary" it was for Roberts' parents to welcome them with open arms.
Walter and Betty Roberts ran the only integrated children's theater group in Atlanta, according to CNN.
Yolanda King, the Kings' oldest child — who grew up to be an activist and actress — recalled her experience at the school in an interview with the network in 2001, several years before her death.
"Mr. Roberts was so imposing. I loved him, but I was also a little intimidated by him too," she said. "He taught me so much, and he and Mrs. Roberts, about the work, and just about living and being really open, grabbing life and making the best of it." '
She remembered meeting Julia at those workshops in the late 1960s, and described the atmosphere as that of an extended family.
"All of these Black kids and white kids getting along, no problems," King said. "We had no problems whatsoever, racial problems."
There were some exceptions, however. Author Phillip DePoy, reflecting on his teenage experience at the school in a 2013 essay for Arts ATL, wrote that a car exploded after a "tangential member of the Ku Klux Klan" saw him kissing Yolanda King while rehearsing for a play.
"I was primarily Caucasian and Yolanda wasn't," he wrote. "That's what the trouble was about. I don't know who owned the Buick, but I know who blew it up."
The acting studio eventually shuttered for financial reasons, and the Roberts divorced before Walter's death in 1977.
The Roberts inspired many young people in the Atlanta area to pursue theater, writes DePoy, noting that their own son Eric eventually studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
Of course, he wasn't their only famous student — a fact to which DePoy alluded:
"I understand that even his younger sister got involved in acting."
Rachel Treisman (she/her) is a writer and editor for the Morning Edition live blog, which she helped launch in early 2021.
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I called originally for an estimate for repair of flashing around my chimney. Robert also gave be a quote for doing the whole roof. The price was so reasonable I opted to do the complete roof. Everyone I’ve spoken to there have been very friendly and prompt. They were able to finance me through a very quick and painless process. The crew was very courteous. They were done in a day and cleaned up everything after.I was very pleased with the company from start to finish. They took the fear out of such a big undertaking.
We recently had them replace the roof, siding, and install a new front door on our home and we were not disappointed. From the beginning, Vasilie was prompt and attentive during the quote process, and did a great job in explaining in layman terms for me the exact timing, process, and products all of this would entail.Once they started, again they were on time, and were dependable. The overall jobs went according to plan and schedule, and the house is now leak free...and looks awesome! Thanks Major Home Improvements.
Major Home Improvements replaced our roof last summer. It was a great company to work with, the job was finished in just a day and a half, and we have had no issues with leaks or losing shingles since then. Highly recommend!
Vasiliy and his crew were wonderful ! They did exactly what they said they would do. Our new roof and gutters give our house street appeal ! Thank you . I would definitely recommend Major Home Improvements !
We had our garage roof done and rear porch windows replaced and they did excellent work .would definitely have them do work again for us
We couldn’t be more pleased with the entire project, from start to finish. Vasille and his team are honest, very courteous and very professional. They are fast and clean in the services they provide! What sets them apart from others is their sincere customer care attitude. Vasille was always just a text or a call away to address any/all questions or concerns. We enthusiastically recommend Major Home Improvement to anyone wanting a new roof, siding, gutters, doors and windows.
Major Home Improvements did a great job replacing my garage roof. Professional, good communication, thorough. I would definately work with them again.
These guys did a great job changing my windows for me. They did the entire house, 19 windows, in less than 9 hours. They were very quick and professional, and cleaned the area they were working on after they finished. I highly recommend them!
The crew did a real good job on the roof and gutters. They did it right and they did it fast. Dealing with Vasile was great. I wasn't home on the day the job was done but he kept me updated on the progress. I'm very happy and recommend this company.
Major Home Improvements did a fantastic job replacing our old siding. Now the house looks like new. The whole team (owner, office manager, and the work crew) was very responsive and professional. Great product installed with craftsmanship and on time.
I had my roof done and gutters put on. It was getting near to snow flying so Vasile made sure to have plenty of workers there to get the job done in about 3 days. We have been very happy, everything looks great. I have since called him to do my mother's roof repaired. I would definitely recommend this company!
Vasilie was great to deal with from start to finish. Great communication always returned phone calls and texts quickly. Dennis and his crew did a great job on my roof replacement. From start to finish in under eight hours.Vasilie gave me a fair and honest quote. He went above and beyond to make sure I was a satisfied customer which is very rare today. I would highly recommend him to anyone.
I just had my roof replaced by Mr. Vasilie's crew in Feeding Hills, and I couldn't be happier with how everything turned out.I had received several quotes before reaching out to Major Home Improvements (the overwhelming amount of 5 star reviews did it for me). Mr. Vasilie himself came to my home and impressed me with a presentation on his tablet which explained every step in the roofing process. Not only did he gave me a considerably lower quote than the other companies I called, he was also wonderfully pleasant, funny, and patient. He spoke frankly with me and didn't give off the slimy salesman vibe. He is definitely the kind of person you want to give your business to.The crew arrived early, worked hard on removing three layers of shingles, and cleaned up beautifully. You wouldn't even know that shingles, wood, and nails were being ripped up from the way that they managed the waste. They picked up the nails with magnets and kept the shingle waste contained with tarps. They reattached my downspout extenders after they were done working. Everything was back in its place, just like they had found it. Mr. Vasilie met with me at the end of the service to make sure everything was in order. It was well worth the money for the peace of mind in having a roof that wasn't slapped together by a bunch of monkeys over many decades of cheap homeowners and amateur contractors.I'm hoping I won't need another roof anytime soon, but if I can go through Mr. Vasilie for any other home projects, I most definitely will.
Amazing work. They were done super quick and we didn't have to supervise or worry about any debris left behind. Great quality work and we don't have to worry about rain anymore! Such a load off. Definitely reccomend them!
It is hard to find a trustworthy company who delivers on what they promise and for a great price! We recently had our roof changed by Vasily and his crew and are happy to say he exceeded our expectations. Not only was he very thorough in his initial meeting, where he clearly outlined the cost breakdown and made sure we chose the best roof for our home, but his crew was efficient, on time, professional and they made sure the surrounding areas were clean when they left. We are very happy with the finished look and will recommend his services to everyone!
Vasilie was quick to respond. His wife called me back within minutes of leaving a message to set up an appointment and within 48 hours he was at my house writing an estimate. The crew working quickly and responded to everything I asked, even removing an old antenna for me. Vasilie showed up halfway through the day to make sure things were going well and that I was happy. He followed up with a phone call later that night. Clean up was amazing. I expected to find much more small debris in my yard than I did. I waited until several days of rain had passed to write this review. It is beautiful, functional and water tight! I would definitely recommend.4/22 Postscript: I went out on my balcony and noticed some nails sticking through the roof. I called Vasile and he immediately returned my call and came the next day to cut them. While there, he also offered to to touch up the paint if I had it. This is a man and a company that stand behind and take pride in their work!
A crew of four completed my roof in one day. Unbelievable. They did an outstanding job, above and beyond. They also cleaned up and left my property even cleaner than they found it. Communication was excellent. At one point, the owner Vasillie showed up and introduced himself. Later that day, the salesman Robert even made an appearance to check on things. This firm just blew me away. Don't let all these 5 star reviews ignite your suspicions that they could be fake. They are for real.Thank you, MHI.
This is one outstanding roofing company! Only one day to reshingle my whole house from start to finish! This included stripping, underlayment, shingleing, and complete cleanup. Amazing!! Vasili, Dennis, Robert and the work crew are a hard working, proffesional and outstanding team of tigers! This company is unbeatable
Major Home Improvements have just finished putting new roofs on our house and garage, and we highly recommend them to anyone who needs a new roof. We are very happy with the work they've done. In addition to being courteous and professional, Vasilie takes the time to explain everything that his crew does and is happy to answer any questions you have. His crew are wonderful and left our property spotless. They also fixed some extra problems for the same price. We will definitely do business with him again.
Our house is going through the 30 year fix me stage. My daughter and son-in law had Major Home Improvements put a roof on their home. They recommended that we use them for anything on our house. I had them replace all my windows and a deck slider. The crew of Ivan and Stephan were very professional, clean, quick and very polite. It took them 2 days to do the installs. Vasilie was great to work with. Very accommodating! I told him and his crew that they made me proud of my house once again. Like they say, Don't move, improve!" I will definitely have them back for my door projects!!! Thank you guys!!!!!!
Great quality work, quick response time, pricing is good, very professional will use again.
What an amazing company to work with as Vasilie made us feel like we were a priority. We received a quick and fair estimate on the spot and had our entire roof, siding and basement windows done in less than a week. Extremely reliable and attentive with his communication and explanations. High quality work competed in an efficient time frame. We cannot recommend this company enough!
Vasili and his crew from Major Home Improvements did a great job repairing my roof. They explained the product, showed up on time, and made sure they didn't leave any mess behind. I recommend them and will definitely call them back if I need work done in the future.
Very reliable company, give whatever was promised. The price is reasonable compared to other companies. A very nice guy to work with. I love love my roof. Thank you major home improvements.Michelle/Tony
Major Home Improvement did a great job on my roof, soffits, fascia and gutters with specialized gutter guards , windows and slider installation. Vasili the owner was great from the signing of the contract til the completion of the work. I was amazed at how attentive Vasili was to my multiple questions. He readily answered and returned my calls rather quickly and came by mostly every time his crew was here performing to make sure I was happy with their work. The crew did a wonderful job. Thanks Vasili and the Major Home Improvement!
Vasile Kukharchuk of Major Home Improvements recently replaced our roof and gutters! He was knowledgeable, personable, dependable, and most importantly did an excellent job. I would not hesitate to use his services again.
Just had my roof replaced and the crew did a great job , very hard working , professional and did a great job with cleaning up at the end of every day . Very happy customer here and the roof looks great !
Vasilie and his crew did a fabulous job on my roof. A total much needed transformation. I'm a satisfied with their work and recommend if you are looking for home improvements.
We felt lucky to have found Major Home Improvements to replace our roof. The crew were courteous, professional, and tidy. Our work was scheduled quickly and completed timely. Every step and option was explained to us. Their work resulted in a beautiful and quality product. Thanks!
Fast accurate work. Beautiful job on cleaning up. The owner came and walked around on roof and ground to make sure everything was done to his satisfaction. I couldn't be more pleased with the results. Looks beautiful.
Great job Vasilie! Thank you very much for being friendly and helpful. Everything was very professional. Fair price, amazing work, no stress at all. If I had to change one more roof, l would have done this with you again. It was a real pleasure to have business with you and your team. I will recommend your company to anyone l know. Good luck. Thanks again.
One word describes dealing with Vasilie and the Major Home Improvement team. 'WOW'.From start to finish my roof replacement was handled in a professional, customer service oriented manner.Vasilie visited my home 3 times and answered many questions that my wife and I had, before a contract was signed. He understood that previous bad dealings with a contractor made me uneasy about dealing with one again. He did everything he could to make us feel at ease.His price was fair, the work was done on schedule and it looks great.I would not hesitate to recommend Major Home Improvements to anyone. They truly deserve the 5 star rating.
Professional high quality company. The workers came early to the job, hard working, clean and honest. The roofing job is of the highest quality. The company did exactly what they said they would do. Vasilie/, the owner is honest and considerate. They cleaned up the debris and our home is now secure. I want to emphasize the kindness and professional honesty and character of this company. We would hire this company again without hesitation and recommend them unequivocally.
I am more than happy with the new roof I had installed with Major Home Improvement. The crew showed up on time, 8:00 am, worked non-stop and finished by 6:00 pm, amazing. Couldn't ask for more, quality work for the right price. If you are looking to replace your roof look no further. Vassili is a super guy, professional, honest and understanding of your needs.
Our roof started leaking on Sunday night, by that Friday of the same week we had new roof. Vasille (the owner) was very detailed about the work he would be doing, very polite and professional. During a busy end to the roofing season, he was able to fit us in his schedule and get it done incredibly quick. Would definitely recommend!!
My neighbor had hired Major Home Improvements to install a new roof. I was able to watch the professional installers complete his roof in one day doing an outstanding job. It was time for me to consider a new roof so we met with Vasalie to discuss price, type of shingle, warranty etc... this was a no pressure presentation professionally done. The quote was fair with a 3 week time line for installation. Everything came as promised, the materials arrived a day in advance and the work began on the date and time that was quoted. Outstanding workmanship by a professional group of installers. Clean-up was meticulously done. I would not hesitate to use or recommend Major Home Improvements for any projects. Well done!
Excellent job! The crew was hard working and very skilled. We have an older house that had many layers of old roofing - all was stripped to bare wood - and they kept the area very clean. The roof is a bit complicated, steep in sections with dormers and nearly flat in other areas where we had rubber roofing installed. The fit-and-finish of the roof looks great. They also added features to the improve ventilation and the flashing. This company is easy to work with, competitively priced, and delivers on their promises.
Replaced leaking roof, did a very good job.
We had a wonderful experience with Major Home Improvements. They were very thorough and professional and the roof looks great. Vasily, the owner, was very nice to work with.
Vasilli and his crew were the best. He was patient and knowledgeable and just so polite. The roof was done in a day. Vasilli and his project manager, Dennis, were there and he has the best work crew ever. The mess was cleaned up as they went along and after, they went over the lawn several times with a giant magnet to make sure all the nails were picked up. They were the friendliest bunch and they cared about the dog not getting hurt. I would recommend Vasilli to anyone who asks and hand out his business cards. His price and quality were on point with no unexpected issues. Our roof looks awesome. Thank you.Mike and Randy Cooley
Thank you for all of your help! They explained the work to me in a way I could understand, were efficient and professional. Would definitely recommend this company to anyone who needed roof work done. A+++++++
I am a carpenter and generally do all my own projects on my house because I do very good work and it's hard to find a contractor I can trust to do the job right, at a level that I will be happy with. I am very satisfied with the work by Major Home Improvements. They put vinyl siding on our house and wrapped the trim with aluminum. It looks beautiful, and all of our neighbors have been stopping by and telling us how much they love it!From the estimate through completion, Vasilie was very pleasant to work with, prompt with communication and easy to get in touch with. Ilona, in the office, was also very helpful and very quick to return our calls. The crew was really nice and did a great job, it was nice having them around. I absolutely would recommend Major Home Improvements, they do quality work, with attention to the details, at a very good price!
Very good people and awesome work definitely would recommend them for roofs and any other jobs!
Excellent communication from start to finish. During the initial meeting, owner Vasilie Kukharchuk provided technical details about the CertainTeed roofing system he installs and thoroughly described all costs and how the work and cleanup would be done. His crew was professional, courteous, and for a roof job, surprisingly quiet, with little disruption. The crew worked cleanly, replacing the entire roof, skylight and gutters in one day. Vasilie addressed my concerns about the more vulnerable sections of the roof, adding a gutter on the upstairs dormer where one did not previously exist. This worked to eliminate splash back and will also allow winter ice build-up to melt into the gutter instead of running down the siding. The dormer downspout even matches the color of the shingles! Love the new solar skylight, whisper quiet and air tight. Not so easy to find a roofer who will do skylights. Roof looks gorgeous. I can absolutely recommend Major Home Improvements, great workmanship, competitive price, honest people.
Friendly, professional, affordable, communicates well, educated me, worked to get me best deal...after job done place was clean..,..five stars
Vasilie & his workers did a very quality stripping of roof & install of shingles.roof was installed in 1day as promised .new gutters &gutter guards look fantastic.the cleanup was very very good . Vasilie was on the jobsite for most of the install. GREAT JOB!
Beyond happy with the work that was done, the project was done 2 weeks early and done in one afternoon! I will surely be recommending and using you guys again in the future! Thank you Vasilie and your team for your great quality of work!
Would highly recommend this company for your home improvements. Fast and professional. We had our roof, siding, gutters and a few windows done. Vasilie and his crew were great. This company is very responsive and answers any questions/concerns immediately. It is very hard to find a contractor that does what they say they will do...look no further...Vasilie does.
Vasili and his crew were great! They found the leak and repaired the part of my broken roof all for a reasonable price. A++
MHI did a great job on our roof, in cold-weather conditions. Vasilie is very responsive and keeps an open line of communication throughout the process, to quickly address any concerns you may have. It is clear they take great pride in their work.
I've my roof replaced by Major Home improvements. Right from the first call to the finish of the project, Vasillie and his boys handled the project very professionally and did an excellent job. After comparing three different quotes, I found them to be most competitive and Vasillie spend good amount of time upfront explaining the scope of work which helped a lot. They used top of the line Oven Corning products and his team worked diligently without cutting any corners. They certainly exceeded my expectation.
I called on a Wednesday they came out on Friday to give an estimate for the job and the following Monday the job was done. Very pleased with the quality of work and how they conduct themselves in a professional manner. I Highly recommend them for home improvement projects!
Had replace the siding on my house would have done it myself if I had the time but instead I hired Mr. Vasilie Kukharchuk and his crew and they did an amazing job. The workmanship was perfect, the clean up perfect I couldn't even tell they were there except for the new siding on my house. I highly recommend this company to anyone looking for any type of work that needs to be done on your home.
My experience with Major Home Improvement was phenomenal!!! Great crew, great boss and the quality of work was amazing!!!! I had 30 windows changed in 2 days and done to perfection sealed and insulated and everything old was replaced with new I'm telling you Vasilie and his crew are something else I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEM HANDS DOWN!!! If I ever need something else done to my house, Major home Improvement will be my first choice. My girlfriend and I couldn't of been any more happier THANK YOU MAJOR HOME IMPROVEMENT!!!
my experience was awesome with this company Major home improvements, the workers were awesome. They were very professional and reliable. I would give this company A's across the board. It took only 3 and half days to side the house. if your looking for a company this is the one I would go with. Just great from beginning to end. Thank you Major home improvements for making my house look Beautiful! Lisa F
Let me start by saying mr vasilie and major home improvement are the best I did some research on the internet about roofing companies and I found the company on google search I call for a roof estimates on Friday and the following Monday Mr. vasilie the owner came to my house he gave me a reasonable price and he told me everything clear I can tell you they came the following Saturday on the same week and my roof was done the same day beautiful job and clean as promised when we sign the contract the price didn’t include to replace any wood and guess what they had to replace some wood the where in really bad shape and he didn’t charge me any extra I would recommend the company to any one looking for a roof they do 100% finance so if you on a budget like me this is the way to go you will be happy they came around 7:00 am and by 4:00 pm job was done thank you!!! Major home improvements Mr. vasilie and the crew
I am so happy to announce that Major Home Improvements, LLC. did a fantastic and beautiful job with the installation of our new vinyl siding, and gutters. Mr. Vasilie's crew did high quality workmanship which exceeded my expectations. They paid attention to detail and completed the job in a timely manner. I would highly recommend Major Home Improvements, LLC to my friends and family. Thank you for great work at a competitive price.Nelda D.Trumbull, CT
I got my roof done early July 2016. Major home did exactly what they said they would do. I am very impressed with the quality of work done and the timely completion. They did not leave any trash. The cleaning up was as good as the roofing itself! If anyone wants professional work at a reasonable price, major home is the company to call.
Outstanding work! Professional and prompt!! I have had nothing but great experiences with Major Home Improvements. They did a great roof for me and will also take on smaller jobs.
If I could give more then 5 stars I would! From the start everything went smoothly. Abdul came out, explained the entire process to us. Showed us the materials and explained job from start to finish. The next day the owner, Vasilie stopped by to explain the process again. That is unheard of these days! He made sure we knew what he and his team were doing. The next day his team showed up and started to work. They had stripped our roof down to trusses and re-shingled it in 2 days! The quality of the work was unbelievable. I would recommend anybody who is looking for a quality roof to contact Major Home Improvements!!
My husband, Mark, and I called Major Home Improvements when we had a leak in our roof. Vasille, the owner, came to our house to give us an estimate. He showed us a presentation on the company and the products they use. We decided to use his company, especially since they offer financing and their prices were comparable to other estimates we had gotten. Vasille came and met with us a second time to set up the financing and helped us select the color we wanted for our roof. The rate we got was comparable to what our bank could offer us as well. His team was able to complete our roof a couple of days before thanksgiving. The job took a total of one and a half days. The workers were constantly cleaning up after themselves. Vasille came to our house each day his crew was working on our roof and also came the day after to meet with us and go over everything they had done and make sure we were happy with it. Our roof looks great and we feel very confident that we will not have to deal with anymore roof leaks! we highly recommend Major Home Improvements to our family and friends!
This is a great company for roofing. Very knowledgeable in the subject and was willing to explain all the different options available for us. The work was also done very professionally. Would definitely use them again for any other house projects.
Vasilie and his team are amazing! Had my roof replaced in the snow and frigid temps. The crew showed up early every day. Very professional and clean. Vasilie thoroughly explained the process step by step. He also checked in with us daily to make sure we were happy. I highly recommend Major Home Improvements! Thank you so much, Vasilie!
We had our roof and gutters done by Major Home improvements this summer and it went great! The most professional, caring owner- and crew of any company we had met with. We had a torrential rain storm today, and an old cast iron vent pipe that was was sealed with a rubber seal was not met flush (due to years of wear on the pipe, it was uneven- not the roofers fault) and a few drops of water from the rain began to come in around the corroded pipe. We called Major Home improvements and let them know, and within 25 mins Vasille the owner, was on our roof resealing the old pipe!This company's customer service, and professionalism outweighs the rest by a long shot.Thanks!
We needed a new roof and I am sure glad we found Major Home Improvements. I interviewed several other companies and we chose Major Home Improvements above the others. The job was done very well and on time and very professionally. Vasilie the owner not only stopped by several times a day to check on his crew, he got up on the ROOF to make sure the crew was installing the roof not only to my satisfaction (the homeowner) also making sure the roof was being installed to his strict procedures. We are very satisfied. Thanks Job Well Done.
I was impressed with how quickly and efficiently the work on our home was completed. We had our roof and siding replaced, and the crew did a beautiful job. Our home looks lovely.
Major home improvements was very knowledgeable and was able answer any questions I had. The employees I met were all very friendly.
Amazing Experience! Vasiliy did a wonderful job with my new home. Him and his employees are very professional!! I recommend everyone to use their services. Vasiliy is easy to communicate with and he knew exactly what needed to be done with our home!
Vasilie was incredibly friendly and professional from the first moment we met him. Getting a new roof was our first major home improvement project and we were nervous about the process and the cost. Vasilie walked us through all of our options and all of the costs associated with the replacement so that there were never any surprises. His crew started first thing in the morning and finished replacing our roof (plywood and shingles) all within the same day. He kept my husband updated on the progress throughout the day and by the next morning our yard was completely clean and our new roof looked amazing. After it was all said and done we were very pleased with the work and the final cost. There is no doubt that we would work with Major Home Improvements again and recommend them to our friends and family!
They did a great job on our roof!! Highly recommend them to anyone!
Excellent work, beautiful finish. Salesman was clear and not pushy at all. We shopped around quite a bit and found Major Home Improvements to be the best work for the best price.
Did a wonderful job. Very quick n efficient.
Richard I like home improvement because they are so quick professional in clean sheet when it comes to work fast and with a lot of warranty the staff is very quick fast officially even the owner of the company go next day in do you a walk through what they're going to do they make you feel like that you are in good hand. The job basically done in 3 days no more them that I definite it recommended I'm really happy and thank you .. major home improvement
Friendly, honest, attentive... some words I would use to describe, Vasilie, he made the process comfortable to the end. Good quality work, good pricing and getting everything that was promised. We couldn't be happier with our home improvement. New roof and new gutters! If you are looking for high quality workmaship and friendly employees we recommend Major Home Improvements, LLC you wont be disappointed. Thank you Vasilie from Jose and Ruthie."
After receiving many quotes to install our new roof, we chose Major Home Improvements because of what they said they would do and the price given. Ivan arrived at our house twice to work with us. He was personable, and strived for our satisfaction. Before the job started, the owner came to the house and took the time to talk to us. Again, personable and strived to meet our wants and needs. The job was completed in a day, just as they said. My property was completely cleaned. We were left with a beautiful roof with a lifetime warranty! Even the neighbors are already stopping by to tell us how beautiful it looks. Major Home Improvements offers great customer service, and uses the best shingles on the market.
I needed a full roof done, there was a part of a flat roof that was leaking for years, when they pulled plywood it was a mess. The owner Vasilie K , from Major Home Improvements came gave me a very competitive price and did the job on the day as he said he would. He was such a pleasure to work with from the start to the end, he showed me the entire process and took time to explain every detail. These guys worked fast and cleaned up all the mess. I am very satisfied with the job and the warranty that came with work.
We recently hired Major to replace our roof, and we were not disappointed. The owner, Vasilie, came out to our home for an estimate. He showed up on time, and immediately took a walk around the exterior to obtain measurements. Afterwards, we had a conversation inside, where Vasilie told us about his company, the kinds of roofs we could install, when and how it would be done, and answered our questions. It was a no-pressure pitch, very professional, and very thorough. It was long enough that it answered all of our questions, but not so long that it wasted our time. Scheduling was very easy. When we had availability we called Vasilie, and he was able to schedule us about a week later. The work was completely done in only one day. The crew showed up early, stripped the roof, put a new one on, and worked until it was done. Cleanup was very good. We found a few things here and there in the yard but nothing major. Also, we wanted to put a Cupolla on top of the garage. This was not an issue. Vasilie installed it himself and it came out looking great. The price: not the cheapest but far from the most expensive, however by far the best value. Everything was great from estimate to completion. We will absolutely call Major Home Improvements in the future.
After an initial roofing quote from another company (quote was high, employee was brief and not very helpful), we decided to call Major Home Improvements due to the many homes they had done on our street. After our call, the owner (Visilie) was at home our within a day or so. Visilie worked to make sure we knew all of our options, and were given a fair price and communicated very well from start to finish. As young, first time homebuyers we could not have been more appreciative. His crew began work within a week of his initial visit, and did a fantastic job. When we ran into some structural trouble, one of Visilie’s workers came up with a great solution and once he had Visilie’s approval, the work was expertly done and the price for the extra work was very fair. Visilie made sure to stop by the house multiple times each day (on a Saturday and Sunday, nonetheless) to ensure the work was going well. He even came by later on Sunday evening to ensure we were satisfied and to make sure clean up went well. Our new roof looks fantastic, the extra structural work was done very well and in good time, and the cleanup was great. Honest, professional, trustworthy, fair, best contractor experience we have ever had. Took a lot of time to examine the roof prior to quote, answered all of our questions and made great recommendations. Went out of their way to ensure we were satisfied with the work. Would strongly recommend to family and friends.
Vasilie is a Great Guy. Knows his craft. Affordable prices and gets the job done.
D S
Major Home improvements just finished replacing my entire roof. Major is the first contractor I can recall that finished the job on time and on budget. Vasille is a great guy, honest and sincere. I obtained many estimates; his prices were the most competitive and products ts superior. I would highly recommend him. thanks for a wonderful new roof Vasille. (They cleaned up after the job so thoroughly my property looked nicer than it did before they came.)Sincerely,Dave S.
Very impressed with how quickly the roofing job was done. Very professional team and highly skilled. Thank you Major Home Improvements.
It was a pleasure doing business with Vasilie and his team. Very professional crew .Did an excellent job on my roof on 4/29/2016 great job at a great price. I will recommend his company to anybody looking for a honest hard working contractor that lives up to his word. couldn't be happier . Steven Lincourt
The owner, Vasilie, was prompt, polite, and gave me a solid estimate for the repair and replacement of my porch roof shingles after years of water damage and shoddy original construction work. Every scrap of shingle was removed from the grounds - all that's left is my sharp-looking new roof. When it's time to replace the main roof, I will be calling Vasilie to do the work.Update - 5/2019. So it was time to replace my main roof, and I gave Vasilie a call. Out of the three companies I called, he called back *immediately*, while the other two tooks weeks of chasing and phone tag to nail down an estimate. He showed up to my house 2 days after calling to give me an estimate. While it wasn't the lowest quote, we were able to negotiate a price based on the quality of the shingles, the length of warranty, and the quality of Vasilie's previous work on my porch roof. Work was completed in the estimated two days, all nails and scrap material was removed, and my roof looks great!
We had a damaged roof on our queen Anne style home and need to replace it. We have a round turret that is very unique and the first thing you see driving up the street. We searched locally for all kinds of roofers and contracts and everyone turned us down because it was a tough job and not many people have ever seen this type of roof let alone worked on one. When we contacted major home improvements they called us back within an hour and made an appointment to give us a quote. We were so exited that not only Vasilie had accepted this incredibly tough job but it was extremely affordable. We couldn't be happier. We were a few hours away and Vasilie and his crew traveled here just to help us out, we were honestly amazed after being turned down so much I have never experienced such good genuine customer care before. So within 2 weeks of our quote the material and the crew were here and the crew was amazing they came in and had it demoed in an hour and basically finished in one day. the crew was very nice, genuine and very considerate. Vasilie had also traveled multiple times just to make sure we were satisfied. A couple guys came back a second day just to touch things up and make sure it was perfect! They kept things clean and my home looks amazing. Major home improvements did what nobody else could, and my family and neighbors are extremely satisfied. I highly recommend this company I will be calling them for more improvements.
Did a great job will hire him again for future work.
Our home is now absolutely gorgeous because of the fine workmanship of Vasilie Kukharchuk, owner of Major Home Improvements, and his professional crew! Many many people who have watched the transformation of our home by Major Home Improvements stop in passing and comment at how beautiful our home now is. Amazing" is a common descriptive word spoken by many. Our home was one that no one wanted to buy and now everyone wants to live there because of Vasilie! His professionalism and expertise is second to no one. He is awesome! His work is above and beyond a 5 Star Rating! If you want your home to be transformed like ours by the fine craftsmanship of the hard working and expertise crew of Major Home Improvements, call Vasilie! Debbie & Larry of Westfield, MA
We have a colonial with 2 car attached garage that was badly in need of a new roof. I had obtained several high estimates, including one from a well-known box store and another from a local company that advertises heavily on television. In town, I noticed a large house having a roof and siding installed by Major Home Improvements. I contacted Vasilie Kukharchuk for an estimate for a new roof. Vasilie was honest and knowledgeable in assessing the condition of our roof. He explained the variables used to determine the price for a new roof, including: size and pitch, accessibility, and the cost of materials. He indicated that after the tear-off, he would assess the condition of the plywood and 2x4s. Vasilie discussed the required flashing methods and lumber options to use for fascia boards and cited details about the technology of a new roof. Lastly, Vasilie stated the warranty and gave me a fair, competitive estimate. Shingles and materials arrived the day before construction. The crew began work at 7:30 a.m. They are an experienced and cohesive crew who worked efficiently and quickly together throughout a very hot summer day with temperatures soaring to 93 and humidity of 96%. Before stripping off old shingles, the crew ensured that our windows were closed. They attached drop cloths over the gutters so the removal of old shingles did not damage clapboards, windows, or foundation plantings. Once the old roof was torn off, Vasilie determined that we needed numerous replacement sheets of plywood and 2x4s. Even after that determination was made, Vasilie continued to stop by and oversee the progress of the new roof. The crew was extremely hard-working. Throughout construction, one crewman was dedicated to clean-up. Gutters and downspouts were cleared with a leaf blower. After the roof was installed, the cleaner walked the perimeter of the house with a large magnet to attract stray nails. Despite needing replacement sheets of plywood and 2x4s, the roof was completed in 1.5 days. The professional installation of our solid, warrantied roof adds to our energy efficiency and curb appeal. More importantly, our new roof will keep our home dry and warm against the elements and hardships of Mother Nature in Western Mass. Thank you, Vasilie and crew, for a professional, expertly-constructed new roof! We heartily endorse Major Home Improvements for any roofing needs.
We were very impressed with Vasilie and his crew. Prior to putting on our new roof, Vasilie sat down with us and gave us a detailed explanation on the whole process and the materials that they used. The crew removed two layers of shingles and replaced the roof in one day at a competitive price. They were neat and efficient and we love the look of our new red (terra cotta) roof! We ended up hiring Major Home Improvements to replace 2 entry and 3 storm doors for us the same week. Once again, we were very pleased with the quality and efficiency of the work which was completed in less than 5 hours. We heard about Major Home Improvements from a friend in West Springfield and recommend them for any home projects you may have. They are also local.
I called Major Home Improvements when I found evidence of ice dams leaking into the attic. During his initial visit and throughout the proposal process, owner Vasilie Kukharchuk walked me through all the details and offered many suggestions on a variety of different topics (e.g. ice & water blocking materials, types of shingles, ridge vents vs gables, warranties). He never pushed any particular solution, only looking to make sure I understood my options and received the products & services most appropriate.After settling on a fair price, the materials arrived the day before and I discovered that some were even better quality than what we had selected! The team of workers arrived at 7am and went non-stop until mid-afternoon, with Vasilie checking in several times to be sure all was going to my satisfaction. After finishing, the crew spent a lot of time cleaning up and collecting all discarded scraps & nails. The roof looks great and I would recommend Major Home Improvements to anyone looking for a fair & honest roof repair company.
We very recently had our roof replaced by Major Home Improvements. Vasilie Kukharchuk (the business owner) was very professional and knowledgeable. He arrived promptly for our initial meeting, walked the property with me, answered all of my questions and provided an estimate for the work on the spot. Vasilie's crew arrived right on time to start the job and were very professional as well. We have a HEAVILY landscaped property and the crew was extremely careful to minimize any damage to plants and shrubs. The job was finished right on time and we are VERY happy! There were no high pressure sales gimicks and the entire process was stress free. The guys did a fantastic job cleaning up and you would never know they had been here (except for the beautiful new roof!). We would highly recommend this company without reservation. We're considering having some window work done with them next as we were so pleased with the roofing job. Thanks again Vasilie and Major Home Improvements!!!!Steven DethloffMonson, MA
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Today I'm going to give you a detailed update. We promised the first 495 kits to ship by December 21st and 496 to 1500 to ship by January 19th. We have some good news that we'll share today in this blog post. As we saw all the boxes on the pallets and everyone in our warehouse rushing around we thought; let's take a moment to reflect. How did we get here?
A few years ago in a little garage in Dixon, IL, Edward Ford had an idea to make a low cost CNC Milling machine that anyone could build. Years of experimentation and prototypes led to a Kickstarter campaign with a modest goal of $1500.
Overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for his dream Edward cleared out his garage and delivered each person a CNC kit. It was a blessing and a curse because his dream of having some beers with friends and playing around with a CNC machine turned into a factory at his house.
Worn out from this experience but excited about the potential for where this little machine could go Edward had a few discussion with me, Zach Kaplan, founder of Inventables.
When I first heard about the Shapeoko and saw the picture of the machine I fell in love. I first used a CNC milling machine in high school to make the car for a model roller coaster. That machine also sat on a desktop but cost closer to $50,000. This machine and Edward's enthusiasm struck me as the right combination of everything that was good in the world. Edward is a purist. He had a clear vision for what the machine was and what it was not. He had a clear vision for who it was for and who it wasn't for. The way he described it was "dead simple, no frills." The first version of the Shapeoko I saw wasn't the one above, it was this:
Shapeoko is an open source project that has a very passionate community of people that are eager to help newcomers and are very friendly. There are no n00bs on this forum, everyone has a seat at the table and we're all working on the project together.
That's a big part of what makes the Shapeoko awesome. When you use it you're not alone, you've joined a group of people that have taken CNC Machining into their own hands, into their offices, and into their homes. A group of people that love rolling up their sleeves and making stuff. Real stuff. A few of the folks on the forum have emerged as super helpful leaders like ImprobableConstruct and Will Adams.
Working closely with Edward, Inventables launched the Shapeoko on our website and to our surprise it became the fastest selling CNC Machine in the history of the world. Over the course of 2012 and 2013 the user base started growing exponentially and feedback started pouring in. People in the community shared their build notes and design suggestions, improvements, and hacks and soon enough there was a large body of knowledge built up.
Edward was the most active person on the forum with thousands of posts and took just over a year to figure out what the next version should look like, what functional changes had to be made, and how it could be improved. At Inventables we hired a team of people to help support not just the Shapeoko but a full category of Desktop CNC milling, in addition to making improvements to our inventory, fulfillment and shipping departments.
So you're probably wondering where is my Shapeoko2?
This an open source hardware project. I think we should start by explaining a little bit of the process Inventables uses to source and assemble the parts for these kits. This whole project is a community effort so I want to share a bit about how the sausage is made.
First, Edward finalizes his design. Which is itself a whole universe of prototyping, CAD, experimentation, and revisions. Once that's done, we take his BOM (bill of materials) and go about finding the best quality/lowest cost sources for all those parts. Some of the parts are standard and known, and some of them are a little more specialized and require research to find the best supplier.
Inventables works with a "kitmaker" who handles counting out all the proper number of motors, makerslide, etc. in to the parts bags and assembles those all into boxes. Some parts are counted out manually, and some of the smaller parts like washers and socket head cap screws are parceled out according to weight, which is a little faster but may account for "extra" parts left over when you've finished assembly. However, the kitmaker doesn't start working on assembly until all the parts have arrived, so the entire process is dependent on the part with the longest lead time.
One other important note here is that the kitmaker puts all the MakerSlide and big parts into the boxes, which is why it's logistically difficult for us to swap out custom sizes of MakerSlide on individual orders.
Here's some photos of the kitmaker's warehouse. Those are all the Shapeoko parts, waiting to be sorted.
The kitmaker assembles a few test kits for Inventables to use for Quality Control. We received the first couple of test kits and sent one to Edward and Will from the forum to get feedback, and checked through a few ourselves. We're looking to see that the correct amount of all the parts are there, and also we're looking at how they're arranged in the box and packaged to minimize damage during shipping, as well as making sure it's all organized and all the parts can be easily found so that the end user has a nice experience. Will and Edward also used these kits to write the build instructions.
For all the kits that get the preorder perks, we're also working out a process to add the correct t-shirt sizes and other bonus items to the boxes before they're sealed for shipping.
We also add certain parts to the kits ourselves that come from our warehouse, which is its own whole separate process.
When items are delivered to us, they go through an Inventory Check-in process to make sure that the right parts have been delivered, that they're within allowed tolerances, that there's no damage, and that we received the correct quantity. This is true for every item we sell whether its flat washers, MakerSlide, acrylic sheets, you name it.
Lucy is one of our warehouse operations team members who handles check-ins, and she's awesome at it!
Once everything's checked in, we organize all the parts so they can be easily found and placed into orders.
We then pack all the required pieces carefully into the shipping boxes, trying to keep it all nice and tidy and well-organized. Here's team member Tait putting the finishing touches on a test kit.
We also test sending a full kit around through the mail to see if any shifting or damage occurs. Based on the results of those tests, we may engineer a packing solution or change how it's all arranged in the box to protect things better. No one wants a dented piece of MakerSlide or a smashed Arduino.
Here's our warehouse manager Joanne doing her best Vanna White impression for a stack of test kits about to be sent out:
And last but not least, our customer support team including John Hayes are on hand to answer questions (such as "When is my Shapeoko 2 shipping?") and other technical matters through the help@inventables.com email address and the question function on our product pages.
We set up and started the final Q/A and packing assembly line yesterday at Inventables HQ. We are on pace to ship the first 495 all ahead of schedule. A good chunk of them will go out this week and we expect the remainder to go out next week. When we ship your order you'll get a tracking number. Here's what they look like on the skids.
The first 5 shipped out yesterday. You can see the white boxes sneaking through in this picture.
Today another much larger wave got sent, so keep your eyes on your inbox for your tracking number. We aren't able to provide exact timing of when your box will ship or if you are in the first 495. However we will do an update when all of the first 495 have gone out.
Thanks for all your support.
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Comments
Anonymous said…
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Anonymous said…
Simply amazing. The logistics of it all is quite mind boggling. I hope this gives people an idea of how much work it really takes to get an idea from the drawing board to mass production and to your front door.
BTW, my Shapeoko 2 kit shipped yesterday so it's awesome to catch a glimpse of it in the photo! :D
When the kit arrives at my studio I plan on doing an unboxing video as well as documenting my custom build (I'll be expanding the machine and adding different electronics) for all to see and build themselves if they choose. I absolutely love the open-source philosophy.
Anyway, fantastic job guys! I hope I can become a valuable member of the Shapeoko community.
I received my Shapeoko 2 (mechanical kit) yesterday (Dec 5) Woohoo!! (I am in the Chicago area so UPS took only one day.) All 439 parts accounted for. I will start the build today. Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback everyone it means a lot! Maybe we should do a Chicago Shapeoko meetup once all the kits have been shipped and built.
Anonymous said…
That sounds like fun, keep us updated about that.
BTW, I don't know why there's a double post for my first comment. Actually the first one looks like the one I previewed before making some changes. Not sure why the preview got published. I'd delete it but I'm not seeing an option for me to do that. :/
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I'm Lisa Kirk, a wife, mama, writer, and founder. Since 2010, Something Pretty has been home to my favorite memories, reflections, and inspirations. Thanks so much for reading!
Family
Dave and I fall into a funny category of caring a lot about what our space looks like (and more importantly, how its appearance makes us feel), while not having the skillset, patience, or desire to ever take on a big renovation. Thankfully, both of our houses have provided us with the same starting point: the bones don’t really need to be touched, while the list of updates we want to make is long, but doable. I posted a casual walkthrough of our house a few days after we moved in on Instagram Stories (saved in my Home highlights), but also wanted to share these quick photos I snapped before the moving truck arrived. I loved looking back on this post from our last house and being reminded of how much progress we had made, especially in moments when I was feeling discontent about something in our space. I know I’ll need that even more this time around–this house is much bigger and will take a LOT longer to get looking the way we want from top to bottom. We even have some projects that we plan to tackle in 8-10 years…we’ll be able to ask an 11-year-old Charlie for help by that point!
Here’s us right after the house became ours :) If you missed the whirlwind story of why we unexpectedly moved in the first place, find it here!
When you walk in the door, the first thing you see is a formal dining room, which we’ll actually be using as a playroom to start. The plan is that in five years, our combined 35th birthday present will be moving the playrooom upstairs, redecorating this room, and investing in our perfect dining room table and chairs. That gives me five years to make a decision, which I might need every moment of, ha! As of right now, this is my favorite dining room inspiration.
The main area downstairs is nice and open, consisting of the living room, kitchen, and a roomy breakfast nook. We just had this area professionally painted earlier this week and it looks SO much brighter and cheerier!! These gorgeous copper pendants are on their way to replace the turquoise ones above the island (there’s a copper farmhouse sink in the island that it’ll subtly pair with from this angle) and we’ll be replacing the one in the breakfast nook as soon as we can decide on a color. I think I’m going to need some input from design-minded friends, so keep an eye on Instagram Stories if you want to help me choose ;) I’m usually very decisive about what I like and dislike, but light fixtures have been kind of baffling/overwhelming to me!
Also downstairs are the master bedroom (another space we had professionally painted, totally transforming it!) and bathroom and a guest room that also serves as my office. Both rooms are at the front of the house and get beautiful light throughout the day! The master bathroom is a project we’ll take on in stages–painting the walls this spring and then re-tiling the floors and switching out the fixtures way down the road. The room is not a very high priority, but has so much potential, I think! Also on my someday list is to wallpaper what I’ve affectionately nicknamed my Barbie closet, for obvious reasons :) I love this and this, both of which remind me of this all-time, out-of-budget favorite.
Not pictured is our neon green laundry room/mudroom, which is another space I’m dreaming of transforming with wallpaper. The tentative timeline for that is to prime it this spring/summer and then add this wallpaper (the best budget alternative I’ve found to this one) hopefully in the fall.
Upstairs, here’s Charlie’s room and the upstairs bathroom. The nursery is almost exactly the same as Charlie’s room so I didn’t include a photo, but it is up there as well, along with another bedroom that Dave is using as his office (bottom right). Between the rooms is a giant open space (bottom left)–something that seems very common in Texas (I think every house my parents looked at when they moved there had one) but you don’t see it as much here. It’ll probably stay pretty empty for now, but will someday be home to the playroom and then, I hope, to a cozy family room we can enjoy with our preteens/teenagers. It’s the room that epitomizes the fact that this is a house we pray we’ll grow into!
As always, I’ll be sharing our progress along the way! Find all of our past Home posts here.
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January 9, 2020 at 9:37 am
I’m so, so excited for y’all and your new home! Rob and I are so similar in that we care very much about how our house looks and feels… but we have very little skills, desire, or patience to do any big renovations. We wanted a house that was pretty move-in ready (within budget, of course!), and we’ve made some little updates and tweaks over the last 1.5 years but haven’t done too much other than decorating. The one “big” thing that I so want to do but keep putting off is to wallpaper our powder room! Soon!!
Lisa says:
January 10, 2020 at 6:12 am
I love the look of wallpapered powder rooms! We’re planning to use Urban Walls tangerine decals in ours that we originally bought for our previous house’s laundry closet and thankfully, procrastinated putting up :) That will be my baby step into full-on wallpaper, haha!
