"Teams exist to get results over time" according to Team Coaching International, creator of the Team Diagnostic™ Assessment. So, 6 months on, how does my Team Steadman experience rank?
A couple of days ago (Yahoo!) I had the plate removed from my wrist. I will restrain from continued gushing about Dr. Viola and his team (and posting a photo of the incision). Let's just say I'm feeling so good that aside from a nap the day after the surgery, my family sees no reason to offer much pampering.
While there are numerous reasons this team is extraordinary, their abundant, clear communication really stands out. They sent several pre-surgery emails with instructions/info and then followed up with calls. They also called just to make sure I didn't have any questions. Then they called a couple of days afterward to see how I was doing. Did I mention that the surgeon also gave me his cell phone number? I am feeling very loved.
It made me think of a recent conversation I had about Account Maintenance, Account Management and Account Handling. The latter is what we called it when I worked in the UK.
Sounds simple, but how often do we slip into the reactive mode, merely handling or maintaining our clients' business or well being? What difference would a little more proactivity make?
I don't often get to experience great teamwork and not so great teamwork in similar settings in the same day. Recently a fractured wrist provided me with that "opportunity" for comparison.
After falling during a trail run, my husband took me to our local emergency room in Boulder, which has always been fine. The visit started okay – admitted and put into an examining room quickly so he left to take Dougal home. It was downhill from there. Since I work with team performance, it was interesting to evaluate my 4.5 hour visit against the Team Diagnostic™ parameters I use professionally.
At a high level, we consider Productivity (what the team is getting done) and Positivity (how it works together while getting things done). Digging a little deeper, we look at the following elements of each.
For 2.5 hours there was only one doctor attending to 3 trauma patients, who (rightly so) trumped my wrist. Eventually, a physician's assistant would come on duty. "My" nurse did a haphazard job of getting me comfortable, didn't clean my abrasions or leave a call button when she disappeared (for a couple of hours). I had to holler through a doorway for another ice bag. 45 minutes later the security guard brought it to me. Getting the picture? It gets worse. X-rays confirmed a fractured wrist that needed to be set and might also require surgery, but there were no orthopedists on call. What? Since it was July 4th weekend, I was told to pop Percocet for the next 3 days and then scurry around Tuesday morning to try and get an appointment somewhere. Did I mention we were leaving that Friday for Europe?
I give high marks (it's all relative) for decision-making (triage process) and proactivity (ice-bearing security guard). The "team" however gets low marks on accountability, resources, alignment, communication, constructive interaction and optimism.
We left the hospital frustrated and in pain. My resourceful husband suggested we stick with our original weekend plan of heading to Vail since they have a top notch medical facility. We bet they could scare up an orthopedist.
There is no way to talk about our experience without gushing. Every single person was genuinely interested in my well-being, confident in their skills and appreciative of their colleagues. They actually kept apologizing that they couldn't operate sooner than 11:00pm – as if I was going anywhere. Right before surgery (at midnight), my nurse, anesthesiologist, surgeon, and physician's assistant had one final huddle around my bed, making sure we were completely comfortable with the process.
Like any exceptional team, I imagine these professionals have an eye on ways they'd like to improve. From my perspective, however, I'm having a hard time identifying any element that's a relative weakness. Makes me wonder. Do high performing teams reach a point of critical mass where the strength of their core competencies is enough to bouy the lesser aspects to a similar level of excellence?
Irish Gargoyle - Made it to Europe As Planned!


This report presents insights the Casey Foundation gained after more than a decade of working with residents to achieve better results during Making Connections, the Foundation's signature community change effort of the 2000s. The report discusses the value of resident engagement and leadership, provides examples of activities and lessons learned and demonstrates the impact those activities had — and can have — in communities.
The What and Why of Resident Engagement: What Is Resident Engagement?
How resident engagement was defined in Making Connections to encompass the range and the impact of resident involvement.
The variety of resident engagement and leadership activities that communities employed throughout the Making Connections initiative.
The impact of resident engagement and leadership and how to best support both.
Lessons for funders, practitioners, resident leaders and others interested in strengthening and sustaining investments in resident leadership and engagement.
Resident engagement usually needs some clarification — what it is, what it contributes, how to finance it and what has been learned about meaningful rather than symbolic engagement. Ultimately, prioritizing resident leadership is about shifting influence and power to the people, and unless that is recognized and honored, the encouragement of resident voice tends to be superficial and results in resident frustration when nothing really changes.
Sustained resident engagement and leadership can transform communities and improve outcomes for individuals, families and organizations.
Neighborhood residents are uniquely positioned to tap into networks of families and friends to assess needs, get the word out and mobilize others.
It is crucial to meet residents where they are in terms of knowledge, experience, location and the support needed for participation.
Resident leadership and training on networking were considered the two most meaningful investments that made residents more effective.
It is crucial to have co-investment in resident engagement from local funders as a way of building commitment to support such activities on a long-term basis.
[Resident engagement] needs to be seen as part of the larger system of change….If you don't build the capacity of residents to be intimately engaged in the process, you're dead in the water.
Although the insights presented here are primarily derived from the Making Connections experience, they are applicable to other initiatives seeking a better understanding of how to engage residents in community revitalization efforts and sustain that engagement over time.


text:
Cardinal George Pell makes his way to court in Melbourne, Australia, Feb. 27. (Con Chronis/AFP/Getty Images)
Commentary | Mar. 12, 2019
Cardinal Pell to Be Sentenced: A Case of Justice or Corruption?
COMMENTARY: Commentators across the political and ecclesiastical spectrum have found the prosecution of Cardinal Pell to be an obvious injustice.
Father Raymond J. de Souza
As Cardinal George Pell awaits sentencing Wednesday for his convictions of the sexual abuse of minors, one can expect that the official Vatican reaction will be to express "maximum respect" for the Australian criminal-justice system while awaiting the outcome of Cardinal Pell's appeal.
In regards to Cardinal Pell's case, the Vatican has repeatedly expressed its "maximum respect" for Australian authorities. Why?
Commentators across the political and ecclesiastical spectrum — including this writer — have found the prosecution of Cardinal Pell to be an obvious injustice.
It has long been known, and now can be publicly reported, that the police in Victoria (Cardinal Pell's home state in Australia) were out to get Cardinal Pell long before there were any complaints about him. They had set up a task force, "Operation Tethering," in 2013 to search for charges against Cardinal Pell before any such complaints had ever been made to police.
They took out advertisements soliciting stories of sexual abuse at Melbourne's St. Patrick's Cathedral before any such complaints had been received. The Victoria police had their man and just needed to produce a victim and a complaint.
But, you might say, the Vatican's "maximum respect" line is just the sort of thing everyone says. Not so.
From the March 2 edition of The Economist: "Australia's dodgy cops," "Criminal Injustice," "Police corruption in Australia." Yes, that describes the police department that prosecuted the case against Cardinal Pell.
"Police in the state of Victoria spent millions of dollars trying to keep their arrangement with Informer 3838 a secret," explains The Economist. "[Nicola Gobbo] was a young criminal barrister who snitched on some of Australia's most notorious drug lords while she was representing them in the 1990s and 2000s. [She] claims her action helped convict nearly 400 criminals. She also violated their right to confidentiality and, possibly, their chances of a fair trial. Dozens of gangsters could walk free now the affair has become public."
This is not just a newspaper in high dudgeon over civil rights.
A Victoria High Court ruled that the Victoria police had "corrupted" prosecutions and "debased fundamental principles of the criminal-justice system." The premier (governor) of the state of Victoria has announced a royal commission, with powers of subpoena, to investigate the appearance of corruption at the highest levels of the Victoria police and its subsequent efforts to cover it up.
With the public revelations about Gobbo, Victoria police have revealed that they had six other informants from criminal-defense firms, going back to 1995 and as recently as 2016.
Meanwhile, Victoria police officials "have also been accused of falsifying a witness statement and of battering innocents," The Economist reports.
So it is a fact — a fact so disturbing that it has led to the establishment of a royal commission, the highest level of public investigatory commission in a commonwealth country — that the Victoria police, once convinced of the guilt of subject, are willing to breach the most fundamental legal guarantees, including attorney-client privilege.
If senior officials in the Victoria police knew, it means that the police service arrogated to itself the right to determine who was guilty before trial and then to employ whatever means were necessary to obtain the conviction, including the highest-order corruptions of the criminal-justice system.
Sound familiar? Would anyone with passing familiarity with the apparently low ethical standards of the Victoria police be surprised if it turned out that, in their efforts to bring down Cardinal Pell, more than a few dubious practices were employed?
Remember, the corruption of the criminal-justice system by the Victoria police had been going on for more than 20 years before it was revealed in December 2018. Imagine what a royal commission into the Cardinal Pell prosecution would bring to light.
The Victoria police is not the only police department to corrupt criminal justice — examples are not lacking in Canada and the United States. But they are the relevant agency regarding Cardinal Pell, and their credibility in high-profile cases lies in tatters.
The Victoria police have not earned "maximum respect" in Victoria. Why do they enjoy it at the Vatican?
Father Raymond J. de Souza is the editor in chief of Convivium magazine.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Results are Tagged with "Sports Diplomacy"
Wheelchair Tennis Envoy David Wagner Hits Grand Slam with Canadian Youth
David Wagner's visit is a testament to the advancement and continued work by the State Department to provide access for all.
Empowering Women and Girls through Sports: Martial Arts vs. Gender-Based Violence
Through Taekwondo, karate, and boxing, 16 young female athletes, trainers, and coaches from Tajikistan also tackled heavy topics related to gender-based violence (GBV).
Exchange Programs Are...
What are international exchange programs? We asked our social media communities to tell us what our exchange programs mean to them. Tag your thoughts with #ExchangesAre
Sports Visitor Program Promotes Disability Rights
State Department and U.S. Embassy Brasilia focused its Sports Visitor program on people with disabilities.
New Exchange Supports Global Growth of American Football
In a country like Brazil where the term futebol almost always means soccer, you might be surprised to find a team like the Recife Mariners playing American-style football.
A Global Match: American Mentors Empower Women Leaders in Sports
The Global Sports Mentoring Program (GSMP) continues to pair emerging women leaders from around the world with women sports executives as the flagship component of State Department's Empowering Women and Girls through Sports initiative.
Global Sports Mentoring Program Spotlights
Meet the 2014 Global Sports Mentoring Program participants!
Former NBA Players Promote Understanding in the Philippines
U.S. Embassy Manila hosted two State Department Sports Envoys Allison Feaster, former player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and Derrick Alston, former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Mobility International USA – Armenia
Mobility International USA (MIUSA) collaborates with Armenians partners to conduct a two-way exchange program to expand opportunities for youth with disabilities to engage in sports.
Dream Big, featuring Michelle Kwan (2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics)
Sports are not just about competition, but are about bringing people together to share experiences and build life-long friendships. Share your dreams and the games with us using #Nanjing2014.


