text:
Tab Benoit— Katrina ÒScattered People Instead of BombsÓ
An Interview with Tab Benoit in Houma, LAAn Interview With Tab Benoit in New Orleans
ÒThis Katrina thing was handled as if it would have been Iraq. It was handled in a military way for resources; resources were the main focus, and the only difference is that the hurricane scattered people instead of bombs. There were people getting shot, there were bodies everywhere, there was destruction everywhere, and thereÕs oil coming out of the ground like it never has before. Remind you of something else? The only difference is that we didnÕt have the equipment and the ability to fight back.Ó
—Tab Benoit, HNew Orleans,ouma, Louisiana November 2007
Tab Benoit is a Cajun man, first and foremost. He loves his country and is not afraid to say so. His pride in his heritage is only part of what drives this popular up-and-coming Louisiana blues musician to fight ferociously for a way of life and rich culture that areis destined to be eradicated by big oil, big money, and big government.. Billboard Magazine praises Benoit for a Òthorough command of contemporary bluesÉsplendid songwriting, gritty vocals and choice lead guitar work.,"
The producers of the IMAX film, Hurricane on the Bayou, thought so too and cast Benoit as the star celebrity voice in the film, which has been viewed around the world since its premiere in 2006. The film was produced by the Audubon Nature Institute and partially financed by the State of Louisiana and Shell Oil.
Hurricane Katrina and the floods that followed were a wake-up call to America, and Benoit wants to use his celebrity voice to ensure that America hears and heeds the warning.
MBenoit is more than simply driven—Tab Benoithe seems possessed of a certainty that he is destined to be one voice of and for the Louisiana wetlands. He told us that many more voices were needed so that big government Òcannot kill us all.Ó We heard more than once from residents of South Louisiana that government Òis trying to kill us all.Ó We were also asked on several occasions whether Louisiana was still considered to be part of the United States, so BenoitÕs statement did not surprise us.
Unhappy and unfulfilled as a pilot flying the pipelines for the oil companies, BenoitTabhe wanted to contribute more to his town, state, country and the world—---and says so in no uncertain terms. Becoming a professional musician gave Benoit the opportunity to connect with a huge audience and tell them that, yes,yes;; the wetlands will disappear in our lifetime if we do not do something about it. Big oil and big government have a vested interest in this happening. He tried to get his warning across in the IMAX film, Hurricane on the Bayou, but feels his message was diminished and co-opted by Shell Oil when Shell Oil Company picked up the cost overruns after when on the film was extended to include Katrina.
The job of the journalist is to be a storyteller. We do our job best when we get out of the way and let the truth unfold. Tab Benoit has a handle on the truth of what happened in southern Louisiana before Hurricane Katrina and after the flood of 2005 devastated New Orleans. He recently spent several hours on a bayou outside of Houma, Louisiana (LA) in the deepening November twilight and told his story. It was a story we had heard many times in the six weeks we spent in south Louisiana, but Benoit has an especially eloquent and knowledgeable intellectvoice. and wants to use his celebrity voice to ensure that America hears and heeds the warning offered by Hurricane Katrina, the devastating floods, and the private and corporate take-overs, which followed.
He echoes Naomi KleinÕs assessment in her book, Shock Doctrine, that within days of Katrina and the floods that followed it was as if private contractors had recreated BaghdadÕs Green Zone on the bayous.[1] He talks about the importance of the earthÕs swamps, deltas and coastal wetlands,, the Mississippi deltas of el sewhere, and without mentioning names he echoes the trauma and terror spread by big oilÕs unholy alliance with dictatorships throughout the vast mangrove wetlands of the Niger River Ddelta, the vast elephant swamps of GambaGambia, Gabon, and the once wild waterways of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Burma. But the story here is America, and we donÕt want to believe this can happen to us. Tab Benoit gives us a chance to look it straight in the eye and name it for what it is—: disaster capitalism, and war against America.
Tab Benoit is a strong man, and but the passion in his voice belies the sorrowsrws of a heavy heart.: Oone can supposetell tone gives one the impression he has shed tears over what has happened. Our investigative series to come In future installations of this series, the results of our investigations will support the truth behind BenoitÕs observations, but first it is equally important that the first voice readers need to hear the voice is that of a local warrior. Tab Benoit isI sthat voice, and he speaks for for the environment, the people of Louisiana, and the truth.
Wee did not ask questions. Instead, we turned on the flash recorder and let Benoit roll with his story—uninterrupted——and he did not stop for almost three hours. Here is Tab BenoitÕs
The following is his uneditedunedited testimony and witness to the wetlands, a hurricane, an IMAX movie, and what we all can look forward to if something is not done to change the chokehold alliance betweenof big oil, industry, warmaking, and Homeland Security and private profit on Louisiana.
We put in a few headers to headers and clarifying notes to break up the narrative—and it is a stunning narrative--Here is some straight talk from a plainspoken Cajun man.
On the Attitude of Big Government Toward the Citizens of Coastal Louisiana
ÒWe get the feeling that they just donÕt want us here.
ÒAnd my feeling is because of oil, b. Because weÕve got a lot of it here. And weÕre the only state that doesnÕt get the off shore drilling money. We get our on shore money but not from off shore and weÕre the only state. So as we lose land and as that becomes off shore, then the federal government gets the royalties from that.
ÒThree miles off the coast is considered off shore. I mean just right here, right now, if I could take you up in an airplane and show you this; youÕd see that the Ggulf [of Mexico] used to be 25 miles from the Houma airport, now itÕs three miles.Ó
Vanishing Wetlands
ÒThere are thousands of [oil] canals dug.
ÒI used to fly pipelines. I flew pipeline patrols where you would go out in an airplane and fly pipelines to the marshes. You come to these [oil] hubs and your line may come off of that hub and come in another direction andÉ. itÕs just like spider webs out there. All of these canals were dug to bring these pipelines in and to do drilling. And all of that costs money. The oil companies would rather not have to do all of that digging and dredging to put a rig in there. It costs them money. They would rather not go out and directional drill under the city to get the oil thatÕs under there[the city].
ÒI mean, come on, and letÕs face it. Wherever there iÕs a swamp—, or was a swamp—p, thereÕs oil. ItÕs like that across the planet. ItÕs not just us. We just happen to live on third largest delta system on the planet, which is the Mississippi River Delta, which has been a swamp for eons and has been producing oil for a long time. The fact is, we have a lot of oil here, and itÕs a lot cheaper to get it if you can just drill straight down into it, you know, part of the reason theyÕre saying that New Orleans has sunk so much is because of taking oil from underneath. And every time you take oil out of a hole, somethingÕs gotta give.
ÒWe [Louisiana] haÕve got 4,000 rigs in the gulfGulf, .c Compared to 100 rigs in the rest of the gulfGulf. There are 4,100 rigs approximately in the entire GulfGulf of Mexico;, Louisiana has 4,000. WeÕre not getting the money from the off shore drilling. WeÕre getting the money from on shore. We get the stateÕs given royalty rate from the on shore drilling but not from off shore. So it doesnÕt take a genius to figure out why thereÕd be 4,000 rigs in Louisiana waters, and only 100 rigs outside of Louisiana waters that belong to the United States. The federal government gets our [(LouisianaÕs]) share. It goes straight into the federal fund. ThatÕs been our big issue; [and] weÕve fought for it.Ó
Big Oil Money
ÒAfter Katrina it was like pulling teeth to get something through Congress to give us some offshore royalty back, but they didnÕt give us a percentage. They gave us $20 million per year. ItÕs $20 million per year for the first 10 years and then something else after that. And itÕs not even a percentage. The amount of money coming out of here youÕd never know. Nobody knows. I donÕt think [(we are]) allowed to know. Because itÕs that much.
ÒHereÕs where the oil port is. Just 20 miles southeast of here is Port Fourchon, where all the imported oil and the gulfGulf oil comes in that runs through a pipeline up to the refineries. IÕve been saying that we produce 60% of our own oil but IÕve seen recently on the news that we import 60% of our oil now. So, we only produce 40% of what we use. So if weÕre importing 60% that means Louisiana is that much more important because this is where the oil port is. Because we have coastal oil refineries.
ÒMR. GO stands for Mississippi River GulfGulf Outlet. It was a canal that was dug just south of New Orleans, coming out of the 9th ward and St. Bernard parish—-- this canal was dug to go straight out to the GulfGulf. But it runs to two major refiners. WhatÕs behind the 9th ward? Two major refineries. Those things are running. The refineries are running. Nothing else is [running] in the ninth ward. [(( The lower Ninth Ward, mostly black and poor, has been depopulated since Katrina.])) What else do you need to know? There it is. There are the answers.Ó
FEMA and Homeland Security Rescues Oil But Aabandons People
ÒThose refineries were running before they even started rescuing people. The lights were on over there before the lights were on anywhere else. Because that was the concern. But if anyone would have gone to these meetings where they were talking about this before the hurricanesÉ believe me FEMA had plans for what was going to happen when New Orleans flooded. And even four4 years before the storm they had Hurricane Pam. Which they made up—it was a drill [practice run].
ÒThe drill had nothing to do with people. All of those meetings that I attended [2001-2005], that I listened to, I didnÕt hear them talk about people once. ThatÕs why I started Voice of the Wetlands (www.voiceofthewetlands.com) because we had no voice. Nobody was acknowledging that there would be people here. It was all about oil, and infrastructure. You know the first things were refineries and oil ports. Those are the first things on the lists of things to do. And thatÕs exactly what happened.
ÒI get very aggravated with people thinking that FEMA messed up [after Katrina]. Or that it was a mistake. It was no mistake. This was a plan, they followed it to perfection, they ended up coming out and blaming this Michael Brown cat, who wasnÕt even in New Orleans. [(Michael Brown was the Director of FEMA]????????????? ) He wasnÕt allowed in New Orleans until Homeland Security let him in. He was kept in Baton Rouge, and he said that when he was testifying before a congressional committee. The big problem was Homeland Security—---and what their agenda was.
ÒAs soon as Homeland Security took over FEMA, people down here started paying attention. [When was that? Before or after the storm?] I canÕt say people in New Orleans were there [where? Sentence doesnÕt tell me anything. Not sure what he is saying] because they never had to deal with FEMA. Down here we flood every three or four years from a storm event. But New Orleans doesnÕt flood as often, you know, when we hear Homeland Security took over FEMA, itÕs like ÒOh my god—--now what?Ó
ÒSo I really started paying attention to things and how things were run. When Homeland Security is running it, thatÕs a whole different agenda. It has nothing to do with rescuing people. Homeland Security is not a rescue operation.
ÒI did an interview with more than one person from another country. One in particular was a guy from CanadaÉ we [FEMA] [who? US? Fema? Lousiana – it wasnÕt Tab but it sounds like he is involved in some orderingÉ?] had ordered 20,000 more body bags after Katrina, from Canada. Somebody was investigating. And because they were saying 1300 people died, and we had 20,000 body bags in New Orleans and they ran out, and had to reorder another 20,000 body bags.Ó [2]
Blackwater, Terrorism and Casualty Counts
ÒThey found out that Blackwater was killing people. Blackwater was just in there eradicating. If you didnÕt make it past the checkpoint and got to the dome or the convention center, or the bridge, or whatever, you were fair game.
ÒThey were claiming that they would deputize to confiscate guns. But they were told to shoot whenever they felt like it.Ó [3] Ò
(Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco did issue a Òshoot to killÓ order [4] and Blackwater issued its own press release which stated it was in New Orleans: see www.blackwaterusa.com/press/katrina2.asp)
(Truthout.org reporters Jeremy Scahill and Daniela Crespo quoted Blackwater operatives in September 2005: ÒThey say they are on contract with the Department of Homeland Security and have been given the authority to use lethal force.Ó)
ÒEverybody here knows that there are more than 1300 people dead. Everybody that actually got into the city and was trying to help, saw bodies floating, saw bullet wounds. The coroner knows whatÕs going on, and he ainÕt talking. But he knows. Because I know for a fact from some other sources that he was saying to somebody, probably on a private level, that those bullet wounds were military or highly powerful wounds. [(Our investigation has notedheard the same reports from multiple, unrelated sources.])
Those were not a 22 calibrecaliber pistols. Or a 9-millimeter pistols. LetÕs face it; criminals want to save their lives too, in a situation like that. ItÕs not some free-for-all. People are trying to get the hell out of there.Ó
Mass[ive] Media Malaise and/or Cover-Up
ÒThe way it was portrayed [by media] was totally wrong. And from what I hear from outside of this country, which really is embarrassing to me, is that our media doesnÕt touch the stuff. I did an interview with a guy and he was blown away every time he opens a new door, itÕs a whole other big story that nobody is covering. He said that this thing is like the ten -headed snake. You grab one head and the other one is ready to bite you.
ÒThere is a story trying to go out on the Associated PressP right now about oil and how that is why weÕre in the situation weÕre in right now, and the guy has submitted it, ready to go, and itÕs really a big huge step, but it hasnÕt been out yet. This has been over a month that itÕs been submitted and it hasnÕt been out on the wire, so, is he gonna print it? ThatÕs a whole different thing. At least someone is willing to listen.Ó [donÕt see what he means in these last two sentencesÉ]
Scattering People Like Bombs
ÒThis Katrina thing was handled as if it would have been Iraq. It was handled in a military way for resources, resources were the main focus, and the only difference is that the hurricane scattered people instead of bombs. There were people getting shot, there were bodies everywhere, there was destruction everywhere, and thereÕs oil coming out of the ground like it never has before. Remind you of something else? The only difference is that we didnÕt have the equipment and the ability to fight back. We didnÕt have suicide bombers and the things that other people have.
ÒYou get knocked out, and then you get killed. Look how easy this was to do. All the peoplesÕ records were wiped out. Their city hall, their courthouses, their medical records, and their hospitals—all of that is gone. How easy is it to start taking people out at that point? ThatÕs the easiest thing in the world to be able to do.
ÒYou hide it from the media, you keep the media focused on the [super] dome and the convention center, and you keep giving opinionated stories about what this picture is, and then you pull the wool over everybodyÕs eyes. I donÕt know what weÕre doing outside of this country, but I know what I saw right here. This is a major, major step into a civil war. Starting right here. With these resources right here. We have the biggest port in the country, the most important port, the mouth of the river, it will always be that way, and we have the oil port which is the most important port in the country. We have 40% of the oil refining capabilities in the country, almost half of the refining is sitting right on top of us right here [Louisiana].Ó
CNN Non-Interview
ÒI was on CNN to promote the IMAX film . (IMAX Hurricane on the Bayou. ) The interviewer asked me this five-part question, and I didnÕt even finish answering the first part. Her question was longer than my answer. I didnÕt even get to start getting into it, and they cut me off. I didnÕt even talk about oil or anything. As soon as the cameras go out, IÕm talking to someone at the local affiliate here, and they ask me ÒIs there anything down there we need to be knowing about?Ó and I was like yeah, weÕve got a [oil] rig in a neighborhood that was just blatantly in the wrong place.
ÒItÕs a brand new neighborhood thatÕs going up, and thereÕs a brand new house being built, and then thereÕs a [(oil]) rig right next to it. Right there in the middle of a neighborhood. This is an expansion of a neighborhood that already existed. It didnÕt look right. We couldnÕt fight it; they had police protection around itÉ we didnÕt know who these people were. There were unmarked cars sitting around this rig. WeÕve never seen that before. You can usually walk right up to a rig and nobody is gonna stop you.
ÒThere was no signage on the rig or anything like that, and from what I was told it was a Chinese rig. [5]
ÒI donÕt know if that meant China is drilling here or if itÕs a Chinese [oil] drill drilling with another company, but there were no signs. [6]ThatÕs kind of unusual too. Usually when you see an oil company that has a rig up, theyÕre gonna have signs all over the thing.
TheyÕre proud of their logos. The people around here were kind of blown away but couldnÕt do anything about it.Ó
SO PLEASE TELL US WHAT NEIGHBORHHOD? NINTH WARD? SOME PARISH? WHERE IS THIS? ITS SOUND SLIKE ITS NOT THERE? DID HE SEE IT? SOMETHING ABOUT THIS DESCRIPTION SOUNDS FUNNY.
Local Non-Government
ÒLocal governmentÉ thereÕs no government in Louisiana. There is no such thing. As long as we have this much oil coming out of the ground, there is no such thing as government here. And itÕs been like that since weÕve had oil coming out of the ground. Since the Texas oil companies bought this whole coast. All of the swamps and marshes are owned by a Texas oil company. None of it belongs to anybody but them. ThatÕs why they can cut it up and do anything they want. ItÕs their property. So when weÕre trying to fight to save this stuff, weÕre fighting to save their land. But their land is our coast and our protection. People donÕt understand all of this. People here are so focused on working in the oil field business, and making a living this way, that theyÕre missing whatÕs going on.
ÒOil companies donÕt need protection. They need to fork money over to us and fix the areas that theyÕve destroyed.Ó
Hurricane on the Bayou
ÒThe IMAX film wouldnÕt let me say anything. They wouldnÕt let me touch oil.
ÒThe first levies built around the Mississippi river were to protect farms. Channeling the river all the way to the gulfGulf was not to protect farms from flooding. That was about choking the river down to make it deeper, blowing the sediment out, blowing it off the continental shelf, so that they could get big ships into there. (Ssee http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1195/htmldocs/intro.htm for an explanation of sedimentary deposits on the continental shelf.)
ÒWe need to bring the levies down, we need to raise everybodyÕs houses like we used to be, we have to expect flooding and kind of wish for it. There was a time here when we used to pray for floods when it was dry, when they needed the ground to be replenished with that new topsoil and things like that, when we were over-farming it. Before technology, flooding was a major part of this area and a necessary part. This is what built this area, flooding. So letÕs go back to where we used to be. LetÕs expect a flood every now and then. ItÕs Mother Nature. If youÕre going to live in the swamp, you have to live with the swamp. When you build levies you give everybody this false sense of security that they can build on the ground, and theyÕre gonna be able to live there forever, and nothingÕs ever gonna happen.
ÒWell, why do people in New Orleans even think that? It should be common knowledge by now that most of New Orleans is below sea level. It wasnÕt always, but it is now. TheyÕre reliant on levies right now, every day, to survive there. You break a levy down right now; the city fills up again like it did after Katrina. Then take a hurricane and do it. All it takes is a broken levy. High tide and the south wind blowing could do it. A boat running into one of those wallsÉ.
ÒFor about two years I was flying over New Orleans every day. IÕd look down, and youÕd see the levies that are big massive levies, and those are the river levies. All of the other levies are not. Look at the river levies. They have held. There has not been a breach in one of those river levies. Look how substantial they are. If youÕre going to build a levy out of dirt, you have to go wider as you go higher. And then you have to have some kind of lining in the inside. Especially around the city, the river is bulkheaded there. When you take the Highway 310 Bridge, youÕll see that there is concrete around the inside of that levy. ThatÕs how you build levies, if youÕre going to build levies, and those are the levies that work. The problem is that those are the ones that need to come down. We need to let that river come down here, some kind of way, if weÕre going to stay here. ThatÕs the only thing thatÕs going to fix this.
ÒThe GulfGulf is not far. ItÕs right there. ItÕs twenty miles closer to the airport than when I was a kid. ThatÕs unbelievable amounts of land going. Swamps where I used to go camping and think, Òlook how beautiful this is, the natural bayou with the live oaks and on the other side of the banks thereÕs lush green Cyprus swamp,Ó I just thought it was the most beautiful place in the world.
ÒYou have to stay pretty far north now to see Cyprus swamps. ThereÕs miles and miles and miles of it that are dead. I can guarantee weÕve lost, in my lifetime, IÕd say 70%.
ÒThe lake [(Pontchartrain]) is now open to the GulfGulf. The lake is the GulfGulf.
ÒYou have to be realistic right now here. Optimism is thrown out the window. Now weÕre in survival mode. We actually have been for a long time, but Katrina just exaggerated it and accelerated it. So there is no more optimism here. And understand where you stand and understand what it takes to fix it, and go out and try to fix it if you want to stay here.
ÒThe biggest thing we have right now is just educating people on what needs to be done and why it needs to be done and how it was done in the first place.Ó
Part One Baghdad on the Bayou:
: Disaster Capitalism and the War on Equality
America of : The Covert Resources War Behind Katrina
Part One: – ÒWasting the Wetlands Economics 101Ó
[1][1] Klein, Naomi., The Shock Doctrine, Henry Holt and Company, New York, p. 411.
[2] Reports of as many as 70,000 body bags have been published, but have since vanished from Internet archives. In September 2005, the Modesto, California Bee and the AP reported, "The federal government is trying to purchase an additional 50,000 body bags for use in the Hurricane Katrina cleanup and in Iraq,Ó according to John
Hassapakis, manager of Central Valley Professional Services in Modesto. "Those
were sent directly to New Orleans." Previously, the Federal Emergency Management Administration purchased 25,000 body bags and shipped them to New Orleans.
[3] George W. Bush instituted a Òzero toleranceÓ for looting in the aftermath of the flood, even if someone was ÒlootingÓ Òfood or water.Ó LouisianaÕs governor, Kathleen Blanco, added a Òshoot to killÓ order to BushÕs Òzero toleranceÓ proclamation (see various media reports from BBC, ABC News, CNN et al). When National Guard troops from other states entered New Orleans five days after Katrina, troops aggressively pointed their rifles at black survivors who approached them while seeking aid (see PeopleÕs Hurricane Relief Fund www.peopleshurricane.org). The private military company Blackwater issued a press release stating they were in New Orleans: see www.blackwaterusa.com/press/katrina2.asp. Reporters Jeremy Scahill and Daniela Crespo quoted Blackwater operatives in September 2005: ÒThey say they are on contract with the Department of Homeland Security and have been given the authority to use lethal forceÓ (www.Truthout.org).
[4] George W. Bush instituted a Òzero toleranceÓ for looting in the aftermath of the flood, even if someone was ÒlootingÓ Òfood or water.Ó LouisianaÕs governor, Kathleen Blanco, added a Òshoot to killÓ order to BushÕs Òzero toleranceÓ proclamation. (see various media reports from BBC, ABC News, CNN et al) When National Guard troops from other states made entered New Orleans five days after Katrina, troops aggressively pointed their rifles at black survivors who approached them while seeking aid. (PeopleÕs Hurricane Relief Fund www.peopleshurricane.org)
[5] Sun Oil & Gas Corp., a development stage company (China 3C Group), engages in gold mining and exploration for oil and gas principally in North America. The company has a participation agreement in the first test well that would be drilled on the Clovelly Prospect located in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana. Sun Oil & Gas was incorporated in 1998 as Editworks, Ltd. and changed its name to TriLucent Technologies Corp. in 2001. Further, the company changed its name to Anza Innovations, Inc. in 2002 and to Gaofeng Gold Corp. in 2004. Later, it changed its name to Sun Oil & Gas Corp. [source: http://www.sunoilandgas.com; http://www.secinfo.com/d11Mkj.zc.htm]
[6] On July 14, 2006, the Registrant also completed the acquisition of a 5% minority interest in an oil prospect property from Sterling Grant Capital Inc. (formerly Sun Oil and Gas Corp.), a Nevada corporation located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (ÒSterlingÓ). The property is the Clovelly ProspectÕs Allain-Lebreton No. 2 well (ÒClovellyÓ) which is located in southeast Louisiana in the Lafourche Parish. [source: http://www.secinfo.com/d14yVe.vGq.htm]