Emma says:
January 9, 2020 at 11:01 am
My husband and I also fall into that category! I am also SUPER particular about…everything…so that nixes the option of having a designer because even if I could afford one I would be the worst client ever, haha! I am happy that you can take it slow and steady and you grow into the house and it’s a good reminder to know that it doesn’t all have to be done at once. Your new house will get to feel “new” for a really long time! Also that picture of you and Dave is so cute!!
Lisa says:
January 10, 2020 at 6:14 am
Ha! I don’t think I would be a very good interior design client either ;) I love your point about how our house will feel new for a long time. I hadn’t thought about it that way, but it is so true, and there is something so sweet and fun about it!
January 9, 2020 at 11:32 am
First of all, I love that photo of y’all up top! So cute :) Love seeing the “starting line” and hearing more about the changes you’re hoping to make! I particularly love the built-ins next to the fireplace!
Lisa says:
January 10, 2020 at 6:19 am
It is both of our phone backgrounds :) We realized after taking it that we hadn’t taken selfies of just the two of us in ages, haha!
January 9, 2020 at 11:57 am
Congratulations on your new home! In case you don’t know this already, you can google wallpaper names and brands found at stores like Anthro to find them cheaper at other retailers (like Target and Home Depot).
Lisa says:
January 10, 2020 at 6:19 am
Yes! Sadly, my favorites are out of my budget everywhere I’ve found them, but I have high hopes for the alternatives I hunted down :)
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Jan Jedlinski: Evan, You're good to go.
Evan Sohn: Excellent. So, Hey, you had a good morning everybody or wherever you're dialing in from, you know, I don't think you're allowed to say good morning anymore. I think we just say hello to everybody. My name is Evan Shon. I am the CEO and chairman of Recruiter.com. I want to thank all the folks over at the World Staffing Summit.
Evan Sohn: I've been tracking them for a while. All their different iterations and I'm really excited to present to everybody. You know, I'm new to probably the person with the least amount of experience throughout these almost 3000 people that were attending live yesterday, different events.
Evan Sohn: I'm probably the least experienced in the staffing and recruiting industry. Yet I get to a, yet I get to call myself the CEO and chairman of Recruited.com. My background really is in technology. Platforms have been around for a number of different companies, different industries, and really get the opportunity to really thread together.
Evan Sohn: Lots of interesting things as they come together for for now the recruiting talent acquisition industry the title is called don't look back. The world of work has changed for good. And if we start looking at the various things and the real premise, and you can start at the end, are there a variety of macro events that have happened throughout our lifetimes?
Evan Sohn: That has really changed the way we do business, the way we change everything from an economic perspective, and we've never really returned. This is obviously manifesting itself today, really with, you know, this notion of this job hopper economy that we're now entering. Kevin O'Leary. Mr. Wonderful from Shark Tank wrote an article a little over two months ago, you know, begging employees to please stay with their companies for 24 months, 24 months.
Evan Sohn: Amazing. You all had parents or grandparents that said, look, your first job, you've got to stick it out for four years. You don't want to look like you're unstable. And I think that fundamentally, you know, if we looked at a 30 year old who had been in college for 10 years with the same job for 10 years, and we looked at that person five years ago and asked to actually describe that individual, we would say things like.
Evan Sohn: Good fast committed, loyal 2022, we see a 30 year old that's at the same company for 10 years. And let's assume for a moment that it's not a company like McKinsey or Goldman Sachs or whatever that is, you would actually say, gee, this person, how we describe them, risk averse, not interested in trying new things.
Evan Sohn: Maybe you would say things like not being lazy or all these other terms, or you might actually say there must be something wrong with this individual. Why are they still at the same company? And this started to happen. Pre COVID, this really starts to happen out in Silicon valley, actually spent a bunch of years there and very common to see someone's resume for 12 years.
Evan Sohn: And they'd been at four companies or three, four companies in 12 years. You're a hot software engineer and they're really moving around. And these sort of fundamental things are really going to have to impact the way we actually look at this world. And in fact, the matter is the career path of today's individual has dramatically changed.
Evan Sohn: And we can't look at these things like, you know, my son just got a job actually at McKinsey and they gave him this, Hey, here's where you're going to be in eight years. I didn't really start looking at what your career path. What's the progression, you know, we're looking about, you know, this new generation who got trophies for showing.
Evan Sohn: Right. You know, in my day we had winners and losers and now everybody's a winner. It's fair. Everybody gets to be at bat. Everything is cheap. And now it's actually a different world. We're getting trophies for those who want to get promotions. We want to progress. And that's what's really happened today from a career perspective, the career world, as we know, has really changed in a pretty dramatic fashion.
Evan Sohn: In fact, you know, the word entrepreneur, the concept of entrepreneur is really not as old and it really got popular really in black Monday. So black Monday was in October. October 19th, 1987. Tremendous dip in, on wall street and people lost their jobs. And this was really the first time that a group of individuals who watch their appearance and parents, friends lose their jobs from big companies really said, I don't want to be held in a financial institution for my future. I'm going to now plot my own course. And if you think about and this generation of individuals are really pre 1964, you could sort of age them, but that includes Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. Those entrepreneurs really saw our generation of people lose their jobs and which once was stable.
Evan Sohn: I'm going to go work at it. Right. And I'm going to be there forever. And I watched in 1987, people actually lost their jobs. And that changed that spirit, that entrepreneurial spirit. I saw a couple of thumbs up there, so yeah, that's what really did it. That's what really got this entrepreneur and we haven't turned back.
Evan Sohn: This notion sort of, you know, the world of doctors and lawyers and financers our store on it. You know, the only entrepreneur that we knew back growing up was the individual that opened up their own store. That really was the entrepreneur. I think my town, we had one guy that was doing software in the 1970s and he built a payroll system.
Evan Sohn: I think that eventually became ADP there. That was one person in this whole audience because no one actually did that. Right. You didn't actually say, gee. Obviously there was no entrepreneurial studies, but there just wasn't something that happened. And that macro event called black Monday changed the world forever.
Evan Sohn: And the reality is that this first professional model really started post-World War 2. And we started coming back after world war I during the war. And when we really industrialized the whole world and all of a sudden, the now, you know, the greats of a general electric.
Evan Sohn: Really said, gee, we're going to start having manufacturing. And if there's different people doing different jobs, remember this one from sort of the farmer model for the manufacturing model, your individual, actually, who's managing the actual lines themselves. This is really what created this professional talent model.
Evan Sohn: And so those of us who revere the great work of Jack Welsh and those that came before him in General Electric, this really created the professional. I'm going to have an army of people working on behalf of the company, each one doing their own thing. But now I have to have people on top of them managing their grooming.
Evan Sohn: And this whole notion of executive training and management training and I'm investing in an individual's career. This was really the beginning of this first professional talent model. Again, we're not talking about something that was 300 years ago. We're really talking about something that happened really within the last hundred years.
Evan Sohn: And then what we started to see now is companies really making investments in their talent. Again, very new. I have an opportunity. I want to take this group of people. You know, I used to work with a guy a thousand years ago. He was an IBM sales rep. And I once asked him, you know, he was a phenomenal individual.
Evan Sohn: And I said to him, John, are you unique? And he goes, no, I had a class of 120, right? So this is what, you know, the individual, the man white shirt tie on the phone, banging out sales calls, banging out a process, creating a process. And these were individuals that were invested in by their companies per really grow them for the next role that they were going to take.
Evan Sohn: Okay. Remember, these were the days of the gold watch for working for 25 years. This was actually what was happening in our society for talent was something that we invested and we groomed them. You know, I started my first company, 21, right out of college, you know, so my mentors were the books that I was reading from Peter Drucker and Tom Peters and all these individuals that were really thinking about how do we make individuals actually even better than what we're doing.
Evan Sohn: So we had this entrepreneurial surge, but every time there's a macro. We start to see other things that happen and let's go. So we started with black Monday for let's keep going in the 9091/92, there was another recession. So what did we start to do in 91/92, there was a real pressure on salaries and wages.
Evan Sohn: So we start to outsource things like call centers. All of a sudden now and again, the government made it easy because in the Philippines, we had this opportunity zone created there from a tax free zone. But other things that actually started to happen is you start to shift those environments. Now we actually do some work with call centers.
Evan Sohn: But before 1990, before the 1990s call centers were not outsourced, this really created that infrastructure of outsourcing those things. And, you know, it was really interesting. Josh, Jack Welsh, you know, really created the outsource model. Jack Welsh really invented the term or really professed the expression that someone else could do it better.
Evan Sohn: Let's let someone else do it better. Yes. We're having a manufacturing process or having the supply chain. But if someone could do a better job on one specific element of that supply chain it's better for us as a business to actually go leverage someone else to do that. And this started to create these entrepreneurs or these changes in the environment that really moved that and let's keep going.
Evan Sohn: So 1997, all of a sudden the whole world started to say. What if this was an open audience, I would say Y2K. Right. And what did Y2K create? Right? Y2K can create outsourced IT services. Why? Because all of our own development shops were working on whatever they were doing, we needed someone to go and change all the code to support Y2K.
Evan Sohn: Cognizant technology solutions. You're Bohemian. Now in the outsourced it services got started from Y2K and so many companies really got launched. When companies said, gee, we're going to need people to fix Y2K again, a real surge in entrepreneurship as companies met this macro change, right? Nothing that anyone could have what we call go to foreseen Y2K, but this was something that had to happen now.
Evan Sohn: Have. Right. Are we now a flurry of call centers in the US no. Now we have virtual ones going, et cetera. Have we brought back outsourced IT services from India and other places offshore. No, we haven't done these things. So early two thousands are another dip in the economy. What did we start to do?
Evan Sohn: Outsourced web services, outsourced hosting services. How many people are actually running their own data centers or we're outsourcing them to data centers? Again, late 1990s, we started outsourcing again, another recession or dip in the economy in 1997, we started to outsource BPO, Business Process Automation services and other things.
Evan Sohn: We started to move these things out and focus on the things that we're doing best. Cause they were cataclysmic events that were occurring in our society that were causing these actual shifts to occur. And that was really what started to happen in all these entrepreneur environments, because the new normal is really not going back to what it was.
Evan Sohn: This is never, this is not saying that we're going to be returning. I don't know how many of you are out actually now. Hiring people to manage your data centers or managing data centers means managing your AOS or your Microsoft cloud services or whatever you're using. That becomes really the new normal associated with these things. And now say we take back outsourced IT versus or looking at them in a different way. And the reality is we've been really, since the nineties really expensive, it's really black black Monday starts to expand our thinking about what we should be doing as a society and how really should we be working?
Evan Sohn: Cool. What's really next? And I think what we really start to see at Recruit.com. We run a recruiter index every month. I will talk about it on CNBC. I'll be on, I think, a week from Thursday. And we track not just recruiters sentiment, but candidate sentiment as well. I'm going to really start just what happened over the last like six months was really the promotion of remote work and work-life balance.
Evan Sohn: You know, it, you know, I grew up in a day and age where, you know, you work to make money and if someone wants to leave, you throw more money at them. Right. I grew up with the expression. There's nothing that money can't solve. And I know there's probably some of you that have that as well, but all of a sudden, now there's a whole society now.
Evan Sohn: That is prioritizing remote life and work like remote work and work-life balance. And now, by the way, there's probably something good about it. You know, I think not a day or two goes by where someone asks me where all the people are, why aren't they working? And the reality is I think that people are working.
Evan Sohn: I just think they're working less. I think the day and age of someone working in two factories, one during the day, one at night, one on the weekends has been either replaced with, Hey, I'm just not going to make the money I used to make, but at least I'm home now, or I'm using gigs and I think these are all the things that are associated with the growth of remote work and work-life balance.
Evan Sohn: I want to be home for the kids. I liked being home for dinner. I don't want to be doing that again, or my priorities have changed. We're not going out anymore. So we're cooking, we'd like to cook and cooking is far less expensive. I also think we're moving into an outcome based performance society. Now I'm a sales guy.
Evan Sohn: So we've always had that. You know, when you don't hit your number, you don't say, well, I worked a lot of hours, but I really just bring it. Didn't bring in the number, you know, in sales it always was an outcome based performance level. And I think we're really shifting as a society to that. I don't care.
Evan Sohn: You know, I'll give you great examples. You know, five years ago, if I got an email at 11:30 at night, I would say, wow, that person must be, you know, burning the midnight oil working really hard. I can't believe how hard they're working. When I got an email today at 11:30 at night, my assumption was that this person took off in the evening.
Evan Sohn: They were hanging out with their family. They went for dinner. And now they're finally coming back on line at 11:30. Now whether it's true or not, that is my perception. And if I get a couple of high fives or whatever you're doing, let me get a little reaction, like who actually thinks that right. Who actually thinks that then we get an email now at 11:30, that person is actually working from 7:00 AM to 11:30 at night.
Evan Sohn: Hey, they figured out that they want to take off a couple hours and you know what, it's fine because we work in an outcome based performance society. And my advice to everyone is to really figure out the metrics. And I go, I know in a staffing environment, it's hours and how many hours and how many this.
Evan Sohn: And I really think we're moving very quickly to an outcomes based performance society and surely in many worlds. You know, what did he get done? And by the way, it's actually returned to what it was. Thousand years ago, I got paid to make the shirt. Now how long it took to make the shirt. I got paid to make the shirt.
Evan Sohn: You take the doctor and the doctor gets paid for a procedure. Whether their procedure takes him two hours or it takes three hours. He gets paid for that procedure and you get your teeth cleaned. Now there's a time process involved there, but you're getting it based on the outcome or based on the procedure they're actually getting.
Evan Sohn: And so we do have that environment already. This is not a new construct for us, but now we can start using this construct in other areas of our actual business, And finally, I think we have, we should be looking at employees really through the lens of entrepreneurship. I really through the lens of, you know, we sat down with just about everyone I've recruit.com.
Evan Sohn: I came with about 70 people and really mapped out their progression for the year. Here's where I want you to be not just over the next three months, but here's where I want you to meet in six months. Here's what I want you to do in a year. Let's look at the deals you're going to have. And I think those are the things, because we're not looking at this linear path.
Evan Sohn: Really just for a year, then you'll get a promotion, you get the spirit, etc. You know, it is too easy now. And I think I could talk about this for a minute. This is actually pretty cool too. Right? So I think part of what part of the challenge that we have today is that aside from the fact that we have these, you know, incredibly tight labor markets, now 3.9% unemployment here in the US.
Evan Sohn: The quote unquote, no one wants to go back to work 10 and a half million jobs opens and the, in the end really, and let's call it the, you know, the less knowledge or the, you know, you're working collar environments. We have incredible, great resignation people leaving people going to other areas now, but you know, fundamentally it's become incredibly easy to interview.
Evan Sohn: Right. It's become incredibly easy to apply for a job. Let's actually look at the college application process. I think NYU takes in, I forget how many, I forget how many students they take in a year. I think it's, I think it's 20,000 freshman year or something like that. 15, 5,000, some crazy numbers like that.
Evan Sohn: They get ridiculous, like hundreds of thousands of applicants. You can Google it or see how many applications that NYU gets. And the reason is it's so easy to apply to college. Well, you look at ZipRecruiter, indeed, linkedIn. They've made it so easy to apply for a job. You can click a button now let's keep going.
Evan Sohn: How hard is it to interview you're interviewing in, you know, 10 years ago meant that you put on a suit, you brought a suit to work. You told your employer or your manager that you got to go to a funeral for your uncle's sister. You took the afternoon off. You went to the funeral. You're getting calls and you come back the next day.
Evan Sohn: You're getting calls. You got to tell your manager. It's my mom. Who's really sad about my uncle whose sister died. It's a whole cloak and dagger. But that's gone, right. You're interviewing today is exactly what we're doing today. Looking at a video screen and being interviewed we're actually launching a webinar series on talent effectiveness, really around how to do it.
Evan Sohn: One of the sessions on how to read body language on zoom, how to interview on zoom, how to deliver culture over in a virtual environment. But it's so easy to interview. Now, what was keeping people from leaving jobs was really the stigma of leadership. Now, if that stigma is gone, if it is. So, if there is no longer a stigma of I've only been there for a year, that's not going to look good on my resume.
Evan Sohn: Well, if that's gone, then that's really fueling this great resignation and it's really emerging this job hopper economy. And I really believe that's really where we're actually backing to as an industry, that the notion that I'm going to say, gee, I'm going to take this job for a year. I'm gonna take this job for two years and here's a skill that I want, and then I'm going to leave.
Evan Sohn: And I think what we need to be doing as an industry is not just finding the right talent and engaging the right talent, but really having plans on how we are going to do retention? And I think there's going to emerge a whole industry really around. I think every company will embrace talent talent acquisition, talent effectiveness, talent acquisition, very much the same way. In the nineties we all embraced security, right? Every company has the biggest ones that have Chief Security Officers, IT talent, IT network security, intrusion, detection, security all these other all these other things lower down the road. You might have your Head of IT. Also handle security, lower down.
Evan Sohn: We're outsourcing that we use in hosting services. We're using Counter-Strike, we're using other companies. We're actually handling our security for us. We're outsourcing our email, any virus, any spam services, we're doing all these things, but every company recognizes that security is now fundamental to the actual business that they're doing itself.
Evan Sohn: And I believe that talent management talent acquisition talent effectiveness is also going to be something that every company now embraces. Again, not the individual solo practitioner, there's probably a 10 person company. You know, where do I make sure that I'm in the right things? How do I make sure that I'm replacing the talent?
Evan Sohn: What's my succession plan? What's the bench that I'm building? How do I ensure that I have the right people with the right skills? What skills do I want to give to my team to make sure that they stay a little bit longer? What progression do I need to be finding out? And I think this is true. Really catapulted itself to an entirely new era in talent acquisition and talent management.
Evan Sohn: That's my slides. I think that was it. Yes. So anyone that has any questions, you can email me at evan@recruiter.com. I think my phone numbers there, you can scan the QR code if you, this is a recording and it will take you over to our website and all these other things I can actually do. We can open up the floor for questions, or we could just muse around for a little bit longer if we actually have a.
Evan Sohn: Let's get out of full screen mode. And see if we could ask any questions. New speaker Pratt beyond, right. Well, if there are no questions again, I want to thank the folks over at the look crap there. Oh, there you go. Okay. Sorry about that. I was chatting there. Oh, a lot. Oh, a lot of questions.
Evan Sohn: Okay. Very good. Couple. Hello everyone. Let's see a lot of hellos. There's it's all just very good chat on what's going on. Let's see if there's actually any question. Oh, Evan sales cycles are different in many positions to see that you're getting paid for outcome based is not exactly pro for many roles.
Evan Sohn: Solutions-based sales, as it equates to dollars. I'm asking what percentage would turn out to be a sale. Yeah, I get you Scott, but you know, You know, I have a few golden rules. One is, you know, only do the things you're being measured against. But I really think that looking at, you know, a friend of mine was looking to hire an attorney and he wants someone that could build as many hours and, you know, and I think that's all fine and dandy.
Evan Sohn: And I think there are certainly areas. And I was generalizing just to prove a point, but not everything could be, you know, overall on the outcome thing. But I really think that. You know, when we're working in a virtual environment, in a remote environment, you're no longer just clocking in and clocking out.
Evan Sohn: And you want to keep people focused. I think what this has really done has gotten people to focus on the job at hand. We're actually instituting at recruiter.com now, 80% jobs that they were going to, you know, expect you to work 80% of the time for four days a week, or however you want to fluctuate it that way to really create a degree to work life balance.
Evan Sohn: But the best way to have work-life balance. Scott is to really know when you're done. You know, when I hear people are burning out because they're working virtually remotely, to me, that's really a matter of, they don't know when they're done. They don't know when they're finished. They don't know what they need to do in order to get actual things, you know, to actually get it done.
Evan Sohn: And, you know, I see some of your goats, you know, the reality is as a salesperson, you can be done. Right. You're tied to a number you're tied to a metric you're tied to actually, you know, doing the things that you need to be doing to get done. And I've been, I'm not paid as a salesperson for the time.
Evan Sohn: It takes me to close a deal. I'm paid for the decades of experience that I have that brought me to the ability to actually deliver the outcomes that I deliver for my business on a day-by-day basis. All right. So, Hey, I have another one. I have a challenge in presenting. Employers, as they were perception of job up is still out there amongst talent agents.
Evan Sohn: How do I tell clients that once an employee is there, it's up to them to care for them? You know, I completely agree with you, Laurie. I think that, you know, I was musing around with a global head of talent of a very popular company. And I said to them, you should probably just embrace the fact that this is a 24 month project, right.
Evan Sohn: If people are going to leave after, before 24 months, then just say to them, Hey, look, I'm hiring you. This is 24 month. No, that's really about if that's what you want to do and really define these roles that are really, Hey, I need you here for 36 months. Here's what's going to happen in 36 months.
Evan Sohn: I'm going to pay you a lot of money. You're getting more money at the end of 36 months. And then you have the, you know, then you can go either another project. He actually was thinking of a 24 month project and give the person a 30 day vacation. But I think that's really, you know, the question to Lori is how do I convience the client that these are really good people. You have to really think about, you know, the progression of this individual. I think the CFOs are going to get involved and start using other tools to say, how do I keep Lori for another three months? And if I know that Lori likes to travel, Hey, why don't I create an environment where people get the travel?
Evan Sohn: Why not create an environment which is actually happening by the way, Laurie, part of why we're thinking about this, like fifth grade. It was like, I think you can actually get a great talent pool. Hey look, you know, we're building work-life balance. We're building in the fact that you're not, you know, we're not expecting you to be on-call 24 7.
Evan Sohn: You're not going to get paid the same, but we're just removing that expectation. I think that's going to be very beneficial for a lot of folks. And Scott, you know, we can go back and forth on salespeople are, you know, we're on all the time. We have people emailing us on the weekends. We have to address them.
Evan Sohn: And I get that, but I still think that what virtual environments let us do is to figure out how to build a work-life balance. And remember, you know, it's kind of a shame to hear people saying they're being burnt out. You know, from working remotely, well, meanwhile, you're not commuting, you're not having all of that downtime or all of that, you know, in between time of going from home to work.
Evan Sohn: And so you just working, you should be able to figure out how to really create that work-life balance. And I think it's up to us as leaders in whatever company is ran, know, really help employees, certainly those that are, know, I wouldn't say subordinates, but you know, our earlier age team team members are to really figure out how to have that balance, how to make sure you're allocating time.
Evan Sohn: You know, I was with the shareholder and investor the other day, you know, 11 o'clock in the morning and he calls his broker to buy some more shares and his broker goes, Hey, thanks for talking to me, Steve, but I'm actually walking my dog. I'll call you back in a few minutes. And I was blown over that.
Evan Sohn: You know, I grew up in a yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir. I'm tied up. Can I call you back in a minute? I'm dealing with a fire, you know, there's I had to come up with some sort of excuse and this broker had no problem saying, Hey, look, I'm out and walking around. You know, at 11 o'clock in the morning we walked to the house.
Evan Sohn: The thought of the answer is like I'm making this work-life balance work. And by the way, he still was able to close that deal. He still got his commission. He still did everything that he had to do. And obviously if there was something critical, he would have figured that out. But I was really impressed that we're sort of embracing this work-life balance.
Evan Sohn: I'll ask one more question from a lisa. What advice do you have for companies? We're just one way, sorry. What advice do you have for companies who are routing employees in this new normal? Look, I think there's a portfolio. I think you're creating a portfolio. Thanks. Thanks, Elise.
Evan Sohn: I think you're creating a portfolio of a company of employees, some that are going to be there for a long time, something going to be job hoppers, et cetera. I think you want to show people the progression, you know, fundamentally you pick up the phone. That's the old I am, right. Fundamentally. I always say you pick up the phone from a recruiter.
Evan Sohn: When you start to question your probability of success at the company that you're in and you leave when you balance out that the risk bleeding is outweighed by the opportunity for success at the center. But what if I never picked up the phone? What if that company was always talking to me about what's next for you?
Evan Sohn: Here's what's next for you? Here's what's next for you? You know, and it used to be, the only time we gave a promotion to someone is when they threatened to quit, we have to change that we really do. And we're seeing that today. You know, you look at Goldman Sachs, it reported bad numbers last week, and why?
Evan Sohn: Because they're expensive in hiring and retaining employees and for the roof, I think that's going to become very normal, the amount of money that's being spent. And, you know, my advice Elisa is to really figure out with your client your company, etc. Hey, what are you allocating to tension?
Evan Sohn: What are you allocating to ensure that people are going to stick around and not everyone's going to stick around, but what are you doing to do that? We talked about it with our board last week, right? What are we allocating towards long-term incentive and retention, right? That's because that's really what we have to start putting employees for folks there.
Evan Sohn: And at the same time, you know, have a bench, have progression, etc. All right. I think there's one, is there another one? I have a work phone, a personal phone. The phone gets picked up at eight, put it down to five, the contact if I keep working through it. It definitely is. Yeah, no I agree. I certainly think that there are things that we could be doing to do that, but you know, to me, when someone can be burnt out, they're a flight risk, right.
Evan Sohn: That's a real flight risk. And I hate quiet risks. I really like to, you know, try to see if we have P you know, try to keep people far less expensive than replacing them. So I really think about that. Well, I really want to thank everyone. I want to thank the world staffing summit and all the folks that put this together.
Evan Sohn: You know, I think. In conclusion the job hopper economy was here to stay. We are not, know, we're and again, I'm generalizing, I think the day and age of people staying at a company for 25 years and getting the gold watch is over, and we really should be embracing this new paradigm of gee, look at the skill sets that you have and what are you doing next?
Evan Sohn: So thank you so much again, if anyone needs to get in touch with me, my email and phone number are on the screen. So there you go. Jan. Thanks so much
Jan Jedlinski: Thank you so much, Evan. And everybody stick around for another great session, just following this one and see you soon. Thanks.
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When I watched the Witcher series on Netflix, I had a feeling I knew the castle from somewhere. After a little bit of Googling, I found out it was Ogrodzieniec Castle, which is located less than an hour away from my family home! So when my boyfriend and I went for a short family visit, being Witcher’s fans, we couldn’t resist visiting the castle.
Ogrodzieniec Castle
Trail of the Eagles’ Nests
Ogrodzieniec Castle is one of the most magnificent fortresses of the Trail of the Eagles’ Nests – a stunning biking and walking trail leading through medieval castles located between Kraków and Częstochowa. It used to be a defensive line on the borders of the Kingdom of Poland, the construction of which was most likely commissioned by Casimir the Great. This king significantly transformed Poland, improving its security and welfare. There is this saying that he “found Poland wooden and left it bricked”, reflecting his contribution to improving medieval Poland.
The Eagles’ Nests consisted of 25 castles erected on high, hard-to-reach limestone rocks, hence the name that refers to real eagles’ nests, which are also built in the highest, inaccessible places. There are a dozen more towers, watchtowers, and other fortified buildings along the way. As Kraków used to be the Polish capital, it was crucial to defend the surrounding densely inhabited areas and significant trade routes. Presently, most of the castles are ruins, with a couple of them that got renovated.
Ogrodzieniec Castle
Ogrodzieniec Castle itself is located in Podzamcze, 2 km away from Ogrodzieniec. It stands proudly on hard limestone and dolomites of Janowski Mountain – the highest hill of the Jura (515.5 m above sea level).
In the 12th century, there was a small settlement with only a few wooden huts, sheltered on three sides by rocks and a palisade from the north, protecting against the raids of Czech and Silesian princes. Later, after the Tatar invasion in 1241, a gothic stone castle was erected in place of the settlement. The castle moved from one hand to another quite often until the family of Boners, one of the wealthiest families in Poland during the Jagiellonian times, became its owners. They rebuilt the Ogrodzieniec castle into a stunning and magnificent Renaissance residence. The slow decline started when Swedes attacked and destroyed it in the 16th and early 17th centuries. After the attacks, Stanisław Warszycki took over the castle. Even though he rebuilt and improved it, he became famous not for renovations but for his cruelty, earning him the title of Polish Dracula. In 1810 the last owners left the Ogrodzieniec castle, which caused it to fall into ruin.
Interestingly, in 1885, the ruins of the castle were visited by Aleksander Janowski, called the creator of Polish tourism. He thought that visiting interesting places could promote patriotism and encourage citizens to care for their country. Inspired by the local view, he founded the Polish Sightseeing Society (later PTTK) in 1906. His “name” is borne by the mountain on which the Ogrodzieniec fortress stands.
Nowadays, you can visit the magnificent ruins of what used to be one of the most imposing castles in the Eagles’ Nests Trail. Most tourists go around on their own, though there is a possibility to have a guided tour (you have to book it beforehand through the website).
I loved the castle, though I wish there would be a little more information regarding its history and what different chambers were used for. In the courtyard, we found some small stand selling Podpłomyk (literal translation: under the flame), simple flatbread baked on stones heated up in a fire. There was also a restaurant, but it was closed when we visited.
But Ogrodzieniec Castle is not only stone walls. Ruins in Podzamcze are also a place of many annual interesting outdoor events. The castle organizes nights with ghosts where tourists can walk through the castle and hear scary stories. There are also reconstructions of the knights’ battles and different medieval fairs. During the winter, the castle is illuminated with lights shining brightly in the deep night. Check out the official website to find information about current events.
Ogrodzieniec Castle
Ogrodzieniec Castle
Ogrodzieniec Castle
Ogrodzieniec Castle
Ogrodzieniec Castle
Ogrodzieniec Castle
Ogrodzieniec Castle
Ogrodzieniec Castle
The settlement on the Birów Mountain
Less than 2 km away from Ogrodzieniec Castle, on the neighboring hill, you can find a reconstruction of the Slavic settlement. The rocky, scenic hill with a good view of the surrounding area and adjacent Ogrodzieniec Castle has been a place of settlement since the Neolithic times. Archaeological research and numerous finds like tools made of horn and flint, arrowheads, horse horseshoes, and clay vessels show that the area was inhabited by people as early as 30,000 years ago. In the Middle Ages, on top of the hill, there was a wooden stronghold with a burial mound located at the foot. The top parts of the hill, creating a basin surrounded by limestone outliers, acted perfectly as a natural defense system. The settlement was burnt down in the first half of the 14th century, which was probably related to the fights between Władysław Łokietek and the Czech king, Wenceslaus II.
The complex is open to visitors from May to September. It consists of a wooden and stone embankment, a gate tower, a watchtower, an observation tower, and a hut with a museum exhibition. There is a possibility to rent an audio guide at the ticket office. No idea how good it is because I didn’t know about it when I was there
The settlement on the Birów Mountain
The settlement on the Birów Mountain
The settlement on the Birów Mountain
The settlement on the Birów Mountain
The settlement on the Birów Mountain
The settlement on the Birów Mountain
The settlement on the Birów Mountain
Both places, Ogrodzieniec Castle and the settlement on the Birów Mountain, have a ticket booth selling tickets to both attractions. It is possible to buy a combined ticket and visit both places within a day.
Check out the official website for current ticket prices.
Parking
You will have no problem finding a parking place in the neighborhoods. Almost all fields in the area have been turned into parking lots
The road leading to the castle is lined with stalls selling cheap Chinese toys, taking a little out of the general experience. You get stalls in all the touristy places, but I wish there would be more handcrafted souvenirs than plushy octopuses and snowglobes. Hard to explain to your friends why you got them an octopus as a castle souvenir
Also, while we walked from the castle to the settlement, we encountered a gathering in the city square asking for signatures to push a law stoping all kinds of abortions. It is a scorching topic in Poland right now, where the government is trying to implement one of the harshest abortion laws in the world. Regardless of your views, the castle and its area, where many kids visit, is not a place to display pictures of mutilated embryos and babies.
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September was a really intense and stressful month for me, with many monumental changes in my life. After ten years, I said goodbye to my
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Posted by secure_admin on Apr 27, 2019 in Roof Repair | 0 comments
A lot of homeowners love starting a do-it-yourself project. However, roofing projects should be assigned to the pros. This is because roofing is relatively a dangerous task, as you’ll be working at a certain height. Accidents may happen and sub-park work done on the roof is likely to create more damage than good.
If you still want to install or repair your own roof instead of hiring a qualified roofer Dunedin, then you have to first equip yourself with proper knowledge about the job at hand. You have to make everything less stressful by working more efficiently and safely. Below are some tips that you can use.
The right material will depend on external conditions. Your location plays a crucial role, like if it always rains or snows where you are. The best material is the one that would withstand all of these elements without causing a lot of damage to the roof.
Know the best pitch.
The pitch of the roof would determine how high or flat your roof will be. Again, the right choice would depend on external conditions. While the pitch can change the way that your roof looks, it’s important that you choose based on functionality and not aesthetics.
Your budget could define the results of your own roofing project. Before buying any material or starting any work, be sure that you make a good estimate of how the entire project will cost you. This way, you won’t have to worry about your roof being half done. That’s the worst thing that can ever happen to you.
This is true when installing roofing shingles. Check the packaging and you’ll likely to find the directors on how to properly install the product as per the manufacturer’s specifications. Be sure to follow everything to a tee to get the best possible results.
Consult with the professionals.
If you want to get the best possible results out of your do-it-yourself roofing project, consult with the pros at least. By doing so, you’re sure that you’re getting first-hand knowledge on how to install, repair, or maintain your roof. Find a trusted professional to help you out.
Inspect your roof regularly.
Once you have your roof installed or repaired, don’t think that your job is done. You have to do regular maintenance checks from there. Inspecting a roof should be done with adequate care. Doing a visual check requires you to go up the roof and check for possible damage after a storm. You have to be very careful in doing this so you won’t fall down. Remember that roofing projects are one of the most accident–prone tasks around the house.
These tips should help you in installing or repairing your own roof. But even if it does look like a simple task, nothing’s better than having trusted roofers around to handle the project. Their quality services are your assurance of a job well done.
Posted by secure_admin on Apr 25, 2019 in Car Detailing | 0 comments
If you want to clean your car, you actually have two options to go about it. There’s regular car washing and there’s car detailing. Between these two options, car detailing is your best choice. It offers more intensive cleaning than traditional car washing.
Given that the services are more complicated, it goes without saying that car detailing will cost more than just car washing. Car detailing may set you back some $100. Car washing would cause even less. If you decide to clean your car yourself, you can even get the services for free. So, why you should pay for the service?
If you take advantage of car detailing service, then your car’s interiors will be meticulously vacuumed. A cleaning compound is applied to all the plastics in the car and then wiped off using a towel. Then the conditioner is applied to protect the parts from sun damage. For the glasses, a special type of cleaner will be used.
But the work of a car detailer doesn’t end there. They will also take a look at the engine of your car. They will inspect, clean, spray, degrease, and dry it using compressed air. A conditioner will also be applied. The painted parts of the car are also waxed.
After cleaning the interior of your car, they’ll work on the exterior as well. To do that, they’ll inspect, clean, and wash the outside of your car using a special car wash compound. After that, the car will be rinsed and then wiped with a towel. If contaminants are still present, it will be removed using a clay bar. Then there’s an option to get the car buffed but that may take a few hours. The last step is to apply polish to the car’s panels and for the tires, a dressing is applied. To make sure that everything is done right, the car is inspected under the bright sun. That way, nothing is missed.
Compared to car washing, which usually takes 15 minutes, car detailing may take several hours. If you want a more intensive type of service, it may take you a full day to get everything done. When it comes to the results, car detailing is more thorough and meticulous than car washing.
Investing in Car Detailing
As stated earlier, car detailing costs a lot more than car washing. This is because of the intricacy of all the processes involved in the service. Every part of your car will be cleaned thoroughly and state-of-the-art equipment will be used in the process. Furthermore, highly qualified professionals will be ones who’ll handle the job.
While car detailing will cost you a lot of money compared to taking your car to the washers or doing the cleaning yourself, the service is all worth it. The car detailer will even ensure that your car won’t be damaged throughout the process. Your vehicle will look new, just like the day you took it out of the showroom. To know more about the service, talk with an expert in car detailing St Petersburg. They should give you more information about it.
Posted by secure_admin on Apr 21, 2019 in Kitchen Cleaning | 0 comments
Hacks to Easily Clean Hard Stain in your Kitchen
Scrub here, Scrub there and scrub everywhere, one of the hardest things that a person will do especially when you are the one who is scheduled to clean all the parts of your kitchen. Hood cleaning St Petersburg can help you in that kind of situations especially when you don’t have the time to clean your own kitchen because of office works. They offer professional cleaners that are well train enough to clean every corner of your house without any dust left behind. But if you cannot afford or you wanted to just do the work by yourself then this article will help you on how to easily clean hard dirt from your kitchen.
When you are doing your own dishes one hack that can be use is you must cut the corners of your sponge. Cutting the corner of your dishwashing sponge can help you reach small areas without the help of cleaning stick that maybe still need to be find. Some people’s noses are sensitive enough to smell trash cans even from afar and putting cottons or cotton ball to your trashcan can help the water to be absorb which is the cause of the foul odor. Try the laundry basket method in which is very beneficial if things from your kitchen seems all over the place, they can be serve as a place where you can put the equipment immediately.
Kitchen sink seems to the most tiring place of the kitchen can ultimately have because this is where all the oily pans, greasy food and all other disgusting thing will be put. Polishing a stainless-steel sink with flour can literally help the sink to be shiny than ever because flour has this substance that when you rub it to a steel it will become shiny. Keeping chalk to your kitchen sink can help you in maintaining your kitchen dry because chalk is a very absorbent thing that even the greasiest place can be hotly dried. Always keep a dish brush especially when you are throwing a milk tea party this can help you reach the inner part of any kind of tube.
Use your dishwasher to dry hand your utensils and many other equipment because this can help you maintain the dryness of the place that can cause issues like wet floors that can cause danger to the people. Use a mesh laundry bag when you wash small items like removal blades this can help you find the item if lost is the dishwasher. If you think that some parts of your dishes are a bit hard to remove by putting vinegar its acidity can help the hard substance to go smooth in a matter period of time. Last hack is you must clean your silverwares and other utensil with aluminum foil this can help the utensils to have extra friction.
Even with these hacks you must still be hard working in order for your kitchen to maintain its cleanliness.
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Beginning of this year we have change Frank to Slice. Now transition period from Frank to Slice is ending so remember to change to Slice before March. If you want to get the most from your membership, start using Slice now. We will distribute semester stickers to...
FAQ about membership and Slice spring 2019
by Niina Leppälä | Feb 15, 2019 | News
If you have any questions about membership or our student card in Slice, look if there is any help on questions below. If not, then you can found us at chat or via email through laureamko[at]laureamko.fi. Where and how can i pay my membership? Buyning and renewing our...
by Laureamko | Jan 1, 2019 | News
Laureamko’s spring of 2019 the memberships are available! The membership is worth getting or renewing immediately at the beginning of the year so that you will not miss out on any day of amazing student benefits and Laureamko community. As a member you get all...
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You are here: Home / Masters in Education Degrees by Grade Level / Online Masters in Elementary Education Programs
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With an online master’s degree in elementary education, you’ll be ready to teach students at the elementary level in kindergarten through 5th or 6th grade. This is a crucial age for education, at a time when many students are developing a love of learning. Your degree program will prepare you for an advanced career in elementary education with courses in teaching methods, instructional planning, research, and more. You may also be able to choose a specialization in areas like educational technology, special education, and gifted and talented programs.
How a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education Benefits Teachers
Any education that allows you to further your understanding of teaching at the elementary school level will be beneficial, but a master’s degree in particular is a great opportunity for teachers. This degree is excellent for educators who are interested in career advancement, higher pay, and new opportunities.
A master’s degree in elementary education will help you stand out among teaching staff, and will typically allow you to enter a higher pay bracket than a bachelor’s degree would. Additionally, you may find that your advanced degree will open you up to opportunities in school leadership or administration.
Master’s in Elementary Education Degree Curriculum
Master’s degree programs in elementary education focus on preparing candidates for real-world teaching. Since elementary school teachers wear many hats, coursework for a master’s degree in elementary education often covers instructional strategies in reading, math, science, art and technology. Courses are likely to include:
Foundations of Teaching
Curriculum and Instruction
If you’re interested in an online master’s degree program in elementary education, be sure that you understand how a program prepares candidates for licensure. In-class, supervised student teaching is typically a prerequisite for a license and it’s important that a program facilitates opportunities to gain this experience.
Trends in Elementary Education
Elementary educators can expect to see increased diversity in United States classrooms over the course of their careers. The percentage of public school students who are English language learners (ELLs) has risen steadily in the past decade. Test-based assessment and the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act continue to be hot-button topics.
In the classroom, effective technology integration is more important than ever. Better and faster access to multimedia and online content is changing the way educators approach learning. Teachers are increasingly experimenting with game-based learning, social networks and mobile devices.
Elementary Education Teaching License Requirements
The U.S. requires that all public elementary school teachers hold a teaching license. Private schools may or may not require one. Licensure requirements vary from state to state, but aspiring public elementary educators should expect to provide proof of:
A bachelor’s degree from an approved education program
Passing scores from teacher certification exams such as Praxis tests
Student teaching experience
Additional certifications or qualifications, such as a master’s degree, may be needed to teach in specific fields. These include ESL, gifted learning, or special education. Elementary school educators are typically required to participate in ongoing professional development to maintain their license.
States have also developed alternative licensing programs for those looking to make a career change to teaching. Candidates are required to hold a bachelor’s degree at minimum, and some prospective teachers with a bachelor’s degree choose to pursue a master’s in elementary education for better specialization in the field.
Working as an Elementary Education Teacher
Elementary school educators take charge of the intellectual, social and emotional development of children from age 5 or 6 to age 12. They provide students with a solid foundation in language arts and math, as well as wide exposure to science, music, art, geography and social studies.
On any given day, elementary teachers may teach, develop a curriculum, organize classroom materials, review assignments, present work to parents and administrators, supervise field trips, or participate in continuing education.
Traditionally, U.S. elementary schools have operated on a one-teacher, one-class model, but this structure has been challenged in recent decades. Children in different grades may share classrooms or teachers; for instance, some may attend a math class taught by one teacher and a science class taught by another.
Elementary Education Career Outlook
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of elementary school teachers is expected to grow at approximately the average rate until at least 2022. However, a decline in student–teacher ratios and increases in enrollment should provide some new jobs, and growth is expected to be greatest in the South and West. English as a second language and special education teachers are in short supply, and will find that their expertise is in high demand.
Qualified elementary educators can choose to work in public, private or charter schools, or pursue administrative positions. The median annual pay for elementary school teachers is $53,090, but most teachers who pursue a post-baccalaureate qualifications may be rewarded with higher pay.
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I know marketing is something that many creative people shy away from. They feel like it’s slimy, inauthentic and pushy. But the good news is that you don’t have to impersonate the ShamWow guy to be an effective marketer!
Currently my boyfriend Neil and I are working on a documentary about the handmade community called Make It Happen. It’s about how people are able to quit their (soul sucking) day jobs and pursue their dreams of starting their own creative businesses. To say it’s been inspiring is a huge understatement! Our minds have been blown by the stories of struggle, determination and success. I feel incredibly grateful and blessed to have the opportunity to bring them to life and inspire others.
I think one of the most interesting things we have discovered is how the people we interview feel about marketing. Some consider themselves true artists and don’t resonate with the business side of things at all, while others call themselves entrepreneurs who just happen to be artistic. It’s very interesting to see the difference and many times their approach to marketing is very similar.
One of our interviews was with a woman who owns a thriving silk screening business. She makes t-shirts, prints, and screens her photography on sheets of wood. A big part of her business is selling at craft shows and markets across Canada. She is a total pro and everything from her website, booth display, hangtags is polished and consistent. Plus she has a sweet, quirky personality and customers love her.
But does she consider herself a good marketer? No! She told me, “I’m not good at marketing. I have no idea how to do it. I just commutate things that I think my customers want to know. I try to connect with them and understand what they want.”
Ha! I couldn’t help but let out a giggle because this is EXACTLY what marketing is. It’s so simple, but people make it complicated or think it has to be negative. If you can just communicate and connect with your customer as well as give them what they want, I’d say you are a damn good marketer!!
Customers respond to authenticity and truthfulness. Don’t you? We respond well to marketing messages that feel honest and genuine because it feels like someone is trying to help us instead of scam us. If you have this mindset when you are figuring out your own marketing, your success will be so much greater AND you’ll feel good about it. Your may not even realize you are marketing!
This is the final week of our Indiegogo campaign, so please make sure you check out our trailer. For as little as $5, you can help spread the message that it is possible to do what you love and embrace your creativity. Never settle and keep going for your dreams. It’s so worth it!
by Jenna Herbut
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Why Spring is SO Awesome for Your Business!
I know for many designers and crafters it’s the holiday season that really gets them excited. It is when the majority of sales are made so it’s easy to spend the bulk of your time and energy gearing up for this lucrative time of year. But, I think this approach is backwards. Springtime should be the focal point.
This may seem completely counterintuitive. I mean, shouldn’t all the focus be on the crazy busy holiday season when people are shopping up a storm? Well, it all boils down to taking advantage of the breathing space this time of year affords. Spring gives you the time and space to really get clear on what you want to achieve and how you are going to get there.