text:
is a 1948 Japanese novel by Osamu Dazai. It is considered Dazai's masterpiece  and ranks as the second-best selling novel ever in Japan, behind Natsume Sōseki's Kokoro. The literal translation of the title, discussed by Donald Keene in his preface to the English translation, is "Disqualified From Being Human". The novel, narrated in first person, contains several elements which portray an autobiographical basis but is in fact categorized under the semi-autobiographical genre since the characters in the book are all fictional. The novel presents recurring themes in the author's life, including suicide, social alienation, and depression. Much like the protagonist Yōzō, Dazai attempted suicide a total of five times in his lifetime, with consorts, until ultimately succeeding in taking his own life with his lover at the time, a woman named Tomie Yamazaki. Many believe the book to have been his will, as Dazai killed himself shortly after the last part of the book (which had appeared in serial form) was published.

As of January 1, 2019, the book is in the public domain.

Plot outline
No Longer Human is told in the form of notebooks left by one , a troubled man incapable of revealing his true self to others, and who, instead, maintains a facade of hollow jocularity. The work is made up of three chapters, or "memoranda", which chronicle the life of Ōba from his early childhood to his late twenties.

 First Memorandum: Overcome by an intense feeling of alienation and otherness and finding it nearly impossible to understand those who surround him who live in egoism and bad faith, Ōba can't help but resort to buffoonery in order to establish interpersonal relationships. He is sexually abused by a male servant and a female servant during his childhood, but decides that reporting it would be useless.
 Second Memorandum: Ōba becomes increasingly concerned over the potential penetrability of his cheerful facade by his schoolmate Takeichi, who sees through his false buffoonery. Ōba befriends him to prevent Takeichi from revealing his secret. As he shows Takeichi the ghost-like paintings of Amedeo Modigliani, he realizes that certain artists express the inner truth of human cruelty through their own trauma. Ōba paints a self-portrait inspired by these artists, which is so dreadful that he dares not show it to anyone except Takeichi, who esteems the picture. He neglects his university studies, out of fear of collective life. Influenced by a fellow artist, Horiki, whom he meets at a painting class, Ōba descends into a vicious pattern of drinking, smoking and harlotry, culminating in a one-night stand with a married woman with whom he attempts to commit double suicide via drowning. Though he survives, she dies, leaving him with nothing but an excruciating feeling of guilt.
 Third Memorandum, Part One: Ōba is expelled from university, and comes under the care of a friend of the family. He tries to have a normal relationship with a single mother, serving as a surrogate father to her little girl but abandons them in favor of living with the madam of a bar he patronizes. Since then he tries to believe the meaning of society for an individual is to escape out of fear of humanity. He drinks heavily, inspired by Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Later, he falls into a relationship with Yoshiko, a young and naive woman who wants him to stop drinking.
 Third Memorandum, Part Two: Thanks to Yoshiko's grounding influence on his life, Ōba stops drinking and finds gainful work as a cartoonist. Then Horiki shows up, turning Ōba to self-destructive behavior again. Worse, at the moment of recalling Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky while he discusses the antonym of crime with Horiki, Ōba becomes estranged from his wife following an incident where she is sexually assaulted by a casual acquaintance. The ghastly terror and despair brought on by this incident leads Ōba to become an alcoholic and a morphine addict. He is eventually confined to a mental institution and, upon release, moves to an isolated place, concluding the story with numb self-reflection after profound despair.

The story is bookended with two other, shorter chapters from the point of view of a neutral observer, who sees three photos of Ōba and eventually tracks down one of the characters mentioned in the notebooks who knew him personally.

Ōba refers to himself throughout the book using the reflexive pronoun , whereas the personal pronoun  is used both in the foreword and afterword to the book by the writer, whose name is unclear. The name "Ōba" is actually taken from one of Dazai's early works, .

Translations
The novel was first translated into English by Donald Keene as No Longer Human, published 1958 by New Directions in Norfolk, Connecticut. This translation was published in the UK by Peter Owen Publishers in 1959.

The novel received another English translation in 2018 by Mark Gibeau as A Shameful Life, published by Stone Bridge Press.

Adaptations

Film
Ningen Shikkaku was adapted to film in 2009, the 100th anniversary of Dazai's birth. The film was directed by Genjiro Arato, the producer responsible for the award-winning Zigeunerweisen in 1980. Filming started in July, and it was released on February 20, 2010.
The film stars Toma Ikuta as Ōba Yōzō, a young man who finds it hard to relate to the world around him, but masks this sense of alienation with a jovial demeanor. Still, his life spirals toward self-destruction. Actress Satomi Ishihara plays one of the several women in his life, and the only one he marries.
The film was marketed outside Japan under the title Fallen Angel.

A new film titled Ningen Shikkaku was released September 13, 2019, starring Shun Oguri in the role of writer Osamu Dazai, following the story of Dazai's life. The movie is directed by photographer and film director Mika Ninagawa. The movie opened in 320 theaters, ranking 4th place in its first weekend.

Anime series
Another adaptation of the story was told in the four first episodes of the 2009 anime series Aoi Bungaku. It received the Platinum Grand Prize at the Future Film festival in Italy.

Another anime, Bungo Stray Dogs features a character named after Dazai, as well as various influences from No Longer Human. The novel is also referenced in Bungo Stray Dogs Wan! which is a comedy gag spin-off of the original series.

In the series Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, the main character, Nozomu Itoshiki, is based on Dazai's novel protagonist.

Anime feature film

Human Lost, a science fiction 3D anime Polygon Pictures feature was directed by Fuminori Kizaki. Katsuyuki Motohiro served as supervisor to the film. Tow Ubukata and screenplay writer. Yūsuke Kozaki was character designer. It premiered on October 22, 2019 in U.S theaters, becoming the first Polygon Pictures film to not be distributed worldwide on Netflix. In this film, the novel is transported to the year 2036.  Breakthroughs in medical technology have led to a system of nanomachines internally implanted in all humans that can reverse illness, injury and even death. But if a person severs their nanomachines from the system, they mutate into monstrous creatures known as "Lost". Oba, Horiki and Hiiragi are now "applicants" with special powers over the Lost.

The movie stars the voice cast of Mamoru Miyano, Kana Hanazawa, Takahiro Sakurai, Jun Fukuyama, and Miyuki Sawashiro.

Manga

Usamaru Furuya created a three-volume manga version of No Longer Human, serialized in Shinchosha's Comic Bunch magazine beginning in number 10, 2009. An English edition was published by Vertical, Inc. in 2011–2012.

Yasunori Ninose created another manga version of No Longer Human, titled Ningen Shikkaku Kai ( kai, "destruction"), serialized in Champion Red from April to July in 2010. Unlike Furuya's version, this manga depicts human beings' negative emotion and sexual intercourse as tentacles, which have enthralled Ninose since he was five years old.

A third version (), a straight retelling of the story set in its original pre-WWII setting, was commissioned for the Manga de Dokuha series (comic adaptations of classic literature), published by Gakken. An English edition was published in online format by JManga in 2011.

In 2017, Junji Ito created another manga adaptation of No Longer Human, which retained the original title. In this version, Yōzō meets Osamu Dazai himself during an asylum recovery, thus giving him permission to tell his story in his next book. The manga includes a retelling of Dazai's suicide from Ōba's perspective.

Reception
William Bradbury of The Japan Times called it a timeless novel, saying that "The struggle of the individual to fit into a normalizing society remains just as relevant today as it was at the time of writing." Serdar Yegulalp of Genji Press noted the strength of Dazai in portraying the situation of the protagonist, describing the novel as "bleak in a way that is both extreme and yet also strangely unforced". Both critics have noted the autobiographical qualities of the novel, but claim that Dazai's style causes readers to connect to Ōba rather than focus on the author.

One modern analyst, Naoko Miyaji, has proposed Dazai was suffering from complex post-traumatic stress disorder when he wrote the book.

