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The Red Scare: The Fear Of Communism In America
As any American teen that has been exposed to pop culture or any form of political media knows, Communism is the root of all evil. Many people would laugh at that statement while also acknowledging that there is some truth to that – at least in America –. The very fact that it 's this widely understood notion that teens do not even question it says something about its depth in American history. So, it's time to understand Communism and its impact on American society and politics. However, since Communism has a fairly long history, we are going to mainly focus on the 1920s Red Scare. The 1920s Red Scare was – in the most basic terms – the fear of Communism in 1920s America. What caused this fear? The answer is a recurring theme in American history …show more content…
Poor Europeans who came over to the United States to escape persecution, discrimination and economic hardships soon found themselves in a foreign country with similar prejudices against them along with low paying jobs. Communism and socialism, a threat to rich Americans, mainly white Anglo-Saxons, was the best chance for immigrants (Roman Catholics, Eastern Europeans, etc.) and minorities at a better life in America. At this time in history, labor strikes – at least in the eyes of American capitalists –weren 't just people exercising their right to assemble, it was a direct attack on the foundation of America, by people who weren 't even truly American - "Aliens were presumably 'reds ' and 'reds '" - (Evans, "The Sacco and Vanzetti Cases"). They were no longer Americans, they were anarchists, a threat to American …show more content…
So why are the events of the red scare are so imbedded in America 's history? It 's fair to say that it wasn 't just because America hated communism. The propaganda set during that time was so strong and well implemented that it still lives today. Immigrants struggle to make it in America, they have different political views, views that don 't necessarily benefit the already rich and powerful. So, what must the powerful citizens of America do to secure their overwhelming control of money and the government? Shut-it-down. Take prejudices against the minority, the poor and paint them as threats to the republic. Granted communism often leads to turmoil and is the very opposite of the American competitive market, but it alone wasn 't what the red scare of the 1920s was
Discussion Of Communism In Communist Manifesto, By Karl Marx
The United States revolted against the motherland in large part because of Britain's unfair taxation, yet now, it is American citizens who often complain of their own government's unfair taxation. The revolution simply served to place a new group of people in power, and I believe the same would…
World War 1 Research Paper
A Isolationist foreign policy was encouraged by the Congress about giving the other nations a pathway into the United States policies too. Creating the big cultural melting pot of the american people. The melting pot though was basically a venture by both the allied and central powers that made America a part of this in the first place. the Americans had made the Germans seem like they were the most dangerous people with a seriously insane military. They also believed that the germans had some secret idea that they could take over teh Democracy and the American power, yeah not exactly the greatest idea that they made, sense that it never actually happened so anyway.…
Imperialism In How The Other Half Lives By Jacob Riis
The North American purported that "It is high time for us to realize justly our own status, and to see that in taking part in affairs of the world." This grandiose reflected the ideological American pride of the time. Some of the hype would prove true, but "The American economy experienced a sever postwar recession. And much of the middle class…responded to demands for change with a fearful, conservative hostility." Even though America won the war aboard, widespread fear ascertains the idea that America lost the war at home. Moreover, Americans experienced growing anxiety over the spread of the Communism. Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer proclaimed that, "first that the Reds" [are] criminal aliens, and secondly that the American Government must prevent crime." Palmer helps support the notion that the war inspires fear and distrust in a society.…
Communism: Negatively Affected American Culture
One of the ways communism directly affected americans was through the Cold War. Although the Cold War, was a global conflict between capitalist United States and communist USSR, it also negatively impacted American culture because it created a sense of fear and limited freedoms in American citizens. The start of Communism in Russia came about during the harshness of the…
Causes Of The Red Scare
The Red Scare America 1917-1929 The main cause was a distrust of immigrants. The Red Scare applies to a period of strong anti-communism in history. The period was characterized by heightened suspicion of communists and other radicals and the fear of widespread infiltration of communists in the US government. Communism is a system the government enforces in which property is owned by the society and people receive equal pay, land, education, etc. Every being under communism is equal.…
Law And Justice Make Humanity: Hillary Clinton And Rand Paul
In turn, however, they disrespected and failed to trust the people they vowed to protect. This tension has led to mass incarceration that has a negative economic impact on communities across the country. Both politicians agree that change needs to happen in order to protect the security of the American people. Clinton's belief in the cause of the tension being rooted in mistrust between citizen and law enforcement and the tension's economic impacts makes a better argument than Rand Paul's argument stating that militarization came about solely due to big government…
Social Classes In 18th Century France
Louis XIV decided to fund the American effort, not because he liked the new world, but because of his hatred for England. He believed that if the Americans were able to defeat the English, France could finally lay claim to valuable English colonies. While he had rationalization for funding the Americans, his contributions ruined France financially and plunged them into deep debt. This left virtually no money for the country to address the class divide and social and economic problems stirring at home. Something had to be done to raise revenue, and higher taxes were an obvious…
Pat Mora Legal Alien Analysis
Some see them as a burden on the economy. This usually results in a tough life here for Immigrants. No one wanted to hire Firoozeh's father just because he was Iranian, even though he was highly intelligent. In America bi-cultural people feel uncomfortable for being different, they feel as if they don't belong; bullied. In America there is hate crimes towards innocent foreigners just for being from a certain country.…
What Are The Problems Faced By Woodrow Wilson's Problems
Woodrow Wilson faces problems of the United States Wilson thought that the government was having privacy problems, that there was too much government involved in big businesses, that the tariff was too high and was causing Americans to lose money, and that the United States was stuck in a cycle when it came to government. To fix these problems he wanted to bring the government back to the people of the United States, he wanted to bring back competition to solve government involvement and the tariffs, and he wanted people to stand up for themselves and vote for who they actually want in the elections. Wilson had many other problems and solutions in his book but theses were some of the main ones that stuck out to me. During Woodrow Wilson's…
Why Capitalist Brainwash Is Wrong
The threat of no free market is such a terrifying notion that America and Russia threatened to blow up the whole world because of it. Americans value capitalism as if it is a social more, but in reality, it goes against the most sacred values of society. The brainwashing that America has been providing the people is misinformed. This causes Americans to reject socialism,…
Vladimir Lenin
October Revolution


What Can You Afford To Buy?
Income. Debt. Down Payment. Closing Costs. Two Years Income Tax Returns. Assets. Liabilities. IRAs. You want WHAT? Just what can I afford?
Buying a home in today's marketplace is a bit intimidating. And your new home purchase is likely to be one of the most important decisions you've ever had to make. Usually it's one of the single most valuable assets you'll own.
Before you invest hundreds of hours searching--and to avoid any heartbreak if you find yourself unable to qualify for your dream home--sit down with a lender. Your lender can perform a simple verbal prequalfication in about twenty minutes and a full-fledged prequalfication in about 5 days.
Pre-qualification not only allows you to focus your search in the correct price range, saving a lot of wasted time and frustration, but it can also give you an edge when competing with other offers on a home that you find. If a seller is deciding between two offers—-yours who has been qualified and another unqualified offer, they are much more likely to pick yours. Pre-qualification will also give you leverage when negotiating with a seller in a non-competitive atmosphere; it essentially makes you a cash buyer.
The amount of home that you qualify for will be determined by three key factors: your down payment, your ability to qualify for a mortgage and closing costs.
Whereas a current homeowner can rely on equity from their home sale, a first time homebuyer is limited to the money they can save. The days of having to put 20 percent down on a home are in the past, although putting a large amount of money down definitely makes it easier to qualify for a mortgage and to get the lowest interest rates available. With the various programs that are available today, you can put as little as 3 percent down on a home.
2. Your monthly housing cost (PITI) plus other long-term debt should not exceed 33 to 38% of your monthly gross income.
Income – This first element can include not only your gross monthly income and secondary income (commissions, bonuses) but also your history of employment, stability of income, education, even potential for future earnings.
Credit History -- This encompasses your history of debt repayment, total outstanding debt, highest balance, and your highest monthly debt balance.
Assets – Your assets consist of cash on hand, savings and checking accounts, CDs, stocks, bonds or any other type of liquid asset.
Property – The home you are planning to purchase will be appraised to determine the market value. The estimated value must be sufficient to secure the loan. Lenders will loan you no more than a certain percentage (usually 95%) of this value.
Keep in mind that in addition to your down payment, you will also be responsible for paying fees for the loan and closing costs. These will be required at the time of closing unless you qualify and choose to have these included in your financing.
Closing Costs generally will range between 2 percent and 6 percent of the mortgage loan, depending on the loan and lender. You will be provided with a "Good Faith Estimate" of closing costs so you can know what to expect.
"Points", which are one-time charges equal to one percent of your loan amount, may be required by your lender at closing.
Your closing agent will charge a fee at the close of the sale.
Looking for a mortgage specialist?
Do you want the loan program that best suits your individual needs?
Do you want the lender with the best rates?
Do you want the mortgage broker with the lowest fees?
I'll be there to assist you!
There are zillions of mortgage brokers, lenders and loan programs to choose from.