There's your answer, there is no such thing as Asian privilege. If there was, then my being Asian would be seen in the same light as someone's whiteness. I would get job offers, leadership positions, educational opportunities, etc. because of my being Asian. But in reality, that does not happen.
Claiming that Asians have privilege just by being Asian through the scope of "trends" such as the "model minority" myth ignores the history of anti-Asian sentiment in Western societies.
Granted, Asians have a higher income level, lower unemployment rate, and several other positive marks on differing factors in comparison to other communities of color. However, this has much more to do with the ability of many Asian-Americans to obtain higher levels of education. Such marks are lower for people with only relatively sub-par educational attainments and even lower for those without the opportunities for such to begin with. Asian-Americans with "some college" educational attainment or lower are still more likely to be unemployed than White Americans with the same educational attainment. And, in fact, we face the highest level of chronic unemployment out of all racial/ethnic minority groups in America.
Also granted, socially, I am seen as brown and, thus, data related to Pinoy or Latinx Americans more closely reflect issues that face me.
Just because I am Brown does not mean that I am not Asian, I am both in the American context.
However, I feel that it is important to talk about Asian "privilege" because too many people use it as an excuse to ignore issues that face the Asian community. Having the highest chronic unemployment rate, lowest rate of media representation, systematic discrimination and hate crimes, and other factors that affect all Asians (regardless of color) unfortunately go ignored in the scope of the Black-White racial binary that most Americans buy into. This results in the "otherness" of Brown, Yellow, and Red people and the issues that face us. And, unfortunately, this means that we can feel as if we are foreign and have no place in this American society. We may be seen by many to benefit from privilege due to certain traits such as our general income level (I am low-income) and light skin (I am proud of my Brown skin) but we cannot use these as excuses for anti-Asian, anti-Brown, anti-Latinx and anti-Native sentiments perpetuated by the very denial of issues that face our marginalized communities.
People like Mike Cho are murdered by the police because they simply were not white, Asians are nearly nowhere to be found on the boards of Fortune 500 companies, both Black and Asian youth face a crooked educational system in poor neighborhoods, and other Asian issues continue to be ignored because we are the "other". This categorization and diminishing of the subjugation that Asians face in America is purely erasure and it has to stop! We cannot allow our society to fall into this myth and fall for the trick that Asians are "privileged" when we historically have been subjugated in the same way and, in fact, my Pinoy-American heritage was marked with a past of Jim Crow and anti-miscegnation laws.
Our brown and yellow skin, Asian features, and perceived privilege in society often make us easy targets by even other communities of color because of our otherness. Our otherness also disadvantages us in economic terms when it comes to unemployment and diminished paths to leadership positions within the jobs that we hold. Our otherness, in fact, subjugates us to hate crimes and police brutality and makes some people suspicious of us.
Our otherness is perpetuated by forces of white supremacy and cannot be accepted, doing so enforces division among communities of color that does not need to occur. If you care about Black Lives Matter, if you care about ending racial inequities, and if you care about ending patriarchal systems, then you should care about issues that face the Asian-American community and educate yourself on how wrong the "model minority" myth is about us.
Read more about Pinoy-American history here.
Read more about Pinoy-American history in the state of Washington here.
Read about the Hispanic identity of Pinoys here.