References

External links
 "No Longer Human" Movie Official Site
 "Ningen shikkaku" 2019 Movie Official Site

1948 novels
20th-century Japanese novels
Books with cover art by Rodrigo Corral
Fiction with unreliable narrators
Novels about alcoholism
Novels by Osamu Dazai
Novels first published in serial form
Novels about heroin addiction
Novels set in Japan
Polygon Pictures
Seinen manga
Shinchosha manga
Vertical (publisher) titles

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


In his old age T.S. Eliot said on a number of occasions that the American experience of his childhood and youth had had the deepest influence on his poetry. This is the first book to explore in detail how Eliot's writings at once preserved and reacted against his complex American heritage: his intellectually and socially prominent family, their strong Unitarian culture, and their experience in nineteenth-century St. Louis and Boston. Analyzing major poems from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" through The Waste Land, and drawing widely upon the early philosophical writings, essays, and reviews, Dr. Sigg shows the influence on Eliot of major American figures such as George Santayana, Henry James, and Henry Adams, as well as of the British philosopher F.H. Bradley on whom Eliot wrote a doctoral dissertation at Harvard.


text:
Jeu d'ombres
Åke Parmerud
Cover art: Åke Parmerud
CD 2.0
IMED 0367
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IMED 0367_NUM
Stream it on electrothèque
Electrothèque subscribers can stream works from this album and many more!
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… this independent Montréal label is […] the most important catalogue of international electroacoustic artists. — The WholeNote, Canada
… une musique singulière, inventive et ouvrant des espaces à des introspections futures. — JazzoSphère, France
Strings & Shadows: Prix Ars Electronica 1994 — Distinction
Stringquartett: Prix Ars Electronica 1990 — Mention
Renaissance: Prix Ars Electronica 1997 — Mention
Composer(s): Åke Parmerud
Performer(s): Sofia Asunción Claro, Stockholm Saxophone Quartet
Cover image: Åke Parmerud
CDDownload
CD (IMED 0367)
Strings & Shadows (1993), 10:04
harp and fixed medium
Sofia Asunción Claro, harp
Stråkkvartett [String Quartet] (1988), 11:46
fixed medium
Renaissance (1994), 12:24
Retur (1992-93), 10:35
saxophone quartet and fixed medium
Stockholm Saxophone Quartet, saxophone quartet (Sven Westerberg; Leif Karlborg; Per Hedlund; Jörgen Pettersson)
Les flûtes en feu (1999), 10:39
Repulse (1986), 10:10
Track listing detail
44,1 kHz, 16 bits
Label: empreintes DIGITALes
IMED 0367
UCC 771028036721
OGpak
125 mm × 125 mm × 10 mm
Discogs (release) 231154
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An Itinerary Through Northern Europe
François Couture, electrocd.com, February 9, 2004
This is a casual listening path, an invitation to travel — not a guided tour per se, more of an itinerary, akin to Romantic-era travel literature. So this will be a listening itinerary, an invitation to discover a highly subjective selection of electroacoustic composers from a specific corner of the world. Our destination: Northern Europe.
France reigns over European electroacoustic music like a despotic queen. The persisting influence of Pierre Schaeffer's work — even more than 50 years after the invention of what he has called "musique concrète" — and the gravitational pull of the Ina-GRM tend to hide from the rest of the world the work being accomplished elsewhere in Europe.
So let's start our journey in one of France's neighbors, Belgium. The country owes much of its electroacoustic activity to Annette Vande Gorne, the indefatigable animator of the Musiques & Recherches center. Her music displays a strong sense of serenity, something rare in the field of tape music. Tao, a cycle about the five base elements (air, earth, metal, fire and water), remains a classic. In it she explores every possible transformation of the sounds associated to these elements with an uncommon level of artistry and poetry. A student of Vande Gorne, Stephan Dunkelman has picked up on her grace, a grace he transmutes into movement. Often the result of a collaboration with choreographers, his works are driven by an inner force that substitutes the sensuality of movement to Vande Gorne's philosophical — almost mystical — depth. His pieces Rituellipses and Thru, Above and Between, released on the album Rhizomes, deserve your attention.
A jump across the Northern Sea and we set foot on English ground. Birmingham has become an important creative node in electroacoustic music, thanks to the work of composer Jonty Harrsison and his Birmingham ElectroAcoustic Sound Theatre (better known as BEAST), a laboratory for experimentation and sound diffusion that has helped many talented composers in developing their art. Harrison's music is an essential listen. His piece Klang (released on Évidence matérielle) ranks among the best-known electroacoustic works of the last 25 years. His precise sound constructions and his distinctive way of compressing sound matter into streams of energy put him up there with Pierre Henry, Francis Dhomont and Bernard Bernard Parmegiani. One can follow the traces of his techniques into the works of Adrian Moore, one of his students, especially in the latter's fondness for putting simple sound sources (marker on a white board, tin foil) through complex transformations. Sieve, from the album Traces, uses a catchy playfulness to make this transformative process transparent.
Denis Smalley was born and raised in New Zealand, but he has been living in the UK since the mid-'70s. His contributions to the acousmatic corpus and to the development of sound diffusion make him not only the contemporary but in a sense the acolyte of Harrison. Furthermore, the two composers share a similar interest in form and in the choreographed displacement of abstract sound objects through space and time. Wind Chimes (on Impacts intérieurs) and Base Metals (on Sources/Scènes) are good illustrations of the slightly cold yet fascinating beauty of his music. John Young, one of his students — and another New-Zealander who studied and now teaches in England), follows a similar approach, although he replaces Smalley's elemental sound sources with more emotionally charged images. The works featured on his CD La limite du bruit offer to the listener several occasions to dive into his or her own memories, the sound of a squeaky swing or a creaky door turning into avatars of Proust's madeleine. Time, Motion and Memory is a choice cut.
Scandinavian electroacoustic music is still too largely ignored on our side of the Atlantic, but empreintes DIGITALes' catalog allows us to make a short stop to round up our peregrinations. Natasha Barrett has studied with Harrison and Smalley and has been involved in BEAST, but since 1998 she has elected Norway as her base camp. There, she has stepped away from the style of her teachers and has sought inspiration in the Nordic cold. Her Three Fictions, released on Isostasie, deserve many listens. And let me bring this listening path to an end with one of the key composers in electroacoustic music today, the Swedish Åke Parmerud, whose Renaissance (on Jeu d'ombres) pays tribute to the analog synthesizer without resorting to nostalgic tricks.
David Olds, The WholeNote, no. 9:5, February 1, 2004
Åke Parmerud's Jeu d'ombres provided a strong reminder to me that this independent Montréal label is not just the most significant producer of Canadian electroacoustic recordings, but also has the most important catalogue of international electroacoustic artists. Swedish composer Åke Parmerud has been working in the field since the 1970's and is recognized as a master of the genre. This current disc, with offerings from 1986 through 1999, provides an excellent introduction to his work. Of particular note are the mixed works: Strings & Shadows for harp and tape with Sofia Asunción Claro and Retur with the Stockholm Saxophone Quartet. I also enjoyed comparing Parmerud's 1988 Stringquartett, a tape composition based on the manipulation of recorded string sounds, with Canadian Yves Daoust's earlier Quatuor, which uses many of the same techniques. This latter work is, of course, also available from empreintes DIGITALes, on Daoust's Anecdotes.
… this independent Montréal label is […] the most important catalogue of international electroacoustic artists.
Rigobert Dittmann, Bad Alchemy, no. 43, February 1, 2004
Sabine Moig, JazzoSphère, January 1, 2004
Åke Parmerud s'est engagé dans la voie des musiques instrumentales et électroacoustiques depuis la fin des années 70. Son travail, reconnu par les professionnels, les critiques et le public est omniprésent dans les arts visuels tels que le multimédia, la vidéo, le cinéma, la danse ou le théâtre. Dans Jeu d'ombres, le musicien suédois nous présente quelques-unes des créations réalisées au cours de ces dernières années, le plus souvent sur commande. Quelles que soient les techniques de création utilisées pou ces différentes pièces, Åke Parmerud est guidé avant tout par le désir d'offrir une musique singulière, inventive et ouvrant des espaces à des introspections futures. Entre souvenance, réécriture et mouvance vers des ailleurs à explorer les pièces s'ouvrent à nous: libre alors à chacun d'y puiser la force et l'élan qui le guideront vers un plaisir d'écoute épuré et originel.
… une musique singulière, inventive et ouvrant des espaces à des introspections futures.
Steven Hearn, Octopus, no. 25, November 1, 2003
Kritiek
JWB, Gonzo Circus, no. 59, November 1, 2003
Carlos Pérez Riva, Margen, no. 27, November 1, 2003
Massimo Padalino, Blow Up, no. 65, October 1, 2003
Javier Blánquez, GoMag, no. 38, October 1, 2003
Pièces raffinées pour gourmets musicaux
Grégoire Courtois, Fluctuat, September 21, 2003
Après une première collaboration à l'occasion de la compilation Miniatures concrètes en 1998, on ne s'étonne pas de retrouver aujourd'hui sur le label canadien empreintes DIGITALes le suédois multi-primé Åke Parmerud pour un enregistrement personnel de six somptueuses pièces électroacoustiques conçues entre 1986 et 1994.
Basé à Montréal, le label empreintes DIGITALes est en quelque sorte la référence incontournable pour tout passionné de musique électroacoustique. Créé il y a plus de 10 ans maintenant, il compte dans son catalogue la crème des compositeurs canadiens et mondiaux du genre.
Réunies sous le titre Jeu d'ombres, faisant probablement référence à l'atmosphère intrigante de chacune d'elles, ces six compositions signées Åke Parmerud sont de véritables bijoux de musicalité et de technique mariant à la perfection la richesse des harmoniques instrumentales et la froideur des sonorités synthétiques (cf la harpe de Sofia Asunción Claro exceptionnellement appropriée sur le morceau Strings & Shadows).
Témoin de la formation classique du compositeur et de sa pratique instrumentale, c'est aussi et surtout cette maîtrise étonnante du rythme qui donne à ses pièces la vigueur et l'épaisseur tragique faisant trop souvent défaut aux compositeurs contemporains européens, encombrés d'une atonalité devenue obligatoire.
Il faut croire que le Suédois se moque éperdument de ce genre de considérations, impression confirmée lorsqu'on l'entend utiliser sans complexe d'antiques instruments comme la viole de gambe et le luth, réunis pour l'exécution d'une danse guillerette de la Renaissance à la fin d'un morceau très dense lui-même élaboré à partir de vieux synthétiseurs analogiques (Renaissance, 1994).
Même remarque quand sur Retur (1992-93), il triture des solos de Charlie Parker en juxtaposant bandes originales, composition pour quatuor de saxophones et effets synthétiques métalliques en une sorte d'hommage qui réussit miraculeusement à ne pas tomber dans le pillage bas de gamme.
Et c'est véritablement cette décontraction dans son approche de l'histoire de la musique qui permet à Parmerud de toujours garder claire son intention et de ne pas définitivement larguer son auditeur quand pourtant sa musique est bien loin des ritournelles standardisées, musique contemporaine comprise.
À la fois décomplexé et rigoureux, étudié et accessible, ce Jeu d'ombres est donc résolument le disque à se procurer pour se réconcilier à la fois avec l'électroacoustique et plus généralement avec la musique contemporaine.
À la fois décomplexé et rigoureux, étudié et accessible, ce Jeu d'ombres est donc résolument le disque à se procurer…
PR, Coda Magazine, September 11, 2003
Bien que son œuvre comprenne surtout des pièces électroacoustiques, mais également instrumentales, on sent aussi clairement chez Åke Parmerud sa maîtrise de l'interactivité et du multimédia qu'il pratique couramment, comme son expérience acquise en composant pour le théâtre, le cinéma et la danse. Jeu d'ombres compile ainsi des pièces d'inspiration variée, toutes passionnantes. La plus ancienne, datant de 1988, questionne à sa façon les possibilités qu'offre le quatuor à cordes classique au travers de techniques d'échantillonnage sophistiquées. D'autres puisent leur inspiration chez le musicien de jazz Charlie Parker, ou encore explorent les potentialités des textures sonores superposées en couches multiples, et leur spatialisation. Parmi les morceaux les plus singuliers, se détachent ceux qui mixent acoustique (des instruments de la Renaissance comme le luth, la viole de gambe ou le cromorne) et les synthés analogiques utilisés pour ce son crade qui fait défaut au numérique. Plus imagée, Les flûtes de feu fait référence à l'alchimie, via le processus de modification du son progressif inhérent à la composition. De la musique de recherche (Renaissance a par exemple été composé à l'initiative du GRM jamais ennuyeuse.
De la musique de recherche jamais ennuyeuse.
Massimo Ricci, Touching Extremes, August 25, 2003
Born in 1953, Parmerud is already a major electroacoustic composer and Jeu d'ombres confirms his status without a doubt. The six pieces contained here run across a big rangy arc, spanning from the nice "analog vs digital" contrast of the spacey Renaissance to the almost violent character - like it was a sound shootout - of Stringquartett, where samples of strings are treated in way of percussive hits, electric chattering and environmental menace. The only pure tape piece is the final Repulse, a track based on sound placing and textural transformation more than pitches; on the other hand, Retur is Parmerud's idea of jazz analysis and a sort of delayed homage, as it's based upon a Charlie Parker phrase that Stockholm Saxophone Quartet chew and spit out - with the composer's help of course. While Les flûtes en feu, with its flute spectral modification and timbral scanning, is great listening in itself, the most intense and beautiful piece for your reviewer is the initial Strings & Shadows, where the basic sound is harp: its alternative between fairy tale and nightmare, life and death, security and fear is fundamental in the creation of a masterpiece of unresolving tension.
… a masterpiece of unresolving tension.
Ingvar Loco Nordin, Sonoloco Record Reviews, April 23, 2003
Åke Parmerud (b. 1953) is one of the most successful Swedish composers of electroacoustics, and I believe he is the first one of Swedish descent that I have reviewed in this particular setting. That is rightly so. Ever since I began investing some interest in the elusive art of sound painting, Parmerud has been an obvious name.
When I see the pictures that Parmerud has chosen for his presentation at empreintes DIGITALes and at his homepage, I get this not quite comfortable feeling of a poser; one who enjoys putting on a style, appearing like in an old oil painting of some upper class poet of the 19th century, almost like some pictures you often see of another important composer from Sweden; Sven-David Sandström, who likes appearing in pictures clothed in leather and shady lightings… and I get to think of Oscar Wilde, Charles Baudelaire or Percy Bysshe Shelley! Well, have a look yourself! In the studio picture Parmerud seems to show off his work environment, again… posing. However, then again, why not? Painting with colors of sound is a kind of show indeed, a kind of shadow play, a sort of hide-and-seek, and it really is a slim, trendy form of art — so I don't mind the posing attitude at all. It can even be refreshing, taking some of the seriousness out of the idiom; a seriousness which I myself, I must admit, ever so often indulge myself in, which you can see from my recent review of Monique Jean's new CD… What I really want to say is that there is plenty room for all of us, from extremely shy artists like Hanna Hartman in Berlin who hardly wants to let on any biographical notes or photos at all, to the gallant posing knight Åke Parmerud…
