text:
Talk about Newsnight
Latest programme
By tonight's presenter, Gavin Esler:
Trust?
The BBC has promised a very significant and far-reaching plan of action to tackle "totally unacceptable" incidents of editorial failure. I'll be interviewing the director general of the BBC Mark Thompson on what he can do to restore trust in the organisation, and we'll be discussing Ofcom's finding of a "systemic failure" throughout the TV industry.
BBC to suspend phone competitions
We've an authored film from a former member of the extremist Islamist group Hizb ut Tahrir.
Brown is not Blair
Another attempt to distance himself from the Blair years today from Gordon Brown - opening up the possibility of re-classifying cannabis as a harder drug than at present. Is this part of a clear strategy by the new PM to repudiate bits of his predecessor's legacy without overtly saying so? Is it a good idea? Will it work?
Cannabis laws set to be reviewed
At 06:48 PM on 18 Jul 2007,
barrie singleton wrote:
TRUST. There are depressing parallels between how Parliament and the BBC "do business". Gimmicks, audience manipulation, deception, dramatisation and even dodgy dossiers – we get the lot. However, this is not pot and kettle. Since Parliament was doing its best to fool all of the people all of the time, long before the BBC went into decline, they must accept the label of "prime mover". Further, Parliament might do well to consider the extent to which its internal evils are mirrored in society.
Complain about this post
Brian Kelly wrote:
The BBC's Director General is aware that the BBC's recent programmes have mislead audiences, and has pledged robust measures to prevent such things happening in future.
Reportedly this lack of trust now goes beyond this and their(BBC) integrity is now allegedly questionable on perceived liberal, leftist views that could/does bias political & suchlike programming.
Trust is paramount in the BBC.
john gittos wrote:
Its seems that Mark Thompson is prone to blunders , is nt this one too far under his watch , and especially when veiwing figures are down the BBC is losing grip and the book stops with him .
robin piper wrote:
This anxiety about the downgrading cannibis to class c in appropriate. The bogus assumption of moving form one drug to another is based on a false premise. There is a faliure to understanding the causes of addiction. People too often take a teleological point of niew, from effect to cause. There is no necessary correlation between cannibis and graduating to highher grade grugs. The fact that many people who are addicted to say heroin have been at some time users of cannibis, is not a causal explanation. This important fact, is too often not fully understood by social policy makers.
This anxiety about the downgrading cannibis to class c is appropriate. The bogus assumption of moving form one drug to another is based on a false premise. There is a faliure to understanding the causes of addiction. People too often take a teleological point of niew, from effect to cause. There is no necessary correlation between cannibis and graduating to highher grade grugs. The fact that many people who are addicted to say heroin have been at some time users of cannibis, is not a causal explanation. This important fact is too often not fully understood by social policy makers. Moreover this current anxiety is totally inappopriate, politicians should understand better the causes of addiction.
the english guy wrote:
If he seriously wanted to do something about the 'drug' problem, he'd ban the two worst drugs in the world today - tobacco and alcohol.
Yusuf wrote:
Let's hope your piece on political Islam does not resort to scaremongering. I find the end conclusion of most of these reports is to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir, if Mr Maher proposes this tonight I hope he has a solid basis for this proposition. Has Hizb ut-Tahrir been involved in terrorism either here in Britain or abroad? Whether you choose to agree or diagree with its ideas does, is that in itself a basis for a ban. there are many ideas which many people in this country hold that another set of people disagree with, there is discussion and it is unhealthy to censor people for their thoughts in a society which prides itself on a free flow of ideas.
George Vaughan wrote:
Who will it be tonight - Shiraz Maher, Ed Husain or Hassan Butt?
Can't wait for the next episode of the conveyor belt - extremist Islamist groups have conveyed these ex-Islamists to lucrative book deals and media appearances it seems.
now disgruntled viewer wrote:
Apparently I am not allowed to post comments. Is it because of my firewall or because of my cookie setting policies? Ah well, for whetever reason, there goes my carefully crafted response on the BBC succumbing to the evils of the love of money in respect to phone-ins. It may have been pithy, or appropriate and apt, it may have been rubbish - we'll never know because I didn't think to copy all the text before I submitted it. Stop doing quizzes and get your websites sorted out.
Thank you (if this gets through)
Mike Mccusker wrote:
TRUST - I was involved in a large strike in 1988. It involved 13,000 shipyard workers in a 12 week dispute which saw most of the town's workforce on strike.
Around week 9 a Newsnight team arived to conduct interviews on the picket line. I was responsible for the organisation of pickets at the main gate of the shipyard.
The reporter had a fixed idea of the story he wanted to portray - hardship amongst strikers families.
He asked me if I could find one of the pickets who had a wife and three kids who would be willing to go on TV. I found someone with one kid, but that wasn;t enough, he asked if I could find any more kids, which I did and they were loaned to the original family to match the story he had arrived to tell.
The interview was filmed (a discussion on buying baked beans for tea - nothing about why we had taken the extraordinary steps of a whole town walking out of work) and aired on Newsnight. I have it on video tape.
If he believes that manipulation of the truth (or lying) is limited to Blue Peter and quiz shows it makes me wonder where Mark Thompson has worked before in the media?
Richard Dell wrote:
This goes well beyond a loss of integrity in certain programmes involving competitions and fund raising. Far more serious is the institutional and incestuous liberal values caused by the BBC's recruitment policy and the groupthink that follows it.
Anthony Jay highlighted the problem with the BBC's News service recently, but Charles Moore, Paul Dacre, Melanie Phillips, Tom Gross and others have been saying this for years. The problem is not so much in what the BBC reports, but the issues and opinions that it evades, either consciously or sub-consciously. Moore identified 13 such specific issues.
No, it was because I clicked to preview the post before I chose to post it.
To sum up:
Money - creates greed and recklessness.
BBC: Gets our money anyway and need not prostitute itself the way commercial channels do.
Phone-ins + BBC: A truly bad idea. Rise above it Auntie - you know you are better than this. (Especially when BBC Worldwide and merchandising of popular content make you a fortune outside the license fee anyway)
Joey RamoneStrummer wrote:
Who was that short as* idiot who has just been on, from the BBC - was that Mark Thompson?
Apart from the general smug rubbish he uttered he said something like:
"Just like smoking..become unacceptable virtually overnight.."
What? Smoking hasn't become unacceptable, its just been made illegal in "public places" - also by the way in private places such as offices, clubs, some private vehicles, care homes, etc. Just because the government says something shouldn't be permitted doesn't make it unacceptable. Apparently smoking cannibis is no longer illegal but I find that unacceptable.
I don't give two hoots whether anyone foolish enough to spend money on a phoney phone in has been misled - doh! But I do agree that such an idiot as Mister T should not be in charge of a vote, let alone the BBC and the licence fee.
Simon wrote:
I think these dodgy pohonelines are a symptom of a much wider malaise at the BBC. Michael Grade said on Newsnight of the phonelines "It was a deliberate attempt to deceive." Maybe so but not half as bad as the attempts to virtually brainwash the audience on issues such as climate change and smoking. I think it was the reporting of climate change that got me seriously doubting the output of the BBC a couple of years ago. I've got no particular view on it but I can tell when someone is actively trying to make me beleive something that may or may not be true. Same thing with passive smoking.
I simply don't see the BBC changing from this sort of agenda driven reporting back to being an unbiased organisation reporting all sides of an issue with equal impartiality.
A few dodgy phoneline misdemeanours don't really matter, the attempted mass brainwashing of the nation on special interest issues is unforgiveable.
martyn wrote:
i've just sent a post - what does this mean? what's malicious about this?
In an effort to curb malicious comment posting by abusive users, I've enabled a feature that requires a weblog commenter to wait a short amount of time before being able to post again. Please try to post your comment again in a short while. Thanks for your patience.
J.B wrote:
George. It's always one of the three but Shiraz Maher seems to be a Newsnight correspondent, who has a weekly feature on HT. This is getting anally ludicrous.
Aaron Rosenberg wrote:
I was deeply troubled by the piece by Shiraz Maher this evening. It seems that Newsnight seems to have been giving a lot of airtime recently to the same people who seem to make the same point - essentially Maher's point tonight is that the Muslim community must take the blame for 7/7 and violence in general, while our leaders like Blair who invaded Iraq bear no responsibility. Does that mean that the Jewish community in the UK, some of whom criticise some actions of the Israeli state, be held accountable for the actions of Israel?
I sincerely believe that violence could be blamed on those who precipitated it (e.g. Iraq war), those who engage in it and those who justify it. However, the wider Muslim community including those who advocate Political Islam, but shun violence, cannot be held accountable.
I also note (link above) that the very dramatic reports last November by Newsnight about plans by an Islamist group to bomb a synagogue have been dismissed following an investigation.
john wrote:
The BBC corrupt?
The world really is going to hell in a hand cart.