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These aren't my picks for the Best Movies of the Decade. That's another list. These are the movies that don't make THAT list, but that I still loved from the past 10 years.
They might not be perfect, but I wanted to acknowledge them for entertaining me and affecting me in some manner.
Here are my picks for my 35 Favorite Films of the Decade (listed by year, then alphabetically): (I tried to keep it to 25 but I didn't know what else to cut from the list)
As a blogger, I actually enjoyed the Julie side of the story, while Meryl Streep really makes the Julia side wonderfully delightful.
The Blind Side (My Original Review)
Yah, it's a schmaltzy movie that hits every cliche in the book, but boy do they run with it and Sandra Bullock keeps the whole thing grounded with her winning performance.
Definitely, Maybe (My Original Review)
A smart and savy rom-com that manages to dodge and twist around the typical rom-com stereotypes, subverting your every natural guess in discovering how Ryan Reynolds met Abigail Breslin's mother.
Slumdog Millionaire (My Original Review)
An adventure that throws every genre into a mix that zooms around an underdog story and ends with a fun Bollywood number. Of course, now that it's cemented as an Oscar Best Pic, this little indie movie that could has lost its underdog status, but it's still fun nonetheless.
Hairspray (My Original Review)
A wonderful movie translation of a musical I didn't actually love all that much on the stage. But the all-star cast and Shankman's zippy direction keeps the musical moving and nicely grounds the story back to the central kids.
Paris Je T'aime (My Original Review)
A great eclectic mix of shorts from various directors and tons of great actors, some stronger than others, but nothing beats the final sequence by Alexander Payne starring Margo Martindale as a lonely American tourist in Paris.
While I never saw the original, this well paced thriller paced with intensity and twists pulses with a superb cast.
Letters from Iwo Jima
A zen look at the war from the other point of view with beautifully restrained direction by Clint Eastwood.
The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) (My Original Review)
A slow and chilling account of an East German whose job is to spy on a couple. The movie slowly simmers and builds to a boiling point with a beautiful final performance by the late Ulrich Mühe.
A contemplative look at how violence affects one man's family in this David Cronenberg film.
The 40 Year Old Virgin
Hysterically funny with a huge heart, and probably a huge hard on. Steve Carrell and cast (including now famous Jane Lynch, Paul Rudd, and Elizabeth Banks) balance this gross-out/silly comedy and inject it with intelligence and some grounded realism amongst the absurdity of it all.
My favorite of all the Harry Potter movies, this one finally got all the elements in the right mix just at the right dose.
A quiet film about a New York city boy who returns to his southern roots and a revelatory turn by then emerging star Amy Adams (that got her her first Oscar nomination).
A beautiful road movie of a transgendered person and her son with a brilliant performance by Felicity Huffman.
Wallace & Grommit and the Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Wallace and Grommit are always fun to hang around with, and this full length movie adventure wasn't anything less, with the usual mix of sight gags, clever humour and adorable animation.
Lindsay Lohan once had promise, but maybe it WAS all Tina Fey. A smarter-than-your-average-high-school-movie that also introduced a bitchy Rachel McAdams.
I get scared at horror movies but Simon Pegg's spoof on the zombie genre was dead on and hilarious. Still a little scary, but the laughs made it worthwhile.
Alexander Payne's full length look at friendship and regret and wine, it was the smart man's buddy road trip movie.
As strong as the first movie was, this just built right alongside with it and deepened the lore. (Too bad the 3rd film didn't).
My new Christmas classic. A best of Working Title films all rolled into one, with the an all-star cast that perfects the art of that British balancing act, giving humour and pathos to every moment that could have been easily cheezified.
Never has following fish around been so much fun, or adventurous!
A zippy re-make that was fast and furious and a lot of fun.
Hayden Christensen will do anything for a good story. Including making it up. A nice work drama about lies and ethics that spins it as a thriller.
Throw three intelligent but random actors together, Peter Dinkledge, Bobby Cannavale and Patricia Clarkson, put them on the side of a road, stir, see what happens. Wonderful little film with tons of charm.
X1 introduced all the characters but X2 is really where we had the fun mixing it all up!
Hugh Grant at his best, as a surrogate father to a sad Nicholas Hoult, in a funny and heartfelt movie about growing up.
Bend it Like Beckham
Girl power at its best!
Audrey Tautou and Chiwetel Ejiofor discover the ugly underground of London's medical industry in this scary thriller.
Tilda Swinton must protect her gay son from a mistake he's made, and goes to deep lengths to do so.
L'Emplois du Temps (Time Out)
A man loses his job but hides it from his family, but the secrets and lies start unravelling in this taut and thrilling drama.
Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain (Amelie)
A totally whimsical and romantic look at the odd side of Paris.
Gosford Park
Altman's British dramatic satire on the upstair/downstairs world with a fabulous cast.
A smart cheerleader movie? Who would have thought!? No seriously, it's like totally great and fantastic!
Beautiful and seductive, the love affair between two people that can never be is slow and haunting and gorgeous to look at.
I can't really remember everything that happened but I probably will remember that this intriguing mystery drama warps its way backwards to solve a mystery of a man who forgets.
Posted by Vance at Monday, December 21, 2009
PoliVamp said...
I'm terribly sad Brokeback didn't make the list. But some of these made me so happy that they were included. Guess I can't have it all.
10:03 p.m., December 26, 2009
Vance said...
Well remember, this is my favorite movies of the decade, another way of saying movies I loved that don't make it onto my BEST movies of the decade... coming very soon.
(Just a hint)
2:39 a.m., December 27, 2009