A short bio: Åke Parmerud tried his luck at photography in the early 1970s. He went on to studies at SAMUS Teacher Education College until 1975. He also attended studies at The Department of Musicology in Gothenburg, which proved decisive. He got into tampering with synthesizers (the early, crude forms) and the art of reel-to-reel. He crossed the barrier of attitude between Gothenburg and Stockholm (a peculiar cultural difference is still highly present between the West and the East of Sweden…) and approached EMS (The Electronic Music Studio of Stockholm, now The Institute for Electroacoustic Music, and the renowned and always energetic institution Fylkingen, where Parmerud got access to sophisticated equipment. As he developed his skills, he initiated a research project into the development of software for computerized composition. He also went into teaching at the Department of Musicology in Gothenburg. Of course, it was in Gothenburg that he was acquainted with the electronic music pioneer Rune Lindblad, who also taught at the Department of Musicology. Lindblad was a very original person, who never cared about trends and fashions of art, but kept his own thinking intact. He was a great inspirer, especially as a spiritual example. He gave artistic incentives to the younger generations of artists all the way up to his untimely death of arthritis in 1991. Lindblad published, among other things, a book called 20-talet (the Twenties), about music, art, poetry and film in the twenties of Europe. I was lucky enough to get to know Rune Lindblad in his later years, and received most of his oeuvre on tape copies from him. Much of the most interesting stuff he did remains to be released, but this spring of 2003 the Swedish label Elektron issues a beautiful double-CD which is the most representative release of Lindblad material so far. Lindblad was also gifted in the field of visual arts, producing paintings, drawings, woodcuts etcetera. No doubt Lindblad's presence had a great meaning to Åke Parmerud and other Swedish sound artists on the West Coast, who later proved successful, like Rolf Enström. He was never considered quite housebroken though, so to say, in the more classy halls of electroacoustics of which, ironically, Åke Parmerud later would be one of the most diligent and sophisticated examples. During his younger years Parmerud played rock music and Afro-American music. It was, however, through his prolific production of electroacoustic multi-media works and the sophisticated abstract art of pure electroacoustic composition that he became known far and wide. I have some of his earlier music on vinyls, which shows that he's been around a while — and he is still just as active and innovative as ever. A sign of his importance may be the fact that he indeed is the most rewarded composer of electroacoustics since his 1978 work Proximities, which won him the 1st Prize at the Bourges Competitions, regrettably before they started releasing the winners on yearly CDs, commencing in 1984, when another important electroacoustician from Sweden — Tommy Zwedberg — was awarded a prize for his Hanging for an old Swedish lyre (stråkharpa) and electronics (A European instrument akin to stråkharpa is the Welsh crwth). Since then, Åke Parmerud has been represented a number of times on these Bourges Competition CDs, like in 1988 with two works; Repulse and Yan, in 1994 with Kren and in 2002 with Närheter. There is an important difference, though, between Parmerud and the other Swedish modern composers of electroacoustics that I've mentioned — Zwedberg and Enström -, and that is the more polished, restrained impression that Parmerud's music conveys, diverging quite a bit from Zwedberg's and Enström's more wild, rugged, jagged musics. It's a matter of taste which of the two tendencies you prefer.
Track 1 here is Strings & Shadows (1993) for harp and tape, with Sofia Asunción playing the harp.
Parmerud: "In Strings & Shadows the strings of the harp act like gates that let out a variety of other sounds that flow in a constant stream of transformations. These timbral shadows are complemented with mirroring of the harp, using a variety of synthesized string sounds. There is however also another kind of musical shadow present: a short melodic fragment from Stothart's film score of Queen Christina (1933) can be heard in a slightly distorted mirror-image of the harp in the middle section of the piece (at 5:10 — 5:18 and 7:18 — 7:26). The poetic vision of the piece is an image of an old dying actress, drawn into a last flowing sequence of dance through the shadows of her past, while death slowly appears as her partner in the last pas de deux."
Yes, this comes across like butterfly chamber lyricism… dancing, swirling delicacy through glaring reflections off of leaves of grass, dandelion seeds carried across the meadow… a soaring presence of elves and fairies somewhere inside the tingling sensations, inside the summer hypnosis timbres… At first the harp appears naked of any electronic enhancement or guise, and you could be fooled into thinking this is going to be a straight chamber piece. The manipulations, in fact, never twist things seriously out of the grip of consciousness, so the chamber aspect remains throughout, even though, as you could read from Parmerud's own description, a diligent electroacoustic craftsmanship is applied, of course obvious to the listener, but still very fastidious and discriminating, applying just the right touch to inch events just precisely across the line to enchantedness… but with a strong, concrete memory of the so-called reality retained in the music; sort of like half-dreaming just before going to sleep, the weight of your body resting comfortably in its gravity while thoughts soar on the verge of dreams like humming-birds in front of colorful flowers… an impressionist painting hung in time… and sometimes sudden gusts of wind move through your hair…
Stringquartett (1988) is second. Parmerud: "As one of the instrument combinations that has proven to be a real survivor through music history, the string quartet has fascinated me since a long time. I realized that there was little or nothing that I could do to create anything remotely resembling true originality in the sense of bringing new ideas to the form. However, moving the whole concept to another platform gave me the inspiration needed to unfold some visions of how to treat the formal and aural aspects of this specific string combination. Today Stringquartett, as a tape composition, may be regarded as a bit crude, based, as it is, on a sampling technology, which at the time was state of the art, but today may be viewed as antique. But the structure and energy of the piece still gives it an edge that I like.
For sure Parmerud has no reason to excuse himself for including Stringquartett on this CD. It is a very exciting work, the result of an ingenious and certainly stubborn and probably long work in the studio.
The music is made up of real string sounds by way of sampling and manipulation, distributed in combinations and juxtapositions, rhythmizations and layerings and the whole array of fluent hands on handicraft creativity, resulting in a varied, electronic chamber show-off which is extremely enjoyable, rocking and rolling, thudding and bumping on down the line like a group of swaying, staggering cartoon figures in disarray and a happy, wholesome dismay… You name it, we like it! Parmerud manages to build an overarching atmosphere out of this bits-and-pieces composition, making the details fit very well into the bigger scheme of things, and this is true artistry. Most people would back off from a feat like that. Parmerud delivers a sublime piece of musical art! This is in fact one of Parmerud's pieces that I enjoy the most. The crudeness that he admits just makes it the more attracting to me, since I sometimes have a hard time with the all too polished. There are stretches inside this jagged music that appear melancholic, reminiscent, reflecting a 19th century of old and its ideals, in loving memory, so to say. Some fragmented feelings from those days still live in this sampling serenity, much to my amazement. There is a soft hand at work inside the sometimes wild shuffling of string quartet slices.
Renaissance (1994) is the next work. Parmerud: "Having lived and worked with electronic instruments over a period of twenty years, my attention was lately drawn to the tendency of retrospect interest in old analog synthesizers. These instruments represent to me not only a different quality of sound, but also a different mode of composing. Digital systems have a greater flexibility in terms of time and spectral control on a point-to-point basis. Analog systems, on the other hand, offer a way to create complex structures with a direct, physical control, coupled with a unique, raw quality of sound lacking in digital instruments. I have felt an urge to work with old instruments for some time, and the invitation from GRM (Paris) to make a piece gave me the opportunity to explore a renaissance of the analog in the digital domain. The piece is based on sounds from a Serge modular synthesizer and some additional sounds from renaissance instruments like drums, lute, krumhorns and viola da gamba."
Here comes Parmerud with his own statement about the polished versus the unpolished, thus more alive, sound that is so obvious when you compare newer works with older ones. However, when the composer is aware of this all too tight cleanliness, he has measures at hand, which will add some crudeness, some life. Parmerud knows this very well, and though it seems to me as if he enjoys the soaring exactitude of new tools, he doesn't fool himself when it comes to artistic results.
With a silent, slowly breathing pulse of a rolling drum, the piece begins, the character of the music edging over into soft, fluttering and accelerating brown and gray sounds, sometimes on the verge of violet. The events and goings-on in the work are many, shifting almost faster than you can hear, or at least keep account of — but the intense feeling of motion in the spatiality of the sound world is almost tangible, elastically exhaling and inhaling shapes of sounds, contours of fleeing figures down the years of Shakespeare… Layers are stretched out on top of each other, or perhaps better envisioned as tainted glass windows slid in behind each other in a kaleidoscope of color and light; here: sound! The layers of tainted glass of sound keep shifting their positions, and new, unexpected discoveries of perception move up your auditory nerves, setting magnificent stage casts alight inside the halls of your imagination, grotesque shapes falling across the walls, like the wild shadows of shipyard workers welding.
Retur (1992-93) for saxophone quartet and tape holds position 4 on Åke Parmerud's CD. The Stockholm Saxophone Quartet appears with Parmerud's tape.
Parmerud: "The melodic and harmonic structure of Retur (Return) is based on some transcribed phrases from s saxophone solo by the legendary American musician Charlie Parker. As one composition in a series of pieces concerned with my relation to music historical artifacts — Alias (1990) and Renaissance (1994) are two other examples from the same series — Retur is a kind of musical letter, written on the paper of time and actually addressed to the sender of the original creation (Parker)
Indeed, the beginning has you stroll through the outer halls of some jazz shrine — perhaps Nalen in Stockholm, where Charlie Parker indeed did play — as you hear the sounds of an intense session echo, the volume increasing as you approach the performance space. At last your right up the stage, and the music is transformed into the dreamy recollections of Åke Parmerud, as he takes the ingredients of be-bop and lures the jazzman on a inwardly spiraling sojourn that Mr. Parker would hardly have dreamed of. Throughout the electronic treatments Parmerud retains some kind of jazz soul, and the saxophone is readily recognizable most of the time. I think anyone would think more of jazz than of electroacoustics when hearing this, proving the diligence with which Parmerud takes care of the artifacts he chose for his composition. A comparison might be made with Jean Schwarz's electroacoustics, since he has a great affinity for jazz and jazz instruments. Maybe Schwarz is more heavily electroacoustic in his views, but there are works by him wherein the instruments of jazz take much of the command in their own right too. Obviously, Parmerud holds the object of attention — Charlie Parker — in high artistic esteem.
Les flûtes en feu (Flutes on Fire) sits at track 5. Parmerud: "Les flûtes en feu (Flutes on Fire) is based on the concept of the composer as an alchemist. With the use of computers and modern studio facilities, the composer of acousmatic music or sonic art, is able to treat the acoustic material as if it was a substance with a constantly redefineable morphology. In the piece the basic sonic substance is some simple sounds of flutes. There is also another element recurring throughout the composition: a short metallic sound, reminiscent of the sledge hitting the anvil that signals the presence of a force that is about to change the shape of things. Finally, in the end of the piece, the sound of fire, representing the catalyzing process of the four elements present as the basis of all alchemy, briefly enters the sonic stage to confirm the process that has been taking place."
Silently the atmosphere spreads like incense, slowly through the ambient space, until a presence is determined by some metallic object — be it virtual or real — being struck. The motion of sounds increase in whirls and gallant gestures of shiny progressions, like ghosts wandering the outskirts of the mind, the jagged shapes of ominous half-dreams surrounding the horseback ride in Schubert's Erlkönig… (…der Vater mit seinem Kind…) Eventually a sound reminiscent of a coin spinning on a kitchen table (but not speeding up before the end), pitched down and beautified, violent in a restrained way, compresses the air like the passing of an express train through a tunnel, lights flickering by as you swallow and swallow to even out the pressure (anyone who has approached Stockholm on the rail from the south knows what I'm talking about!) Sometimes I feel I hear echoes of rhythms of voices, outlines of morphemes taken so far off that you can only smell the scent of a vanishing meaning… An intense activity is going on up front, while more extended sweeps fan out on the horizon of events… At one instance an elephant trunk of a slow-down is breaking one lineage of sound to a halt in a downward trajectory, but the sound world around keeps on keeping on, later in quite silent, erotic preoccupations, violet feelings on silk and satin; old dreams of Erik XIV soaring through the Halls of Morpheus and the outer courtyard of Amnesia… With three minutes to go tiny specks of sounds trickle like grains of dust on aluminum foil, as transparent layers of alarm sounds screech through orbiting vessels. Owl howls resound through moonlit spruce forests under the Milky Way. In the intensity of some unaccounted for presence — a hiker treading the realms of insects in the night? — sounds flee in all directions from a gravitational center on the path of the intruder, and the last whimper of a sound disappears under an uprooted tree…
The last piece is Repulse (1990). Parmerud: "Repulse (Repulsion) was composed with the material that became outcast in the process of creating Isola, a mixed work for chamber orchestra and tape commissioned by the Asko Ensemble from the Netherlands. Repulse can be regarded as the first piece in which I explored multiple layering of textural processes. Up to five simultaneous layers of sound from time to time create a dense sound image, although transparent at all times due to techniques such as spatial simulation, frequency displacement and clear texture identity.
Repulse was released in the 1980s on one of the first major Swedish CD releases of electroacoustic music, the double CD Electroacoustic Music in Sweden, Phono Suecia PS CD 41; up till this day one of the best compilations of electroacoustics ever to surface.
This immediately hits home with an industrial, heavy rhythm that draws on rock n' roll as well as noise, but it soon evolves into more austere, knitwitbit gestures of audio, turning in on itself like musical arthritis, tearing at itself in a clockwork of deconstruction, which eventually lands in a world beyond accounted-for perceptions, where pain is followed by beauty, stillness and a morpheus floating, around which glossy flakes of audio fall like remnants of flown-into high-rises of latter day Babylon… I even get a feeling of grainy remnants of Finnish or Polis harpsichords (Jukka Tiensuu or Elisabeth Chojnacka); a shredded experience of gleaming gleanings into proud antecedentia! Ah, Parmerud paints a mouthful of toothache, and the pain out of the oral cavity comes at you like a dragon's breath… and you hide in the fern; that fresh forest fragrance surrounded by that root canal affliction, slowly spiraling your sense of self like a galaxy majestically through the void of space…
Parmerud delivers a sublime piece of musical art!
Alan Freeman, Audion, no. 49, March 1, 2004
Music Scan, August 26, 2003
Saturday, March 22, 2003 / New releases
eD: Two First Solo CDs by Åke Parmerud and John Oswald
empreintes DIGITALes continues to celebrate electroacoustic creativity by bringing to its audience two great CD premieres: Jeu d'ombres by Swedish composer Åke Parmerud, and Aparanthesi by Canadian composer John Oswald. More
Development: DIM. 0.8s