S madge wrote:
Dear Readers,I am the worlds bigest
critic,I will praise no one that in my eyes ,that does not deserve
praise, and I do not spare the rod,
If I had another life time to spare,I would be the first to vent my
anger to what is slowly destroying
Britain.And also who has been sending
stupid messages into everyones brain trying to convince people that everthing is great.Now I wrote a party peace critisising The BBC in thier part of trying to fool the public on subsides that the miners where getting,at that time, I felt strongly The BBC where used as a properganda machine for the goverment at the time.If there was any doubt in my mind , it was instanly diminished, because the BBC
printed my comments on thier webb site.So even still doubtfull on thier
envolvement on a govermently level,
there is still something majical about the beeb.So well done to Mark Thomson on at least making a start
with bad reveues, don'nt be side lined by no goverment.
Fred Harris wrote:
I really could not understand what Shiraz was talking about.. was it political Islam, was it about his Grandfather or was it about him making friends again.
I am quite dissapointed there was not anything of substance or a point to the report.
I hope that he is not going to be a regular newsnight 'Journalist'
Mohammed Youssef wrote:
What a joker that "former HT member" is!
It looks like he's renounced Islam altogether from what I can see... Criticsing "literal interpretations of the Quran"?! Muslims believe that the Quran is God's literal word, full stop. Anyone who doesn't believe so is not a Muslim...this guy seems to be either paid off, brain-washed, or seeking some sort of glory as the BBC's resident expert on "Political Islam".
And just to clarify to non-Muslims out there who might be confused by all this, there is no such thing as "Political Islam" - there is only Islam and politics is an intrinsic part of it. Anyone who says otherwise is misleading you.
Lionel Tiger wrote:
The only reason Cannabis was classified a Class C drug instead of Class B was to allow the police to draw a blind eye, and direct their resources elsewhere, to 'more worthy issues'. People reacted by treating the drug as legal, however virtually every other drug commonly found 'on the street' is regulated or licensed in some way. Alcohol can only be bought from licensed premises, and drugs with powerful effects that need to be managed are prescribed by medical practitioners, who are able to provide the medical support to the users of the drugs. If cannabis is to become legal, it should be regulated, through licensed sellers. This would ensure that the cannabis in use is not harmful, so that 'skunk' varieties that are low in CBD but high in THC that have been proved to induce psychosis and schizophrenia are not commonly available. The hemp varieties that don't have the same damaging effects due to having a more suitable CBD and THC content should be the varieties in popular use, and this should be ensured through licensing. In addition to this, seeing that the smoking of tobacco has been proven to be so harmful to health, smoking of cannabis surely has similar detrimental effects to health as smoking tobacco. Would it not be better for cannabis to be available in safe oral forms, regulated through licensed vendors, with a system that is able to provide the necessary support to users to avoid the harmful effects of drug abuse. In such a system the dealers regulate consumption and promote responsible drug use. Better support needs to be provided to the public to prevent drug abuse, and this includes excessive alcohol consumption as well as skunk smokers. Indiscriminately taxing all drug users irrespective of whether they are responsible users or not fails to address the issue of drug abuse and the advice and support that the public need to receive about their lifestyle habits. I had drug education when I was at school, when medical practitioners and police officers visited the school to explain the effects of drug use and how to act responsibly. This covered alcohol, cannabis, as well as class A drugs such as Crack and Speed. Should the authorities not be promoting responsible citizens, so that they do not need to be policed to the same degree as an ignorant populace resentful of state enforcement ? Drug education and information should be available to all members of society, irrespective of age, gender or race. Anyone can become the victim of drug abuse, people need to know how to act responsibly. And licensed drug use promotes responsible drug consumption. There must be a clear distinction between suitable behaviour and unsuitable behaviour and how this relates to drug use. There is a murky distinction about what constitutes responsible Cannabis use, and the safety of the Cannabis available for use on the streets.
At 12:09 AM on 19 Jul 2007,
ronwhelan wrote:
Can the BBC be trusted? No, especially after that farcical piece on the panorama programme about Hizb ut-Tahrir. That was a disgrace to journalism. Can I have my license fee back?
Ed wrote:
Dear Newsnight
I am, like many, a big supporter of public broadcasting. But the BBC has alienated so many people over the recent phone-cheating debacle. As a supporter of Newsnight I was slightly annoyed by their take on the story with flashy, clever graphics which just seemed a bit inappropriate in light of the seriousiousness and sensitivity of the subject. It kind of summed up to me, at least, perhaps a bit unfairly, but what i suspect many others are feeling about the BBC, in general: that the organization has, in recent years, become obsessed with image (over content). To be like a commercial brand (instead of a warts-and-all maker of creative and innovative television routed in integrity - people don't mind if there are lows with boring television as long as there are also highs of great television - at the moment it seems we are been fed a conveyor belt of mediocre, forgetful television, that fills us up for a short while and then leaves us feeling hungry, again).
This all goes back, surely, to Mr Birt's obsession with ratings (short term popularity, and at the cost of long-term reputation and loyalty). We had the ghastly Vanessa Feltz programme / debacle summing up just how far the BBC had plummetted.
Of course the BBC still makes decent TV but the great shame is that there is the talent (i think) and the opportunity (i am certain about) to make great, instead of, genreally, mediocre, and at times banal / cretinous tv.
I think there are too many ad. men, marketeers, audience researchers and so on - too much policy making about programmes and image makeovers going on, instead of consulting, and working, more with artistic people, artistic-minded programme-makers.
At the end of the day the BBC is all about programmes not policy. It is financed by the public. Unlike commercial broadcasters it is only answerable to the public, and not to advertisers and shareholders. The BBC shouldn't regard the commercial braodcasters as competition. They are in a different playing field, altogether to the BBC. The BBC should not be making programmes that can be done by commercial braodcasters. It is in its own playingfield and should and is judged on that.
So stop having the best of both worlds. Enjoying the freedoms of a non-commercial broadcasters, and enjoying the liberties / short-cuts / approach of a commercial braodcaster.
Apologies for banging on. But i love the idea of a publically-financed public broadcaster. But the BBC has really shot itself in the foot big time. If it wants to survive then it must focus on what it is all about. It is all about programmes. And it is all about programmes that are creative, original, innovative and based on integrity.
So foreign policy isn't a reason and terrorism is all to do with ideology???
What proof does Maher have? His conclusion isn't the same as the conclusion reached by political scientist Robert Pape who carried out the report: "Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism"
The study says 'the taproot of suicide terrorism is nationalism' and "at bottom suicide terrorism is a strategy for national liberation from foreign occupation by a democratic state".
He added that "people use car bombs to attack occupying powers. This war is about what we do in the world, not who we are."
Google Robert Pape to find out about the report
The BBC should be about quality not quantity. The BBC is trying to do far too much in terms of breadth (much of which could be done by commercial broadcasters). Someone once said that the BBC had become more into empire-building than making decent programmes. Why doesn't the BBC give up much of what it is doing - consolodate - and focus on quality. Focus on integrity (and being creative, innovative and original) whilst making the programmes (instead of making people attend courses about how to be honest - there is something frankly ridiculous about this - especially as it will be the public, ultimately, paying for these course). The buck stops with policy and management: Mark Thompson. Should he go? Absolutely not. He seems to have lots of talent and experience. But this should be a wake-up call for him to get the BBC back on track. To return the BBC to its programme-making focus and values pre John Birt. This is really opportunity and he needs to grasp it now. He needs to plan a major, radical overhaul instead of papering over the gaps in the wall with lessons on how to be honest. Unless he does this the BBC is probably going to disappear sooner rather than later (there are lots in the public who would love to see its demise: not just from the public - and the Queen, probably, now - but also from commercial broadcasters who see the BBC enjoying an unfair monopoly, as well as many in politics, both on the right and left (Gerald Kaufman really hates the BBC - I wrote to him - and others -, myself, to persuade him of the importance of a public broadcaster - the effect of on public life etc ..) If he does his job well, however, the BBC could go on to have a long, bright and interesting future!
Peter wrote:
Look... there... a framed orifice through which you can pass from one place to another.
Apparently, from now on, if anyone in the BBC does something 'naughty' (my flip word for a broad tranche of policy, journalistic and editorial 'lapses'), they will be 'shown the door'.
So says an evidently irritated DG, Mark Thompson, who looks like he has much better things to do than deal with the public's views on his outfit. Apparently this is how trust will be regained. A fair task, given what's in this blog and the papers today. And will putting staff on a course (I presume at the licence payers expense) resolve this... I doubt it. And truly resent wasting such funds on a mop up which is more of a backside covering effort of tissuelike thinness than anything tangible. As are allusions to compensation. Using what mechanisms? What money? From where? To whom?
However, in the spirit of 'moving on', which is the phrase du jour of all senior (and, in the old days, responsible/accountable) executives/pols, it looks like this will be the latest free pass bestowed on all complicit in misleading the viewing public. And if that is the case again, why on earth should anyone trust anything said or done in the future.
While charitable financial dodginess is bad enough, I can't help but note that we have also moved from what in many ways I see as a much more critical issue to address, and that is the notion, which seems endemic and to pervade every level of the organisation, that reality and truth are entirely adjustable to improve ratin... er... the story.
In a cosy fire side chat with the boss, some quite remarkable things are covered and, essentially, dismissed.
I think I heard the word unacceptable several times. It becomes rather meaningless if in the same breaths it becomes pretty clear a lot has been and is accepted.