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1965. Escalation of the Vietnam War
The Great Powers and Vietnam
"Walt Rostow shows President Lyndon B. Johnson a model of the Khe Sanh area," February 15, 1968 (source)
ABC Washington
For the past 24 hours, some so-called Washington official sources have been dismissing Communist Chinese and Soviet Russian warnings of intervention in the Vietnam War as "they're bluffing."
At an extraordinary cabinet meeting at the White House this afternoon, President Johnson corrected that horseback assessment with a restatement of America's goals in Southeast Asia. Bluffing or not, Mr. Johnson was telling Moscow and Peiping that they would be wise to avoid a big-power showdown in Southeast Asia.
The fact is, our diplomatic and intelligence experts on the Far East dismiss no pronouncements from the two Communist capitals without serious and prolonged checking and study; and that's what is going on now. Red China's statement was made through Peiping's official party journal, pledging Chinese manpower to aid the Viet Cong guerrillas if the Vietnamese people want them. It's to be noted that Red China's pledge was not directed to Ho Chi Minh's regime at Hanoi, but to what Peiping called the South Vietnam Liberation Front.
After our experience in Korea some 15 years ago, no responsible US official is downgrading such a declaration.
The same serious study is being given to Moscow's implied threat to send Russian volunteers to Vietnam made by Party Secretary Brezhnev the day before yesterday. The USSR already has agreed to supply Hanoi with modern weapons, including Russian antiaircraft missiles and fighter planes. That was a month ago; thus far the promised weapons have not shown up.
The peculiar thing about these parallel gestures of aid to the Viet Cong is that Moscow and Peiping did not join in bilateral comradeship to come to the aid of an embattled Communist ally. The Red Chinese are still berating the Kremlin for mistreating Chinese student demonstrators who attempted to storm the US embassy in Moscow. However, this does not lessen the possibility that one or both of the disputing Communist giants might attempt to aid Hanoi. Both Moscow and Peiping want to guarantee their continued influence in North Vietnam. Any inter-Communist contest in arms-supply to the Viet Cong would certainly make the military crisis there even more dangerous.
Geography and manpower combine to make the Chinese Communists the greater immediate threat to the US presence in Southeast Asia. However, despite this, the United States had decided to press its aerial offensive in both North and South Vietnam. It entails the carefully controlled use of military force to bring about a political decision—namely, to convince the Communist commanders in Hanoi to call off their dogs.
This policy entails the risk of war with Red China, admittedly. Peiping knows this through our repeated warnings that, unlike Korea, any Communist planes attacking our forces will be permitted no sanctuary—not in North Vietnam nor even in Red Chinese territory.
In the past, Washington diplomats have pointed out that Mao Tse-tung and company have been very circumspect in their conduct of Red China's foreign policy. They point out that Peiping gave early warning of Chinese intervention in Korea if UN troops threatened her Yalu River border—a warning that was ignored. Now the Chinese have produced another warning. But this time they also have been warned in advance of what their intervention entails.
For 15 years since the Korean truce agreement, the Chinese Communists have refused to challenge the United States in the Formosa Straits. Not one Peiping plane has flown over the island of Taiwan, even though it's widely known as a base for U-2 reconnaissance flights over the Chinese mainland. Although the Peiping government succeeded in detonating its first atomic explosion some five months ago, the Red Chinese are in no position to challenge America's nuclear might.
In other words, US strategists do not regard Mao and Chou En-lai as madmen willing to risk the destruction of their hand-made Oriental revolution—or the atomizing of their ancient motherland.
President Johnson's was a personal, if indirect, appeal for a negotiated settlement of the Vietnam conflict this afternoon. It remains now to see if Peiping, Hanoi, or Moscow want to pick up the bid and play for a diplomatic solution—or continue the deadly game of war.
This is Bill Downs, substituting for Edward P. Morgan, saying good night from Washington.
1948. Letters from the Berlin During the Blockade
1947. The Men in Germany's Future
1945. The Devastation in Western Germany
1942. Fascist Italy on the Brink
1943. Stalin's Cult of Personality
1945. The Uprising in French Indochina
1965. The Intrigue Behind the Indo-Pakistani War o...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


In the opening scene of the iconic movie of the 1960s, The Graduate, Benjamin Braddock, at a party to celebrate his college degree, is given one word of advice for his future: "Plastics." Were young Benjamin to be receiving that advice today the word would be: "Batteries." Steve Visco of Berkeley Lab's Materials Sciences Division had plenty of encouraging words for young graduates on the opportunities to be had in next generation battery research. Speaking at the recent national meeting of the American Chemical Society in New Orleans, Visco discussed the enormous progress his own start-up company, PolyPlus, has made in developing lithium-metal batteries with unprecedented energy density, and how the ever-growing need for electrical energy storage will require continued innovation and development in battery research.
The main challenge for battery science has always been to maximize the amount of stored energy while maintaining stable electrode-electrolyte interfaces. When Visco began his battery research at Berkeley Lab in the late 1980s, the gold standards in rechargeable batteries were nickel-cadmium and lead-acid. In 1991, Visco and colleagues including Lutgard De Jonghe, also with Berkeley Lab's Materials Sciences Division, formed PolyPlus, based on promising science with lithium-sulfur batteries. Shortly thereafter, Sony released the first lithium-ion batteries and a new gold standard was set.
Visco and his colleagues at PolyPlus rose to this new challenge with a major breakthrough of their own, the protected lithium electrode (PLE). The PLE technology enabled the PolyPlus lithium-water battery to achieve the highest energy density ever recorded at 1,300 watt-hour per kilogram – several hundred times better than the maximum delivered by present day lithium-ion batteries. The key to the PLE technology's success is the use of a water-stable, solid-state, lithium-conducting membrane to shield the lithium metal core from the external environment. Lithium is lightweight and has an excellent electrochemical potential but is so highly reactive it rapidly corrodes upon contact with water. With the PLE technology, the lithium metal anode is sealed within a membrane that lets lithium ions pass through but keeps out water and air.
The PLE technology has won PolyPlus extensive recognition, including selection by TIME magazine as one of the 50 Best Inventions of 2011, a 2012 Edison Award and two grants from DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). However, while the technology has addressed the reactivity problem for lithium-metal batteries, rechargeability remains a major hurdle. Whereas lithium-ion batteries can be recharged thousands of times, the best lithium-metal batteries can only be recharged a few hundred times. Progress is being made, however.
"PolyPlus has developed 8 amp-hour capacity primary lithium-air cells that deliver more than 800 watt hours/kilogram and we're making excellent progress with rechargeable lithium-air batteries," Visco said.
PolyPlus has also announced the development of a revolutionary aqueous lithium-sulfur battery for which it won an ARPA-E grant. PolyPlus expects to market the world's first rechargeable aqueous lithium-sulfur battery within the next three years, followed by introduction of the rechargeable lithium-air battery.


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State of New York secondary Archives: on Tax Reform
Andrew Cuomo: Tax cut for middle class; increase taxes on wealthiest 1%
Although Cuomo said as a candidate in 2010 state taxes were "out of control" and candidate Astorino in 2009 called county taxes "madness", records show each, at best, only stemmed the growth in taxes, which remain among the highest in the nation.
Cuomo's tax message includes a modest cut for the middle class while increasing taxes on the state's tiny, wealthiest 1 percent, [one pundit] said. "It's good politics," he said.
[Perhaps] Cuomo's greatest triumph is forcing a 2 percent cap on the growth in local property taxes. Cuomo promised as a candidate in 2010 to eliminate state-mandated programs on schools and local governments so they could afford the 2 percent cap. Many school and local government officials say too few mandates-- many protected by influential unions in Albany --were touched.
[One pundit] dismissed Cuomo's property tax freeze as a "gimmick," because taxes will still go up and the state subsidy will just mask them for a year or two. Source: Newsday on 2014 New York State gubernatorial race Jun 15, 2014
Rob Astorino: Held Westchester County taxes to $548M, without cuts
State and county records show Astorino, the Westchester County executive, held the line on the property taxes during his first term. Records show that the amount the county raised by taxes--$548 million--was unchanged the past three years, and county spending declined from $1.76 billion in 2011 to $1.73 billion this year.
Astorino kept spending and taxes down, but made no drastic cuts in what is still the highest county tax in the nation, McMahon said. In Westchester County, the average residential property tax bill was $12,717--three and four times many average upstate bills, according to 2012 records with the State Real Property Tax Office. That average total property tax bill in Westchester County increased $79 over the previous year. But the county government portion of the bill under Astorino's control was essentially flat. "His record isn't exceptional, but on the other hand, it's what he says it is," [one analyst concluded]. Source: Newsday on 2014 New York State gubernatorial race Jun 15, 2014
Andrew Cuomo: A flat tax is not a fair tax
We fought for tax fairness. For decades, millions of New Yorkers were burdened with an unfair tax code. Whether a person made $20,000 or $20 million, they paid the same rate. It was just wrong--because a flat tax is not a fair tax. We added new brackets for the middle class and for high earners. The more you make, the higher rate you pay. And we stimulated our economy by cutting taxes for New Yorkers earning $40,000 to $300,000. Today, the middle class is paying the lowest rate in 58 years. Source: 2012 New York State of the State Address Jan 4, 2012
Andrew Cuomo: Enacted NY's first-ever property tax cap: 2% per year
We began the year by closing a $10 billion deficit with no gimmicks, and we did it on time. The budget included historic reforms to redesign and consolidate state government, eliminate automatic spending increases that cost New Yorkers billions of dollars, and cap spending increases for education and Medicaid. After 20 years of failure, we enacted the state's first-ever property tax cap. New York's property taxes are among the highest in the nation, but for more than 15 years, both houses of the Legislature and three governors failed to bring these skyrocketing costs under control. The tax cap that we enacted limits increases in property taxes to 2 percent, or the rate of inflation--whichever is less. Schools and local governments can go beyond the cap, but only if 60 percent, respectively, of the voters or local legislative body approve. Source: 2012 New York State of the State Address Jan 4, 2012
The above quotations are from State of New York Politicians: secondary Archives.
2016 Presidential contenders on Tax Reform:


April 6, 2006: The peace deal with the southern rebels is falling apart. The government is not honoring key aspects of the deal, especially those involving integrating rebels into the army, and hiring, and paying, southerners to perform government jobs. While the rebels have disarmed, the government has not. A resumption of the civil war would begin with a lot of death and destruction in the south.
April 5, 2006: African Union (AU) peacekeepers serving in Sudan's Darfur region are being investigated for corruption and sexual abuse (charges similar to those faced by UN peacekeepers in the Congo). The AU mission in Sudan is conducting the investigation.
As a result of much diplomatic pressure, the government has relented and allowed UN representative Jan Egeland access to Sudan and Darfur.
April 4, 2006: The first contingents of Chinese peacekeepers began arriving in south Sudan. The Chinese troops will serve with the UN peacekeeping mission in south Sudan. By the end of May, 400 Chinese troops will deploy with the force.
Fourteen months after the helicopter crash which killed SPLA leader John Garang, the Sudan government concluded a "final report" on the incident. Though the document has not been released, government sources said the most likely cause was "pilot error." The helicopter carrying Garang crashed into a mountain near the Uganda-Sudan border.
Peace talks with rebels in eastern Sudan have gone nowhere, and the government has been arresting leaders of the eastern rebel groups. Fighting could restart soon.
April 3, 2006: Some 6300 troops are now serving with the UN peacekeeping force in south Sudan.
The UN is not happy with Sudan's decision, yesterday, to deny UN representative Jan Egeland access to Sudan and Darfur. The government objects to the UN proposal that the UN take control of the Darfur peacekeeping operation. The African Union has proved to be incapable of stopping the war in Darfur -- which is fine with the Sudanese government. The UN, however, intends to deploy at least two Western European battalion-sized task forces and sufficient aviation assets to halt the attacks by the Sudanese-backed Islamist militias.
March 30, 2006: Chadian government forces skirmished with these Chadian rebels along the Sudan-Chad border south of the town of Adre. The government claimed the rebels were supported by Sudan. UN and western sources estimate that up to 8000 Chadian rebels are now in Sudan's Darfur region.


