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Facebook Aids Authoritarians Like the Philippines' Duterte
As Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte amps up his attacks on the free press, we speak with renowned Filipino journalist Maria Ressa about Duterte's deadly "war on drugs," his affinity for Donald Trump, and his weaponization of social media. Ressa is the CEO and executive editor of the leading independent Filipino news site The Rappler, which Duterte has repeatedly tried to shut down. Last week, the Filipino government indicted her for tax evasion in what is widely seen as the government's latest attack on the website. We speak with Maria Ressa in New York City. She has received the 2018 Knight International Journalism Award and the Committee to Protect Journalists 2018 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award.
AMY GOODMAN: Music by the late Alice Coltrane. An ashram she built in the Santa Monica Mountains of California burned down last week in the Woolsey Fire. This is Democracy Now!, Democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman, as we turn now to look at attacks on the press here at home and abroad.
The White House is threatening to once again revoke the press press for CNN's Jim Acosta just days after CNN won a temporary restraining order. White House officials have told Acosta he will be suspended again once the two-week restraining order expires. Acosta was initially stripped of his press pass after questioning Trump during a live televised press conference. On Sunday, Trump defended his attacks on the media during an interview on Fox news with Chris Wallace.
CHRIS WALLACE: In 2017, last year, you tweeted this, and I want to quote it accurately: "The fake news media is not my enemy. It is the enemy of the American people."
PRES. DONALD TRUMP: It's true. A hundred percent.
CHRIS WALLACE: No president has liked his press coverage. John Kennedy in your Oval Office, canceled the subscription to the New York Herald Tribune. Nobody called it the enemy of the American people.
PRES. DONALD TRUMP: Chris, I'm calling it — the fake news is the enemy — it's fake. It's phony. They'll take something —
CHRIS WALLACE: But a lot of times, there's just news you don't like.
PRES. DONALD TRUMP: No it's not. No, no. I don't mind getting bad news if I'm wrong.
CHRIS WALLACE: But sir, leaders in authoritarian countries like Russia, China, Venezuela, now repress the media using your words.
PRES. DONALD TRUMP: I can't talk for other people. I can only talk for me. I will tell you, the news —
CHRIS WALLACE: But you're seen around the world as —
PRES. DONALD TRUMP: Chris. Chris.
CHRIS WALLACE: — a beacon for repression, not for —
PRES. DONALD TRUMP: Chris. I'm not talking about you — but you sometimes maybe — but I'm not talking about you. The news about me is largely phony. It's false.
AMY GOODMAN: While President Trump continues to attack the media, we turn now to look at another world leader doing the same, cracking down on the press. In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte is attempting to shut down the leading independent Filipino news site the Rappler, which has published groundbreaking work on Duterte's deadly War on Drugs which has killed more than 12,000 people. Duterte has repeatedly described the site as a fake news outlet.
PRES. RODRIGO DUTERTE: You are a fake news outlet, and I am not surprised that your articles are also fake.
AMY GOODMAN: Philippines President Duterte describing Rappler as a fake news outlet, saying its articles are also fake. Last week the Filipino government indicted Maria Ressa, the founder of Rappler, for tax evasion in what is widely seen as the government's latest attempt to shut down the website. In January, the Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission also revoked Rappler's license to operate on charges that the website is foreign-owned, even though the website is owned by Filipinos. The government then banned the news website from the presidential palace, claiming Duterte had lost trust in the publication and characterized its coverage as fake news. Duterte has also called reporters who ask him tough questions "spies" and warned that "just because you're a journalist, you are not exempted from assassination."
While the Filipino government has attempted to silence Maria Ressa, her journalism has been praised around the world. Last week, she received the 2018 Knight International Journalism Award.
MARIA RESSA: Our problems are fast becoming your problems. Boundaries around the world have collapsed, and we can begin to see a kind of global playbook. When President Trump banned Jim Acosta last night, he followed President Duterte's actions against our reporter Pia Ranada and me. I haven't reported, but I am banned from the palace [laugh] early this year. Of course, when Trump called CNN and The New York Times fake news, a week later — you saw the video — Duterte called Rappler fake news. Power corrupts, it coerces and co-opts.
AMY GOODMAN: On Tuesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists will honor Maria Ressa with its 2018 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award here in New York. Maria Ressa joins us for the rest of the hour here in our New York studio. Prior to launching Rappler in 2011, Maria Ressa worked at CNN and ABS–CBN. Welcome to Democracy Now!
MARIA RESSA: Thanks for having me, Amy.
AMY GOODMAN: I met you when we were both covering East Timor. You worked for CNN for close to two decades.
MARIA RESSA: Yes.
AMY GOODMAN: Congratulations on your work. How are you operating right now in the Philippines? You have also expanded to Indonesia with these relentless attacks by the president of the Philippines, a close ally of President Trump.
MARIA RESSA: I always say, we hold the line, right? These are all political attacks against us. They haven't shut us down. We continue operating. But we are fighting many cases, six or seven different investigations and legal cases. And these cases do — it's like a war of attrition, right? So our legal fees have gone up. Money that I would have wanted to use to expand Rappler, particularly in this age of looking for new business models, looking for new technology solutions — well, all of that is going to legal fees. So Maybe that's the only place where our government has succeeded, but we continue to do investigative work, and we continue to expose impunity that is happening at all levels.
AMY GOODMAN: So, you just learned that the Philippines government plans to indict you?
MARIA RESSA: Yes. It was actually within 12 hours of getting the Knight International Journalism Award, the Department of Justice gave a press release — just a press release, no other documents — saying that they would indict me, Rappler and our accountant. And what that means is I could, just by being a journalist, face up to 10 years in prison. It is also ludicrous. I mean, I've run out of adjectives for the word "ludicrous" — ridiculous — because the basis of this charge is a reclassification of Rappler from a news group to a dealer in securities. So they're saying —
AMY GOODMAN: A dealer in securities?
MARIA RESSA: They're saying we owe them taxes because we are a dealer in securities, so we evaded taxes, because we're now a stock brokerage firm. We're not, obviously, right?
So again, if the government pushes through with this, our lawyer, Francis Lim, who is the former president of the Philippine Stock exchange, has already said there is no legal basis. He has also stated that it would have impact on the markets because we're not the only company that issued this financial instrument. It's called a Philippine Depositary Receipt. The two largest television stations have it. The two telecommunications firms have it. So we'll see. I guess we operate with having a Damocles sword hanging over our heads. And I think that's the intent of the government, to make us careful, to make us pull back, to intimidate us to silence.
And I think President Trump and President Duterte have many qualities in common. The bullying aspect of it, the attacking when they don't like when a mirror is being held up to their faces. Our response is not to take it personally [laugh] and to continue doing the reports.
AMY GOODMAN: And his attack on journalists as spies, saying, "Just because you are a journalist, you are not exempted from assassination"?
MARIA RESSA: Yeah. I like to think it's hyperbole, but in October 2015 before President Duterte decided to run for office, he admitted he killed people in an interview I did with him. John Oliver actually used that clip. Because it's rare you will have somebody on camera admit they have killed three people. This is part of his — I'm going to use the word "charm" in both positive and negative ways — the fact that he says things, like Trump, that you don't expect to come from a leader, a politician. And that gave permission to others to act in the same way. So we've seen an increase, for example, in sexist statements, in misogynistic statements–
AMY GOODMAN: Like…?
MARIA RESSA: I mean, on social media. The impunity with government goes hand-in-hand with impunity on social media, on Facebook. I have been very vocal about this, because in the Philippines, Facebook is our Internet. Ninety-seven percent of Filipinos on the Internet are on Facebook. So free basics, you know, everyone can get it on their cell phone, but when you click through to read the news article, you have to pay. So people don't click through. So this whole propaganda machine, which we exposed as early as August 2016, is very effective. The impunity and the attacks against women, the misogynistic attacks against women are a prelude to attacks against any perceived critics of the administration.
AMY GOODMAN: Facebook. I want to go to that issue of how Duterte learned to work Facebook and what happened in the lead-up to the election. Talk to us about the Duterte Diehard Supporters, known as DDS, which happens to be the same initials as Duterte's infamous Davao Death Squad, which has been thought to have killed hundreds of people.
MARIA RESSA: That is a perfect example of how you can use social media to turn the world upside down. The Davao Death Squad — instead of denying it like a normal politician would, instead of saying, "Oh, no, I didn't do that," they owned it — Davao Death Squad — and then pivoted it. So now instead of a negative of the Davao Death Squad killings, it becomes Duterte Diehard Supporters. It's pivoted. That's exactly what has happened with the attacks on traditional media on Facebook, beginning in January this year. You have — there was a survey — Pew Global Attitudes survey said that for people in the real world, they actually trust — 86 percent trust traditional media, but for the survey on social media — and this is the Edelman trust survey — for those on social media, 83 percent distrust traditional media. How are they able to do that? It's precisely because of the information warfare on Facebook that has happened.
AMY GOODMAN: Right before Duterte was elected, he admitted he was linked, as you said, to the death squad in Davao in the Philippines. Speaking on a local TV show in a mix of English and [inaudible].
PRES. RODRIGO DUTERTE: [translated] To me, they are saying I am part of a death squad.
HOST: How do you react to that?
PRES. RODRIGO DUTERTE: [translated] True. That's true. When I become President — I warn you, I don't covet the position — but if I become president, the 1,000 will become 50,000. I will kill all of you who make the lives of Filipinos miserable. I will really kill you. I won because of the breakdown in law and order.
AMY GOODMAN: "Kill all of you." He was the mayor of Davao for many, many years.
MARIA RESSA: On and off since 1998. Yeah. This is the rhetoric of the president.
AMY GOODMAN: So now explain DDSs, Diehard Supporters, and what happened in the lead-up to the election and how he worked with Facebook.
MARIA RESSA: So Facebook — let me start with — Facebook and Rappler are partners. We know the best and the worst of what can happen. In 2012, we used social media for social good.
We helped Filipinos get on Facebook. So it is partly our fault, I suppose, along with Facebook. But in 2016 when the anger was used in the campaign — so there was a campaign machinery that helped Duterte win, and then after he won in July 2016, when the Drug War began, that was when it was weaponized, and weaponized using —
AMY GOODMAN: And before the election, Facebook employees came to the Philippines to work with the candidates on how they can use Facebook.
MARIA RESSA: Absolutely. And this is I think something Facebook did not understand, did not realize the connection between what they were doing in the virtual world and the real world, but they offered their services to any political campaign. And just like in the U.S., Trump took it up; Duterte took it up. Another thing that we have in common — Cambridge Analytica. The most compromised accounts are here in the United States. The country with the second most compromised accounts are the Philippines. I always used to say that the Philippines is the cautionary tale for the United States. We are the canary in the coal mine. As early as —
AMY GOODMAN: Explain what you mean by the compromised accounts.
MARIA RESSA: Cambridge Analytica had access to these accounts. They were able to get the private data of these accounts and manipulate them. That's by — if you look at what they were able to do.
AMY GOODMAN: Steve Bannon was involved with another group —
MARIA RESSA: Yes, of course. I think for me, the most interesting part of this is that I always think, what you're looking at now in the United States — old hat to us in the Philippines. The president of Cambridge Analytica came to the Philippines and had a photo with the social media campaign manager of Duterte in 2015. This is global, I think, what we're seeing — the disinformation that is using hate to incite violence, that is using the algorithms that are actually dividing us, that is tearing down our democracies.
As early as — so we had all of this data that we had pulled down because we were Facebook partners, and in August 2016, I gave that to Facebook, and I said, "This is really alarming. You have to do something about this. We're going to do a story." Didn't get any response back. At the end of that meeting, as a joke, I said, "You know, you have elections in the United States. Trump could win!" And we all laughed. Two of the three people I was talking with in Singapore are no longer with Facebook, but in November, after Trump won, they asked me for the data again.
I think it's very different now. Obviously, they're on a hotspot and they're taking some action. Still, too little, too late. But hopefully now that they know it, we're pushing very hard for them to do more.
AMY GOODMAN: So once Duterte takes the presidency in 2016, you say he weaponized Facebook. How?
MARIA RESSA: Yeah, absolutely. This is taking the campaign machinery and then using hate. That is, they pounded on the fracture line for society. For us, it is the gap between the rich and the poor, the gap between the capital — Imperial Manila — and the countryside. And they incited hatred.
The first targets of attacks were anyone who questioned the killings in the Drug War. The second targets were journalists. The third were perceived critics of the government. And it happened so quickly that we did not understand that we were being manipulated. When we came out with our series — in October of 2016, we came out with a three-part series — Propaganda war: Weaponizing the internet, we became the target of attack. And that was when I realized — I didn't even realize even while we were doing the story, how horrific it could get. Because after we came out with that three-part series, we were bombarded. And by bombarded, I mean, you know, at the beginning I was still trying to respond to people. Forget it. They weren't responding back. They just meant to pound me into silence. And so at one point, I just started counting how many hate messages I was getting.
AMY GOODMAN: You were making a database.
MARIA RESSA: Ninety hate messages per hour, and it lasted exactly a month, meaning like a payroll a month. And this continues. And that is meant to cripple belief, truth, right?
AMY GOODMAN: One of these messages was "I want Maria Ressa to be raped repeatedly to death."
MARIA RESSA: Yes. That's actually tame compared to some of the other ones. I think this is where they all come together. When people see this, it impacts values. And the target, which is this middle-class that really doesn't know — it's called Astroturfing, right? They don't know what they really think, and so when they think that an overwhelming number believes in President Duterte, believes in President Trump, then they follow, and they jump. It's a bandwagon effect.
I think the problem for us is when you take this exponential lies on social media and then you take the presidential megaphone, the vast powers of government, and you combine them, a lie told a million times is the truth. And then when it is reinforced by the vast powers of government, we have no defense. You can keep doing the stories, but the question there is, will the community believe you?
AMY GOODMAN: And you believe that possibly these were also bots? There were so many attacks in general.
MARIA RESSA: I think in the Philippines, they used bots as alerts. And labor is so cheap that it's all largely fake accounts. I mean, even if you look at the Facebook disclosure last year, there's a little footnote that says the Philippines has a higher than average number of fake accounts.
AMY GOODMAN: One of the messages, one of the more aggressive messages was a fake endorsement by Pope Francis with the words "Even the Pope admires Duterte" beneath the Pope's imagine. The Catholics bishops' conference in the Philippines posted a statement, "May we inform the public that this statement from the Pope is not true. We beg everyone to stop spreading this." But it just became a kind of truth.
MARIA RESSA: Yeah, absolutely. And that's part of the reason that the support — well, President Duterte has high popularity ratings, at one point up to 88 percent, and part of that is because of this groundswell of social media. People can't tell the difference between fact and fiction. That is the other casualty. What is truth? If you have crippled all of the truth-tellers, then who will people believe?
AMY GOODMAN: We're going to break for 30 seconds. When we come back — why you're under attack. We're going to talk about your explosive series on the War on Drugs. Maria Ressa is our guest, under attack by the Philippines' president but here nonetheless to receive major journalism awards in the United States. Stay with us.
∂∂ [MUSIC BREAK]
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I'm Amy Goodman, as we continue our discussion with Maria Ressa, the founder, CEO and executive editor of Rappler, an acclaimed Philippine news website that has been repeatedly attacked by the Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte. Last week the Filipino government indicted Maria Ressa — at least announced their intention to indict her — for tax evasion in what is widely seen as the government's latest attempt to shut down the website. Rappler has helped to expose his deadly War on Drugs. I would like to turn to a clip from Rappler's Impunity Series, which documents the drug war in the Philippines and its impacts. The video is titled Day of the Dead. Cecilia Discargar whose daughter Jennifer [sp] was killed in October 2016.
CECILIA DISCARGAR: [translated] At six this evening, she said, "Mother, mother, can I have 50 pesos? I asked her why and she said she was just going to eat. When I when upstairs to take a bath, one of the neighbors came. She said, "Celia, your daughter is dead." "What?" I told her she should surrender. She said, "I'm not a dealer. I just use because of my friends." She said, "I'm going to stop soon now that Duterte is in power."
AMY GOODMAN: That video again titled Day of the Dead, just a clip of your series. Maria, talk about what you are doing in the Philippines and your coverage of the War on Drugs and how many people have been killed since Duterte took power as president.
MARIA RESSA: So the total number, we will never know for sure, because that is the first casualty in our war for truth. Right now the Philippine police claim that they have shot or killed 5,000 people. Just for reference, in nine years of martial law under Ferdinand Marcos, there were 3,200 people killed. So 5,000 people killed since July of 2016. But if you go by — in January, they carved out a number of people, a larger number of people saying they were not drug deaths; they were deaths under investigation. If you carve that out, you're talking about an additional 20,000 people killed. So is it 12,000? Is it 5000? Is it 12,000, which is what human rights groups say, to 20,000 which is what other human rights groups say? Or 30,000?
The problem is, it doesn't matter what the number is. One should be enough. One. And I think what human rights groups have pointed out is, the people who are being killed are the people who are the poorest, the people who cannot defend themselves. And these are extrajudicial killings. They don't have a day in court. What if they are wrong? What if these are just witch-hunting lists? Which again we've seen.
We've done a whole Impunity Series from the eyes of the victims, their families and most recently, we finished a seven-part series from the killers' perspectives. And the killers we interviewed — this took six months to do — the killers admit that they were paid by the police to kill. Impunity.
AMY GOODMAN: Maria, in the last minutes we have left, it's a group of women reporters who founded Rappler. Is that right?
MARIA RESSA: And Rappler is about 63 percent women. We keep looking for men. [laugh]
AMY GOODMAN: What gives you the strength and the courage to continue? After you receive these awards, headed back to the Philippines?
MARIA RESSA: I think our line is we hold the line. #holdtheline. The thing that is great about Rappler is that the founders are older — I'm in my 50s — and we have experience. We have lived through many different things. Our reporters are in their 20s, and they have this fresh idealistic energy. The sense of mission in Rappler has never been higher. The reason why they're going there day after day is because, now more than ever, the mission of journalism is necessary. And it's this combination, trying to figure out what the future of journalism will look like. I am proud and I love being part of Rappler because it takes what we've learned over the years —
AMY GOODMAN: Where did you get the name?
MARIA RESSA: [laugh] Rappler is — we made it up. "Rap" from the '80s — let's talk — plus ripple, to make waves. We wanted to build communities of action. Because in our country, institutions are endemic — there's endemic corruption and the institutions are weak, so what we wanted to do was stop waiting for government and help build communities bottom-up using technology. That dream is still there. We succeeded at it for up until 2016.
AMY GOODMAN: And how do you protect yourself?
MARIA RESSA: Experience from the past helps, right? But now what we have done is the first new threat is actually the psychological threat — the attacks against our reporters, the people on the front line on social media. You have to deal with that, and it's something that is completely new. So we send our social media team, our reporters on the front lines to counseling. But then the counselors also need to learn how to do that, so we helped bring in the Dart Center to help the trainers, right?
AMY GOODMAN: We're going to have to leave it there, but we're going to continue our discussion and post it online at Democracynow.org. Maria Ressa, founder, CEOand executive editor of Rappler, leading independent news website in the Philippines. I'm Amy Goodman.
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A state bill that would have removed some fundraising restrictions for Prince George's county executives died in the General Assembly session that ended this week — blocked by senators from the county who considered it a step backward in terms of good-government reforms.
The bill would have repealed statutes prohibiting developers with pending projects in Prince George's from donating to county executives running for office or slates including them.
Supporters of the bill said those restrictions hurt then-County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) when he ran for governor last year and will create a similarly uneven playing field for executives who run in the future because other counties do not have the same restrictions.
The measure passed by a wide margin in the House of Delegates, where delegates from Prince George's gave it their backing. But it died in the Senate after county lawmakers in that chamber said the bill would send the wrong message to residents.
The bill never received a vote in Pinsky's committee, effectively killing it. He said he made clear to the county delegation in Annapolis that he was personally opposed to the bill, and he did not receive a letter from other Prince George's senators supporting it.
Baker led the effort nine years ago to bar slates including county executives and council members from receiving developer donations after his predecessor, Jack B. Johnson, was arrested on public corruption charges.
County executives and council members were already prohibited from receiving funds directly from developers. But in Prince George's, fundraising is often done through slates formed by groups of local candidates.
Del. Dereck E. Davis (D-Prince George's) wrote the bill to roll back some of those restrictions for county executives, leaving the prohibitions in place for council members.
He said he always knew perception would be an issue. But that concern, he said, is misplaced.
Johnson was arrested for taking more than $1 million in bribes, not because of any campaign finance violations, Davis points out. And it is county council members, not county executives, who handle land-use decisions.
Pinsky said he listened to that argument and understands that some people think the Prince George's law contributed to lackluster fundraising by Baker, who had less than half as much cash on hand as former NAACP chief Ben Jealous, the eventual nominee, days before the Democratic primary.
Pinsky also understands that some think the prohibitions could have the same effect on first-term County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D), considered a possible gubernatorial contender in 2022.
Alsobrooks's office did not take a position on the bill.
"Personally, I think there is a bigger issue, and it's that our county needs to be seen as working for the people," said Pinsky, a longtime supporter of public financing for campaigns.
In Prince George's, the council last year approved legislation to create a public financing system for local candidates. But the option will not be implemented until 2026.