Short term contracts and pressure/ may be reasons, but they are not excuses. And while they can be responsible for a lot of things, they can surely not be held accountable for swapping critical chronologies in news items to 'enhance reality'... in the name of what? It is only now that I find out that reordering is 'not good practice'. It blooming well is a darn site more than that if it changes meaning, or has the DG not read the posts on this blog on the matter.
So there is a duty to have an 'eye to the culture'. Do what? And, er, only now? And an 'eye' will really sort it, for sure.
Great play was also made of how open 'they' are all being now. You know, if George Washington was not found standing next to that felled tree with an axe, one wonders just how open he would have been if not challenged. It's all being treated as a bit of a one off that will blow over, which of course it will.
We get the obligatory resignation question, with the standard 'best for the person who got us in this situation to dig us out of it and prevent future repeats' reply, which worked so well for Charles Clarke.
If these things happen, and they are not for 'personal gain', why do it? Of course it is for personal gain, because you gain personally from the salary and status of your career. And to progress that means satisfying the demands of your job, which means your superiors. It's hardly anything to do with training or lack of it... it is policy. Yet again we are seeing those at the sharp end being used as a buffer and deflection from those above who are really responsible and should be accountable, and then 'sacrificed' (and then pardoned) with a 'jolly good telling to' on an internal basis.
This is not a one off. It has been a whole series, and in a short time. And nothing I have heard or seen leads me to suspect that anything has or will be done beyond short-term damage limitation.
And that's all we have time for. Moving on...
Trust? Don't talk to me about trust.
Morris Faulkes wrote:
There's a very interesting (but quite long) article by an academic from Birkbeck College on this recent trend of 'ex islamists' getting rather a lot of attention in the media. (How Newsnight can justify giving so much airtime to Maher, Hussein and Butt is beyond me)
https://liberationparty.blogspot.com/2007/07/ex-islamist-inc-fabricating-link.html
...for a balanced and less hysterical view of Hizb ut Tahrir (from someone with less of an axe to grind...) I'd recommend a read of Suha Taji-Farouki's book 'Fundamental Quest: Hizb Al-Tahrir and the Search for the Islamic Caliphate'
csharp wrote:
Gavin said fun and games on the website? Where? :)
over 10 years ago a friend of mine was paid good money to go on a daytime tv agony aunty type show to talk about how her cheating boyfriend left her. She was, however, in reality a lesbian in a long term relationship. We thought this very funny.
has MT not seen 'drop the dead donkey' and all the tricks that are so well known that they could be shown in a comedy show as common knowledge?
rather than send people on a course maybe everyone should be made to watch that? or maybe the bbc could make their own comedy show full of all the things one should not do in a TV show?
Do we really need to bother with a tv license at all ? The bbc is seeking money from phone-ins, as well as the fact that the content is poor. Entertainment is contrived, and politically correct propaganda pervades the polluted media. Politics is controlling everything, and is manipulating the way we think. This money is supposed to go on content, impartial information, and entertainment. It seems to be going on providing services to the government, foreign onlookers and those with enough cash who can afford to pay for what they get for nothing. The laws of relativity stated by Einstein dictated that nothing is created or destroyed in the universe. Reusing material in repeats is one thing, but surely the rule of creation is not relevant for the media. Create some entertainment, less creating news and crises with propaganda. If the bbc fails with all the resources at its disposal to create anything of merit, the public will create their own entertainment elsewhere. The people who use services should pay for them, digital users should pay to access content on a pay per view basis, and users of mobile-tv services have enough spare cash and should pay for using such decadent services instead of them being subsidised by the tv license payer. As far as I am aware, the bbc is not a charity, start acting like a responsible commercial organisation and honour the tv license payer, who is their primary consumer.
nozmul hussain wrote:
RE: Shiraz Mahir report on Hizb ut-Tahrir
I find it strange as the weeks go by we seem to see the same 3 guys on newsnight and in the press saying the same exact things...
shiraz mahir, ed hussain and hassan butt
regarding the report, it is strange that throughout the report there are clips of islamic fanatics, of which none are from Hizb ut-tahrir, this is very misleading.
As for Hasan Butt, i find it strange that he is able to say in the press that he recruited 200 men to go to jihad in Afghanistan yet he walks as a free man and earns a living off of it... come on MI5... is he not guilty of supporting terrorism? or has he made a deal to with the government to attack political islam and stay out of prison?
Just because he has changed doesnt make it OK, if I commit a crime tomorrow and then say sorry does that make it OK?
The government will go to any length to push their propaganda campaign against political Islam and accountability to their unethical foreign policy.
political islam does not equate to terrorism, as muslims we want our laws in our own countries..whats so bad about that?.... As muslims we care about injustices done by the UK/US armies in our lands, whats wrong with us speaking against it?
Islamic Terrorism in the UK is a result of the foreign policy, why do they keep arguing to the contrary when the bomber himself has said it?
Sayfuddin wrote:
[spoof]Breaking News:
Gordon Brown is keen to continue to define his new tenure as Prime Minister; in a further attempt to reform New Labour.
In what seems to be U-turn within recent government initiatives, he has asked to sever consultations with the celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver; in favour of Colonel Saunders.
Downing Street representatives have indicated that they have based their judgements upon new found intelligence; claiming that in light of recent convictions for the glorification of terrorism, Al Qaida have moved their operations away from conspicuous leafleting outside of mosques, in favour covert of chicken shops initiatives.
Al Qaida are said to have developed a new chemical weapon, with the power to re-programme and control minds. They have chosen to insert this formula in chicken batter; in an attempt to recruit young inner city youth. The chemical is also said to cause physical and psychological addiction; as well as altering speech - to what has been coined a 'Ja-fake-an' dialect. Teenage assaults are said to provide further evidence for the immediate and present danger that this new threat poses. Sheikh Ya Booti is said to be mastermind behind this new strategy.
Sources suggest that the advisor to Downing Street, is alleged to be Sheikh Tou Neeb Leeyar.
The Colonel also welcomes this New Labour consultation; as a movement back towards "cotton-pickin' finger lickin' old-fashioned values"
khan wrote:
It is getting very boring watching news night , i watch it to get some serious debate and in depth analysis on the events of the day. but recently the the piece's on hizb ut tahrir seem to be repetitive and have reached the level of the daily sun.the fascination with hizb ut tahrir seems very unnatural as they are not dominating the political atmosphere.I would also say that it seems that people who leave hizb seem to become more secular then extremist as two{ed hussain} of the people who seem most active in discussing this issue have seemed to have moved away from extremism and have embraced secularism,and so far in the media i have not heard of anyone actually becoming militant after departing from hizb ut tahrir
Maurice - Northumberland wrote:
Many are asking the BBC for an honest debate regarding Muslims.
How about they simply have a daily Global Islamic NewsRound:-
https://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
All reports from around the World - Daily.
Hows that, will that do?
maria wrote:
Some of the people posting opinions on this site are still going on about British foreign policy, as though it is to blame for all the ills in the muslim world. So why are so many muslims killing fellow muslims? Are we really responsible for that?
Hector wrote:
Political Islam;
It is very interesting to discuss and decide who is right and wrong in news and blog. Though discussion about Islamic politics should have been among the POP,Mullah and Rabi.
Here is a tosser for grabs, it is as good as individuals own capacity of understanding.
To understand politics we need to see the difference in ideology and moto. As a beginner let us see what is your understanding about the origination of Human Race. If you believe in Homo Sapiens evolution theory than sorry!. politics is not your cup, go to school or internet. Other wise read to understand where lies the difference among POP, Mullah and Rabi. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_and_Eve
as a side note:-
WAR on terror is brain child of neocons and Warmongers of UK, ever rising resentment is eminent from majority of the Americans, Brits, including congress and armed forces.
It is not that Alqaida is to be feared, It is wasted interest of fear mongers which is deadly for human lives and is ripping billions of Dollars from Tax payers.
Gotcha !
Having read above, you are done with lesson one of pre-requisite of Alqaida lesson-1.
As imparting knowledge is against western culture, and the main reason for "War on Terror".
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Do you get exclusive use of the venue?
Can you get in the day before to set up / will they set up for you?
Is there somewhere nearby everyone can stay afterwards? If this isn't onsite, what transportation options are available? Ideally you want onsite so people can stay right until the end / not worry about getting home! At least for immediate family.
Will you have a designated wedding co-ordinator in the run up / for the day?
Do they have a microphone etc for speeches?
What time does everyone have to leave?
Will the venue clear up at the end of the night? <<this is super important, you don't want to have to spend a couple of hours after the wedding is over clearing everything away.
If you have young children there, is there somewhere they can nap? If they stay overnight, is there access to a fridge / kettle for milk?
Will you have day guests and evening guests?
Pick your vows – the registrar will let you pick from a selection, or would you rather write your own?
How long will they stay? Will they catch any of the dancing?
Do you get an engagement shoot? – This was surprisingly very useful for us. We got all our awkwardness out during the practice shoot!
Do they charge for travel?
Desert – could you have you wedding cake as your desert to cut costs?
Plan your drinks – does your venue supply alcohol or can you bring your own and pay corkage?