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Renovated studio in the city center of Deventer!
NEW! 12 new apartments and 2 studios at the Smedenstraat in the center of Deventer!
have been transformed into 12 modern apartments and 2 studios.
From 1 May one of these studios can be rented again, so from then on you can be the 2nd occupant!
A unique opportunity to live in an ideal location with all important facilities (including shops, railway station, bus stops, sports facilities and various roads) around the corner in a new home where you are the first occupant.
In short: modern living comfort in a top spot! And even rental allowance is possible for most apartments.
with shower, toilet, sink, and washing machine connection. The building itself has a shared bicycle storage.
The dwellings vary in layout (see floor plans) and living space (see overview below).
This studio is located at the 3rd floor.


text:
Q: send only info level logs to zipkin In the micro-services based architecture , I have a services which helps me to fetch order details .
Internally order details fetches - customer details , delivery details , product details .  We have all services developed and the architecture is established.
No we export everything to zipkin with the sampler rate of 100%. So it includes - INFO level logs and error level logs also , currently it is useful but we already have separate mechanism for ERROR level logs.
so , i just want to skip the zipkin logging for ERROR level log and  send only INFO level logs to zipkin
I tried searching through, but could not get any help, i am newbie to micro services
any help is appreciated , thank you

A: Zipkin is a solution for distributed tracing. Specifically it allows to track latency problems in distributed system. Also it's a greate tool for debugging/investigating problems in your application. So by definition it requires to collect successful and failed traces. However traces have nothing to do with logging.
Assuming you mean controlling the logging level of Zipkin server, then you can just set it using --logging.level.zipkin2=INFO.

A: I don't understand the problem. You don't send logs to Zipkin. You send spans to Zipkin. Zipkin has nothing to do with logs.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Miranda Lambert Has a Message for Women in Country Music [Watch]
While accepting the ACM award for Female Vocalist of the Year, Miranda Lambert expressed appreciation for being part of great things happening with women in country music. There are a number of country newcomers who'd argue she's leading the way.
Artists like RaeLynn, Courtney Cole and Taste of Country RISER Aubrie Sellers have all shared stories of how Lambert has impacted their careers in a short amount of time. Lambert pays attention to her hand-chosen opening acts and offers advice when needed. There's a theme, she says.
"It's not really about making this statement that you're a woman and it's harder," Lambert told Taste of Country prior to the 2017 ACM Awards. "It's more about nose-to-the-grindstone and do the work that you believe in. Because that will win."
Sellers has been the most recent recipient of Lambert's candor. The star has known the daughter of Lee Ann Womack since she was 10 years old and appreciates what she's bringing to the format now that she's an adult. Last month they closed a run of dates together on the Highway Vagabond Tour.
"She's really different. She's not afraid to be herself," Lambert says of Sellers. "I feel like that is so important and so unique and I'm proud of her. She has not fallen in her mom's footsteps or her dad or stepdad's, who are all in the music business. She's doing it on her own and I think she's a great girl and a great performer."
For her part, Sellers says she appreciates having someone like Lambert to call a friend. She released her New City Blues album in 2016 and before unveiling it, shared the project with Lambert, tentatively saying, "It's really different." The response was very positive.
"If I learned anything from her it's that if you stick to your guns and stick with it, it will work out in the end," the "Liar Liar" singer says. "It has for her, at least."
"I'm just glad to see females kicking ass these days," Lambert said on Sunday night (April 2) in Las Vegas. "So cheers to all of us girls out there dreaming." Carrie Underwood, Maren Morris, Kelsea Ballerini and Kacey Musgraves were the other nominees for Female Vocalist. With Lambert's help, there is a healthy class of female stars looking for their first hits.
Bet You Can't Look Away from Aubrie Sellers Singing "My Babe"
See the Best Pics from the 2017 ACM Awards Red Carpet
Next: See All Winners from the 2017 ACM Awards
Source: Miranda Lambert Has a Message for Women in Country Music [Watch]
Filed Under: Miranda Lambert


Captain Marvel Movie Poster And Trailer.
I'm so excited that the Captain Marvel teaser poster and trailer have finally dropped. I'm a huge fan of the Marvel Universe and was full of joy when I found out that Brie Larson was cast as Captain Marvel a while back.
I fell in love with Brie Larson when I saw her in the role of 'Envy Adams' in 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'.
Now I'm intrigued at the thought of her becoming a great role model for young women all over.
Her suit looks insane and she looks badass in the best way possible. I can't wait to see how she'll eventually be involved in Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War.


Frankly, I don't put a lot of stock in statistics and percentile charts.
Maybe it's because both of my kids rank in the 5th percentile for weight and height. I know that they're likely destined for shrimpdom like their mother. I accept this fact with resignation.
However, since I clearly have too much time on my hands… and because some might describe my OCD tendencies as pedantic, I've put together some graphical representations of random percentiles that I've been pondering lately.
The Word of the Week brought to you by the Nerd Mafia. As if I wasn't pedantic enough.


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, more commonly referred to as the Pink Book, every few years. The most recently published version was the 13th Edition, released in 2015. Now, the CDC released a 2017 supplement to update information that has changed since its release.
The supplement, free to print or view online, includes references to placement of the information in the context of the original version, such as page number and paragraph placement.
The entire book can be printed in whole or part, referenced online or purchased for $40 per book. Bulk purchase discounts are available if 250 or more copies are ordered. The CDC also held webinars during 2016 that are also available free of charge.
Edward Jenner, oft considered the father of modern vaccinology, lived and worked in Gloucestershire, England. His home and property are now a museum where people can learn about Jenner's seminal experiments. Dr. Jenner's House, Museum and Garden is open for tours, school groups and events. The museum has been open to visitors since 1985. The team is now working on a large charity appeals project, called "The Jennerosity Appeal," to restore and update several aspects of the museum. You can also register for their newsletter and learn more about the life of Edward Jenner on the museum's website.


She received so many blessings from the rosary in fact that she decided to study its history and origins. She soon discovered that it was not just meant for Catholics but that the Virgin Mary promised a life filled with blessings to everyone from any religion who faithfully recited the rosary daily ...and this was such wonderful news that she vowed to share it with as many people as she could. In The Rosary Immaculee reveals how the rosary's many blessings can be reaped by each and every one of us. In this moving and uplifting book the New York Times bestselling author recounts her personal experience of discovering the power and the beauty of the ancient beads-and shows all of us how to enrich our own lives by exploring and embracing the mysteries secrets and promises of the prayer that became her 'lifeline to heaven'.