We develop and commission research on emerging evaluation and learning questions and challenges. We feature cutting-edge work on trends, concepts, methods, and tools. We publish all of it for free.
Our job is to think about where evaluation practice in philanthropy is headed and to help it move in new and more productive directions. This requires that we substantiate our field building work with research that explores our assumptions, examines trends, and uncovers pioneering solutions.
We have our own evolving research and learning agenda on evaluation in philanthropy and use both formal and applied research to work through it.
We also support the research and writing of other evaluation and learning leaders in philanthropy who often do not have the time or resources to share what they are finding or doing. We offer opportunities and a platform for exploring front-edge questions and communicating new ideas.
The evaluation function in foundations regularly shifts as foundations work on improving how data and evaluative thinking inform grantmaking. We regularly conduct quantitative and qualitative benchmarking research with foundations across the U.S. and in Canada on their current thinking and practices. We track trends and examine their implications for the philanthropic sector.
Since our founding, we have commissioned many advocacy evaluators and funders to write about their research and what they have learned in their applied work. We offer a large suite of widely-used resources on advocacy evaluation frameworks, methods, tools, and case studies.
Increasing foundation support for networks as a mechanism for social change has led to questions about how to evaluate networks: What are key success factors in building a network? How can network builders and funders tell how well a network is doing? With our Network Impact collaborators, we conducted research on these questions and produced an accessible framework for evaluating networks and a casebook on what it looks like in practice.