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Interview with @saradastjani: Everyone wants to prove that they are the best
Sara is an amazing actress currently based in LA but born in Germany. She is into fashion, fitness, traveling and obviously acting. Find out more about her career and her life in this interview. Keep on reading!
Hi Sara, you are a full-time actress. Could you tell us more about your acting beginnings? What made you want to go on this path?
I always knew that I wanted to become an actress. All my childhood I was on stage. As a ballerina, as a pianist, in school musicals or at the kids theatre. I took acting classes in Germany and realized that this is what I'm made for. So I moved over 5 years ago from Germany to LA by myself. I could barely speak any English. I studied at the New York Film Academy: Acting for Film and after I studied at the Stella Adler Academy: Acting for Theater. It changed me a lot and taught me things I didn't even know about myself. I use different types of techniques for acting. I love it. A lot of people were looking funny at me and laughed when I told them about my goal to become an actress and move to LA. Over here people were telling me I have no chance to be an actress with my accent. I work on that accent with my coach for 3 years every week. This is the toughest part for me.
In how many movies have you starred? Would you, please, pick one for us and explain what it is about and did you decide you wanted to take part in it?
I picked Therapists for a leading part because I could use 1 of the 5 languages that I can speak. In this case, it was French. Even though, it was just a French American accent, it was still fun for me. I did many TV shows in Germany for major networks and finished up a comedy series for the US market and a TV show for MTV international. In the early 2019, we are filming a science fiction series for a US major network where I'm playing a leading part. I just signed the contracts and I'm very excited.
What do you think is the best thing about being an actress? Could you also share the best and worst experience you've made connected to acting so far?
The good thing about being an actress is that you can use all the worst last experiences in your life to inspire people to go the right way. That means nothing you went through was for no reason. You can share it and change other people's lives.
The worst experience to me wasn't really any specific situation but the fact that you're often very close to get a great role and then it just doesn't happen. And you get jaded and used to it. You learn to question things more.
Could you describe your typical shooting day?
A typical shooting day starts early in the morning. You usually haven't slept all night because you're so excited and focused on the part you're playing and end up being exhausted and tired by shooting for many hours a day without eating and drinking much.
Do you have problems with remembering your lines? Do you have any tips or tricks for people who struggle with memorising?
Actually I'm really good at memorizing my lines. I can easily learn 8-10 pages a day. My tips for memorizing lines is not to get married to the words but feeling the situation and the meaning of your lines. What helps me is creating a story about the person and the circumstances. And when I'm learning the lines doing something else, for example cleaning my apartment while practicing my lines.
Are you nervous when being in front of the cameras? If so, what do/did you do to overcome the stress and stage-fright?
I'm usually not nervous in front of camera. It's even pushing my confidence because everything feels appreciated and right. Like when I'm at home. I'm the most confident person when the camera is on. But when people are not like that I think it's helpful to focus on the character and the message instead of their personal feelings.
What is it like behind the scenes?
Behind the scenes means stress and no emotions. Nobody cares about your timing, you just have to have done your homework and have to be prepared to deliver right away what they want.
Is it possible to have friends among other actresses or is there rivalry between you guys?
The competition between actors is huge. Even male actors are sometimes weird towards women because the pressure is high. Everyone wants to prove that they are the best and most successful.
Do you have any dream role that you would like to get one day? Tell us more about it.
My dream role is to be a mentally ill person who might kills others and enjoys it. Or to play a historical role in a movie like Gladiator. Not because I feel that way personally but because I look up to other actors who play these parts so believably and I love watching movies like that. It is like the most inspiring acting part for me and I always respect the art and hard work of an actor behind it. I know how hard it is to show these emotions in your eyes and this is my passion to play a role like that and believe myself as an actor.
What is it like kissing strangers for movies? Is it strange for you?
Kissing in a movie is like doing my homework in math. You're focused on the goal and feel nothing. You think and do what you need to be authentic and great. I personally don't find it hard to look sexy. That's why I think this way maybe.
What is your biggest accomplishment so far?
My biggest accomplishment is to have learned to see the big picture, understand the industry and to be able to use my own strategies to get closer to my goal. Also the fact that I've built up an independent life without needing anyone financially and still be able to work on my acting career.
I'm working on new acting techniques and on my accent. I don't want to have any points where people could complain about when it's about acting. Also I'm writing skits and stand-up comedy concepts. I think as artists you should try everything that makes you grow.
What do you do in your free time?
In my free time, I like to spend time with cool friends and inspiring people. I love traveling. I also read a lot and want to learn every day something new.
You were raised in Germany. Do you miss your home country? Is there anything German you like that you can't get in LA?
Of course, there are things I love about Germany. For example, that the pressure is lower and the life quality and resting times are higher than in LA. I love the simple life over there. I can just hang out all day in great restaurants and chill. But you can get everything over here too and more. I love America and LA. I'm very grateful for my life out here.
You also like travelling. How many countries have you visited so far and which ones are on your bucket list?
I think I've traveled the whole world besides Africa and Australia. I know many cultures and learned a lot. I always get inspired when I see the world. I want to do a safari tour in Africa, see the pyramids in Egypt and even Paris, it is so close to my hometown in Germany and I still haven't been there. That's still on my bucket list.
What would you recommend people to visit in Germany?
I recommend to go to Berlin. You have to visit Berlin and Munich. It's very hip and beautiful.
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Sara Dastjani at Goodmorning LALA Land 10. May 2019
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Interview with @saradastjani: Everyone wants to prove that they are the best 5. February 2019
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Give a bedroom a traditional country feel with the addition of this solid pine wardrobe. The antique wax finish and black iron handles and hinges are what gives this piece it's elegant feel – you wouldn't know it was a budget wardrobe just by looking at it! H173 W55 D16.5cm.
Classic white is a great choice for most decorating schemes; it's super easy to live with. The colour evokes a sense of calm, even on a large scale piece of furniture, this budget wardrobe doesn't feel like it would overpower a small room. This 2 door 2 drawer wood wardrobe comes with attractive skirting, pelmet detailing and wooden handles. H153 W82 D49cm.