The spring is an incredible season to think and reflect on what your intentions are with your business and your life. Why are you doing what you’re doing and where are you hoping to go? Your thoughts are so incredibly powerful in dictating your success.
Often times it’s really easy to get caught up in the momentum of life and lose track of where you are headed. Your time gets filled with ‘busy work’ and your thoughts don’t have time to develop into genuine aspirations. This spring is the perfect time to consciously get back on track and headed directly for your dreams.
Knowing what you want out of life and what you should do next in your business, is both thrilling and frustrating! There are SO many choices and no clear path to tell us step-by-step what we should do next. Overwhelming paralysis can set in if you are not careful and purposeful in planning out what you want.
Some of my favorite ways to tackle this head on are to write down what I want my life to look like in one year and then in three years. I include as much detail as possible and break it into categories like health, relationships, work/business, spiritual and fun! When you put pen to paper it’s amazing how ideas and inspiration flow out. It’s an incredibly effective way to get clarity too because it feels like you are seeing the future unfold.
I am also a big advocate of accountability partners and mastermind groups. To get started you only need one other person or a small group of like-minded people who you trust and vibe with. Set up a monthly meeting either in person or over the phone/Skype and discuss what you are working on and what you need help with. Be sure to also mention what you ‘wins’ have been so you can celebrate them together! You won’t believe the difference this will make in your business and your life.
Feeling how you want to feel is also essential for a happy and joyful life. You might have everything you thought you wanted, but if you feel like crap, what’s the point? It’s important to take the time to figure out how you want to feel, and then structure your business based on that. If you want to feel freedom and autonomous then it’s probably critical for you to have a flexible schedule that allows you to travel or take time off when you need it. If abundance is something you deeply crave, what can you do to fulfill that feeling? You probably don’t want to over extend yourself and get into debt, but rather focus on juicy profit margins.
When you are a creative entrepreneur your time is vitally important. There are only 24 hours in a day, and you have an ever growing to-do list. I know setting goals and thinking about how you want to feel seems like the last thing you have time for. But trust me, this is where you want to spend a nice chunk of it this spring. The future You will be forever thankful
What do you want for your business this Spring? Do you have any goals you would like to work towards or feelings you want to focus on? Share with us in the comments so we can cheer you on!
Pssst! If you are interested in learning more about mindset, goal setting and living your dreams, check out Spring Cha Ching. I have a free video series that goes deeper into the concepts mentioned above that I would love to share with you.
by Jenna Herbut
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
The Christmas season can be a time of nerves, anxiety and all-nighters but Jenna of Make It! University & Market is here to tell us how to rock our sales before, during, and after the holidays!
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by Jenna Herbut
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Letter to Etsy Board of Directors on Behalf of #EtsyStrike
The #EtsyStrike begins today July 16, 2018. Learn Why!
Des préoccupations liées aux changements aux valeurs Etsy mènent à l’appel à une grève Etsy (#GreveEtsy)
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Yep, that's Rocky of the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon. Then, when I was about twelve, a friend of mine somehow ordered a pair of live flying squirrels in the mail (back in those days you could order almost any kind of wild animal... fortunately we now have regulations to limit this). He kept them in a cage in his bedroom, and sometimes we would get them out and let them run and jump around in the room. I was fascinated by the way they could spread their arms and legs and glide through the air. By the way... they were not very suitable as pets!
What the heck is a Flying Squirrel?
Flying squirrels are actual squirrels, which means they are rodents. Although here in North America we only have three species of flying squirrels, there are about fifty species worldwide, particularly in China and Southeast Asia. As you probably know, flying squirrels cannot actually fly the way birds and bats fly. Instead, they can glide from tree to tree on the thin flaps of skin between their forelegs and hind legs. They can precisely control their gliding direction and speed by moving their legs and tail. Notice the loose folds of skin on the southern flying squirrel below (this is the type that lives in the forest around our home in Missouri):
It is worth pointing out that sugar gliders are not flying squirrels. I mention this because many of you may have seen sugar gliders for sale in pet stores. Sugar gliders are actually a type of possum, which means they are marsupials. So, they are not closely related to squirrels at all. However, sugar gliders can glide just like flying squirrels, so this is a fascinating example of convergent evolution (when living things that are not closely related develop similar characteristics because they have adapted to the same kinds of environments). Below is a sugar glider:
So, how exactly do these rodents glide? Flying squirrels have a thin flap of skin that stretches out along the sides of their body between their ankles and wrists. This flap is called the patagium. When they spread out their arms and legs, the patagium basically becomes a parachute.
Although flying squirrels are much like other squirrels in most ways, they have a few adaptations to enhance their gliding ability. For example, their leg and arm bones are longer, while their hand and foot bones are shorter. The longer limb bones allows them to create a larger parachute, while the shorter hand and foot bones allow them to better control the parachute. Check out the skeletal structure below.
Flying squirrels have a surprising amount of control over their gliding flight. In fact, they can even create lift by changing the angle of their limbs. Astoundingly, flying squirrels have been observed gliding up to 300 feet (90 meters)!
Notice the finger-like projection sticking out from each of the hands? This is an unusual piece of cartilage that the squirrel can hold vertically, thus providing stability and controlling the direction of flight. No other squirrels have this cartilage projection—only the flying squirrels.
Numerous hypotheses have been suggested to explain the evolution of gliding in flying squirrels. In my opinion, the most reasonable hypothesis is that this adaptation arose because it allows these squirrels to move from tree to tree without expending much energy. Gliding from one tree to another uses much less energy than descending to the ground and then climbing up another tree (not to mention that being on the ground makes the squirrel more vulnerable to predators). So... why don't all squirrels have this ability? That's a good question.
Check out this cool video about how they fly.
Most flying squirrel species are nocturnal, and they are extremely shy, so humans do not often have a chance to see them. Amazingly, Trish and I have only seen one southern flying squirrel in the wild, although they are abundant in our area. Spotting this creature took some effort. We had been hearing the creatures running around on our roof during the night, so we decided to sit out on the deck one night to see if we could spot one. We could hear these strange, high-pitched calls in a tree near us, so I switched on a spotlight. We saw the glow of the flying squirrel's eyes as it stared back at us. We have never seen one during daylight hours.
This is what it looked like:
Amazingly, scientists have recently (and by accident) discovered that all three of the North American species of flying squirrels glow PINK under a UV light! No one really knows why, although scientists have hypothesized that it might be related to avoiding predators, or to communication between squirrels, or possibly to help them navigate while gliding. Here's a video about this flying squirrel superpower.
Flying squirrels are omnivores and eat a surprising variety of different foods. They have been known to eat fruits, seeds, flowers, buds, snails, insects, fungi, lichens, bird's eggs, spiders, and even tree sap.
Finally, flying squirrels come in a wide variety of sizes. The three species found in North America are all about the size of the palm of your hand, but the woolly flying squirrel, which lives in Pakistan, is the largest species, weighing 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg). The smallest species, the Hose's pygmy flying squirrel of Borneo, weighs only 2.5 ounces (70 grams).
Check out this red and white giant flying squirrel from China!
(photo by Will Burrard-Lucas)
So, the Flying Squirrel deserves a place in the H.A.H.O.F.
(High-class Animal Hall of Fame).
FUN FACT: The term high-class, an adjective meaning "of superior quality or status" can be traced back to about 1833. Originally, at that time, it probably meant "of high social rank," suggesting (in a rather snobbish way) that people in higher social classes were of higher quality. Alternatively, it may have been used by people of lower socioeconomic classes to (perhaps derisively) describe someone or something as "very fancy, wealthy, or expensive." Regardless, it has come to be used widely as a more general term (a high-class hotel, a high-class jeweler, a high-class author).
So, high-class is another way to say awesome!
Photo Credits:
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[Editor’s note: The interviewee in this serial whose name is deleted is Suzanne Jones Cartmell, an adopted daughter of Jim Jones, the former wife of Mike Cartmell, and a well-known defector. Her name, as well as other deleted information from the memorandum – designated by brackets – which is known to the editor has been indicated by red type.]
On December 3, 1978, [name deleted] [Suzanne Jones Cartmell] was interviewed at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFKIA), Pan American Hangar 17, Queens, New York (NY), by SAS [names deleted]. Also present during the interview was Special Agent [name deleted] United States (US) Secret Service. Prior to the beginning of the interview, [Cartmell] was apprised of the identities of the interviewing agents and the nature of the interview. She expressed a concern for her well-being, if information related by her to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) became known. Thereafter, she provided the following information:
[Half line deleted] the Reverend Jim Jones, who up until the time of his death, was Leader of the Peoples Temple (PT), and on Friday, December 1, 1978, she was interviewed by Agents of the San Francisco, FBI Office. [Cartmell] advised that she was a member of the PT, but finally left the Temple [2 lines deleted] the Planning Commission (PC), which held general discussion meetings usually three times weekly and handled the administration matters of the PT. Reverend Jones was the Leader, next came the “Elite”, then the PC, next, the work forces or committees and finally, the remaining members of the congregation, who were also known as the dues paying members.
The “Elite” members were the ones closest to Reverend Jones and they came up with the plans and ideas for the PT. [Cartmell] vaguely recalls this group being also called, “Heavenly Angels.” She also stated that this other name for the “Elite” was not known to the dues paying members. As of 1976, the following people were in the “Elite”:
1. Carolyn Layton, nee Moore, Larry Layton’s ex-wife, who had the position of Confidential Secretary to Reverend Jones;
2. Michael Prokes, who was the Public Relations person. [Cartmell] stated that Layton and Prokes made the overseas deposits for the PT. [half line deleted] the PT had accounts in banks in London, Switzerland, and Panama, and she thinks these accounts were in the name of the PT. She also advised that the PT had two local banking accounts in San Francisco with the Bank of America and Barclays Bank, but she believes these deposits were small. [2 lines deleted] She stated that Prokes is presently alive and living in Georgetown, Guyana. Prokes, when he resided in the San Francisco PT, had the key to the woodshed or woodshop, which was the room where the weapons (handguns and rifles) were kept. [Name deleted] that Reverend Jones told everyone to bring all their weapons to the PT because the members did not need the weapons anymore for protection, as Reverend Jones would protect them.
3. Patty Cartmell, [information deleted]
5. Linda Amos, also known as (aka) Sharon Amos, were the fact finders and provided information to Reverend Jones regarding the fake healings he performed. She advised that the two Cartmells and Amos are deceased.
6. Terry Buford, who was the mastermind of nationwide traveling, planner of violence and the enforcer. Buford is presently residing somewhere in the US, and has available to her unlimited funds for traveling, etcetera. [Cartmell] stated that she had information that Buford had met with [half line deleted] in the San Francisco PT, during October, 1978, and that the food was in the Washington, D. C. area during November, 1978. [Cartmell] described Buford as being a white female, tall, slender, sandy colored shoulder length hair, and in her late 20s.
7. Sandy Bradshaw, who is presently alive and residing in the San Francisco PT, was the number one marksperson, and trained other members of the PT in the use of weapons. [Cartmell] described Bradshaw as being a white female, fair complected, short blonde hair and in her late 20s to early 30s. [Cartmell] stated that Reverend Jones did not like Bradshaw, but did recognize her abilities, and would give
Bradshaw assignments that would take her away from the Reverend Jones. [Cartmell] stated that she considered Carolyn Layton, Prokes, Buford and Bradshaw as the most violent members of the PT, as these members and also the other members of the “Elite”, usually always carried handguns. [Cartmell] advised that these above four named individuals would also know the most information concerning the operation of the PT.
8. Maria Kitsaris [Katsaris], who is deceased, was the Treasurer and Reverend Jones’ mistress;
9. Tim Stone [Stoen], who is presently residing either in Georgetown or San Francisco, was the Legal Officer or Attorney for the PT;
10. Richard Tropp, who is deceased, was the letter writer;
11. Harriet Tropp, who is deceased, and sister of Richard Tropp, was in the Legal Unit;
12. Karen Layton, who is deceased and was the wife of Larry Layton, was also a fact finder and planner of the fake hearings;
13. Eugene Chaiken [Chaikin] was also an Attorney for the PT.
[Cartmell] stated that while a member of the PC, she made a trip to Guyana, [half line deleted]. This trip to Guyana was in [line deleted]
[Cartmell] advised that, as of 1976, “Going to New York” meant that the mass suicide plan was to be put into effect. Suicide drills were discussed in the PC meetings. [Cartmell] advised that Reverend Jones banned the membership from all alcoholic beverages and cigarettes, but that during one PC meeting, Reverend Jones brought wine to the meeting and advised the committee that he was going to test their ultimate loyalty. Reverend Jones gave each member a small paper cup containing the wine and told them to drink it. [Cartmell] stated that this was unusual, as Reverend Jones always condemned the use of alcoholic beverages. She advised
that the drink tasted like homemade grape juice mixed with wine. Everyone drank the liquid, and when they finished, Reverend Jones told them that they were all going to lay down and die, but would feel no side effects or physical pain. [Cartmell] stated that one woman member jumped up and ran out of the room, but two security guards brought her back. Reverend Jones then lashed out at this woman. Reverend Jones had plans of a mass suicide of the dues paying members, but the PC and “Elite” would remain alive to carry out the contingency plan. [Cartmell] stated that she believed the people who lived through the Jonestown suicide were not supposed to live. [line deleted] someone killed him, thinking it was a service to him. [Cartmell] thinks that the reason the contingency plan did not work was because Reverend Jones and the other residents of Jonestown were caught off guard by the happenings relating to the visit of Congressman Leo Ryan and his party. As of 1976, Reverend Jones’ contingency plan was that 200 members would remain in San Francisco after the mass suicide plan was carried out. She thinks that presently there are 30 to 40 people at the San Francisco PT. She believes that the remaining high-up members will carry out Jones’ contingency plans even though he is dead. This plan would be carried out either individually or as a group.
Reverend Jones also advised his members that if he were ever caught or arrested, that the members should protest by committing acts which would put them in jail. There would be so many people arrested that the jails would not be able to hold all of them. Reverend Jones stated that politicians should be taken as hostages to get him out of jail. He also called his security force and bodyguards that [if] he ever died or the Church ever collapsed that the members would take down the defectors (former members), politicians and the bad press.
[Cartmell] advised that the following politicians’ names were mentioned in general terms [words deleted] but nothing specific was said concerning these people:
[Half line deleted] did mention Richard Nixon’s name concerning the happenings related to Watergate.
[Half line deleted] wanted to make a place in history and often spoke about becoming President of the United States (US). He wanted to be a martyr and die for his people. Reverend Jones had visited Cuba twice, once in the early sixties and the other time was the early 70s. [Half line deleted] would have ever relocated his people, it would have been either to Red China, Cuba, or the Soviet Union. Reverend Jones discussed in his PC meetings, germ warfare and expressed a fear of a nuclear holocaust. [Half line deleted] talk about a device which would shoot something into the skin to kill his enemies.
[Half line deleted] had taken medications for years and that he always carried a ladies’ makeup case full of medications with him. He always encouraged the membership to fill their medical prescriptions over and over again and then turn them into him. The nurses were used to obtain as much medication for him as possible.
She stated that during one PC meaning, Paula Adams, telephoned Reverend Jones and advised him that she had been approached by a Customs Official in Guyana concerning sexual favors. Jones instructed her to go ahead and do what she had to. [Cartmell] further advised that she believes Adams did sexual favors for the Guyanese officials and US Embassy employees in Guyana. Paula Adams is described as a white female, 5’5″ to 5’6″, medium build, dark brown wavy, shoulder length hair.
[Half line deleted] defectors had met with Ryan’s administrative aide’s son, prior to Ryan’s visit to Guyana. She advised that she knew that Ryan plan to go to Guyana, but she did not know exactly when this was going to be. She further advised that the defectors did not go to law enforcement agencies because the defectors thought the contingency plans would be too incredible for law enforcement officials to believe. She advised that the Human Freedom Center in Berkeley, California was helping the PT defectors and that the center had once been able to break these radio code transmissions of the PT in San Francisco to Jonestown.
[Cartmell] stated that the weapons were transported from the PT in San Francisco to Jonestown by packing them in crates containing pots and pans and other household items. Michael Prokes made frequent trips between the PT and Jonestown during the time these weapons were transported. Prokes also married Carolyn Layton to give her son, Jim John [Jim Jon], a name. [half line deleted] was the father of this child.
[Half line deleted] was smart in his running of the PT, in that he gave only bits and pieces of information to certain people, but he never gave the overall picture of the activities of the PT to any one person.
Regarding Doctor Lawrence [Laurence] Schacht, Reverend Jones had cured him of a drug habit and then sent Schacht to medical school. Schacht was at one time a member of the PC.
[Cartmell] stated that during 1977, Lieutenant Governor Dimally [Mervyn Dymally] of California, visited Jonestown. She stated that she read about this in the PT Church paper. Concerning Mark Lane and Charles Garry, the attorneys presently representing the PT, [Cartmell] stated that she did not know Mark Lane very well, but that several members of the PT had praised the work of Garry. She stated that Garry had provided the defense for Angela Davis and Hughie [Huey] Newton. The PT had also provided money for the defense of Angela Davis and Dennis Banks.
As far as code words existing in PT, [Cartmell] advised that the word “hit team” was not a code word used in the PT at the time she was in it. She is not sure if a hit team does presently exist and does not believe that the term, “hit team” and the basketball team are synonymous. She believes that the basketball team is legitimate. [Sentence deleted] Another codeword which was used, as of 1976, was “Bible”, which signified guns and weapons. Jones would announce to the members to “have your Bibles ready.” Another term used was “eggs”, which signified the money which was taken up by the Church.
[Cartmell] stated that as of 1976, the real estate dealings of the PT were handled by Tish Leroy and Harold Cordell. Cordell also did the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for most of the PT members.
[Cartmell] stated that during late August or early September, she had contacted [Name deleted] and expressed a desire to see them, but she advised them that she would not go to Jonestown, nor would she meet them at the San Francisco PT. [Name deleted] [Marceline Jones] telephoned her directly at work and expressed a desire to see her and he would like for her to come to Jonestown. Approximately two hours later after this phone call [Name deleted], he telephoned her again and told her not to come, [four lines deleted].
She further stated that approximately two weeks before Ryan’s trip to Guyana, Tim Carter, contacted [line deleted] in San Francisco. Carter told them that he had defected from the PT and wanted them to help him look for a job. They did not quite believe what Carter had to say and after Carter had left, they realized that [Name deleted]’s file relating to the PT was missing.
[Cartmell] stated that information had been received that contracts had been put out on [Names deleted].
[Cartmell] provided information in the following names, noting that some information was as of 1976 and other information was secondhand:
black male, large build, member of security force
[2 lines deleted]
High up in security force, bodyguard, planning
White male, tall, dramatic, forceful, military background, former bus driver
Strong build, black male
Cobb family:
James Cobb, Sr. – father
Ava Cobb – married Johnny Brown Jones
Jim Cobb – went with Congressman Ryan to Guyana. Nonviolent, leader of a youth group. Left PT years ago.
Terry Cobb – Leader in youth group
Beam family:
[name withheld] advised that Jack Beam [line deleted] was a faithful follower
Ellie Beam – daughter
Joyce Beam Parks – daughter, was personal nurse of Reverend Jones at the San Francisco PT, was demoted to a regular nurse in Jonestown.
The following description of [Cartmell] was obtained through observation and interview:
[Information related to date of birth, place of birth, height, weight, etc. all deleted]
The FBI and Peoples Temple >
the jonestown report
Who Died
Jonestown in the Arts
Commentary & Opinion
Primary Sources
Jonestown & FOIA
Sponsored by the Department of Religious Studies at SDSU.
Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple is a MERLOT site (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching.)
This site houses a variety of PDF documents. To access these PDF files you must have the free Adobe Reader installed.
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Haitian President Jovenel Moise has been assassinated
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Aug 14, 2021
And now...an earthquake.
Reactions: killagram, Shaka54, ViCiouS and 1 other person
Aug 15, 2021
850credit said:
And now...an earthquake.
Click to expand...
United States Detainee
Aug 18, 2021
These people will be flooding into other countries and get resettled, many of whom will rat inform on other people all day, and not engage in anything productive. These people are the bottom of the barrel piece of garbage that the black community has to many of, we need a similar scene. They chose their fate and must accept it now.
They could have started businesses independent of the U.S. government such as farming but instead decided to work for the military or some U.S. contractor to help kill their brethren.
Do not feel sorry if they are killed by the Taliban, many of these people would kill you in a second for an opportunity with a U.S. contractor picking up trash.
Aug 20, 2021
COINTELPRO said:
These people will be flooding into other countries and get resettled, many of whom will rat inform on other people all day, and not engage in anything productive. These people are the bottom of the barrel piece of garbage that the black community has to many of, we need a similar scene. They chose their fate and must accept it now.
They could have started businesses independent of the U.S. government such as farming but instead decided to work for the military or some U.S. contractor to help kill their brethren.
Do not feel sorry if they are killed by the Taliban, many of these people would kill you in a second for an opportunity with a U.S. contractor picking up trash.
Click to expand...
We are guardians and killers of this planet, there is no need to hate, many will go back home. It is not them to accept their fate, no one knows what tomorrow brings.
Reactions: killagram
Aug 26, 2021
WorldEX said:
We are guardians and killers of this planet, there is no need to hate, many will go back home. It is not them to accept their fate, no one knows what tomorrow brings.
Click to expand...
Go back home when in the US there are supermarkets on every block, homes with A/C, better paying jobs? I doubt they are going anywhere.
Aug 27, 2021
Go back home when in the US there are supermarkets on every block, homes with A/C, better paying jobs? I doubt they are going anywhere.
Click to expand...
You really think that? It is not the poor fleeing, but rich who have it 10x better there than you.
Reactions: Shaka54
Aug 27, 2021
WorldEX said:
You really think that? It is not the poor fleeing, but rich who have it 10x better there than you.
Click to expand...
You dont see the rich Cubans who supported the previous government going back do you?
Aug 27, 2021
You dont see the rich Cubans who supported the previous government going back do you?
Click to expand...
Not the same conditions bro. You can not compare Cuba with Afghanistan. It was also the rich from Cuba who fled first.
M
Aug 28, 2021
cacs think they slick
they using those afghani's to up their
You better believe every single one of them
are going to be told to list their race as
cacs are sooo desperate to repair thier
their only chance is to come back
as a mulatto
and thats exactly their plan,
hence all the mixed marriage shit you seeing all over the place..
cacs think they slick
they using those afghani's to up their
You better believe every single one of them
are going to be told to list their race as
cacs are sooo desperate to repair thier
their only chance is to come back
as a mulatto
and thats exactly their plan,
hence all the mixed marriage shit you seeing all over the place..
Click to expand...
Right on, write on, bruh.. But dont forget they bring those afghans over here, to grow their heroin in those secret government underground bases!!
dade305
#431
Reactions: Shaka54 and ViCiouS
ViCiouS
Click to expand...
Sep 10, 2021
Reactions: Shaka54
ViCiouS
Sep 17, 2021
Reactions: Shaka54
ViCiouS
Sep 17, 2021
Reactions: Shaka54
ViCiouS
Sep 17, 2021
Reactions: Shaka54
ViCiouS
Sep 17, 2021
Reactions: Shaka54
Oct 25, 2021
slewdem100 said:
Ask the Clintons...just so you know, there are rich people in Haiti...so there must be something of value there
What did tiny Grenada have of value when Reagan declared war on them?
Click to expand...
Oct 25, 2021
S
Oct 25, 2021
#440
Click to expand...
The gangster principle...if I let anybody get away with robbing me, no matter how small the amount, everybody will start doing it
Oct 30, 2021
#441
cacs think they slick
they using those afghani's to up their
You better believe every single one of them
are going to be told to list their race as
cacs are sooo desperate to repair thier
their only chance is to come back
as a mulatto
and thats exactly their plan,
hence all the mixed marriage shit you seeing all over the place..
Click to expand...
LMAO!!! So you think the white man look at Afgans (who are majority Muslims as the same??? I'm happy that a the Afghans are having the chance to live in the United States. Just like the Vietnamese were allowed to come and prosper after the Vietnam War. They will have the chance to rebuild some of then dilapidated innercities of this country, and take advantage of what this country has to offer. I've noticed a lot of Muslims and Sikhs Indians working in the trucking industry as well.
M
Oct 30, 2021
#442
LMAO!!! So you think the white man look at Afgans (who are majority Muslims as the same??? I'm happy that a the Afghans are having the chance to live in the United States. Just like the Vietnamese were allowed to come and prosper after the Vietnam War. They will have the chance to rebuild some of then dilapidated innercities of this country, and take advantage of what this country has to offer. I've noticed a lot of Muslims and Sikhs Indians working in the trucking industry as well.
Click to expand...
Uh they take Africans and chinese immigrants and have them catergorized as this fictional thing called a "white" race.. just so they can
be delusional with this fictional thing called white supremacy...
Oct 31, 2021
Uh they take Africans and chinese immigrants and have them catergorized as this fictional thing called a "white" race.. just so they can
be delusional with this fictional thing called white supremacy...
Click to expand...
So now Afghans can be categorized as Caucasians...Man you can not make this up... So can you explain why trump wanted to bar all these "white muslims" from entering the country? Are they considered the wrong type of white? Do the list right below the trailer park white? Will you accept the term "Cave White"?
M
Oct 31, 2021
So now Afghans can be categorized as Caucasians...Man you can not make this up... So can you explain why trump wanted to bar all these "white muslims" from entering the country? Are they considered the wrong type of white? Do the list right below the trailer park white? Will you accept the term "Cave White"?
Click to expand...
they BEEN DOING THIS SHIT BRUH... its how a cac minority
Get the facts keep reading my postings, stay informed!!!
DETROIT (CNN) -- An Egyptian immigrant is suing the U.S. government because they've told him he's white when his entire life he's been black.
Mostafa Hefny was born in Egypt and has always been proud of his Egyptian culture and his African ancestry. But when Hefny immigrated to America, the U.S. government told him he was no longer a black man.
"I was not told by Immigration that I was white until I passed the exam for citizenship and then I was told I am now white," he explains.
CNN - Egyptian immigrant fights for black classification - July 16, 1997
and no personally I will only accept the truth,
Oct 31, 2021
they BEEN DOING THIS SHIT BRUH... its how a cac minority
Get the facts keep reading my postings, stay informed!!!
DETROIT (CNN) -- An Egyptian immigrant is suing the U.S. government because they've told him he's white when his entire life he's been black.
Mostafa Hefny was born in Egypt and has always been proud of his Egyptian culture and his African ancestry. But when Hefny immigrated to America, the U.S. government told him he was no longer a black man.
"I was not told by Immigration that I was white until I passed the exam for citizenship and then I was told I am now white," he explains.
CNN - Egyptian immigrant fights for black classification - July 16, 1997
and no personally I will only accept the truth,
Click to expand...
LMAO Calm down my brother...You typing a lot but not really saying anything of value... You speak of a single case, as if it's the norm. who gives a crap what the census says (that's why republican tried and limited the distribution of the 2020 census. I try to have you think for yourself and not be bullied by the masses. You're a grown azz man now, so act and think like one..
M
Oct 31, 2021
LMAO Calm down my brother...You typing a lot but not really saying anything of value... You speak of a single case, as if it's the norm. who gives a crap what the census says (that's why republican tried and limited the distribution of the 2020 census. I try to have you think for yourself and not be bullied by the masses. You're a grown azz man now, so act and think like one..
Click to expand...
LOL,
Yea ok...
when you get a clue about how life really works,
holla back, we'll talk!
Nov 11, 2021
#447
LOL,
Yea ok...
when you get a clue about how life really works,
holla back, we'll talk!
Click to expand...
Bruh I got this thing called life, and world events down to a science. This issue is that people like you lose sleep, and stress over things you have no control over. My life is amazing and the journey continues. Cheer up and ride the wave my brother.
M
Nov 11, 2021
Bruh I got this thing called life, and world events down to a science. This issue is that people like you lose sleep, and stress over things you have no control over. My life is amazing and the journey continues. Cheer up and ride the wave my brother.
Click to expand...
just because you SAY your life is amazing, doesnt actually make it amazing...
give me just three examples of why you think your life is so amazing.
I bet you cant even give me two...
ol saying shit just to say shit lookin ass...
and
you have ZERO idea how Im living...
I promise you that!
Platinum Member
Nov 11, 2021
#449
just because you SAY your life is amazing, doesnt actually make it amazing...
give me just three examples of why you think your life is so amazing.
I bet you cant even give me two...
ol saying shit just to say shit lookin ass...
and
you have ZERO idea how Im living...
I promise you that!
Click to expand...
not speaking for anyone but myself
M
Nov 11, 2021
not speaking for anyone but myself
Click to expand...
u may have a point but in that case we
ViCiouS
Dec 12, 2021
850credit said:
Took a long time to paste this SUBSCRIPTION ARTICLE for yall so don't wanna hear about no Colin Powell.
In the months before his murder, President Jovenel Moïse took a number of steps to fight drug and arms smugglers. Some officials now fear he was killed for it.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — President Jovenel Moïse of Haiti was about to name names.
Before being assassinated in July, he had been working on a list of powerful politicians and businesspeople involved in Haiti’s drug trade, with the intention of handing over the dossier to the American government, according to four senior Haitian advisers and officials tasked with drafting the document.
The president had ordered the officials to spare no one, not even the power brokers who had helped propel him into office, they said — one of several moves against suspected drug traffickers that could explain a motive for the assassination.
When gunmen burst into Mr. Moïse’s residence and killed him in his bedroom, his wife, Martine Moïse — who had also been shot and lay bleeding on the floor, pretending to be dead — described how they stayed to search the room, hurriedly digging through his files.
“‘That’s it,’” they finally declared to one another before fleeing, she told The New York Times in her first interview after the assassination, adding that she did not know what the gunmen had taken.
Investigators arrived at the crime scene to find Mr. Moïse’s home office ransacked, papers strewn everywhere. In interrogations, some of the captured hit men confessed that retrieving the list Mr. Moïse had been working on — with the names of suspected drug traffickers — was a top priority, according to three senior Haitian officials with knowledge of the investigation.
The document was part of a broader series of clashes Mr. Moïse had with powerful political and business figures, some suspected of narcotics and arms trafficking. Mr. Moïse had known several of them for years, and they felt betrayed by his turn against them, his aides say.
In the months before his death, Mr. Moïse took steps to clean up Haiti’s customs department, nationalize a seaport with a history of smuggling, destroy an airstrip used by drug traffickers and investigate the lucrative eel trade, which has recently been identified as a conduit for money laundering.
The Times interviewed more than 70 people and traveled to eight of Haiti’s 10 departments, or states, to interview politicians, Mr. Moïse’s childhood friends, police officers, fishermen and participants in the drug trade to understand what happened in the last seven months of the president’s life that may have contributed to his death. Many of them now fear for their lives as well.
“I would be a fool to think that narco-trafficking and arms trafficking didn’t play a role in the assassination,” said Daniel Foote, who served as the U.S. special envoy to Haiti before stepping down last month. “Anyone who understands Haiti’s politics or economics understands this.”
A central figure on Mr. Moïse’s list was Charles Saint-Rémy, known as Kiko, two of the Haitian officials tasked with helping draft the dossier said. Mr. Saint-Rémy, a Haitian businessman, has long been suspected by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration of involvement in the drug trade. Notably, he is also the brother-in-law of former President Michel Martelly, who lifted Mr. Moïse out of political obscurity and tapped him to be his successor.
Mr. Martelly, who is considering another run for the presidency, and Mr. Saint-Rémy were hugely influential in Mr. Moïse’s government, with a say in everything from who got public contracts to which cabinet ministers got appointed, according to Haitian officials inside and outside his administration. But Mr. Moïse came to feel that they and other oligarchs were stifling his presidency, his aides say.
American officials say that they are looking closely at Mr. Moïse’s efforts to disrupt the drug trade and challenge powerful families as motives in the assassination, and they note that Mr. Saint-Rémy emerged as a possible suspect early in the investigation. But they caution that Mr. Moïse threatened many the economic elite, including a number of people with deep criminal connections.
Mr. Martelly and Mr. Saint-Rémy did not respond to a detailed list of questions for this article.
The investigation into Mr. Moïse’s killing has stalled, American officials say, and if the assassination is not solved, many Haitians fear it will add to the mountain of impunity in the country, further emboldening the criminal networks that have captured the state.
Suspected drug and arms traffickers have long sat in Haiti’s Parliament. Small planes with contraband frequently land on clandestine airstrips. Haitian police officers have been caught aiding drug smugglers, while judges are regularly bribed to throw cases.
Haiti may now provide the largest route for drugs destined for the United States, but no one knows for sure because the country has become so difficult to police. American law enforcement is unable to run a wiretapping program in the country, or even fully collaborate with its Haitian counterparts, because corruption in the police and judiciary runs so deep, U.S. officials say.
“Anyone involved in drug trafficking here has at least one police officer on their team,” said Compère Daniel, the police commissioner of the Northwest Department of Haiti, a major transit smuggling corridor.
“It is impossible to get police officers to cooperate with me on the field,” he said. “Sometimes they don’t even answer my calls.”
The D.E.A.’s operations in Haiti have also drawn scrutiny. Criticism of the agency has sharpened because at least two of the Haitians suspected of involvement in Mr. Moïse’s assassination were former D.E.A. informants.
In November, the Senate Judiciary Committee criticized the D.E.A. for corruption allegations that have swirled around its Haiti operations, citing a Times investigation in August linking Mr. Moïse’s head of palace security to the drug trade. The D.E.A., accused by former agents of mishandling one of Haiti’s biggest drug cases, declined to comment.
When Mr. Moïse was chosen by Mr. Martelly in 2014 to be his successor, Mr. Martelly introduced the nation to a supposed outsider with peasant origins, a man of the countryside who had lifted himself out of poverty by running banana plantations.
Mr. Martelly’s associates said he first met Mr. Moïse during a conference and was struck by the entrepreneur’s business acumen.
But the story was misleading: Mr. Moïse had mostly grown up in the capital, several of the original board members of his banana plantation say it was a failure, and Mr. Moïse was already a close associate of Mr. Saint-Rémy and at least one other suspected drug trafficker.
Mr. Moïse, 53 at the time of his assassination, was born in Trou-du-Nord, French for “hole of the North,” an agricultural town that has suffered under decades of government neglect. His father drove a tractor at a nearby sisal plantation but lost his job when it closed, according to interviews with local residents.
When Mr. Moïse was 7, his mother moved him and his siblings to Carrefour, a slum of Port-au-Prince, in search of work and a secondary school for her children, relatives said. In university, Mr. Moïse met his wife and they moved together to her hometown, Port-de-Paix, in the northwest.
By 2000, Mr. Moïse had met and become business partners with Evinx Daniel, according to relatives and acquaintances of both men. Mr. Daniel, a close friend of Mr. Martelly’s, would later be accused of drug trafficking.
Mr. Moïse worked with Mr. Daniel on one of his ventures, Mariella Food Products, which produced biscuits with a pigtailed schoolgirl on the packaging. A former high-ranking Haitian police officer said the company was suspected of being a money laundering front.
The full extent of Mr. Moïse’s involvement in the company is unclear, but a former senator, Jean Baptiste Bien-Aimé, recalled the men coming to his office to talk about the company about a decade ago, and said the men were often with Mr. Saint-Rémy, the brother-in-law of Mr. Martelly.
“They were always together. They were fish crushed in the soup,” said Mr. Bien-Aimé, using a local saying to describe close relationships.
Mr. Saint-Rémy has publicly admitted that he sold drugs in the past but claims all his businesses are now legitimate. Haitian law enforcement officials and former D.E.A. officers who recently served in Haiti say he is still believed to be one of the country’s biggest drug traffickers.
Jacques Jean Kinan, Mr. Moïse’s cousin, said he and Mr. Moïse worked with Mr. Saint-Rémy in the eel industry.
With his brother-in-law as president, Mr. Saint-Rémy wielded enormous influence, often demanding that choice licenses and contracts be awarded to him, particularly eel export licenses, according to officials in Mr. Martelly’s government.
When his demands were not heeded, he could turn violent: In 2015, Mr. Saint-Rémy assaulted an agriculture minister for issuing a contract without his consent, an altercation reported at the time and confirmed by a former government minister.
As Mr. Saint-Rémy’s hold on the eel trade solidified, Mr. Moïse decided to get out of the sector and focus on Agritrans, a banana plantation near his hometown.
“My father said that the Martelly family cornered the eel business and made it difficult to get in,” said Joverlein Moïse, the slain president’s son.
Mr. Moïse also kept in touch with his associate, Mr. Daniel, who had opened a hotel in Les Cayes, a coastal city in the south, an official and a relative said.
In 2013, Mr. Daniel told the authorities that he found 23 packages of marijuana floating at sea while he was on his boat and decided to bring them home. Mr. Daniel said at the time that he and Mr. Saint-Rémy called the D.E.A. to pick up the load he discovered.
A prosecutor, Jean Marie Salomon, doubted the story, suspecting it was a ploy to cover up a drug deal gone bad after locals had stumbled on the stash. He arrested Mr. Daniel on drug-trafficking charges, but he said Mr. Martelly’s minister of justice personally intervened and ordered his release.
Shortly after, Mr. Martelly went to Mr. Daniel’s hotel with a delegation in a clear display of support, Mr. Salomon said. “The message was, justice does not matter,” he said.
Just months after his release, Mr. Daniel went missing in 2014, his abandoned car found at a gas station. Two people — a relative of Mr. Daniel’s and a police officer at the time — said Mr. Moïse was one of the last people to see him alive. Mr. Daniel is presumed dead.
Mr. Salomon suspects that drug traffickers killed him, concerned that he would expose their network as part of a plea deal, and Mr. Daniel’s disappearance remains unsolved. Two investigators said they were sidelined by a federal police unit controlled by Mr. Martelly’s government that took over the investigation and tampered with the evidence.
Barred by the Constitution from running for two consecutive terms, Mr. Martelly began looking for a successor. He wanted to find someone to keep the bench warm for him until he could launch another presidential bid and shield himself from corruption allegations involving the misappropriation of billions of dollars during his tenure, according to former officials in the Martelly and Moïse administrations.
He settled on Mr. Moïse, marketing him as a successful entrepreneur and nicknaming him the “Banana Man” on the campaign trail.
“I told Martelly, you have to look for the peasant vote, someone who looks like them, someone with black skin,” said a former senator, Jacques Sauveur Jean, a friend and sometimes political ally of Mr. Martelly. He said Haitians were tired of the privileged light-skinned elite who ran the country, like Mr. Martelly, and felt that Mr. Moïse, with his dark skin and rural origins, better represented them.
In interviews, three of the original board members of Mr. Moïse’s plantation business, Agritrans, described the venture as a failure, with their original investments lost and little but a barren field to show for it.
But as Mr. Martelly contemplated a successor, the company received a $6 million loan from the government.
Esther Antoine, one of Mr. Moïse’s campaign managers, said she worked to polish his image, to get rid of a stutter that had haunted him and improve his confidence onstage. But on the campaign trail Mr. Martelly took center stage, she said, outshining the man he was supposed to be promoting.
Ms. Antoine, who worried that Mr. Martelly’s outsize presence was “drowning” her candidate, said she convinced the president to give Mr. Moïse the space to campaign alone. That did not sit well with Mr. Martelly’s wife, Sophia, she said.
She said the first lady grew suspicious of Ms. Antoine and called her to the Martelly family home in the middle of the night, reprimanding her for not informing them of Mr. Moïse’s every move.
Ms. Antoine said she pushed back, arguing that she was there to work for Mr. Moïse, not the Martelly family.
“That’s when the wife looks at me and says, ‘Jovenel is a property. You don’t seem to understand that,’” Ms. Antoine recounted. “I was shocked. When I asked her to repeat it, she then switched to French: ‘Jovenel est une propriété.’”
The former first lady did not respond to a detailed list of questions for this article.
When he won and took over the presidency in 2017, Mr. Moïse felt suffocated by Mr. Martelly but remained loyal to him, his aides said.
Mr. Moïse was unable to choose his own cabinet without the approval of the Martelly family or Mr. Saint-Rémy, they said. The Martellys would often call Mr. Moïse, yelling at him for his legislative initiatives, according to several people who overheard the conversations.
“The true leader wasn’t the president,” said Gabriel Fortuné, a close adviser to Mr. Moïse who died in an earthquake a day after speaking with The Times. “It was his godfather, Martelly. When we talk about the godfather we are talking about the Italian way,” he added, “the family.”
Ms. Antoine acknowledged that Mr. Moïse often turned a blind eye to the corruption in his government, to avoid making enemies and advance his own initiatives.
“He would say, ‘Let me feed them so they leave me alone. If they’re making money, they’ll let me do my electricity and build my roads,’” Ms. Antoine recalled him saying.
But Mr. Moïse’s critics said he joined in the corruption. Before he came to power, the Haitian government was investigating Mr. Moïse, his wife and their company, Agritrans, for large amounts of money found in their bank accounts that could not be explained by the level of business they were generating, an official who worked on the case said.
Two government anti-corruption units also questioned why Mr. Martelly’s government gave a $6 million loan to Agritrans, a company with such a limited record. But when Mr. Moïse came to power, he fired the directors of the two anti-corruption units who worked on the inquiry.
As Mr. Moïse settled into office, he soon realized that the withering control Mr. Martelly and his family exerted on the campaign trail extended to his personal security, several officials said.
Mr. Moïse inherited Dimitri Hérard, a pivotal member of Mr. Martelly’s presidential security force who became the head of the police unit protecting Mr. Moïse’s presidential palace.
Mr. Hérard was also a drug-trafficking suspect. In 2015, when a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship docked in Port-au-Prince with 1,100 kilograms of cocaine and heroin aboard, Mr. Hérard was seen commanding police officers in uniform to load the drugs into vehicles before speeding off with them, according to a witness and Keith McNichols, a former D.E.A. agent stationed in Haiti who led the agency’s investigation into the missing drug shipment.
But Mr. Martelly shielded Mr. Hérard from being questioned by investigators in the case, a former United Nations official said.
Mr. Moïse deeply mistrusted Mr. Hérard, according to several presidential advisers and an international diplomat the president confided in. On at least one occasion, they said, Mr. Hérard was found spying on the president for Mr. Saint-Rémy, informing him about Mr. Moïse’s meetings.
Mr. Hérard, now in detention as a suspect in the assassination, could not be reached for comment.
In January, Mr. Hérard ordered about 260 weapons from Turkey — including M4 carbines and handguns — making out the order to the presidential palace, Mr. Fortuné and a former security official said. But instead of arming his own unit, they said, Mr. Hérard sold most of the weapons to gangs and businesses.
“When Moïse found out about the weapons Hérard ordered, he wasn’t surprised — he was scared,” Mr. Fortuné said.
Mr. Moïse’s relationship with the presidential security forces, already on tenterhooks, further soured. But that changed in February, when Mr. Hérard claimed to have foiled a coup attempt against Mr. Moïse. Suddenly, the distrust waned. Some former aides, like Ms. Antoine and Mr. Fortuné, wondered whether the supposed coup was a false flag, to throw off Mr. Moïse’s suspicions about Mr. Hérard.
After the coup scare, Mr. Moïse went on the offensive, publicly blasting Haiti’s oligarchs and political elite for trying to kill him, including in one of his final interviews with The Times before his death.
Behind the scenes, Haitian officials say, Mr. Moïse began working to take down his perceived enemies. He spoke with his closest aides and select officials to start compiling the dossier breaking down narcotics and weapons smuggling networks in Haiti, including Mr. Saint-Rémy, according to the people involved with the document.
In February, Josua Alusma, the mayor of Port-du-Paix and a close Moïse ally, ordered a crackdown on the eel trade, the industry dominated by Mr. Saint-Rémy. Many of the eels go to China, but the Haitian police are investigating the industry as a way to launder illicit profits.
“I don’t like this business. It happens at night, do you know what I’m saying?” Mr. Alusma said. “There’s no security.”
He said the industry needed to be regulated and taxed. “People like Kiko go in and out of the city,” he said, using Mr. Saint-Rémy’s nickname. “But we are the ones here cleaning his trash,” he added, referring to illegal weapons seized during a raid this year.
The same month, the president also started to discuss plans to nationalize a seaport owned by allies of Mr. Martelly, where several shipments of illegal weapons have been found and seized over the years, two senior Haitian officials said.
“Jovenel told me that he had an agenda that he wanted to implement but he couldn’t because, he said, ‘They will kill me,’” recounted a powerful politician who served as an informal aide to Mr. Moïse, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of his life. The port, he said, “was part of the plan.”
Mr. Moïse also tried to push customs, despite considerable resistance, to start inspecting Mr. Saint-Rémy’s shipments and charging taxes on his goods, according to several presidential aides, two senior security officials and an official at the customs department. Haitian economists estimate that the country loses about $500 million a year because of corruption at customs.
Then, in mid-May, Dominican security forces arrested Woodley Ethéart, also known as Sonson Lafamilia, a close friend of Mr. Martelly and Mr. Saint-Rémy’s. When Mr. Martelly was president in 2015, he stood by Mr. Ethéart after he was arrested on kidnapping charges.