It appears the fallout from Seven's now infamous affair between its CEO, Tim Worner, and then employee, Amber Harrison, has plenty of grubby distance to run if today's new allegations are anything to be believed.
Harrison has used social media to attack the network since an independent enquiry, released last Friday, found Worner had no case to answer in relation to allegations he had multiple affairs with Seven employees and used cocaine.
On Tuesday, Harrison tweeted out personal letters from Worner and taxi receipts that appeared to suggest she'd traveled to the CEO's home late at night.
Harrison's latest attempt to discredit the network – reported on Fairfax Media sites – involves the release of internal emails relating to an incident at the network in February 2014. Australian Federal Police (AFP) raided its Sydney offices after allegations it had paid a substantial sum to the Corby family for an interview with Schapelle Corby who had just been released from a Bali prison following nine years for a drug conviction. The deal – that was never substantiated – would have contravened laws relating to the proceeds of crime.
The release of the latest emails appears to suggest two things – Harrison wants to show the Seven board as duplicitous and she has a stash of material she's prepared to slowly release to discredit them.
Back in 2014, Channel Seven successfully sued the AFP over the raid and were cleared of any wrongdoing relating to its dealings with the Corbys. Interviews with Schapelle appeared on its current affairs program Sunday Night and in the Seven West-owned New Idea magazine.
The copy of the email below shows correspondence between Worner and Sunday Night executive producer Mark Llewellyn showing they "got Mercedes" (Schapelle's sister who often acted as the family spokesperson and negotiated deals); however, it does not infer money was paid to Schapelle herself (which would've been illegal). Interestingly, Mercedes successfully sued Seven in 2008 after she was defamed by Today Tonight.


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Playing the Real Oldies
South Pas Sextet brings 15th Century to Life
By Andy Lippman August 15, 2019
The group Ciaramella making the old — the very old, that is — feel like new again. Left to right: Adam Gilbert and Rotem Gilbert on bagpipes; Malachi Komanoff Bandy on hurdy-gurdy; Aki Nishiguchi on the shawm; Jason Yoshida on the drum; and Adam Bregman on the sackbut, a Renaissance trombone. Photos by Henk Friezer
I've always been a fan of "oldies'' music. The kind of music I have always thought of as "oldies" was the Beach Boys, Elvis and maybe up to the Beatles.
Now, think of a group that plays real blasts from the past. I'm talking the 15th Century.
"We think of Bach as modern music," said Adam Gilbert, director of early music at the Thornton School of Music at USC. He was referring to Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the giants of classical music, who lived from 1685-1750.
Gilbert and his wife Rotem, also a professor at the school, have created a siren's song so sweet that their entire group of musicians, called Ciaramella, have all moved to South Pasadena.
The professional players are also either professors, have doctorates in early music or are pursuing their Ph.D.s in musicology at USC. That's a lot of talent and knowledge in early music located in one zip code.
Two pipers piping: Adam Gilbert and Rotem Gilbert.
The Gilberts talk about educational possibilities their children have had; the city environment; and the doctoral and teaching opportunities offered at USC.
So when the Gilberts scheduled a rehearsal at their home last Saturday, over came the group with their shawms (Renaissance oboes); Sackbut (Renaissance trombone); bagpipes; a drum and a variety of recorders. And don't forget the hurdy-gurdy. It may look like the kind of thing that someone might play with a monkey dancing beside it, but it requires virtuosic skill and a loving touch to make it sing.
Some of the recorders are so big that when the musicians travel, the instruments have to go in rifle containers and be checked at the airport.
The music and the instruments might seem strange at first listen, but all of the players say that they get questions about their music everywhere they go.
The musicians all go to various conferences and do performances for people of all ages. Rotem just got back from performing and teaching in Brazil.
"We work with various kinds of audiences,'' she said. "We are teaching them as well as playing for and with them.''
Audiences respond to the look of the instruments and then to the sounds that come from them. That reaction is often: "I like it.''
Making music the old-fashioned way.
"Even the oldest music is always new again every time it is played or sung,'' Adam Gilbert said.
The instruments are made according to exact specifications that have been found in manuscripts, using the techniques and materials that are as close as possible to original instruments.
Renaissance composers often added voices to simple popular melodies.
"This music is often on the cusp between composition and improvisation,'' Adam
Gilbert said. Like his historical counterparts, Gilbert and his colleagues add improvised voices to the old music, so that music of the past becomes a piece that can be played in the future for several players.
If one melody can become two in music, two Renaissance players can become one in life.
Jason Yoshida and Aki Nishiguchi, who both pursue busy careers teaching and performing Renaissance and Baroque music, laughed that they met in an early-music ensemble with Aki playing oboe and Jason playing the lute.
They remember the piece: "Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C Major.''
And how can they forget the person who officiated at their wedding? It was Adam Gilbert.
At an early-music workshop, Adam Bregman discovered the sackbut and met his wife, who plays the viola de Gamba — a bowed string instrument similar to a cello. Bregman performs and teaches sackbut around the country and in Europe.
The Gilberts fell in love while living and playing early-music concerts in New York City.
Adam and Rotem love not only to teach, but also to preach the gospel of early music. The group also gives concerts throughout the year on the USC campus. Those players, along with Malachi Komanoff Bandy, form the group. Bandy also plays viola de Gamba, shawm, bagpipes and numerous other instruments.
Rotem's enthusiasm not only is reflected in her playing, but also in her persona. She is one of those people who can bring energy into a room just by being there.
I had a wonderful time. I admit to a predisposition to classical music. I wondered how the neighbors might take to more than an hour's worth of bagpipes, drums and recorders.
"Oh, we have a lot of garage bands in our neighborhood,'' Adam Gilbert laughed.
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A former Los Angeles bureau chief for the Associated Press, Lippman writes weekly about some South Pasadena person, business, issue or trend.
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Amtrak hosted YPT Baltimore yet again, but this time at its Ivy City Maintenance Facility with our neighboring YPT DC chapter. We later found out that the day of our visit happened to be the facility's 30th birthday!
We were guided into the maintenance facility where it's safe to say that the group immediately and simultaneously turned into excited children in a candy store. We walked around, into, and nearly underneath trains, trains, and more trains! It was impressive to witness a mix of old and new equipment and rolling stock, and how both old and new are now outfitted with technology that allows for real-time data collection and quality control.
We can't recap the whole tour in a single blog post, but welcome our attendees to share their experience in the comments! Also, look forward to a blog post in the Washington Post by an attendee who reports on transportation!
After a delicious lunch from an Ivy City favorite, MGM Roast Beef, we were off to Union Station for a two-fold tour: (1) A look at the station's past which, like many of us, had an embarrassing 80's phase, and (2) A discussion on future redevelopment plans for the entire station. If sharing Ivy City's 30th birthday wasn't cool enough, we ran into outgoing Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman on his very last day before retirement. He was kind enough to take a photo with the group and thanked us for being engaged in transportation.
I don't know how we're going to top this tour, but we're sure going to try! That said, take a look at the sidebar on our homepage and click the link to join our chapter's board! You'll have the chance to be a part of organizing great events like this for your fellow young professionals in transportation.


SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwire - March 7, 2011) - Atheros Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHR), a global leader in innovative technologies for wireless and wired communications, announced that a special meeting of stockholders, convened today for the purpose of obtaining the approval of Atheros stockholders of Atheros' agreement to be acquired by QUALCOMM Incorporated for $45.00 per share in cash, was adjourned without a vote on the merger proposal. The special meeting has been adjourned until Friday, March 18, 2011 at 1:00 p.m., Pacific Time, at 1700 Technology Drive, San Jose, California 95110 in response to an order of the Delaware Court of Chancery requiring Atheros to make available additional information to its stockholders prior to the stockholder vote.
Atheros previously mailed to its stockholders of record as of February 9, 2011, the record date for the special meeting, the definitive proxy statement dated February 10, 2011 (the "Proxy Statement"). On March 7, 2011, Atheros filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission additional soliciting materials (the "Additional Soliciting Materials") that supplement the Proxy Statement by providing additional disclosure as required by the Delaware Court of Chancery. Atheros stockholders are urged to carefully read the Additional Soliciting Materials.
Any stockholder who has previously delivered a proxy may revoke and revote it at any time before the polls close at the special meeting on March 18, 2011. Stockholders who do not wish to revoke their votes, including stockholders who have already voted in favor of or against the merger proposal or the adjournment proposal and do not wish to change that vote, do not need to take any further action. All shares of Atheros common stock represented by properly executed proxies that are received in time for the special meeting, as adjourned, and that are not revoked, will be voted at the special meeting in the manner specified by the holder.
At the time of the adjournment, a preliminary count indicated that the holders of approximately 73% of Atheros' outstanding shares were represented at the special meeting in person or by proxy, and approximately 73% of Atheros' outstanding shares intended to vote in favor of the merger. The results of voting at the special meeting, once reconvened on March 18, 2011, could differ from this preliminary count.
Atheros stockholders of record as of February 9, 2011, the record date for the special meeting, who have not yet voted and still wish to do so may vote in the manner set forth in the Proxy Statement. Stockholders who have questions about the merger or how to submit proxies, or who need additional copies of the Proxy Statement or the proxy card or who have questions about the Additional Soliciting Materials may contact Atheros' proxy solicitor, Georgeson Inc., toll-free at 866-296-5716 or 212-440-9800.
While Atheros believes that the Additional Soliciting Materials satisfy the requirements for additional disclosure as ordered by the Delaware Court of Chancery, Atheros must make application to the Delaware Court of Chancery for the lifting of the order enjoining the stockholder vote on the proposed merger. Atheros plans to make such application promptly so that the special meeting, as adjourned, can be held on March 18, 2011. If the Delaware Court of Chancery does not, prior to the special meeting scheduled for March 18, 2011, lift the order enjoining the stockholder vote on the proposed merger, we will be required to adjourn the special meeting until a later date.
Atheros' board of directors, which previously recommended that Atheros stockholders adopt the merger agreement, reaffirms that recommendation and encourages stockholders to vote "FOR" the adoption of the merger agreement at the special meeting, as adjourned.
Atheros Communications delivers innovative technologies for wireless and wired communications. Its mission is to invent technologies that connect and empower people in ways that are elegant and accessible to all. Building upon its broad expertise in RF and mixed signal semiconductor design, Atheros' portfolio includes a wide variety of connectivity solutions that are used by many of the world's leading networking equipment, computing and consumer device manufacturers. Headquartered in San Jose, California, Atheros has a significant and growing presence in Asia and Europe to serve its global customer base. For more information, visit www.atheros.com.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements," as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, that are based on Atheros' current expectations, assumptions, beliefs, estimates and projections about our company and our industry. The forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "plan," "project," "should" and similar expressions. Factors that may affect those forward-looking statements include, among other things: uncertainties as to the timing of the acquisition; the possibility that competing offers will be made; the possibility that various closing conditions for the acquisition may not be satisfied or waived; the outcome of any legal proceedings challenging the proposed merger; the timing of the lifting of the preliminary injunction relating to the proposed merger; general economic and business conditions; and other factors. We caution you that reliance on any forward-looking statement involves risks and uncertainties, and that although we believe that the assumptions on which our forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, any of those assumptions could prove to be inaccurate, and as a result, the forward-looking statements based on those assumptions could be incorrect. In light of these and other uncertainties, you should not conclude that we will necessarily achieve any plans and objectives or projected financial results referred to in any of the forward-looking statements. Atheros assumes no obligation to update the information in this press release in light of new information or future events, except as required by law.
In connection with the proposed transaction with QUALCOMM Incorporated, Atheros has filed a definitive proxy statement and other relevant materials with the SEC. On or about February 14, 2011 and March 7, 2011, Atheros began mailing the definitive proxy statement and the Additional Soliciting Materials, respectively, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 9, 2011. Before making any voting decision with respect to the proposed transaction, stockholders of Atheros are urged to read the definitive proxy statement and other relevant materials filed with the SEC because they contain important information about the proposed transaction. The definitive proxy statement and any other documents filed by Atheros with the SEC may be obtained free of charge at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or from Atheros at www.atheros.com or by contacting Atheros Investor Relations at: david.allen@atheros.com or 408-830-5762.
Atheros and its executive officers and directors may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Atheros' stockholders in favor of the proposed transaction. A list of the names of Atheros' executive officers and directors and a description of their respective interests in Atheros are set forth in the definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction, and in any documents subsequently filed by its executive officers and directors under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Certain executive officers and directors of Atheros have interests in the proposed transaction that may differ from the interests of stockholders generally, including benefits conferred under retention, severance and change in control arrangements and continuation of director and officer insurance and indemnification. These interests and any additional benefits they may receive in connection with the proposed transaction are described in the proxy statement filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction, which may be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above.
About this company Atheros Communications, Inc.


pe002 - North Georgia Smooth ride "I installed Bridgestone T30's on front and back of bike. I've only put 400 miles on the new tires (and none of those miles were in the rain), but so far I'm very pleased with their performance. The ride is smooth, and grip in the mountain switchbacks is great. The previous front tire was a T30 also, and it went 7500 miles before replacement. That said, at 7500 miles the tire was worn out of shape; I'd put the usable life at closer to 6500 - 7000 miles."
Kz1428 hillclimber - Northern Indiana Hooks up "Put on my sons 65 Really hooks up"
Installing the appropriate tires on your ATV goes a long way towards the functionality of your machine. If you're racing you want the right set-up for the track conditions you'll face which can change from one week to the next. Dune riding requires a completely different style of tire and depending on the season and where you live what you ride on the trails might vary from one month to the next.
It's common for ATV riders to own several sets of tires especially if using their quad for multiple functions. It's not all just track and trails as ATVs work well around the farm but whatever its primary use, equipping your quad with the right tires ensures you'll get the most out of your 4-wheeler and enjoy everything it has to offer.
If you're looking for a new set of tires or have questions on the right tires for your ATV look no further than MotoSport. We carry the most trusted brands that offer a variety of terrain styles to fit your needs. So, whether you need an all-purpose tire, something for hard-pack or perhaps an off-road application we've got you covered.
Check out our entire selection of quad tires or if you need help deciding give us a call at 866-667-6288 or use the Live Chat. We'll connect you with a fellow rider who can help you make the right choice of tire for your ATV.