I coughed for years. I did castor oil packs for 3 nights. It got rid of all the old stuff in me and really changed my life. Good luck.
First, have talked to your Doctor? I say this only because it's impossible for a medical person to diagnose w/o seeing you in person. What color is the phlegm, does it change, ect. If your Doctor can't solve the problem ask to be referred to a specialist.
"You acknowledge that you are 13 years of age or older, and, if under the age of 18, are using this web site under the supervision of a parent, legal guardian, or other responsible adult. Children under the age of 13 are not allowed to visit or otherwise use our Site."
Since you are under the age of eighteen when you are on here one of your parents have to be with you as well.
It's very mature to reach out for help when you aren't feeling well. However no one on Connect can prescribe or tell you what to take or do. We aren't doctors or practicing any type of medicine.
What I suggest is that you tell your folks that you would like to go to the doctors, if they haven't already suggested it, to get help with your cough.
Please don't forget to have one of your parents on here with you. My best to you. Please do seek help with your cough!
@zackisgreat34 Zack, one thing it could be is what is called silent reflux also known as lpr: Laryngopharyngeal reflux. It is treatable, so please talk with your parents. You may need to start with your family doctor and then see specialist such as a gastroenterologist (stomach doctor). Best of luck and my prayers.


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Category Archives: Kleer
by dunderbeck1980 | July 27, 2016 · 12:01 pm
Grooves On Wax: Post Disco Boogie (1979-1982)
Kleer were a band whom I'd heard about for years,but never really explored their music. This 1979 sophomore album from this New York band showcases some of the ideal elements of the post disco sound. All of the songs,even the mid tempo ballads,have a heavy funk stop to them. Still the orchestrated strings and vocal harmonies from the height of the disco era are still a big part of these very well constructed,produced and played on funk jams.
Key Jams: "Winners","Rollin' On" and "Open Your Mind"
Switch were musically speaking Motown's closest equivalent to Earth Wind & Fire in terms of sound: big melodic sound that was filled with personality. Featuring the two elder DeBarge brothers in Tommy and the the late Bobby,as well as James Ingram's brother Phillip,this band had the talent of being able to switch off instruments while playing. Hence their name. Everything from the ballads,funk and disco oriented numbers on this 1979 sophomore album of their's were full of class and talent. Including the moments group mentor Jermaine Jackson stepped in to help out.
Key Jams: "Next To You" and "Go On Doin' What You Feel"
As the 1980 Motown debut for the group formerly known as Philip Bailey's pet project Kinsman Dazz, this really showcased horn players/singer/songwriter's Bobby Harris and Skip Martin's talents at blending a strong post disco pop funk sound with plenty of instrumentally jazzy touches. On this and it's follow up Let The Music Play,the Dazz Band were not yet the electro funk juggernaut of the middle of the decade. Still their sound as evolving in another way.
Key Jams: "Shake It Up" and "Beyond The Horizon"
This 1981 album is actually the sophomore one of two albums released by this Five Stairstep's spin off act. The album is full of some very saucy P-Funk influences-especially when it comes to Keni Burke's thick,up front bass lines and the flamboyant vocals and arrangements.
Key Jams: "Really Wanna See Ya","Party Time" and "Same Thang"
Bobby Militello played sax with Maynard Ferguson during the height of his fusion period in the late 70's. Apparently at the strong suggestion of Rick James,the newly rechristened Bobby M signed to Motown to record this 1982 album. Not only did it feature powerful vocals from Jean Carn on a version of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together",but the writing and production of Jamaica,Queens musical icons Lenny White and Bernard Wright were the icing on the cake.
Key Jams: "Alto Man","Blow" and "Rome Tones"
Filed under 1970's, 1980's, Bobby Militello, Boogie Funk, Dazz Band, Invisible Man's Band, Keni Burke, Kleer, Motown, post disco, Switch, Vinyl
Tagged as 1970's, 1980's, Bobby Militello, boogie funk, Dazz Band, Invisible Man's Band, Keni Burke, Kleer, Motown, post disco, Switch, vinyl records