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With the release of the "Show the World, You Are Kind" EP, Almost Famous Friends brings a new feel to a clashing of genres. Lush with addicting progressions, an edgy but soulful style approach, and persistent pop undertones, the record boasts the aesthetic of Acoustic Punk anthems. Although the songs are diverse from one another, there is a glue that holds them all together much like a concept album would. Most importantly, the album never loses sight of the emotional platform great songs are built from.
The first single, "Light of Day", is an instant classic. Complete with a combination of acoustic and electric instrumentation, loads of vocal hooks and harmonies, and an honest, straight forward lyrical approach, the song seems to breathe and build as it plays on.
"'Light of Day', the second track off the EP, is a sappy, hopeful song about being interested in someone that you think you don't have any of being with. The name mostly stems from the lyric, 'Girl, I hope that it's ok, spill these words I wanna say on a notebook page that will never see the light of day'. It is a prime example of the emotional lyrics and catchy melodies that Almost Famous Friends bring into every song" explains vocalist Tristan Wilson of the bands single.
Although the single does speak volumes for the EP, to get a real understanding for where Almost Famous Friends is coming from, it should be heard in its entirety.
"The sound of this EP was a step in a completely new direction, mostly for the sake of doing something fun and new. The future sound of 'full band' Almost Famous Friends will continue to develop the dark emotional rock/punk vocals that fans expect from our music"says the band of the EP and songwriting approach.
Hailing from Austin TX, Almost Famous Friends was created by songwriter Tristan Wilson in early 2014. The emotionally fueled pop-punk sound is influenced by acts like The Story So Far, Brand New, Real Friends, and Citizen. The self-proclaimed 'Chronic Sad Boys' of Austin have been hitting it hard since they began together. The lineup Aris Manasco (drums), Hunter Sharpe (guitar), and Marlon Sexton (bass) each bring unique influence and style to the music and performance. The band members are as deeply introspective and emotional in their music as they are explosive and dynamic on stage. They take pride in providing something for fans of aesthetic musicality and hard hitting live performances.
"Show the World, You Are Kind" is now available for streaming and downloads on most major digital outlets and the boys already have shows lined up throughout Austin in support of their release.
To learn and hear more of Almost Famous Friends, please visit: http://almostfamousfriends.com/
2017 Copyright Almost Famous Friends


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Adult Animation
Asian Cinema
Black Cinema
Cine en Espanol
Gay Cinema
Sports / Special Interest
Superheroes / Comics
24FRAMES
by Edythe Smith
AARON'S BLOG
by Aaron Sausedo
ARIZONA PHOSSILS
by Adam Payne
CASHIER DU CINEMA
by Robbie Ikegami
CINEMA SUICIDE
by Seamus Smith
CINEMANOME
COFFEE, CIGARETTES AND CINEMA
by Paul Losada
DICK LAURENT IS DEAD
by Travis King
by Eddie Vegas
by Eric Branscum
FILM BORBOR
by Aiah Samba
FRANKLIN'S BLOG
by Franklin Lei
GIRLWONDER'S PICKS
by Grace Bartlett
ICONIC FRIGHTS
by Rob Galluzzo
JOSE'S BLOG
by Jose Palafox
KAMAN'S MYSTERIOUS JONES
by Jessica Kaman
KINOPTICON
by Joey Izzo
LAWS ON FILM
by Zach Laws
by Jonah Rust
by Mark Ayala
ORSON AROUND
by Jed Leland
PHOTOPLAYS WE FANCY
by Joey Jenkins
READING THE SUB-TEXAN
SHAWN'S BLOG
by Shawn Scarborough
by Eric Kench
SUNDRY ARTICLES
by Gillian Horvat
SWEENEYRULES
by Sean Sweeney
TIFFANY'S TALES
by Tiffany Huang
WILL RECOMMENDS
by Will B
OSCARS (160)
ACTION/ADVENTURE (42)
CRITERION (38)
BLACK CINEMA (31)
ASIAN CINEMA (20)
GAY CINEMA (19)
MARLON BRANDO (14)
SUPERHEROES / COMICS (12)
CHILDREN'S (10)
WAR MOVIES (10)
THE GODFATHER (10)
WERNER HERZOG (9)
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA (9)
FRENCH NEW WAVE (9)
SILENT FILMS (8)
DOG DAY AFTERNOON (8)
ENNIO MORRICONE (8)
CITIZEN KANE (8)
TAXI DRIVER (7)
THE LONGEST YARD (7)
MIDNIGHT COWBOY (7)
STRAW DOGS (7)
THE GREAT ESCAPE (7)
ANNIE HALL (7)
DARK OF THE SUN (6)
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN (6)
ROMAN POLANSKI (6)
APOCALYPSE NOW (6)
THE MALTESE FALCON (6)
MEL BROOKS (6)
NED BEATTY (6)
BONNIE AND CLYDE (6)
THE NAKED PREY (6)
WILLIAM HOLDEN (6)
DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (6)
Death Wish 3
Dir: Michael Winner, 1985. Starring: Charles Bronson, Martin Balsam, Deborah Raffin, Ed Lauter. Action.
The first three Death Wish films can easily be categorized as the good, the bad, and the ugly. The first one was a good, quality piece of exploitation pulp. The second is bad because it was dull and boring. The third is the ugly and isn't ugly usually more interesting? In this case, it is. Death Wish 3 could be called bad because it's so ridiculous and over the top but that's also what makes it so good—it's ridiculous and over the top. And any resemblance to the realism of the first film has been totally thrown out the window and now plays like a cartoon spoof of the vigilante genre. And forget the later Death Wish flicks to come; still starring Grandpa Charles Bronson, Death Wish 4: the Crackdown and Death Wish 5: the Face of Death, they are utterly forgettable and worse, unwatchable. But the middle child, Death Wish 3, is something special in a lovably ugly dog way.
In the first flick, Death Wish back in '74, Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) was a respectable NY architect, but when his wife was murdered by some savage street brutes he became a stone cold vigilante, knocking them off. While less credibly in Death Wish II, Bronson was in LA and got all killy again to avenge the memory of his maid. By the time 3 begins he seems to be a guy who just casually kills goons at will. Hoping to take a relaxing vacation in the projects of Brooklyn by visiting his old war buddy, he arrives to find his friend dying, having just been beaten to a pulp by the local street creeps. The cops arrest him for the murder; after giving him a working over, Chief Shriker (the great B-movie actor, Ed Lauter of The Longest Yard) cuts a deal with him, letting him go if he will go knock off some of the 'hood rats (a multi-racial gang of central casting punkers, biker types, and "Beat It" dancers).
Bronson stays in his pal's pad, hooking up with the terrified neighbors to take back the building, including WWII vet Cross (Martin Balsam, one time great Actor's Studio character actor, in the slummy phase of his career), as well as a sweet Puerto Rican couple and a pair of elderly Holocaust survivors. When he's not busy setting booby traps and teaching them how to kill the thugs, the 60-something Bronson finds time to be seduced over wine and homemade pasta by the hot, young public defender Kathryn Davis (Deborah Raffin); but of course after a nice dinner in the ghetto she is killed. When Bronson successfully starts cutting down the creeps, their leader, the pasty new waver Manny (played by Gavan O'Herlihy, who briefly played Richie's older brother Chuck on Happy Days before the character was written off the show) calls in for reinforcement—a big, sloppy motorcycle gang (similar, but less credible than the one in Dawn of the Dead) with high-powered machine guns and grenades, who don't mind running down old ladies. This leads to the ultra-violent showdown; Bronson's mail order magnum gun arrives, he and the neighbors have a shoot-out with the creeps full of explosions, vengeance, and many gleefully gruesome deaths. A happy ending!
Though exploitive, the original Death Wish was part of a serious film movement in the 1970s that depicted an urban jungle of paranoia turning the everyman into a vigilante (if you can consider the stone-face and ultra-masculine Bronson an "everyman," a role rumored to have once been considered for "Mr. Everyman" himself, Jack Lemmon). There were also the vigilante cop flicks (Dirty Harry) and the vigilante Vietnam vet (Taxi Driver), all respectable and even acclaimed flicks. Though the western genre was full of vigilantes (High Plains Drifter, Ox-Bow Incident, The Wild Bunch), Death Wish opened the floodgates for every kind of vigilante sub- genre... from extreme junk (The Exterminator, Vigilante Force ) to pop trash (Class of 1984, Ms. 45), superheroes (the Batman and Punisher films), the highbrow, feminine slant (Sally Field in Eye For an Eye, Jodie Foster in The Brave One), futuristic (Mad Max), and Korean madness (Oldboy, Lady Vengeance). There've also been some reexaminings of the whole genre with the overrated Michael Douglas flick Falling Down, the excellent Michael Caine thriller Harry Brown and the underrated Death Sentence (which was based on a book by Brian Garfield as a kinda sequel to his earlier book Death Wish).
Director Michael Winner's career is symbolic of the whole genre. He started off as a perfectly respectable British director of forgettable B-movies (The Nightcomers, The Games, etc.) then he became Bronson's go-to director (making solid actioners like The Mechanic). Death Wish was their fourth film in a row together. But then he made the famously bad super-dud Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood and it was all downhill. He would helm plenty of bad flicks including the barely released O.J. Simpson action epic Firepower and The Wicked Lady which officially announced the end of Faye Dunaway's reign as a major leading lady. In between flops he revisited Death Wish with the first sequel and finally Death Wish 3 which would prove to be the culmination of any talent or skill or subtlety being lost forever. The same could be said about Bronson; after credible supporting performances in the '60s with major filmmakers like John Sturges (The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape), Robert Aldrich (The Dirty Dozen) he had his breakthrough lead hero performance in Sergio Leone's masterpiece Once Upon a Time in the West. By the '70s, though he was now a big action star, he had mostly stopped working on the A-list circuit and stopped growing as an actor. By the '80s he had become an older caricature of his former self and Death Wish 3 plays like a take-off on his former glory.
The highlight of Death Wish 3, the great scene, is when Bronson takes a late-night stroll for ice cream through this horrible neighborhood (ironically, most of the movie was shot in London, sitting in for NY). He carries an expensive camera to lure the creeps; one known as the Giggler takes the bait, grabs the camera. Bronson drops his Fudgsicle, pulls out his laughably giant handgun, and shoots the guy in the back. If that's not enough, the rational, good people of the 'hood step out of their doors and pop out of the windows and begin cheering for him. You see, Bronson isn't some kind of sadistic serial killer (though the body count he leaves in his path may make it look that way) but actually, Bronson, his furry mustache, and his big gun are inspirational uniters of the community, just doing a little harmless street cleaning.
Sean Sweeney
Jun 6, 2012 6:05pm