Buy your wedding cake? – Tradish / cupcakes / a mix of both?
Does your venue have a cake stand you can borrow?
Who will assemble the cake?
Musicians bump their prices up for weddings, and often insist on being fed and watered for free, make sure you know their diva demands before you book them!
Find out what sound system is available in your ceremony / reception / wedding breakfast locations?
What will they be? Will they fit the theme of the wedding?
How will you hold/display the table name?
Make a Table Plan – I think this is where you can add a personal or cheesy touch if you want. Because your guests will look at it once and it will be put away after dinner. Make it your own ! We love travelling, so our table plan was a world map entitled 'Where In The World Are You Sitting?', and our tables were named after our favourite places. Also…. good luck with actually figuring out who's sitting where. I had an excel sheet where I could drag and drop people. It was very stressful.
Write placeholders – we stuck little named chalkboards into our succulents, so everyone could keep track of their favours!
Buy a gift box, and come up with a strategy to keep it safe. Not from your guests (hopefully you can trust them!), but it's a well known scam for people to dress up in a smart outfit, walk into a wedding, and swipe stuff from the gift table. We told our groomsmen to keep an eye, and every few hours one of my bridesmaids kindly emptied the box.
Buy bridesmaid dresses – listen to your bridesmaids – you want them to feel comfortable and happy in what they're wearing. Let them try on a few styles and consider letting people have slightly different dresses to suit their body shape. Don't forget to check out the sales – we got two of our dresses half price because we waited till boxing day!
Consider getting ready clothes – I got us all matching robes and flip flops!
Organise hair and make up – make sure you read reviews, and definitely have a hair trial!
Order groom & groomsmen suits – consider renting these, especially if your groomsmen are coming from all over the country! We went with Moss Bross, who I wasn't overly impressed with (what kind of place sells wedding suits, but no plain ivory waistcoat?!?!… and the shirts were terrible quality so most of our groomsmen wore their own) but it was convenient as each groomsman could get measured in his local store, and if you have a certain number the groom goes free!
Make sure your wedding band is the same metal as your engagement ring, so they wear evenly.
Bridal Party Gifts – little touches to thank the people that helped you out the most on the run up to the big day!
A photobooth – I'm so glad we booked our booth. There are some brilliant pics, and the company we used pasted all our pictures into a guest book!
Flip Flops – … so again… we didn't do this…. but sometimes it's nice for people to take their heels off and change into more comfy shoes for dancing!


Video: Feist debuts new songs in L.A.
Last night at the Townhouse in Los Angeles, indie-rock songstress Leslie Feist previewed songs from her upcoming LP Metals during a surprise performance. Below, via YouTube user mytraveltales, watch videos of her performing the album's lead single, "How Come You Never Go There", along with the track "A Commotion". Update: We now have live clips for three more songs from Metals: "Graveyard", "Bittersweet Melodies", and "Woe Be". Check out everything below.
Also, as our reader Jgmeath points out, Vermont folk-rock trio Mountain Main are currently serving as Feist's live backing band.


The Institute of Directors is today calling on the Government to speed up publication of its 'no deal' guidance, as a survey of 800 business leaders reveals that less than a third have conducted any Brexit contingency planning.
Half of businesses say they do not intend to draw up plans, with smaller firms more likely to be in this category. Nearly 1 in 2 of these firms say this is because they will only be making adjustments once the future relationship becomes clearer.
A fifth of companies anticipate drawing up plans, but three quarters of these also say they are waiting for more clarity about the future UK-EU relationship first – either on the withdrawal agreement or a new deal with the EU.
At present, only one in ten companies are seriously considering relocation to the EU. But this could rise to over one in five should the negotiations not go well.
"Many companies are still unprepared for Brexit, and it's hard to blame them. When it comes to knowing what to plan for and when, firms have been left in the dark. Trade associations like the IoD are doing their best to fill the information void, but the reality is that many companies feel they can only make changes once there is tangible information about what they are adjusting to.
"As long as no-deal remains a possibility, it is essential that the Government steps up to the plate and provides advice on preparing for such an outcome. We therefore urge them to speed up publication of the technical notices. This should also help make companies more alert to the need to prepare now for all eventualities.
Internationally active firms, trading with both the EU and non-EU countries, are somewhat further ahead on contingency planning than the average, with 41% reporting they have already actively engaged in this area.
While manufacturing firms are much less likely than financial services to say they do not intend to draw up any plans (31% vs 59%), they are behind financial services on implementation (2% to 8%). ICT is sector furthest advanced, as 10% have already triggered their contingency plans.
IoD members with a local branch or subsidiary in the EU have a particularly large share engaged in some form of planning (53%), higher even than EU goods or services exporters (44% and 43% respectively). They are also more likely to be looking at shifting operations from the UK to the EU - 10% have already done so, a further 10% are actively considering it, and another 10% say they will depend on how negotiations go.
Have you drawn up and/or implemented any contingency plans for Brexit yet?
When does your (primary) organisation intend to begin drawing up contingency plans?
Why do you not expect to carry out any contingency plans for Brexit?
Has your (primary) organisation looked at relocating or co-locating operations to the EU in anticipation of Brexit?
Does your (primary) organisation currently trade (import and/or export) internationally?
What kind of wider business links, if any, does your (primary) organisation have to the EU? This goes beyond normal trade ties.


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Tag: Eazy E
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Pay Tribute To Eazy-E, Tupac & Biggie On "Skee Live" [VIDEO]
by hiphopucit | Sep 26, 2013 | Hip Hop | 0 |
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony honored hip-hop's late legends Eazy-E, Tupac, and the Notorious B.I.G. during their performance on AXS TV's "SKEE Live" on Tuesday. Four members of the Cleveland group, Flesh-N-Bone, Bizzy Bone, Krayzie...
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Brings Out The Hologram Eazy-E [VIDEO]
by hiphopucit | Sep 9, 2013 | Top Stories | 0 |
Hip-hop newcomers, veterans, and even the deceased, aligned for this year's Rock the Bells...
A Hologram Of Ol' Dirty Bastard and Eazy-E Scheduled To Perform at "Rock The Bells" 10 Year Anniversary
by hiphopucit | May 15, 2013 | Hip Hop | 0 |
Rock the Bells is celebrating hip-hop's past and present for its 10th anniversary. The festival has announced this year's lineup, which includes today's biggest stars, some old school icons, and even a couple late legends. The...
According To Jerry Heller, Eazy-E Planned To Kill Suge Knight [AUDIO]
Jerry Heller claims that Eazy-E wanted to kill Suge Knight. "I should have let him kill...
FLICKZ: Eazy-E's Daughter Pays Tribute To Father By Recreating His Album Covers
by hiphopucit | Mar 27, 2012 | Photos | 0 |
To commemorate the 17th anniversary of his death, Eazy-E's daughter Erin "E.B." Wright pays homage to her father in a new photo shoot. The 20-year-old, who is following in her father's musical footsteps, poses beside his grave...
FBI Releases New Documents That Show Tupac & Eazy E Were Attempted To Be Extorted By Jewish Gang
by hiphopucit | Apr 14, 2011 | Top Stories | 0 |
New documents released by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) confirm longtime allegations that the Jewish Defense League (JDL) attempted to extort rappers Eazy-E and Tupac Shakur. The FBI released the documents in...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Officials who are involved in production control and process validation often rely on sampling methods to ascertain the suitability of a process before moving to production (process validation) or for checking production lots for acceptance.
In this session, expert speaker Steven Wachs will provide you details concerning the sampling plans generation which meets the desired statistical properties. Though sampling plans for attribute data are the primary focus of this session, variable acceptance sampling plans will be discussed as well. Steven will also discuss binomial distribution and its use in developing Operating Characteristic (OC) Curves, and describe in detail the key inputs to determining sampling plans (AQL, RQL, Consumer's and Producer's Risks).
Steve will further delve into the key characteristics of the generated sampling plans (such as average outgoing quality) and briefly introduce double sampling plans. You'll receive several example applications of acceptance sampling. Additionally, you will get to understand the use of Statistical Process Control and Process Capability methods as an alternative to variable acceptance sampling plans.
After attending this session, you will be able to understand the key inputs and problems involved in determining acceptance sampling plans. Although, generally software is used to create sampling plans, you will gain insight into the methodology and its use in typical applications.
Get to know the Acceptance Sampling problems and objectives.
Understand the necessary inputs and how to specify them for generating a sampling plan.
How to quantify the risks of making mistakes that are inherent in any acceptance sampling plan.
Guidelines for establishing quality levels (for Process Validation vs. Production).
Key characteristics of a generated sampling plan.
Comparison of alternate sampling plans.
Understand alternatives to Acceptance Sampling for controlling quality.


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Q: Change Multiple Data Entries in Different Excel Sheets I need to change the data in multiple cell sheets at the same time. The problem is, they aren't the same cell and they need to be automatically updated. For instance, I need to edit a value in sheet 1 A1 that will be automatically updated in sheet 2 B1. Is there some way to easily change this?