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2008 NCAC Baseball Players Of The Week
Ohio Wesleyan senior outfielder Joey McDaniel (Dublin, OH/Scioto) finished
the week hitting 9 for 22 (.409) with seven runs scored, and three RBI to
lead the Battling Bishops. In a first-game loss in the NCAC Tournament
first-round series with Wooster, McDaniel ripped a two-run single in a
three-run second inning to give the Battling Bishops an early 4-3 lead,
but OWU eventually lost, 14-7. In game two, a 6-3 Bishop victory, McDaniel
scored twice and pitched 2.1 innings of hitless relief to earn a save and
force a third game. He also started game three on the mound, working three
innings, and contributed two runs scored as Ohio Wesleyan claimed a 14-6
decision and won the series.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Denison senior James Clear (Hamilton, OH/Badin) allowed one earned run in
a complete game victory in game one of the first round NCAC Tournament
series against Kenyon. He struck out six, give up eight hits and claimed
his 15th career victory, fifth best all time at DU. Denison took game one,
15-3, then clinched the series with a 6-5 decision in game two.
Hiram junior outfielder Craig Dobos (Warren, OH/Howland) hit .423 on
10-for-23 batting with three doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and three
walks as the Terriers went 2-2 in NCAC play, splitting wqith both Allegheny
and Wooster.
Wooster sophomore right-hander Matt Barnes (Pittsburgh, PA/Langley) gave
up one run on six hits and one walk while striking out 13 over nine
innings in two appearances. In a 6-1 win over Case at Progressive Field,
the home of the Cleveland Indians, he gave up a first-inning home run,
then sent down 16 of the next 17 batters, twice striking out the side and
finishing with a career-high 11 strikeouts in seven innings.
Allegheny junior Zach Skovwron (Georgetown, PA/South Side Beaver) went 10-f
or-20 with a homer and nine runs batted in to lead the Gators to a 6-1 week
that included a 4-0 record in NCAC play. He scored six runs and had a
double, a triple and six walks. The Gators split with Westminster, falling
4-3, then winning 6-4. They defeated Clarion at PNC Park, the home of the
Pittsburgh Pirates, and then swept all four games against Oberlin, 6-1,
3-1, 6-4 and 8-5, in the Gators' home opener.
Wittenberg junior Tim Antil (Brookville, OH/Northmont) downed Wabash with
a complete-game 5-0 shutout, allowing three hits, one walk and striking
out four in his only appearance on the week.
Denison sophomore first baseman Park Smith (Warren, NJ/Pingry School) went
13-for-16 (.813) with three doubles and three runs scored as the Big Red
went 2-2 last week in non-conference action. He also drove in eight of the
team's 15 RBI. Denison opened the week with an 8-3 win over Otterbein
before falling to Heidelberg at Great America Ballpark in Cincinnati.
The Big Red then split a home-and-home series with Wooster, winning the
opener, 6-3, and dropping the nightcap, 4-3. Smith lifted his average
from .338 to .425 and he leads Denison in batting (.425), doubles (9),
RBI (21), slugging percentage (.563) and on-base percentage (.474).
Kenyon sophomore Dan White (Washington, DC./Sidwell Friends) picked up a
game-two victory, as the Lords split a non-conference doubleheader with
Earlham. He allowed three runs on three hits and three walks over seven
innings of work in a 4-3 win in game two. White struck out four and
improved to 3-2 on the season. Kenyon dropped the first game of the
doubleheader, 13-11.
Ohio Wesleyan senior Joey McDaniel (Dublin, OH/Scioto) was 7-for-15 (.467)
over five games last week with five RBI from the leadoff position. He
slammed four doubles and scored six runs, including the game-winner in the
fourth game against Earlham, a 2-0 victory. He also walked four times for
an on-base percentage of .579. In the third game against the Quakers, a
6-0 win, he took to the mound, firing a five-hit shutout and also had two
hits and scored a run to support his own cause. The Battling Bishops also
defeated Earlham, 13-0 and 4-2, and fell to Heidelberg, 11-10.
Oberlin sphomore Jack Dunn (Lake Havasu, AZ/Lake Havasu) tossed a complete
game, fanning six and scattering seven hits, to lead the Yeomen to a 4-2
win over nationally ranked Wooste. The win was Oberlin's first over the
Fighting Scots since 1986 - a run of 71 games. Dunn threw a total of 117
pitches, with 68 strikes. He allowed two runs and walked two. He also led
the Yeomen to a 5-3 win over Hiram for a 2-0 week and lifted his season
record to 4-2. Against the Terriers, he struck out five batters and
allowed three runs on five hits in six innings of work.
Denison sophomore first baseman Park Smith (Warren, NJ/The Pingry School)
went 7-for-15 (.467) in the Big Red's 5-2 week, with a double, a walk, a
stolen base and three runs scored. He raised his season average to .345
as Denison completed a four-game sweep of Wittenberg, 4-3, 8-0, and took
two of four games from Ohio Wesleyan, 4-3 (10) and 2-1. The Big Red
defeated Muskingum, 8-4, and also fell to Ohio Wesleyan, 4-0 and 13-1.
Wabash sophomore right-hander Keegan Leckrone (Park Forest, IL/Rich East)
helped the Little Giants to a 3-2 week. He rebounded from his loss as a
starter in an 8-0 defeat by Illinois Wesleyan to pick up two wins in
relief against Case. The Little Giants opened their four-game series
against the Spartans with a 3-2 win and also won game three, 8-6. Leckrone
worked five innings without surrendering a hit, walked two and struck out
eight. He improved to 4-1 on the season with a 1.88 ERA.  For the week,
he was 2-1 in three appearances, with two hitless appearances, nine
strikeouts and four walks in a combined seven innings pitched. He allowed
four runs (two earned).
Wabash senior Shaun Rico (Phoenix, AZ/Desert Vista) had a breakout weekend
to lead the Little Giants to their first  NCAC series victory over Ohio
Wesleyan since 2000, when Wabash began conference play. Rico hit three
homers, drove in eight runs and hit .308 over the four-game series. His
three-run homer with two outs in the top of the seventh gave Wabash their
3-2, game-two victory. In the third game, he hit a two-run homer that
delivered a 9-6 win. Wabash also won the series opener, 5-1. Rico finished
with a 1000.00 slugging percentage and his three homers equaled his career-
season high (three as a sophomore). He doubled his career home run total
with his five this season and his eight RBI against OWU were over half as
many as his season total last spring (14).
Oberlin  sophomore left-hander Jack Dunn (Lake Havasu City,  AZ/Lake
Havasu) struck out a career-high 13 batters, including seven straight
from the third inning through the first out of the fifth, to lead the
Yeomen to a 9-2 victory over Lawrence. He scattered four hits and allowed
one run.
Wooster junior first baseman Sean Karpen (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) led
the Fighting Scots to an 8-1 week last week in Florida. He hit above .500
(.536; 15-for-28) in the nine game with 13 runs scored, three doubles, one
triple, one homer, 10 RBI, and seven stolen bases. He's the team leader
in batting average, runs scored, and stolen bases, and is third in RBI
thus far. The Scots are 9-1 overall.
Wooster sophomore right-hander Mark Miller (Convoy, OH/Crestview) notched
five saves in as many appearances last week. The closer worked 7.1
scoreless innings overall, giving up just four hits and striking out six
without a walk. Miller's five saves already are tied for the fifth-most
in a single season in school history and he's up to 13 for his career,
just three shy of the Wooster record.


Burris Logistics, PRW Plus in Haines City, Florida, bringing to close a third, record-breaking year.
Located just under an hour outside of Orlando, Haines City PRW Plus is a campus of independent temperature controlled-buildings that offer clients a wide-range of temperatures for refrigerated warehousing — all carefully monitored by an on-site team of engineers with expertise in ammonia-based systems and safety. From ice-cream storage at -16° to temperature settings ideal for keeping produce, poultry, dairy and beef fresh, every square foot of this operation is efficient, spotless and well-organized.
For more information about Burris PRW Plus from the customer's perspective, read our interview with Dan Maloney of Woodland Partners, click here.


Every once in awhile you just have to stare at yourself in the mirror after a hard day at work and with a slanty eye and coy grin chant "I'm going to treat myself!" There is no better place in Toronto to indulge than at one of the cities many luxurious spas. The urban oasis offers a quintessential multi-sensory experience: smooth ambient music sets the vibe, dim lighting relaxes the mind, massage loosens those muscles, the smell of eucalyptus in the steam room soothes and a refreshing chai tea provides a perfect conclusion for the palate.
So I set myself on a mission to force myself to rest and relax in Toronto. My intention was to explore the cities finest urban retreats and sample their best signature treatments. This story is an ongoing one so if you have any favourites feel free to drop them in the comments section below!
Civello is Aveda's leading lifestyle salon and spa originally opened its doors in Rosedale in 1989 with a mission to inspire guests to feel and look their best. The three-story space is much larger than you would expect after simply staring up at its pretty façade from Yonge Street.
I start the morning with a polish to my fingers and toes via back-to-back mani-pedi. The room was quietly buzzing as I sipped a hot cup of herbal tea and watched as well coifed women caught up on neighbourhood gossip with their beauticians. Streams of light blasted through a bamboo framed window while calming Buddha bust, bronze lanterns filled with yellow posies and a trilogy of potted jade plants added a nice streak of colour to the space. I was then guided through a stone mosaic adorned hallway in petite disposable flip flops which offered a subtle foot massage on my way to the treatment room where I would spend an hour indulging in an aqua polish salt exfoliation treatment. I seriously snored during the spa's signature Elemental Nature Massage. My friendly RMT offered customized Aveda aromas and deep tissue work that had me wandering home in a smug mug and sultry daze.
The simply titled, "Spa" at the Four Seasons is a sun-filled urban retreat which rightfully-so-boasts the "largest luxury hotel day spa in Toronto," with over 30,000 square feet of rest and relaxation. The Spa offers 17 spacious treatment rooms, two steam rooms, and a salon with ceiling to floor windows which allow guests perched in their seats for haircut or mani/pedi to gaze out at the posh and panache of Yorkville. The real gems here are a sunlit indoor relaxation pool, co-ed whirlpool and outdoor terrace where in the warmer months guests can sip and sigh. The Alpha Male Facial is a man-centric signature treatment perfect for gents looking to pamper themselves. Therapists use a variety of products from the Hungarian skin care line, Omorovizca which includes a cleansing foam, thermal cleansing balm, Queen of Hungary mist, deep cleaning mask and reviving eye cream.
Located in the heart of Toronto's Entertainment District, The Ritz-Carlton is ranked as No. 1 on the Travel + Leisure 2013 World's Best Awards list of Top Hotel Spas Overall. Located on the hotels 5th floor, guests waiting for their treatment can bask in the natural light of the Urban Sanctuary sunroom, a glass-enclosed retreat which offers jaw dropping views of the cities skyline. Enjoy a decadent Champagne Nail Bar with lux pedicure stations, tranquil city-view lap pool, oversized aromatherapy steam room, saunas and green tea-infused vitality pool. Spa My Blend by Clarins offers a comprehensive selection of face, body and massage treatments in 16 exquisitely appointed private rooms. The spa's signature treatment is a 60 minute My Blend Facial, an ultra-personalized experience which begins with a thorough skin and lifestyle analysis. Based on the results of the consultation, a unique blend of customized products including essential formulas and booster serums are produced to offer guests a unique menu which includes: Oil Crisis Control, Early Age Alert and Potent Age Antidote.
Located in Toronto's towering Shangri-La Hotel, Miraj Hammam Spa by Caudalie Paris offers a unique urban oasis for those looking for a bit of rest and relaxation. In centuries past, the Hammam was known as a silent doctor. Now in Toronto you can indulge in traditional Hammam and Gommage, the properties signature treatment. De-stress between a private high intensity and low mist steam chamber, the Hammam cleanses the body while stimulating your senses. Lay relaxed on Jerusalem gold marble and experience an invigorating full body Gommage (exfoliation) using eucalyptus infused black Moroccan soap. I recently adventured through Turkey in September and will never forget my first traditional Hammam experience in the seaside village of Bodrum. Save yourself the arduous flight and take your imagination on a multi-sensory journey via authentic Middle Eastern traditions at Toronto's own Caudalie Paris.
Toronto's ultimate boutique spa experience can be found at the Hazelton Hotel in the heart of Yorkville. The Spa at the Hazelton is an intimate space with only four treatment rooms and one mani/pedi station. An ideal setting for small groups, couples, friends and individuals looking to rejuvenate in a discrete setting. Both the ladies and gents change rooms are equipped with eucalyptus steam rooms while a salt water lap pool offers guests a space to relax and soak after their treatment. RMT's who perform the Hazelton's signature massage are encouraged to individualize each treatment to match the clients unique needs, whether they are more therapeutic, healing or simply for relaxation. Therapists use Holly Oil, adding aromas which are tailored to each guests preference. A specially formulated Hazelton Tea blend is also offered to all guests, a soothing herbal sipper perfect for keeping the calm and carrying on.
A stones throw from the hustle and bustle chaos of Dundas Square, Elmwood Spa offers a quiet calm for those looking to rest and relax in the heart of downtown Toronto. The spa is located in a stunning historic five-story brick building originally designed by Gordon & Helliwell Architects – the same team in charge of the cities much loved Old City Hall, St. Paul's Anglican Church and Casa Loma. It's subtle Thai theme begins with a large carved Buddha at the entrance and continues throughout its 34 treatment rooms. Elmwood is the cities largest spa, employing over 60 RMT's and accommodating over 20 massages at any given time. Their signature treatment is a dreamy Deep Siam Massage which features heated Thai herbal compress filled with aromatic lemongrass, plai, tumeric and Kaffir lime.
Located in the chic Intercontinental Toronto Centre Hotel, The Spa is the perfect destination in the heart of the city to unwind. Guests are greeted by an indoor saltwater pool featuring petite waterfall, elevated hot tub, spacious lounge featuring dried and fresh fruit for snacking and deck ideal for tanning enthusiasts. The Spa's signature treatment is a unique Table Thai Yoga Massage. This ancient and dynamic form of bodywork uses a blend of rhythmic rocking, yoga-like stretches and targeted acupressure techniques to release stressed joints and loosen tense muscles. The treatment is performed fully clothed and can be followed by an add on stimulating tonic-infused scalp treatment perfect for hair hydration.