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Category Archives: Fantagraphics
July 14, 2021 · 11:45 pm
Glenn Head on Chartwell Manor and Being a Voice for Survivors of Sexual Abuse
Chartwell Manor by Glenn Head
EDITOR'S NOTE: The New York Post headline says it all, Sex Abuse Rituals at NJ Boarding School Exposed — in Cartoons by Survivor. The newspaper does an admirable job of describing the nuances of graphic novels and Glenn Head's new book, Chartwell Manor. And The New York Post has no qualms about laying it out as it is: "Don't let that whimsical cover art throw you: Head's unflinching book recounts his two years at the now-defunct Mendham, NJ, boarding school run by headmaster "Sir" Terence Michael Lynch — a serial sexual abuser who manipulated young boys into "cuddling sessions" after fondling and beating their nude bodies." The New York Post also provides an outstanding public service by underscoring the fact that survivors of Chartwell Manor still have time to file a suit against the Chartwell administration of aiding and abetting Lynch, and others, in the abuse of children. Time is running out for Chartwell Manor victims to join those who've already filed claims against surviving Chartwell administrators accused of letting Lynch — and other accused faculty — cultivate a culture of abuse. The deadline to file is November 30, 2021. Contact Jeff Anderson & Advocates law firm today.
I've been writing about comics and creating comics for many years now–and loving it. In the very near future, I hope to have some news about a book of my own. For now, I want to keep my nose to the grindstone and this is one very special reason to do so. This is an interview with master cartoonist Glenn Head. For those of you familiar with comix, especially those chock full of underground comix DNA as I just talked about in my last post, then this will be a welcome treat. Maybe you've gotten a chance to check out Head's new book, Chartwell Manor, about the abuse that Head experienced at the boarding school, but just as important, the aftermath. Well, this interview helps to put things into further context from the standpoint of Glenn's previous graphic novel, Chicago, as well as his career as a whole.
Filed under Comics, Comix, Fantagraphics, Glenn Head, Interviews
Tagged as Art, Books, Cartoonists, Chartwell Manor, comics, Comix, Entertainment, Fantagraphics, Glenn Head, graphic novels, Interviews, Media, Pop Culture, Publishing, Sexual Abuse
One More Look: 'Chartwell Manor' and 'Chicago' by Glenn Head
Chartwell Manor: Father and daughter moment.
Chartwell Manor. Glenn Head. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books, 2021. 236pp, $29.99
Chicago: A Comix Memoir. Glenn Head. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books, 2015. 168pp, $16.97
Glenn Head is part of that select group of auteur cartoonists who has steadily been building up a body of work, with its surrealist bent and underground comix influence, that reaches the level of art. Much of his work, as creator and/or editor, has appeared in various comix anthologies: Bad News, Snake Eyes, Hotwire, and R. Crumb's Weirdo magazine. And so it makes sense that Head has steadily been climbing the Mt. Everest of comix, the grand ole graphic novel.
Chicago: Searching and learning.
Most aspiring cartoonists will never follow through on creating their very own full-length, full-bodied (sorry, no stick figures) autobiographical graphic novel, the pinnacle of auteur cartoonist ambition. However, where there is a will, there is a way. Glenn Head has done this particular feat twice. The most diligent of cartoonists would do well to follow closely what Head's been up to with his last two books, observe how they oddly mirror each other, one a variation on the other. What I'm talking about is Head's 2015 graphic novel, Chicago: A Comix Memoir, which was regarded as Head's coming-of-age magnum opus. Well, he's followed that up with his latest work, Chartwell Manor, which is another coming-of-age magnum opus: same protagonist and life struggles but, nearly twice as long, more refined, and pivoting off a different focal point.
Chicago: Father and daughter moment.
As I leaf through this graphic novel, I am struck by all the intricate line work, all the meticulous detail, and all the frenetic energy. There's a marvelous dance with death (and life!) going on, almost spinning out of control, and yet very well balanced. The artist is in the lead. Death will have to wait its turn. If we try to compare both books, Chartwell Manor is perhaps more focused and detailed, not to take anything away from Chicago. While the Glen character in the first book is going through a series of dark episodes, including an interlude with a troubled woman, it is the second book that confronts what is the root cause of Glen's instability and struggle. The significance of this root cause is underscored by the fact it is not mentioned at all in the first book. The harrowing events of being molested at a boarding school, by the headmaster no less, are not afforded even one panel in the first book. But, by astonishing contrast, the boarding school IS the second book, covering most pages.
Glen with a gun. You keep feeding the underground comix beast.
Sordid content, twisted and unabashed, all that very messy human stuff, is only hinted at in most mainstream graphic novels. Whatever the case, great work will emerge, sometimes from a big traditional publisher. But, aside from self-published work, the really gritty stuff comes from the smaller niche publishers. Among that set, Fantagraphics is a leader in the United States. In fact, it has cultivated a particular vibe that, along with a high standard of excellence, places it in a unique position. Much angst going back to underground comix of the sixties finds a home there. This particular point of view, this grungy campy swagger, has had plenty of time to ferment into a brand. Those who are part of it find themselves deeply enmeshed in a scene: part way of life; part putting on an act. But what is an act and what is real? That's part of the mystique. What matters in the end is the end result, a work that aspires to something bigger, a work of art.
Demons to be exorcised.
Dancing with death can tire you out so it's good to pace yourself. The reader will see the satisfaction that comes from someone working on their craft. On one level, it's the very act of working on a big project, whatever the content, that sustains an ambitious cartoonist. This is a graphic novel focusing on Head experiencing abuse at Chartwell Manor, a boarding school, and the years of living with that, a lifetime of living with that. This book provides a latter day underground cartoonist like Head another chance to push his style further, to level up his connection to the past, compared to all the great soul-baring cartoonists who have come before: Crumb, Gilbert Shelton, Bill Griffith, Art Spiegelman, Jack Jackson, S. Clay Wilson, Robert Williams, and so on. It's feeding, what I call, a "persistence of style." Like he does in Chicago, Head can evoke an extended passage about him as a young and troubled youth, walking around naked in his family home with a loaded gun, aiming it at his head and pulling the trigger, and the act of creating that into comix is not necessarily a cathartic act, as much as it's an artistic act. That's not to belittle at all what happened to Head at Chartwell Manor. There are definitely demons to be exorcised. That's just to point out that Head would be a lesser artist if his main aim was to have his graphic novel simply be a therapeutic act. It's a complicated and thoroughly fascinating journey to explore the past while navigating your way to creating art.
Chartwell Manor: A rare moment of quiet joy.
There are key moments in the book, during and after Head's time at Chartwell Manor where he talks to his parents and tries to let them know about the horror. In an early scene, while Head is still a student there, it seems like the parents are right on the verge of knowing but don't want to know. It's one of those instances when you wonder if something was said between the panels. Other moments, depicted from years later, also leave the reader wondering what the parents are aware of and what they are in denial about. It's an ambiguous thread running throughout–and done to great effect.
Where there is a will,…
All those dirty little secrets that seem to have no way of getting out! And then they do. Ways are found to vent out frustration. It's no exaggeration to say that underground comix have a lot to do with venting out frustration! The whole autobio comics genre has weathered various cycles of backlash, unfairly labeled as heavy-handed and a way for cartoonists to use it as therapy to work out personal problems. But, at the end of the day, most readers are fine to take the risk that some work will fall short while some will rise to the highest level. Honestly, any artist worth their salt, is going to tackle some form of autobiography. And, hey, all comics of this sort, in one form or another, is a story reflecting back to its creator.
…there is a way.
It's important to note that each book has its lighter moments. In Chartwell Manor, those moments are mostly concerned with the process of creating comics. Chicago has a more experimental vibe, even whimsical at times, as when Head stumbles upon a visit to Chicago by Muhammad Ali and nearly gets his block knocked off. The point is that Head is in a wonderful place. Like any artist at this stage of their career, Head has a treasure trove to work from, plenty to return to for future books. With Chicago and Chartwell Manor, readers can see for themselves two distinct ways of presenting similar facts and the promise of what lies ahead.
Filed under Comics, Fantagraphics, Graphic Novel Reviews
Tagged as alternative comics, Art, Books, comics, Comix, Counterculture, Entertainment, Fantagraphics, graphic novels, Media, Pop Culture, Publishing, Underground Comix
Interview: Peter Bagge and a Whole World of HATE
Harvey Kurtzman is a god. Of course, you can't please everyone. Panel excerpt from HATE by Peter Bagge, 1991.
Comedy is not pretty. Isn't that what Steve Martin concluded oh so many years ago? Well, it's true. If humor has anything to do with revealing the truth, then it's gonna get ugly. Harvey Kurtzman knew something about this too and was revered by other cartoonists moving up the ranks, like Peter Bagge. And, if you study Peter Bagge's work, you'll see the Kurtzman influence, sometimes subtle and sometimes in a direct reference.
From "What's in a Name?" Written by Peter Bagge. Drawn by Danny Hellman.
A sample of Harvey Kurtzman: Mad #4, 1953
One of the darkest and most hilarious bit of comics I've read is a collaboration between Bagge as writer and Danny Hellman as illustrator. The piece is about a meeting between young aspiring cartoonist Peter Bagge and the legendary cartoonist Harvey Kurtzman. With a cutting New York sense of humor, Kurtzman is brutally depicted as a bitter doddering old man. The punchline, as it were, states that Kurtzman's erratic behavior may have been caused by the fact he was dying from cancer; and he did indeed die not long after this infamous meeting!
Ah, and then there's the R. Crumb influence–and that certainly makes sense, if you know anything about Peter Bagge's work. My goal in this interview was simply to explore the process with a masterful cartoonist and hopefully end up having asked the right questions. I think what really stands out for me from our conversation is that Bagge's outlook is that of a highly irreverent individual, as well as a sensitive and thoughtful person. So, basically, Bagge possesses a sensible mix of character traits that most of us can relate to. That is part of the magic of Hate's main character. Everyone can relate to something about Buddy Bradley, the guy who wants to get along, but not too much!
A sample of Peter Bagge: Hate #16, 1994.
Well, that gives you an idea of Bagge's offbeat sense of humor. Comedy, the very best and most cutting, is definitely not pretty. And so it was my goal to explore this subject with Bagge, and many other related matters! I hope you enjoy the video interview, which you can access by clicking to it down below. Peter Bagge's work is most definitely adult fare and in the best spirit of the term. It is dark, sophisticated, and meant to elicit a world-weary cackle of recognition. Enjoy!
The Complete Hate from Fantagraphics is available November 24, 2020. Book One (HATE 1-15) focuses on young Buddy Bradley's travails in early 1990s Seattle. Book Two (HATE 16-30) focuses on Buddy and his girlfriend Lisa Leavenworth's move back to Buddy's native New Jersey (and a switch from black-and-white to full color). Book Three (HATE Annuals 1-9) features the final arc of Bagge's magnum opus, as Buddy and Lisa become parents (and buy a garbage dump). Each volume, along with the slipcase, contains new covers, endpapers, title pages, and other surprises by Bagge.
For more details, visit Fantagraphics right here.
Filed under Comics, Fantagraphics, Interviews, Peter Bagge
Tagged as Art, Books, comic books, comics, Comix, Entertainment, Fantagraphics, graphic novels, Grunge, Humor, Libertarian, Media, peter bagge, Pop Culture, Publishing, Satire, Seattle
Review: SEEDS AND STEMS by Simon Hanselmann
SEEDS AND STEMS
Seeds and Stems. by Simon Hanselmann. Fantagraphics, 2020. 360pp. $29.99.
It is fitting to talk about Simon Hanselmann after having recently reviewed Comic Art in Museums since Hanselmann is the perfect example of a contemporary cartoonist on display within rarefied museum walls. Last year, was the show, Simon Hanselmann: Bad Gateway (April 12-Aug 11), in Seattle at the Bellevue Arts Museum. 2019 also had shows in Spain and France. Well, it's all very fascinating since the adventures of Megg, Mogg and Owl are not rarefied at all–in fact, they are downright scatological! It's material that would make the original '60s underground comix creators proud. What is most compelling about Hanselmann's work is how fiercely uninhibited it all is. A world where a witch is in a sexual relationship with a cat and a werewolf is perpetually engaged in drunken orgies with vampires is not something that just suddenly pops out of nowhere. It comes from a determined mind. A mind that takes creative risks and likes to work on the razor's edge.
From Simon Hanselmann: Bad Gateway, BAM, 2019.
Simon Hanselmann is a serious artist making some of the most surreal and irreverent art: original, driven and purposeful. Seeds and Stems is the latest book with Fantagraphics; it collects numerous short works by Hanselmann and it helps explore the creative process. Much of it springs from work that originally appeared as minicomics. Hanselmann became a big name only a few years ago, circa 2013, around the time of a newspaper-format comic with Floating World Comics. Fans quickly grew from Hanselmann's Girl Mountain on Tumblr. Megahex, from 2014, certainly cemented his reputation. You can read my review here. It was zines, then webcomics, books, then more zines. Seeds and Stems collects minicomic work going as far back as 2009, with most of the book covering 2016 up to 2019.
If you enjoy rummaging through B-sides and learning about the creative process, then Seeds and Stem will be most satisfying. The world of minicomics is, at its core, the entry point for emerging new talent but it can also serve as an ongoing platform for established artists. Minicomics, as the name implies, are rather humble home-made projects. That's not to say that a minicomic is to be dismissed as amateurish, although many an aspiring cartoonist would fit that profile. To some degree, you can think of them as comparable to an open mic night at a comedy club. Minicomics are very flexible, open to being very experimental and even treated more like a sketchbook than finished work. So too with young comics on stage not bothering with appearances and reading material right off their phone. That said, minicomics can also be highly polished works all to themselves. With that in mind, you are in for a treat with this collection.
Filed under Comics, Comics Reviews, Fantagraphics
Tagged as Art, comic books, comics, Entertainment, Fantagraphics, graphic novels, Humor, Media, Pop Culture, Publishing, Seattle, Simon Hanselmann
Review: 'The Complete Works of Fante Bukowski' by Noah Van Sciver
The Complete Works of Fante Bukowski
The Complete Works of Fante Bukowski. By Noah Van Sciver. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books, 2020. 452 pp. $39.99.
Noah Van Sciver is an interesting cartoonist. He's long graduated from being one of "those to watch" to an artist with a substanital track record. As a cartoonist myself, I admire and appreciate what he's doing. He is best known for his lovable loudmouth character, Fante Bukowski, a confused mashup of Charles Bukowski and John Fante. The ongoing joke here is that Fante Bukowski is a perpetually aspiring writer, both artless and clueless. If you haven't jumped on the Fante Bukowski bandwagon yet, now is the time with the release of The Complete Works of Fante Bukowski, which collects every mishap and stumble all the way on a crazed quest for fame and fortune.
Fante dreams big.
I think that Fante is a very successful character. Van Sciver has developed something that people can easily relate to. Despite the fact that Fante is associated with the literary crowd, there's nothing highbrow about him. If nothing else, Fante is accessible. You can think of him as the Homer Simpson of lost souls. In a higher sense, Fante is a perfect vehicle for Van Sciver to skewer any lofty notions about art. But even suggesting this may only make Van Sciver laugh. For something really serious and dark, he'd direct you to his graphic novella, Saint Cole. There's definitely loads of irony and irreverence attached to Fante. On a more basic level, you can replace any literary stuff in here (replace it with general office culture, academia or even indie comics culture) and enjoy this as a story about a guy who is not much more than a professional wedding crasher, a latter day Groucho Marx out to expose hypocrisy and pretentiousness in all its many forms even if he's not aware of it. The character is funny, gets into silly situations, and will make you laugh. But there's more.
Fante Bukowski demands to be taken seriously as a writer. Van Sciver presents us with the journey of a misguided young man who really has no great talent, skill or genuine passion. Fante simply feels entitled to be a success. Fante will make some effort, just the bare minimum, towards his dreams, and expect instant results. His bare minimum efforts are garbage but he refuses to take no for an answer. All in all, this is very funny stuff. Imagine Steve Martin, in his prime, in the role of Fante. Or Ricky Gervais. However, given all the work it took to set up the premise of Fante, it would have been interesting if the satirical aim was a bit more precise if that were possible. As it is, Fante does indeed have hilarious moments like when he's courting favor with a "literary journal" he'd like to have his work in, the Firewarter Journal, with such a perfectly pompous name and a circulation of a dozen to match. These are the sort of pleasant jabs that you might expect from the comic strip, Doonesbury, but more generic. Ultimately, Van Sciver succeeds by keeping his humor broad.
A romantic but stupid idea of being a writer.