A: In Sheet2 B1, type in the formula =Sheet1!A1

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Universität Graz Grazer Schumpeter Centre
GSC Discussion Papers
Sozial- & Wirtschaftswissenschaften
Mellacher, P.; Lechner, G. (2023): Predicting Voter Ideology Using Machine Learning, GSC Discussion Paper No. 29. (Download)
Mellacher, P. (2022): The Impact of Corona Populism: Empirical Evidence from Austria and Theory, GSC Discussion Paper No. 24/2 (Download)
Mellacher, P. (2021): Opinion Dynamics with Conflicting Interests. GSC Discussion Paper No. 28. (Download)
Mellacher, P. (2021): Growth, Concentration and Inequality in a Unified Schumpeter Mark I + II model. GSC Discussion Paper No. 27. (Download)
Mellacher, P. (2021): Endogenous viral mutations, evolutionary selection, and containment policy design, GSC Discussion Paper No. 26. (Download)
Mellacher, P. (2021): What if Merkel had acted like Johnson against COVID-19? Insights from an Agent-based Model, GSC Discussion Paper No. 25. (Download)
Mellacher, P. (2020): COVID-Town: An Integrated Economic-Epidemiological Agent-Based Model, GSC Discussion Paper No. 23. (Download)
Sturn, R. (2020): Patents, public agency, and prices: the Case of Covid-19 Vaccines, GSC Discussion Paper No. 22. (Download)
Rath, J. (2020): Substituting Trust by Technology: A Comparative Study, GSC Discussion Paper No. 21. (Download)
Haas, D. (2019): Technical Change, Consumption and Time Use: The Employment Effect of Innovations when Consumption takes Time, GSC Discussion Paper No. 20. (Download)
Sturn, R. (2019): Zur Politischen Ökonomie der Digitalisierung, GSC Discussion Paper No. 19a (Download)
Sturn, R. (2019): Public credit, capital, and state agency: Fiscal responsibility in German-language Finanzwissenschaft, GSC Discussion Paper No. 19. (Download)
Mellacher, P.; Scheuer, T. (2018): Wage Inequality, Labor Market Polarization and Skill-Biased Technological Change: An Evolutionary (Agent-Based) Approach, GSC Discussion Paper No. 18. (Download)
Scheuer, T. (2016): The Worry about Wealth: Minimum Wage Rate and Unemployment Benefits to the Rescue?, GSC Discussion Paper No. 17. (Download)
Haas, D. (2016): Diffusion of a new intermediate product in a simple 'classical-Schumpeterian' model, GSC Discussion Paper No. 16. (Download)
Scheuer, T. (2015): Schumpeterian Adaption and Labour Shortage: Reconsidering Investment, GSC Discussion Paper No. 15. (Download)
Kurz, H.D. (2015): Schumpeter und Keynes, Gemeinsam gegen den Strom, getrennt zu neuen Ufern, GSC Discussion Paper No. 14. (Download)
Palan, N. (2015): Konzentrations- und Ungleichheitsindizes – ein Überblick am Beispiel der Textilindustrie. GSC Discussion Paper No. 13. (Download)
Schütz, M. (2015): From Low-Tech to High-Skill? Innovation System-related-Dynamics in Italy's and Portugal's C&T-Industry. GSC Discussion Paper No. 12. (Download)
Haas, D. (2015): Schumpeterian Adaptation and Labour Shortage. GSC Discussion Paper No. 11. (Download)
Hein, E. (2015): Secular Stagnation or Stagnation Policy? Steindl After Summers. GSC Discussion Paper No. 10. (Download)
Palan, N.; Schütz, M. (2015): Restructuring the International Textile Production and Trade Network. The Role of Italy and Portugal. GSC Discussion Paper No. 09/2. (Download)
Palan, N.; Schütz, M. (2014): The Textile Trade Network – the role of Italy and Portugal. GSC Discussion Paper No. 09/1. (Download)
Schütz, M. (2014): Regional innovation systems: A network analysis of three Australian territories. GSC Discussion Paper No. 08. (Download)
Strohmaier, R. (2014): The Evolution of Economic Structure under Pervasive Technical Change: A Methodological and Empirical Study. GSC Discussion Paper No. 07. (Download)
Haas, D.; Rainer, A. (2014): Diffusion in a simple classical model: Micro decisions and macro outcomes. GSC Discussion Paper No. 06. (Download)
Kurz, H.D. (2014): Adam Smith on Markets, Competition and Violations of Natural Liberty. GSC Discussion Paper No. 05. (Download)
Rainer, A.; Strohmaier, R. (2013): Modeling the Diffusion of General Purpose Technologies in an Evolutionary Multi-Sector Framework. GSC Discussion Paper No. 04/2. (Download)
Strohmaier, R.; Rainer, A. (2013): On the Economic Purpose of General Purpose Technologies: A Combined Classical and Evolutionary Framework. GSC Discussion Paper No. 04. (Download)
Rainer, A. (2013): A combined Classical - Evolutionary model to explain inter- and inner-sectoral spillover effects of technical change. GSC Discussion Paper No 02/2. (Download)
Rainer, A.; Schütz, M. (2012): The legacy of Veblen and Schumpeter in interpreting mathematical aspects of economic diffusion processes. GSC Discussion Paper No 03. (Download)
Rainer, A. (2012): Technical change in a combined Classical - Evolutionary multi-sector economy: Causes, Effects and implications for economic and social policy. GSC Discussion Paper No 02. (Download)
Kurz, H.D. (2012): Schumpeter's New Combinations. Revisiting his Theorie der wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung on the Occasion of its Centenary. GSC Discussion Paper No 01. (Download)
Universitätsstraße 15/FE 8010 Graz


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← April Recommendations
Top 5 Reasons Why I Probably Won't Go See X-Men Origins: Wolverine →
I'm going to see The Weakerthans in concert this weekend for the third time. It will be the first concert I've been to in awhile, and probably will be the last I'll go to for awhile, so to get the full experience, I decided to pick my top five songs from their four album catalogue. The group's greatest strength is easily John K. Samson's poet laureate-level lyrics, which strike a perfect balance between playful cleverness and emotional connection. But another thing I really appreciate about The Weakerthans' music is how overwhelmingly Canadian it is.
A problem we Canadians often have is defining what is unique about our culture, and what is mere adaptation of either our neighbours to the South or our old colonial masters. One of the reasons this is a problem is that those that should be our cultural arbiters and touchstones — our artists, musicians, and writers — often relinquish their role in culture-building for the understandably pragmatic reasons of wanting to reach a larger audience than our population can support. So Douglas Coupland sets his early novels in American cities, and Neil Young becomes an icon of American Southern rock. But not The Weakerthans, who litter their songs with references to Canadian subjects like curling, loonies, the GST, hockey, and of course, their hometown of Winnipeg. They're like sort of like a less famous version of The Tragically Hip in that way, only they don't suck (yeah, I said it).
And with that, on to the list…
Honourable Mention: "One Great City!" from Reconstruction Site (2003)
https://andythesaint.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/11-one-great-city.mp3
This is the first Weakerthans song that I really noticed, as it's hard not to take notice of a song that proclaims "the Guess Who sucks, the Jets were lousy anyway" before announcing "I hate Winnipeg". It's one of the great "fuck this town" songs, it would have been easy for this song to be gimmicky, but Samson overcomes this by fusing the tongue-in-cheek moments in the song with genuine pathos. It helps that after the ironic title (based on the city's motto), the song isn't really cheeky, or even angry, so much as it's a weary lament about the band's love/hate relationship with their hometown, a lament I've heard from pretty much everyone I've ever met from Winnipeg. One problem, which isn't the fault of the band or the song, but when they play it live, people tend to join in with the chorus a little too enthusiastically, as though they're in on the joke. Which always makes me wonder if the band takes a little offense, in the no-one-picks-on-my-little-brother-but-me way, as not everyone in a Calgary audience could be from Winnipeg.
5. "Tournament of Hearts" from Reunion Tour (2007)
https://andythesaint.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/04-the_weakerthans-tournament_of_hearts.mp3
The quintessential Weakerthans song, "Tournament of Hearts" is a prime example of everything I mentioned in the preamble about what I like about the band. How could you not enjoy a song that playfully uses curling references to describe its protagonists inability to communicate with his significant other? And how could it get more Canadian than doing a song about curling, borrowing its name from the women's tournament that used to always annoy me when it preempted Monday Night RAW on TSN? As much fun as this uptempo number is (and it is a lot of fun), it manages genuine poignancy describing a guy avoiding confrontation while feeling the condescending glares from the photograph of the senior bonspiel winners, circa 1963. Which makes the song more than simply the best song ever written about ice bowling.
4. "Left and Leaving" from Left and Leaving (2000)
https://andythesaint.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/07-left-leaving.mp3
Early examples of the band's work exhibited a little less of the playfulness that makes the band so fun these days, but established the melancholy that pervades most of their work (even their seemingly quirky recent songs). Of those, few are as emotionally naked and melancholy as this track, examining the tried and true topic of loneliness and yearning from a more straight-up approach than other songs on this list. It just slays me; every time. The sparse production meshes with Samson's wistful voice to create a song that perfectly captures "the best parts of lonely", a sentiment not expressed often enough. It's true that loneliness is largely a negative thing, yet there's something wonderfully indulgent about the experience that often gets missed, which might partially explain the appeal of sad songs like this one. So if you've ever missed someone who's gone away, or especially if you are missing them now, let this song be your guide while you "count yellow highway lines that [your loved one is] relying on to lead [them] home".