This year, Mr. Ethéart still had a warrant out for his arrest and generally kept a low profile. But in May, he and Mr. Martelly took photos of themselves partying together in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic’s capital, that were posted on social media, a senior Dominican official said.
The next day, Dominican forces arrested Mr. Ethéart and extradited him to Haiti.
Mr. Moïse was ecstatic, his aides said.
The president’s phone buzzed with calls from Mr. Martelly and Mr. Saint-Rémy, but he refused to answer them, according to a close friend and a presidential adviser.
“Sonson Lafamilia is very close to the Martelly family,” said Joverlein, Mr. Moïse’s son. “It is possible that Martelly saw that arrest as some kind of disrespect, that my father was a traitor and was betraying the Martelly family.”
Drug trafficking routes in Haiti’s north also came under pressure. In the 1990s, little Cessna planes from Colombia landed on dirt airstrips on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. But as the population expanded, the landing strips became surrounded by slums. Poor residents realized the valuable illicit cargo the planes held and began raiding them, according to a security official.
So, about a decade ago, traffickers moved the airstrips north, to Savane Diane, a sprawling, isolated area. Since then, the drug trade has evolved and boomed. The planes no longer come solely from Colombia — Venezuela has become a big player, too, with family members of President Nicolás Maduro arrested by the D.E.A. in Haiti in 2015 for drug trafficking. The son of Honduras’s former president was also arrested in Haiti by the D.E.A.
This year, Mr. Moïse approved an agro-industrial zone in Savane Diane, but when the project broke ground, officials found they were about three miles south of one of Haiti’s most active airstrips for cocaine and heroin deliveries.
The small lake nearby was filled with fish, in an area where malnutrition is rampant, yet locals would not go near it. When The Times asked them why, farmers explained that human remains were often dumped there.
And when The Times went to the local airstrip, a farmer with a machete in his hand approached, asking if a drug delivery was happening so that he could get a bribe to look the other way.
Two jagged dirt strips — one path for each wheel — cut through waist-high grass. Yards from the airstrip lay the hull of a small plane that, residents say, crashed over the summer. The wreckage of another charred plane lay close by.
When the police cars that are often seen offloading the planes’ cargo get stuck along the rough roads, local tractor drivers get paid a few dollars to tow them out, residents said. Before a plane comes, they added, farmers cut the grass around the airstrip and start fires in empty cans so pilots know where to land at night.
Mr. Moïse’s aides said he became aware of the airstrip after a furious call from the D.E.A.
Between May and June, the airstrip in Savane Diane and another in Haiti’s north hosted an inordinate amount of traffic, with at least a dozen planes coming through, potentially carrying thousands of kilos of cocaine, Haitian security officials say. In mid-June, the D.E.A. called the Haitian authorities, demanding to know why there was such an uptick, according to Haitian officials with knowledge of the communication.
Several of the planes had even stopped in Port-au-Prince to refuel in the middle of the night, when the airport was closed, they said.
When Mr. Moïse found out about the deliveries in mid-June, he was fuming, his aides said. Then came an order from the presidential palace: Destroy the airstrip.
But the local authorities refused to do it, according to several officials interviewed.
About a week later, Mr. Moïse was at home with his wife and two children when hit men burst into his home. They had been let into the presidential compound by Mr. Hérard’s forces. In his initial testimony, Mr. Hérard said they stood down when the gunmen identified themselves as D.E.A. agents.
Not a single shot was fired between the assassins and Mr. Moïse’s guards. As the gunmen stormed the residence, the president called Mr. Hérard and another security official to rescue him, his widow told The Times. No help came.
One of the men leading the assassins, Joseph Felix Badio, was a former D.E.A. informant who called the country’s new prime minister, Ariel Henry, multiple times in the days just before and the hours right after the assassination, according to a copy of the police report. Mr. Henry, a close ally of Mr. Martelly, has denied any involvement in the killing.
Mr. Badio is still on the loose, but in the weeks after the assassination he was seen in bulletproof government vehicles, according to a security officer who was involved in the investigation.
Mr. Henry has stripped the government of Mr. Moïse’s former allies. Last month, he appointed a new justice minister, Berto Dorcé — who, according to a D.E.A. investigation, bribed one of the judges overseeing the case of the Panamanian-flagged vessel with 1,100 kilos of drugs aboard. A former senior Haitian law enforcement official also said Mr. Dorcé once spent months in jail in connection with drug trafficking.
Mr. Dorcé did not answer a list of questions for this article. Mr. Martelly is in Miami, where he lives, mulling another presidential run, his associates say.
National elections will be held next year, and Mr. Martelly is considered a front-runner.
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In the months before his murder, President Jovenel Moïse took a number of steps to fight drug and arms smugglers. Some officials now fear he was killed for it.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — President Jovenel Moïse of Haiti was about to name names.
Before being assassinated in July, he had been working on a list of powerful politicians and businesspeople involved in Haiti’s drug trade, with the intention of handing over the dossier to the American government, according to four senior Haitian advisers and officials tasked with drafting the document.
The president had ordered the officials to spare no one, not even the power brokers who had helped propel him into office, they said — one of several moves against suspected drug traffickers that could explain a motive for the assassination.
When gunmen burst into Mr. Moïse’s residence and killed him in his bedroom, his wife, Martine Moïse — who had also been shot and lay bleeding on the floor, pretending to be dead — described how they stayed to search the room, hurriedly digging through his files.
“‘That’s it,’” they finally declared to one another before fleeing, she told The New York Times in her first interview after the assassination, adding that she did not know what the gunmen had taken.
Investigators arrived at the crime scene to find Mr. Moïse’s home office ransacked, papers strewn everywhere. In interrogations, some of the captured hit men confessed that retrieving the list Mr. Moïse had been working on — with the names of suspected drug traffickers — was a top priority, according to three senior Haitian officials with knowledge of the investigation.
The document was part of a broader series of clashes Mr. Moïse had with powerful political and business figures, some suspected of narcotics and arms trafficking. Mr. Moïse had known several of them for years, and they felt betrayed by his turn against them, his aides say.
In the months before his death, Mr. Moïse took steps to clean up Haiti’s customs department, nationalize a seaport with a history of smuggling, destroy an airstrip used by drug traffickers and investigate the lucrative eel trade, which has recently been identified as a conduit for money laundering.
The Times interviewed more than 70 people and traveled to eight of Haiti’s 10 departments, or states, to interview politicians, Mr. Moïse’s childhood friends, police officers, fishermen and participants in the drug trade to understand what happened in the last seven months of the president’s life that may have contributed to his death. Many of them now fear for their lives as well.
“I would be a fool to think that narco-trafficking and arms trafficking didn’t play a role in the assassination,” said Daniel Foote, who served as the U.S. special envoy to Haiti before stepping down last month. “Anyone who understands Haiti’s politics or economics understands this.”
A central figure on Mr. Moïse’s list was Charles Saint-Rémy, known as Kiko, two of the Haitian officials tasked with helping draft the dossier said. Mr. Saint-Rémy, a Haitian businessman, has long been suspected by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration of involvement in the drug trade. Notably, he is also the brother-in-law of former President Michel Martelly, who lifted Mr. Moïse out of political obscurity and tapped him to be his successor.
Mr. Martelly, who is considering another run for the presidency, and Mr. Saint-Rémy were hugely influential in Mr. Moïse’s government, with a say in everything from who got public contracts to which cabinet ministers got appointed, according to Haitian officials inside and outside his administration. But Mr. Moïse came to feel that they and other oligarchs were stifling his presidency, his aides say.
American officials say that they are looking closely at Mr. Moïse’s efforts to disrupt the drug trade and challenge powerful families as motives in the assassination, and they note that Mr. Saint-Rémy emerged as a possible suspect early in the investigation. But they caution that Mr. Moïse threatened many the economic elite, including a number of people with deep criminal connections.
Mr. Martelly and Mr. Saint-Rémy did not respond to a detailed list of questions for this article.
The investigation into Mr. Moïse’s killing has stalled, American officials say, and if the assassination is not solved, many Haitians fear it will add to the mountain of impunity in the country, further emboldening the criminal networks that have captured the state.
Suspected drug and arms traffickers have long sat in Haiti’s Parliament. Small planes with contraband frequently land on clandestine airstrips. Haitian police officers have been caught aiding drug smugglers, while judges are regularly bribed to throw cases.
Haiti may now provide the largest route for drugs destined for the United States, but no one knows for sure because the country has become so difficult to police. American law enforcement is unable to run a wiretapping program in the country, or even fully collaborate with its Haitian counterparts, because corruption in the police and judiciary runs so deep, U.S. officials say.
“Anyone involved in drug trafficking here has at least one police officer on their team,” said Compère Daniel, the police commissioner of the Northwest Department of Haiti, a major transit smuggling corridor.
“It is impossible to get police officers to cooperate with me on the field,” he said. “Sometimes they don’t even answer my calls.”
The D.E.A.’s operations in Haiti have also drawn scrutiny. Criticism of the agency has sharpened because at least two of the Haitians suspected of involvement in Mr. Moïse’s assassination were former D.E.A. informants.
In November, the Senate Judiciary Committee criticized the D.E.A. for corruption allegations that have swirled around its Haiti operations, citing a Times investigation in August linking Mr. Moïse’s head of palace security to the drug trade. The D.E.A., accused by former agents of mishandling one of Haiti’s biggest drug cases, declined to comment.
When Mr. Moïse was chosen by Mr. Martelly in 2014 to be his successor, Mr. Martelly introduced the nation to a supposed outsider with peasant origins, a man of the countryside who had lifted himself out of poverty by running banana plantations.
Mr. Martelly’s associates said he first met Mr. Moïse during a conference and was struck by the entrepreneur’s business acumen.
But the story was misleading: Mr. Moïse had mostly grown up in the capital, several of the original board members of his banana plantation say it was a failure, and Mr. Moïse was already a close associate of Mr. Saint-Rémy and at least one other suspected drug trafficker.
Mr. Moïse, 53 at the time of his assassination, was born in Trou-du-Nord, French for “hole of the North,” an agricultural town that has suffered under decades of government neglect. His father drove a tractor at a nearby sisal plantation but lost his job when it closed, according to interviews with local residents.
When Mr. Moïse was 7, his mother moved him and his siblings to Carrefour, a slum of Port-au-Prince, in search of work and a secondary school for her children, relatives said. In university, Mr. Moïse met his wife and they moved together to her hometown, Port-de-Paix, in the northwest.
By 2000, Mr. Moïse had met and become business partners with Evinx Daniel, according to relatives and acquaintances of both men. Mr. Daniel, a close friend of Mr. Martelly’s, would later be accused of drug trafficking.
Mr. Moïse worked with Mr. Daniel on one of his ventures, Mariella Food Products, which produced biscuits with a pigtailed schoolgirl on the packaging. A former high-ranking Haitian police officer said the company was suspected of being a money laundering front.
The full extent of Mr. Moïse’s involvement in the company is unclear, but a former senator, Jean Baptiste Bien-Aimé, recalled the men coming to his office to talk about the company about a decade ago, and said the men were often with Mr. Saint-Rémy, the brother-in-law of Mr. Martelly.
“They were always together. They were fish crushed in the soup,” said Mr. Bien-Aimé, using a local saying to describe close relationships.
Mr. Saint-Rémy has publicly admitted that he sold drugs in the past but claims all his businesses are now legitimate. Haitian law enforcement officials and former D.E.A. officers who recently served in Haiti say he is still believed to be one of the country’s biggest drug traffickers.
Jacques Jean Kinan, Mr. Moïse’s cousin, said he and Mr. Moïse worked with Mr. Saint-Rémy in the eel industry.
With his brother-in-law as president, Mr. Saint-Rémy wielded enormous influence, often demanding that choice licenses and contracts be awarded to him, particularly eel export licenses, according to officials in Mr. Martelly’s government.
When his demands were not heeded, he could turn violent: In 2015, Mr. Saint-Rémy assaulted an agriculture minister for issuing a contract without his consent, an altercation reported at the time and confirmed by a former government minister.
As Mr. Saint-Rémy’s hold on the eel trade solidified, Mr. Moïse decided to get out of the sector and focus on Agritrans, a banana plantation near his hometown.
“My father said that the Martelly family cornered the eel business and made it difficult to get in,” said Joverlein Moïse, the slain president’s son.
Mr. Moïse also kept in touch with his associate, Mr. Daniel, who had opened a hotel in Les Cayes, a coastal city in the south, an official and a relative said.
In 2013, Mr. Daniel told the authorities that he found 23 packages of marijuana floating at sea while he was on his boat and decided to bring them home. Mr. Daniel said at the time that he and Mr. Saint-Rémy called the D.E.A. to pick up the load he discovered.
A prosecutor, Jean Marie Salomon, doubted the story, suspecting it was a ploy to cover up a drug deal gone bad after locals had stumbled on the stash. He arrested Mr. Daniel on drug-trafficking charges, but he said Mr. Martelly’s minister of justice personally intervened and ordered his release.
Shortly after, Mr. Martelly went to Mr. Daniel’s hotel with a delegation in a clear display of support, Mr. Salomon said. “The message was, justice does not matter,” he said.
Just months after his release, Mr. Daniel went missing in 2014, his abandoned car found at a gas station. Two people — a relative of Mr. Daniel’s and a police officer at the time — said Mr. Moïse was one of the last people to see him alive. Mr. Daniel is presumed dead.
Mr. Salomon suspects that drug traffickers killed him, concerned that he would expose their network as part of a plea deal, and Mr. Daniel’s disappearance remains unsolved. Two investigators said they were sidelined by a federal police unit controlled by Mr. Martelly’s government that took over the investigation and tampered with the evidence.
Barred by the Constitution from running for two consecutive terms, Mr. Martelly began looking for a successor. He wanted to find someone to keep the bench warm for him until he could launch another presidential bid and shield himself from corruption allegations involving the misappropriation of billions of dollars during his tenure, according to former officials in the Martelly and Moïse administrations.
He settled on Mr. Moïse, marketing him as a successful entrepreneur and nicknaming him the “Banana Man” on the campaign trail.
“I told Martelly, you have to look for the peasant vote, someone who looks like them, someone with black skin,” said a former senator, Jacques Sauveur Jean, a friend and sometimes political ally of Mr. Martelly. He said Haitians were tired of the privileged light-skinned elite who ran the country, like Mr. Martelly, and felt that Mr. Moïse, with his dark skin and rural origins, better represented them.
In interviews, three of the original board members of Mr. Moïse’s plantation business, Agritrans, described the venture as a failure, with their original investments lost and little but a barren field to show for it.
But as Mr. Martelly contemplated a successor, the company received a $6 million loan from the government.
Esther Antoine, one of Mr. Moïse’s campaign managers, said she worked to polish his image, to get rid of a stutter that had haunted him and improve his confidence onstage. But on the campaign trail Mr. Martelly took center stage, she said, outshining the man he was supposed to be promoting.
Ms. Antoine, who worried that Mr. Martelly’s outsize presence was “drowning” her candidate, said she convinced the president to give Mr. Moïse the space to campaign alone. That did not sit well with Mr. Martelly’s wife, Sophia, she said.
She said the first lady grew suspicious of Ms. Antoine and called her to the Martelly family home in the middle of the night, reprimanding her for not informing them of Mr. Moïse’s every move.
Ms. Antoine said she pushed back, arguing that she was there to work for Mr. Moïse, not the Martelly family.
“That’s when the wife looks at me and says, ‘Jovenel is a property. You don’t seem to understand that,’” Ms. Antoine recounted. “I was shocked. When I asked her to repeat it, she then switched to French: ‘Jovenel est une propriété.’”
The former first lady did not respond to a detailed list of questions for this article.
When he won and took over the presidency in 2017, Mr. Moïse felt suffocated by Mr. Martelly but remained loyal to him, his aides said.
Mr. Moïse was unable to choose his own cabinet without the approval of the Martelly family or Mr. Saint-Rémy, they said. The Martellys would often call Mr. Moïse, yelling at him for his legislative initiatives, according to several people who overheard the conversations.
“The true leader wasn’t the president,” said Gabriel Fortuné, a close adviser to Mr. Moïse who died in an earthquake a day after speaking with The Times. “It was his godfather, Martelly. When we talk about the godfather we are talking about the Italian way,” he added, “the family.”
Ms. Antoine acknowledged that Mr. Moïse often turned a blind eye to the corruption in his government, to avoid making enemies and advance his own initiatives.
“He would say, ‘Let me feed them so they leave me alone. If they’re making money, they’ll let me do my electricity and build my roads,’” Ms. Antoine recalled him saying.
But Mr. Moïse’s critics said he joined in the corruption. Before he came to power, the Haitian government was investigating Mr. Moïse, his wife and their company, Agritrans, for large amounts of money found in their bank accounts that could not be explained by the level of business they were generating, an official who worked on the case said.
Two government anti-corruption units also questioned why Mr. Martelly’s government gave a $6 million loan to Agritrans, a company with such a limited record. But when Mr. Moïse came to power, he fired the directors of the two anti-corruption units who worked on the inquiry.
As Mr. Moïse settled into office, he soon realized that the withering control Mr. Martelly and his family exerted on the campaign trail extended to his personal security, several officials said.
Mr. Moïse inherited Dimitri Hérard, a pivotal member of Mr. Martelly’s presidential security force who became the head of the police unit protecting Mr. Moïse’s presidential palace.
Mr. Hérard was also a drug-trafficking suspect. In 2015, when a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship docked in Port-au-Prince with 1,100 kilograms of cocaine and heroin aboard, Mr. Hérard was seen commanding police officers in uniform to load the drugs into vehicles before speeding off with them, according to a witness and Keith McNichols, a former D.E.A. agent stationed in Haiti who led the agency’s investigation into the missing drug shipment.
But Mr. Martelly shielded Mr. Hérard from being questioned by investigators in the case, a former United Nations official said.
Mr. Moïse deeply mistrusted Mr. Hérard, according to several presidential advisers and an international diplomat the president confided in. On at least one occasion, they said, Mr. Hérard was found spying on the president for Mr. Saint-Rémy, informing him about Mr. Moïse’s meetings.
Mr. Hérard, now in detention as a suspect in the assassination, could not be reached for comment.
In January, Mr. Hérard ordered about 260 weapons from Turkey — including M4 carbines and handguns — making out the order to the presidential palace, Mr. Fortuné and a former security official said. But instead of arming his own unit, they said, Mr. Hérard sold most of the weapons to gangs and businesses.
“When Moïse found out about the weapons Hérard ordered, he wasn’t surprised — he was scared,” Mr. Fortuné said.
Mr. Moïse’s relationship with the presidential security forces, already on tenterhooks, further soured. But that changed in February, when Mr. Hérard claimed to have foiled a coup attempt against Mr. Moïse. Suddenly, the distrust waned. Some former aides, like Ms. Antoine and Mr. Fortuné, wondered whether the supposed coup was a false flag, to throw off Mr. Moïse’s suspicions about Mr. Hérard.
After the coup scare, Mr. Moïse went on the offensive, publicly blasting Haiti’s oligarchs and political elite for trying to kill him, including in one of his final interviews with The Times before his death.
Behind the scenes, Haitian officials say, Mr. Moïse began working to take down his perceived enemies. He spoke with his closest aides and select officials to start compiling the dossier breaking down narcotics and weapons smuggling networks in Haiti, including Mr. Saint-Rémy, according to the people involved with the document.
In February, Josua Alusma, the mayor of Port-du-Paix and a close Moïse ally, ordered a crackdown on the eel trade, the industry dominated by Mr. Saint-Rémy. Many of the eels go to China, but the Haitian police are investigating the industry as a way to launder illicit profits.
“I don’t like this business. It happens at night, do you know what I’m saying?” Mr. Alusma said. “There’s no security.”
He said the industry needed to be regulated and taxed. “People like Kiko go in and out of the city,” he said, using Mr. Saint-Rémy’s nickname. “But we are the ones here cleaning his trash,” he added, referring to illegal weapons seized during a raid this year.
The same month, the president also started to discuss plans to nationalize a seaport owned by allies of Mr. Martelly, where several shipments of illegal weapons have been found and seized over the years, two senior Haitian officials said.
“Jovenel told me that he had an agenda that he wanted to implement but he couldn’t because, he said, ‘They will kill me,’” recounted a powerful politician who served as an informal aide to Mr. Moïse, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of his life. The port, he said, “was part of the plan.”
Mr. Moïse also tried to push customs, despite considerable resistance, to start inspecting Mr. Saint-Rémy’s shipments and charging taxes on his goods, according to several presidential aides, two senior security officials and an official at the customs department. Haitian economists estimate that the country loses about $500 million a year because of corruption at customs.
Then, in mid-May, Dominican security forces arrested Woodley Ethéart, also known as Sonson Lafamilia, a close friend of Mr. Martelly and Mr. Saint-Rémy’s. When Mr. Martelly was president in 2015, he stood by Mr. Ethéart after he was arrested on kidnapping charges.
This year, Mr. Ethéart still had a warrant out for his arrest and generally kept a low profile. But in May, he and Mr. Martelly took photos of themselves partying together in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic’s capital, that were posted on social media, a senior Dominican official said.
The next day, Dominican forces arrested Mr. Ethéart and extradited him to Haiti.
Mr. Moïse was ecstatic, his aides said.
The president’s phone buzzed with calls from Mr. Martelly and Mr. Saint-Rémy, but he refused to answer them, according to a close friend and a presidential adviser.
“Sonson Lafamilia is very close to the Martelly family,” said Joverlein, Mr. Moïse’s son. “It is possible that Martelly saw that arrest as some kind of disrespect, that my father was a traitor and was betraying the Martelly family.”
Drug trafficking routes in Haiti’s north also came under pressure. In the 1990s, little Cessna planes from Colombia landed on dirt airstrips on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. But as the population expanded, the landing strips became surrounded by slums. Poor residents realized the valuable illicit cargo the planes held and began raiding them, according to a security official.
So, about a decade ago, traffickers moved the airstrips north, to Savane Diane, a sprawling, isolated area. Since then, the drug trade has evolved and boomed. The planes no longer come solely from Colombia — Venezuela has become a big player, too, with family members of President Nicolás Maduro arrested by the D.E.A. in Haiti in 2015 for drug trafficking. The son of Honduras’s former president was also arrested in Haiti by the D.E.A.
This year, Mr. Moïse approved an agro-industrial zone in Savane Diane, but when the project broke ground, officials found they were about three miles south of one of Haiti’s most active airstrips for cocaine and heroin deliveries.
The small lake nearby was filled with fish, in an area where malnutrition is rampant, yet locals would not go near it. When The Times asked them why, farmers explained that human remains were often dumped there.
And when The Times went to the local airstrip, a farmer with a machete in his hand approached, asking if a drug delivery was happening so that he could get a bribe to look the other way.
Two jagged dirt strips — one path for each wheel — cut through waist-high grass. Yards from the airstrip lay the hull of a small plane that, residents say, crashed over the summer. The wreckage of another charred plane lay close by.
When the police cars that are often seen offloading the planes’ cargo get stuck along the rough roads, local tractor drivers get paid a few dollars to tow them out, residents said. Before a plane comes, they added, farmers cut the grass around the airstrip and start fires in empty cans so pilots know where to land at night.
Mr. Moïse’s aides said he became aware of the airstrip after a furious call from the D.E.A.
Between May and June, the airstrip in Savane Diane and another in Haiti’s north hosted an inordinate amount of traffic, with at least a dozen planes coming through, potentially carrying thousands of kilos of cocaine, Haitian security officials say. In mid-June, the D.E.A. called the Haitian authorities, demanding to know why there was such an uptick, according to Haitian officials with knowledge of the communication.
Several of the planes had even stopped in Port-au-Prince to refuel in the middle of the night, when the airport was closed, they said.
When Mr. Moïse found out about the deliveries in mid-June, he was fuming, his aides said. Then came an order from the presidential palace: Destroy the airstrip.
But the local authorities refused to do it, according to several officials interviewed.
About a week later, Mr. Moïse was at home with his wife and two children when hit men burst into his home. They had been let into the presidential compound by Mr. Hérard’s forces. In his initial testimony, Mr. Hérard said they stood down when the gunmen identified themselves as D.E.A. agents.
Not a single shot was fired between the assassins and Mr. Moïse’s guards. As the gunmen stormed the residence, the president called Mr. Hérard and another security official to rescue him, his widow told The Times. No help came.
One of the men leading the assassins, Joseph Felix Badio, was a former D.E.A. informant who called the country’s new prime minister, Ariel Henry, multiple times in the days just before and the hours right after the assassination, according to a copy of the police report. Mr. Henry, a close ally of Mr. Martelly, has denied any involvement in the killing.
Mr. Badio is still on the loose, but in the weeks after the assassination he was seen in bulletproof government vehicles, according to a security officer who was involved in the investigation.
Mr. Henry has stripped the government of Mr. Moïse’s former allies. Last month, he appointed a new justice minister, Berto Dorcé — who, according to a D.E.A. investigation, bribed one of the judges overseeing the case of the Panamanian-flagged vessel with 1,100 kilos of drugs aboard. A former senior Haitian law enforcement official also said Mr. Dorcé once spent months in jail in connection with drug trafficking.
Mr. Dorcé did not answer a list of questions for this article. Mr. Martelly is in Miami, where he lives, mulling another presidential run, his associates say.
National elections will be held next year, and Mr. Martelly is considered a front-runner.
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Haitian Prime Minister Had Close Links With Murder Suspect
Haitian Prime Minister Had Close Links With Murder Suspect
New evidence suggests the man who took over from Haiti’s murdered president had close links to a prime suspect in the assassination — and that the two stayed in contact even after the crime.
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The Igbo apprenticeship system is a unification of activities that rely on the mutual understanding of a master craftsperson and an apprentice.
The Igbo apprenticeship system is a form of educational transfer practised by the Igbos, who are predominant in southeast Nigeria and date back over 400 years. Over the years, this system has birthed new business ventures. For a certain amount of time, the student “serves” the trade master in exchange for knowledge in the mastery of the trade. Within that period, the apprentice will have learned enough from his master to graduate and launch his establishment.
In this strategy, the parent of a prospective apprentice (often male) may haggle and negotiate with a prosperous business owner about the prospect of giving over their son or sons to the latter as an apprentice. This is done with the expectation that the youngster would remain in his employ long enough to learn the ropes of the business. It is a method known as “Igba-boi.”
The Igbo apprenticeship begins with finding where they would be apprentice’s talent is. At this point, a youngster’s parents or guardian have begun the process of figuring out what kind of ability their son has a natural proclivity towards.
They choose an entrepreneur who can educate the youngster on the business fundamentals in the area where the child excels.
The Igbo apprenticeship system consists of two stages – the learning stage and the practising stage. The Mentee spends ample time learning the skills under the guidance of the master. However, a trade master would ensure that he checks the Mentee in essential areas before continuing with instruction.
The ability to learn, perseverance, persistence, and reliability all fall within this category. Business moguls must learn to trust others. Sincerity is a basic step in the training because, over time, the apprentice will be taught valuable trade secrets in the business. Thus, they have an interest in the security of their confidential information, especially after the apprenticeship.
Apprentices learn fundamental business practices from their masters. This category covers the methods of negotiating deals, fostering connections with clients, finding inexpensive products, and setting prices.
It’s also worth noting that an apprentice traditionally resides with his master during training. As a result, while staying at their trade master’s place, they’ll have the opportunity to get full-time learning the pecks of the trade.
3. Graduation and New Beginnings
Graduation and settling down is the last step in the Igbo apprenticeship system. An apprentice is entitled to a “settlement” from his former trade master if he completes his term of training cum employment.
Most settlements are made in cash; however, some may be made in other benefits than cash if both parties agree. The trade guru provides the Mentee with a cash settlement, which may be thought of as seed money for the entrepreneur’s first venture. It is customary for a trade master to assist a mentee in securing a storefront and stocking it with inventory as part of an in-kind settlement, allowing the Mentee to launch his business venture with little outlay of capital. The act of settlement and the strong supervision of business practices for the first three years of the apprentice graduation is perhaps what distances the Igbo apprentice system from others.
Once you’ve established yourself, you should think outside the box regarding the products you carry, the suppliers you work with, and the connections you make with your customers to expand your company.
Benefits of the Igbo Apprenticeship System
1. It boosts economic systems based on traditional values.
Importing foreign economic concepts and applying them in Nigeria is a major contributor to the country’s economic woes. These economic models may function in other climates but are not suited to the local environment.
However, the Igbo apprenticeship system provides a regional approach to bolstering enterprise in the face of adversity. And, if harnessed, it takes into account the socioeconomic realities of the Igbos and the country as a whole.
2. A startup incubator: It is a kind of business accelerator
A startup incubator is a place where ambitious business people may get the support they need to turn their ideas into reality, whether via education, mentoring, or financial backing. An Igbo apprenticeship is an early-stage business incubator. The program has been so fruitful because it connects budding business owners with others who have decades of expertise in the field.
One of the most impressive features of the Igbo apprenticeship system is that the aspiring entrepreneur can get experience in real-world settings. The method teaches them how to run a business, where to find possibilities, how the local market works, and where to get high-quality products.
3. It is an excellent example of mentoring
If you want to improve your abilities more quickly, many successful business people will tell you to find a mentor. An additional benefit of having a mentor is that they assist you in improving your decision-making. In this way, mentors serve as guides for budding business owners.
In most cases, a mentor will have more life experience than you. That’s why they guide what steps to follow and how to avoid frequent errors.
The Igbo model of apprenticeship provides young professionals with access to experienced role models who can guide a wide range of professional and personal matters. Subjects of study may include such topics as price strategies, customer relationships, and methods of achieving favourable negotiating agreements.
4. It serves as a useful tool for securing initial capital for new companies
The limited availability of financial resources is a major obstacle for new businesses in Nigeria. Consequently, many individuals with an interest in entrepreneurship don’t pursue it. Once an apprentice completes their training with a master of their chosen profession, they are eligible for financial support under the Igbo apprenticeship system.
Earlier, we stated that the master craftsman might pay the apprentice in cash or kind (stocking of the shop). Most company owners use the money from the settlement to fund further innovation and expansion.
5. It has shown an over 95% success rate
This method is quite effective. As students of the trade, the Mentee, will learn from their Masters in the field, where they can see firsthand what the market wants. Over the years, failure rates in the businesses of mentees that passed through the system are rare.
By taking part in an apprenticeship program, the Mentee will have access to unprocessed market data. They may use this information to determine their company’s best brand positioning and business strategy.
6. It aids in combating poverty and joblessness
The Igbo apprenticeship system has helped launch several successful business people’s careers. Many contend that the Igbo apprenticeship system has produced more billionaires than any business school worldwide.
Whether that’s correct is a discussion for another day. The Igbo apprenticeship system has undoubtedly helped many people escape poverty. It has also helped many people in Nigeria escape the country’s chronic unemployment rate.
The Igbo system of apprenticeship is great for developing an entrepreneurial spirit. People have been urged to avoid looking at the government for their livelihood and instead pursue careers in business.
As a result, many individuals don’t have an entrepreneurial attitude since they need access to sufficient financial options. The Igbo apprenticeship system has helped instil an entrepreneurial spirit in a population that could otherwise be completely reliant on the state for its economic well-being.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is the Igbo apprenticeship system open to other cultures?
Over the years only persons of Igbo heritage have been admitted into the apprenticeship system with people from other cultures and also Igbos calling the system discriminatory. Aside from other cultures, women are also not allowed into the system.
How long does it take to complete the Igbo apprenticeship?
The training takes four years of theoretical practice and three years of practicals, totalling seven years. Depending on the apprentice’s skill in fast learning, the theoretical process can be reduced or skipped totally, but the years of practice are intact.
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Interview with Serbian Iconographer Todor Mitrovic: On the Dialogue Between the Sacred and Secular Arts
By Philip Davydov & Olga Shalamova on March 3, 2016
Healing of the Paralytic
This article was revised and proofread by Jennifer Leslie.
Todor Mitrovic was born in Belgrade, Serbia in 1972. He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts (FLU) University of Arts, Belgrade in 1997. He was awarded a Master of Arts Degree in 2006 and Doctor of Arts in 2015. The title of his PhD art project is Icon – Between the Imprint, the Picture and the Word.
Since 2009, Todor has been a member of the international “Eikona” art group ( http://eikona.org/ ).
He has had eight solo exhibitions and exhibited with several international groups.
Todor is an active member of the Belgrade art scene and his secular art includes portraiture and abstraction. Although he has been painting icons since 1993, the themes of his exhibited work from 1999 until 2003 were abstract and secular as well. Through iconography, Todor’s intends to bridge the gap between church and contemporary art. The title of his Master’s thesis is Iconography As Contemporary Painting and through it icons have been recognised by academia as part of contemporary visual arts.
In 2002, Todor began teaching at the Academy of Serbian Orthodox Church for Fine Arts and Conservation in Belgrade (www.akademijaspc.edu.rs)
He has been an Associate Professor since 2007 teaching courses on icon painting at Bachelor and Master’s level and writing about church art. His research interests are art theory, art history (Byzantine) and international theology. Todor has published several articles, a book and participated in several international conferences about art and art theory.
Todor’s work was first shown in Russia at the Third Icon Painting Symposium in Saint Petersburg during 2010 . His work stood out: he refused to copy the prototype! Art critics and iconographers frequently discuss concepts such as copying, stylization and imitation that are tendencies among contemporary iconographers. The remarkable quality about Todor’s work apparent at the St Petersburg Symposium in 2010 was that he refused to stylize his work to imitate an historical period. Instead, found his own language without loosing the image’s power of expression.
Tradition is apparent in his icons not as a set of rules, but as a living testimony to God in contemporary language. Although he has been dedicated to iconography since 2003, the connection between the artist and contemporary art has guided his research into iconography.
Todor’s images stand out from the fastidiously copied icons produced by the majority of contemporary iconographers. Todor’s work has power; it can be compared with catacomb frescoes that capture the essence of the early Christians’ reverence for the testimony of God.
His icons are informed by on-going research in theology and iconography and meditation about the current condition of icon painting. His work provides answers to several questions about Eastern Christian liturgical art, but nevertheless, at the forefront is his painting technique, which is similar to the medieval prototype.
Why did you reject the copying method, based on tracing, especially as it was used in Serbia when you started painting icons?
Important decisions in my artistic life usually occurred in the company of books – or, let’s call it theory. I was lucky at the time I began icon painting as some of the theoretical work of Father Stamatis Skliris had been published in Serbia. He is an unusual and inspirational Greek icon painter and I was influenced by his theoretical work, inspired by his theological education. In short, he applies the achievements of neopatristic theological synthesis to contemporary church arts and I realized the authentic approach to this kind of art has a theological and ecclesiastical dimension. Among the core ideas of neopatristic theological renewal, I’ll refer to the thought of Father Georges Florovsky who identified the goal of contemporary theology as not simply turning back to the fathers, but turning to the spirit of the fathers or to the mind of the fathers (The Collected Works of Georges Florovsky, Volume 4, Belmont, MA 1975, 15-22).
I’ll illustrate this concept: if somebody learns the writings of Saint Basil the Great by rote and recites them in a public place, does this person become a theologian? God save us from this! Even if such a hypothetical person understood St Basil’s writing, nobody would ask him to recite the texts. Why then is a similar thing expected of painters? The Medieval Church never asked painters to reproduce the work of great painters or epochs, but simply to reproduce the faces of saints, and events about the history of salvation. Style was never mentioned by Byzantine theology except in the domain of artistic invention. If it were otherwise, Medieval Art would have lacked stylistic development.
In the Middle Ages, artistic style would change radically in a few decades, and yet we observe unchanging style in the icons of the 20th and 21st centuries. It would seem apparent we have not understood the spirit of the fathers where church art is concerned. In my opinion, the same spirit of art we proudly use as our role model teaches us not to copy.
Of course, this statement is polysemic because we don’t know enough about the authentic spirit of Medieval Art, and the practice of copying is a contemporary and unrefined one, incompatible with Medieval aesthetics. In my opinion, church art, approached through its liturgical perspective, must be brought to life by people in actual time. This also means it must be brought to life in an actual cultural context – comparable with, but – at the same time – incomparable with, previously existing cultural contexts. We are invited to transform this actual cultural context however impossible it may seem. Imagine how impossible it seemed during late antiquity to change Roman culture with its demi-god emperors? Christians did exactly this due to faith, and God’s help. It is not expected of us to express the faith of people who once lived on the land we inhabit today, but instead – our own faith. We cannot go to church and say, “God have mercy on us because we are the descendants of pious people who lived here before us”. And this is an illustration of the way contemporary church art is conceptualized: since we do not have the talent, or do not understand what to do – or maybe we simply do not have enough faith – we can only more or less reproduce the art of our forefathers. This position is described as indicative of the modesty of artists, and expresses the highest possible respect to our great tradition. From my point of view, this position lacks humility and modesty and is irresponsible ecclesiastical and artistic behaviour. No matter how primitive and rudimentary our expression is, it has to be done from the heart, through the mind and body, otherwise we are avoiding the responsibility of being part of the Body of Christ. Such expression is part of our attempt to make the Body of Christ present, which is, when speaking about art, making it visible in a material and cultural context. This is why all we can give, all our talent, must be included in the process – otherwise we are denying our skill, burying talents to the ground (to use the Gospel parable), and at the same time doing little more than telling pleasant stories about the Middle Ages.
Is there such a phenomenon as the contemporary icon? If so, what are the elements informing it?
This is a serious question and one to which I cannot give a positive answer. We cannot accurately perceive a future point of view or analyze our epoch from a distance, but we have archaeological experience helping us understand our actions today. The problem is every icon painted today is contemporary. Problems arise when somebody thinks they are painting in the Medieval manner and that there aren’t differences between icons painted today, and those painted in the Middle Ages. Painting an icon the Medieval way today includes contemporary skills, devices and processes completely unknown to Medieval man.
Starting at the beginning, icons are (1) discovered, classified and categorized by art historians; then icons must be (2) cleaned, conserved and restored in order to be seen in their full beauty after which they must be (3) photographed and (4) published, in order to be available to the public. The public includes contemporary iconographers some of whom live in urban centres where those icons are (5) exhibited in a museum, enabling close observation, under good light conditions. If you want to make a real Medieval icon, most of those five, and possibly a few more procedures have to be fulfilled and I ask – can anyone find anything Medieval in any of those procedural steps? Producing a Medieval icon today is a high-tech and contemporary procedure, not only technologically, but also at a conceptual level.
Let me give you an example. When Father Zenon changed his style, skipping centuries and painting icons in the 12 th century manner, it was artistic behaviour unimaginable in the Middle Ages. For such a process you need the help of all five high-tech procedural steps mentioned previously, carefully orchestrated by an artist highly trained in art history and mimetic drawing/painting skills. Needed also is a public audience trained in the hyper-dynamic experiences of 20 th century artistic exchange able to respond positively to dynamic aesthetic developments. These possibilities were not available to artists of the Middle Ages. So, from the beginning, we should be aware of our contemporaneity, and try not to live in the Middle Ages, because from an artistic and theological point of view this is irresponsible. The Middle Ages said much about art and spiritual life but artifacts and information from the time won’t speak to us if we do not enter into the dialogue from our own position.
As with any dialogue, if you pretend you are somebody else – and especially if you believe you know everything the other side has to say – then forget about a dialogue. As with all great art, Medieval icons are full of sophisticated messages and we can speak with them every day, and (exactly because of this) it is almost an insult to treat such depth as a surface to be copied. Old icons are copied because we recognize their depth, but if there is the possibility to learn the language they speak (instead of transcribing visual text we do not understand) it is irresponsible not to explore such a possibility. Learning this language should be our starting point: only when we use this language in creative ways (and it’s similar to the way a poet uses it while writing hymnography) can our icons become actual theology in color.
So finally, my answer to the initial question is: we cannot escape being contemporary in icon painting, but it is up to us to decide how to use our contemporary position. Are we going to use it as an artistic/technological process to hide our spiritual confusion, or are we going to use it as a way of an active Christian being in the world?
How do you create a bridge between ecclesiastical and contemporary secular art in your work and why is it important?
For me the question of importance came before the question of ways of artistic execution. My opinion about the question of importance is radical: it is impossible to create authentic ecclesiastical art if we do not engage in a dialogue with contemporary art . It is not an artistic question, but a theological one. We could spend pages of paper on this question, but let’s try to discuss the main points of the argument. The Gospels teach that God did not send his Son to suffer incarnation and death on the cross in order to save only the elect and perfect. However hard the notion may seem, the church is not trying to save herself but the whole world, so the Gospels must be available to anyone and everyone in any language. This is the reason not a single Gospel was written in Hebrew or Aramaic, though Christ Himself spoke these languages. The Gospel is good news for the world, not only for our small community, however pious.
The same thing applies to painting: we don’t paint icons only for ourselves, but for everyone, even for those who are not yet born. Moreover, on the pictorial level, the language of contemporary art shapes the way contemporary man thinks and is the only universally recognizable language we have, however imperfect. Parallels with spoken languages are not the only available criteria, of course, and I’m not suggesting we need to discuss every crazy idea emanating from the world of art, or apply it to icon painting – God save me from this! But there are many good and useful artistic inventions occurring before and after the Orthodox Church rediscovered its Medieval artistic heritage at the beginning of 20th century.
After all, can we be sure our artistic heritage would have been rediscovered if avant-garde movements from this century had not happened? An academic and conservative assessment of that period describes Byzantine and Russian Medieval icons as naïve but on one of his visits to Russia, Henri Matisse said, after seeing Ostroukhov’s collection of icons: “… what clearness and display of great, strong feeling. Your young people have here, in their own home, far better models of art than abroad. French artists should come to study in Russia: Italy offers less in this field.” [Alison Hilton, Matisse in Moscow , Art Journal, Vol. 29, No. 2 (Winter, 1969-1970), 167]. We must admit he was one of the few people destined to change the world of plastic arts and consequently, redefine our contemporary visual horizon. So, should we say: Thank you Henri for helping us understand, but now go to Hell – we don’t need you any more! I suggest a different option: If we want to do something evangelical with our Church art, then we need to learn the language of Medieval art and the language of contemporary art. We need to identify the achievements from the second and use them to inform the first. This is the only way the renovation of Medieval art can become the authentic pictorial language of the church, and not some archaeological or museum project, produced for experts or the elite and overlaid with the pious aroma of Medievalism.
Finally, there is a simple liturgical argument about this subject: If our art has a liturgical dimension, it is necessary to bring elements of our own world to the church in order to save it, the world and also – ourselves. We don’t need Medieval carriages, horses or costumes to come to the liturgy; we don’t need Medieval varieties of grapes and grain to produce wine and bread for the Eucharist. We don’t need Medieval rhetoric to explain the Gospels to the people, and finally, we don’t need to recite the homilies of Saint Basil by heart. We need the opposite: if we do not bring something of our own to the communion of Christians of all ages, then we are not wholly taking part in the Sacrament. We are not actors here – but a complete and complicated people with bodies, souls, minds, knowledge and experience. If there is nothing of our visual world here, then part of us is missing. The experience is inauthentic – inside the church/liturgy we live one life complete with Medieval elements and outside – there are other realities. We do not need elements from the Middle Ages in our churches and icons but we are reluctant to sever continuity with this great epoch of church life and faith. And, such continuity will not be achieved through imitation, but through understanding the spirit of our Medieval heritage. We must bring our knowledge and dilemmas to the purifying fire of liturgical and ascetic experience, thereby making this heritage alive in ourselves and in the world God has brought into existence.
We know iconography has changed with church history, how do you think it will continue to evolve?
This is a profound question. Theologically speaking, it is easier to explain what God is not than to imagine what He is . The apophatic answer to your question is simply this – if icon painting is a creative and personal process, then it is impossible to think about the future in positive or positivistic terms. From such a position it is easier to understand why contemporary icon painting is stubbornly resistant to change: some of us are happy being told what we do is good, that the future holds few surprises or disappointments and we can remain ignorant of our mistakes. On the other hand, the unpredictable nature of artistic endeavor is a problem whenever we try to conceptualize it. Personally speaking, I am more concerned with what should not be done than with positive statements. I don’t think we can achieve the stylistic unity possible in Byzantine times, but I don’t think we should strive for this. Immediate stylistic recognition of icons and frescoes throughout the Byzantine Empire was an element defining its Christian and imperial cultural identity. I will insist at every step of our discussion that the differences between Medieval and contemporary culture have to be taken seriously if we want to be sincere about church art and church life in general. Christian culture today has a different basis for preaching the Gospel and is under no obligation to rely on centralized imperial power networks. Maybe a stylistic lack of unity would be the way to express – through the plastic arts – the openness of the Orthodox Church to all people from every corner of our confused world. I don’t know if this proposal would work, but the question of stylistic unity needs to be discussed.