Van Sciver seems to root for irreverence more than anything as a way to move things along. He doesn't want anything to be taken too seriously, including his own work. He's not trying to be Dash Shaw. And he doesn't seem to aspire to write a true comedy of manners like cartoonist Posy Simmonds although he does a fine job with the social commentary he does end up doing. More importantly, he has definitely invested quite a lot in the idea that Fante Bukowski is a clueless young loudmouth who is completely absorbed with entitlement. That alone is key. A lot of other tidbits up for satire can be lightly played with. The big takeaway is that Fante Bukowski is a young empty suit. He feels he is owed something with apparently nothing to show for his outrageous demands. If, in spite of this fact, Fante did find his fame and fortune, then the joke would truly be on us.
While much care has been taken, Van Sciver has also made sure to leave a certain amount of a raw quality to what he does–and there is a long-standing tradition for that in indie comics and in art in general. You want to avoid getting too polished, too slick. You want to look the opposite of "corporate." So, you'll see the artwork is only refined up to a certain point. Some cartoonists, for example, will deliberately misuse digital coloring to subvert the idea of making things look too pretty. Van Sciver, for example, could have easily chosen a way to seamlessly clean up any mistakes in his text but he wants you to be aware of them. He has pasted over by hand every correction to his text and made it so that you clearly notice it. Whatever the reason, it reads as a style choice.
Unlucky in love.
Following this subversive impulse, Van Sciver does the same for the actual story. Nothing is supposed to be taken too seriously–and that does make sense when you're poking fun at all those "highbrows" who take themselves too seriously, right? That notion is where you might find some subtext. Van Sciver peppers his comics with all sorts of quotes from various famous writers and artists and, within this loopy context, even the best lines from Hemingway or Fitzgerald all sound like sayings from fortune cookies. For a book that seems to be in it just for laughs, taking a blowtorch to the old masters has some bite to it. But no one really wants to topple truly great writers, do they? Maybe so but going down that rabbit hole is a pretty tall order. In the end, it seems that we're supposed to turn our gaze back to Fante Bukowski and maybe pity the poor fool.
Noah Van Sciver is an Ignatz award-winning cartoonist who first came to comic readers' attention with his critically acclaimed comic book series Blammo. His work has appeared in the Best American Comics and the Fantagraphics anthology series NOW. Van Sciver is a regular contributor to Mad magazine and has created many graphic novels including The Hypo and Saint Cole. His latest, The Complete Works of Fante Bukowski, collects all three volumes of the Fante Bukowski series in an expanded hardcover edition with extra features and special material. His follow up, Please Don't Step on My JNCO Jeans, will be published in December.
Long live bohemians, great and small.
Filed under Comics, Fantagraphics, Fantagraphics Books, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Noah Van Sciver
Tagged as Alt-Comics, alternative comics, Art, Bohemians, Books, Cartoonists, Charles Bukowski, comics, Comix, Entertainment, Fantagraphics, fantagraphics books, graphic novels, Hipsters, Humor, Indie, indie comics, John Fante, Media, Mini-comics, Noah Van Sciver, Pop Culture, Publishing, Writers, Writing, Zines
July 8, 2019 · 12:00 pm
Review: 'How I Tried to Be a Good Person' by Ulli Lust
How I Tried to Be a Good Person by Ulli Lust
Autobiographical work is one of the most intriguing subjects and it is no wonder that it attracts creators of all art forms. Of course, auto-bio is a natural focal point for cartoonists and one of the best at this is cartoonist auteur Ulli Lust. Her new graphic novel, How I Tried to Be a Good Person, published by Fantagraphics Books, is what one could call an unflinching look at "the dark side of gender politics" or what used to be called, plain and simple, "abusive relationships." It's quite a challenge to take a chunk of one's life and turn it into something else. Not too long ago, I viewed the Off-Broadway production of Accidentally Brave, a retelling by actor and playwright Maddie Corman of her discovery of her husband's possession of child pornography, his subsequent arrest, and its aftermath. Can such an experience add up to something to put on stage? Well, sure, it's called a confessional monologue and those rise and fall according to the limits of the genre. In a similar fashion, that's what going on within the pages of auto-bio comics. And a lot is going well with this auto-bio graphic novel set in 1980s Vienna.
Georg and Kim size each other up.
How I Tried to Be a Good Person is 368 pages and in the tradition of more expansive graphic novels like Craig Thompson's Blankets, which is 592 pages or Eddie Campbell's Alec and Bacchus collection, which is a total of 1750 pages. Also, keep in mind, this new book is a continuation of Lust's 460-page punk travelogue, Today is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life. Why so many pages when a graphic novel is usually 100 to 200 pages long? Well, many reasons. Essentially, it is a way to truly get lost in the material. While the comics medium is inextricably linked to the art of brevity, it is just as closely linked to flights of fancy and stream of consciousness writing. With that in mind, it is understandable how comics can rise to the level of the literary arts. Comics has the capacity to be as long or as short as the narrative demands. Comics is as much a literary art form as a visual art form. Lust's previous graphic memoir has gone on to earn a Revelation Award at the 2011 Angouleme Festival as well as a 2013 LA Times Book Prize. Ulli Lust's contributions to the comics medium are writ large with both of her graphic memoirs.
A happy time with Georg.
The core of the narrative to Lust's new book is the abusive relationship that Ulli enters into with Kim, a refugee from Nigeria. Throughout the relationship, there are signs that Kim is not emotionally equipped to handle the polyamorous arrangement that Ulli has in mind. During the course of this book, the reader joins Ulli on what steadily becomes a perilous journey. Ulli Lust writes and draws her way toward making sense of events while leaving plenty of room for readers to reach their own conclusions. In some ways, the book brings to mind some of the most notable emotionally-wrought films focusing on sex, like Last Tango in Paris, from 1972, which has held up remarkably well. Lust offers up to the reader numerous pages of unbridled sexual pleasure between her and Kim. Undoubtedly, Kim and Ulli are good together in bed. At one point, Ulli even states that she wishes she could just have the good parts of her affair with Kim.
A complicated relationship.
The love triangle that Ulli finds herself in begins with a May/December relationship she started up with Georg, an older man who offered a lively bohemian spirit and intelligent albeit world-weary conversation. It is Georg who, in hindsight, wrongheadedly suggests that Ulli take another lover if that should help keep their relationship fresh. Ulli is 22 and Georg is 40. Ulli takes Georg up on his offer and, in no time, she becomes involved with Kim, a young man she meets at a club. Georg and Ulli are white. Kim is black. Race does not seem to be an issue at first but it's not long before Kim repeatedly voices his unease with the racial dynamics at play as he sees them. He is convinced that he is only a racial treat for Ulli despite her denials. At many points along the way, Ulli has to make one choice after another, many of which only drag her further into the toxic relationship she has entered into with Kim. This is quite a compelling work that encourages the reader to perhaps have even more courage than the main character seems to have at times. It is definitely an absorbing work that will spark a great deal of discussion and lifts that discussion through the power of the comics medium's unique synthesis of word and image.
How I Tried to Be a Good Person is a 368-page trade paperback, published by Fantagraphics Books.
Editor's Note: If you happen to be in Seattle, go see Ulli Lust at the Hot Off the Press Book Fair on July 13th or at Goethe Pop Up Seattle on July 15h.
And, if you're in Portland, go see Ulli Lust at Floating World Comics on July 17th.
Filed under Comics, Fantagraphics, Fantagraphics Books, Graphic Novel Reviews
Tagged as Books, comics, Entertainment, Fantagraphics, fantagraphics books, Gender, graphic novels, Media, Memoir, Pop Culture, Publishing, Relationships, Seattle, Sex, Ulli Lust
May 5, 2019 · 11:30 am
Review: HOBO MOM by Charles Forsman and Max de Radiguès
HOBO MOM by Charles Forsman and Max de Radiguès
I am a great supporter of alternative comics and the pursuit of excellence in the comics medium. That means sometimes taking a ruler and wrapping the knuckles of a cartoonist during a bit of constructive criticism. And it means celebrating a work when everything goes right as it does in Hobo Mom, by Charles Forsman and Max de Radiguès, published by Fantagraphics. Hobo Mom gets it right by pursuing a line of specificity to its logical conclusion. Just like a finely-executed novel or painting, all the elements fit into place at a resounding level of precision.
This is the story of a woman who can't settle down. The open road is in her blood and she is willing to pay the price for her unconventional freedom. Charles Forsman presents his most disciplined artwork to date in seamless collaboration with the script by Max de Radiguès. The pacing is impeccable as you follow one extended scene after another. It's magical how Forsman and de Radiguès balance so much in a relatively short work. At 62 pages, you need to be prepared to pare down to the essentials in order to give the narrative a natural flow. This is undoubtedly achieved as the reader gets a rich experience within a tight framework. Everything needs to count, down to every panel, ever facial expression, every pause. You need to know what to linger on and when to move on.
Page excerpt from HOBO MOM
Take the first four pages. The first page begins with a big panel that depicts an inviting breakfast being prepared on a skillet taking up half the available space. The next four panels convey a happy relationship between father and daughter, a stable domestic scene. With that established, the next three pages have the luxury of lingering over this happy home: dad goes off to work; daughter tidies up; daughter begins her day; daughter finds comfort in the company of a family pet. Now, we're ready to move on to what is going on with the absent mother. A rhythm has been set up allowing for the alternating of scenes and characters. Will the hobo mom reconnect with her family or is it just not possible? Here is a book that asks the right questions and lets the reader step in. This book is a prime example of what it possible in the comics medium.
Hobo Mom is a 64-page duotone hardcover, published by Fantagraphics.
Filed under Alt-Comics, Alternative Comics, Charles Forsman, Comics, Fantagraphics, Fantagraphics Books, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Max de Radiguès
Tagged as alternative comics, comics, Entertainment, Family, Media, Pop Culture
Review: The Comics Journal #303
The Comics Journal #303
This is a very meta thing to be doing but here's a review of a magazine that features reviews. Dating back to 1977, in its heyday, The Comics Journal was a monthly source of comics news and reviews, a trailblazer for the burgeoning field of comics journalism and criticism. It has always maintained a certain quirky attitude, consisting of a mix of features and topped off by a expansive soul-searching interview a la Playboy magazine. It mainly attracts those who consider themselves comics aficionados. In 2013, it ceased its print version, staying online, but now it makes its return to print with Issue 303. TCJ returns this month with new editors RJ Casey and Kristy Valenti.
Now, I go pretty far back. I have fond memories of picking up this magazine at Tower Records back in the day (circa 1995), usually with a recent release from Sub Pop Records. I also fondly recall a special dynamic, or synergy, at play between the magazine and its online counterpart that led many of us to the forums section that let you interact with subgroups within subgroups of people in the comics community. This was long before Facebook or social media as we know it today. I think the monthly magazine, as we knew it back then, is still sorely missed. Towards the end of its print run, it came out less often and each issue covered a big theme and came out in different sizes. The consistency of a monthly had been lost. I think, in a perfect world, this latest return to print would do well to go back to that monthly format. Alas, with this latest #303, we're seeing the start of a twice-a-year format. You might argue that TCJ is simply working with today's print reality and is offering up a taste to a new generation of what is possible.
The showcase item in this issue is, of course, TCJ founder Gary Groth's interview with a legendary firebrand, the satirist and children's book author, Tomi Ungerer. For those of you unaware of Mr. Ungerer's impressive career, I highly recommend that you read this interview and, before or afterward, check out the 2013 documentary, "Far Out Isn't Far Enough," directed by Brad Bernstein. The title is one of Ungerer's sayings, along with "Don't Hope, Cope" and "Expect The Unexpected." I interviewed the documentary's director and its writer and the fact that Ungerer is a true force of nature was the overriding theme. So, it makes perfect sense for someone as outspoken as Groth to sit down and talk it out with someone as outspoken as Ungerer! It's a match made in heaven.
From Ben Passmore's story in Now: The New Comics Anthology #3, published by Fantagraphics
Among the various features to be found here, you'll find them under such titles as "From the Trenches" and "Fair Warning." For example, under the former is a think piece by cartoonist Ben Passmore, who shares his insights on the alt-comics scene from an African American perspective. And, under the latter, you will find an interview by RJ Casey with emerging comics talent, Fifi Martinez. The thing to always remember about TCJ is that its focus is a serious look at comics as an art form. That leaves little room, if any, for superhero comics, per se. What you'll mostly find here is a focus on the independent artist-cartoonist. It does a heart good to see cartoonists like Passmore and Martinez provided with a platform.
Ultimately, TCJ remains what it's always been, a valuable resource that is most appreciated by those who take the comics medium seriously. It's a niche audience but a fiercely loyal one. In the new more fragmented world we live in, it's all about niches. That is actually a very positive thing. And niches are supposed to attract outside readers too, right? You can only calculate so much as to how strong a presence you can make on today's newsstands. For some special readership out there, it will be a great treat to see TCJ on a shelf. Newsstands aren't going away anytime soon from such places as Barnes & Noble, specialty shops, comic book shops, and even airports. TCJ might just want to make a real push into these venues and see how it goes. I asked about TCJ at my local B&N as well as the Pike Place Market newsstand, one of the granddaddies of newsstands. Neither place had ever heard of TCJ or had any plans to carry it. I asked around a couple of nearby comics shops. They heard of it but were not carrying it. This is TCJ's return to print, right? Let's see it out there in the real world.
The reality is that creating any kind of magazine, digital or print, is a big challenge. Everyone in the comics community is rooting for TCJ to make as big of an impact as it can. Those of us already in the choir, can keep singing its praises and wish it well. You can find your copy of TCJ #303 by visiting the Fantagraphics store right here.
Filed under Alt-Comics, Alternative Comics, Comics, Comics History, Comics Journalism, Fantagraphics, Fantagraphics Books, Gary Groth, Independent Comics, The Comics Journal, Tomi Ungerer
Tagged as Alt-Comics, alternative comics, Art, arts, Cartoonists, comic books, comics, Comics Reviews, Entertainment, Fantagraphics, Gary Groth, graphic novels, Indie, Journalism, Media, Pop Culture, Publishing, Seattle, The Comics Journal, Tomi Ungerer, Writers, Writing
Tacoma Focus: Destiny City Comics & Arts Festival on February 16, 2019
Destiny City Comics & Arts Festival on February 16, 2019
If you are in the Tacoma area, do plan to visit Destiny City Comics & Arts Festival on Saturday, February 16th, from 2-8pm, located at 218 St Helens Ave. This will be an intimate comic arts festival gathering of a dozen or so local creators.
The following are just a few samples of the poster I created for the show making the rounds. While this show is in Tacoma, our neighbors in Seattle are certainly welcome. So, here are some examples of my canvassing around Seattle with at least one landmark clearly visible!
Long Live Destiny City Comics!
The special guest is RJ Casey editor of the long-awaited new edition of The Comics Journal #303 from Seattle publisher, Fantagraphics. I definitely look forward to the return in print of the venerable publication that has a long history of covering the comics scene. Pre-order your copy of The Comics Journal #303 right here. And visit the journal's website right here.
For more details, visit Destiny City Comics right here.
Filed under Comics, Destiny City Comics, Fantagraphics, Tacoma
Tagged as comic books, comics, Destiny City Comics, Entertainment, Fantagraphics, graphic novels, Media, Pacific Northwest, Pop Culture, Publishing, Seattle, Tacoma
November 5, 2018 · 11:00 am
Comics Review: FAB4 MANIA by Carol Tyler
FAB4 MANIA by Carol Tyler
Graphic novels that explore a particular passion can prove to be the most relatable for a wide audience. Consider the new graphic memoir by cartoonist Carol Tyler (Soldier's Heart). Her new book is entitled, Fab4 Mania, published by Fantagrahics Books. Who doesn't love the Beatles? Tyler's book looks back at the Fab Four from her own point of view. The full title of this work is Fab4 Mania: A Beatles Obsession and the Concert of a Lifetime and therein lies our premise and plot.
Tyler's experience is essentially the same thing that happened to countless young people, circa 1965, up to a point. Where it diverges is exceptional. One big distinction is that this kid got to go to a famous '65 Beatles concert in Chicago. The greater distinction is that the reader is following Tyler's journey full of personal recollections and idiosyncratic appeal. This is an 8th grade girl revealing her innermost thoughts. It all adds up to a wonderful coming-of-age read.
If you enjoy young adult themes, this book is definitely for you. Filled with over a hundred warm and inviting drawings in full color, this is a true tale that will sweep the reader away with its authentic flavor. Tyler has meticulously recreated the diary that she kept throughout that pivotal Beatles year of 1965 to create a treasure trove of insights and humor.
For more details, visit Fantagrpahics right here.
Filed under Carol Tyler, Comics, Fantagraphics, Fantagraphics Books, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, The Beatles
Tagged as Art, arts, Book Reviews, Books, Carol Tyler, comics, Entertainment, Fantagraphics, fantagraphics books, graphic novels, Humor, Media, Pop Culture, Publishing, The Beatles, Young Adult
Graphic Novel Review: 'Steve McQueen in Le Mans'


