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Five local organisations in running to receive £42k from Trafford Active Fund
I Love MCR
Charity, Community, Health & Fitness, Sponsored
Manchester Marathon has announced the five local finalists - and now it's down to the public vote
Manchester Marathon has announced the five local finalists who are in the running to receive £42,000 of funding to support their work getting residents active in Trafford.
The three finalists who receive the most votes from the public will immediately receive £14,000 each from the Trafford Active Fund to help them continue their terrific work.
Voting is open now on the Manchester Marathon website, and will close on Tuesday 6th April at 9am.
The five finalists are: The Conservation Volunteers; Disability Snowsport UK; Henshaws Society for the Blind; Mile Shy Club; and Simply Cycling.
The applicants were shortlisted based on how they plan to implement the most valuable projects to encourage exercise, activity, sport and movement in the Trafford and Greater Manchester community.
More details on each of the organisations' work, along with how they plan to spend the Trafford Active Fund donation, can also be found on the Manchester Marathon website.
The shortlist has been curated from over thirty applicants by an esteemed panel of judges featuring Andrew Western (Leader of Trafford Council), Andy Burnham (Mayor of Greater Manchester), Marnie Millard (Chair of UA92), Nigel Murray (COO of Booths) and Nick Rusling (CEO of Human Race).
"We were incredibly impressed by the standard of applications, and it certainly sparked some healthy debate between the judges," said Nick.
"After considering each of the applications separately, the final shortlist came down to who we felt was going to use the funds to have the most impact in Trafford at this most difficult of times.
"Each of the final five are immensely worthy projects that will make a real difference, and I wish the best of luck to them all.
"We want to get the money to where it will do the most good as quickly as possible, so voting is only open for a short time.
"Please have your say and make your choice by Tuesday 6th April at 9am".
Every runner who signs up to either the Manchester Marathon or Manchester Half contributes to the Trafford Active Fund, with Human Race giving £1 of each entry fee directly to the scheme.
Both events have seen a surge in popularity in recent years, meaning more money than ever is available to support sporting schemes in Greater Manchester.
After an enforced hiatus in 2020, the Manchester Marathon and Manchester Half both return on Sunday 10th October with a record 40,000 people set to take part, making it the fourth largest event of its nature in Europe.
The last remaining batch of places are released from Monday 12th April.
The three organisations awarded money from the £42,000 pot will be revealed shortly after voting closes. To cast your vote, and find out more about the work of each of the finalists, head to manchestermarathon.co.uk.
Human Race, Trafford
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Zombies of Color
I saw an ad that really made me curious. It said, Wanted: Zombies of Color.
So I called to find out what it was all about. And the recorded message said, "Thank you for calling Zombie Finders. If you want to sign up for the zombies of color audition, press 9." So I pressed 9 and the recorded message told me to show up Thursday at noon.
And then I did some research and I learned that Zombie Finders is a talent agency that specializes in casting ordinary folks in the roles of zombies in movies and TV shows. There's a huge demand because the zombie apocalypse has become a hot artistic topic in recent years and nobody ever casts just one zombie. Zombies are always cast by the shitload. That's where Zombie Finders comes in.
More research revealed that last year the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charged Zombie Finders with employment discrimination. An investigation by the agency found that nearly all those who passed Zombie Finder auditions were white, which is why the shitloads of Zombies we see in movies and TV shows do not, in the agency's words, "reflect the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of America."
I never thought about that but it's true. I know whenever I think about zombies I picture white males. That's how we've been conditioned by our mass media
So the zombies of color audition was part of Zombie Finders settlement agreement with EEOC. I was super excited to try out because if zombie diversity was what they were after, I could deliver that big time. In no zombie movie or TV show have I ever seen a zombie in a motorized wheelchair or even a dwarf zombie for that matter. Zombies are pretty goddam homogeneous. And whereas I am not technically "of color," I feel like being crippled in some ways makes me an honorary member of that club. And I was also super excited to try out because being cast as a zombie would be the realization of a lifelong vocational ambition. As a kid I pictured myself as everything from a boxer to an astronaut. But never in my wildest dreams did I dare imagine that some sweet day I would be paid to act like a zombie.
So I showed up Thursday at noon and got in line. I had a soliloquy from Hamlet all memorized and ready to go. But then a large man with curly red hair and a clipboard asked me to come with him. He escorted me off to a corner. "I'm sorry sir but the audition is only for zombies of color," he said.
I explained to him that any truly inclusive shitload of zombies would contain at least a smattering of cripples. "And besides," I said, "a zombie in motorized wheelchair would wow the pants off of the EEOC!"
"A zombie in motorized wheelchair?" scoffed the fair-skinned linebacker of a man. "Impossible. First of all, what happens when your batteries run out of juice? Do you expect people to believe that a zombie has the wherewithal to periodically stop and recharge its wheelchair batteries?"
"Well I don't know!" I protested. "May I'm freshly zombified and I'm still running on the juice I had before I was undead!"
But the man wasn't buying it. I continued pleading my case until he threatened to call security.
So I left. But I'm still pissed. I have half a mind to gather up some crippled brothers and picket Zombie Finders. But I don't think it would do much good. The zombies probably won't honor my picket line because they don't have much job security. They can be easily replaced by scab zombies.
(Smart Ass Cripple is completely reader supported. Contributing to the tip jar, purchasing books and subscribing through Amazon Kindle keeps us going. Please help if you can.)
Posted by Smart Ass Cripple at 4:54 PM 1 comment:


EXCLUSIVE: Christina Aguilera Took Off ALL HER MAKEUP . . . And We Can't RECOGNIZE HER AT ALL!!!
Pop singer Christina Aguilera took off ALL of her makeup in a new photoshoot for Paper Magazine - and she is virtually UNRECOGNIZABLE.
The platinum singer looks good . . . just completely different. Her fans are going wild over her new feature and the "Dirty" singer looks as though she's aged at least 15 years.
"I've always been someone that obviously loves to experiment, loves theatrics, loves to create a storyline and play a character in a video or through stage," she told PAPER. "I'm a performer, that's who I am by nature. But I'm at the place, even musically, where it's a liberating feeling to be able to strip it all back and appreciate who you are and your raw beauty."
The singer has often faced criticism over her looks. When she first broke out onto the scene, some said she looked too skinny. Years later when she was heavier, people laughed at her for being fat. It appears that she has been focused on working on herself and what a way to return to the spotlight.
Speaking on the backlash she said: "They[new artists] don't have as much backlash when they come out on the scene. And I did. It was a very interesting and controversial time for me. [...] Either women are not sexual enough or we're not fulfilling enough of a fantasy for you, but then if we're overtly sexual or feeling empowered in a certain kind of way, then we're shamed for it."


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Karl Eisen (* 7. Juli 1873 in Weißenburg; † 6. Juli 1943 ebenda) war zwischen 1916 und 1937 Direktor von Karthaus-Prüll, der Anstalt für Psychiatrie in Regensburg, und bedeutsamer Reformer der Behandlung psychisch Kranker.

Leben
Eisen hat am 20. November 1896 promoviert und am 1. Februar 1898 das Approbationsexamen abgelegt. Am 1. April 1898 ist er als Arzt in den Kreisdienst eingetreten. Dann war er Assistenzarzt in Bayreuth, in Kutzenberg und in Deggendorf. 1909 wurde er Oberarzt in Kaufbeuren. Er trat am 1. April 1916 seinen Dienst als Direktor in der Psychiatrie in Regensburg (Karthaus-Prüll) an. Er war verheiratet mit Luise Karoline E., geb. Breit, und hatte eine Tochter und zwei Söhne, die ebenfalls ein Medizinstudium ablegten und als Gynäkologe und Psychiater in Bamberg tätig waren.

Wirken an der psychiatrischen Anstalt Karthaus-Prüll
Die Verhältnisse waren zur Mitte des Ersten Weltkrieges in der psychiatrischen Anstalt, als Eisen die Leitung übernahm, bedrückend. 1917 starben im Steckrübenwinter 20 % aller Patienten. Das war für Eisen Anlass, tiefgreifende Reformen in der wirtschaftlichen Führung des Krankenhauses einzuleiten. Sein Ziel war es, dass Karthaus-Prüll wirtschaftlich autark werden sollte. Nach anfänglicher Ablehnung genehmigte der Oberpfälzer Kreisrat die Anpachtung landwirtschaftlicher Flächen. Die folgenden schwierigen Jahre der Weltwirtschaftskrise konnte die Anstalt dann auch gut überstehen. Auch als 1927 der Oberpfälzer Kreistag die Zuschüsse zu den Pflegesätzen vollständig strich, konnten die Patienten aufgrund der Eigenleistung gut versorgt werden.