3. "Reconstruction Site" from Reconstruction Site (2003)
https://andythesaint.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/03-reconstruction-site.mp3
The title track off of the band's third (and best) album, "Reconstruction Site" continues with the album's theme of emotional recovery. It's not an album of sad songs, but rather the reconstruction that comes after those songs. In this song, the protagonist looks to put his misery behind him through the power of nostalgia. I love stories that can make me feel nostalgic for a past I never had, as it's a powerful emotion and a difficult trick to pull off. Samson shows off his storytelling chops by reminiscing about a small-town parade and the sleepy memories of a child at a wedding reception in 1973, bolstered by these memories to disassemble his despair, as "it never took me anywhere". The time for dwelling in the negative is over, as there's a whole past of great memories to live in for awhile.
2. "Plea from a Cat Named Virtute" from Reconstruction Site (2003)
https://andythesaint.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/05-plea-from-a-cat-named-virtue.mp3
Continuing with the theme of reconstruction is this song, told from the perspective of a cat (yes, a song told from the perspective of a cat, and it is as awesome as you'd imagine such a song to be) whose owner has been wallowing in self pity for far too long. Virtute does what she can to snap her owner out of his funk throughout the song, offering to throw a party with tabby from two doors down, and even the owner's sister (provided, of course, that she doesn't bring the basset hound). She's quite the understanding cat, but her patience does have it's limits, as she threatens to "bite you hard and taste your tinny blood" if he doesn't cheer up soon. The band revisits the Virtute character with "Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure" a song that might even be better than this one, but is is just too painful for me to list as a favourite. I listened to it before work the other day, and it put me in funk all morning, thinking about how she could no longer "remember the sound that you found for me". I actually might need a moment to compose myself right now.
1. "Civil Twilight" from Reunion Tour (2007)
https://andythesaint.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/01-the_weakerthans-civil_twilight.mp3
Probably their biggest hit, "Civil Twilight" topped CBC Radio 3's R3-30 charts for five weeks. Of course, "hit" is a relative term when you're talking about topping an indie rock chart on an obscure Canadian radio program. Already in this list, we've had love and loss examined from the perspective of a cat, a despondant curler, and the memories of a young boy. This time out, Samson examines the attempts of a Winnipeg city bus driver to ignore his heartbreak and regret by escaping into the monotony of his route. It's this ability to explore the same theme that roughly three-quarters of all pop songs explore in a unique way that makes The Weakerthans music so special. That they can do it with a song that seems more like a rocking toe-tapper than a melancholy lament only adds to their appeal, giving each song layers that are as fun to peel back as they are rewarding.
List: Top 5 Death Cab for Cutie songs
List: Top 5 Songs by The Smiths
List: Top 10 Songs by The Beatles
List: Top 20 Albums of 2007
Posted in Lists
Tagged Canadian content, indie rock, The Weakerthans
One thought on "Top 5 Songs by The Weakerthans"
Jonathan Hooper
Leanne and I, along with Trevor and a friend of his are all going to be at this show as well. Keep an eye out for us!


Hdle obv: emb. view of Georgia State Seal + "Georgia" in fancy letters on stem.
Hdle rev: scallops & curves along edges.
BL: bright cut engraved view of Black Man, kneeling on one knee & playing banjo + "Happy Days. Thomasville, GA."
MK: Towle Mfg. Co. 925/1000. Black Americana spoons by Towle are rare.
Hdle obv: emb. frontal view of Black Mascot Boy (with hat turned to the side) + steer/pulling 2-wheeled cart + cotton bolls, flowers & leaves.
BL: emb. view of "State Capitol. Nashville, Tenn."
Hdle obv: emb. frontal portrait of young Back Boy, smiling, showing teeth and wearing torn hat. + "Sunny South" + palm leaf decoration on lower stem.
BL: teaspoon bowl with emb. city name: "St. Augustine, Fla."
Hdle obv: Shepard Pattern handle.
BL: bright cut engraved view of Black Man seated on cotton bales, playing a banjo + "Happy Days in Dixie. Memphis, Tenn."
Hdle obv: emb. frontal view of Black Boy, smiling, eating a watermelon & wearing a hat + cotton bolls below & corn cobs and leaves.
BL: emb. & engraved scene + banner with "Old Kentucky Home. Louisville, KY."
Hdle obv: emb. view of Georgia State Seal + eagle with rising sun + "Georgia" on the stem.
BL: enameled bowl with watermelon showing seeds & rind. Beautiful colors.
0888-0007. Sterling Black Americana Souvenir Spoon. Enameled Black Americana.
Hdle obv: Banjo player [FF], holding 5 string banjo, wearing hat and appears to be dancing; cotton bolls on lower stem. [Note: damaged enamel on lower pant ledge]. Hdle rev: = reverse full figure view.
BL: emb. view of "Hot Springs Reservation. Hot Spring, Ark."
Hdle obv: emb. view of SS of Florida + scene with cart (with seated figure) pulled by donkey (man wearing hat riding on donkey) + "A Florida Cracker Goes to Market."
Hdle rev: emb. view of "Old Slave Market. St. Augustine" + "Old City Gate."
BL: emb. view of swampy area with birds, alligator, palm trees & houses in distance.
MK: US Sterling Co. A1.
Hdle obv: emb. frontal view of Black Boy, smiling & wearing hat with brim + stem decorated with cotton bolls, flowers & leave.
BL: bright-cut engraved city name: "Chattanooga."
Hdle obv: emb. view of SS of Virginia + emb. views of crab, clam, tobacco &* peanut + "Virginia" on lower stem.
Hdle rev: emb. patriotic symbols: eagle, US shield, draped classical woman.
BL: bright cut engraved frontal portrait of "The Mascot. Norfolk."
Hdle obv: emb. view of enameled crown at finial + circular seal of the "Cotton States and International Exposition. Sept. 18th to Dec. 31st. Resurgens 1895. Atlanta, GA" + "Atlanta" on stem w/white enamel background.
BL: emb. & enameled view of cotton boll.
MK: Made by Alvin but not so marked.
Retailer: Maier & Berkele. + Pat. Appld For.
Hdle obv: emb. view of head of Black Boy with alligator tail around head & alligator head on stem.
Hdle rev: back view of Boy's head (showing hat) + palm fronds.
BL: emb. view of "Old City Gate. St. Augustine."
Hdle obv: FF Black Boy eating a watermelon , broad smile, wearing floppy hat.
Hdle rev: FF view of back of Black boy (wonderful details).
BL: emb. view of "St. Louis Cathedral. New Orleans, LA."
Hdle obv: emb. laurel type wreath will applied profile portrait bust (facing left) of Black Man with elaborate hair-do + bamboo style stem.
BL: bright cut engraved view of pig + "Iron" for "Pig Iron" produced in Sloss Furnaces at "Birmingham" (word above the pig.
0888-0016. Extremely Rare Mint Enameled Black Americana. Entire Spoon = Gold Washed.
That this spoon has a MINT oxidize image of the Black Boy [both face & hands] makes this spoon extremely rare since collectors (in the past) did "not understand the oxidization factor" and usually polished the "dark" aspect away.
Hdle obv: emb. and oxidized view of Black Boy eating watermelon [enameled] + enameled cotton bale + floral lower stem.
BL: bright-cut engraved view of "The Jefferson. Richmond, VA."
0888-0017. Sterling Black Americana Souvenir Spoon.
BL: emb. view of "Brooklyn Bridge."
Hdle obv: emb. view of crown at finial + circular seal of the "Cotton States and International Exposition. Sept. 18th to Dec. 31st. Resurgens 1895. Atlanta, GA" + "Atlanta" on stem.
BL: embossed view of cotton boll.
Hdle obv: emb. frontal portrait view of Black Boy (hatless), smiling, close-cropped hair.
Hdle obv. FF (full figure) Black Boy, wearing broad brimmed hat, short legged pants & eating a slice of watermelon. Shirt of Black Boy = blue enamel.
Hdle obv. embossed frontal view of Black Boy, wearing broad brimmed hat + corn stalks, corn cobs and flowers on stem + "Sunny South" on lower stem.
Hdle obv. embossed frontal view of Black Boy with short cut hair, peering eyes, partially opened mouth showing his teeth + enameled white collar + green oak leaves + decorative lower stem.
BL: enameled view watermelon (with vibrant colors: green, white red interior of watermelon showing seeds).
Hdle obv. embossed view of SS (State Seal) of Louisiana + cotton bales +sugar cane + "Louisiana" on lower stem.
Hdle rev. – decorative designs.
BL: bright cut engraved view of Black Man seated on cotton bales, playing a banjo + "Happy Days in Dixie. New Orleans."
Hdle rev. monogrammed: "MB" + Copyright 95.