We are delighted to announce that Houghton Regis Academy will be launching the Bronze Award from September 2018 for current Year 8 and Year 9 students.
Students attended the District Athletics Championships at Stockwood Park Athletics Centre on Wednesday 6th June 2018. A very hot day, but with a good turnout from other schools in the Bedfordshire region, competing in field and track events.
Fill up the library with new novels!
Parents do you know that you may be entitled to claim a Trust Fund?
Please be aware that with effect from 1 April 2018 the price of uniform will be increased slightly.
Quesos, Embutidos, stores selling a selection of Spanish cheeses and meats- it can only mean one thing - Spain. But it's not Spain as you know it because it's right in the heart of Hornchurch, Essex.
Fame in an incredibly challenging show for any school to perform, filled with more songs and dances than most, however, as we are sure you will agree our young students have stepped up!
Winning teams are going to the regional final!
Students from Houghton Regis Academy were invited to Wadham College's Aspiration Day on 18th January 2018.


Agriculture In The Classroom Manitoba Inc.
The charity promotes agriculture in the classrooms of schools in Manitoba through development of school curriculums that include agriculture and through agriculture awareness interactive program and events such as Made in Manitoba Breakfast, Agriculture Literacy Week, Little Green Thumbbs, Amazing Agriculture Adventure, Ag in the City etc.
758495: Total cash given to the charity for which tax receipts were issued.
69586: Total amount received from other registered charities.
59667: Charities don't issue tax receipts when a donor can't be identified or doesn't want one. This category also includes collection boxes.
14512: Total amount received from any level of government in Canada.
17364: Income that doesn't fit into other categories, such as sales revenue, interest and investment income, membership fees, etc.
833877: Total amount spent on charitable programs. "Programs" cover all charitable activities the organization carries out on its own.
55491: Total amount spent on management and administration, including board meetings, accounting, rent, office supplies, etc.
296582: Total cash readily available.
20993: Amounts owed by individuals and organizations.
1803: Assets not falling under one of the other categories.
153966: Short-term portion of debt obligations such as loans, mortgages, notes, and payments due for goods and services received.
19089: Liabilities not falling under one of the other categories.
Agriculture In The Classroom Manitoba Inc.'s headquarters is located at Rr 3 Box 278 Group 327, Selkirk MB, R1A2A8.