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Honeymoons in Africa, holidays & tours
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There's no better way to relax and celebrate your lives together, than on a romantic honeymoon in Africa.
Honeymoons in Africa, holidays & tours available in Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe
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The early explorers fell in love with quiet, intimate nights under canvas, sitting around the fire with the energy of optimism and opportunity that filled the air. It is the same romance and freedom that bought the European settlers to Africa years later and it's the incredible feeling of being alive that makes people return for romantic holidays.
Africa is the only real authentic honeymoon destination that offers you endless options, from romantic boutique camps and lodges in the heart of the Serengeti or the Okavango Delta, to nights under stars on privately owned wildlife concessions. There are beaches and tropical islands, hot air balloon rides over the savannah plains and an energy and love that can only be found in Africa.
Honeymoons are highly personal and specialised and they require a lot of attention. It's important to find the perfect itinerary and accommodations to make it as special as it should be.
Popular Honeymoons in Africa
Experience the best of Africa, from the Okavango Delta – one of Africa's Seven Natural Wonders – to the endangered mountain gorillas and East Africa's Great Migration
South African Holiday Adventure (10 days)
Explore the southern-most city on the African continent, before jetting off to spot the Big Five
Mozambique Island Honeymoon Getaway (6 days)
Spend 5 romantic nights at Ibo Island Lodge, situated in the magical Quirimbas Archipelago in Northern Mozambique.
Migration Safari in Kenya and Tanzania (8 days)
See the beauty of nature's greatest wildlife spectacle in two countries
Cape Town, Whale Coast and Victoria Falls Tour (10 days)
Experience a safari adventure that combines the very best of Victoria Falls with the undeniable highlights of Cape Town and the Whale Coast.
HerdTracker Serengeti Wildebeest Migration Adventure (7 days)
Experience the wildebeest migration in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park with HerdTracker
Best of Botswana and South Africa (11 days)
Experience the best of two of southern Africa's gems
HerdTracker Masai Mara Wildebeest Migration Journey (7 days)
Witness the wildebeest migration in Kenya's iconic Masai Mara National Reserve with HerdTracker
Botswana Big Five Safari (7 days)
Encounter the extraordinary herd of elephants and other species that will make your safari remarkable in the Okavango Delta and Moremi Game Reserve
South African Bush and Beach Journey (10 days)
Explore the magic of Cape Town followed by the Scenic Garden Route and finally the Big Five members at the Kruger National Park
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Tanzania's uncrowned wildlife parks and reserves combined with the turquoise Indian Ocean islands makes for an incredible honeymoon destination that is both unspoilt and authentic. At the moment, it's Africa's premier honeymoon option. The people's warm and friendly manner combined with the world's best parks and reserves, islands and beaches is unparalleled.
During the right time of year, Botswana's reserves and parks offer a magnificent safari experience. With its intimate boutique camps in remote locations, Botswana is very accessible and can easily be combined with the beaches in South Africa or Mozambique.
South Africa is a honeymoon from start to finish, with pristine beaches and extraordinary wildlife lodges and camps. At the moment it's one of the few safari destinations where you can effortlessly combine the bush with the beach.
Kenya is a bit more of a mass tourism beach location, but there are a few private villas or lodges that offer authentic, romantic honeymoon options. Combine the beach with the Laikipia, Lewa and central highlands and find a perfect honeymoon in Kenya. Lamu in the north offers wonderful beach options in a remote location and can easily be combined with the Masai Mara or private wildlife areas.
Uganda's forests and Lake Victoria's beaches make a great combination and there are few things more romantic than a wooden cabin in the African rainforest. The Nile River is another stellar option.
Mozambique's private islands are simply ideal for a honeymoon. The Quirimbas and Bazaruto archipelago's are southern Africa's premier beach destinations. Combine these with some good safari locations just across the border in South Africa.
Namibia has an entirely different beauty. The space and contrast has its own unique beauty and appeal, with the empty, flat dessert and the wildlife rich Etosha National Park. There's also the Atlantic Ocean and endless vistas and sunsets. Namibia is for the adventurous honeymoon couple and offers space and tranquillity with wonderful locations and warm hearted locals.
The Islands of Mauritius, Seychelles, Reunion and or Madagascar offer wonderful honeymoon experiences with private and romantic accommodation options. Mauritius and the Seychelles are the more commercial options, while Reunion and Madagascar are more authentic and unspoilt. Combine any of these islands with mainland Africa's wilderness or simply visit the islands on their own.
Frequently Asked Questions about Honeymoons in Africa
When is the best time to visit Shamwari Game Reserve?
Wildlife viewing in Shamwari Game Game Reserve is good throughout the year. However, the best wildlife viewing is during the driest winter months of June to September. The lack of water in the bush drives animals to open water sources -… go there.
What research should one do when thinking of travelling through Africa?
Africa for centuries has captured the imagination of explorers hence there really is a lot of information out there available on the continent from guide books to novels. go there.
What kinds of animals will I see on safari?
Whether you are in the Southern or East Africa you will generally be able to see the big five. The difference really comes in when considering antelope as they are based on your chosen location. go there.
What vaccinations should I get?
This is all dependant on the countries that you will be visitng and due to the status of certain vaccinations changing at times, please consult our experts before getting vaccines. go there.
Is it okay to drink the water?
In some parts of Southern Africa it is safe to drink the tap water, however it is highly recommended to stick to bottled water (mostly supplied) during your trip as even drinkable African water is completely different in taste and… go there.
Reviews on our Honeymoons in Africa
This was my first safari. I didn't expect to be so pampered. Everything was first class. We had everything provided for us before even asking. We had a dedicated team at our service. Megan was on call whenever we needed something and she…
from Nigeria
Tanya was an absolute delight to deal with. From the first phone call she was extremely polite, professional and very eager to facilitate my requests regarding our safari. Our 3 nights at the V & A Hotel were fabulous and Motswari Game…
Perfectly tailor-made tours that take all your wishes and requests into consideration. All my expectations were beyond fulfilled.
Henrik Wetterstrand
Living afar and trusting in an organisation with whom you have no previous knowledge can lead to feeling of mistrust and wondering whether what we have paid for actually exists. A little more proactive communication would have eased those…
Tony Russell
I just wanted to thank Discover Africa and Karl Svendsen - the safari was great - we saw many more animals than expected including cheetah, leopard, many lions and even a three-day old elephant calf. Additionally, we had our own hippo…
Margaret Dean
Planning the trip was managed extremely well especially since travel was at a busy time of year and not much notice was given. All communication was by email, and was responded to promptly and efficiently. Different options were provided…
Suzanne McKeen
Africa is the perfect post-COVID holiday destination
Sure we were all upset about being locked indoors with all travel plans coming to a complete halt earlier this year. At the same time allowing all parties involved to positively take stock, adapt and implement responsibility toward future… read more
A traveller's guide to Botswana's Moremi Game Reserve
Botswana's Moremi Game Reserve forms part of the Okavango Delta - the world's 1000th World Heritage Site. It's also the only official protected area in the Delta - and holds significant scientific, environmental and conservation… read more
Five romantic honeymoon accommodation options in Zambia
Welcome to the wild land of Zambia - where safari thrill, evening delight, five-star meets wonder and respect in a truly inspiring natural wonderland. Here you'll find beautiful private hideaways, secluded private dinners in the wilderness… read more
Exploring the Selinda Canoe Trail in Botswana
This part of the Okavango Delta was pretty much dried up for almost 30 decades until one fateful day in August of 2009 when heavy rains caused the area to flood once again, creating what is today known as the Selinda canoe trail. Whether… read more