I’m more convinced when it comes to my next proposition: church art should carefully rethink the function of complicated narrative cycles included in icons and especially, on the walls of churches because we are literate and inundated with a variety of narratives every second of our existence. Especially persuasive are the forms of mobile visual narration – in films and video games. Trying to narrate the sequence of events through static pictures to a literate audience misses the point of the medium. If we put icons in competition with films and video games, we miss the point. Church art – in my opinion – should strive to offer something different: the simple and solemn, static picture/vision radiating with inner power. The simple and static picture/vision full of layers – on a pictorial and theological level – can be watched for hours. The simple and static picture/vision capturing the eye of the beholder, body and soul, mind and heart, with such strength the person would not want to leave. And finally, the simple, static and solemn picture/vision is so different from the informational melting-pot rumbling around beholders every single moment of their lives, they will be convinced they have entered a world transformed by God’s grace and love. Icons must be great art not because somebody wants to be greater then somebody else, but because only great art can express so many messages in one single picture/vision. I’m not convinced any of us have the potential to realize such a picture/vision, even partially, but I’m convinced it is worth striving for, and I believe miracles happen – even today.
Your PhD research includes chapters about Medieval concepts which the contemporary renewal of church art has not taken into consideration, or has interpreted inaccurately. Would you describe some of these concepts?
Although my PhD thesis was concerned with contemporary icon painting, it changed direction to include research on Medieval art. Through previous research into theory and practice, I realized we do not know enough about this subject. We know a lot about the Middle Ages, but our knowledge is insufficient when it comes to making decisions about contemporary church art. It is insufficient because it does not help us produce art that is not a copy – our art must be recognizable as an authentic scion of great Medieval art.
Contemporary art historians have contributed much to increase understanding about the function of icons in the Medieval context and once we understand the reasons for those artistic decisions, we will be able to make our own decisions. More importantly, we will be able to define which Medieval artistic conventions are applicable today, and those irrelevant to a contemporary context.
I don’t know if much of my doctoral research on this matter is useful, but some aspects of Medieval art are clearer now, at least for me. For example, the kissing of icons was not a regular part of liturgical practice during the first millennium of Christianity. On the other hand, ritual kissing between laity in the nave and between clerics in altar during the Eucharistic kiss of peace was usual. However, by the end of millennium the kiss of peace ceased to be given in the nave and was restricted to the altar as it is today creating distance between those two liturgical spaces. The clergy was responsible for this development, arguably resulting in distancing laity from tactile participation in the liturgy.
On the other hand, in the 12th Century, wall decorations became accessible to laity, as paintings were included in lower areas previously covered by marble and icons were placed in important locations, around the altar screen. Interestingly, during this period the ritual kissing of icons officially entered liturgical practice and moreover, it seems icons were used to close the gap created between the nave and the altar.
The late Medieval Church preferred visual to tactile communication between those segregated spaces. The visual separation of the altar from the nave through enclosing the sanctuary with a barrier represents the conclusion of that process. The icon became recognized as reparation for increased liturgical segregation. From such cognitive heights, late Byzantine art was invited to comment upon and explain the liturgy, and to represent previously invisible aspects of the Eucharist – the Transubstantiation of the Body of Christ – described as Melismos – in iconographic terms.
Through this context, the relationship between the human body and icons acquired a special kind of dynamic. The way icons were depicted influenced human behaviour especially in relationship to the human body, and, in return, human behaviour and human physicality influenced forms of artistic expression. To elaborate on my conclusions, we would need more time and space than this interview permits. Moreover, I have not researched the ways those conclusions could be interpreted by contemporary church art, as something has to be left for the future.
Only one interpretational direction seems apparent to me at the moment: the problems icons were expected to respond to in the Middle Ages may not be compatible with those of concern to contemporary church life.
What is the most important dimension of the icon? What tasks do you set yourself when you paint an icon?
The first responsibility is to give our best every time. Every time we paint, we must bring everything we know – our energy, creativity and experience – to the painting surface. It is our Christian duty. The second responsibility is included in question 6: It is not possible to create ecclesiastical art if we do not engage in a dialogue with contemporary art.
At this point I need to emphasize the ways in which this should be done. I won’t discuss the ways I have been trying to do this, because it is impossible to describe in positivistic terms. Moreover, no one can be (or should be) confident they have produced the best possible outcome to this challenge. As far as I am concerned, finding ways to resolve this challenge is one of the most important responsibilities of icon painting today.
Artists need to find the most appropriate way to bring the tradition of iconography to the contemporary aesthetic context. Not everything from contemporary art can find a place in the icon, but, on the other hand, not every artistic convention from the Middle Ages is necessary for contemporary ecclesiastical life. The demarcation and the dialogue between the icon and contemporary culture cannot happen in theory and, consequently, does not belong to the doctrinal aspect of church life. Instead, it represents the most important task of the icon painter.
My opinion is that the only way to find ecclesiastical balance in this cultural-theological dialogue is to let artists explore both aspects. We can’t make theoretical decisions; they must be substantive pictorial proposals. If we want reasoned proposals, artists should be equipped with theological knowledge, liturgical and ascetic experience, and an education in the arts and history. The church should encourage this.
This brings us to the beginning of my answer, where I said that we must work hard and give our best. The third important responsibility is to be critical about our work. I am trying, as much as possible, to be a neutral beholder, while painting. This means during the artistic process I’m trying to judge my work as if done by somebody else. This is the only way to use all the equipment I have already mentioned for the realization of the second important responsibility. There are other responsibilities that could be categorized as important, but let’s stay with these.
If we take the first responsibility seriously, then everything becomes important – every brushstroke becomes the reason for making crucial decisions. This is exactly the way it should be, but trying to conceptualize it is not the way to conclude our discussion.
What is the most interesting and most difficult ?
The most interesting is discovering new artistic solutions. The most magnificent moment is when something new happens unexpectedly, and you realize your role is to recognize this new quality and leave it there.
In such a moment you are happy like a little kid discovering the beauty of the world, without the dust and grime that will cover it during the years of growing up. This creative relationship with life is something artists can bring to the church and, in my opinion, it has a deep theological dimension. It is not a coincidence that only three holy fathers have the title Theologian in their names – Saint John the Evangelist, Saint Gregory and Saint Simeon. They were authentic poets in the theological context of their time. There is a mystical connection between theology and the arts that, in my opinion, can’t be explained through reason.
And about the difficulties: From my point of view, the most challenging experience occurs during the painting process, when you start believing you don’t know anything, and all your experience is worthless. If you work hard and paint authentically such a crisis happens frequently – with almost every icon. I tell students, when they have a crisis, that it is normal, not pleasant, but important and a good experience. If you don’t survive the critical moments while painting an icon, then you should be suspicious about your position. It is easy to flatter ourselves and try to avoid a crisis and criticism – and, of course, painfully human.
How does contemporary technology influence icon painting?
I think we have answered part of this question. However I would like to make a positive statement about the contribution of contemporary technology in church art – that is, the expansive palette of contemporary pigments. Chemistry has enabled us to investigate the material world with depth and our existence in the world has acquired a new coloristic dimension. We need to explore this new dimension with caution and incorporate new colors gradually into our icons. Otherwise, our results may seem naïve, leading us to conclude that technology brings nothing good to Ecclesiastical art. In my opinion, Russian artists use the contemporary palette in a more subtle way compared with the examples from Serbian and Greek Church art.
However, to avoid using this treasure is not a wise decision. Gold and precious stones are incomparable with rich and sophisticated color combinations that bring radiance and splendor to icons. From a technological and artistic point of view this radiance is a product of the human spirit. In my opinion, human radiance is a better symbolic and aesthetic vehicle for making our churches Heaven on Earth than the glittering of actual gold and jewels. In closing, as far as I understand the spirit of Medieval art, I think the Byzantine masters would enjoy using our contemporary pigment palette.
I believe there is a consciously generated philosophical and visual system in whatever an artist does. As master, the artist can explain every movement of the brush but how does he or she find solutions to problems?
Although I’d like to bring everything to a conscious level, I admit this is not possible. The passion for thinking and reasoning can be dangerous and irrational as is every passion. My experience suggests there is a borderline – not always clear and recognizable – that appears whenever I think about visual form. The borderline is where discursive thinking stops, leaving a space for another kind of thinking – one without words – thinking in colors, shapes and lines.
This is a place where experience of abstract art helps a lot and (in my opinion) it is the intersection between icon painting and contemporary art. I cannot say much about this or provide a methodological description of my experience because it occurs in the realm of pictorial language.While arising in a non-discursive area, elements of this language – at the same time – produce faces, figures and scenes, returning us to the pictorial level informed by theory (theology, history, philosophy, etcetera).
In terms of artistic method, I focus on the border between concepts and pictorial language that determine the raw material of artistic expression. Without the theological and historical dimensions, the beauty of the raw material cannot become the icon and, conversely, concepts without pictorial material lack artistic elements and produce soulless images.
Lacking this human material that can give life to the forms, icons remain pure platonic forms that we call ideas – without personal identity. In simple terms – the artist, through artistic endeavour, brings to the painting surface something of his life and experience, in order for the icon to come alive. We could rationalize this aspect of iconography by calling it personal sacrifice, but (whatever the description we use) I believe it is necessary to have authentic church art. I think for the iconographer it is important to be mindful of the borderline where conceptual and pictorial ways of thinking coexist. We must take care the two dimensions do not separate or collide as we need them together – in an unconfused and indivisible unity.
What do you think about the beholders, who will pray with your icons?
When I paint a commissioned icon, I think a lot about the commissioner, about their attitudes towards church and art, personality, taste, and a lot more. I try to construct an artistic dialogue between their position and my own, sometimes through discussion. I have to admit I’m not always satisfied with the results of this methodology and I prefer painting without commission. That is, painting icons that are exhibited and incidentally discovered by somebody who loves to pray in front of them.
I’m happy if this occurs because it brings freedom to artistic endeavour. On the other hand, I am not convinced this is the best possible method of communication between the artist and beholder, though it is helpful in what I am trying to achieve. I admit such a concept contains a bit of paying back a debt to the world of contemporary painting. With abstract painting, for example, I was not thinking of a specific but ideal beholder – usually from the future – who would understand every brushstroke I had ever made. I don’t know if there is primitive messianic reflection behind this notion or if it implies idealism incompatible with the Christian artist. The truth is, today I think about such problems in different terms. The act of painting an icon should not be primarily understood as communication between the artist and the commissioner – irrespective of how important and educated both people are. Both painter and commissioner (especially when we discuss an official commission that will become part of liturgical life) are not doing this for themselves but act as a personal prism through which ecclesiastical experience can be expressed in the artistic realm.
However important and learned the context, the icon is not a private artistic dialogue. The entire church should speak through these pictures, together with our forefathers and forerunners. If producing and using the icon is generated by someone’s private communicational needs, then why would they need to include the experience of the Middle Ages, for example? Maybe I should not speak about the ideal beholder, but instead the communal ( соборний ) beholder, who is (throughout the liturgical experience of the church) able to behold what we paint from the past, the present and the future.
The way to reflect on the popular argument concerning the aesthetics of the contemporary icon reads like this: If I can’t pray in front of it then it is not an icon . But what does that say about historic records showing us Byzantine prelates could not pray in front of Proto-Renaissance paintings on their visits to Western Europe? Should we now, after rediscovering our Medieval Byzantine heritage, destroy every icon painted in a realistic manner throughout our churches? Luckily, it is not as easy as this, and private concerns are not (or shouldn’t be) the only motivation behind decisions in church life.
What is your attitude to the following statement: Iconography is a collegial (sobornost) creative act?
The answer to this question runs through the previous one. I’d like to emphasize the concept of community ( соборное начало ) as one of the most important aspects of authorship in church art. The way we apply this concept in artistic practice is frequently misleading. It is responsible for misunderstandings about this important spiritual aspect of church art: icons can’t have several authors. Icons must not be painted on a production line, as often happens today. They cannot be treated as an industrial item – because the icon is theology in colour. Iconographers refrain from putting their signature on icons due to piety and modesty – not because icons do not have authors!
The icon includes the concept of personal responsibility because it emerges from the ecclesiastical dimension. Communitarian and personal principles are inseparable in the Church. Our Christian common deed is personal. In liturgy this means the bishop/priest is an actual person standing in front of the community in the place of Christ expressing unity through prayer directed personally to God the Father. In art it means the communion is expressing itself – its own concept of community – through an actual person – the painter/author. There isn’t an impersonal way to express the concept of community in Christian life, and if there was, I believe we would have anarchy or a kind of hippy communitarianism in church and in art. If it happens that a project is too big for one painter to execute then a company of painters must have a protomaster who makes the important artistic decisions and is responsible for the final result. The concept of personal responsibility is at the centre of the Christian concept of community and consequently, intrinsic to the life of Christian art.
How seriously is the icon regarded in the Serbian Church?
The answer to this question is easier as I am able to compare my experience of different local Orthodox Churches and regions through having been in these places and from discussion with friends and colleagues.
My answer would be in short: icons are not taken as seriously in Serbia as they are in Russia, Romania and Greece. Serbia is a small country, exhausted from wars and economic crises, so there isn’t much enthusiasm for large-scale cultural projects such as Church painting. Everybody in the Church establishment would say icons are important for our Orthodox identity, but when it comes to painting, the criteria that decides who will get commissions are low price and fast execution. Like McDonald’s – cheap and fast. I would call this between-two-wars mentality: better anything than nothing, and better now than in the future (which usually means never). This position has a positive aspect that I recognize and could exploit: art doesn’t have – let’s be frank – much influence on the life of the Church and wider community. Research implies art does not have the same influence it once had with the public and whilst this gives rise to a kind of freedom it also leaves you with a feeling of loneliness in your endeavours.
Saint John the Baptist
This is the reason I believe my work is better understood in Russia, Romania or Greece. It is not the question of love between us (although this would also be okay), but in those places, people respond more to artistic endeavour – and the response can be either positive or negative. Of course, there are open-minded people here who care for art, artwork and artistic endeavour, while others wait, eager to denounce you as a heretic if you do something that does not meet their code of good behaviour. But, whatever position they take, the ramifications of their reactions are not serious and as such lack the capacity to influence artistic decisions. Of course, such a position has its bad side, which doesn’t need to be discussed here. And as I’ve already said, I’m trying to exploit the positive aspects of this situation.
Revised and proofread by Jennifer Leslie.
Jonathan Pageau on March 3, 2016 at 6:17 am
First off, I want to thank Olga and Todor Mitrovic for this thought provoking interview. Todor comes off as someone searching wholeheartedly for authenticity and willing to ask the difficult questions about copying, about the role of the artist, about the encyclopedic historical and technological gaze we cast today on sacred art and the effect this has on how we view what is traditional or canonical. His questions open up more than any discussion we have seen to date on OAJ about the difference between a living language of image making and a kind of nostalgic simulacrum.
His ideas have pushed my own thought further than before, but having said that, I cannot avoid serious problems I come against in the answers proposed here and the presuppositions on which those answers are based. For example, I was surprised by the comment about how it would be strange to have someone stand up and recite St-Basil, how this would be inauthentic and how this argument is used to push the idea that iconographers should innovate to find authenticity. The thing is that we do ask people to stand and recite St-Basil, they are called bishops and priests and we call it the liturgy of St-Basil. And every Orthodox person who says their daily prayers stands every day and recites the theology of St-Basil, the prayers he has written for the Church. True theology is prayer as the saying goes. This connection to the ancient saint and reciting his prayers does not prevent us from having our own more personal petitions of movements toward God, it does not prevent new hymns or prayers from entering our liturgies if they are deemed worthy to do so.
One does not need to oppose a desire to copy the ancients to the organic change taking place in iconography or liturgical practice. I agree that one needs to be careful of falling into mimetic archeological reconstructions of the past, but why does this have to be opposed by a need to actively pursue innovation for its own sake? This belief that there is inherent value in innovation is as empty and delusional as the desire to copy every brushstroke of ancient icons. Both those extremes, that is the desire to absolutely fix (.ie historical preservation societies, archives, museums, documentary photography and video) and the desire to absolutely change (.ie avant-garde art, fashion, consumer society, ADHD) are two sides of the same malaise in contemporary life. Fighting the desire to “fix” with the belief that there is some kind of absolute value in “innovation” is just swinging the pendulum to its other extreme. The satisfaction we derive from the new is not a holy one but the fruit of avant-garde utopian thinking which has strangely merged with entertainment culture. Our fascination with the new is caused by acedia and is no more a living participation in the Church than is rote repetition.
But even if there is an absolute desire to change, what change are we talking about? The statement that “on the pictorial level, the language of contemporary art shapes the way contemporary man thinks and is the only universally recognizable language we have, however imperfect” is extremely problematic. How exactly does contemporary art, that hermetic and elitist language of galleries, collectors, financial speculation and exploded visual relationships affect anyone but the very social elite of our world? And even if contemporary art would be “the only universally recognizable language”, this contemporary art has all but put aside painting since at least the 1970s, at least since Andy Warhol. And even if one takes contemporary art as a kind of image of the contemporary world, its actual “innovation” period lasted about 10-15 years tops, by 1920 there was nothing truly “innovative” being done in painting and artists today are simply repeating and commenting on what the Cubists, Surrealists and Dadaists were doing in 1916. How exactly does that matter to the churchgoer? Todor’s icons appear to us basically as Matisse and his contemporaries applied to icons, which is fine, but the self-conscious exploration of the idiosyncrasies of early 20th century modern painting (a century ago now) is no more becoming an “active Christian being-in-the-world” than copying Rublev icons from an ipad. The visual language that shapes how contemporary man thinks is not contemporary art, it is rather video, photography, advertisement, pornography, hyperlinked instant access to all archived historical images. In several comments made by Todor, he seems to be aware of this. Google and cell phones have a million times more pull on “how contemporary man thinks” than any living contemporary artist today.
The resistance I feel when reading what Todor expands upon might just be due to our different cultures. I do not live in an Orthodox Country, in fact I live on a continent who’s entire identity is based on innovation and new ways of doing things. Because of this, when I hear the argument that the Church has to have an evangelical approach by seeing what of the contemporary world it can bring into its liturgical life, it is not that I totally disagree on the principle, but my eyes glaze over slightly. This is because where I live, we are surrounded by everything from Christian Hip-Hop to Christian Death Metal. We have seen everything from Disco masses to Cabaret Christmas songs. We are drowning in sparkling empty innovation and even the Catholic Church is still hung-over from a binge of horrible modernist architecture and art on which it embarked since Vatican II. So when I, here in North America, look at Todor’s icons, I probably do not see the same thing as Russians or Greeks do.
Like I said, I think he is posing very important and profound questions and I do not want to discount what Todor is trying to do in his icons either. But especially considering his departure in Florovsky and the neopatristic synthesis, it seems to me that searching to change or “flip” the instant pictorial archive of the history of iconography (which his indeed accessible due to technology and the sophisticated modern capacity to instantaneously zap through history), searching to change a near infinite amount of quantitative data into opportunities for synthesis may be more fruitful than looking to early 20th century modernism. The capacity to surf through 2000 years of images makes it possible to see patterns emerge, similarities and meeting grounds delineated across diverse styles and geographic areas, and it is these patterns rather than either the rote copying of icons or the never ending search for innovation that can lead us into the future of iconography. This move does not ignore our historical position, and modern art can be part of this search for common ground, but the wide scope of visual access to ancient images can be used to cross centuries of accumulated divisions in the Church, while still creating a sense of the familiar in churchgoers rather than seeking to unsettle or titillate them with the shock of the new.
Fr Ivan Moody on March 4, 2016 at 6:10 pm
I think you are correct in finding a different perspective in the sense that what Todor speaks of as evangelization could well seem something already overused and, indeed, dead, in the USA. Not so in Serbia; in fact, the urgency of his search for a way to bring the iconography of the Church into dialogue with contemporary expression seems to me remarkable. The anti-Church mentality is still very much something agains which pious Serbs struggle.
One point: when you mention what Todor says about St Basil, I think there is a misunderstanding. He says “We don’t need Medieval rhetoric to explain the Gospels to the people, and finally, we don’t need to recite the homilies of Saint Basil by heart. We need the opposite: if we do not bring something of our own to the communion of Christians of all ages, then we are not wholly taking part in the Sacrament. We are not actors here – but a complete and complicated people with bodies, souls, minds, knowledge and experience.” I do not at all read that as meaning that we do not need to know prayers by the Fathers, or that we should not serve the Liturgy of St Basil. It’s just an example of the way in which tradition can become sterile if it has no life.
Jonathan Pageau on March 8, 2016 at 8:36 am
Thank you for your Comment, Fr. Ivan. It is always good to hear from you. I purposefully shifted his discussion from the homily to the prayer because I thought it was indicative of his approach. I did it to insist that iconography is not an explicative practice as is rhetoric and homiletic but a communal and participative one in line with liturgy, architecture and music. You can see how he struggles with this aspect of iconography, how for example he prefers painting without commissions and that is also the crux behind his answer to the question about sobornost and his insistence on the unicity of authorship. I think the last question we should be asking is what we are bringing “of our own” to the communion of the saints, it is usually not the best idea to enter communion thinking we have something special to offer others. Rather we should be looking to serve Church to the best of our capacity. Aspects of our individuality will always show, aspects of our culture as well, but we should not be focused on that, we should not be actively searching to be original anymore than we should actively be searching to create technically accurate reproductions of the past.
Fr Ivan Moody on March 15, 2016 at 6:22 am
I’m just not reading this the same way you are. I understand him to be speaking of the community as expressed through the person. He says, “The icon includes the concept of personal responsibility because it emerges from the ecclesiastical dimension. Communitarian and personal principles are inseparable in the Church. Our Christian common deed is personal. In liturgy this means the bishop/priest is an actual person standing in front of the community in the place of Christ expressing unity through prayer directed personally to God the Father. In art it means the communion is expressing itself – its own concept of community – through an actual person – the painter/author. There isn’t an impersonal way to express the concept of community in Christian life, and if there was, I believe we would have anarchy or a kind of hippy communitarianism in church and in art”, and I understand his work to be conceived in that spirit, which does not seem to me at all to be exalting the personal *above* serving the Church; on the contrary, he would be denying his own God-given talents if he did not contribute what only he can.
Michael E on March 31, 2016 at 12:37 pm
I’m sorry to join the discussion so late, but as an illustrator myself I can relate to Todor’s view. I understand and agree with your concern for individualism and how it can be problematic for one’s soul even to focus on “bringing something new” to the table. That being said, where would we be if young Athanasius decided that at 24 years old he has nothing to add to our church theology and opted not to write “On the Incarnation”? I know, a bit of an extreme example.
I remember asking our local priest why we don’t rewrite theology in modern terms, and he just sent me an article called “Strip the vanity of the heretics”. This attitude might be the safest, but it’s really not going to help the new generations when our arts, hymns and stories are are told in a language they don’t understand or relate to.
This isn’t about the artist, when I illustrate a picture it’s never so I can sign it and call it mine – then leave my mark on orthodox history forever! That’s not why we paint. Art is to me a dialogue with God, and a partaking in His creativity. This is more about the Spirit speaking through the ages in contemporary languages the people would understand and less about the artist themselves.
That’s what I think anyways
Paul Stetsenko on March 3, 2016 at 9:30 am
Looking at these icons is like trying to remove your eyes with a cheese grater.
Philip Davydov & Olga Shalamova on March 3, 2016 at 11:34 am
I think there are always bad examples of how to modify the text of the liturgy or how to celebrate it really badly without modifying it.
It’s not a secret, that all creative researches are based on experiments, which may seem very odd sometimes, but they are the only way to go forward.
And for Paul, – I sincerely regret if these images hurt your senses. I suspect I feel the same when see someone painting an icon of the Mother of God looking nice and lovely.
Christine Hales on March 3, 2016 at 2:22 pm
I have seen his work before and I am grateful for the interview and to learn more about his process. I think relating Icons to contemporary art is a courageous thing to accomplish, drawing fire from both camps. However, Mitrovic’s Icons are great examples of art that can also speak to the contemporary art world and God knows, Icons are needed there! Bravo, and thank you, Orthodox Arts Journal for publishing an artist’s work even if it is not fully to your taste. With God’s help we will all be able to make Icons that bring Him to a world that is in great need of Him.
Liana Galabova on March 4, 2016 at 1:52 pm
Thank you very, very much for this interview! I am so happy to see this next step after the book I have read last year! It is really very nice to have something so profound theoretically and practically useful – also available to English-speaking iconographers! And let us hope this interview will help removing timbers from many eyes – even without any grater What I look forward is more complete reportage from church with mural-paintings by Todor Mitrovich that appeared on the Internet only partially – when it will be completed. Besides numerous very good points and argumentation in his work, d-r Mitrovich is remarkable with the fact that he does not provide model for copying and does not suppose one would start copying his style. This humble attitude allows him to be free to set his icons free to speak and preach, after long years of silence in museums, galleries, souvenir shops, repositories, etc. What I also expect is the voice of the huge and talented groups of Russian and Romanian iconographers who already appreciate and develop ideas of professors Skliris and Kordis without copying their style and works, but by creating new, sound and authentic icon-painting traditions recently.
Todor Mitrović on March 15, 2016 at 6:59 am
Hello to all!
For the beginning, I am very grateful to editorial board of OAJ for decision to publish this interview and, more specifically, to Olga, Philip and Jennifer, for making it happen.
Since this dialog was not made as an attempt to produce some kind of undisputable manifesto or artistic credo, but was imagined – at least from my point of view – as an invitation to wider discussion about questions raised, I’m happy that, at the very beginning of its public life (in English language), this discussion is already opened. This is why I’m also grateful for all the comments – however critical some of those might have been. Moreover, I consider the augmented and constructive critics only as a huge help if we want to be closer to truth and improve what we do in that direction. From this point of view, I’d like to expand discussion on questions raised in comment of Jonathan Pageau – maybe as a set of additional notes to original discussion with Olga and Philip.
* Let’s begin with the comment connected to Saint Basil the Great. Experience tells me that our contemporary analytic mind is capable to deconstruct every possible positive statement given in written form. So if I’d try to answer the argument of St. Basil comment in this (analytic) manner, than I could simply admit the mistake and say: let’s improve my metaphoric comparison by switching the writings of St. Basil with those of St. Gregory the Theologian, or St. Maximos Confessor, who haven’t been writing the text of liturgy but are also a real cornerstones of the teaching of the Church. On the other hand, the strict differentiation of homiletics and liturgy would not be so easy to establish, neither from theological nor from historic point of view. For example, homilies of St. Gregory the Theologian directly influenced formation of famous Easter Canon of St. John the Damascene, which, later on, became inseparable part of Easter Vigil – one of the most important services in contemporary Church life. Finally, icons are not used only in liturgy, and could also have explicatory functions – in liturgy or out of it. And so on… But I am not writing this comment in order to practice the skill of deconstruction, and I think this kind of answers is not sufficient and not important, at all. I do recognize a really positive intention and enthusiasm behind Jonathan’s comments and that is what I’d like to discuss. The truth is that we really do learn some texts by hart in our Church life. Together with few important prayers, we should know the Creed, which is – as we all know – a short theological statement, formulated on first two Ecumenical Councils, as a minimum of common teaching (dogmata) of the Church that cannot be disputed (this is, of course, why the text of Creed could became one of crucial reasons for later dispute with Roman-Catholics). Attending the liturgy, we also learn its text by hart, because it is also something that brings us together in front of Gods face, and – though liturgy itself has changed a lot from the time it was written – we are not fond of any kind of interventions in this text. But, in library of school where I tech we have the complete series of Patrologia Graeca and it looks so huge, on shelves, that even its reading looks like lifetime effort to me. This enormous ‘spiritual data bank’ also contains the teaching of the Church, and it is an important part of its heritage/tradition. But, how can somebody who has not spent lifetime on reading it, take part in this important aspect of Church tradition? Let’s turn again to father George Florovsky ,who truly dedicated his life to interpreting this heritage, for more detailed opinion. “The Fathers were true inspirers of the Councils, while being present and in absentia, and also often after they have gone to Eternal Rest. For that reason, and in this sense, the Councils used to emphasize that they were ‘following the Holy Fathers’ – επόμενοι τοις άγίοις ιτατράσιν, as Chalcedon has said. Secondly, it was precisely the consensus partum which was authoritative and binding, and not their private opinions or views, although even they should not be hastily dismissed. Again, this consensus was much more than just an empirical agreement of individuals. The true and authentic consensus was that which reflected the mind of the Catholic and Universal Church – τό έκκλησιαστικόν φρόνημα. It was that kind of consensus to which St. Irenaeus was referring when he contended that neither a special ‘ability’, nor a ‘deficiency’ in speech of individual leaders in the Churches could affect the identity of their witness, since the ‘power of tradition’ – virtus traditionis – was always and everywhere the same (adv. haeres. I. 10.2). The preaching of the Church is always identical: constans et aequaliter perseverans (ibid., III. 24.1). The true consensus is that which manifests and discloses this perennial identity of the Church’s faith – aequaliter perseverans” (The Collected Works of Georges Florovsky, Volume 1, Belmont, MA 1972, 103).
So, about some subjects – written in Creed, for example – there is no need to dispute, and this is why we usually learn those contents by hart, but it seems that more than few questions are far from being solved yet. How all this discussion could be (in turning back from the metaphorical realms) structurally related with the Church art. Well, we should expect that there are, similarly, some aspects of Church art that should not be disputed through our artistic researches. Some kind of credo we all do agree about. But the problem is that art itself was never subject to verbal definitions, and the only place where we can find this kind of credo, this common teaching of the Church – the “power of tradition” which is independent of any special “ability,” or a “deficiency” of its actual witnesses – is the surface of (medieval) icons. Since the Byzantine art has passed through extreme formal changes through its millennial history, this is not an easy task, at all. Should we search in 15th century, or 14th, or 13th, or 12th, or 11th, or 10th…? And where (?) – in Constantinople, or Crete, or Thessalonica, or Cyprus, or Serbia, or Russia…? Which one is the most Byzantine among these virtually very different historical incarnations of Byzantine artistic spirit? In my opinion those are the wrong questions. I’d rather say that the common grounds – or, what we should learn ‘by hart’ – can be only the artistic content, or the artistic behavior, that is common for all of those great centuries (periods) of Byzantine art. In my opinion, the epicenter of such a credo should be posited in the very face of the saint. Its recognition. There are, of course, some other aspects of this art that are historically very stable, so could be also extracted to this hypothetical pictorial credo. But opening of such a delicate discussion would be too much for this comment. I’d like to call upon the groundbreaking researches of George Kordis, who analyzed those problems with highest precision. It can be found in his different publications and, also, in his interview in OAJ. So, I’ll end this additional note with suggestion to everyone interested in discussion on subjects opened in here to consult his extremely inspiring interview.
* The other subject I’d like to discuss can be posited in space marked by two key terms: contemporary art and innovation. I was using the phrase contemporary art in most general sense of the word(s), in order to avoid modernism-postmodernism discussions, but it seems inescapable somehow. The concept of novelty – at least the way it was promoted by avant-garde movements (from the first decades of XX century) – is outdated long, long time ago in “contemporary” art. Being one of most profound initiators of this process (later on designated by term postmodernism), Warhol paradoxically saved the art of painting – almost self-denied through lyrical abstraction or art informel – which would be otherwise murdered by ‘new’ media. Finally, art was dying and resurrected several times in XX century and painting itself was passing through this comic scenario even more frequently. Reading of this scenarios today really looks like a kind of bizarre joke – though it’s not correct to laugh, because people spent their energy, their lives (and some of them even earned a huge money) playing this game. So, expecting any kind of radical novelty in any kind of art today is, at least… well, not necessary. This is why I have not used term ‘innovation’ (or its derivates) at all – not even once. To “belief that there is inherent value in innovation” (!?) – c’mon, I believed this centuries ago, while I was in primary and secondary school. On the other hand, in Jonathan’s comment the word ‘innovation’ (and its derivates) was used 9 times. Does this tell me that we misunderstood each other? Luckily, word-count is not the key argument in this case. The question is actually very important, uncovering the most subtle dilemmas of my work, for which I have not found disambiguate answers yet. Truth is that there is a kind of need for innovation behind my work. But it is not unconscious, at all, and this is why it – as Jonathan rightly observed – should be discussed in its (cultural) context.
The religious kitsch is a phenomenon that cannot be escaped in any geographic and cultural space. The Christian Hip-Hop and Christian Death Metal might be inventions of American popular religious culture, but the soulless icons are inventions of orthodox popular religious culture. I don’t know which ‘invention’ is the worst, but I know that myriads of those soulless images are the reason nobody (serious enough and educated enough) considers that icons are art, in here. Every serious artist or art historian will agree that medieval icons/frescoes/mosaics are huge art, but nobody will consider even a possibility that contemporary icons/frescoes/mosaics could be art. And this was hurting me, not as an artist (I could always turn back to my abstractions), but as a Christian. It was hurting because I recognized elements of socialist and liberalistic ideologies behind such an attitude (as well), but it was hurting more because – with or without ideology – it was/is truth! Is it possible that Christians are not capable of making powerful art anymore? Is it possible that we became so self-sufficient that we don’t care if somebody from outside of our community tells us we are making a real kitsch? Try to imagine you’re the conductor of church quire; the professor of conducting from Moscow Conservatorium comes to church and tells you that you are totally out of the rhythm and the harmony; he leaves, but you say to your singers and to yourself: who cares – he don’t know what he is saying, because he is not in Church… This is the way we behave (!) but I’m not sure this is the way Byzantine or early Christian artists would behave if they were in our place. Holy fathers where holy because of the Holy Spirit, but if they were theologians they could be enormously educated. And we cannot even read their treatises without solid knowledge of Plato and Aristotle. The language of key theologians of Church was, very often, based on Plato and Aristotle. Why Bible was not enough for them, but they needed Plato and Aristotle? Because that was the only way to approach the Roman and Hellenic cultural space! Actually, that was the only way to approach Roman and Hellenic intellectuals. And those intellectuals are – as always and everywhere – people who are modeling the cultural horizon of the epoch. Christian theologians (and artists as well) were not ignorant to this cultural horizon, but carefully listening and trying to understand it. And this is the way ancient theologians succeeded in unbelievable and even miraculous enterprise: they molded Greco-Roman culture according to Biblical law by using Plato and Aristotle. Somebody might say this looks like a kind of trick, but I would say this is the only way it could be done and it was done with the wisdom that is a true God’s gift to the world.
So finally, I wanted to rely on this kind of role model when started reasoning about artistic behavior in contemporary situation. Someone will say: ok, why not, but, what all of this has to do with the concept of innovation? According to described, my intention was to connect the two very distant cultural poles: Church and highest academic authorities in visual arts. With completely opposite reasons, both ‘camps’ – with more or less passion – paradoxically agreed about proposition that icons are not art. This paradoxical agreement is induced by (already described) ocean of ecclesiastical kitsch, which was/is covering the horizon between the two groups of beholders my art was addressed. And my goal was simple: if both camps admit that contemporary icons can and should be art, then we have platform for communication that was previously disabled. Based on described ancient experiences, my opinion was that this kind of dialog is very, very important for both – the Church and the world. But, finally, if you want to address the two distanced ‘camps’ – safely withdrawn in the shells of their (distanced) attitudes and prejudices – and you are swimming in the ocean of kitsch, then sometimes you have to speak very loud and very sharp. My need for innovation came from such a position. In order to be at least visible in such a context, my icons needed to speak loud about the artistic aspect of icon. And, to be honest, more than once I felt that I’m going too far with this, because my attitude about art is actually opposite. I don’t think innovation is important at all. Actually, it is important – as any other artistic means – but it is not the key aspect of artistic endeavor. I don’t have problem to recognize the art, and even novelty, in icons that are done in very traditional manner. What makes icon new and authentic is not experiment but the energy and love involved in its painting. This is my general attitude which was attested through 1.5 decade of pedagogic experience. (I teach students to copy medieval icons, if somebody was concerned about my pedagogic influence on Church art in Serbia; only medieval – not contemporary; nobody is forced to be innovative and I do not expect them to be informed about the way I paint icons, at all). Finally, I can never be sure that my loud researches are better than those quiet ones. But I do think that sometimes it is important to speak loud and sharp. My opinion is that contemporary Church (art) needs different kind of voices in its quire – loud and quite, sharp and gentle, rough and delicate… In between those voices, the melody of the ‘virtus traditionis’ will became alive and really authentic. Maybe we could call this the principle of ‘sobornost’ in the context of our discussion.
* Finally – one short appendix to all that was said. What I’m especially interested in domain of artistic expression, from strictly aesthetic point of view, is the color. This is the only reason I was relying much on Matisse, as it was rightly observed in Jonathan’s comment. I don’t think of this artist as an innovator (at all) but as one among great teachers of color. The use of contemporary palette of pigments is simply defined by artists of this kind. It is simply naïve to think of using those colors if you have not experienced what Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse, Rothko… for example, have been doing with them in past. I’m not thinking about Matisse in essentially different way I think about Vermeer, Velazquez, Rembrandt or Rubens, for example. (I have no doubt those artists also can teach us a lot, even when art of icon is concerned, only if we can read their art carefully.) So, to make one small correction, when I said that contemporary art is defining our visual horizon, I was having in mind all art of 20th and 21st century. Together with the art(s) of design, of course, which often do offer much more artistic content than dreary intellectualizing from autistic gallery life. I agree that our visual horizon is defined by innumerable screens – from cell phones to billboards – that are surrounding us, but my point was going this way: try to imagine how all of those toys would look like if there was no Donald Judd or Frank Stella, for example. Try to imagine how the Google front page would look like without Matisse. I don’t think it would be the same. Even if we didn’t like this kind of development, it seems that it has happened, and I think we should use its good sides. Early Christians probably did agree with Saint John’s apocalyptic metaphors, describing Rome as “the great whore” (Rev 17-19), but did not avoid to rely on roman communication network in their preaching. Moreover, early Christians embraced roman art in spite the authority of Holy Scripture was not supporting art at all. At the end, Roman Empire became Christian Empire and produced art that is unparalleled in history for its spirituality and its beauty. Of course, we are not living in the times of early Church, and I don’t think we should be so naive to apply those lectures from history literally, but I also do not think we should avoid taking them into account only because their origin is not medieval. Every lecture from history is important, as well as it is important to discuss the way of its potential application in contemporary context.
Jonathan Pageau on March 15, 2016 at 8:15 am
Todor, I really want to thank you personally for your time doing the interview with Olga and in pursuing the debate. Your interview has been viewed thousands of times and so the questions you raise in your answers are of real concern to many. Also, as one of the editors, I am of those who worked on getting the interview up in the first place. So despite having formulated the strongest objection to your ideas, I have also stated that I admire your capacity to pose the right questions with energy and honesty. Also, there are some of your icons that I find quite touching, especially those of St-Paul which have almost a Japanese print feel to them.
As an editorial decision for OAJ, we do not to let discussion run interminably into the comment section, so I will not answer what you have written in detail. But in brief, although my first comments still stand, I think that your additional statements definitely help us to understand your position better and they continue to show us that you are taking these issues very seriously and posing the difficult questions which many iconographers would not dare ask.
So thank you again, and I sincerely hope that our paths will cross one day. Your brother in Christ. Jonathan
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‘Best of Mobile Award 2013’ goes to the ReSound control app the ReSound control app of the ReSound hearing aid manufacturer wins the innovation award of the mobile industry. The app, the it in conjunction with the ReSound unite phone clip + allows to use the hearing aid via the iPhone and to transfer music in stereo directly into the ear, was yesterday evening with the best of mobile award-2013 “honored for innovation. The national price for mobile applications was awarded this year for the first time. He enjoys now demand. Out of a total of 183, the jury, which included numerous experts from leading communications companies, agencies and research chose eleven winners in 10 categories.
“Manufacturer GN ReSound had just a few days ago with the announcement of a further innovative solution made aware of: the world’s first sound system made for iPhone”. The now excellent ReSound control app allows hearing instrument wearers for the first time, in Connection with the ReSound unite phone clip + their devices using iPhone to use. ReSound control is available as a free download in the app store. The app expands and enhances the use of the phone clips. Users can receive phone calls and the details of wireless accessories conveniently on your iPhone.
You must never fumble behind the ear, never more there to switch through the programs, no more hope that something was not so important, that you would have understood it better. All required functions are located in the iPhone, the user already carrying. The app is also available for Android smartphones. “That convinced the jury for the first innovation award of the German mobile industry: In a ceremony staged yesterday evening in the Berlin spree store” Kay Stamer, Sales Manager North of GN HEA ring GmbH, the coveted contrary took. This award pleased all huge”so Bernd von Polheim, Managing Director of GN HEA-ring GmbH. GN ReSound claimed his role as a technological pioneer in connecting the wireless hearing aids for years and with many ground-breaking developments. Our wireless solutions enable hearing-impaired people participation offers a multimedia, multiple networked world. A great recognition is that these efforts convinced the jury of the German mobile Awards,.” Award to the best of mobile “you see best-of-mobile.de. More information about the ReSound control app at services/ReSoundControlApp. For further press information and image material, see our digital press box under. A little video for the hearing ReSound Verso as well as to the ReSound unite phone clip + and the corresponding ReSound control app can be found here: the trade marks mentioned in the message are the property of GN ReSound group and its subsidiaries and are used by them. iPhone is a trademark of Apple, Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. App store is a service mark Apple Inc. Android is a trademark of Google, Inc. Editorial Note: as one of the world’s leading hearing aid manufacturers definitely have long the innovations in the modern hearing instruments ReSound significantly. We want more and more people living with a hearing loss, to better hear and understand. Therefore, we develop hearing systems, which create almost the listening experience of the natural ear, and which enables hearing care professionals to raise the quality of life of its customers seriously. ReSound is represented in over 80 countries. A large team of competent staff as well as numerous technology centers belong to us. In Germany, ReSound is part of the GN hearing GmbH, which has its headquarters in Munster.
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We’ve all been there, whether we’re gathered around a table alongside family members with our foraged goods, or we’re out on the town and once again we’ve found ourselves in impassioned dialogue with a stranger, or we’re digging deep into the ecological crisis with a coworker. In these and other similar instances, we have most likely entered into environmental discussions where we felt challenged in navigating the conversation towards productivity, enhanced learning, and a greater sense of hope.
I began my activist journey at the turn of the summer in 2011, and this was the era that I gained the most insight on how to constructively engage people in environmental conversations. My job for Greenpeace New Zealand had me willingly walking onto private property all day long. I travelled around the country talking to people from all walks of life about the issues threatening the ecological integrity of this country’s iconic land and seascapes. What was even wilder about this equation was that I placed myself on unknown doorsteps and entered people’s homes daily, walking into unpredictable situations 30 odd times a day.
On top of countless memories from the downright scary to the utmost inspiring, my Greenpeace experience gave me vital insight on how to reach a wide array of people. Of course, I’m still discovering new techniques on how to influence actions from conversations, but here are some key insights from my experience over the last 9 years. These insights can especially serve us when discussing topics that we may not see eye to eye on with someone. And, honestly, these conversations are some of the most essential to seek out and have because it’s become increasingly urgent to break out of the echo chamber. We need to do our best to deeply reach each other: to lower the barriers, fill the gaps in our efforts, unify across silos, and come together in our diversity in this movement to regenerate the earth.
You might also like: How to Identify if an Eco-Brand is a True Ally for Black Lives
1. Deeply listening to people instead of just focusing on being “right”.
Of course, this advice is easier said than done, but becoming a true critical thinker means opening ourselves up to perspectives that are different than our own. This is challenging since we become very biased and attached to our own beliefs, but the truth is, we don’t always have all the answers. Attentively listening is also essential for genuinely connecting with people, and even in the instances, of, let’s say, individuals denying climate change, digesting their arguments is a necessary process for strengthening the logic we use to defend our justice statements.
Building on the previous pillar of advice, once we actually hear people out, we can extract what their values are. Often, we get into environmental conversations and we project our experiences on to the people we’re engaged with, but our experiences, our types of identities, history and thus our values are likely very different. So, ask open questions that will help you understand what someone holds high on their hierarchy of values: it may be their children, nieces or nephews, their pets, the economy, food, recreation, their career, even new cars! One of the most positive attributes of our existence is that everything truly is interconnected, so there is always an intersection we can identify between someone’s values and an eco-based topic. Our values underpin our belief systems and thus our behaviours. Thus, once we tap into this intersection, we have a greater chance at having a meaningful conversation, building genuine rapport, and exchanging insight.
We all have different backgrounds, education, and societal conditioning. I believe it’s important to always keep this in mind. If someone doesn’t understand or believe something in relation to the environment, there’s usually a reason behind this, so instead of becoming instantly judgemental, let’s meet this with compassion. Truthfully, many of us were not educated about the environment in school, and now we’re widely learning about the crisis we’re in through various forms of media. If we’re patient, we’re going to be a lot less frustrated (which will drain less of our energy), and there is a higher probability that people will have a greater willingness to accept new ideas if we do not respond reactively. With this, it’s imperative to use inclusive language, over accusatory language, in conversations: “we”, “us”, “together”, over “you” and “your”.