text:
Q: What is the correct way to save and retrieve dictionaries in Julia? I have seen that Julia adequately interprets "MAT" files which have structures in them which are read as dictionaries without problem. Now I have created a dictionary of my own, which has the following structure
(String, String)=> [ Int, Int, Int]

on each entry. I can save it with writedlm and it produces a very orderly
tabular text file, separated by tabs (\t), but then I cannot retrieve it without doing a LOT of parsing. If I use readdlm I get an array of type Any, with the very uncomfortable structure at each line
"(\"Bla bla\", \"tururu\")"     "[a, b, c]"

That is, two columns of Strings which contain signs such as '"' and '['.

A: You could use the JLD (Julia Data) submodule included in the HDF5 package:
Pkg.add("HDF5")
using HDF5, JLD
d = Dict(
    ("a", "b") => [1, 2, 3],
    ("c", "d") => [4, 5, 6],
    ("e", "f") => [7, 8, 9]
)
save("data.jld", "data", d)
load("data.jld")["data"]

the advantage of the JLD module is that it preserves the exact type information of each variable.

A: The solution using JLD suggested by SalchiPapa no longer works for some reason. Here is an updated version (just changed the imports and the file extension) of their example using JLD2:
using JLD2, FileIO
d = Dict(
        ("a", "b") => [1, 2, 3],
        ("c", "d") => [4, 5, 6],
        ("e", "f") => [7, 8, 9]
    )
save("data.jld2", "data", d)
load("data.jld2")["data"]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


(1) NuvaRing Summary of Product Characteristics.
(4) Dieben T, Roumen FJ et al. Efficacy, cycle control and user acceptability of a novel combined contraceptive vaginal ring. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2002; 100:585-593.


10 posts tagged with "moms"
Read an Excerpt & See the Wonderful Information Available in Our Little Keepers Curriculum!
How We Became Keepers –A Video Testimony You Don't Want to Miss!
What Combines Biblical Lessons with Daughter & Mother Fun?