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Support Stonewall National Monument through The National Park Foundation
Home > Charities > Support Stonewall National Monument through The National Park Foundation
Established by Congress in 1967 as the official charitable partner of the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation enriches America's national parks and programs through private support, safeguarding our heritage and ensuring a more inclusive story is reflected within the National Park System at sites like Stonewall National Monument. Thanks to the community of national park supporters, the National Park Foundation will continue to protect our national treasures, connect all people to these special places, and inspire the next generation of national park enthusiasts.
The funds raised through the unique celebrity experiences and items found here will go toward helping to provide for dedicated National Park Service rangers, a temporary ranger station and visitor center, research and materials, exhibits, LGBTQ community outreach, public education, and scholar engagement at Stonewall National Monument.
Learn more at: https://www.nationalparks.org/


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Iowa's A.J. Epenesa declares for the NFL Draft
HAWKEYE FOOTBALL
STEVE BATTERSON Quad-City Times
After turning one dream into a reality, A.J. Epenesa believes it is time to chase another one.
The two-time all-Big Ten defensive end from Iowa added his name to the list of underclassmen who have entered their names into the pool of available talent for the 2020 NFL draft.
Projected as a first-round selection in this year's draft class, the 6-foot-6, 280-pound junior announced Tuesday on Instagram that he had chosen to forego his final year of eligibility, the eighth Hawkeye to reach that conclusion over the past three seasons.
"My time at Iowa has been everything I have dreamt it would be, and I couldn't be more grateful and proud to have been given the opportunity to be a part of the Swarm and play in Kinnick Stadium in front of 70,000 Hawk fans. I will never forget the many great memories that have come from Iowa,'' Epenesa wrote.
He thanked the entire coaching staff, the training and support staff for their assistance over the past three years, singling out coach Kirk Ferentz "for giving me a chance and believing in me from the very start.''
Epenesa went on to thank his parents, writing that they have always had his best interest in mind while offering support and guidance which made him "who I am to today and I am forever grateful to them.''
He also showed appreciation for his teammates, calling them his "best friends and brothers for life'' during his journey.
"Over the last three years, I have had the amazing opportunity to play for the University of Iowa, I got to live my childhood dream and represent the black and gold,'' Epenesa wrote. "After long discussion with my parents and loved ones I have decided to follow another childhood dream and enter into the 2020 NFL draft.''
Epenesa is the second Hawkeye junior to make that decision this month. Strong safety Geno Stone made a similar announcement last week.
Offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs has not yet announce his plans but he joined Epenesa and Stone in seeking advice from the NFL Draft Advisory Board. He has until Friday to file paperwork if he chooses to leave early and is required to announce that decision by next Monday.
Epenesa based his decision on feedback from the NFL following two dominant seasons on the field for the Hawkeyes.
He started just one year for Iowa, working into the lineup as an every-down end as a junior and finishing with 11.5 sacks, the most by any Hawkeye since Adrian Clayborn matched that total in 2009.
Following a slow start to the season, Epenesa dominated from his position in the final games of the Hawkeyes' 10-3 season.
He earned Big Ten defensive player of the week honors after collecting a career-high 14 tackles and five tackles for a loss in Iowa's win at Nebraska and Epenesa was named the defensive MVP in the Hawkeyes' 49-24 Holiday Bowl rout of USC, recording 2.5 sacks and three quarterback hurries.
In addition to his team-leading sack total, Epenesa finished the season with 49 tackles, leading Iowa with 14.5 tackles for a loss, nine quarterback hurries and four forced fumbles.
That work was an encore to the Big Ten-best 10.5 sacks Epenesa recorded while seeing action at end primarily as a pass-rush specialist as a sophomore.
Epenesa completes his college career with 26.5 sacks and 36.5 tackles for a loss among 101 career tackles.
His double-digit sack totals in consecutive seasons is a first for a Hawkeye player since Matt Roth accomplished that feat during the 2002 and 2003 seasons.
Epenesa's departure leaves Iowa for a second straight year with three open starting spots on the Hawkeyes' four-man defensive front.
End Chauncey Golston returns for senior season in 2020, while tackles Cedrick Lattimore and Brady Reiff exhausted their college eligibility in the Holiday Bowl.
Epenesa
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SPORTS BRIEFS: Bishop Heelan baseball coach Andy Osborne to help out Briar Cliff
SIOUX CITY -- Briar Cliff head baseball coach Corby McGlauflin has named Andy Osborne to the assistant coaching position with the Chargers.
Nebraska offensive coordinator Troy Walters leaves football program
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska will have a revamped coaching staff in 2020.
USD women hand South Dakota State its worst Summit League loss ever
The 35-point victory for USD stands out even more considering in the previous 16 contests since the Coyotes joined the Summit League, the average margin of victory between the two schools was eight points.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Jamie Sale wins 500th game with Morningside
SIOUX CITY — Morningside College women's basketball coach Jamie Sale earned his 500th win with the program Wednesday, as the seventh-ranked Mu…
UNI makes road statement over Bradley
PEORIA, Ill. -- Protect a road lead with first place on the line.
Iowa wrestling gains optimism heading into Saturday's dual against Nebraska
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Entering the heart of its dual schedule, the Iowa wrestling team senses the possibilities.
No. 3 Concordia builds 18-0 start to complete season sweep of Briar Cliff
There was a glimmer of hope for the Briar Cliff women's basketball team on Saturday against Concordia, but the third-ranked Concordia Bulldogs put any hope to rest in the second quarter.
No. 1 Morningside men pull away late against Dordt
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – The Dordt men's basketball team gave top-ranked Morningside all it could handle on Saturday.
Tristan Wirfs declares for NFL Draft, joining A.J. Epenesa
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Tristan Wirfs, who joined A.J. Epenesa in anchoring the lines for the Iowa football team, added their names to the list of u…
Tuesday starts 2020 Iowa football season
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Tuesday is more than the start of spring semester classes at Iowa.
PHOTOS: Briar Cliff hosts Concordia
PHOTOS: Snow blankets Sioux City
Way-too-early 2020 college football top 25 rankings
Photos: See all the highlights of college football's championship game
Tiger vs Tiger: Photos to get you ready for the NCAA National Championship game


The BC Lung Association's 26th Annual Bicycle Trek for Life & Breath is happening on September 11th & 12th, 2010. This is a 2 day 200 km bicycle ride where cyclists will venture out into the Fraser Valley from White Rock to Cultus Lake and back. This is an exciting and memorable weekend where a group of 400 cyclists get together to conquer a personal challenge, while raising vital funds for a healthier, smoke-free British Columbia!


The development cost for ExxonMobil's offshore Liza Phase-1 project has been significantly revised from the projected US$4.4 billion to US$3.7 billion.
The US$700 million reduction was made public by one of the company's two partners in the offshore Stabroek Block operations, Hess.
"The original Exxon estimate for Phase 1 was US$4.4 billion; it is now US$ 3.7 billion. Exxon is doing a terrific job, the drilling campaign is going well, we will keep learning as we progress…and that includes the acquisition of the ship," Senior Vice Presidentand Chief Financial Officer at Hess, John Rielly, told an investor forum in Houston Texas, which was held on December 12th, 2018.
As a result, Lisa Phase-2's estimate now stands at US58 million per well, where out of 30 to be drilled, 15 will be producers, nine will be water injectors and six, gas injectors.
The company's executives compared works in Guyana to that of other operations in the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico and the Permian, saying that operations here find exceptional reservoir quality with low development costs and works out to drilling and time costs cut in half.
"Because of this exceptional well quality, it only takes you eight producers to hold and maintain that 120,000 per day [production], whereas in the Delaware, you need over 1,500 wells to get to that same level….each well in Guyana will produce about 63 million barrels each, so they are really big wells versus 1 million each in the Permian. I'm not going to argue that the Permian is not a good investment, but Guyana offers lower costs," he said.
A study conducted by Calgary-based RS Energy Group, analysing the top 50 offshore developments and shale, stated that Guyana's Liza has the lowest breakeven cost. "RS Energy recently ranked the 50 top offshore developments and play and… ranked the Liza development as the lowest breakeven lowest of global offshore developments …keep in mind what Exxon said—this is come of the best carbonate they have seen," Lynch said.
The Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) between Guyana and ExxonMobil's affiliate, ESSO Explora-tion, and Production Guyana Limited, and partners CNOOC NEXEN Petroleum Guyana Limited and Hess Guyana, states that 75% of the revenue earned from production will be used to recover the companies' investment. This was estimated at US$5 billion by the year 2020, when production is set to begin at the Liza-1 well. The remaining 25% —profit oil — is to be split evenly between Guyana and ExxonMobil.
Exxon has already racked up over US$900 million in recovery costs as of 2017, for which some US$460 million is attributed to pre-contract costs.
But government has come in for criticisms by analysts and transparency advocates over its wholesale acceptance of the costs without an audit.
Former Presidential Advisor on Petroleum Jan Mangal had chided the Ministry of Natural Resources for its failure to review the US$4.4 billion cost cited by the company for the Liza Phase-1 project and has said that the review should have been performed prior to the approval of the production licence in mid-2017. He had said that it was not unreasonable that the capital cost for the Liza Phase-1 project could be reduced by 20% and suggested that by not reviewing the cost, the Ministry effectively gave ExxonMobil US$880 million of Guyana's money for no reason.
While chartered accountant and attorney Christopher Ram has been calling for overall audits of works done, he had zeroed in on the U.S$460 million pre-contract costs, saying the partners and government must justify the figure.
Following calls, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) announced that it will audit not only the pre-contract US$460 million up to the end of 2015 but the 2016 and 2017 cost recovery charges that are believed to be over US$500 million.
Mangal, however, believes that the GRA is not capable of undertaking such a task, as the audit required calls for specialist interpretations not familiar to Guyana because of its frontier oil and gas status.
He had said that government should put all approvals for ExxonMobil's Liza Phase-2 on hold until a complete review of the Liza Phase-1 project cost is done by requisite experts. "I believe a real and substantive review still needs to be performed of the Liza Phase-1 project cost before approval of the production licence for the next project, i.e. before approval of the Liza Phase-2 project," Mangal stated in a letter to this newspaper.
The Department of Energy did not directly address Mangal's proposal but its head, Dr. Mark Bynoe, has said that it would seek out experts to conduct the analysis of Phase-2.
In October of this year, the APNU+AFC government announced it was seeking advisory services and technical support to enhance the country's core capacity to review, approve and authorize oil and gas companies' Field Development Plan(s) (FDP) and, in the process, protect the interests of Guyana in technical discussions with private sector investors. This was the first sign of a shift in approach by the government.
In the ad, the Ministry of Natural Resources invited eligible firms to submit expressions of interest to provide the services. The successful firm will be expected to conduct an in-depth review of the FDP, environmental impact assessment (EIA) and supporting documents (including related FDP) submitted by the contractor(s). The ad said that this in-depth review must include, at a minimum, an assessment of the strategy and the development model, as well as the criteria for the choices that have been made by the contractor (with a particular focus on recovery, cost and safety optimization) and potential alternatives.
The duration of the assignment is expected to be four months, with an option to renew on expiration, commencing December 5th, 2018. Work is to be conducted in the offices of the contractor in Guyana and in Houston. The period of the assignment would signal that FDP's approval for Liza Phase-2 was not possible this year.
In response to questions from analysts at last week's investor forum, Vice President of Hess' Investor Relations Jay Wilson told attendees of the plans by government and that President David Granger was overseeing the process himself.
"As you know, there is a new energy minister [Bynoe]. They want to have a third party and put that third party oversight firm to get all the technical work done. That delayed the sanctioning process some. The President himself is overseeing this process. They want to make sure that they have the right third-party optics to provide the second sanction," he said.
But he was quick to point out that it would not impact the project schedule and the company was still looking to bring oil forward to provide a second Floating Production Storage and Offloading by 2022.
"As in terms of going forward, we think this experience actually will facilitate and expedite future approvals and Exxon is working very closely with the government to make sure that is the case," he said.
Chief Executive Officer, John Hess, reiterated that the moves taken "won't hold up first oil", even as he gave his perspective on government's actions.
"They did have a third party review Phase-1 but they didn't bid it out. So the new energy minister said that in the interest of transparency and fairness, we're actually going to bid it out this time so that is what led to the delay, as they needed to go to tender," Hess said.
"I think that was probably the right decision to do that," he added.