text:
Roo: We're the greatest!
WAYNE Rooney has warned City that they will be facing the best team on the planet in Sunday's Manchester derby. United are bouncing into the local spat at Old Trafford having booked their Champions League final place in Rome.
Stuart Mathieson
Wayne Rooney: Derby warning
WAYNE Rooney has warned City that they will be facing the best team on the planet in Sunday's Manchester derby.
United are bouncing into the local spat at Old Trafford having booked their Champions League final place in Rome.
There they will play Spanish giants Barcelona who dramatically knocked out Chelsea with a 93rd-minute equaliser in last night's semi-final second leg.
The rampant Reds are seven points away from a third successive Premier League title success and have the FIFA World title as well as the Carling Cup in the bag already this season.
The Blues may be the richest club on the globe but the England striker says, right now, nobody can touch the Reds on the field.
"We know we are the best team at the minute in the world and it is there for City to see," says Rooney.
"The Manchester derby is a massive game for us and winning at Arsenal in the Champions League semi has been a great help.
"We have a few days now to prepare and hopefully we get it right and get the win.
"You'd like to think we can finish off the job in the league as quick as possible. We are in a great position and if we can win the next two matches I think we will be all right.
"Of course it would be great to wrap the league up early and then it would give us a break before the Champions League final. But if we have to win the league on the last day of the season then I'd take that now."
City won both derbies last season, but still couldn't prevent United galloping to glory.
But those defeats still pain the European and Premier League champions.
"It still hurts that they did the double over us last season, no matter what we won," added Rooney.
Manchester City FCMan City coach Pep Guardiola speaks on potential January move for Eric Garcia to BarcelonaEric Garcia is wanted by Barcelona but they will have to agree a price with Manchester City to sign him in January
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Amad Diallo could be in Manchester United squad vs Liverpool
Amad DialloMan Utd completed the signing of winger Amad Diallo from Atalanta earlier in the transfer window.
Ole Gunnar SolskjaerManchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes Liverpool FC admissionLiverpool are unbeaten at Anfield in the Premier League since May 2017 but Man United have not lost away from home domestically in almost a year.


You have probably seen them in our commercials, at your local pulmonary rehab program, or even around your town, but how do you go about getting yourself a portable oxygen concentrator that will meet your requirements?
Directly purchasing is the quickest and easiest way to get yourself a portable oxygen concentrator from 1st Class Medical. You can give us a call at 1-800-520-5726 to speak with one of our respiratory specialists. Click the button below to view our large selection of portable oxygen concentrators.
Our respiratory specialists are trained to recommend the best unit possible for you based off of your oxygen needs and your lifestyle. They will suggest the best unit that will meet or exceed your requirements. Whether you need a pulse flow unit or a continuous flow unit, our respiratory specialists will take the time to work with you and answer any questions you may have.
Buying a portable oxygen concentrator shouldn't be a stressful or tedious process. Here at 1st Class Medical we are here for you every step of the way, from the second we answer the phone, to ensure your purchasing process is stress and hassle-free.
We know everyone's situation is different and we also know how important it is to have an oxygen delivery system that simplifies your life instead of making it hectic. This is why we offer multiple purchasing and rental options to help you get a device that will give you the freedom you deserve.
The easiest and quickest way to get a portable oxygen concentrator is by paying out of pocket. Unfortunately, Medicare and insurance companies tend to classify portable oxygen concentrators as luxury devices. This is especially true if they are already providing you with any type of oxygen system whether it's liquid oxygen or supplemental tanks.
For private pay purchase we accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express for credit cards. We also accept personal checks, cashier's checks, traveler's checks, money orders, and cash.
Financing a portable oxygen concentrator is another purchasing option we offer. Our instant approval financing program was put in place to offer patients like yourself get a portable oxygen concentrator by making a low monthly payment.
Get instant approval financing by calling 1-800-520-5726 or click the button below to fill out our Financial Information form.
Renting a portable oxygen concentrator is a cost-effective way to get a unit for a short period of time. Whether you are going on a quick trip to visit your grandkids or you want to take an extended vacation to explore a new part of the world, our fleet of rental concentrators offer you the freedom to take your dream vacation.
Our rentals are pro-rated to match the length of your rental and the number of batteries you need. For more information on the concentrators we rent give us a call at 1-800-520-5726 or click the button below!
Give us a call at 1-800-520-5726 to speak with a respiratory specialist about your oxygen requirements and what you want to accomplish with a portable oxygen concentrator. With the help of your respiratory specialist, spend some time to determine if it's better for you to purchase, finance, or rent.
Once you decide on which route you're going to take, we need to get the proper paperwork filled out by you. For purchases, you have to sign our return and exchange agreement. For financing, you need to fill out our financial information form. For renting, you need to fill out our rental agreement.
Next, we need to get your prescription for oxygen on file. We have a dedicated team to get in contact with your doctor to have a copy of your prescription sent over to us.
Once we have the correct paperwork and a copy of your prescription on file we will ship your concentrator to you via UPS. Generally, shipping takes 3-5 business days.
Say goodbye to your bulky, cumbersome oxygen tanks and enjoy the freedom and mobility you regain with a portable oxygen concentrator!


Please click here if you wish to contact us regarding guitar lessons , for anything else, please click on our Contact Page.
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Other than as set out above, we will not pass your personal information onto a third party unless required by law or by regulation for example in respect of preventing a crime or any fraudulent activities.
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I have to admit: in winter I tend to get a bit lazy with outfits. And so I find myself wearing my 'go-to' combo – sweater & boots & jeans – 99 % of all times. But who can blame me if all you see out of the window while putting together outfits is gloominess and freezing cold? However, I got the one ingredient that will make your basic looks still stand out: silver metallic boots! And in case you're now like 'Howww do I style those?' don't worry, I got you covered with three winter looks all ready to shop on ebay!


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Lodging in the U.S. shows steady growth, according to U.S. Travel Association.
Travel to and within the U.S. grew 3.2 percent year-over-year in January, according to the U.S. Travel Association's findings. This marks the travel industry's 109th straight month of expansion.
U.S. Travel's Barometer, a forecasting report based on 30 billion global online lodging searches from 5,000 consumer travel websites, reported 83 percent of U.S. residents searched domestically for lodging in February. The U.S. is the world's largest travel and tourism industry, representing $1.6 trillion and 7.8 of the nation's GDP.
According to STR, January showed a 54.8 percent occupancy rate, a daily rate average of $124.39 and revenue per room available at $65.18. According to AAA, gas prices increased by five cents per gallon with a national average of $2.47 in the beginning of March. It's 20 cents more than it was in February but five cents lower than last year's prices.
For more U.S. Travel research, visit www.ustravel.org/research.