En español | Opportunities for older workers abound, especially for those seeking employment in certain in-demand fields such as health care and education. Employers are especially eager to find candidates with experience and workplace skills, according to ManpowerGroup's 2015 Talent Shortage survey, which also found that 32 percent of American employers say they are having difficulty filling openings. "These are areas in which older workers hold the advantage over millennials and younger generations," says Sunny Ackerman, a vice president at ManpowerGroup. Here are 10 in-demand jobs for workers 50 and older.
Given the growth in the number of adults 65 and older who need health services, caregiving is a rapidly expanding field. "If you are a people person, working as a caregiver is a perfect job for someone who is 50-plus. Giving care to someone who needs you is a wonderful experience," says Shirley Huff, a 66-year-old former nurse from Mount Vernon, Mo., who quit her last job as a convenience store clerk to find something more rewarding. She found exactly that with Visiting Angels, a national in-home senior-care company for which she provides living assistance services to a variety of patients.
About 1 in 4 Uber drivers are 50 or older, and 6 in 10 drivers have no previous professional driving experience. That makes a part-time or full-time job with a ride-sharing service such as Uber, Lyft or Curb a good option for older workers looking to try something new. Craig Mitchell, 63, of Greenwood, Ind., recently quit his traveling sales representative job, signed up with Uber and hasn't looked back. "Uber allows me the flexibility of making the money I require and setting the hours and days I want to work. There is no one looking over my shoulder trying to put pressure on me," Mitchell says.
The number of new-teacher hires in public schools is expected to increase 32 percent between now and 2023, according to a 2016 U.S. Department of Education report. But even if you don't feel like going back to school to get the bachelor's degree in education typically required to teach elementary school, you should consider becoming a substitute teacher for kindergarten through 12th grade, which can require as little as a high school diploma and a state-issued teaching certification or license. (Requirements can vary by state.) "Many community colleges and other institutions are offering training for transitions to teaching at the K-12 level," says Mitchell Langbert, 62, who teaches human resource management at Brooklyn College in Brooklyn, N.Y.
AARP's Job Board is a great way to find the perfect job for you. The Work and Jobs section of our website also includes valuable tools, information and resources to achieve your professional and income goals.
Keep up with the latest tips on job hunting and more by signing up for the AARP Webletter.
If you're good at planning, coordinating, record keeping and office upkeep, this could be the ideal gig for you. And jobs like this within the professional and business services sector are anticipated to grow 17 percent by the end of the year, based on the most recent Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, which projects hiring for the fourth quarter of 2016. "The skills needed for many administrative jobs are transferable with the skills aging workers used in former roles," Ackerman says. "And with their wealth of institutional knowledge and both soft and hard skills, aging workers with years of experience have the advantage over younger workers looking for similar roles."
"Medical personnel need dependable, reliable individuals who will make people feel at ease," says Joanne Munekawa, career services manager for Employment Boost, a Detroit-based career services firm. "Patients may be more comfortable seeing a seasoned staff member behind the desk than a bushy-tailed, bright-eyed 20-something." Munekawa notes that workers age 50-plus can be relied on for punctuality and stability, which "are important in administrative support roles within the medical field," she says.
Financial analysts offer direction to individuals and businesses making investment decisions, often assessing how stocks, bonds and other investments perform. It's a position where healthy 12 percent growth is expected between now and 2024, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "As the workforce ages, there is greater demand for financial advisers and others to help with retirement planning and wealth management," Ackerman says. "Older workers are often a great fit for these roles where employers are looking for strong industry experience and expertise, and tend to be more flexible about scheduling and remote work."
For the fourth year in a row, the ManpowerGroup's 2015 Talent Shortage Survey found that employers had the most trouble filling positions for skilled trade workers. That includes chefs, bakers, butchers, mechanics and electricians. If you already have experience in one of those fields or have always entertained the idea of pursuing one of them, now could be your chance to take the plunge.
When your job is managing a vacation rental property, you can work in comfortable leisure locations, enjoy a flexible schedule and maybe get a discount to stay at the property yourself. "My real estate and marketing background helps me create a great guest experience and successfully price, market and manage vacation rentals," says Francesca Watson-McFeely, a 56-year-old Fort Lauderdale woman who manages properties for TurnKey Vacation Rentals.
With expected longer life spans comes an increased demand for medical care, which is where you stand to benefit — by helping to fill the major gap in nurses anticipated. Between now and 2022, 1.2 million registered nurse (RN) vacancies are expected, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which projects 16 percent job growth in this field up to 2024. If you already have a bachelor's degree, you may be able to pursue an accelerated program that can get you working in the field in as little as a year after beginning your nursing education. And post-50 doesn't mean you're too old: 49 percent of full-time RNs are at least 50 years old, according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers. Another option is becoming a licensed practical nurse, which requires less training.
The manufacturing and distribution sectors have many second- and third-shift positions available. That's because younger candidates often don't want to work at night, making these jobs harder to fill. "If you're willing to make a lifestyle adjustment and you're in a place where you're not going out to the club until 2 a.m., off-shifts can be a great way to get your foot in the door and transition careers," Munekawa says. "Additionally, off-shifts often carry a premium on the wage."


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Floor Speech: Filibustering to Death the Gorsuch Nomination Would Fly in the Face of 230 Years of Senate Tradition
President Trump's nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to be a member of the United States Supreme Court is being considered this week in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Soon the nomination is likely to move to the floor for debate.
Some have suggested that instead of allowing a majority of senators to decide whether to approve the Gorsuch nomination, there should first be a "cloture" vote to determine whether to cut off debate.
Cutting off debate requires the approval of 60 senators. So, if 41 of the 46 Democrat senators vote not to cut off debate, there would never be an up-or-down majority vote to approve Gorsuch.
In other words, the 41 Democrat senators would have filibustered to death the Gorsuch nomination.
Filibustering to death the Gorsuch nomination—or any presidential nomination, for that matter—flies in the face of 230 years of Senate tradition.
Throughout the Senate's history, approval of even the most controversial presidential nominations has required only a majority vote.
For example, in 1991, President George H.W Bush nominated Judge Clarence Thomas to be an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court.
The debate was bitter. The Senate confirmed Thomas narrowly, 52-48. Although Senate rules allowed any senator to try to filibuster the nomination to death, none did.
In fact, Senate rules have always allowed senators the option to filibuster to death a presidential nomination. Yet, it has almost never happened.
According to the former Senate Historian, with one possible exception, which I will describe later, the number of Supreme Court justices in our country's history who have been denied their seats by filibuster is zero.
The number of cabinet members in our country's history who have been denied their seats by a filibuster is zero.
The number of federal district judges in our country's history who have been denied their seats by a filibuster is zero.
And until 2003, the number of circuit judges in our country's history who had been denied their seats by filibuster was zero.
Sen. Everett Dirksen did not filibuster President Johnson's nominees. Sen. Robert Byrd did not filibuster President Reagan's nominees. Sen. Howard Baker did not filibuster President Carter's nominees. Sen. Bob Dole did not filibuster President Clinton's nominees.
During most of the 20th century, when one party controlled the White House and the Senate seventy per cent of the time, the minority never filibustered to death a single presidential nominee.
On the other hand, there have been plenty of filibusters on legislation. So many that in 1917, the Senate adopted a cloture rule as a way to end filibusters. The rule was amended in 1949, 1959, 1975, 1979, and 1986 – always in response to filibusters on legislation, never on nominations.
It was the 1975 change that established the current cloture standard of 60 votes to end debate, except on amendments to the Standing Rules.
Filibustering a presidential nomination has always been treated differently than filibustering a legislative matter.
The filibuster of legislation is perhaps the Senate's most famous characteristic. It has been called "democracy's finest show, the right to talk your head off."
As the actor Jimmy Stewart says in the movie "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," "Wild Horses aren't going to drag me off this floor until those people have heard everything I've got to say, even if it takes all winter."
The late Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia described the importance of the legislative filibuster in a different in this way. "Our Founding Fathers," Sen. Byrd said in his last speech, "intended the Senate to be a continuing body that allows for open and unlimited debate and the protection of minority rights. Senators have understood this since the Senate first convened."
In fact, the whole idea of the Senate is not to have majority rule on legislation.
Throughout Senate history, the purpose of the legislative filibuster has been to force consensus on issues, to force there to be a group of senators on either side who have to respect one another's views so they work together and produce 60 votes on important matters.
Nominations have always been treated differently from legislation.
For example, under Senate Rule 14, any Senator can bring legislation directly to the Calendar of General Orders, bypassing committees. There is no such power for nominations.
Senate rules allow debate—and therefore the possibility of a filibuster—on a motion to proceed to legislation. Debate is not allowed on a motion to proceed to nominations.
In summary, while Senate rules have always allowed extended debate or filibusters, the filibuster was never used to block a nomination until recently.
As I mentioned earlier, it was never used to block a Cabinet nomination. Never used to block a federal district judge. Until 2003, never used to block a circuit judge. And never used to block a Supreme Court Justice, with one possible exception.
That exception occurred in 1968 when President Lyndon Johnson sought to elevate Associate Justice Abe Fortas to be Chief Justice.
When it became clear that a Senate majority would not agree, Johnson engineered a 45-43 cloture vote so that Fortas could save face and appear to have won something, according to the former Senate Historian. Fortas then asked the President to withdraw the nomination.
Other than the Fortas exception, the filibuster was never used to block ANY judicial nomination until 2003 and 2004 when Democrats decided to use the 60 vote cloture requirement to block ten of President George W. Bush's nominees.
This unprecedented action produced a threat by Republicans to change the Senate rules to make it clear that only a majority vote is required to approve a presidential nomination.
There was a negotiation and eventually five of Bush's nominees were approved, five were blocked and the rules were not changed.
Then in 2011 and 2013 Republicans returned the favor by seeking to block five of President Obama's nominees for the circuit court by insisting on a 60 vote cloture on each.
Republicans alleged the president was trying to pack the Circuit Court of the District of Columbia with three liberal judges.
To overcome Republican objections, Democrats invoked the so-called "nuclear option." They broke the Senate rules to change the rules. The new rule eliminated the possibility of 60 vote cloture motions for all presidential nominees except for the Supreme Court.
There have been other examples of minority senators filibustering nominations to death, all of them during the last three administrations, and all involving subcabinet nominations.
And, of course, there have been delays in considering nominations.
My own nomination in 1991 as U.S. Education Secretary was delayed 51 days by a Democratic senator. President Reagan's nomination of Ed Meese as Attorney General of the United States was delayed a year by a Democratic Senate.
No one has ever disputed our right in the Senate, regardless of who was in charge, to use our constitutional duty of advice and consent to delay and examine, sometimes cause nominations to be withdrawn or even to defeat nominees by a majority vote.
But as we approach a vote on Neil Gorsuch on the floor of the Senate, it is useful to remember that the tradition of the United States Senate has been to treat legislative matters and nominations differently.
Filibuster to death legislation, yes. Filibuster to death presidential nominations, no.
Should the Gorsuch nomination come to the floor soon, as I believe it will, overwhelming Senate tradition requires that whether to approve it should be decided by a majority vote and that there should be no attempt by the minority to filibuster the nomination to death.
Permalink: https://www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2017/3/floor-speech


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David Fickling Books Ltd (DFB) became an independent publishing house in July 2013 following 12 years with Scholastic and then Random House. They have published several prize-winning and bestselling books including Lyra's Oxford (from the world of His Dark Materials) by Philip Pullman, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne, Bing Bunny by Ted Dewan, Pants by Nick Sharratt and Giles Andreae, Before I Die by Jenny Downham, Trash by Andy Mulligan (shortly to be a major movie with script by Richard Curtis) and A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton.

They are the only other publishing house to have ever won the Branford Boase Award three times, other than Chicken House's Barry Cunningham.

DFB also works closely with The Phoenix, a weekly story comic for children which David Fickling founded.

Books published

Notes

References

External links

Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom
Publishing companies established in 2002
Children's book publishers
Random House
2002 establishments in the United Kingdom