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Q: How to solve the complex equation $ω^2=-11/4+15i$ The question is stated as following:
"First, solve the equation:
$ω^2=-11/4+15i$
and after, with the help of that, solve:
$z^2-(3-2i)z+(4-18i)=0$"
The problem for me lies in solving the system of equations for ω;
$Re:a^2-b^2=-11/4$ and $Im:2ab=15$
Where I eventually end up with the fourth degree equation: $4b^4+11b^2+15^2=0$ which I don't know how to solve, is this solveable or am I on the wrong track? I would very much appreciate some help, thank you for your time.

A: The standard method for square roots of  complex numbers adds a third equation:  the module of $\omega$, squared, is equal to the module of $-\frac{11}4+15i$:
\begin{gather}
a^2-b^2=-\frac{11}4,\qquad ab=\frac{15}2,\\[1ex]
a^2+b^2=\sqrt{\frac{121}{16}+225}=\sqrt{\frac{3721}{16}}=\frac{61}{4}.
\end{gather}
So we obtain a linear system for $a^2$ and $b^2$, whence $a$ and $b$, if you take into account that the second equation implies $a$ and $b$ have the same sign.

A: Note that $$|2\omega|^2=\left|-11+60\text{i}\right|=61\,.$$  We make an Ansatz that $2\omega$ is a Gaussian integer, namely, $2\omega=a+b\text{i}$ for some $a,b\in\mathbb{Z}$.  It is not difficult to find integers $a$ and $b$ such that $$a^2+b^2=61\,.$$
Without loss of generality, you may assume that $a\geq 0$.  (Well, since $61$ is a prime natural number congruent to $1$ modulo $4$, the pair $(a,b)$ is unique up to sign and permutation.)

 If $a\geq0$, then there are four possibilities: $(a,b)=(5,\pm6)$ and $(a,b)=(6,\pm5)$.  It is easy to see that $(a,b)=(5,6)$ works. Therefore, $2\omega= \pm(5+6\text{i})$, or $$\omega=\pm\left(\frac{5}{2}+3\text{i}\right)\,.$$

In general, if you have coprime integers $m$ and $n$ such that $m$ is odd and $m^2+n^2=k^2$ for some integer $k>0$, then from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_triple, we have $$(m,n)=(a^2-b^2,2ab)$$ for some coprime $a,b\in\mathbb{Z}$ with $a\not\equiv b\pmod{2}$.  That is,
$$m+n\text{i}=(a+b\text{i})^2\,.$$
Note that $a^2+b^2=k$.
Here are a few examples: $-3-4\text{i}=(1-2\text{i})^2$, $5+12\text{i}=(3+2\text{i})^2$, $15-8\text{i}=(4-\text{i})^2$, and $-7+24\text{i}=(3+4\text{i})^2$.

A: As you have noted, equating the real parts gives $a^2 - b^2 = -\frac{11}{4}$. Now since the modulus of $\omega^2$ is the squared modulus of $\omega$ (think in polar form), $|\omega|^2 = a^2 + b^2 = \sqrt{(-11/4)^2 + 15^2} = \frac{61}{4}$.
Thus adding and subtracting, $a^2 = \frac{1}{2} \left(\frac{61}{4} + -\frac{11}{4} \right) = \frac{25}{4}$ and $b^2 = \frac{1}{2} \left(\frac{61}{4} - \frac{11}{4}\right) = 9$. But since the argument of $\omega^2$ is either in the second quadrant or the second quadrant + $360º$, the argument of $\omega$ is half that of $\omega^2$, which results in the first quadrant or the third quadrant. Hence $a+bi = \frac{5}{2} + 3i, -\frac{5}{2} - 3i$.

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Angelina Jolie has officially returned to acting after a three-year hiatus, and Maleficent 2 has officially began filming. On Tuesday, Elle Fanning shared photos on Instagram in which Jolie, wearing the elaborate curly horns of her titular character, photobombs her in the background and alerting us all that production on the hotly anticipated sequel is underway.
Both stars are only half in character: Jolie pairs her horns and bold red lipstick with a fluffy white bathrobe and a pair of tiny sunglasses (showing where she stands on the debate over this season's most divisive trend), while Fanning wears her blonde hair in ethereal waves and a crown of flower-dotted braids fit for Princess Aurora, but completes the look with decidedly un-Aurora mirrored shades. "Ultimate Photobomb #Maleficent2," Fanning captioned one selfie, in which only Jolie's horns peek out from behind the 20-year-old's head. "It's bring your mom to work day on the #Maleficent2 set!!!!!" she wrote alongside a shot of the duo giving the camera huge grins, Jolie flashing a peace sign for good measure.
If the pair's selfies are any indication, Maleficent will continue to act as something of a surrogate mother to Aurora in the sequel to the hit 2014 Disney film. Additionally, Deadline announced on Tuesday that Chiwetel Ejiofor and Robert Lindsay will be joining the film's cast; Michelle Pfeiffer was previously confirmed to be playing Queen Ingrith (perhaps setting up a battle between some of Hollywood's most famous cheekbones), while Harris Dickinson will be portraying Prince Phillip. Sam Riley will return as Diaval, Maleficent's faithful spy, while Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, and Lesley Manville will reprise their respective roles as Knotgrass, Thistlewit, and Flittle, the three pixies charged with raising the cursed Aurora.
Earlier this month, Fanning spoke to ELLE about the prospect of reuniting with Jolie and stepping back into Princess Aurora's shoes. "I've never done a sequel before, so it should be fun to revisit a character many years later. That is something I'm very excited for," she said. "Also, being reunited with Angie is pretty cool. She's just a powerhouse on set; the way that she works, she just has this power and respect around her. It's so funny because people always ask, 'Oh, does she give you advice all the time?' and it's not so much like that. I think just watching her…and seeing what a great mother she is. All of her kids are there and she's walking around—like, last time I remember, she was walking around in the whole Maleficent outfit with two kids on each arm. She's a working woman and a mother, and that example is such a great one for me to see. You can do it all."


If you're still looking for another way to use up your squash, be sure to add this Parmesan-Bacon Summer Squash to your menu. It will turn those beautiful squash into a savory side dish you'll want to make again and again- of course you will, it's cooked with bacon and topped with Parmesan – what's not to love?
All you need is one pan and about 15 minutes for a beautiful dish that goes with just about anything you've got on the grill!
In a large skilled, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel lined plate. Leave about 2 tablespoons bacon grease in the skilled. Add garlic, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano until combined. Immediately add the squash, zucchini and onion. Cook, stirring frequently until veggies reach desired tenderness – I like mine soft, but still a little crisp. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.