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You Are Here : Home / Our Council/ News and Media / Latest News / Join Wimmera River parkrun during Active April
Join Wimmera River parkrun during Active April
More than 100 people pull on their running shoes each Saturday morning to get active, have fun and run or walk five kilometres against the clock at the Wimmera River parkrun.
Among the registered participants is Councillor Josh Koenig, who's among the half a million Australians registered with parkrun.
Cr Koenig is encouraging Horsham people to sign up and get active through the Premier's Active April challenge.
"Parkrun events promote active fun and fitness and a chance to connect with other people, which is just as important for your well-being as physical activity," Cr Koenig said.
"It's important that we all invest time in ourselves and look after our health and general well-being.
"So if you don't think you can make the distance, you can still get along to your local parkrun event and be involved in another way," he said.
In Horsham, the runs start from Sawyer Park at 8am every Saturday. It's free to participate but runners need to register before their first event.
Cr Koenig said Horsham participants, aged from four to 84, had covered more than 16,000 kilometres along the river track since the launch in August last year.
"It's definitely not just for runners. All ages and fitness levels are welcome and it's all about having fun in an inclusive family environment," Cr Koenig said.
"We have a volunteer tail walker whose job each week is to come last. It doesn't matter if you take 20 minutes or 80 minutes to complete the 5km course."
Visit the Wimmera River parkrun website to register.
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Have you been noticing a strong smell coming from your fireplace or chimney? That means your chimney's due for a thorough cleaning. Call Mr. Soot Chimney's certified and NFPA-compliant chimney cleaners today at (919) 874-0300 for a quote on our services.
When we're cleaning your chimney, we are doing more than just brushing away soot and unwanted debris. As National Fire Protection Association members, a visit from us is a full-service and comprehensive chimney inspection. As we're cleaning your chimney, flue, and fireplace from top to bottom, we'll also be inspecting every inch of it to make sure it is up to code.
When it comes to chimneys, cleanliness isn't really about the appearance of the chimney. Chimneys are cleaned to improve their efficiency and to ensure it is always safe to use.
We're more than just a company with dust masks and flue-liner brushes. We're certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America. We follow every rule and regulation to the letter and make sure every single task is completed to our exceptionally high standards.
A lot of homeowners aren't familiar with creosote. Should it be a word you hear your chimney sweeper mention, though? Absolutely! Creosote is that dark brown oil distilled from coal tar that can cover the walls of your flue and smoke chamber.
You might be thinking, 'I don't use coal to heat my home!'. But that's irrelevant. It is often used as a wood preservative, which explains why it winds up coating your flue and chimney.
When we clean your chimney, we're always looking to make sure we're removing every last inch of creosote. Too much buildup can impact chimney efficiency, and it never takes long for a little creosote buildup to become too much creosote. When there is too much, it only becomes more difficult to deal with. To better preserve the health of your chimney, we are prepared to scrape away whatever creosote has taken hold of your flue.
Whether it is through our free in-house consultations, extended warranties on all services and repairs, or simply the quality of our work, our clients save money with us at every turn. As homeowners ourselves, we know how it can be difficult to budget for chimney work when there are already so many things to worry about. That's why we keep our rates low. We want you to call us every single time you need assistance!
What's more, we offer attractive discounts for all seniors and the brave Veterans throughout Raleigh. Consider our 10% discount as a small token of our appreciation.
If you've recently bought an old home in the Raleigh area, you are going to have different concerns than a new homeowner. Old homes might not have been built to the standards of today. At the very least, the house's chimney is probably in disrepair or in need of a major cleaning.
Opening for business in 1994, Mr. Soot Chimney has never failed to provide the best chimney cleaning services in the Raleigh area. We are licensed, bonded, fully insured and make sure all our work is in accordance with the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association). Not only do we make sure your chimney is running efficiently, we also make sure that every component of your home's wood burning technology is as safe as can be. Mr. Soot Chimney wants your chimney to be in service for years, and that means making sure that all its components are fully operational as well as clean.
Your home is an investment. That means every single part of it is an investment too, from the basement to the chimney flue. A clean chimney ensures that you do not experience unwanted creosote buildup, restricted air supply, or dangerously high carbon monoxide levels.
Before winter comes again, you should make sure your chimney is fully functional. Chimneys can get very dirty by the end of a winter season. Mr. Soot Chimney can provide your home with the best chimney sweeping services in all of Raleigh!
Lots of people in the Raleigh area will overlook certain repairs or home maintenance tasks. They'll let their roofing shingles go un-repaired, or they'll let their chimney stay dirty with debris and creosote. But letting your home fall into disrepair doesn't just inconvenience you, it can also affect the health of everyone in your home.
An unclean chimney can also become vulnerable to chimney fires, which aren't covered by many insurance policies. That means if your chimney experiences a fire you might be left with a massive repair bill that could have been avoided with proper maintenance.
Many problems can arise from creosote buildup. Creosote is a dangerous byproduct of wood that is not completely burned in a home's fireplace or wood stove. As the creosote sticks to the chimney and flue, it only leads to further inefficiency. Proper cleaning will not only remove creosote buildup, but it will improve air-flow so fires can burn more efficiently, thereby producing less creosote.
Why Should I Hire a Chimney Cleaning Professional?
Chimney cleaning is also chimney maintenance. When you contract Mr. Soot Chimney for all your chimney needs, we simultaneously perform a full professional chimney inspection while we clean. We will be able to identify any problems your chimney might have. If your chimney is in need of repairs, Mr. Soot Chimney will notice and take the necessary course of action.
At Mr. Soot Chimney, we are very aware that chimney cleaning isn't every Raleigh homeowner's cup of tea. We also know that cleaning soot from your home's chimney isn't something that all homeowners can do properly. Thankfully for you, that is where we come in. With a wealth of experience in all aspects of chimney cleaning, there is no job too big or task too small for our skilled and dedicated team of chimney cleaning professionals. So, if you want to make sure that your home is as safe as possible from the risks of fire hazards then you need to call us today.
Mr. Soot has served homeowners in the Raleigh area since 1994. However, we have been in the business of keeping people safe from fire hazards since 1980. Having worked extremely hard to get where we are today, we are very proud of the winning reputation that we have acquired among Raleigh homeowners. This reputation means a great deal to us and that is why we always do our utmost to keep each of our Raleigh clients informed and completely satisfied at all times.
The reason that our business model has proven so successful is because of the high caliber of workmanship as well as our professional approach to customer service. However, we also know that we wouldn't be where we are today without the continued loyalty of our clients, and we at Mr. Soot take the extra steps necessary to make sure that their customer satisfaction is maintained at all times.
Let's face it, nobody likes the idea of having to clean their dark and sooty chimney. Examining something dark for signs that it is dark is also a very tricky undertaking. In truth, you can perform a chimney inspection on your own but if you want to ensure the optimal results for your Raleigh home, then you need to contact a professional chimney cleaning team you can rely on—a team like Mr. Soot Chimney.
One of the biggest advantages of enlisting our help is that we can detect the telltale signs of soot damage very early to ensure that your Raleigh home is as safe as possible from the risks of fire hazards.
Using an industry-level flashlight as well as the most advanced and cutting-edge cleaning equipment, our skilled team of chimney cleaners can determine how much creosote is built up. Our team will always keep an eye out for obstacles like leaves, nests or other debris. Many small animals and birds seek refuge in a chimney to avoid predators. A properly cleaned chimney will have walls that are smooth and silky, without ridges or bubbles. Creosote presents itself in many different forms including scales, a sandy appearance and even tar.
If you want to make sure that your chimney is as clean as possible so that your home is not susceptible to fire damage, then you need to call us today.


text:
Q: order by date DESC not working in mysql I have the following MYSQL table
CREATE TABLE `mytable` (
 `id` int(11) unsigned NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
 `subject` varchar(255) COLLATE utf8_unicode_ci DEFAULT NULL,
 `date` varchar(255) COLLATE utf8_unicode_ci DEFAULT NULL,
 `timestamp` varchar(255) COLLATE utf8_unicode_ci DEFAULT NULL,
 PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
 UNIQUE KEY `UQ_4242c0a8c07abd9adef59c123f76f3827bb47589` (`date`)
) ENGINE=InnoDB AUTO_INCREMENT=15 DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8 COLLATE=utf8_unicode_ci

my query is:
 select * from `mytable` order by `date` DESC

This is not ordering it correctly. What am I doing wrong?

A: The problem is that being date a varchar it's sorted in lexicographical order, try to cast it to date:
 select * from `mytable` order by STR_TO_DATE(`date`, '%m/%d/%Y') DESC

Anyway this is a temporary solution, you should fix your schema and store it with the appropriate format.

A: You should create yourdate field as a date data value
CREATE TABLE `mytable` (
`id` int(11) unsigned NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
`subject` varchar(255) COLLATE utf8_unicode_ci DEFAULT NULL,
`date` date DEFAULT NULL,
`timestamp` varchar(255) COLLATE utf8_unicode_ci DEFAULT NULL,
 PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
 UNIQUE KEY `UQ_4242c0a8c07abd9adef59c123f76f3827bb47589` (`date`)
) ENGINE=InnoDB AUTO_INCREMENT=15 DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8 COLLATE=utf8_unicode_ci


Aldene, Bayway, Berkeley Heights, Clark, Cranford, Elizabeth, Elizabethport, Elmora, Fanwood, Garwood, Grasselli, Hillside, Kenilworth, Linden, Mountainside, Murray Hill, Netherwood, New Providence, Oakwood Park, Perth Amboy Junction, Plainfield, Rahway, Roselle, Roselle Park, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Summit, Tremley, Tremley Point, Union, Union Square, and Westfield.
Castronovo & McKinney's team of Union County New Jersey Labor and Employment Lawyers has been recognized as the New Jersey Employment Law Firm of the Year in both 2010 and 2012 by Corporate INTL. In addition, we have been nominated by our peers to the New Jersey Super Lawyer and Super Lawyers Rising Stars lists since 2006. Our years of experience, plus our skill and knowledge of New Jersey's employment laws puts us at the top of the list for best lawyers to represent you in employment disputes. In Union County New Jersey there are an established set of characteristics that are protected by law within the workplace. The law states that employees may not face discrimination in the workplace based on their age, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or religion. Castronovo and McKinney, LLC specializes in workplace discrimination and protecting your rights. In addition to discrimination law the attorneys at Castronovo and McKinney also cover practice areas such as severance, harassment, bullying, hostile work environment, FMLA, employment agreements, retaliation and non-compete agreements.
Castronovo and McKinney, LLC specializes in employment and labor laws with a focus on discrimination, including gender discrimination, sexual orientation discrimination, racial discrimination, disability discrimination, pregnancy discrimination and religious discrimination. To contact our Union County discrimination lawyers please call 973-775-9635 or fill out our confidential contact form.


The 11th International Workshop on the Application of Field Programmable Gate Arrays in Nuclear Power Plants was held October 8-11, 2018 in Dallas, Texas, USA. The meeting was organized by SunPort SA, hosted by Doosan HFC, sponsored by Curtiss-Wright and Radiy, and held in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Association. It brought together 67 participants from 14 countries. The attendees included nuclear power vendors/suppliers, regulators, and engineering and research organizations.
The final agenda of the workshop included 5 invited presentations, 20 technical presentations, and 3 workshop discussion sessions.
Radiy and Radics representatives had a key role in sharing best practices to implement modernization projects using their FPGA-based Platform. The presentations made by Anton Andrashov and Kostiantyn Leoniiev also demonstrated Radiy's achievements in SIL certification, equipment qualifications, and the US NRC licensing processes. They addressed the current challenges in the nuclear industry regarding FPGA-based technology and provided good evidence of the advantages of FPGAs.
The workshop included a RadICS Platform demonstration which was an opportunity for attendees to see different types of tests used for systems qualification.
One of the most important moments of the workshop occurred when Dennis Milsom, Instrumentation and Control Director for the nuclear division of Curtiss-Wright, made the official announcement that Radics LLC and Curtiss-Wright had signed a strategic partnership agreement.
The workshop provided a valuable networking opportunity and set the stage for further cooperation within the industry. The 12th International Workshop on the Application of FPGAs in NPPs is tentatively planned for October 2019 in Budapest, Hungary.