4. Know the facts, embrace and spread the solutions.
In my environmental conversations, I find most of what I’m rebuffing is people’s negative and often false claims about the state of the environment. Please note, this is different from folks venting about the earth, we’re all justified in expressing our concern, pain, and grief for the state of the planet. This is a healthy process and essential for getting back to a mental and emotional state of active hope. However, when people make sweeping pessimistic claims, like “we have no real chance at combating climate change so there’s no point in taking a stand”, we can step in to share the facts around the inspiring victories that have been won and the current environmental developments already in place. The biggest resource I can recommend for this is The Optimistic Environmentalist by Dr. David Boyd, which chronicles environmental success stories, from clean air, to successful international treaties, to the renewable revolution. It’s important to be aware of the harsh reality we are facing and not gloss over this, however, it’s also productive to continually educate ourselves on the solutions and our achievements, so we can illuminate the truth in these types of communications.
5. Be brave in being outspoken. However, sometimes, we don’t need to have the environmental conversation at all.
There will be times when we feel shy, nervous, and vulnerable in speaking our truth with people, but we need to give it our all to transform this. The earth needs us to dig far into the soil of our soul and conjure courage for raising our voice in motivation for creating a better world. Like balancing yin and yang of opposites, there is also a flip side to this that’s important to adhere to. Sustainability doesn’t just relate to our relationship with the earth, it also applies to respecting our own resources; our own capacity. This includes the bandwidth we have for dealing with and discussing environmental issues, and respecting this so that we’re less susceptible to burnout. If we go overboard with our efforts, this can decrease our future ability and longevity in making a difference. With this, it’s also important to be aware about when a conversation is toxic and/or when it’s not going to be a good use of our time and energy – let it go! We have a duty to do our best, not to be perfect and force conversations or continue them where they might end up having an adverse impact on us.
What are your techniques for reaching and influencing people to take action on the environment? Whatever they are, I’d love to hear them, and the world needs to hear it, too. More than ever, we need to come together, and as communicative creatures, this will happen through open, transparent, vulnerable and daring dialogue. This may not be easy, but it’s going to be an adventure, and one that will enrich the quality and purpose of our lives for building a brighter, cleaner and more equitable earth.
About the Author
Living seaside amongst the foggy rainforest of Tofino, B.C., Lilly Woodbury is an environmental communicator, activist and Chapter Manager for Surfrider Foundation’s Pacific Rim Chapter. Surfrider’s mission is the protection and enjoyment of the ocean, beaches, and waves, and this Chapter’s focus is addressing plastic pollution and shifting towards a circular economy. Lilly has an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from the University of Toronto, and has also worked for Greenpeace New Zealand. Lilly won Starfish Canada’s Top 25 Environmentalists Under 25 in Canada in 2018, and when she isn’t surfing, she’s spending time on environmental speaking, workshops, writing, and collaborations.
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If you're in a part of the country with some great fall foliage and wondering, why do some leaves change color in the fall? - well, we've got you covered. Emily Kwong and Brit Hanson from NPR's Short Wave podcast explored that very question with the botanist and plant ecologist Tanisha Williams. She told them the changing leaves start with environmental cues, like the days getting shorter.
TANISHA WILLIAMS: So once they have these cues saying, like, oh, wintertime is coming, the falling of the leaves and the changing of the colors are all in preparation for the tree to hunker down and basically hibernate in the wintertime. Then all of this magical stuff starts to happen in the leaf.
EMILY KWONG, BYLINE: OK, like what?
BRIT HANSON, BYLINE: Well, it actually has to do with the magic of - drumroll, please - photosynthesis.
HANSON: Right? Yeah, photosynthesis. It's this cool process of how plants harness energy from sunlight and water and carbon dioxide to make food for themselves.
KWONG: Yeah, casual plant alchemy.
HANSON: Exactly. It's pretty amazing. And as you may remember from biology class, in order for photosynthesis to happen, as a first step, a tree needs to find a way to capture the sunlight. And leaves are how that happens. But to be even more specific, it's the pigments inside the leaves that do this, that capture the sunlight.
KWONG: And by pigments, do you mean colors?
HANSON: Sort of. So stick with me here, Emily. There are a handful of different pigments in each leaf, and each of these pigments absorbs sunlight and reflects the rest of it.
HANSON: So the color that we see on the leaves depends on the light that each of the pigments is reflecting.
HANSON: So let's start with the color green.
WILLIAMS: So the reason why we see all of this green color in the leaves is because of the pigment known as chlorophyll. And that is what we see during the summer and spring months because there's a lot of sunlight.
KWONG: So basically, the more sunlight there is, the more green we see.
HANSON: Yes, because of chlorophyll, the green pigment in the leaf. And this is the pigment that's the most responsible for kick-starting that process - photosynthesis. But that starts to change once those environmental cues set in.
KWONG: Yeah, I love the word cues because it reminds me of stage actors being cued...
HANSON: Yes.
HANSON: Yep.
KWONG: Right? Like the leaves are, oh, it's my turn to transform. But in this case, it's less daylight and colder temperatures.
HANSON: Exactly. So as the tree starts to get ready for winter and the chlorophyll has stopped showing off this, you know, sort of green show...
HANSON: ...We can start to see another pigment - carotenoid.
WILLIAMS: Carotenoids are where we're going to get that yellow and orange color.
KWONG: Oh, OK. So chlorophyll equals green leaves, and carotenoids equals yellow and orange leaves.
HANSON: Yes. And for some trees, right here, this is where the colors stop. But for others, Tanisha says there's one more pigment to go.
WILLIAMS: Then we can get into the red color. And the red color is produced by pigments called anthocyanins.
HANSON: So one thing that Tanisha pointed out is that sort of in the background of this whole process, why the leaves are changing color, the tree is also entering what she calls hibernation mode, so sort of slowing down the flow of nutrients out to the limbs; basically hunkering down to conserve energy so it can make it through the winter.
KWONG: This sounds like what I do.
HANSON: (Laughter) Exactly.
KWONG: I will not move from this couch.
HANSON: No one can make you.
KWONG: No.
HANSON: So after a leaf has cycled through its pigments, it starts to run out of energy.
WILLIAMS: And it starts to die off. And also, it starts to weaken at the stem right there. So wind and as we're walking through leaves, we're kicking them and things like that to drop the leaves off the tree.
KWONG: I had no idea so much was going on inside each leaf.
HANSON: And, you know, when I was talking with Tanisha, Emily, I kind of realized, like, when I take my afternoon walk through my neighborhood, I haven't really been appreciating how hard the leaves are working, you know, for this amazing production.
WILLIAMS: Once you start learning about them...
WILLIAMS: ...Then your lenses change. You just see the world differently.
NADWORNY: That's botanist Tanisha Williams speaking to NPR's Short Wave. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
Emily Kwong (she/her) is the reporter for NPR's daily science podcast, Short Wave. The podcast explores new discoveries, everyday mysteries and the science behind the headlines — all in about 10 minutes, Monday through Friday.
See stories by Emily Kwong
Brit Hanson (she/her) is a producer for NPR's science podcast, Short Wave. The podcast explores new discoveries, everyday mysteries and the science behind the headlines — all in about 10 minutes. She's produced episodes ranging from why some fruit ripens faster in paper bag to the dangers of tear gas during a respiratory pandemic and the evolution of HIV treatment.
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Just say no to death do us part…….. time to update wedding vows people. What if your child died? Did you ever think about that while saying them???
Ronan. Hi my love. I hope you had a good day. That sounds so weird to say, because how could any day possibly be good when we are apart?? I miss your giggles so much. The world is so empty without them. I know I say this all the time, but I would give anything to have you back. I tell you all the time to please take me with you. I know you can’t, as you wouldn’t do that to your daddy or brothers but I miss you so much.
Today was a long day. The kind of days that I seem to have pretty often now that you are gone. I managed to keep Quinn busy though. We hung out at our place and then I took him and Olivia for lunch. We came back to the condo after and hung out. Olivia helped me clean everything as we needed to get ready for Liam and Papa Jim’s arrival. She is such a big help to me. Quinn looks up to her like a sister and she is a really good playmate for him. He gets lonely when she is gone as he loves having her around. I do too.
After we cleaned, we got ready and met up with Liz. The 4 of us walked and had sushi. It was a nice dinner but it always feels weird to be doing things without you. Between, Quinn, Olivia, and Liz, I was able to keep it together as they all provided much laughter. We walked around the island a bit and started making our way back to The Shores. As we were crossing the street, I looked up at locked eyes with a mama who was pushing her little boy in a stroller. I was dying inside because of her little boys amazing, curly, red hair. I smiled at her and she looked at me and goes, “Maya!” She approached me and introduced herself and gave me a warm hug. She follows this blog as does her sister whom I had the pleasure of meeting as well. We have mutual friends and the friends we are all friends with are GEMS….. so I know these two women must be as well:) We chatted for a few minutes and I managed to only get choked up once. It was so sweet, so rewarding, and it just felt good to hear them say that they think about you everyday. How I will never be without you because you live in each and every one of them. How you’ve inspired them to do something more with their lives. Nothing will ever be worth losing you for, Ro. But in losing you, people are finding what it truly means to live a life you are grateful for. Do I hate that it has to be you and me teaching this lesson? Absolutely. But we cannot control our fate, our destiny, what is being set out in front of us. It is not up to us so we have to just give in and trust that this is what our purpose in life is supposed to be. To help others see their way, to help them be more grateful and kind, to let them help us by raising awareness for you and Neuroblastoma or childhood cancer in general.
As I was talking to those two beautiful ladies today, I honestly felt you there by my side. It was weird. At one point, I looked down at my feet to see if you were there. That is how much I felt your presence. I then looked over at Liz and gave her a teary smile. Liz is my home, my heart, part of my soul. She gets it. She knew you were there today too….. I could tell just by looking at her. I was honored to meet both of you today and just wanted to tell you thank you again for loving and supporting strangers whom you didn’t even know, until today. I can’t wait to see you again.
After our “meeting random strangers,” whom I don’t know but they pretty much know everything about me…. which is weird but I’m oddly comfortable with it….. we went back to our condo. It as time to get ready to pick up Liam and Papa Jim at the airport. It’s been nice having some one on one time with Quinn. He’s really opened up to me and we had some pretty intense conversations. He is like a little sponge and never forgets anything I do or say. I got to watch him open back up to me again and he told me how hard it was on him to not have me around to take care of him when Ronan was sick. I told him I knew, and that it was hard on everybody. But we didn’t have a choice. We had to take care of Ronan the best we could and I’m sorry that I had to be away from him for so long. I hope he will forgive me. I would have done the same thing for him and I tell him this all the time. I just hope he really believes it. An 8 year olds mind is such a fragile thing when dealing with a tragedy. I don’t have all the answers and this is when the therapy will come into play when we get back. I recognize that we all will be needing it pretty intensely.
I was thinking about this the other night on one of my runs. For some reason I started thinking about wedding vows. The whole, “Until death do us part.” I couldn’t stop thinking about it and I thought to myself, I’ll bet when people say those vows, they don’t take into consideration if the child would be the one to die….. would death do them part?? I think people say that vow just thinking of one another, as man and wife; never a child because that is just too horrific and does not happen. WRONG. BIG FAT LIE. It happens. And I am so freaking glad Woody and I did not say those vows to each other. Not that they are awful…. but we are just different. We had E.J. Kotalik marry us because it was important to us to make them a part of our family. I never knew how much we would truly need them. We now need them more than ever. We didn’t read the traditional vows. We read a poem by E.E. Cummings, instead. One of my favorites:::::
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
It was perfect for us and still is. And whomever is telling my mom the statistics for people who divorce after the death of a child….. Seriously needs to stop. This is not something a grandmother who has just lost her grandson and who is worried sick about her daughter, needs to hear. I know the statistics, Woody knows them. We know who we are. We know that throughout all of this, we’ve stayed on the same page with pretty much everything. We know we are each others best friends. He has my heart and I have his. Forever. End of story. We don’t do drama, we don’t do hurt, we don’t do fighting (unless you count the time I threw a slurpie at his head) We do love. We love our twins. We love each other. We are not going to let cancer ruin anything else for us. MOTHERFUCKERCANCER. You’re not taking anything else away from me. You took the most precious thing that has ever been mine and I will fight you until you die and exist no more. YOU FUCKWAD.
Oye! Ronan! I’d better be signing off now. Before I get too bloody out of control! I love you my not spicy favorite monkey. I hope you are safe. I hope someone is taking good care of you. I just want you back here with me. Please. This life is too hard without you. I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK RO.
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Posted on July 12, 2011 July 19, 2011 Categories UncategorizedTags angels, anger, arizona, AZ, best friends, bullshit, Cancer, Chemotherapy, childhood cancer, Childhood Disease, Coronado California, E.E. Cummings, friendship, FUCK, fuckwad, I carry my heart, I not spicy!, inspiring, Liam, Liam Gallagher, new york city, Olivia, Rockstar Ronan, Rockstar Ronan Fans!, sadness, San Diego, Star Wars, tears, The Coronado Shores, The Hotel Del, The Ronan Thompson Foundation, Today (NBC program), woody thompson19 Comments on Just say no to death do us part…….. time to update wedding vows people. What if your child died? Did you ever think about that while saying them???
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Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 07 August 2020: Mondia, a leading technology company which specialises in the marketing and distribution of digital content, has announced that Jorge Seeliger has joined the company as Chief Product and Innovation Officer.
Based in Madrid, Seeliger joins Mondia’s senior leadership team as Executive Board Member to deliver deep insight into business strategy, technology trends and user-centricity that will drive the company’s business and enable innovation to provide greater digital experiences to its customers.
In his new position, Seeliger will be responsible for the conceptualisation, development and management of Mondia’s overall product strategy, content, partnerships, and will be the driving force behind the company’s continued focus on innovation and transformation.
Seeliger joins Mondia from IPG, one of the leading global marketing solutions specialists, where he held positions such as Chief Business Officer and Head of Innovation and Product for EMEA.
Commenting on the appointment, Amadeo Rahmann, Chief Executive Officer of Mondia, said, “Jorge has extensive international leadership experience, a proven track record in business development and above all a passion for innovation that has been at the core of our DNA. He will be responsible for driving cutting-edge innovation, creating the most relevant and engaging digital experiences, taking our existing products to the next level and contributing to our transformation and accelerated growth. I welcome him to the Mondia family and wish him the very best in his new role.”
“Today marks the start of a very exciting new adventure where I can put all these years of working on other brands to good use and focus my energy on growing ours. I will continue to do what I love most – learning, innovating, questioning the status quo and connecting customers and companies in new and meaningful ways through technology,” said Seeliger. “I look forward to leading this incredibly talented team to even greater heights as we take Mondia on a new phase of growth,” he added.
Seeliger’s work at IPG saw him win multiple global awards including Cannes Lion, Festival of Media Global, Campaign and WARC amongst others for projects ideated and led by him in collaboration with his team. He holds an Executive MBA degree from the IE Business School.
Mondia is a leading technology company which specialises in the marketing and distribution of digital content. We understand where the markets are going, where tech fits and use that knowledge to solve business challenges and deliver the best user experiences. Mondia creates personalised digital experiences for people by providing them with the best and latest digital content anywhere, anytime; from health, entertainment, lifestyle, gaming, music to sports. We help enterprise customers grow their user engagement and maximise their monetisation potential through payment connectivity, customer acquisition and life cycle management services. With nine offices across Europe, Middle East and Africa, Mondia reaches over 1.3bn end-users across 48 countries. The company works with more than 80 telco operators around the world, over 1,000 content providers and 200 merchants. Mondia services are available in Ethiopia, Nigeria and Pakistan through mondia.cell. Learn more: www.mondia.com
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Artist Richard Prince has amassed an idiosyncratic collection of first editions and literary curios. - Geoff Nicholson - Bookforum Magazine
COLUMNS
fiction
culture
paper trail
art&education
Feb/Mar 2009
Artist Richard Prince has amassed an idiosyncratic collection of first editions and literary curios.
If by some chance you happen to be passing through Rensselaerville, a formerly wealthy, now eerily becalmed, mill town in far upstate New York, you might possibly notice a neat, substantial, brick-built house at the center of town. It’s elegantly austere, nineteenth-century, with two doors and six windows symmetrically arranged on the front, and on the side is one of those plaques telling you how far you are from other places in the world: 29 miles from Catskill, 262 from Montreal, and 2,358 from Panama.
It would be a uniquely alert traveler who’d see that plaque and immediately think, “Ah yes, Panama, the Canal Zone, allegedly the birthplace of artist, appropriator, photographer (indeed rephotographer), and all-round provocateur Richard Prince. This must be the building where he keeps his rare-book collection.” But that’s exactly what it is.
A cursory acquaintance with Prince’s art might not suggest he’s the most bookish of artists. His iconography features Marlboro men, cowboys (clothed and naked), nurses (ditto), “girlfriend” imagery from biker magazines, hoods from muscle cars, sometimes muscle cars themselves. His latest works feature doctored photographs of Rastamen and big-breasted women. It’s not exactly Virginia Woolf territory. And yet, and yet.
There have always been clues about Prince’s literary side. The artist’s books and catalogues he’s produced demonstrate a bibliophilia not shared by all visual artists. Photographs have appeared in some of them showing neat stacks of books, like the one in his 2004 publication Man of a dozen or so volumes, all first editions, paperbacks by Charles Willeford and Rudolph Wurlitzer on top, hardbacks by Don DeLillo and Richard Price at the bottom.
Prince has also produced some quirky literary texts. A 1985 piece, published in ZG magazine, is a conspicuously faked, yet very knowing, interview with J. G. Ballard, the gimmick being that the older, more established Ballard is the one asking all the questions. A few years later, in the terrific essay “Bringing It All Back Home,” Prince describes his feelings about collecting, presenting himself as a New York flaneur, energetically seeking out and buying books, some of them rare and valuable, some not, though his preference is evidently for the former. “I want the best copy,” he writes. “The only copy. The most expensive copy. . . . I want the copy that is rarer than anyone had previously dreamed of. I want the copy that dreams.”
These days, as I discovered when I met up with him in Rensselaerville, Prince is able to get exactly what he wants. When he bought Brigid Berlin’s legendary but little-seen, and indeed unpublished, Cock Book for $175,000, in 2005, the acquisition was reported as both gossip and art-world news.
To visit the Prince Library is a pleasure and a privilege and also something of a rarity. Prince explained that he didn’t bring many people there. “Most people just aren’t that interested in books,” he said uncomplainingly. “It’s like a gentleman’s club with only one member.” About once a week, he drives the few miles from his house to the library and sits alone there, enjoying his collection, examining (to take examples more or less at random) his copy of The Colossus inscribed by Sylvia Plath to Ted Hughes, complete with a little heart drawn next to his name, or a first edition of Jack Smith’s The Beautiful Book (Dead Language Press, 1962), one of two hundred, with nineteen tipped-in photographs; a copy sold at auction for a little over $34,000 last year.
Prince says he doesn’t imagine there are any local bad elements planning a heist, but even so there’s a serious security system, and within the house is a sanctum sanctorum, a room-size, walk-in fireproof safe where the truly irreplaceable treasures live. It comes as no surprise to discover that the interior of the building is laid out like a very fine exhibition space. The place is uncluttered, the collection and the visitor are given room to breathe, yet the moment you enter you’re in no doubt that you’re surrounded by wonders.
Yes, those are Diane Arbus photographs, uneditioned ones she made herself, essentially contact prints. Yes, that crash helmet with the fabulous psychedelic paint job is signed by Mountain Girl, Ken Babbs, and Ken Kesey. There on the wall is a check from the Security National Bank of Northport, New York, made out from Jack Kerouac to Allen Ginsberg for $40, dated 1960. It’s been framed alongside a wire report of Kerouac’s death and a photograph, and of course these fugitive bits of literary ephemera have become a Prince artwork.
Prince is a conceptualist, and he originally conceived that his collection would cover the period from 1949, the year of his birth and also of the publication of Orwell’s 1984, to the actual year 1984. Neat—perhaps a little too neat. Like many collecting schemes, the boundaries got distorted: acquiring a full set of Black Mask magazine extended it into the past, as did buying a first edition of Ulysses (one of one hundred signed copies, Shakespeare & Co., 1922). Nevertheless, ’49 to ’84 is an “interesting time” for those intrigued by counterculture in its broadest sense: not just the Beats but also the hippies; not just Kesey and Leary but Nabokov and Heller and Pynchon; not just Warhol but also Zap Comix. “I paid $15,000 for Zap, volume 1, number 1,” Prince said. “People thought I was insane.” Then he added, “Basically, my collection is about sex, drugs, Beats, hippies, punks.” Imagine a long, thoughtful pause here. “And great reads.”
The less precious items in the collection are “open access,” on shelves, in cabinets, sometimes arranged into miniature shrines; a frieze of multiple editions of Lolita in many languages, an accumulation of Richard Brautigan publications along with his fishing license from the State of Texas, dated August 13, 1970; fee: $2.15. In a rear room, spread out on a shelving unit, are layers of pulp paperbacks, which I suspect could never live up to the spiciness of their titles and covers: Beat Nymph, Girl Artist, Unfortunate Flesh. Among them, incredibly, was a copy of Grapefruit signed by John and Yoko. Prince looked at it ambivalently, “Yeah,” he said, “this should probably go upstairs.”
When Prince opens the safe upstairs housing his collection of true rarities, there’s initially rather little to see. The books and manuscripts are in custom-made black leather clamshell boxes, their titles stamped in gold on the spines. What’s inside sets the mind and pulse reeling: a copy of Roots inscribed to Buckminster Fuller, an uncorrected proof of Michael Herr’s Dispatches once owned by Hunter S. Thompson, a copy of Catch-22 inscribed to Joseph Heller’s daughter.
A book lover must positively swoon. I can now say I’ve handled Nabokov’s own two-volume Olympia Press edition of Lolita, with his handwritten corrections. And I’ve very nearly handled some Pynchon letters from the early ’60s, by which I mean I’ve held the plastic folder containing them, getting close enough to read his address on Third Street, Manhattan Beach, though Prince asked me not to reveal the recipient.
I’ve also touched some Kerouac marvels—Prince owns a great many. His letters to Neal Cassady, Visions of Cody inscribed to Cassady, various versions of On the Road, advance and review copies and one inscribed to his sister. There’s also a copy signed “to my Buddy Steve”—that’s Steve Allen—and this very book is the one that sits atop the piano in the famous television interview. Alas, I didn’t get to see the scroll manuscript of Big Sur: It was out at the bindery.
There is a strange, and it seems to me admirable, alchemy at work here. Art-market wealth is being transmuted into literary wealth. Of course, it’s an unequal transformation. All the power is on the art side. Prince’s painting Millionaire Nurse sold in 2008 for $4.7 million. However, as Prince has become ever more collectable, he has become ever more of a collector.
“Sometimes,” he told me, “it seems like this collection of mine is too good to be in private hands. It should be in somewhere like the Morgan Library.” In fact, he’s already negotiating to donate it to the Morgan if they let him have an exhibition there for a couple of years. He also has plans to make a catalogue-cum–artist’s book.
“Sometimes,” he said, “I think a catalogue of the collection would be enough for me. I’d still be able to look at it.” But, I suggested, he wouldn’t be able to touch and smell it, rearrange it, and do all those other things that collectors do. “That’s true,” he admitted, though I didn’t sense he’d find that any great problem. “Collecting like this is a full-time hobby,” he said. “And I have other things I want to do.”
Geoff Nicholson’s The Lost Art of Walking: The History, Science, and Literature of Pedestrianism (Riverhead) was published last fall.
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Versatile character actor. Native English, fluent German, Italian & French. Accents & strong characterisations.
Acting
Theatre
40 years as a European actor
Posted by London Joe Grossi on September 2, 2020 May 4, 2021
in September 1980, I left regular, paid employment and began a career as a professional actor.
You can browse photos taken over four decades:
Having realised that I did not want to be a solicitor after I graduated in law in 1979, I set myself a target: to work for a year, earn some money and then do a post-graduate course at a drama school. That year, I spent a chunk of my savings on music equipment, as I was in the band, Maxie Hytes. So rather than struggle without a grant at drama school, I set the target of 1st September 1980 as the day I would start looking for work as an actor. I bought The Stage, where I saw an ad for actors local to Deptford, London SE8 to be part of the ensemble for a devised play by Hilary Westlake / David Gale and the troupe of Lumiere & Son theatre company.
Barely a fortnight later in September, there was a classified ad in the Theatreboard section of Time Out magazine. Moving Parts theatre company were looking for actors to tour through the autumn. After my first professional audition, I was selected for ‘The Mummy’s Curse’. This directed by Ruth Mackenzie, who went on to have many interesting jobs like the Festival Director of the Cultural Olympiad at London 2012.
From there, I moved to theatre-in-education, where I was acting, writing, sharing the administration, directing and driving the van. Here I met Denzil Kilvington and we formed the KGB comedy duo. This took me to my first TV acting roles (‘Bluebell’ for BBCtv & ‘To Have and to Hold’ for LWT, casting Corinne Rodriguez). Thence to my first commercial (Castella cigars with David Jason) and more cabaret with Knightmare Kabaret at the Canal Café and at the Latchmere (now 503) theatres. Here, I was ‘spotted’ by BAFTA-award winning director, David Bell, who cast me in the children’s BBCtv series, ‘Simon & the Witch’, working with Joan Sims and Elizabeth Spriggs.
While at school in the 70s, I had studied French, English Lit. and German. I won a Rugby / CDG scholarship to live and work in ‘West’ Germany for six months. This is country where I have always felt welcome and at home. In 1989, I landed my first German commercial (Tchibo Sana coffee – dir. Tom Bussman, casting by Michael Barnes). In December 1990, we moved to Germany, where over two years, I wrote regularly to 800 casting directors and production companies, travelling to five cities. This led to corporate and live TV appearances (‘Flitterabend’ ARD/ WDR/ SWF) which led me to a twin career, working in the UK and also with numerous German TV and corporate production companies. I still work with a number of German clients both in front of and behind the camera.
In 2001, I was accepted onto the books of Roger Carey Associates and in 2005, was cast by Gail Stevens for a role in ‘Kinky Boots’ (dir. Julian Jarrold), followed by a small role in ‘The Da Vinci Code’ (dir. Ron Howard, casting Hubbard Casting). Other film roles came in the feature documentary, ‘Botticelli Inferno’ (dir. Ralph Loop), a horror thriller ‘House Red’ (dir. Cos Greenop, British Lion award winner) and, latterly, ‘No Time to Die’, Daniel Craig’s final appearance as 007, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga and casting by Debbie & Jemima McWilliams.
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Let’s start by acknowledging what the massage gun is. It’s a good gun for basic manual and practice massages, and especially the “textbook” ones. When we’re talking about medical treatments that require precision in their delivery, massage guns are only a short step away from high-tech machines with computer guidance. While the massages we get from massage machines are often overhyped, there is absolutely no question that they are getting better at producing results all the time.
To be able to deliver clinically effective, therapeutic massages to clients, we can’t go beyond the capabilities of the massage machines we have, for one simple reason: That’s all we have. We don’t have armies of expensive medical equipment sitting in supply rooms for the benefit of professional and everyday clients. And of course, the fact that we’re getting increasingly more comfortable with manual and manual-simulated treatments from therapists who are actually using massaging machines for therapeutic purposes is a good thing too.
For patients or clients who aren’t seeking the benefit of medical devices, massaging guns are the best bet we’ve got. They’re easy to use, deliver consistent results, and that’s about it. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that for people who aren’t training themselves to be skilled massage therapists, the massaging gun is the best way we have to learn.
So if a massage gun is all we have, what makes the best massage gun? Here are some things to consider, for a variety of potential purposes:
The Hypervolt Go comes with a horse-massage plug design that allows you to control the exact massaging speed and direction that you want to apply on your client. (Think of it like the human hand, but on a massaging machine.) These plugs are usually attached to the massaging arm, and provide an extremely efficient way to get a massage started. The plug has more than just massaging muscle fibres. Depending on the plug you get, you can get massages of the facial muscles, lymph nodes, sinuses, and so on. They’re handy if your massage therapist needs to be out in the field, but ultimately they don’t do much for more serious or more aggressive medical conditions.
In massagers with horse-massage plug you can generally take liberties in terms of how fast you work with your client. Some massage guns provide a set of massaging buttons that give you considerable control over how much pressure you apply to the client.
If a massage gun is too hot, too cold, or just right, you can often adjust the temperature of the massage gun yourself. In some cases, this will only provide a small increase in the overall therapy, but the fact that you can adjust the temperature for individual muscle fibres could be an important factor in how successful you are.
There are many different ways to adjust a massaging machine. It’s best to choose one that has an automatic temperature controller built in like the Hypervolt Go, since otherwise you would have to have a very high degree of technical skill to adjust the temperature yourself.
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I’m happy you are here. It’s always good to know someone has the same interests as you do. I would love to know your story of leading a healthy way of life or other topics related to sports and fitness. You can publish your article on my website or contact me directly.
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As my flight descended into Reagan National Airport, my plane turned and tilted so that I was right above the White House and the Washington Monument. They stood beside the glimmering Potomac. My eyes widened to take it in. Then I remembered; and I laughed. Shut. Down.
There’s nothing like a government shutdown to make the Capitol Building look a little grimy. I was about to visit a D.C. where the Smithsonian, the National Library, the Jefferson Memorial were all closed. But there is so much more to D.C. than fancy libraries and over-sized statues of white men.
Meet my wonderful hosts, upstaged by Jackie’s donuts: raspberry, dulce, and chocolate.
Brunch hard in Silver Spring: Silver Spring is technically in Maryland, but you’ll still find the same diverse eateries, quirky bars, and flustered nine-to-fivers that you’ll find in D.C. So if you’re looking for something a little off the beaten path, I suggest brunching it up in Silver Spring. Start it off by making your own Bloody Mary/Maria at the Daily Dish. Then get donuts at Jackie’s, which is worth a visit just to check out the eclectic interior design. Top if off by stopping by at Kefa Cafe, a small coffee shop run by two Ethiopian sisters. A little coffee and a gentle neighborhood vibe will pull you out of your food coma.
Peak in the doors on U Street.
Hang out on the Potomac: Once in Georgetown, follow Wisconsin St. south until you hit Georgetown Waterfront Park. Walk along the Potomac for excellent views of the Key Bridge and the Kennedy Center. If you are feeling particularly adventurous rent a kayak at the Key Bridge Boathouse.
Eat food with meaning on U Street: U Street is nightlife, hipster, and historic D.C. all rolled in to one awesome street. First get some historic chili at Ben’s Chili Bowl. This place has been a part of the U Street scene throughout the area’s tumultuous history–from the race riots of the 60s to its recent revitalization. Shutdown or no shutdown, this place is right up there with the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. Also check out Busboys and Poets, a socially and environmentally conscious restaurant. Come for a vegan or vegetarian meal. Stay to browse their alternative bookstore or for a slam poetry reading in the back room.
The quiet fountains of Meridian Park.
Watch adorable kids play soccer at Meridian Park: This gorgeous 12 acre park in Columbia Heights is home to beautiful architecture and great views. It’s many fountains (which were unfortunately turned off during my visit…) and maze of stairs feel like Europe. Technically Meridian Park and all other D.C. parks are closed during the shutdown since they are under federal jurisdiction. But let’s be real. You can’t tell people to not come to work and then tell them they can’t go to the park either!
The orange barriers at the park’s entrance had been pushed aside and the park was full of joggers, families, and cute kids playing soccer. Plus there is a stunning view of the (now closed) Washington Monument.
Look for city cats: From H Street to U Street to Columbia Heights to Georgetown, D.C. is full of beautiful row houses. Which make good homes for city cats. Wander the many D.C. neighborhoods and keep your eyes open for the local felines.
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Categories: TravelTags: Ben's Chili Bowl, brunch, Busboys and Poets, D.C., food, Georgetown, government shutdown, Jackie's, Kefa Cafe, Meridian Park, Potomac, shutdown, Silver Spring, travel, U Street, United States travel, Washington D.C.
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In today’s hyper-connected world, organizations must constantly evolve to offer quick, convenient, and reliable service. The financial services industry is no exception. The rise of Innovative FinTech is a perfect example of how this new reality is reshaping the way we think. And women are playing a pivotal role. These women are not just influencers, they are leading the way. As such for the second year, PROGRESS in Lending is honoring The Most Powerful Women in FinTech today. Here are the Top 30 women that are reshaping Financial Services FinTech today:
President & COO
20/20 Vision for Success Coaching & Consulting
20/20 Vision for Success Coaching is fueled by an incredible virtual training platform that takes every single student from step one of a 24 core curriculum syllabus authored and illustrated on interactive learning videos with certifications, all the way to social media push to reading library literature and the entire system can be flipped as shareable content for the learner to their own preferred referral partners or employees. This system is managed by caring and educated professionals who are there to celebrate their progress, apply their learning to practical use and see them through to a level of accountability that turns out rich and consistent success results. It is complemented by a team of expert elite executive coaches that each student chooses from month to month. The results are extreme and the learning easy because every student/professional on the system can do their learning by iPhone, Bluetooth and/or laptop. All of this system was the architecture and illustration of a 30 year award winning industry veteran who knew that nothing like this existed for the busy, hectic and needing mortgage & real estate professional.
This technology allows the professionals in our space to progress their entrepreneurial skills down an easy path of learning that reshapes their results, efficiencies, emotional intelligence and business profits/results. There is no other vehicle in the industry specifically designed to turn out the mortgage pro as a true CEO of their own businesses like this. It takes the learner to a level where they then can work on marketing, PR, writing, reading and elite media at levels only the true pros in the industry ever reach. 20/20 VSC turns out pros at a higher rate than any other company in the industry, thankful in large part to the systems for learning they have designed.
Founder & CEO
As a nationally recognized marketing and public relations strategist with over 20 years of specialization in the mortgage industry, Rosalie Berg has been helping FinTech companies find success many years before “FinTech” was even a buzzword. In fact, Rosalie has played an instrumental role in the growth of more FinTech companies than any other marketing professional we can think of. And by leveraging her extensive experience creating and executing highly successful B2B and B2C campaigns, she has helped many FinTech companies generate double-digit revenue growth and lucrative company sales.
Rosalie’s FinTech involvement dates way back to 1999, when she was hired as vice president of marketing for OpenClose Technologies. While there, she rebranded the company and substantially increased its name recognition in the mortgage industry. In 2002, Rosalie founded Strategic Vantage, which has since become of the nation’s largest marketing, public relations and social media agencies focused on the mortgage industry. Over the years, more than 100 companies – including many FinTech companies of all types and sizes – have relied on Rosalie and her team to meet their needs. In addition to being actively involved in all agency accounts, Rosalie provides strategic direction and oversight in the creation and execution of marketing, public relations and social media campaigns.
Rosalie has been instrumental at helping FinTech companies build widespread recognition and trust by simplifying their message and getting it front of the right audiences. Among FinTech companies that have credited Rosalie for their growth is Resitrader, currently the mortgage industry’s largest loan trading platform. As Resitrader grew, Rosalie defined its culture and communicated it to the industry through highly effective marketing and public relations campaigns.
President
Amy Brandt is a highly accomplished entrepreneur and senior executive with a track record of over 20 years of success within the mortgage, software, tech, aerospace and financial services industries. Since joining Docutech in May 2017, Amy has driven the company’s strategic vision. She leads its growth initiatives by expanding the solution offering, securing strategic technology partnerships, and identifying the evolving needs of lenders and their customers. She provides leadership to all aspects of daily operations, including client strategy and success, product development, technology integrations, and new business development. In March of 2020, First American acquired Docutech to streamline the mortgage process, inception through post-closing, and accelerate real estate closings.
As president, Brandt spearheads Docutech’s continued growth, playing an instrumental role in many areas, including the development of digital mortgage and eClosing solutions, the acquisition of its operations by First American, and client growth and retention. In addition, Brandt’s leadership has generated:
• Increased revenue 40% year over year as president with over 60% of the Top 30 originators as clients
• Expansion of Docutech’s product reach from primarily mortgage documents into consumer lending and eClosing
• Seamless transition from the founder and CEO of 25 years to a private equity board, and thru acquisition as a division of First American
Before joining Docutech, Brandt was the president of originations and corporate technology at New Penn Financial, where she oversaw all origination channels, including direct to consumer products, third-party originations, retail and joint venture. Prior to that, Amy served as chief operating officer of Prospect Mortgage, where she enhanced day-to-day operations, resulting in a 40% reduction in operational costs. Before her time at Prospect, Amy was tenured as president and CEO at Vantium, where she was able to grow assets under management from $500 million to more than $4 billion, while overseeing the acquisition of two companies.
Chief Operating Officer
Maylin has worked in the industry for over 25 years and has developed an award-winning software solution tailored for mortgage bankers to have full overview of their entire business in near real time. From her experience in the mortgage industry in secondary markets and primary markets. Maylin developed Coheus, the first platform leveraging big data, automation and providing near real time oversight of the loan origination, mortgage operations, servicing, risk management and securitization.
She continues to work with her team to improve the visual mortgage banking look and feel of Coheus. The solution is playing a crucial role making it easier for management to see the relationships that are not necessarily visible by using static reporting or any loan origination system. Coheus allows lenders to easily find errors in data and quickly take action, navigate through the company’s data to explore trends that have an impact on time, profitability, or other processes.
Maylin has formed a relationship with the largest Loan Origination System, Ellie Mae to integrate Coheus quicker with Encompass, leveraging Ellie Mae’s API and DataConnect infrastructure to give Encompass users a modern experience of Encompass data.
Chief Operating Officer
With more than 25 years of diverse experience working in both the private and non-profit sectors, much of her experience being in the technology sector mortgage industry, Jody Collup has become a well-known presence in the mortgage industry. In her previous position, Jody headed the marketing strategy at Calyx Software, Inc. where she successfully aligned sales with marketing while operating in a hyper-growth environment during as the mortgage industry downturn, establishing brand consistency and positive industry awareness behind the company and its solutions. Jody also aided in the overall strategy creation for the organization. For example, she was instrumental in changing the way Calyx charged and collected revenue from its clients as well as organizing and implementing the company’s professional services revenue stream.
When Jody moved on from Calyx, she became the first marketing professional hired by Global DMS. As the VP of Marketing she created all the branding and communications platforms that are still in place today. Seeing opportunities to make beneficial changes in the organization she then took over the sales and account management departments. Now, Jody is the COO of Global DMS and is responsible for all operations. During her tenure as COO, she was able to drive the launching of the new EVO platform to fruition while also increasing overall profitability of the company.
She is an active member of the Mortgage Bankers Association, is involved with numerous industry-focused trade shows and events and serves as a regular thought leader.
Executive Vice President of Customer Success
Over her 20 year fintech career, Jesse Decker has become a clear customer success leader. Overseeing enterprise technology transformations and customer success programs at some of the largest and most innovative housing and lending fintechs, Jesse pioneered how these digital giants have reshaped the consumer experience.
Her focus from the start has been simplifying the journey of buying, financing, improving, and selling homes – specifically how borrowers interact with loan officers, loan servicers, and the financial institutions who “hold the key” to their future. As digital interactions between bank/lender and customer have transformed from “nice to have” to “customers expect this,” Jesse has been the connector between customer demand and lender/bank execution. This is why banks and lenders seek out Jesse to master customer engagement, retention, and personalized support.
Her expertise led her to Sagent Lending in May 2020, where she joined America’s second-largest loan servicing software company serving top bank and nonbank servicers as Executive Vice President of Customer Success.
At Sagent, she’s already played an integral role in helping the loan servicing software leader reinvent and modernize how banks and lenders power the homeownership and consumer lending experience for more than 12 million borrowers.
Co-Founder
NEXT Mortgage Events
As Co-Founder of NEXT Mortgage Events, Molly Dowdy works closely with lenders and technology providers to advance FinTech in financial services. Each NEXT conference is tech-driven and provides unique opportunities for FinTech firms to showcase the latest innovations to the mortgage lending community. In addition, the conferences are a collaborative summit for intel-sharing amongst women executives on the latest technologies, exploring topics like implementation challenges, adoption and lessons learned.
Molly believes FinTech has already played an impactful role in reshaping financial services. FinTech has elevated the borrower experience through years of innovation and provided accessibility to home buying for underserved markets. FinTech has already made great strides in reducing time to close and in making it so much easier for borrowers to provide documentation.
Tavant
Annette is dedicated, motivated and results-driven with extensive industry experience. She has a passion for quality, commitment to excellence and continuous improvement with a focus on customer needs and satisfaction. Annette delivers initiatives and outcomes aligned with strategic business or regulatory objectives across business processes and technology platforms.
Annette has a 20+ year career that has focused on bettering operational processes for companies with which she has worked including Bank of America, Wachovia, Capital One Home Loans and Fairway Home Loans to name few.
She is a graduate of Queens University with a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Information Systems. She is a Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Scrum Alliance and is an Agile Certified Practitioner, Project Management Institute.
Several of those companies and projects on which Annette has worked include:
Project: Loan Solutions
Loan Solutions was a POS interface to a legacy workhorse LOS. It narrowed down the loan application into several user-friendly screens. The ease of use for Loan Officers increased the business they were able to generate and lessened the time required from customers up-front. As a QA Lead and Mortgage SME, Annette was able to provide input on the necessary data points required. This was her first major instance in seeing where technology could help make a financial process, specifically completing a mortgage application, easier and faster.
Project: Process Re-Design and Standardization Business/IT Initiative
This initiative involved re-thinking the loan process from initial application through disbursing funds. Along with process changes, the company opted to move from its in-house POS and LOS to a vendor application. The application chosen was Palisades Impact, which was later sold to IBM after Wachovia’s customizations. Having a POS and LOS be part of the same system instead of separate interfacing systems allowed for less data errors and increased speed of data transfer. This increased the overall customer satisfaction while also increasing the number of loans that the Operations Centers could process during a month.
As a Business Analyst and SME, Annette had a direct impact on changing the process flows at the Operations Centers. She provided input on customizations to the Impact system so it would meet the needs of the new process flows and be an effective tool. Her team revitalized the loan process for both customers and employees. From the process changes, which increased Operations Centers productivity, to customizing a loan system, which increased profitability by being user-friendly, speedy, and efficient, she was instrumental in assembling the right people and tools to bring the process to fruition.
Project: OPUS
When Capital One acquired ING Mortgage, each company had its own version of LPS’ Empower. The OPUS project combined the two versions and produced a final one that would allow for more on-site configuration while supporting all required first lien products. A decision was made to take ING’s version of the platform and add Capital One’s products, pricing, and other features to support those.
As a Senior Product Owner, Annette had a team of Business Analysts/Product Owners who followed the Agile Scrum methodology of creating user stories and working with the Delivery Teams to deliver incremental chunks of work for the Empower system. A new pricing engine, documents, and changes to the closing workflow were her team’s main items. These areas afforded her to work closely with several different company departments including Compliance, Operations, Pricing/Lock Desk, and Legal plus an external document vendor. She used her knowledge and what she gained from her partners to help intensify the productivity and efficiency of the system.
HELIOS added Home Equity products and processes to the Empower system. This allowed all company products to be on the same system, which provided consistency. As a Senior Product Owner, she worked closely with several different internal departments and an external document vendor and learned a new part of the mortgage business with which she was unfamiliar. She relied on her system expertise to help the Business think outside of itsr present situation and embrace the opportunities a new system could provide
Director, Technology
Throughout her career, Planet Home Lending Director of Technology Aneeza Haleem has driven technology improvements that increase efficiency, heighten insights, and enhance customer experience.
At Planet, she recently spearheaded the implementation of Stella, the company’s consumer-facing, contextual chatbot. Before that, she built an automated, lead-management tool that further streamlined the flow of information from Planet’s website homepage into Encompass. Haleem also led the team that developed an in-house barcode reader that reduced document indexing time from 40 minutes per loan file to seconds.
Currently, she’s expanding Planet’s remote online notary and eNote capabilities to allow for end-to-end electronic loan completion. While at Cognizant Technology Solutions, her Cognizant Intelligent Mortgage Advisor (CIMA) was heralded by HfS (Horses for Sources) as the best example of a cognitive assistant in the mortgage industry.
Haleem has also been a voice for women in IT within the mortgage industry. Her opinion blogs on topics ranging from women in leadership, to diversity in AI and sexism in children’s coding programs have been featured in various industry publications.
Vice President of Strategy and Marketing, Equifax Mortgage & Housing Services
Equifax, Inc.
Jennifer Henry is an innovative, results-oriented leader with more than 20 years of continued success in product, strategy, sales and management along with a deep understanding of mortgage loan quality, loan origination, servicing and technology. As Vice President of Strategy and Marketing, Equifax Mortgage & Housing Services, Jennifer Henry oversees the strategic vision for the mortgage and housing line of business, ensuring the brand is on track relative to yearly growth plans, while also working to develop strategies for partnerships, mergers and acquisitions. Additionally, she upholds communication between cross-functional teams while also providing strategic guidance on new product innovation opportunities, product roadmaps, pricing and channel strategies. She brings a wealth of experience and innovative ideas designed to fuel greater efficiencies and growth within the sectors.