text:
Tag Archives: Beale Street
FOLLOWING THE BLUES: THE MODERN MOVES ROAD TRIP
Video April 27, 2015 Modern Moves Leave a comment
'That August afternoon the thermometer registered 101 in the shade and the hot wind roaring off the melting tar via through the windows of my flivver had me singing all the way to Memphis. I fancied I could smell the Mississippi, which for me is Southern American in a liquid form, signifying fried catfish, roasting ears dipped in butter, and watermelon in the cool of the evening, washed down with corn liquor and accompanied by the blues.'
Alan Lomax, 'The Land where the Blues Began'
Reading Alan Lomax while crossing the Mississippi River. Photo courtesy of Ananya Kabir
During the first three weeks of April this year, the Modern Moves research team travelled from New Orleans northwards to Chicago by rail and by road. En route, we stopped at Memphis, Carbondale, East St Louis (and St Louis) and Kansas City. We marvelled at intricately embellished mardi gras costumes in New Orleans, spent a week immersed in the archive of Katherine Dunham in Carbondale and managed a day with Alvin Ailey's private papers in Kansas City. We enjoyed live jazz and blues throughout our journey even while absorbing their complex histories in museums in Memphis and Kansas City. We danced to live music in venues shaped by a symbiosis of music and sport — from New Orleans's Rock n' Bowl, where bowling alley, stage, and the dance floor share space, to Chicago's famous Sports Bar Cubby Bear, across the road from the iconic Wrigley Fields stadium. We ate soul food at Oprah Winfrey's favoured 'Sweetie Pie's' in St Louis and compared Memphis ribs to their Kansas City counterparts, went grocery shopping in the back of a Chevrolet truck, and stopped at a McDonalds in the absolute middle of middle America (Iowa). We spent a night (inadvertently) in a Kansas City Casino hotel with the aptly-named nightclub 'Voodoo Lounge', that harked back to the New Orleans 'Voodoo tour' we went on at the beginning of the road trip and looked forward to the exhibition on Haitian Vaudou that we visited on our last day together in Chicago.
The Rock n Bowl, New Orleans. Image courtesy of Ananya Kabir
On our first day in New Orleans, some of us walked through Congo Square, where slaves and free people used to mingle, make music, and move together. Our destination was the Backstreet Museum (about which, more late in the Moving Story). Behind the museum– actually a former funeral parlour– was the St Augustine Church with a monument to slavery in the form of a fallen cross made of chains and shackles.
Congo Square, New Orleans. Photo courtesy of Ananya Kabir
The shackles-cross at the Tomb of the Unknown Slave, St Augustine's Church, Treme. photo courtesy of Ananya Kabir
All around were beautiful houses of the Treme quarter originally built and inhabited by German immigrants to the city. The combination of European, Native American, and African/ African-American elements typified the way we learnt about the creole and Cajun culture of New Orleans and the hinterland of Lousiana—through walking its streets, appreciating its architecture, tasting its cuisine, and absorbing its soundtrack.
Frenchman's Street, New Orleans. Image courtesy of Ananya Kabir
As far as the soundtrack went, we were very fortunate to enjoy an evening of frenetic live music and dancing at a 'zydeco night' at the Rock n Bowl. The two-step couple dancing was unbelievably ungainly and yet energetic and fun, and Ananya could use it to refine her hypothesis of 'gaucho dances of the Americas' (basic clue- see if you can spot a cowboy hat). Apart from this, in New Orleans we enjoyed different kinds of live music—jazz played by brass bands as well as more hybrid sounds and looks. The juxtaposition of Bourbon Street and the French Quarter with Frenchman Street and other venues for dance and music (such as Rock 'n' Bowl and the Hi-Lo Lounge where rare soul and funk was playing on Saturday night) clarified the spectrum of music and dance practices in the city known primarily for jazz, as well as the range of commodification practices within which an 'authentic' culture lives and proliferates. In this context the voodoo tour we did on our last evening in NOLA also vivified the ongoing relationship between historical, emotive, spiritual dimensions of voodoo and its susceptibility to sensationalism and commodification.
The New Orleans Voodoo Tour. Photo courtesy of Ananya Kabir
Our days in New Orleans set the tone for the rest of this marathon research journey. Our intention was, literally, to follow the music and dance on its historical and spiritual trajectory from the melting pot of New Orleans to the great cities of the American mid-west, to feel the rhythms and the cadences of this rich history in situ, to supplement our work in archives and museums with the feel of the road, the changing geography of three vast states under unchanging wide skies, and the majesty of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers that indelibly shape the land and its culture. In the process we learnt an immense amount about the ways in which race relations in the USA have been responsible for the music and dance styles we call 'African American', and how this process can enrich the research agenda of Modern Moves: to explicate the relationship between Afro-diasporic dance styles and the creation of the modern subject. This is a complex history of creolisation, appropriation and exchange that Eric Lott has summarised as 'love and theft', and to which we would add the ingredients of labour and leisure, work and play, sweat and style.
Backstreet Museum, New Orleans. Photo courtesy of Ananya Kabir
In this Moving Story, each team member presents some reflections (and visual memories) of a favourite aspect of the road trip. We hope you enjoy reading about our experiences, which will take more formal shape as research articles in the near future!
ELINA DJEBBARI ON CARNIVAL CULTURE IN NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans was the starting point of the Modern Moves team's journey through the US. While discovering the musical gems of the Crescent City, we also attended the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association National Conference held at Hotel Marriott in New Orleans (April 1-4). There we presented a panel entitled "Afro-Diasporic Social Dance and the Transnational City". Interestingly enough, this panel unveiled our imminent journey from south to north, through the prism of cities that played a very important role in the development of worldwide acclaimed music forms such as blues, jazz and rock'n'roll.
In New Orleans, I was happy to discover the actual décor of HBO series Treme which gave a significant overview of the diversity of the multiple music genres that can be found in the heart of Louisiana. Walking down on Bourbon Street or Frenchman Street, live music is everywhere day and night, filling the air in a delightful urban polyphony. One can go from place to place to listen to a specific live band or just enjoy some street performances.
Brass band in Bourbon Street – Photo courtesy of Elina Djebbari
At Blue Nile on Frenchman Street – Photo courtesy of Elina Djebbari
The atmosphere is full of joy and the colourful plastic beads are scattered across the streets or hanging on the wrought iron balconies, a distinguishing feature of New Orleans architecture.
New Orleans wrought iron balconies and Mardi Gras paraphernalia – Photo courtesy of Elina Djebbari
Thanks to a series of visits organised by the Conference, we were able to get a particular idea of some specifics performance genres peculiar to New Orleans, such as Mardi Gras Carnival and its different components. What struck me the most was certainly the flamboyant costumes of Mardi Gras Indians as well as the Second Line phenomenon.
Second Line workshop at PCA/ACA with Dancing Man 504 – Photo courtesy of Elina Djebbari
The small but packed Backstreet Cultural Museum allowed us to get a glimpse of these fascinating performative forms, both conflating but in a very different way Afro-Diasporic heritage with elements from the New World: brass bands for the Second Line parades and Amerindian identification for Mardi Gras Indians.
Mardi Gras Indians costumes in Backstreet Cultural Museum – Photo courtesy of Elina Djebbari
Full of new ideas about how we can address with even more complexities the issues raised by Afro-diaporic identities through music and dance, we left New Orleans on the threshold of the start of a Second Line Parade, swimming against the tide of the crowd with only one wish: to come back!
A usual Sunday for New Orleans, warming up for the Second Line – Photo courtesy of Elina Djebbari
MADISON MOORE ON BEALE STREET, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
Few streets in America are as festive and lively as Beale Street, the Rock and soul of downtown Memphis. Though today Beale Street is flanked by neon signs, down-home style bbq rib joints and live music venues, historically this bursting thoroughfare was the place where black Memphis did its shopping in a sharply segregated city.
A neon sign advertising a Memphis BBQ ribs joint. Photo Courtesy of Madison Moore.
Many of the places blacks shopped were owned and operated by Jewish and Italian immigrants who were pretty much the only ones willing to do business in the black community at the time.
One of many Blues Cafes on Beale Street. Photo Courtesy of Madison Moore.
Of course, Beale Street was also where good music was played and heard. We wandered around town in search of uplifting live music – a must if you're in Memphis even if only for one night. Finding good music was a lot more challenging than it seems not because there wasn't any but because there were so many options! Nearly every crevice of Beale Street had blues, soul, bluegrass and rock pouring outside.
Music in Memphis, 7 Nights A Week. Photo Courtesy of Madison Moore.
The sounds slathered the air like some of that good old Memphis bbq sauce. I immediately connected to a street band performing to a tiny crowd in a small garden. Two guitars, a saxophone, a vocalist and a drum kit hit us with some serious rock and roll. Man, they were on fire.
It's always interesting to watch how people respond physically to certain styles of music. There was one guy in a bright orange shirt whose signature move was him getting on the ground like he was doing army style push ups, but the thing is he positioned his crotch so it went in and out of the tip jar every time he did a push up.
I left the band a five dollar tip but now I'm wondering how many pelvic tip-jar thrusts I would have had to do to equal five dollars?
LEYNEUF TINES ON THE SOULS(VILLE) OF STAX RECORDS
Soulsville, home of the legendary Memphis label, Stax Records. Founded in 1962 by Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton, it is infamously known for Southern soul music, the combination of rhythm and blues, gospel and funk. Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Sam and Dave, the Staple Singers are some of the icons brought out during the period Stax Records flourished in the 13 or 14 classic years of southern Soul music.
The entrance, Stax museum
The drive into Soulsville itself was a curious mission. I was struck by the cab driver's not so subtle undertones as he ridiculed then neighbourhood we drove through. The Stax legacy is tied strongly to the integrated effort of desegregation through music in a time of racial strife in Memphis and the South. Strangely the combination of our white taxi driver condescendingly joking about a majority black neighbourhood (to a carload of passengers spanning the race spectrum) and the apparent deprivation of a place called Soulsville left a rather muddled impression of Stax even before we arrived.
original church interior, now on view in Stax museum
The museum led me on a walk through different times and rhythms, including the different musical histories of gospel, blues, country and soul, within these the role of the church, the cotton field and the civil rights movement, the rise and demise of Stax with the death of Otis Redding and the assassination of Martin Luther, and the final takeover of the label by Al Bell. As one of only a few museums dedicated to soul music, there was many a heartfelt moment: seeing an authentic 101-year old Mississippi Delta church transplanted to the middle of the museum in order to show the beginnings of gospel roots and soul music (see the photo above); stage costumes and original instruments used in Stax hits (see below); even the dance floor from Soul Train. And the one moment I wanted to last forever, was when I found myself standing in front of 'Eldorado', the 1972 gold-trimmed, peacock-blue restored Cadillac of Isaac Hayes himself.
Costumes of Ike and Tina Turner, on display at Stax museum
Isaac Hayes' gold plated Cadillac, on display at Stax museum
Not only did Stax's name represent challenges to racial politics overall, but an integrated effort with profit into community building in Soulsville and wider Memphis, amongst the black community primarily. Yet, the hostile remarks of the cab driver towards the community, and the drive itself through a desolate and deprived community which houses this rich museum, left Stax seeming more a singular token out of time.
Of course what resounded was the question of whether black music would have evolved as it had, had the record label in such times been in the hands of black proprietors, and once stepping out the doors of the museum, the supposed integrated effort unsoundly resonated…
ANANYA KABIR ON ELVIS IN MEMPHIS
Memphis, Tennessee: a truly historical city for the development of popular music out of African American roots, Memphis is way more than Elvis's Graceland, though we did pay our homage to the King, of course alongside The Rock and Soul Museum, Stax Records and Sun Records (both projects of white lovers of black music in a highly segregated city– see Leyneuf Tines's account of Stax Records above). These museums, together with the legendary Beale Street (as described by Madison Moore above), expanded immeasurably our knowledge of the globalisation of Afro-diasporic rhythm cultures. They also provided us with a wider context for the phenomenon of Elvis Presley and a way to appreciate the deeper significance of the monumental kitsch that is Graceland.
Graceland. Photo courtesy of Ananya Kabir
Elvis, who not only 'sang like a Black man', but, according to Ike Turner (another Memphis resident), was unique in also moving like a Black man' seems a natural product of this crossroads of a city. Today almost desolate apart from the music tourist trail, Memphis and its beautiful art deco buildings and sweeping Mississippi waterfront emits an aura of the ruined sublime steeped in the sounds of an earlier time that still haunts the present through its persistent soundscape.
Memphis waterfront. Image courtesy of Ananya Kabir
In New Orleans I had already watched a hundred times the YouTube clip of 'Crawfish' from the early Elvis film 'King Creole', its vignettes of New Orleans architecture and the haunting call and response between Elvis's smooth yet painful enunciation of the single word 'crawfish' and the melisima of the black woman's call as she hawked her wares was a sonic preparation for what I understood through my Memphis education.
What did it mean for a young white man to act the part of 'King Creole'? What dialogues of pain, yearning, anguish, desire for the other, and dissatisfaction with the self, were actually being articulated through that duet, 'crawfish….'? And why the obsession with crawfish, what kind of a signifier of Louisiana life was this? (you will hear the word in many a Cajun and Zydeco song).
King Creole album cover. Photo courtesy of Ananya Kabir
We drove into Graceland on a Graceland bus, watching a video of the King croon 'Proud Mary' (taking me back to my teenage years in Calcutta, when I had first stumbled onto the Credence Clearwater Revival version). The first thing that struck me about the interiors of the house was: 'Oh my god, how inexpressibly vulgar!!!' The interiors were indeed in terrible taste, gaudy and showy and over the top, the excess spilling out into the other elements of the Graceland tour– the Cadillacs in the Automobile Museum, the rolling acreage with his horses prancing in the far distance, the endless corridors of gold and platinum discs, and the glittering and bejewelled costumes (not too far from the mardi gras costumes we saw in New Orleans and that Elina Djebbari writes about above). But there was a terrible melancholia to it all– a fragility that to me was the story of race relations in the United States of America.
Graceland interior. Photo courtesy of Ananya Kabir
corridor of gold discs. photo courtesy of Ananya Kabir
Elvis jumpsuit .Photo courtesy of Ananya Kabir
I left Graceland with my head full of unanswered questions about race, music and dance in the broader framework of African heritage rhythm cultures and global music. In my field notes I mused, 'The relationship of all this to dance also remains to be clarified but maybe the more kinetic materials of the Dunham archive will help us understand a bit more.' Indeed, that was the case– but the details must wait for another (moving) story.
LIVIA JIMENEZ SEDANO ON A DAY IN EAST ST LOUIS (AND ST LOUIS)
On Saturday we drove through the long and straight Route 64 from Carbondale to Saint Louis, searching for the Katherine Dunham museum (we were spending a week at her archives held at Southern Illinois University Library in Carbondale, so it seemed the right next step to take). The Museum is situated in the heart of East St Louis, and it opened in 1977 with the adjacent Children´s Workshop: it was Katherine's project to create a school of arts where the children and teenagers of this deprived neighbourhood could benefit from high-quality training to improve the life of the community. What impressed me the most is that it is actually much more than a museum: it is a dynamic project to keep Katherine´s message alive through promoting the empowerment of those who most need it and deserve it.
On the road to East St Louis. Image courtesy of Livia Jimenez Sedano
We were warmly received by the teacher of dance, who started telling us the story of this beautiful building and how her wish to become a dancer had been frustrated until Dunham arrived in 1977. Pointing at her arm, she explained that when she was young it was not possible to build a career as a professional dancer with her tone of skin, and then smiled remembering how Katherine came to break the rules. Her house was in the middle of the mythical route 66 that goes from California to New York, something more than appropriate for someone who passed the most part of her life on the road, plane and boat, travelling through the world.
That part of Route 66 that passes in front of the Katherine Dunham Museum
A few minutes later, Mrs. Leverne Backstrom, the curator of the museum, came to take us through Katherine´s dream. It was clear from the way both ladies spoke passionately about their cultural mission and their admiration for Katherine that this was much more than a job for them.
Safeguarding Katherine Dunham's legacy, Photo courtesy of Livia Jimenez
The ground floor housed Miss Dunham's wonderful series of African and Haitian artworks. We saw African masks, paintings, ornaments and musical instruments, among others. As Mrs. Backstrom told us, Katherine´s original idea was letting children play and explore by themselves these instruments and feel the music: the dynamic African museum. In the Haitian room, I couldn't help asking our guide about Katherine´s films on voodoo rituals that I had been searching unfruitfully in the Carbondale archives. She answered that they were all upstairs, and my eyes lit up with great expectation…
Drums on display in the Dunham museum. Photo courtesy Livia Jimenez
One of the many masks on display at the Dunham museum. Photo courtesy Livia Jimenez
On the first floor there were plenty of pictures, books, and other witnesses of Katherine´s professional trajectory. In one room we were shown a big cupboard full of…films!! The excitement didn´t last too long: as Mrs. Backstrom told us, none of these old films had been digitized and there was no founding to do it: a treasure that cannot be opened….for the moment, at least…..!
The treasure trove of films…. Photo courtesy of Livia Jimenez Sedano
The Children´s Workshop also has funding problems: as our guide explained to us, there´s no money to produce events, continue with some programmes that had to stop, paying taxes, and more. A girl of around 8 years old dancing and moving with pride in front of the building made me think that, in spite of all the difficulties, the project is still alive– as long as there are still children with a passion for dance, and a few dancers and other volunteers working hard to make it possible: but no doubt that political will would also be very helpful.
Katherine Dunham at her Museum- keeping the spirit alive. Photo courtesy of Livia Jimenez Sedano
This situation left me with a bitter-sweet sensation after leaving the museum, and with the hope that things will get better and Katherine's dream will come true in the future. As we have learnt in this US trip, the best way to feel happier is through music, dancing…and Mama´s food! That´s why we went to have dinner at Sweety Pie's in St Louis. Opened by one of the chorus singers of Tina Turner, the place is so popular that one needs to wait in a long line for about half an hour to reach the counter. The line is shepherded by a muscular bouncer who waits at the entrance as if it was a disco, and the place is full of families that enjoy gathering around massive amounts of chicken, beef and fish with sides such as sweet potato, black eye peas, corn or rice for a price of between 10-20 dollars. An intensive and complete day!
Sweety Pie's merchandise, St Louis. Photo courtesy of Livia Jimenez Sedano.
SOME CONCLUDING THOUGHTS….
Building on the music of New Orleans and Louisiana, the sorrow of the blues, the ecstasy of gospel, and the rhythms and cadences of everyday life in the Delta as it came together in this crossroads of Memphis– carrying on to the blues of Kansas City that developed during its heydays as a gambling paradise on the road westwards– and ending with the big city lights of Chicago where we danced away the blues to salsa at a range of venues across the city– all these experiences now constitute our new soundtrack, memory bank, and food for thought!
'Got my mojo working'… '
Photo of mojo bag courtesy of Ananya Kabir
This Moving Story was written and compiled by Ananya Kabir with contributions from Elina Djebbari, Madison Moore, Leyneuf Tines and Livia Jimenez. Thank you to the dream team for a wonderful three weeks on the road!
BBQ RibsBeale StreetBluesMemphis