Oakland shelter partners with Animal Place to match urban farmers with rescued hens.
"Thanks to our partner Animal Place, this event offers the East Bay public a unique opportunity to learn about the humane treatment of chickens," said Allison Lindquist, East Bay SPCA President and CEO.
On Sunday, October 18, urban farmers will have their day at the East Bay SPCA's Oakland Adoption Center. The SPCA, which normally houses only cats and dogs, is hosting a special hen adoption event for fellow animal welfare group and sanctuary, Animal Place. Potential adopters must apply in advance and be pre-approved by Animal Place.
California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 2 in 2008 and implementation began just this year. Among other things, the ballot measure required that egg-laying hens raised in California have enough space to able to stand up, lie down, turn around, and fully extend their wings.
The rescued hen adoption event will be held at the East Bay SPCA Oakland Adoption Center located at 8323 Baldwin Street on October 18 from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm. Please complete an adoption application online before attending the event: http://animalplace.org/adoptable-chickens/. Get more info about caring for a chicken here: http://animalplace.org/rescue-ranch-animal-care-info/.
Founded in 1989, Animal Place's California animal shelter fills a much-needed niche of farm animal rescue, sanctuary, education and adoption. Animal Place is one of the largest and oldest animal sanctuaries in the nation. We operate a 600-acre sanctuary in Grass Valley, California, and a 60-acre animal shelter in Vacaville, California. Animal Place extends compassion to all life with a special emphasis on farmed animals. This is executed by providing permanent sanctuary, education, legislation and appropriate placement of needy animals.
The East Bay SPCA is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit committed to the welfare of cats and dogs in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Established in 1874, the East Bay SPCA is one of the nation's oldest independent humane organizations and receives no funding from local, state or federal governments, or any national animal welfare organization. The mission of the East Bay SPCA is to eliminate animal cruelty, neglect and overpopulation by providing programs and education that support people and companion animals. Operating three facilities in Oakland and Dublin, the organization offers adoption centers, spay/neuter surgery centers and companion animal behavior and training classes. The full-service Theodore B. Travers Family Veterinary Clinic, is located on the Oakland campus of the East Bay SPCA and is AHAA accredited. For more information visit eastbayspca.org.


text:
Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof, dit Bob Geldof est un auteur-compositeur-interprète, acteur, musicien et militant politique irlandais. Né le , à Dún Laoghaire dans le comté de Dublin, il est tout d'abord le chanteur des Boomtown Rats, puis le co-organisateur avec Midge Ure du Live Aid en 1985 et de plusieurs concerts de charité. Il incarne également le rôle de Pink, personnage à la dérive, dans le film The Wall d'Alan Parker, qui reprend les chansons de l'album éponyme des Pink Floyd.

Son père, fils d'un immigrant belge, était vendeur ambulant et sa mère est morte alors qu'il avait sept ans, mort qu'il décrira plus tard comme étant . Il a deux sœurs plus âgées. Aujourd'hui, Bob Geldof est membre de l'Africa Progress Panel, une fondation basée à Genève et qui était présidée par Kofi Annan.

Les débuts
Il fit ses études au Blackrock College, près de Dublin, mais de son propre aveu il n'était pas un brillant élève. Sa première expérience professionnelle fut d'écrire dans un journal rock underground au Canada, tout en rêvant de devenir une star de rock. En 1975, il retourne à Dublin où il fonde un groupe avec ses amis : les Nightlife Thugs qui deviendront finalement les Boomtown Rats, groupe dont il est le chanteur. En 1977, ils signent chez Mercury Records, au moment même où le mouvement punk explose au Royaume-Uni. En s'inscrivant dans ce courant, les titres Rat Trap et I Don't Like Mondays rencontreront le succès dans les charts britanniques, mais aussi la controverse.

 faisait référence à Brenda Ann Spencer, une jeune fille de seize ans qui, avec le 22 Long Rifle offert par son père pour Noël, ouvrit le feu fin janvier 1979 dans la cour d'une école primaire à San Diego en Californie. Elle blessa huit enfants, un officier de police et tua deux adultes. Lors de son arrestation, elle justifia son acte en disant :  (). Ce fait divers et surtout l'absence de motivations poussant l'ado à tuer ont inspiré les paroles de la chanson devenue 1 des chants britanniques, dont le refrain était :

Après cela, Bob Geldof se fit connaître comme un porte-parole haut en couleur de la musique rock. À la première apparition de The Boomtown Rats dans l'émission irlandaise The Late Late Show diffusée sur Telefís Éireann, une pluie de protestations des spectateurs s'est abattue. Il fut aussi occasionnellement acteur, mais avec un rôle phare : l'interprétation de Pink, le héros du film Pink Floyd The Wall, adaptation cinématographique de l'album The Wall du groupe Pink Floyd. Il est également le personnage principal du court-métrage  (2007), de Donald Rice.

Les concerts de charité

Le Band Aid
En 1984, la carrière des Boomtown Rats décline. Bob Geldof réduit considérablement son activité d'auteur-compositeur-interprète pour se consacrer au "charity business". En novembre, Bob Geldof voit à la BBC un reportage de Michael Buerk sur la famine en Éthiopie, déplorant le manque d'aide internationale. Bob réagit et contacte Midge Ure, chanteur du groupe Ultravox et ils écrivent ensemble la chanson  Toujours en novembre, il est invité à BBC Radio one, mais au lieu de se consacrer comme prévu à la promotion de son nouvel album, il utilise son temps d'antenne pour faire valoir l'idée de réaliser un disque de charité en faveur et au bénéfice de l'Éthiopie. Les médias furent vite intéressés par cette générosité.

Pour interpréter le morceau, Bob Geldof et Midge Ure ont alors mis sur pied le Band Aid, un groupe réunissant les plus grandes stars de rock britanniques et irlandaises de l'époque, soit 45 personnes en tout : en faisaient partie Bono, George Michael, Simon Le Bon (chanteur du groupe anglais Duran Duran), Sting, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Phil Collins pour les plus connus.

Geldof s'attendait à un succès modeste (il espérait  livres), au lieu de cela, les recettes furent très importantes. Au Royaume-Uni, le single s'était vendu à un million d'exemplaires en une semaine, et resté cinq semaines numéro un des charts et plus de trois millions d'exemplaires ont finalement été écoulés, faisant du titre la deuxième meilleure vente de tous les temps.

C'est ce succès qui a donné l'idée de la chanson  (enregistrée le  et sortie le ), toujours dans le but de lever des fonds pour lutter contre la famine en Éthiopie. Coécrite par Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder et Lionel Richie, elle rencontrera également un immense succès mondial. Geldof y chante quelques paroles à la fin du morceau.

Le , un nouveau single est mis en vente (mêmes paroles, même musique, seuls les chanteurs changent), mais cette fois-ci contre la famine au Soudan. Le groupe est rebaptisé Band Aid 20 et reste composé de stars du rock de l'époque : Thom Yorke, Dido, Robbie Williams

Le concert Live Aid
Fort du succès du Band Aid, Bob Geldof et Midge Ure décidèrent d'organiser une série de concerts, toujours pour recueillir des fonds afin de lutter contre la famine en Éthiopie. Il y eut des initiatives à Sydney ou à Moscou, mais les principaux concerts eurent lieu au stade de Wembley à Londres (environ  spectateurs) et au stade JFK à Philadelphie (environ  spectateurs). À cette occasion, le monde de la musique en général, et du rock en particulier, s'est trouvé fédéré autour d'une même cause, au-delà de leurs égos : la famine en Éthiopie. Paul McCartney ; David Bowie ; Black Sabbath ; Judas Priest ; Sting ; Elton John ; Tina Turner ; Les Rolling Stones ; Dire Straits ; George Michael ; mais surtout Queen et leur leader Freddie Mercury qui réalisa ce jour-là, de l'avis même de Bob Geldof et des médias, la prestation scénique la plus flamboyante ; ou encore ce jeune groupe irlandais émergent, U2, qui allait durablement marquer les consciences. Led Zeppelin était également présent en se reformant pour la première fois depuis leur séparation, avec Phil Collins à la batterie. Chaque artiste dispose à cette occasion du même temps d'interprétation, soit environ 20 minutes, ainsi que du même éclairage et du même matériel de diffusion sonore.

L'ensemble a été retransmis en direct à la télévision dans plus de cent pays pour un total cumulé de 1,5 milliard de téléspectateurs. En France, le concert de Wembley a été retransmis en direct non pas à la télévision, mais au Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy.

À cette occasion, les téléspectateurs étaient invités à téléphoner et à faire des promesses de dons. Finalement, on estime que ces concerts ont rapporté environ 150 millions de livres sterling de l'époque (à peu près 245,4 million de $).

C'est à la suite de cela que Bob Geldof fut décoré de l'Ordre de l'Empire britannique (KBE) par la reine Élisabeth II.

En juillet 2020, 35 ans plus tard, il déclare que ce concert lui a gâché la vie et l'a empêché de continuer la musique comme il aurait voulu.

Les concerts Live 8

Le , Bob Geldof annonce la tenue d'une série de concerts le  nommés « Live 8 ». Le 8 faisant référence aux G8 sur lequel il entend faire pression en vue d'annuler la dette des pays pauvres, notamment ceux d'Afrique. Les concerts se tiennent à Londres au Royaume-Uni, Berlin en Allemagne, Rome en Italie, Tokyo au Japon, Johannesbourg en Afrique du Sud, Moscou en Russie, Philadelphie aux États-Unis, Barrie au Canada et Versailles en France le  et quelques jours plus tard à Édimbourg en Écosse. Le G8 se tient le  à Perthshire, en Écosse.

Critiques
Bob Geldof a beaucoup œuvré pour l'Afrique, mais pour le Band Aid, il lui a été reproché qu'aucun artiste africain n'y figure. Concernant le Live 8, seul le chanteur sénégalais Youssou N'Dour était initialement prévu, mais finalement un concert a été rajouté à Johannesbourg avec des artistes sud-africains, comme les Mahotella Queens et Lucky Dube.

En 2007, une « compilation anti-Geldof » titrée  est produite par le label de metal extrême Supernal Music. Cette production est composée de deux CD et de vingt-et-une chansons de vingt-et-un groupes de black metal et dark ambient et dénonce

Récompenses
En 2005, il est lauréat du prix Nord-Sud du Conseil de l'Europe.

Il possède un diplôme honorifique en musique de l'Université de Londres-Est.

Filmographie
 1982 : The Wall d'Alan Parker : Pink
 1997 : Diana & Me de David Parker : Lui-même
 2012 : Mauvaise Fille de Patrick Mille : Georges

Musique de film
 2000 : L'Étrange histoire d'Hubert (Rat) de Steve Barron

Dans la littérature
 Dans le conte Le Jour du Jugement Dernier, dans le recueil Les Mémoires de Satan et autres contes loufoques de Pierre Cormon, Dieu essaie de juger Bob Geldof (orthographié Gedolf) mais n'y parvient pas.

Voir aussi
 Peaches Geldof (1989-2014), sa deuxième fille qu'il a eu avec Paula Yates.

Références

Liens externes

   Vidéo: Bob Geldof en 1977, il explique sa manière de voir ce qu'est le Punk, une archive de la Télévision suisse romande

  Site officiel du Live 8

Chanteur irlandais de rock
Musicien de new wave
Personnalité liée au secteur de l'aide humanitaire
Lauréat d'un Ivor Novello Award
Naissance en octobre 1951
Naissance à Dún Laoghaire

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