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Dina Powell's Global Foundation Helped Polish Goldman Sachs' Shattered Image
CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP/Getty
NEW YORK — In the midst of a public relations nightmare, former White House Deputy National Security Adviser Dina Habib Powell took charge of Goldman Sachs's global charitable foundation, helping to resurrect the big bank's shattered image after it was implicated in practices that contributed to the financial crisis of 2007-2008.
President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday that he is eying Powell as a contender to replace Nikki Haley as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Haley announced her resignation on Tuesday, saying she will officially leave her post at the end of the year. Trump said that he would name Haley's successor within two to three weeks.
With a reported salary of $2 million per year, Powell served as president of the Goldman Sachs Foundation, where she ran high profile projects in a Goldman effort described by the New York Times as "buying redemption" that sought to "polish" the firm's "reputation with ordinary Americans and politicians in Washington."
This at a time when Goldman was reviled by ordinary Americans for dealings that eventually led the firm to sign a $5.06 billion settlement with the Justice Department for the bank's shady conduct in the residential mortgage-backed securities market between 2005 and 2007.
After departing this White House last year, reportedly on good terms with the administration, Powell returned to Goldman Sachs, where she serves on the financial giant's management committee.
After the financial crisis, the firm was routinely derided in the news media. Rolling Stone labeled Goldman Sachs "a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money."
The settlement included a "a statement of facts" – essentially admissions of guilt – to which Goldman agreed. The Justice Department said the admissions showed that Goldman "made false and misleading representations to prospective investors about the characteristics of the loans it securitized."
Until about 2008, Goldman had been known for many things, but charitable giving was not one of them. Its foundation was first established in 1999 with a total endowment of $200 million. The New York Times described a debate that called for $350 million to be put in the charity's coffers, but Henry M. Paulson Jr., Goldman's chairman and chief executive at the time, chided that $200 million was "enough to make a difference."
That attitude shifted after the financial crisis began in 2007, when the foundation kickstarted major public initiatives led by Powell, an Egyptian-American, and massively increased its contributions. Still, even as Americans suffered, a significant portion of the foundation's efforts focused on global causes outside the U.S.
With Powell at the helm, the Foundation launched two major charitable initiatives, one called 10,000 Women and another named 10,000 Small Businesses. 10,000 Women aims to provide at least that number of women around the world with a business and management education to further economic opportunities and global financial growth.
10,000 Small Businesses, according to Powell's Goldman bio, "provides small business owners in the U.S. and UK with business education and access to capital."
10,000 Women was considered central to Goldman's efforts to polish its tarnished image. "Engaging wasn't just the right thing, it was necessary, especially in the wake of the financial crisis when people said we weren't doing enough," John F.W. Rogers, Goldman Sachs' chief of staff, told the New York Times of the company's charitable efforts.
Besides 10,000 Women, the 10,000 Small Businesses project also may have been launched in response to negative publicity about Goldman Sachs, the New York Times related in an article titled, "Goldman Sachs, Buying Redemption."
The newspaper reported:
In late 2009, the company faced mounting criticism about the billions of dollars it was paying out in bonuses in the wake of the financial crisis. The firm needed some good public relations. And fast. Goldman committed $500 million over five years to another program, 10,000 Small Businesses, which helps businesses in the United States and Britain. …
Both 10,000 Women and 10,000 Small Businesses are featured prominently on Goldman's Web site. Goldman has poured money into producing slick videos of graduates of the programs. …
Goldman is a firm that prides itself on discretion, but it isn't giving away its billions quietly. … "It's run as if it's a Broadway show," said one Goldman employee who asked not to be named because of a firm's policy against speaking to the news media.
The Times documented Powell's $2 million compensation stoked some "bitterness" among Goldman employees:
This has created bitterness among some employees — bitterness stoked by the favored status seemingly granted to Dina Powell, who runs the foundation. At a firm where pay is almost always tied to what money you bring in, Ms. Powell, who is in charge of giving money away, has made roughly $2 million annually in some recent years, according to people familiar with her compensation but not authorized to speak on the record.
Powell's financial disclosure form from her time in the White House last year revealed salary, benefits, cash bonuses and equity from Goldman Sachs totaling $6,128,950.
In 2011, Powell and her now ex-husband Richard dished out $3.85 million for a four-bedroom, 2,234-square-foot condo in the luxury Metropolitan building on East 90th Street in Manhattan designed by famed architect Philip Johnson. Richard Powell is president of Teneo Strategy, an arm of Doug Band's Teneo Holdings. Band, co-founder and president of Teneo Holdings, co-created the Clinton Global Initiative with Bill Clinton. Powell's 10,000 Women project partnered with CGI on numerous occasions, as Breitbart News thoroughly documented.
Powell joined Goldman Sachs as a managing director in 2007 and was named partner in 2010 in addition to her role as president of the Goldman Sachs Foundation. She headed the firm's Impact Investing business, where she was responsible for Goldman Sachs' "investments in housing and community development projects, deploying more than $5 billion in loans and equity investments to revitalize underserved communities in the U.S."
Globalist Giving
In 2008, 10,000 Women started a $30 million, five-year program to educate women in the African nations of Liberia, Nigeria and Zambia. The Clinton Global Initiative was a "commitment to action" partner in that effort, as well as another $2.5 million, four-year program launched in 2009 to "provide women entrepreneurs in Peru with quality business education and enhanced access to capital."
In the spring of 2011, Hillary Clinton announced in an auditorium at the State Department's headquarters that the State Department was partnering with the 10,000 Women initiative to help bring the program to more countries, with focus on Indonesia and Haiti.
At a luncheon in April 2012, Powell described how women from Pakistan were educated in the U.S. as part of the 10,000 Women partnership with Clinton's State Department.
Stated Powell: "We had our first graduation—this is a sticky situation—of this group from Pakistan on a Monday and it just so happened Melanne and I were going to speak at the Embassy of Pakistan and it happened to be the Monday after Osama bin Laden had been killed. So it was really interesting because here were these women who were just extraordinary, in the United States at the invitation of Secretary Clinton."
While women were out of work in the U.S., 10,000 Women and other groups used the Clinton Global Initiative's annual event in September 2013 to announce the launch of a $1.5 billion commitment to act for "global contract opportunities for women-owned businesses based outside of the U.S."
The Daily Beast spotlighted the 10,000 Women program in Afghanistan, which is run in conjunction with the Thunderbird School of Global Management. The Beast reported of the efforts: "Doing business in Afghanistan as a woman is complicated not only by security and logistics but also by traditional gender roles. Many women find they have to take on a male business partner as the meet-and-greet required by marketing products carry stigma for a woman—and possible danger."
Powell's 10,000 Women partnered with the Obama State Department again in 2015, when Secretary of State John Kerry joined Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO Lloyd C. Blankfein to announce a new partnership between the State Department, 10,000 Women and the Harvard Kennedy School to train women in the Middle East and Northern Africa.
Goldman Sachs described the partnership in a press release:
The inaugural Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women-US State Department Entrepreneurship Program brings 29 entrepreneurs from the business, media, technology, social entrepreneurship and non-profit sectors to the US for a two-week program focused on entrepreneurship, leadership training, mentoring and networking to help them grow their business and create jobs. The program participants are from 15 countries, including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, the Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.
Powell's 10,000 Small Businesses, meanwhile, focused in large part on the U.S. market, pledging $500 million to help small businesses in the U.S. recover from the recession. The Times saw the effort as an "apology from Goldman."
The newspaper summarized the Small Businesses initiative:
Under the plan, Goldman will provide $200 million to pay for small-business owners to get business and management education at local community colleges and other places — the first program will be at La Guardia Community College in Queens, New York.
The plan will also provide mentoring and networking services. Goldman said it had a long line of its own staff willing to take part.
And in a third prong of the program, Goldman is giving $300 million in loans and grants to small businesses. Some of the $500 million will come from $400 million in its foundation.
In 2013, Goldman expanded the 10,000 Small Businesses program to include businesses in all 50 states as opposed to just 15 markets.
When Goldman Sachs agreed to the $5.06 billion settlement, Acting Associate Attorney General Stuart F. Delery exclaimed, "This resolution holds Goldman Sachs accountable for its serious misconduct in falsely assuring investors that securities it sold were backed by sound mortgages, when it knew that they were full of mortgages that were likely to fail."
He added, "This $5 billion settlement includes a $1.8 billion commitment to help repair the damage to homeowners and communities that Goldman acknowledges resulted from its conduct, and it makes clear that no institution may inflict this type of harm on investors and the American public without serious consequences."
The settlement included a "statement of facts" to which Goldman agreed. The Justice Department said the statement shows that Goldman "made false and misleading representations to prospective investors about the characteristics of the loans it securitized."
One of many such statements included the admission by the firm that "Goldman received information indicating that, for certain loan pools, significant percentages of the loans reviewed did not conform to the representations made to investors about the pools of loans to be securitized."
Another admission of wrongdoing centered on Goldman's Mortgage Capital Committee, which was required to approve every residential mortgage-backed security (RMBS) issued by Goldman.
Goldman acknowledged that "the Mortgage Capital Committee typically received … summaries of Goldman's due diligence results for certain of the loan pools backing the securitization," but "despite the high numbers of loans that Goldman had dropped from the loan pools, the Mortgage Capital Committee approved every RMBS that was presented to it between December 2005 and 2007."