text:
La 40ª edizione dei Nastri d'argento si è tenuta nel 1985.

Vincitori

Regista del miglior film
 Sergio Leone - C'era una volta in America

Migliore regista esordiente
 Luciano De Crescenzo - Così parlò Bellavista

Miglior produttore
 Fulvio Lucisano - per il complesso della produzione

Miglior soggetto originale
 Giuseppe Bertolucci - Segreti segreti

Migliore sceneggiatura
 Tonino Guerra, Paolo e Vittorio Taviani - Kaos

Migliore attrice protagonista
 Claudia Cardinale - Claretta

Migliore attrice esordiente
 Giulia Boschi - Pianoforte

Migliore attore protagonista
 Michele Placido - Pizza Connection

Migliore attrice non protagonista
 Marina Confalone - Così parlò Bellavista

Migliore attore non protagonista
 Leopoldo Trieste - Enrico IV

Migliore musica
 Ennio Morricone - C'era una volta in America

Migliore fotografia
 Tonino Delli Colli - C'era una volta in America

Migliore scenografia
 Carlo Simi - C'era una volta in America

Migliori costumi
 Enrico Job - Carmen

Migliori effetti speciali
 C'era una volta in America

Migliore attrice straniera
 Nastassja Kinski - Maria's Lovers

Migliore attore straniero
 Tom Hulce - Amadeus

Regista del miglior film straniero
 Miloš Forman - Amadeus

Regista del miglior cortometraggio
 Giancarlo Pancaldi - Effetto nebbia

Miglior produttore di cortometraggi
 Ferzaco

Certificato di merito
 Berto Bozza - Come cambia Chicago (Corona Film)

Collegamenti esterni

 Nastri d'argento 1985 sull'Internet Movie Database

Cinema nel 1985
Cerimonie dei Nastri d'Argento

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