During her tenure at Equifax, she has enhanced Equifax’s ability to provide access to customer insights that fuel the entire mortgage process. Among her accomplishments this past year, Henry was instrumental in creating the Mortgage Servicing Product Bundle, designed to empower lenders with the data and analytics they need to combat issues ranging from mitigating delinquency risk and identifying portfolio retention strategies to increasing operational efficiencies with non-performing loans. Providing flexible solutions that meet specific needs the servicing ecosystem faces ensures Equifax is driving value for customers. In addition, she was involved in creating the Home Equity Solutions Product Bundle, which supports lenders’ home equity lending by assisting institutions with consumer acquisition, mitigating portfolio risk, and increasing operational efficiencies, ultimately creating a more profitable home equity lending model. With this solution, Equifax is helping lenders better identify risk and market opportunities as well as increase operational efficiencies with digital processes to better address the specific needs and challenges facing the home equity lending ecosystem.
Additionally, during her time at Equifax, Henry developed a structure that significantly increased the velocity, scale and quality of output among her team. She has developed and deployed a new product innovation process that resulted in over 15 new product launches. She has also been instrumental in expanding Equifax into new market segments, most notably real estate and multi-family housing. Her attendance at some of the industry’s premiere tradeshows enables her to meet and interact with mortgage industry executives directly to understand their challenges, aiding in the development of groundbreaking technologies. Henry is also often featured as a thought leader by participating in written byline/interviews for industry publications on mortgage-related issues and solutions.
Director of Sales
Mortgage Builder
Kelli began her career in the mortgage industry in 2003 working in the wholesale and correspondent banking space. Prior to that, she worked in the modular home building industry with two national factory homebuilders for nearly 15 years. She pivoted her work focus to the mortgage technology space and in 2008 she joined Mortgage Builder Software. After two years in her sales and client development roles, she transitioned to a corporate role in Mortgage Builder’s Michigan headquarters serving as Corporate Vice President.
In 2014, Kelli played a key executive role in the strategic acquisition transaction of Mortgage Builder and remained as an executive under the new ownership. In 2016, Kelli joined the team at VirPack where she served as the Director of National Sales and a member of the senior management team. She focused on delivering the VirPack solution to lenders of all sizes and played a key role in the company’s market strategy alongside VirPack’s executive management team.
In 2020, the best of fate came her way and Kelli returned as the newest member of the Mortgage Builder leadership team. She is leading the new marketing and sales strategy for the company, which became a subsidiary of Constellation Mortgage Solutions, Inc. in 2019.
Senior Vice President
For Angela, integrity, dedication and determination have been guiding principles in all her actions and behavior, both personally and professionally. She understands that hard work is a fundamental building block to success and that success is not given to someone but instead earned. Angela is a problem solver pairing traditional values with innovation. Her parents, career military, U.S. Coast Guard, instilled those traits at an early age.
Angela, an accomplished senior executive and thought leader, has more than 30 years of experience in the real estate industry, focusing 20 of those years in mortgage banking. Her knowledge and expertise encompass every aspect of business from Strategic Initiatives, Contract Negotiations, Contract Procurement, Client Relations; Public Relations; Community Outreach/Development Programs; Pool / Bulk Sales; Alternative Disposition Programs; Vendor & Business Partner Initiatives & Programs. Angela is a thoughtful listener, always thinking of the long-term solutions and how certain strategies might affect the bigger picture.
This year, Angela joined the recently-established American Mortgage Diversity Council, formed by Five Star, that promotes diversity and inclusion throughout the mortgage industry. She is part of the Education and Outreach subcommittee that focused on training professionals and leaders to better understand diversity and its impact on their business, their community and the industry. Ed Delgado, President & CEO, Five Star Global, LLC, said, “I have had the privilege of knowing Angela for nearly a decade. During this time, I have known her to be a focused and dedicated business leader, who is regarded as a force for good.”
Angela is involved with the Committee for Young Life, Argyle, and she was a past Board Member of Helping Our Heroes and on the Marketing Committee for Rebuilding Together, Dallas. She is an advocate for and involved in fundraising for Veterans receiving care at the North Texas Veterans Hospital and American Legion benefitting the North Texas Veterans Hospital and actively serves on organizations championing Diversity and Inclusion within the industry.
Vice President of Compliance
For more than three decades, Loretta Kirkwood has been one of the leading women helping lenders navigate the constantly changing fair lending and compliance landscape. She has vast experience in both the lending and regulatory worlds, which she has used to build new compliance processes, educate the industry on fair lending best practices and work with regulators to revise rules to benefit both consumers and the industry. Today, she is using that experience to help build a fair lending compliance automation platform to help lenders better analyze and understand fair lending risks associated with lending performance, while maintaining focus on profitability.
For most of the past year, Loretta has been leveraging her three decades of experience and leadership in fair lending and compliance to help QuestSoft build a new fair lending platform that will help lenders build a stronger, more accurate and compliant fair lending program. While working on this project, which launched in 2019, Loretta has also continued to remain an active leader in the mortgage industry advocating for more comprehensive fair lending tools and education for lenders. She is additionally working to build a more comprehensive Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) program in response to feedback from the industry.
In addition, Loretta has presented several educational webinars on topics ranging from the impact of expanded HMDA data on fair lending to why CRA data and analysis is more important than ever.
Throughout her expansive career, Loretta has assisted numerous financial institutions with enforcement action remediation, regulatory investigations, exam management, assessments of fair and responsible lending programs, HMDA and CRA process optimization, CRA performance evaluation, and leveraging technology to ensure integrity in data capture and process management.
Chief People Officer
Anna Klombies boasts more than 25 years of experience in SaaS, financial services, media, e-commerce, and entertainment. In her position as a human resources leader at nationally recognized, technology-centric companies, including SportsEngine (recently acquired by NBC), Dow Jones, CBS’ MarketWatch, and now high-growth fintech startup, Total Expert, she’s focused on developing high-performance cultures and operational excellence across all corporate teams.
As the current Chief People Officer at Total Expert, the fintech leader behind the first fully-integrated marketing and sales software for the bank, credit union and mortgage industries, Anna focuses on professional development, people operations, coaching and mentoring, and improving company culture across the entire company.
Anna’s fintech expertise is a blend of her passion for human resource excellence and tech executive professional development. She works at the executive level with leaders overseeing technology, engineering, product development, and strategic marketing teams to ensure Total Expert scales and hits all the pinnacles on its way to continued growth.
Anna truly believes that fintechs are only as strong as their strategic and creative executives – and those fintechs on the high-growth path (like Total Expert) must foster a mission-driven culture of collaboration and excellence to drive employee engagement, business strategy, and stakeholder value.
RUTH LEE, CMB
CEO & Founder
At Titan Lenders Corp, Ruth Lee helped conceive and develop several meaningful technologies for the mortgage industry. These include: mintrak – 2012 Fix-It award winner – for large scale data reconciliation between MERS and servicing systems, DRMS – providing private label warehouse line quality control, and Worx – a whole loan purchase review platform for housing finance agencies and investors. Since selling Titan in 2016 and exiting in 2018) Ruth has been involved in MSR transactions and working with FinTech firms on “Go To Market” strategy and feature enhancements. In the ‘rona, Ruth has been lending her expertise to consult on operationally sound, risk averse eNote adoption.
She believes that FinTech is a catalyst, and we are currently seeing the evolution of manual processes through a digital transformation of the industry. Today, mortgage FinTech is challenging long-held assumptions about process and risk. Through that transformation, the mortgage industry will continue to move toward an inevitable conclusion – a completely digital mortgage.
Senior Director, Business Development
Kathleen is an industry vet that has held senior positions at several firms including at Asurity where she was responsible for Legal Compliance & Technology Document Preparation; ISGN where she was responsible for Technology/Enterprise Suite Consisting of Origination, Servicing, Default, Construction, BPO; and Wolters Kluwer where she was responsible for Compliance/Technology Suite, Alliance Management (Nationally and Internationally).
She believes that Fintech is and will always be an evolving playlist of hyper technologies powered by experienced professionals. Also, in order to offer the best of breed, you need to understand the internal workings first. It will continue to reshape and shake up the industry with innovative technology to maximize efficiencies and increase speed with a customer-centric approach in mind. Flexibility and adaptability are two essential ingredients that will be significant, particularly as the shift continues through COVID-19 into more of a remote new norm. Behind all this also needs to be a QC plan and effective policies and procedures that is just as flexible, adaptable and agile to ride the regulatory wave and keep pioneering the way forward while mitigating ever growing risk that comes along with the new digital world.
Account Supervisor and Regional Sales Director
Integrity is a trait that is instilled at an early age and has been a guiding principal in all Charlyne’s actions and behavior, both personally and professionally throughout her life. She truly understands that hard work is a fundamental building block to success and that success is not readily presented to someone but instead earned. For these reasons, Charlyne goes way beyond the traditional limits for her clients ensuring they receive the information and guidance for them to be successful in all their endeavors.
Charlyne has been dedicated to the advancement of fintech messaging for more than 16 years. She spent her early career as a business/real estate/technology reporter and editor at daily newspapers including the Roanoke Times & World News, Business Publishers newsletters and Inside Mortgage Technology where she quickly learned the importance of harnessing technology to improve processes and save resources. In addition to her strong communication skills, Charlyne spent time as a mortgage processor where she gained intimate knowledge of technology and its benefits. She experienced firsthand exactly how technology could be used to expedite processes and solve for more complex issues.
During her career, Charlyne has worked with and helped dozens of mortgage technology firms from well-established fintech providers to leading-edge start-ups hone their messaging to better define their go-to-market business strategy to ensure they are meeting an industry need. Companies include IndiSoft, Planet Home Lending, eAppraiseIT, LERETA, ClosingCorp, MiMutual, NestReady and ValueInsured to name a few. Her relationships and industry credibility are some of the most important factors of her continued success in guiding her clients overarching business strategies. She has long-standing relationships with key industry reporters and influencers that enable her to secure exposure to enhance her clients’ credibility while increasing brand awareness and attracting new prospects.
Being intrigued by technology and being trained to ask probing questions helps Charlyne work with and understand product development teams. She saw and wrote about the emergence of automated underwriting, MERS, pricing engines, loan originations software and automated valuation technology. Her strong work ethic and ability to effectively gather information has made her invaluable in training fintech C-suite professionals in how to effectively share their technology benefits the industry. Her understanding of fintech and how improves work processes has helped companies gain recognition and win awards.
Her hard work, dedication and commitment to seeing a project through has made her a go-to source of information in her current position. She understands that success is built on team work as well as knowledge.
This year, Charlyne has helped spread information on how fintech will help borrowers affected by Covid-19 communicate clearly with their lenders and housing counselors. She has managed projects to bolster the long-term visibility of fintech in the mortgage industry that included placing subject matter expert articles, sales team brainstorming and interviews.
Charlyne’s clients have been recognized for their achievements and won numerous awards over the years. TeleVoice’s Barry Hays was named a Mortgage IT All-Star by Mortgage Banking magazine. LERETA’s John Walsh was named a Thought Leader by Progress in Lending. IndiSoft received industry accolades including Progress in Lending’s Innovators Award, 2013 ComputerWorld Honor award, Mortgage Technology magazine Top 50 Service Providers, the Diversity Business Award and the Fast 50 Asian American Business Award.
Senior Director of Technology and Architecture
Tavant
Geeta Mishra, Senior Director of Technology and Architecture at Tavant, has 20 years of experience in designing and creating business-critical enterprise applications. Early on, she led a team of engineers to develop applications for one of the fastest growing and largest mortgage lenders of its time. She became known for her attention to detail and unique ability to understand business and technology, and was quickly promoted to the role of a technical architect. She architected enterprise platforms from ground up in different segments of financial industry such as banking, mortgage insurance and capital markets. An experience of such scale and expertise from participation in every aspect of building these platforms from discovery, architecture and design, development, testing, production support and enhancement makes her respected technologist in the industry. She was recognized as one of the Leading Women of Influence in the U.S. real estate industry in 2018. She is also a three-time winner of annual Excellence Award in delivery at Tavant.
Geeta currently leads the architecture and design of a custom straight-through processing and automated Mortgage Insurance (MI) underwriting platform using Microservice and Micro-frontend architecture for a leading MI provider. She previously led the architecture and design of a custom MI platform which included Origination, Servicing, Default and Claims, Pool Insurance and Risk-Based Pricing applications. The platform used modular service based and self-contained architecture patterns.
Additionally, Geeta was part of architect team at Tavant conceptualizing the architecture of its VELOX products – FinConnect and FinXperience. She has been crucial in the design and development of the innovative Trading platform and its suite of internal applications for creating and rebalancing a themed collection of stocks or Exchange Traded Funds.
She was also involved in the architecture, design and development of a single online point of access for Royal Bank of Scotland common banking services using WebSphere Portal technology. She has additional experience in the design and development of a custom mortgage loan defaults management platform for one of the fastest growing lenders in the United States. The platform reduced loss severity and tightly managed default portfolio/timelines through effective loss mitigation features like Loss Mitigation Score Card, Workout Recommendation Engine and Saving’s Over REO resulting in higher value generation for servicers and investors.
Co- CEO
Maria Moskver is Co-CEO of CloudVirga, a leading FinTech firm powering the digital mortgage experience at some of the country’s leading lenders. She shares this role with Daniel Akiva, Co-CEO and Chief Technology Officer, and works closely with CloudVirga co-founders, Mark Attaway and Kyle Kamrooz. Maria is responsible for all aspects of Cloudvirga’s customer success initiatives, its go-to-market strategies, sales, day-to-day administration, finance and compliance.
Cloudvirga is a digital mortgage platform giving consumers, lenders and mortgage originators a world-class customer experience from application to closing. The company’s technology solutions enable lenders to their automate workflows, radically cut costs, increase transparency and reduce closing times. CloudVirga technology powers nearly $150 billion in loans annually and is used by ten of the country’s top 40 mortgage originators.
Maria joined CloudVirga a year and a half ago as general counsel (a position she continues to hold). She was promoted to co-CEO earlier this Spring. Since that time, CloudVirga has:
• Secured a new round of strategic investment.
• Launched a Wholesale TPO platform that will significantly streamline the interaction between large wholesale lenders and their broker clients.
• Announced that two large lenders—Finance of America and Citizen’s Bank—have selected CloudVirga’s TPO platform.
A mortgage industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience, Maria has held senior positions at technology-enabled companies, like Covius, and specialty providers, such as Statebridge special servicing and MurrayHill, the pioneer in credit risk management.
Prior to joining CloudVirga, she was the General Counsel and Enterprise Compliance Officer for Covius, a leading provider of technology-enabled solutions for the financial services industry. At Covius, she launched a new standalone compliance business division, expanded its product offering and oversaw the legal and internal audit teams.
Director of Marketing | Enterprise Sales
Sara has over 15 years of experience in FinTech serving the financial services sector in realtor and agency marketing for banks and credit unions, and extensive experience in the mortgage industry working with banks, credit unions and mortgage companies to deliver award-winning technology solutions and services. She has been a keynote presenter at leading industry events and conferences discussing FinTech and its impact on lenders businesses. Sara has deep industry knowledge in the financial digital space.
Recently, Nakae launched and brought to market FirstClose ONE. FirstClose ONE is a comprehensive platform designed to give lenders access to all the tools they need to be successful in home equity lending, in one place. FirstClose ONE combines property, and borrower data intelligence, consolidated vendor management, and a suite of rich UX/UI features to ensure that lenders are able to provide a world-class borrower experience to maximize profits.
Digital Lending Platform (DLP) is a home equity point-of-sale tool and application management system fully integrated FirstClose ONE. Specific to home equity lending, lenders can drive prospective borrowers to the application portal where the borrower is able to obtain instant information regarding the equity in their home anytime, anywhere. In addition to providing real-time equity results, DLP can complete a full home equity application and obtain a credit decision in real time directly from the FirstClose ONE platform.
Additionally, the platform includes game-changing automation like SMART Select, which uses intelligence logic to automatically select the title vendor with the best service, best price, and best turn-time for each financial institution’s unique lending footprint. Features like this that make intelligent decisions for lenders are what sets the platform apart.
FirstClose ONE includes a rich and smooth user interface, seamless user experience, one-screen navigation, live production reports, and custom workflow management tools with the same quality of service FirstClose users have come to expect. Being accessible via a web app and the leading loan origination systems, lenders can operate more efficiently anytime, anywhere.
DARCY PATCH
Darcy Patch was already one of the most powerful women on the FinTech and mortgage lending landscapes when she joined WEST, a Williston Financial Group company, as VP Marketing, Enterprise Solutions. Over a career spanning more than 20 years, Patch had led marketing and communications efforts and implemented strategic marketing plans on behalf of many of the real estate industry’s largest and most innovative companies.
From the early days of her career, she was responsible for developing several mortgage technology-based product offerings, in addition to leading marketing and communications. It has been that integrated understanding of product development and operational processes that have given her marketing initiatives effectiveness, and made her such a sought-after marketing strategist.
In 2001, when Fidelity National Financial spun off its data, services and solutions companies to form a publicly traded company on NASDAQ, Patch was the senior marketing executive tapped to lead the launch, develop the corporate marketing plan, and manage the development of the Wall St. business plan.
Her marketing efforts incorporate a developer’s understanding, ensuring that the marketing message clearly explains the product’s function and benefits, while focusing on that industry niche that will benefit most.
As SVP of Marketing and a senior marketing strategist at Fidelity National Financial and later Lender Processing Services (now BlackKnight), Patch was responsible for developing, planning, implementing and tracking marketing, communications and product launch plans for nearly all of the company’s real estate technology, origination and default servicing divisions, including the MLS systems, Empower LOS, RealEC, SoftPro and LPS Desktop technology platforms; public record data,offerings, centralized lender title, closing and appraisal services; flood and real estate tax services, property valuation services, default title and closing services, REO asset management, field services, auction solutions, and more.
As VP of Marketing, Strategy and Industry Relations for the Data Solutions Division and VP of Marketing and Operations for the RealtyTrac Network at RealtyTrac (now ATTOM Data Solutions), she researched and developed a comprehensive, channel-centric strategic marketing plan targeting the residential real estate brokerage market.
Patch also developed messaging and created marketing materials on behalf of the company’s Data Solutions division, including brochures, web content and email marketing pieces – most of which focused on the FinTech RealtyTrac used to derive its data. She also led a FinTech-focused product development team in the creation of a “white-labeled” version of RealtyTrac’s foreclosure research site on behalf of the nation’s second-largest Multiple Listing Service organization. This system replaced the industry’s leading foreclosure research platform.
Perhaps more importantly, Patch’s talents have been applied not just to advancing the business of FinTech, but its people as well. As Director of Marketing Strategy at ServiceLink, she planned and managed conferences and events, including the annual Women Executives in Banking conference, an invitation-only event for senior-level executives in the mortgage servicing industry. Supporting activities included program development, contract negotiation, participant recruitment, theme development, speaker selection and engagement, meeting coordination and onsite event management. Aggressive negotiations resulted in an 18 percent budget savings and several divisions obtained new business as a direct result of networking opportunities during the 2012 and 2013 conferences.
Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Wendy Peel is vice president of sales and marketing at ReverseVision. An accomplished B2B executive, Peel has over 20 years’ senior leadership experience driving sales growth at enterprise technology firms.
Under Peel’s leadership, market-leading digital mortgage firm ReverseVision has achieved record revenue growth. To date, the ReverseVision platform is used by all 10 of the top-ten HECM lenders and supports more reverse mortgage transactions than all other systems combined. Since joining the company in 2016, more than 2,500 lenders and brokers have enrolled in the ReverseVision platform, which serves nearly 10,000 active users.
In support of broadening lender adoption among forward lenders, Peel led the organization’s Fall 2019 transformation as an API-enabled flexible reverse lending platform, unveiling a new logo as part of its revised mission and rebranding. Peel also conceived the inaugural ReverseVision UserCon to highlight best HECM origination practices, offer expert marketplace insights, and gather guidance on future product development. Tickets to the event, which was attended by industry leaders, lenders and brokers, sold out two years in a row.
Peel is a frequent speaker at industry events and her thought leadership has appeared in national mortgage industry publications.
Before joining ReverseVision, Peel served as vice president of sales and marketing at CommercePromote, a cloud-based SaaS applications provider, where she executed a corporate rebranding campaign repositioning the company as an enterprise marketing and operations technology leader. Additionally, Peel has held executive sales and marketing positions at iCoStore, LLC; Take Notice, Inc.; PNA, Inc.; and TransPerfect Translations.
Susan Portnoy’s entrance into the FinTech space 28 years ago was a natural fit for someone who thrives on solving problems. In 1992, she joined Transamerica’s outsourcing division and was instrumental in building the first outsourced tax platform in the industry for one of the nation’s largest mortgage servicing portfolios. In 2002, Susan joined LERETA as vice president of outsourcing and has been part of the executive leadership team for more than 10 years. Today she is SVP, Product and Enterprise Operations.
With her vision and expertise, LERETA has challenged the status quo of the industry’s technology platforms. While managing LERETA’s outsourcing teams, Susan recognized an immediate need to synchronize data and automate workflows to optimize efficiency. The outsource team relied on many internal partners for their data, forcing managers to spend entire days weaving together Excel files using various methods and numerous databases, all to have a clear picture of the information flow in order to effectively assign work to processors.
Susan is the master architect behind LERETA’s new Total Tax Solutions®, commonly known as TTS. It took her years of meticulous planning and designing to develop the tool. TTS was originally built to provide internal visibility of each aspect of the tax life cycle, which provided immediate efficiency for LERETA’s managers and supervisors. Since its release, TTS has yielded material operational improvements; including a 70% reduction in claims and penalties, 30% reduction in borrower calls, and 30% reduction in returned checks. Recognizing the need mortgage servicers have for this type of platform, her product team designed a TTS version that can be integrated with a client’s loan servicing system to provide total visibility and transparency on all tax servicing processes. This was the first major technological enhancement to the tax service industry in years.
Director of Real Estate Lending/Managing Editor
Valley First Credit Union/Mortgage Women Magazine
Leora Ruzin has been in the FinTech space in some capacity for the entirety of her mortgage career, of which spans over 13 years. During this time, she has taken on a variety of tech-related roles, including:
During her time at Guaranteed Rate, she was responsible for managing dozens of mortgage products and investor relationships, to ensure the company was at the forefront of mortgage technology and was aligned with the best partners to deliver successful results.
More recently, as the managing editor of Mortgage Women Magazine, she has the distinct honor of collaborating with some of the biggest names in the FinTech space to develop content that will help all mortgage companies (regardless of business channel) make informed decisions surrounding their technology offerings.
Director of Digital Communications
NEXT Mortgage Events
Renee Stanzione is Director of Digital Communications at NEXT Mortgage Events and producer of the #NEXTSUMMER20 Tech Showcase. She manages more than a dozen Fintech firms participating in the Showcase, and coordinates the selection of the participating companies. Prior to NEXT, Renee helped grow AIME membership at staggering rates.
Renee is a big proponent of FinTech’s growing role in reshaping financial services. Borrowers want a fully digital experience now. They expect it to be just like all other aspects of life. Homebuyers today think mortgages should be more advanced than they are because the rest of their lives are already progressing with modern technology. The winners in financial services will adopt FinTech quickly and continue to innovate to elevate the mortgage experience.
Senior Vice President, Information Technology
Oya Truesdale has been in the technology industry for 15 years with a strong background in software engineering. Throughout her career, she has managed application development and enterprise software platforms for large banks and financial institutions.
In her current role as Senior Vice President of Information Technology for Covius, a leading provider of technology-enabled solutions for the financial services industry, she oversees the Software Engineering, Architecture and Design, Test Automation, Quality Assurance, Project Management, Business Analysis and Client Implementation and Application Support teams. Her teams are responsible for developing and implementing critical document and data management systems for servicers and originators, including loan modifications and default processing.
Oya originally joined the WALZ group in 2007 as a Software Engineer. In 2015, Covius acquired WALZ and Oya was critical in the successful post-acquisition integration of WALZ’s technology into the Covius Document Services group. She worked to consolidate and streamline technology operations, restructure teams, standardize processes and reduce time-to-market with higher-efficiency execution.
A large-scale project Oya has been directly involved in is the launch of the company’s new test automation platform. The platform automatically tests all new products, changes to existing products and new releases to ensure they are working as expected before they are put into production. The manual product test cycle usually takes days or weeks, where the test automation platform takes minutes – providing significant cost and time savings.
Chief Customer Officer
With 30 years of financial services and mortgage industry experience, Sue Woodard has been a strong advocate for driving the use of technology combined with human connection to improve the mortgage lending experience.
In her position as Chief Customer Officer at Total Expert, a marketing and customer experience platform built for the financial services industry, her focus is on helping customers achieve greater productivity and long-term success with the help of technology and innovative solutions. Total Expert has seen its customer base increase significantly during Woodard’s tenure with the company.
Woodard started her career at the ground level as a processor, became a top producing loan officer, then leveraged her knowledge to become a highly acclaimed industry speaker, subject matter expert, and technology executive. And over the course of her career, she’s shattered the glass ceiling for hundreds if not thousands of people to achieve more with smart lending strategies. Her background spans C-suite leadership, training, public speaking and building expertise in originations and mortgage technology. Prior to Total Expert, she served as president and CEO of Vantage Production, VP and national sales trainer at CTX Mortgage and TCF Bank, and has taken home top originator titles in many of her previous lending roles (TCF Bank, CTX Mortgage, Hometown Mortgage and Countrywide Home Loans).
In addition to having hosted a successful financial radio program and making guest appearances on CNBC, NBC and CBS, Woodard has been awarded numerous industry honors, including:
– PROGRESS in Lending Women in Fintech award list (2019)
Outside of the mortgage industry, she also serves on the board of HOPE4Youth, a local non-profit working to end youth homelessness, and was also inducted as an honorary alumnae initiate to the sorority Sigma Sigma Sigma, where she is guiding young women on succeeding in the workplace and as leaders.
Senior Vice President
Planet Management Group Senior Vice President Janina “Gigi” Woods’ poured three decades of servicing industry knowledge into the development of a powerful, client-focused real estate asset management platform that maximizes portfolio returns.
Investors in mortgages and other real estate-related portfolios thrive on data insights. By applying technology that increased portfolio- and loan-level transparency, Woods helped triple the size of Planet’s sub-servicing portfolio between 2016 and 2020.
PMG’s portfolio management technology provides performance intelligence far beyond the typical, daily reports commonly available in the industry. It uses real-time performance to identify and proactively manage slow-downs in loans moving through the default, modification, workout, and foreclosure pipelines.
Identifying and resolving issues that cause loans to fall outside expected default process timelines is critical to maximizing portfolio values because adherence to deadlines influences conveyance and claims payments.
Chief Marketing Officer
Considered a “secret weapon” and kept on speed dial by industry notables, Brandie has racked up >20 years in the industry, and now occupies the CMO role at FinTech freshman Candor Technology.
No stranger to emerging technology, Brandie cut her teeth at IMX Exchange, and then went on to join the team that brought Encompass 1.0 to market. Brandie joined Candor last year following 13 years as Managing Partner with Marketing TBD, whose client list includes noteworthy industry firms, tech startups, a global Information technology solution provider, and an AdTech giant.
On her charge with Candor, Brandie is thrilled to launch the FinTech company, which she believes will become a core technology within the next five years. Built on a dual AI platform, and accessed via LOS integration, the company’s Loan Engineering System, LES, does the heavy lifting for lenders, performing a complete underwrite and making complex, high integrity lending decisions.
Co-Founder
NEXT Mortgage Events
Jeri Yoshida has been in the FinTech industry for decades, representing firms as a public relations expert. She is co-founder of NEXT Mortgage Events, a technology-focused conference for women executives and NEXT Mortgage News, delivering critical news and intel for all execs in the industry.
Jeri believes we should elevate the technology experience in financial services. She’s a strong advocate for homebuyers and believes we should provide a secure, white-glove experience enhanced with modern technology. After all, it is the biggest purchase of most Americans’ lives and shouldn’t it be more elegant?
Another way Jeri contributes to the FinTech and mortgage community is by spotlighting the achievements of so many women executives in the industry through her work with NEXT. Often, success and technology go hand-in-hand, and she has helped so many in so many ways.
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The Place for Lending Visionaries and Thought Leaders. We take you beyond the latest news and trends to help you grow your lending business.
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If you want to get ahead in the mortgage industry you must extend your digital reach. Find out how HERE.
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Today would have been my Grandpa’s 87th birthday. Or Papa, as we called him. But he passed away a little over a month ago now. Below is the journal entry I wrote back in late January when I learned that he’d been given a “time remaining” estimate with the units in months.
I’ve thought a lot about putting this out on the internet, or just keeping it for myself. But Papa was a gregarious man, and I think his memory deserves company. So here goes.
Tonight I found out that my Grandpa has around six months to live. He’s been struggling with heart issues and back issues for years and years at this point. He’s had ups and downs, but this particular heart issue has kind of come out of the blue for me. I thought after his heart surgery a few years ago that the problem was mostly taken care of. And he’s had another recent operation that was getting his back pain more under control.
So to find out that, despite all that, he’s likely to be gone before the end of 2022 is a shock.
I’ve known my grandparents — both sets — are getting up in age, and I’ve come to terms that they could die any year now. But there’s something about knowing that it’s probably going to be this year that we lose one of them that hurts bad.
I only found out from my parents a few hours ago, so I still need time to accept the news. My dad (Papa’s son) — well, both my mom and dad — seemed strong on the phone. Stronger and more positive than I would have expected. But they’ve had more time with the knowledge, and practice telling the news to my sisters. I’m sure my dad was a wreck yesterday.
I was pretty upset myself after I got off the phone. My wife and dog cuddled me while I cried.
Thinking back to my favorite times with Papa, tobogganing immediately comes to mind. Maybe because I was out in Lake Placid today, and saw the toboggan run in action, but also because he always had so much fun pulling us around on the tractor. And we had so much fun holding on for dear life, and trying to pelt him with snowballs from behind.
I’ll remember Papa as a strong man. One who provided for his family. Who started a small business that continues to provide for my family today. Who took care of a big plot of land full of woods and trails, and who was formative in teaching me that we have a responsibility to take care of nature. I’ll remember him as a kind man — I literally can’t recall a time that he was truly angry. And as a positive guy — he’s remained optimistic throughout his many years of pain and waning mobility.
But most of all I’ll think of him as the generous, loving, hard-working, goofy, joke-loving grandpa that any kid would be lucky to have.
My Nena and Papa, surrounded by my Dad (left) and Aunt and Uncle (right), in the cabin that he built and cherished. ⌘
Papa loved his garage workshop. Here, he’s cutting wood for birdhouses as part of my Eagle Scout project. ⌘
Today, as I look at the title ‘Papa’, it still fills my heart with sadness knowing that he’s gone. I know it won’t always feel that way, and soon enough I’ll be able to look back at these memories with all the joy and laughter that he brought into the world. But right now it still hurts.
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How does family play a role in coaching? At so many times throughout the year – holidays, birthdays, and special events – our focus is drawn to family. This becomes an influencing factor in prioritizing and in considering perspective. For a coach working with their coachee, it is essential to fully understand the coachee – including their context. This means that when family has moved front and center for the coachee, the coach must recognize what is happening and the impact.
With this awareness and application of the learning around coaching questions from coach training, here are several questions to explore the impact of family when coaching:
How is your thinking influenced by current circumstances?
How do you want to manage that influence?
What are your considerations?
Who are your stakeholders?
What are your values in terms of family?
How do your perceptions of family play a factor?
How does the way you perceive their perceptions influence you?
How does your family impact your priorities?
How does your family impact your decisions?
How do your priorities impact your family?
How do your decisions impact your family?
How do you balance yourself, your role, and your family?
Please remember that the significant holidays and events vary based on culture, beliefs, family, and more so be open to whether family has moved front and center and whether something else is happening! The coaching competencies and PCC Markers you learned in coaching certification are your guide for serving your coachee.
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I know development is on pause, but I still wanted to try the content in the test server. The problem is that it's impossible to link my account because I can't link my patreon account no matter what.
Comments
Sadtaco
February 2018
@Kaliko have you tried it again recently? I have to refresh the linking server every so often since Patreon's API is kind of oof.
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Our client, a fast growing Construction Contractor that specializes in Restoration Services, has immediate openings for Construction Sales Managers in their Charlotte, Raleigh, Fayetteville and Greensboro, NC locations. This is a great opportunity for either experienced construction professionals or experienced insurance adjusters that are looking for a sales opportunity that allows them the opportunity to grow.
Duties Include:
Works closely with owners and managers of commercial, industrial, government, and residential properties damaged by man-made or natural disasters to develop cost estimates for restoration, renovation, environmental, and roofing services.
Generate, manage and close sales leads generated from company and personal referral sources
Inspect, and determine the appropriate scope of repairs
Generate and present complete and professional estimates
Market company to new customers
Target major account, large loss executives, and facility/property management executives via weekly sales and business development activity
Foster close working relationships with subcontractors and vendor partners
Provide all project information to Project Manager and Project Accountant including budget, completion date, and all other relevant information
Obtain and submit subcontractor bids as needed
Write subcontractor agreements and be able to show a justified job cost prior to transitioning the project to a Project Manager
5+ years recent marketing/business development and sales experience in the restoration industry with a proven track record of sales growth
Extensive large loss and catastrophe experience either in the construction or insurance Industries
Excellent base salary plus sales commission and a Profit Sharing Plan. Position also includes a sales incentive bonus which rewards personal performance. Company also offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes; a matching 401(k) plan, health insurance (medical, dental and vision), paid time off, long term disability, vehicle allowance, gas card and expense account.
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Classic suburban homes in a quintessential suburban neighborhood. (Photo by Flickr user Doug under Creative Commons License)
There was a time when the idea of moving from the city to the suburbs defined success for many Americans; for those masses, owning a house with a white picket fence was the embodiment of the American dream.
Suburbs, mostly residential communities within commuting distance of a city, flourished after World War II. Originally, suburbs were designed around families with children with their local schools at the center. Social life revolved around the school, while bars and other kinds of nightlife were not seen as having a place in these family-centric communities.
However, many of the post-war suburbs are aging badly — with dead or dying shopping centers, empty big box stores, and abandoned office parks — and that white picket fence many Americans were so eager to attain, is now the very thing holding them back.
“The suburbs were built for the Baby Boomers [people born between 1946 and 1964] but they will not be able to age gracefully there,” said Ellen Dunham-Jones, a Georgia Tech professor of architecture and urban design. “The privacy that they valued when they were raising their family, now entraps them and isolates them.”
A dying suburban shopping center in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Flickr user Roadsidepictures
While suburbanites might still love their individual homes, they are not enamored of all of the driving, traffic and congestion they often encounter.
Atlhough the burbs were designed for kids and stay-at-home moms, the majority of modern-day mothers work outside the home. Dunham-Jones believes the working mom who is trying to shuttle her kids around to all of their activities is probably the least served by the suburban model.
And then there’s the inconvenient fact that although the suburbs were designed with families in mind, since 2000, two-thirds of suburban households have not had kids in them.
All of which means, the suburbs don’t seem to be serving anyone effectively — not the aging baby boomers, the working families with children, or the majority of households with no children.
“The vast majority of households in the suburbs do not have a connection to the schools and the majority of households in the country right now are one- and two-person households and they’re craving places where they can still feel some kind of social connection,” said Dunham-Jones.
Increasingly those places are retrofitted walkable urban spaces that give these communities a downtown they never had. These town centers often have retailers and restaurants at the street level, with office and residential space on the upper levels. A little farther from the center, you might find townhouses, and then single family homes, as well as open spaces that allow for social and communal interaction.
“Millennials [people born between the early 1980s to the early 2000s] want an urban lifestyle, they want to live in the cities,” said Dunham-Jones. “But most of their jobs are out in the suburbs, so they’re often really driving this kind of redefinition of a form of urbanism in the suburbs that can include nightlife and can include places to go and hang out as adults that aren’t focused on families and kids.”
Reston Town Center provides this Washington, D.C. suburb with a walkable urban center, consisting of shops at the ground level and offices and housing on the upper floors. (Photo by Flickr user Payton Chung under Creative Commons License)
These centers also serve the aging population by allowing them to stay in the same community as they age, where they can maintain friendships, see the same doctors, and live where they can walk to a variety of their daily needs. There are also the undeniable health benefits of living in these urbanized spaces, because, overall, people are less sedentary.
However, not every dying suburban strip mall or deserted office park is a viable candidate to become a town center. Some are repurposed to serve the community in other ways, such as when big box stores become medical centers, churches or schools.
In some cases, regreening is the best solution. That means reconstructing wetlands or establishing parks or community gardens.
The ideal future suburb might be a combination of all three: urban centers, rehabilitated buildings to serve community needs, and green spaces. Far from being dead, the suburbs are being retrofitted to address 21st century challenges and, for many people, they still hold the promise of a slightly retooled American dream.
American Culture, American Family, Places, Suburbs
aging, dying, suburbs
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June 7, 2015 at 10:01 am
I like USA democracy very much
saima says:
December 25, 2015 at 5:50 pm
Your description of a dying suburb hasn’t been my experience in the last ten years. We’ve lived in affluent neighborhoods in California. The word transformation was used in most of these suburbs. The elderly residents were moving out and young families with children moved in. The homes were renovated, schools were overfilled. The streets were filled with families and kids playing outside on the weekends. Some mothers worked outside the home but a majority were running their homes like CEO’s. Mixed use housing may be great for a young couple in their 20’s. But the human need for land and space and tranquility will never die. It is an American’s Pioneer spirit. We are not meant to live in Communist like stacked prisons. Viva La Suburbia!
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Making decisions on digital marketing investments is challenging
on June 23 rd, 2016
Digital marketing is clearly a strategy that every entrepreneur must embrace, but where do your place your bets? This article offers some insights.
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Take advantage of the information Steve Cesare has amassed over the years through professional training, certifications, and work experience. You will be provided with an exclusive phone number and contact form to reach Steve as a Virtual Human Resource Assistant.
Who are you going to call when….
you get a call from the police department telling you to come right now to the scene of an accident and when you arrive, you are informed that one of your crew members was killed?
you get a call from one of your Account Managers telling you your zero-turn mower rolled over onto the operator and he needs to be airlifted to the closest hospital?
Homeland Security shows up at your door asking for all your I-9’s?
you open your mail and it’s a letter from your State Labor Department informing you one of your employees is filing an age discrimination suit against you?
one of your managers calls and tells you he was just in an accident and your brand new truck was totaled?
Steve has achieved his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and help lead companies such as NASA, Jack In The Box, Old Dominion University, CitiCorp, and most recently, Bemus Landscape to success in the organization of their External, Internal, and Longitudinal Human Resources Paths.
It’s easy. Select the “Sign Up Now” button and follow the directions. The service is a 12-month subscription and will be automatically debited from your account each month on the same day. You will receive a phone number and URL to where you can submit your questions. We will typically respond within 24 hours.
Step #2 Receive Our Confirmation Email
Once you receive our confirmation email, you will be sent an email detailing ways to contact Harvester Steve. In some cases, it may be of more benefit to working on a 1-on-1 status with Steve. If interested you will be able to ask him about what the 1-on-1 service offers and the associated cost.
It’s all you! If you have an issue or questions about something related to HR, then reach out to Steve so I can share his knowledge. It can save you hundreds to thousands of dollars to invest in a short phone call. You will be provided with an exclusive phone number and contact form to reach Steve.
Relax – You know have exclusive contact with one of the best Human Resources Consultants
You are now one of the cool kids. Well, you at least have a good and affordable way to mitigate liability when faced with one those crazy HR situations. It’s always nice to know you have a valuable partner when running a growing business in our litigious society.
Check out losses that others have faced when not prepared!
One of the Harvester’s clients had their I-9 audited by Homeland Security that resulted in a $55,000.00 fine and they had to pay it.
In another situation to defend against an age discrimination suit it cost the client $52,000.00 In legal fees.
One mistake in an Employee Handbook resulted in fines from their state’s labor Department of $78,000.00, they finally negotiated it to $58,000.00.
What other Landscapers have to say about Steve Cesare, Ph.D
Thank you for helping me tighten up our human resource procedures at Princeton Scapes Inc. I can’t believe how much we have accomplished under your stewardship in the past 5 months. I have been amazed at your level of detail and thoroughness in the process. My company has gone from virtually no human resource policy to a company that has a comprehensive employee handbook, a job description for every position in our company, a safety program, as well as a solid review procedure that ties it all together. You have provided my $2 million company with a set of human resource policies that a company triple our size would be jealous of. I look forward to continuing our work together on enhancing my business’ procedures. Giving me, I believe a huge competitive advantage!
Rud Mason, President – Princeton Scapes, Inc
We began searching for help with our Human Resources when an employee was injured on the job last year. The process was difficult to navigate and we didn’t have the time or resources to do it on our own. Steve Cesare came highly recommended to us. Steve demonstrated immediate, results-oriented value and has been an excellent addition to our company. He quickly tackled our issue last year and has since assisted us with the creation of an employee’s handbook, as well as the implementation of proper HR operating procedures, workplace safety training, and recordkeeping. Now we hold weekly meetings and are able to keep ahead of ever-changing employee laws. We are definitely better off thanks to Dr. Cesare’s help in that we are now HR compliant and look forward to a continued partnership with him!
“As our Human Resources consultant Steve has added significant value to Cole Landscaping and Irrigation by assisting me in the development of our company employee handbook, as well as workers’ compensation and employee disciplinary issues. Steve has an impressive knowledge of human resources, safety, and business processes that distinguishes him from other consultants. He is a strong partner capable of applying human resources in a way that improves company operations in a non-bureaucratic way.”
I would like to recognize Steve Cesare as “Coach of the Year”. While this industry rarely hands out trophies for great accomplishments … Steve has given our firm concise strategic and obtainable goals to keep our HR staff up to date on items that keep us compliant with the ever changing regulations required for employers. In addition … he has taken our HR staff under his wing and helped to implement systems to keep them organized and on task. Even though he is on the other side of these great American states (Steve is on West Coast and Akehurst is on East Coast) he is considered as an integral, behind the scenes member of our firm, and is our “go to guy” for advice with HR needs in the growth and advancement of the vision of Akehurst.
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs) typically provide Internet service to customers using either a dynamic IP address or a static IP address. A dynamic, or DHCP (dynamic host configuration protocol), network uses a "stack" of available IP addresses for each customer. When the customer's modem comes online, it obtains the first available IP address off of the stack and uses that address to browse the Internet. Thus, a modem may use a slightly different IP every time it goes online. A static IP address is just the opposite---one specific IP address is assigned to each customer and the modem always uses that exact IP address to go online. If you determine that you need to use a static IP address on your Internet connection, here are a few things to consider before contacting your ISP to order a static IP.
Determine what you need to use your static IP for. Most ISPs charge an extra fee for static IP addresses, so make sure that the use of a static IP is necessary. VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), which employees use to work from home, for instance, commonly require a static IP. Not all of them do; contact your employer's IT department to settle any confusion. There are many other uses for a static IP as well. The point is just that since static IPs cost money, make absolutely sure you need one rather than wasting money on something for which a standard dynamic IP would suffice. If you are sure you do need a static, consider what device should use it.
Determine what device you will have your ISP provision a static IP address to. If you need your static IP address assigned to your modem, your ISP will most likely have the modem's MAC address on file. If you are provisioning your static IP to a networking device like a router, switch, or hub, determine that device's MAC address (typically printed on a sticker on the device itself). A static IP can also be provisioned to a computer; determining the computer's MAC address is a bit more involved (skip step 3 if you are not assigning the static to a computer).
Determine the computer's MAC address. For Windows computers, navigate to the DOS command prompt (Start-->All Programs-->Accessories-->Command Prompt or Start-->Run--->CMD) and type the command "ipconfig/all" into the DOS window. Among the command output you will see "Physical address" with a string of numbers and letters off to the right. Those numbers and letters are your computer's MAC address.
For Apple computers, navigate to the "Network" System Preferences icon (System Preferences--->Network). Select your active connection (typically labeled "Built-in ethernet") and click either "configure" or "advanced," depending on what version of Mac OSX you are using. Listed next to "Ethernet ID" is the computer's MAC address (you may have to additionally click on the 'Ethernet' tab in older versions of OSX). Once you have determined the MAC address of the device that is going to use the static IP, it is time to contact your ISP.
Purchase a static IP address. Contact your ISP's customer service department. If you have the MAC address of a device other than the modem that the static will be provisioned onto, make sure to give this information to the customer service rep before completing your order. Also be sure to ask the salesperson how long the provisioning of the static will take and if you will need to reset any of your equipment in order for the network to assign the static IP to your home Internet connection.
If you have questions of a technical nature, often they are better addressed by the technical support department of your ISP rather than the sales or customer service department that is selling you the static IP address. If you do not feel that the sales representative is sufficiently addressing your concerns, ask to speak to a technical support representative instead. Even if you are not yet a customer of the ISP, the tech support representative should be able to answer any questions you have and determine whether that ISP will be able to meet your static IP needs.