text:
Huawei Adds AI Chips, Dual Leica Cameras to Mate 10 Smartphones
By: eWEEK Staff | October 18, 2017
Today's topics include the release of three new artificial intelligence-integrated Huawei smartphones; the reveal of KRACK flaws in WPA WiFi security; Microsoft's Ireland email privacy case going to the Supreme Court; and Chrome's new tool for protecting users from unwanted software.
Huawei unveiled on Oct. 16 three new smartphones that integrate artificial intelligence and will be available through staggered releases around the world through the end of 2017. The Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro and Porsche Design Mate 10 all use Kirin 907 chipsets, which deliver vastly improved AI capabilities when used with Huawei's included HiAI mobile computing platform.
"As we enter the age of intelligence, AI is no longer a virtual concept but something that intertwines with our daily life," said Richard Yu, CEO of the Huawei Consumer Business Group. "The Huawei Mate 10 Series introduces the first mobile AI-specific Neural Network Processing Unit, launching a new era of intelligent smartphones," Yu said.
Prices are $824 for the Mate 10, $942 for the Mate 10 Pro and $1,645 for the Porsche Design Mate 10.
Huawei Puts AI Chips in Mate 10 Series Smartphones
WPA2 WiFi Security Breached by KRACK Attacks
SCOTUS to Weigh In on Microsoft Privacy Case
Google Bolsters Protections in Chrome Cleanup Tool
The WPA2 protocol that is widely used to secure WiFi traffic is at risk from multiple vulnerabilities, collectively referred to as "KRACK Attacks," which were publicly disclosed on Oct. 16.
"Attackers can use this novel attack technique to read information that was previously assumed to be safely encrypted," the vulnerability disclosure warns. KRACK is an acronym for Key Reinstallation Attacks, which include 10 different vulnerabilities and define new approaches to exploit the way that WPA2 generates a session encryption key.
All WPA2-protected WiFi networks generate a fresh session key using the four-way handshake, which is vulnerable to a key reinstallation attack where an attacker tricks a victim into reinstalling an already-in-use key. At this point, there is no indication that the KRACK vulnerabilities have been exploited in the wild by an attacker.
Microsoft's high-profile Ireland email privacy case is going to the Supreme Court. Last year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed an earlier decision requiring Microsoft to turn over to the U.S. Department of Justice emails that are stored in an Irish data center. However, on Oct. 16, "the Supreme Court granted the Department of Justice's petition to review Microsoft's victory," announced Brad Smith, president and chief legal officer of Microsoft.
He continued, "The Electronic Communications Privacy Act … was never intended to reach within other countries' borders." The ECPA was enacted in "the era of the floppy disk," well before the World Wide Web transformed how businesses and individuals communicated and the advent of the cloud, argued the Microsoft executive.
Smith also argued that if the U.S. government acts unilaterally to seize emails located overseas with search warrants, there is little to stop foreign governments from exercising the same maneuver on data stored in the United States.
Google has added new features in Chrome for Windows that will better protect users from unwanted and potentially harmful software. They also complement the protections in the Chrome Safe Browsing service that identifies and alerts users when they navigate to potentially unsafe websites.
The new additions to Chrome address issues that manage to get past Safe Browsing protections, including warning users about browser settings that may have been reset without their knowledge or permission.
Another feature makes it easier for users to get details on any software that Chrome might have identified as risky or unwanted and to take action on it, serving up an alert to users offering to remove the software and restore their system to the original settings.
Ask the Experts: Data Analytics Trends for 2020
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Ubuntu 19.04 Makes Linux a Snap
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text:
Moving to Coffey
Lunch & Learn: Casting A Vote For Your Healthcare
by Coffey County Chamber | Oct 12, 2016 | Coffey County News
Healthcare is a complicated issue, and this election is critical for rural Kansas hospitals. On October 27, Coffey Health System Chief Executive Officer Leonard Hernandez will help voters understand the issues that affect lives every day in Coffey County.
In this special segment of the popular Lunch & Learn series, Hernandez will translate the impact Medicaid expansion in Kansas would have on Coffey County Hospital, and look at potential effects of national healthcare issues.
"A statewide study showed that Coffey County Hospital alone loses an average of $294,180 per year in Medicaid reimbursement cuts brought about through the Affordable Care Act," explained Hernandez. "If our own legislators approve KanCare expansion, our hospital will gain an estimated $2.2 million in federal dollars over the next ten years—dollars that are currently being left on the table. Numbers like these are staggering for rural hospitals. We've seen the effects right here with the closure of our neighboring hospital in Independence. It is vital that our community learn the facts and join our staff in voting for healthcare in Kansas."
Hernandez will also discuss ways to help secure a bright future for rural hospitals even after the ballots are counted on November 8. Postcards and material will be available at the Lunch & Learn for citizens to send our local representatives after the election.
The public is invited to attend the presentation on Thursday, October 27, from noon to 1 p.m. in Coffey County Hospital's Allen Woods 2 Conference Room. Attendance and lunch are free; however, seating is limited. To register, call Melanie Mozey at (620) 364-2121 Ext. 4174. Online registration is available at www.coffeyhealth.org
About Coffey Health System
Coffey Health System offers a wide range of healthcare services in Coffey and Woodson Counties. In addition to Coffey County Hospital, five physician clinics serve patients in Burlington, Gridley, LeRoy, Waverly, and Yates Center. The CHS continuum also includes Coffey County Emergency Medical Services; The Meadows, CCH Home Health Agency, and CHS Rehabilitation & Wellness Services in Burlington; and Sunset Manor long-term care in Waverly.
Tracy Campbell
Coffey Health System
801 N. Fourth, Burlington, KS 66839
tcampbell@coffeyhealth.org
Copyright © Coffey County Chamber. All Rights Reserved. WordPress Development and SEO by EMZM LLC


What Will It Take to Shut Down the Yulin Dog Meat Festival?
Because the gory festival is seen as a cultural custom, the local government in China's Guangxi Province seems reluctant to intervene.
Editor's Note: This article contains graphic content that may be disturbing to some readers.
In China's Guangxi Province, the Yulin Dog Meat Festival is set to be held in just a few months. The summer solstice marks the start of this event, which has caused online uproars since it first originated, back in 2009.
Eating dog meat isn't that unusual in China. In fact, many Chinese citizens see it as a huge part of their culture. To some, dog meat is no different than cow, chicken or lamb. Why attack their customs when no other meat consumption receives such criticism?
The Yulin Dog Meat Festival is different, though. If you're not familiar with it, prepare to have your heart broken for the dogs unfortunate enough to be caught in its wake.
Traditionally, dog meat has been eaten in China to protect consumers from the winter cold and ward off evil spirits. This practice started thousands of years ago.
While it happens in a number of Chinese provinces, Guangxi, in particular, has brought the consumption of dogs into the limelight. The farmers and families in this overwhelmingly poor part of China started the festival in an attempt to make more money.
Since its opening, over 10,000 dogs have been killed and eaten each year during the 10 days the festival is held. While that alone is enough to disgust most people, what's worse is the treatment the dogs receive.
Not only do the people who participate in this festival think eating dog meat has a spiritual effect, but also they think the way dogs die is an important factor. Apparently, the more adrenaline pumping through a dog's veins, the better-tasting the meat.
Because of that, the vendors at the Yulin Dog Meat Festival don't just kill the dogs; they beat them, burn them alive with blowtorches or toss them into boiling pots of water to suffer a terrifying, painful death. Not only that, they do it all in front of the other dogs to increase the adrenaline rush.
The dogs (often stolen from families living in the area) are brought in, trapped in cramped wooden crates and then viciously slaughtered in front of festival-goers.
Many Westerners and Chinese citizens alike are actively trying their best to end this horrifying festival. Millions of signatures have been gathered for petitions, and animal rights activists are doing all they can to spread awareness.
Unfortunately, the local government isn't taking the action that's needed.
Right before the opening of the 2017 festival, the internet was flooded with news that the sale of dog meat had been officially banned at the Yulin Festival. It seemed that finally this event was coming to an end.
Unfortunately, just days later, the world found out the good news was too good to be true. The sale of dog meat had not, in fact, been banned. Instead, the government authorities and vendors agreed to limit the sales to 2 dog carcasses per stall.
While this limitation drastically cut back on the number of dogs tortured, killed and eaten, it didn't end the festival altogether. In fact, many activists who attended the festival in opposition witnessed vendors breaking the rule, though authorities were also there to keep an eye on things, and did shut down and fine some of those vendors.
At this point, the 2018 festival is to be held in June. Despite the millions of signatures gathered and countless activist groups protesting, the Chinese government sees the festival as part of the peoples' customs and won't shut it down.
Take a look online, and you'll find both articles defending this custom and others full-heartedly against it. To an older generation of Chinese — especially ones who lived through years of famine — eating dog meat is normal, no different than eating any other animal.
But does that mean it's OK for dogs to be hung and tortured to death with a blowtorch — all so the meat tastes better? While the public, authorities and vendors at the festival are aware of how morally wrong this practice is, it has still continued, and likely will this June, too.
There are numerous petitions and animal rights groups taking action, so please join them in opposition of the Yulin Dog Meat Festival. These animals are our best friends, not our food.


Monroe's Sixth Reader is the text book used in Elocution by the seniors and juniors. The first part of the hour is devoted to exercises which give easy action to the muscles employed in speaking, and also to obtaining pure tones and improving the quality of the voice. The latter part of the hour is given to reading selections from Monroe's Sixth Reader.


text:
Esbjörn Hogmark (Sweden)
Esbjörn Hogmark is a professional nyckelharpa manufacturer and nyckelharpa player from Uppland. He was a scholar and friend of Eric Sahlström. He was one of the founders of the Eric Sahlström Institute and is now member of the board. Together with family members he plays in the ensemble "Hogmarkarna" (the Hogmarks).
https://hogmark.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/hogmarknyckelharpa/
Articles in the CADENCE project
The Nyckelharpa in the CADENCE Project
by Esbjörn Hogmark
This document is intended to answer some of the questions which have arisen about the nyckelharpa during the course of the CADENCE project. Unfortunately, very little is known of the earliest history of the instrument but from the 17th century onwards we have a good idea of its history in Sweden. It is fascinating to learn that the instrument has been played there in an unbroken tradition, which also includes the making of the instrument, a process predominantly carried out by the players themselves.
The document gives an overview of the history of the instrument from late medieval time until today with a conclusive visionary view into the future
Nyckelharpa Manufacturing in Sweden, Past and Present
The intention of this document is not to give a detailed step-by-step description of how to make a nyckelharpa. On the contrary, it deals with a wider perspective on high quality instrument making in general, with its focus on the nyckelharpa. To get the whole picture, it is important to understand how the instrument has been made throughout history. The nyckelharpa in The Swedish National Acton Plan for Folk Music and Folk Dance and The Eric Sahlström Institute in Sweden with its regular seminars and courses directed to the instrument are also included.
Please pay attention also to the comprehensive book of Esbjörn Hogmark. See "Publications"


Do you use Gmail to send and receive email? Then you can easily configure it with Outlook 2010 and 2013. There is nothing different to configure Gmail with both version of Outlook. The process of configuration is same for both Outlook versions. Most of the email users don't know about the configuration procedure. If you are one among those, then don't be tensed. In this article, you will learn about the configuration procedure of Gmail in Outlook.
· First of all, log in to your Gmail account and after that, tap on the Settings.
· Go to the Forwarding and POP/IMAP and then you need to enable IMAP.
· Tap on Click on Save Changes.
· Open Outlook 2010 and tap on File.
· Tap on the Add Account and then choose Manually Configure Server Settings.
· Tap on the Next.
· Choose Internet Email option and then tap on the Next.
· After that, you need to enter your name, email id and password into the given field.
· Tap on More Settings and then choose My Outgoing Server requires Authentication.
· After that, select Use same settings as my incoming server.
· Now choose encryption type for TLS and then tap on the OK to finish the procedure.