In 2011, an official U.S. government report documenting the causes of the financial crisis fingered Goldman Sachs for controversial practices that fueled the subprime mortgage bubble. The report was crafted by the Congressional Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, which spent some 18 months investigating the factors that led to the crisis.
The government-sponsored report highlighted the major damage caused to the American public: "There are 26 million Americans who are out of work. … Nearly $11tn in household wealth has vanished. … The collateral damage of this crisis has been real people and real communities. The impacts of this crisis are likely to be felt for a generation."
While the report cast significant blame on the Federal Reserve for failing to reign in big banks engaged in high-risk mortgage lending as an institutional practice, Goldman Sachs was blamed for, as one Washington Post article paraphrased it, "providing billions of dollars in loans to subprime mortgage lenders and then bundling tens of billions of dollars in risky loans into investments."
Continued the Post:
At the same time, the report said, Goldman was involved in fancy financial engineering – the creation of investment products that let people speculate on whether mortgage investments would rise or fall in value. Goldman itself often bet against the investments it created and sold to others.
"These new instruments would yield substantial profits for investors that held a short position," the report says of Goldman's practices. "They also would multiply losses when housing prices collapse."
In other words, as the Guardian newspaper summarized it, Goldman Sachs "multiplied the effects of the collapse of sub-prime loans by funding and creating billions of dollars of bets based on the back of the loans."
The report criticized Goldman and other major investment banks for other highly risky investments.
One of the report's conclusions states:
For example, as of 2007, the five major investment banks–Bear Stearns, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and Morgan Stanley–were operating with extraordinarily thin capital. By one measure, their leverage ratios were as high as 40 to 1, meaning for every $40 in assets, there was only $1 in capital to cover losses. Less than a 3% drop in asset values could wipe out a firm. To make matters worse, much of their borrowing was short-term, in the overnight market–meaning the borrowing had to be renewed each and every day.
Even after the devastating report's release, Goldman has continued to come under periodic criticism, including from the inside. In March 2012, Greg Smith resigned his position as Goldman Sachs executive director and head of the firm's United States equity derivatives business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa by writing a scathing oped in the New York Times about the firm's alleged practices.
"To put the problem in the simplest terms," Smith wrote, "the interests of the client continue to be sidelined in the way the firm operates and thinks about making money. Goldman Sachs is one of the world's largest and most important investment banks and it is too integral to global finance to continue to act this way. The firm has veered so far from the place I joined right out of college that I can no longer in good conscience say that I identify with what it stands for."
Smith opined that the "decline in the firm's moral fiber represents the single most serious threat to its long-run survival."
He continued: "I attend derivatives sales meetings where not one single minute is spent asking questions about how we can help clients. It's purely about how we can make the most possible money off of them. If you were an alien from Mars and sat in on one of these meetings, you would believe that a client's success or progress was not part of the thought process at all."
Smith said he was made "ill" when pondering how "callously" Goldman Sachs employees allegedly "talk about ripping their clients off. Over the last 12 months I have seen five different managing directors refer to their own clients as 'muppets,' sometimes over internal e-mail."
Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, meanwhile, Powell served in the Bush administration as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). Democrats heaped praise on Powell at her confirmation hearings for the position. "You will have strong allies on both sides of the aisle," stated Democratic Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, who notably was a regular critic of the Bush administration.
Before her State job, Powell, at the young age of 31, headed the Bush White House's Office of Presidential Personnel, where she led efforts to staff the Bush administration's more than 4,000 presidential appointments.
Powell is a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and until her appointment to the Trump administration served on the board of the globalist Center for Global Development.
Aaron Klein is Breitbart's Jerusalem bureau chief and senior investigative reporter. He is a New York Times bestselling author and hosts the popular weekend talk radio program, "Aaron Klein Investigative Radio." Follow him on Twitter @AaronKleinShow. Follow him on Facebook.
Joshua Klein contributed research to this article.
Israel / Middle EastNational SecurityPoliticsClinton Global InitiativeDefenseDina PowellDonald TrumpGoldman SachsLehman BrothersNikki HaleyState DepartmentWhite House


text:
NZDF scales back exercise due to Covid-19 pandemic
29 May 2020	(Last Updated May 29th, 2020 15:31)
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has scaled back a large exercise, which it runs on a regular basis, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Southern Katipo 20 (SK20) exercise was planned to be conducted by the NZDF in the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty in September and October this year involving all three services.
It has been designed as a combined joint and interagency training exercise, for which about 1,400 personnel will deploy.
However, because of the coronavirus, the NZDF will now run a series of smaller exercises in the latter part of this year instead of one large exercise. These exercises will run through to March next year to maintain readiness.
The NZDF will conduct these exercises near its camps and bases.
Commander Joint Forces New Zealand Rear Admiral Jim Gilmour said during the planning stages, the NZDF had been working with several organisations in the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel regions.
Gilmour acknowledged that as the exercise could not be conducted, some organisations would be disappointed.
The NZDF is yet to make a decision on rescheduling the full exercise to a later date.
Gilmour further added: "Unfortunately disruptions to individual and collective training due to restrictions put in place in response to the global Covid-19 pandemic mean the exercise cannot go ahead in its current form. I want to thank everyone we have been working with for their efforts to date."
Earlier this month, the NZDF signed a contractor to carry out additional clearance of five firing ranges used by its Provincial Reconstruction Team in the Bamyan province in Afghanistan.
Trenton Systems
Military-Grade Rugged Servers for Airforce Applications
B GSE Group
Ground Support Equipment for Military Air Forces


Our go to date night that is always a fun experience is very simple… dinner and a movie (more like Netflix marathon) at home! We love finding recipes that can be challenging but deliciously worth it to make from scratch! An amazing website that we have tried many recipes from is http://www.skinnytaste.com (a must try if you have not tried already!).
Here is a dish we made for dinner tonight!
Another date idea is to go to your favorite bookstore with coffee in hand and pick out some books together! Chace and I love to go to our local Barnes and Noble, grab a cup of coffee/tea at Starbucks and explore the different books in the store! We always separate and rome the isles and grab books that we like to share with each other and pick out to take home to read.
Going on a hike together is a great way to clear the mind and take time to get away from the daily stresses of life. There is nothing more therapeutic for us than a hike through the woods. It gives us a great excuse to escape, connect, and enjoy nature! Also, did I mention it's FREE?!
Another great date is to go on a bike ride together! We love going on bike rides together on the beautiful scenic paths of Cape Cod. Add a bottle of wine and some treats from the local bakery and BAM it is perfection!
Raise your hand if you love wine! I do! And what better way to enjoy a variety of great wine than at a vineyard?! My absolute FAVORITE dates are at vineyards. They are so affordable and such a great experience!
These are just a few dates that we love and I wanted to share with you. All in all, please don't forget to take time to yourselves and enjoy each other's company in the midst of all of the exciting craziness of the holidays!
Yay! I'm glad I could give you some ideas!


text:
Hasidic Jew Sucker Punched By Laughing Assailants In Williamsburg
John Del Signore
Modified Dec 2, 2013
Lola Galla via Flickr
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man is the latest victim in a series of unprovoked assaults in Brooklyn, and the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force is involved in the investigation. Eli Leidner, 26, was sucker-punched last night around 10:40 in Williamsburg, as he walked on Bedford Avenue between Taylor and Clymer Street. He says two people ran up behind him, punched him in the face, laughed and ran away. He was not robbed. Here's an interview with Leidner after the assault:
"I believe it's a knockout," Leidner said, referring to the alleged series of attacks in which pedestrians are sucker-punched as part of a street game to crown a "knockout king." The NYPD press office would not elaborate on this incident, which comes two days after a 76-year-old woman was punched her in the back of the head in East New York. Hours before the victim, Yvonne Small, was attacked, members of the Rev. Al Sharpton group National Action Network rallied in East New York against the 'knockout' game.
NYPD officials and other law enforcement sources have been reluctant to say that the knockout game is in fact a phenomenon. "If there ever was an urban myth, this was it," one Jersey City police spokesman told the Times.
In an interview with Jewish News Report last week, NY State Assemblyman Dov Hikind countered, "Tell that to the victims. Those calling it a myth should do what I did and actually visit Galina, the 78-year-old grandmother in Midwood [Brooklyn] who was never afraid to walk the streets before. Then one sunny Saturday afternoon, while walking past the park in broad daylight, she was accosted by a young person who used his fist to smash her in the side of her head."
[UPDATE] Councilmember David G. Greenfield, who represents parts of Brooklyn, issued this statement: "I am disgusted to hear about two more sickening knockout attacks on innocent New Yorkers this weekend. These latest assaults have reaffirmed that this clearly is part of a disturbing trend targeting elderly and Jewish residents. We cannot tolerate a climate in which law-abiding citizens are afraid to walk down the street out of fear that they will be the next victim of these cowardly thugs. That's why I am calling on the NYPD to provide all the resources necessary to stop this growing trend and on the district attorney to prosecute these criminals to the fullest extent of the law."
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.