Remember that changing ISPs will involve ordering a new static IP address from your new ISP before any static IP-dependent software will work. If you change service providers and your VPN suddenly does not work, for instance, make sure your new ISP has provided you with a new static IP address as part of your new Internet package.
Writer Bio
Eoghan McCloskey is a technical support representative and part-time musician who holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and political science from Texas State University. While at Texas State, McCloskey worked as a writing tutor at the Texas State Writing Center, proofreading and editing everything from freshman book reports to graduate theses.
by
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Surprisingly few attempts have been made at defining the term “demagoguery” with much precision, despite its frequent use as a negative epithet by politicians, their critics, historians, political sociologists and the like. Those attempts that do exist in the literature suffer from either excessive comprehensiveness or inaccuracy in particulars. These problems led historian Raymond Arsenault in 1984 to resign himself to the term’s “inherent ambiguities.”
Relatively early in the twentieth century, with “the spread of demagogical rule” in Europe uppermost in mind, sociologist Sigmund Neumann offered an exercise in defining the demagogue. His analysis asserted six fundamental qualities: he is “a man of the people,” “rises as an orator,” emphasizes “ simplification and repetition,” promotes above all else himself as leader, professes no “abstract program,” stresses “the spoken word,” and practices the “ exclusion of counter-propaganda,” that is, official censorship. On the third point, that of simplification, Neumann was right on. But others are flawed. For instance, what politician engaged in any form of mass politics, be it democratic or fascistic, does not advertise himself as “a man of the people”? Joseph McCarthy remains probably the most quintessential demagogue in American history, yet his skills as an orator were minimal at best. And obviously the “exclusion of counter-propaganda” works as a criterion only for more fascistically oriented societies. In this, Neumann was mainly reflecting the urgent concerns of his time. In reaching too far definitionally, however, he lost all hope of precision.
Some twenty years later historian Reinhard Luthin in American Demagogues joined Neumann in classifying this variety of politician as “a man of the people”; to repeat, a rather unhelpful description. But Luthin accentuated more so than Neumann the demagogue as a man who “lust[ed] for power without recourse to principle.” In this qualifier Luthin was, quite simply, wrong. Many a demagogue has earnestly considered himself to be a man of principles, however much those principles may be open to question.
Roughly a generation after Luthin, David H. Bennett, in Demagogues in the Depression--a study of the short-lived 1930s Union Party--did not even attempt a definition of “demagoguery” or the demagogic politician, despite the work’s title that would seem to call for one. The omission exemplifies past scholarly assumptions on the terms. He instead confined himself to noting that “some scholars, uncomfortable with its pejorative tone, dislike the word ‘demagogue.’” Bennett referred specifically to Southern history scholar and Huey Long biographer T. Harry Williams, who wrote in 1960 that we should “dispense with the word demagogue in dealing with men like Long and employ instead a term suggested by [philosopher] Eric Hoffer, mass leader.” Williams rightly objected to the term “demagogue” in the sense he had observed scholars using it: They “have been influenced by the notion that violent language is the peculiar mark of the demagogue. They seem to think that popular leaders have risen to power because they could excite and entertain the voters.” In preferring “mass leader” to demagogue, Williams had in mind the qualities of “audacity, an iron will, faith in his cause or in himself, unbounded brazenness, and a capacity for hatred, without which he may be deflected from his goal.” The chief faults with this definition lie in the first and last qualifiers--at least, that is, as Williams further defined them. “Audacity” he expressed as “a boundless self-confidence which ... enables him to disregard conventionality and consistency.” Yet not only do virtually all good politicos dwell in boundless self-confidence, consistency, no matter which rung of political notoriety one holds, has never been a qualifying trait of the non-demagogue. As for hatred, some demagogues, such as Barry Goldwater, have been extraordinarily affable in pronouncing their personal affection for opponents. Furthermore, their professed “hatred” is at times merely a public persona contrived to mobilize likeminded or would-be followers.
Beyond question, some above-mentioned qualifiers are accurate in describing more than a few individual demagogues. South Carolina’s Benjamin Tillman, for example, was a superb orator, as was true of most Southern demagogues. But that quality as generically applied by Neumann has not extended to notables such as Joseph McCarthy. As another example, Boston’s James Michael Curley was likely among the least principled of politicians, yet Barry Goldwater’s states’ rights mantra reflected a genuine advocacy, quite unlike his insincere promotion of social morality. Other above-mentioned particularities pertain to some demagogues, but not all. Nor is the standard dictionary entry of much help in defining the demagogue with precision. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Tenth Edition) states he is “a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power.” The congenital flaw here is “false claims,” for the term is misleadingly vague. A demagogic posture need not be false, a term which frequently is open to interpretation in any event.
The inconsistency and lack of precision inherent in these various definitional schemes pose a problem for the historian who wishes to be--or rightly insists on being--taxonomically correct in identifying and describing “the demagogue.” Such a historian must ask and answer: What is it, without fail, that incontrovertibly has marked the American demagogue? The answer provides needed clarity in terminology and an indispensable key for contemporary public policy-oriented historians concerned with recognizing and flagging demagogic stances--those which strive to eviscerate an uncorrupted understanding of sociopolitical issues. For both academics and the greater community the importance of understanding demagogic devices lies as much in the future as in the past. Only by seeing these devices for what they are can the body politic fairly appraise political leaders’ worthiness and, it is to be hoped, hold them accountable.
A more useful definition of demagoguery arises from the interdisciplinary application of rhetorical studies, which here takes on the form of logical-fallacy analysis, which itself reduces to two inseparably linked constituents: simplicity of message content and its wholly unilateral point-of-view presentation. For greater ease of expression we shall hereafter refer to these constituents as “one-sided simplicity,” or alternatively, simply as unidimensionality. And it is this rhetorical quality (in addition to scapegoatism, addressed shortly) that is consistently identifiable in the history of American demagoguery and permits an unconditional point of reference for any given demagogic practitioner. Simplicity of message content and a one-sided presentation of that message--that is, one that systematically excludes competing arguments and differing points of view--are, to borrow from sociologist Sigmund Neumann, “The Steadfast Rules of the Demagogue.” His quality of oration has varied historically, his degree of “populist” commitment has waxed and waned, his level of dedication to principle has differed--but without fail the demagogue has exercised unidimensionality.
He employs a gamut of logical fallacies to accomplish the common goal of all politicians: power and influence, whether merely for power’s sake or as a means to realize some given idealistic goal. Naturally he appeals to “the crowd” (ad populum exhortations)--nothing unique in itself, especially in a democratic forum--but commonly adds the logical fallacies of appeals to pity (argumentum ad misericordiam); appeals to reverence (argumentum ad verecundium); appeals to personality (argumentum ad hominem); and an assortment of other rhetorical devices. Suffice it to say that the term of “unidimensionality” is one that derives from the scholarly observations of diverse logicians of rhetoric. Professor S. Morris Engel of York University, for example, had a similar concept of unidimensionality in mind when he discussed the rhetorical problem of argumentation “omissions”: “Not all such omissions are innocent, or done for the sake of literary elegance or brevity.... More turns on them--the opportunity for gain, influence, deception--and hence a greater effort is made to hide the assumptions on which the argument rests.” (Again, the argument need not be an expressly “false” one. As stated above, it is more a matter of presentation.)
University of Winnipeg philosophy professor and argumentation-analyst Douglas Walton had much the same in mind when he reflected on rhetorical “fairmindedness.” Its demagogic opposite--unidimensionality--is characterized by the abdication of “critical doubt,” “‘due consideration’ to criticisms or arguments from an opposed viewpoint” and “desist[ance] from judging another viewpoint before fully understanding it.” In One-Sided Arguments: A Dialectical Analysis of Bias, Walton succinctly stated his thesis in writing “there is supposed to be a genuine exchange of views,” which was another way of saying what Aristotle posited more than two-thousand years ago: that “rhetoric is the counterpart of dialectic.” Put simply, unidimensionality denies the synthetic benefit of the dialectic and therefore the necessary deliberative nature of an engaged, democratic society.
Indigenous to the demagogue’s extensive use of unidimensionality has been the common practice of scapegoating: the hostile targeting of select groups for condemnation and blame. Important to note is that these groups may be identified by ethnicity, race, or religion, of course, but just as easily by political ideology. Akin to the notional convenience of scapegoats is the historiographical concept of the “Other”: those Americans, as Southern historian Sheldon Hackney described them, standing “in opposition to a presumed American norm.” As such, they are easy targets. It is they who are responsible for the problems of crime or unemployment, for instance; or they may be responsible for cultural upheavals that seemingly threaten traditional values, or even for America’s sagging international standing, if that is the case. The “Other” must be to blame for these conditions, for “we”—the true Americans--continue to uphold all that is good and socially manageable.
Within his rhetorical portfolio, the demagogue historically has portrayed scapegoats as insidiously powerful in reach. For Jim Crow-paladin Ben Tillman, African Americans (arm in arm with their Republican Party benefactors) visited most of the evils upon white-American society. James Michael Curley, often with comedic ridicule, extended the long-standing ethno-political thesis that stuffy, blue-blooded Anglo-Saxons--in effect, the “power elite”--were wholly responsible for the downtrodden socioeconomic state of Irish Americans. Joseph McCarthy saw domestic liberals as the ideological equivalent of unChristian foreign communists. For a brief period in the early 1960s Barry Goldwater demagogically portrayed America’s problems as little more than a national lapse of moral order, responsibility for which he laid at the feet of African Americans and their white liberal allies. To differing degrees and through careful, mindful repackaging, the New Right of the 1970s collectively furthered these diverse interpretations of social perfidy and its perpetrators. For these “new” conservatives the Liberal Establishment became the political whipping boy for all that ailed America. In crushing every manifestation of liberalism one would crush America’s internal enemies and in the process restore moral order, social tranquility and an idealized sense of what America once was.
Tillman’s unidimensional and scapegoating politics reigned for half a century, as did Curley’s. McCarthy’s flourished for but a few years, and Goldwater’s spanned only the length of a presidential campaign. In 2004, the New Right’s unidimensionality and scapegoatism are still a work in progress—tax cuts are always good, criticism of the nation’s leadership is unAmerican, liberals are thus ungood and unAmerican--although the initial movement that was the New Right has by now metamorphosed into generic conservatism.
The long demagogic careers of Tillman and Curley and comparatively short ones of McCarthy and Goldwater were classic displays of unredeeming rhetoric versus sound policy. They were instances of a virulent political-leadership culture to which mass politics too often gives birth. Present was the midwife of mass communications: the growing newspaper circulation of Tillman’s days, the radio of Curley’s and television for McCarthy and Goldwater. Printed means and then electronic forms of spreading the enticing word of the day meant demagoguing not to a 1000 people from the stump, but 10,000,000.
It was, then, perhaps only inevitable that some political movement, whether from the Left or Right, would in time come to collectively represent the peculiar culture of demagoguery through mass communication.
The rhetorical machinery of unidimensionality--simplistic solutions offered in answer to complex sociopolitical questions, one-sided expositions intended to exclude rather than expand democratic public debate, and the scapegoating of particular groups in the quest to identify the sinister perpetrators of society’s troubles--was once operated by individual politicos with ample consistency and effectiveness. Much later, and with remarkable similarity in technique, the New Conservative movement would rapidly mature as a party-wide agent of demagogic opportunism. In the process it would heavily tilt the left-right scales of twentieth-century American politics and beyond.
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Except for the anachronistic and superficial "left-right" dichotomy which pervades it.
Raymond Arsenault's exasperation as expressed by “inherent ambiguities” concerning demagoguery is a no-brainer to a lay person such as me. The phenomenon always manifests itself at the precise moment any politician opens his or her mouth and begins to speak.
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Adam who is the figure of him that was to come, (Romans 5: 14). For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive, (1 Corinthians 15:22).
Federal headship!
It is a glorious reality.
In its light we have true knowledge of ourselves and our fellow men. First, we know ourselves to be dead in Adam, for the [first, cjc] covenant being made with Adam as a public person, not for himself only, but for his posterity, all mankind descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him in that first transgression; and second, we can know certain hope of heaven, for we learn that the covenant of grace was made with Christ as the second Adam, and in him with all the elect as his seed.[1] In Adam we are fallen sinners cast upon the mercy of God, and in Christ we are redeemed sinners raised up to sit in heavenly places.
The Reformation recovered the doctrine of federal headship, the Reformed have developed and placed it in its covenantal setting.
As such it is the invincible doctrine of Federal Headship!
We shall discuss the doctrine, and then note that when the Reformers tied headship into predestination they had loosed a truth that might not rest until it had led the church of Christ into the knowledge of Gods covenant – Federal Theology.
Federal Headship?[2]
One person appointed by God to represent the many within his covenant. That one is the Head. He is like the root from which the whole organism of his body springs forth and grows. He is a public person who represents every member of the whole number that is incorporated into him. God endows the Head with authority and the legal right to represent his offspring, to stand in their place, to act on their behalf and in their name. Furthermore, such is the legal relation of the members to their head that each is accounted by God to act in, with and by the head.
Adam and Christ are both representative heads within Gods covenant.
Adam represented all mankind under the first covenant, variously called the covenant of creation, life, friendship or works. Within that covenant Man was assured of life in Gods presence and blessing while ever he kept covenant by loving God in perfect, personal, perpetual conformity to God and his command. Man was also warned that if ever he broke covenant by sinning against God: thou shalt surely die. Adam broke that covenant. In Adam all die
Adams sin belongs to, and effects not only himself, but all men descending from him by ordinary generation. Adam headship means that we sinned in him and fell with him in his first transgression. All are involved in that sin through headship. Legally we are guilty of that original sin for it is ours in Adam. Organically, we partake of the sinful nature of our head; so that from our mothers womb we are devoid of original righteousness, totally depraved, utterly unwilling, unable and opposed to
all that is spiritually good, and wholly inclined to all evil continually! Sin and misery has swallowed mankind whole! This truth is invincible it might be denied but it cannot be escaped!
Should this dreadful reality strike home to our hearts we will never again think in terms of co-operating with God or contributing toward our salvation! We will at last agree with God, by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. The broken covenant will sound in our hearts as it did in Adams, thou shalt surely die. How could we even begin to understand the universality of sin and death, or indeed our own need of the Saviour sent from God without this knowledge. It is a dreadful reality, but it is our reality in Adam.
In like manner Christ, the Second Adam, was appointed by God in eternity to be the head of the covenant of grace. His goings forth are from of old, even from everlasting, (Micah 5:2). At his appointment God gave all the elect unto Christ as his seed, thereby establishing Christ as Head over the whole body of his elect, (Ephesians 1:4-5.) On the basis of this eternal predestination Christ was authorised and commissioned to act as Head of his elect within the covenant of grace. He came forth to fulfil all the demands of the broken covenant in the place of his seed; and thereby to redeem his body, bestow upon them the adoption of children, and lift them into glorious life with their covenant God.[3] His obedience effects (actually redeems and saves to the uttermost) all in whose name and place he acts. Just as really as the first heads sin destroyed his natural seed, so Christs obedience saves his elect seed: even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
This reality the might, power, and sufficiency of Christs headship is the substance of the gospel. It is the good news that God publishes in the world fallen in Adam, because his covenant demands that the body be united to its Head through faith. Surely, this reality ought to give pause to those of Reformed persuasion who insist that God must desire that all who hear the gospel should be saved. Men, we ask, what of the Headship of Christ? What is the content of your gospel?
Christs headship also ensures that the covenant is unconditional. Christ is the one who is appointed to act on behalf of all Gods elect. According to the tenor of his own ordinance, God looks to the head not to the body for the provision of everything necessary. Every conceivable requirement, condition, or pre-requisite for salvation must be satisfied by the Head. Nothing absolutely nothing is wanting. Therefore, God is satisfied. Salvation must now be applied to the body as a free gift, by grace alone. Headship demands it.
This truth has tremendous significance to saving faith. If a sinner should wish to contribute one particle toward his own salvation, he commits the outrageous crime of despising Christ![4] Arminianism is a crime. Labouring to become good enough to be saved is a crime. Self-righteousness is a crime. Federal headship demands faith in Christ ALONE.
In Adam all die – in Christ shall all be made alive as is determined by eternal predestination. Headship is predestined. Federal headship is predestination outworked. That was the distinctive perspective of the Reformers on this subject.
Though not yet singled out for attention, developed nor systematised, this doctrine was integral to the Reformers thought. Martin Luther saw it as one of his very strong arguments:
Seeing that through the one transgression of the one man, Adam, we are all under sin and damnation, how can we attempt anything that is not sinful and damnable. Original sin itself, therefore, leaves free choice with no capacity to do anything but sin and be damned.[5]
John Calvin, laments that the ancient doctors of the church touched upon this subject so obscurely, and proceeds himself to work with the doctrine of federal headship at considerable length.[6] He agrees with Augustine on the subject in his defence of predestination: As he alone was predestinated, as MAN, to be our HEAD, so many of us are also predestinated to be his members.[7] Of Adam Calvin writes:
1. The eternal predestination of God, by which he decreed, before the fall of Adam, what should take place in the whole human race and in every individual thereof, was unalterably fixed and determined.
2. That Adam himself, on account of his departure from God, was deservedly appointed to eternal death
3. And lastly, that in the person of Adam, thus fallen and lost, his whole future offspring were also eternally condemned; but so eternally condemned that God deems worthy the honour of his adoption all those whom he freely chose out of that future offspring.[8]
John Knox in his defence of Predestination was, if anything, even clearer:
In the first man Adam (who fell from his purity) have we neither love, righteousness nor life, but the contraries, to wit, hatred sin, and death. But God, as he had chosen his Elect before all beginning in Christ Jesus His Son, so has he placed these gifts in the second Adam alone, that out of his fullness we may all receive even grace for grace.[9]
The Reformers restored headship to the orbit of eternal predestination. Headship is Gods will. Divine predestination, they insisted, determines the truth with respect to the headship of Adam and of Christ. Headship serves Gods purpose to glorify his justice and make his power known in the punishment of sin, and it serves his ultimate purpose to show his covenant to elect mankind redeemed unto himself in Jesus Christ! Election is a covenantal act. Election demands a covenant head. And a covenant head demands a covenant theology. Thus, the Reformers faithfulness to Gods sovereign predestination became the launching pad for our covenant theology. In fact, it would seem that for the Reformers predestination was their covenant theology!
How did they dispense with the Pelagian assertion that the same all men /many/ whole world is represented by Adam and by Christ? Knox is representative: You make the love of God common to all men, and that do we constantly deny, and say, that before all beginning God hath loved his Elect in Christ Jesus his Son, and that from the same eternity he hath reprobated others. They brought predestination down like and axe on this pernicious root. They taught Adam and Christ as Heads of two distinct categories. Under Adam, stand all mankind concluded in sin and justly liable to eternal damnation. Out of Adam God chooses the whole world of elect sinners, arraying them under Christ as their Head and Redeemer, leaving the world of reprobate sinners forever in Adam. Christ is not their head. That many has no part in him, for they are children of wrath who shall perish in the way of their own sin. Common grace in Christ? The Reformers constantly denied it! The federal headship of Adam and of Christ according to predestination forbad it.
That was federal headship according to the Reformation.
In our day, many are embarrassed by the Reformers unwavering adherence to predestination but the heirs of the Reformation ought never be. Their faithfulness gave the Reformed churches the direction and impetus they needed to understand Gods purpose in predestination in terms of the realisation of his covenant with man in Christ the head. That development brought forth in the Reformed churches a mature confession of predestinarian federal theology that confession is the Westminster Confession of Faith.
At its very heart stands the Son of God appointed from all eternity to be the Mediator of the covenant of grace, the second Adam, the federal head of Gods elect.
He is the death knell to all universalism.
He is the nemesis of conditional theology.
He is the heart of Reformed covenant theology!
He is the only hope of heaven for a son of Adam like me!
Rev. Chris Connors
[2] We have used the term federal because this headship is most emphatically a covenantal ordinance. Headship exists because God establishes his covenant in and through Jesus Christ. Adam was but the figure of him that was to come, (Romans 5: 14.) Christ is no Plan B demanded by the failure of the first Adam. Christ (the end) is before Adam (the means) in Gods eternal counsel. Adam is first in time, because Christ must save his people from their sins. Adam serves him who is the Head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence, for it pleased the Father that in Christ should all the fullness dwell, (Col.1:18-19.)
[3] It might also be noted that the Divine appointment of Christ as Head of Gods elect provides the legal ground for him to act as a Surety and Substitute, for the imputation of sin to him, for him to offer himself in a vicarious atonement for sin, for the imputation of his righteousness for justification, and the impartation of his righteousness for sanctification. Lose headship and lose all!
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The magnificence belongs to Christ and Christ by yourself because all good merchandise come from above. We installed up in belated December of 2020 and didn’t have high expectations. We prayed about my personal search and thoroughly look over bios before swiping left or correct. Fundamentally, we started initially to chat with some dudes, but the discussions died out. I obtained endured upwards once, but a rather successful number of dates rapidly overshadowed that event. One day lead to an engagement/marriage. So, in summary: I downloaded up, fulfilled a man just who aims to place goodness first, fell deeply in love with him, and have partnered (in less than a year). All of our schedule may be quicker than yours, but hopefully, the outcome include close. Many thanks Upward aˆ” Ginabinabop
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Conklin doesn’t have the huge budgets that are often used to "buy" endorsers, hand out free equipment or sponsor major tours or clinics. These artists simply wanted an instrument as individual as they are and had the integrity to pay us to get them. Now that's an endorsement!!! We are very thankful for the loyalty and support of our owners and users. While you may not recognize every name, each artist has an important role in the creation of new music and often times, new types of instruments. If you are listed in our Artist section and would like to update your information please send your updated info to us. If you are not listed in in our Artists section and would like to be considered for it please contact us with your information. conklin@conklinguitars.com We will post new profiles on a first-come basis and no offensive material of any kind will be posted. We reserve the right to edit or omit any portion at any time.
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Conklin doesn’t have the huge budgets that are often used to "buy" endorsers, hand out free equipment or sponsor major tours or clinics. These artists simply wanted an instrument as individual as they are and had the integrity to pay us to get them. Now that's an endorsement!!! We are very thankful for the loyalty and support of our owners and users. While you may not recognize every name, each artist has an important role in the creation of new music and often times, new types of instruments. If you are listed in our Artist section and would like to update your information please send your updated info to us. If you are not listed in in our Artists section and would like to be considered for it please contact us with your information. conklin@conklinguitars.com We will post new profiles on a first-come basis and no offensive material of any kind will be posted. We reserve the right to edit or omit any portion at any time.
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Leeds council is planning to breathe new life into an unofficial car park on waste land next to Pudsey Parish Church by replacing it with planting and a commemorative installation marking the Queen’s platinum jubilee.
But some local residents and businesses are objecting to the proposals, saying the proposals will increase parking problems for nearby residents and businesses. A petition with almost 200 signatures has been collected and handed into the council.
Each council ward in Leeds has been allocated £50,000 by Leeds council as part of a programme to support local town centres.
The proposal for Pudsey features an area at the junction with Church Lane and Radcliffe Lane, which has been used as an informal and unadopted car park for around 40 years, and add planting and low-level planters.
A commemorative installation marking the Queen’s platinum jubilee would be installed, alongside a timeline feature. A bench would also be included on the small patch of land, which would be maintained by volunteers from the Pudsey in Bloom group.
Council planners say the scheme would improve the look and feel of an ‘unloved’ piece of land and add greenery and biodiversity. They say:
“The Queen’s jubilee celebration installation will be on the corner so it is viewed by passersby as well as the site users. It could be an installation on a raised plinth or a tree within the space to mark the occasion.
“A future piece to commemorate those lost through Covid could take the form of a sculpture within the planting bed to the north of the site so wouldn’t require anything being installed at this stage.”
Council documents say the plan is to deliver the scheme for the middle of May. A public consultation, which originally ended on Monday, has now been extended by the council until Monday, 6 May.
But the proposals have concerned some local residents and businesses.
Tom Donnelly moved to the area 36 years ago and fears the potential loss of the informal car park, which holds around eight cars, will cause ‘utter chaos’ on adjoining roads. He told WLD:
“The land has been used as informal parking for 40 years and will have an impact on parking on our streets and on local businesses in the Chapeltown area. People use those spaces to attend weddings and funerals at the church or go to local businesses, which are already struggling. People use it to drop their kids off at the school and pick them up. It’s just going to displace traffic into residential streets.”
Mr Donnelly said there should have been more consultation earlier in the process.
The petition also suggests the money should be used to improve nearby Sparrow Park instead.
Gary Hood is the owner of 147 Sports Bar. He said the proposals would create a problem for staff and customers at the nearby parade, which include a restaurant, bar, nail salon, takeaways and a small Sainsbury’s.
He said: “Every parking space taken away in the area has an impact on businesses. The latest proposals have come as a bit of a nightmare to be honest.”
Pudsey Parish Church warden Eric Hudson said only a small number of church attendees used the land outside the church for regular services and there were often other cars already parked there. He personally felt the land, which is not owned by the church, would be improved by the proposals.
Pudsey councillor Simon Seary (Cons) has been championing the scheme over the past three years. He said:
“In 2019 we met with the council’s highways dept to see what we could do with the waste land site and we looked to see how we could improve the area that sits in the conservation area between two important landmarks, Pudsey Parish Church and Pudsey Cenotaph.
“Unfortunately, the highways dept will not allow the land to be turned into a formal car park due to access issues onto Radcliffe Lane and Church Lane and vehicle movements on the land. We then explored other possibilities and asked the council’s regeneration team to design a project using the local centres programme funding and this is where we are today.
“I asked the council to carry out a public consultation on the proposal in order to be transparent and I’d encourage people to follow the correct process and submit their thoughts to the council.
“The proposal will tidy up an area which is not and will never be a formal car park. There will be a slight movement of cars and disruption to the small number of local residents who park there.”
A Leeds City Council spokesperson said in a statement issued to WLD:
“A number of responses to the consultation have already been received and we will remain open to comments until Monday, 6 March so that further views can be taken into account to inform the next steps with this proposal.”
Pudsey folk have been posting their reactions to the scheme on Facebook. One resident posted: “Yes! This will make that corner so much more attractive and make a lovely place for the church to have outside.” Another added: “It will look so much better as it’s just a piece of uncared-for land that is very visible to everyone who walks or drives into Pudsey that way.”
Another was less impressed and questioned why someone would want to sit in an area close to two busy roads.
Have your say
Responses to the proposed scheme can be submitted until the end of Monday, 6 March 2022 via e-mail to Wyn.Jones@Leeds.gov.uk.
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sharon milner March 4, 2022 At 7:08 am
i am fully in favour of this being a lovely park
Shoes March 4, 2022 At 10:35 am
Oh no! Where’s that guy gonna park all his Landrovers? He’s only got space for 6 of them on his driveway.
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There was a good chance that they did know. My feeling is that Ned knew that there was something sensitive at the tower; otherwise, why did he only take six guys to rescue his sister, not his whole army. I also think that the Kingsguard were clued in to Ned's arrival; it seems that they were prepared for battle. I think that Ashara likely sent a raven to the Tower of Joy after talking with Ned, and I think that Ned expected a battle, but promised Ashara that he would talk them down. I think that the fight at the Tower of Joy was more about Jon's future than his life. The Kingsguard were fighting for Jon's rights as the King of Westros; they wanted him proclaimed king. Ned was willing to protect Jon, but he wasn't going to declare him the rightful king.
I don't think Ned knew about Jon until after the fight with the kingsguard. Because I believe his promise to lyanna was to raise Jon as his own. I believe he only knew that his sister was there and that the kingsguard were there for her. This would make sense as to Ned thinking he would find them at the other locations where the war was going on. He knew lyanna was there but based on his confusion about where the KG has been I don't think he knew they were protecting the heir.
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Posted February 26, 2012
I believe Ned's remarks about looking for them in other places were testing comments meant to determine what intentions the 3 KGs had for the child and whether or not Rhaegar had let it be known that he had married Lyanna or legitimized her child. Ned couldn't have been sure of this before talking to someone about it, so I read that as his feeling the KG out on the subject.
The KG telling him that they were where they were supposed to be indicated that they considered the child to be the heir (therefore, Rhaegar either married Lyanna or legitimized Jon in some way). They did not consider the war to be over, and they would put Ned in the middle as either having to turncoat on Robert or become a kinslayer. Ned made another decision: raise Jon in relative obscurity (which meant that the KG had to die, as they wouldn't bend the knee).
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Posted February 26, 2012
Could Lyanna really be sure that Ned wouldn't harm her and/or her child? We do not know what Ned did or didn't know about her affair with Rhaegar; if she went willingly and Ned learned once he returned to the north to call his banners, he might hold her responsible for Brandon and Rickard's deaths. If he didn't, he might hate Rhaegar with the same passion as Robert and want his child dead. Truly, predicting what Ned would do was no safe bet.
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Posted February 26, 2012
Lyanna was not responsible for the way Brandon handled the situation, nor was she responsible for the way Aerys handled Brandon's rashness.
There were legitimate avenues open to House Stark that would not have had these results. Brandon or (much more likely) Rickard would only have had to petition the king for an audience on the matter. Instead, Brandon threatened the crown prince's life. Lya isn't at fault there, and Ned seems to put the blame squarely at Aerys's feet in his flashbacks. Why would she feel responsible? For all we know, she was forced to go with Rhaegar, and whatever the reality, that's the story that would have been bandied about. Ned does not even seem to blame Rhaegar. No, Lya couldn't have known that, but she does know her brother.
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Posted February 26, 2012
Could Lyanna really be sure that Ned wouldn't harm her and/or her child? We do not know what Ned did or didn't know about her affair with Rhaegar; if she went willingly and Ned learned once he returned to the north to call his banners, he might hold her responsible for Brandon and Rickard's deaths. If he didn't, he might hate Rhaegar with the same passion as Robert and want his child dead. Truly, predicting what Ned would do was no safe bet.
It has probably been addresed by other posters, but I find it strange that Ned named his sons after his best friend (and king), his brother and his father, but hasn't named either of his daughters after his sister. This may indicate some level of resentment towards Lyanna, despite the fact that he loved her. I'm guessing this might be an indication that she eloped with Rhaegar and was not abducted. But whether he already knew of this at the time of the rebellion or he found out at the ToJ, I do not know.
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Posted February 26, 2012
Lyanna was not responsible for the way Brandon handled the situation, nor was she responsible for the way Aerys handled Brandon's rashness.
There were legitimate avenues open to House Stark that would not have had these results. Brandon or (much more likely) Rickard would only have had to petition the king for an audience on the matter. Instead, Brandon threatened the crown prince's life. Lya isn't at fault there, and Ned seems to put the blame squarely at Aerys's feet in his flashbacks. Why would she feel responsible? For all we know, she was forced to go with Rhaegar, and whatever the reality, that's the story that would have been bandied about. Ned does not even seem to blame Rhaegar. No, Lya couldn't have known that, but she does know her brother.
If - IF! - she went willingly, she was responsible for what followed similarly as Sansa was responsible for what followed after she told Cersei of Ned's plans. Their actions set in motion something they can't have predicted but it was THEIR actions nonetheless. I do not blame them, and I believe neither did Ned, but Lyanna still may have felt guilty the way people do for such mistakes, and can't have been sure how Ned would respond. His principles versus his love for her had probably never clashed before, and definitely not to such an extent. She did fear something before he made that promise to her, which I read that she wasn't sure whether he would promise that or not.
It has probably been addresed by other posters, but I find it strange that Ned named his sons after his best friend (and king), his brother and his father, but hasn't named either of his daughters after his sister. This may indicate some level of resentment towards Lyanna, despite the fact that he loved her. I'm guessing this might be an indication that she eloped with Rhaegar and was not abducted. But whether he already knew of this at the time of the rebellion or he found out at the ToJ, I do not know.
Ah. I never thought about that... Though, it might be just due to the need for secrecy - if he named his daughter Lyanna, someone might naturally start looking after similarities in appearance, then, quite naturally again, look at the other children for comparison.... uh-oh. Also, since her end was so tragical, he might not want to name his children after her so as not to bring them similar fate.
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Ah. I never thought about that... Though, it might be just due to the need for secrecy - if he named his daughter Lyanna, someone might naturally start looking after similarities in appearance, then, quite naturally again, look at the other children for comparison.... uh-oh. Also, since her end was so tragical, he might not want to name his children after her so as not to bring them similar fate.
Well, one might argue that his brother and father also met a tragical end. And I don't think people would have found it strange if Ned named one of his daughters after his sister. She was supposedly a victim after all. And Jon has the Stark look, so he would hold up to scrutiny.
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Sansa didn't tell Cersei anything she wasn't already well aware of, though. She says this to Sansa to make her complicit, and therefore, more tractable. Ned says in the previous chapter that he expected Cersei to act quickly after Robert died, and he was not surprised that she had done so. We also know that LF has already betrayed him. You can't trust Cersei on the matter.
Was Jason responsible for the death of his children at Medea's hands? Like Lyanna, he may have done something to cause the reaction in Medea, but he is not responsible for her viciousness or insanity. Likewise, Lyanna is not responsible for the actions of a madman. Perhaps she may feel guilty anyway, but she certainly is not to blame for anyone else's actions but her own, IMO.
By your reason, the blame can be continually deferred in the equation:
X would not have done Y if Z. Z would not have happened if A had not done B to C.
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Sansa didn't tell Cersei anything she wasn't already well aware of, though. She says this to Sansa to make her complicit, and therefore, more tractable. Ned says in the previous chapter that he expected Cersei to act quickly after Robert died, and he was not surprised that she had done so. We also know that LF has already betrayed him. You can't trust Cersei on the matter.
Was Jason responsible for the death of his children at Medea's hands? Like Lyanna, he may have done something to cause the reaction in Medea, but he is not responsible for her viciousness or insanity. Likewise, Lyanna is not responsible for the actions of a madman. Perhaps she may feel guilty anyway, but she certainly is not to blame for anyone else's actions but her own, IMO.
By your reason, the blame can be continually deferred in the equation:
X would not have done Y if Z. Z would not have happened if A had not done B to C.
From an objective point of view you are correct. But people are not always objective and Ned Stark is a man that places honor above all else (usually). From his point of view Lyanna's eloping with Rhaegar while she was betrothed to Robert might not be considered an honorable action. So he might blame her, at least in part, for everything that's happened.
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Posted February 26, 2012
It has probably been addresed by other posters, but I find it strange that Ned named his sons after his best friend (and king), his brother and his father, but hasn't named either of his daughters after his sister. This may indicate some level of resentment towards Lyanna, despite the fact that he loved her. I'm guessing this might be an indication that she eloped with Rhaegar and was not abducted. But whether he already knew of this at the time of the rebellion or he found out at the ToJ, I do not know.
From an objective point of view you are correct. But people are not always objective and Ned Stark is a man that places honor above all else (usually). From his point of view Lyanna's eloping with Rhaegar while she was betrothed to Robert might not be considered an honorable action. So he might blame her, at least in part, for everything that's happened.
It might not be blame, just that Lyanna looms too large in his memory. He may not have wanted to name his eldest daughter Lyanna so that he did not think of his sister every time he looked at her, he wants his daughter to be her own person.
The men he named his sons after were important to him too, but perhaps less overwhelming so. Besides the fact that the names Ned gives his son are not exactly the same as the person they are honouring; Robb and Rickon get variants, Ned probably called Jon Arryn 'my lord' and not 'Jon' during his childhood, and Bran has an old family name not specifically linked to Ned's brother Brandon.
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Posted February 26, 2012
It has probably been addresed by other posters, but I find it strange that Ned named his sons after his best friend (and king), his brother and his father, but hasn't named either of his daughters after his sister. This may indicate some level of resentment towards Lyanna, despite the fact that he loved her. I'm guessing this might be an indication that she eloped with Rhaegar and was not abducted. But whether he already knew of this at the time of the rebellion or he found out at the ToJ, I do not know.
I always thought he didn't name any daughter after Lyanna because a new reminder of all that happened to her would be too painful, and he already had to look at Jon's face everyday and not tell him his story.
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Posted February 26, 2012
Could Lyanna really be sure that Ned wouldn't harm her and/or her child? We do not know what Ned did or didn't know about her affair with Rhaegar; if she went willingly and Ned learned once he returned to the north to call his banners, he might hold her responsible for Brandon and Rickard's deaths. If he didn't, he might hate Rhaegar with the same passion as Robert and want his child dead. Truly, predicting what Ned would do was no safe bet.
That's why she made him promise to keep Jon safe. She couldn't be sure what Ned's intensions were, but as soon as he promised her to keep Jon safe/Jon's identity secret she could be sure that he will stick to his words. That's why all fear disappeared from her eyes when Ned made his promises. And since she was dieing already, harming HER wasn't an option for Ned.
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I find it hard to believe that Ned would have killed a family member, honor or no. Lyanna could have been doomed to a life of Silent Sisters, or something, but that he would execute her? Surely not.
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I always thought he didn't name any daughter after Lyanna because a new reminder of all that happened to her would be too painful, and he already had to look at Jon's face everyday and not tell him his story.
My theory is, of course, pure speculation. I'm afraid we will never find out Ned's feelings towards Lyanna and whether he blames her or not. There is a limit after all to what Howland Reed can tell us.
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I actually wouldn't be surprised if there was some small measure of resentment from Ned about Lyanna. She, on her death bed, made him promise to betray his honor and his wife and live a lie to possibly the end of his days. There was far too much at stake to even tell his wife the truth, much less his best friend. That's a lot of pressure on a person - puts a strain on a brand new marriage, has him raising a child that grows up hearing from the only maternal figure he's got that he's lesser and not worthy while in reality he's a king they all should be serving, has to look into this child's face every day and lie to him, etc. He basically has to live in fear and within a lie in order to fulfill this promise to a dying woman.
That is a huge, huge undertaking, especially for someone like Ned to whom honor is everything.
I'm sure he loved his sister a great deal but it'd be only human to have some sort of resentment/anger at her.
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Brandon would not have went to KL to kill rhaegar if lyanna didn't leave with rhaegar ( willingly or not). Aerys would not have killed Rickard if Brandon didn't go to KL. Ned and Robert and Jon arryn would not have called their banners if aerys didn't demand Ned and Roberts heads. The war would not have happened if Ned and Robert and Jon arryn call their banners. The war would not have happened if lyanna did not leave with rhaegar (willingly or not).
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The war would never have happened if Aerys hadn't have killed Rickard.
The war would never have happened if Brandon hadn't gone to KL.
The war would never have happened if Rhaegar never heard of TPTWP.
The war would never have happened if Rhaegar never met Lyanna.
The war would never have happened if the Targs never conquered Westeros.
And on and on.
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well my mom watched the series for the first time yesterday and she asked me if jon was really ned's son. that goes to show how obvious this is.
in regards to lyanna being responsible for the deaths, i believe aerys would have came up with a different excuse to kill them. he would have tortured and/or murdered the two for being traitors. he was the mad king, after all. and she's definitley not to blame for anyone's death if she was kidnapped.
if however, she wasn't , why wouldn't she just explain to everyone that she was in love with rhaegar and/or carrying his child? it couldn't have been THAT shocking to call off a betrothal. rhaegar was the prince, wouldn't he be entitled to whoever he wanted?
this has probably been discussed but i'm new :)
also, i think i've read somewhere that rhaegar was going to do something about aerys anyway. don't quote me on that though. if he wasn't, i think someone would have. somebody did something with joffrey.
sorry that i've gone off topic!
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Brandon would not have went to KL to kill rhaegar if lyanna didn't leave with rhaegar ( willingly or not). Aerys would not have killed Rickard if Brandon didn't go to KL. Ned and Robert and Jon arryn would not have called their banners if aerys didn't demand Ned and Roberts heads. The war would not have happened if Ned and Robert and Jon arryn call their banners. The war would not have happened if lyanna did not leave with rhaegar (willingly or not).
We can't know that for sure. I won't even go into the conspiracy theories, just mention that Rhaegar planned to do some reforms in Westeros, maybe even overthrow Aerys. Aerys was displeasing many of the lords with his madness, Varys was feeding him with information against half of Westerosi families, and against Rhaegar himself. The way I see it, it wouldn't take long anyway for Aerys to start a war on his own, that could have killed the same people that died in the course of events. Or, he could have disinherited Rhaegar, who could have started a war to have his right back. Or worse - he could have done nothing, Aerys could die soon (too much of a Nero to live that long), and VISERYS would take the throne, imagine what would have happened then!
The way I see things, Rhaegar and Lyanna actually saved Westeros from a really worse fate! :eek:
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if however, she wasn't , why wouldn't she just explain to everyone that she was in love with rhaegar and/or carrying his child? it couldn't have been THAT shocking to call off a betrothal. rhaegar was the prince, wouldn't he be entitled to whoever he wanted?
I believe the shocking part was not actually calling off the betrothal but the reason. Not only Lyanna as a female was not expected to have a word on whom she was going to marry but having a relationship with the realm's prince who was also married with children, well this would be shocking even nowadays!!!!
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TINTON FALLS, N.J. – Sky Blue FC announced Wednesday that former Rutgers University defensive tackle Eric LeGrand will serve as the team’s honorary captain as the National Women’s Soccer League team welcomes the Houston Dash to Yurcak Field Saturday at 4 p.m.
The match is the NWSL on Lifetime Game of the Week. A special halftime ceremony will honor LeGrand.
“It is an honor to be the honorary captain for the Sky Blue FC women’s soccer team,” he said. “I have been a fan of the game for a long time, and I am proud to represent New Jersey with them.”
LeGrand has been a long-time supporter of Sky Blue FC and women’s soccer. He has been a regular attendee at Sky home matches. The team will reciprocate that support at his 7th Annual A Walk to Believe 5K Run and Fun Walk Sunday, June 4, which will take place at High Point Solutions Stadium at Rutgers.
“We are very proud to have such a supportive relationship with Eric LeGrand and his foundation,” Sky Blue FC head coach Christy Holly said. “As we aspire to become a strong representative of New Jersey, Eric LeGrand exemplifies everything that makes people from New Jersey proud to call this state home.”
A native of Avenel, N.J., LeGrand attended Rutgers. His team-first demeanor was emblematic on special teams even after he became a starter at defensive tackle. On Oct. 16, 2010, LeGrand was running downfield on the kickoff team. He reached the ball carrier, but this time the collision rendered him motionless on the field.
After being rushed to the hospital, LeGrand learned that he had suffered a spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the neck down. Told that he would never breathe again without the help of a respirator, and never walk again, LeGrand overcame some obstacles. By January 2011, he was breathing on his own and he had also regained movement in his shoulders and sensation throughout his body. Pushing through his physical rehabilitation, he vowed to walk again and has since developed numerous philanthropic initiatives to raise funds for spinal cord injury research.
“Without question, Eric LeGrand is one of the most amazing human beings you will ever meet,” Sky Blue FC president and general manager Tony Novo said. “His strength and perseverance serves as inspiration to so many, and the attitude in which he tackles his everyday life is nothing short of incredible. We are proud to have Eric as our honorary captain this weekend, and we strongly encourage everyone to then join his fight with us on June 4 at A Walk to Believe.”
Team LeGrand of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation was established in 2013, with proceeds going towards research to find a cure for paralysis and helping to improve the quality of life for people with spinal cord injuries. To find out more about the foundation, visit them online: TeamLeGrand.org.
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Education is about developing the ‘whole child’, and this means instilling a positive sense of self through good values, respect for others, compassion, responsibility and integrity.
Compassion, kindness and integrity are some of the qualities that we want to inculcate from a young age to ensure our students develop into complete human beings. Hence, we regularly support charities and provide our students with the opportunity to lead them with enthusiasm.
Some of the initiatives our students have elected to support include:
Our Key Stage 3 students were given the opportunity to work with Kembara Kitchen in the relocation of their Community Centre. Students helped sort donated items and assisted the staff in painting their new premises. In partnership with the Parents’ Association, students also helped to raise money as part of the initiative.
Dayspring provides services to persons with developmental delays and learning difficulties from age 1 to 30 years, and is dedicated to helping special needs persons to reach their fullest potential and be involved in community living. We have sponsored Dayspring Centre over the last two years, and our students were humbled to be able to help meet the needs of the wonderful people at the centre when they paid them a visit.
SUKA Society or Persatuan Kebajikan Suara Kanak-kanak Malaysia (SUKA) is a registered NGO serving to protect and preserve the best interests of children. It provides crucial welfare and community development programmes for society’s most vulnerable kids. We are currently sponsoring four children under the care of SUKA Society to attend school in Kampong Pisang near Ipoh, providing a valuable educational lifeline to them.
PAWS
PAWS
PAWS is a non-profit animal shelter in Petaling Jaya that receives unwanted dogs and cats which they vaccinate, deworm, neuter/spay and put up for adoption. It has been in operation since 1987. We’re proud to be an active supporter of PAWS, and our children regularly visit their centre and raise money and supplies for this very worthy initiative.
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