Eisen führte eine ganze Reihe verwaltungsmäßiger und technischer Innovationen ein, so dass sich die Regensburger Psychiatrie bald einen sehr guten Ruf erwerben konnte. Dazu zählte die Einführung von Patientengrundbüchern, ein Kartothekensystem für die Verwaltung oder der Ankauf einer Schreibmaschine. Als landwirtschaftliche Neuerung wurde der erste Dörrofen in der Oberpfalz angeschafft, eine eigene Limonadenfabrik eingerichtet und die Werkstätten wurden erneuert. All dies war auch Gelegenheit für arbeitstherapeutische Maßnahmen. Für die Patienten wurde mit einem "Kinoapparat" für Unterhaltung gesorgt (1917). Zudem wurde eine Theatergruppe für Patienten und Mitarbeiter gegründet (1918), die regelmäßig Operetten und Volksstücke aufführte.

Eisen führte auch neue therapeutische Konzepte ein: Die sog. "Tobabteilungen" wurden in Wachsäle und die "Tobzimmer" in wohnliche Einzelzimmer umgewandelt. Eisen öffnete viele neue Abteilungen und schaffte Isolation, Fixierungen und andere Zwangsmaßnahmen weitgehend ab. Alle Patienten sollten vor Abstumpfung, Langeweile und Unselbständigkeit bewahrt werden und möglichst bald wieder in das normale Leben entlassen werden. 1923 wurde in Karthaus-Prüll als zweiter Bayerischer Anstalt die "Offene Fürsorge" eingeführt, d. h. die Frühentlassung mit ambulanter Weiterbehandlung, wobei es immer wieder galt, Widerstände bei den Kommunalpolitikern und der vorgesetzten Behörden zu überwinden.

Für Eisen war ein Besuch 1927 an der Psychiatrischen Anstalt Gütersloh eine wichtige Erfahrung. Er lernte hier die "aktive Krankenbehandlung", die der dortige Direktor Hermann Simon eingeführt hatte, kennen. Nach seiner Rückkehr führte er diese dann auf den Wachabteilungen für alle Patienten von Beginn des Aufenthaltes in der Anstalt ein. Dazu wurde auch eine ganze Palette von Arbeitsangeboten und Produktionszweigen entwickelt, wobei die Patienten sogar Geld verdienen konnten. Auch die Gründung der Anstaltszeitschrift "Karthäuser Blätter" im Januar 1928 war eine Besonderheit, die es in Deutschland in nur noch zwei weiteren Anstalten (Schussenried und Nietleben) gegeben hat. In Anerkennung all dieser Leistungen wurde Karthaus-Prüll 1928 in die Reihe der "gehobenen Anstalten" (Eglfing, Klingenmünster und Erlangen) aufgenommen. 1932 konnten 96 % aller Patienten an sinnvollen Beschäftigungen  teilnehmen und auch für die Pflege und Betreuung der anderen 4 % setzte sich Eisen ein.

Verhalten in der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus
Diese humane Grundhaltung versuchte Eisen auch nach der "Machtergreifung" durch die Nationalsozialisten weiter aufrecht zu halten. Er betonte seine politische Neutralität und verwies darauf, dass er in erster Linie an dem Wohl seiner Patienten  interessiert war. Zugeständnisse an die neuen Machthaber waren aber unvermeidlich, so wurde 1933 ein hakenkreuzgeschmücktes "Ehrenmal" enthüllt und zu den Maifeiern musste das Krankenhaus mit den obligatorischen Hakenkreuzfahnen geschmückt werden. Hingegen änderte sich nichts an der Erwähnung religiöser Aktivitäten in den Jahresberichten. Unvermeidbar war, dass der Sanitätsturm der SA die Festräume der Anstalt zumindest einmal nutzte. 1934 wurden das Erscheinen der "Karthäuser Blätter" eingestellt, zur selben Zeit wurde auch die ganze Presse gleichgeschaltet.

Ein Problem, das 1934 auf Regensburg zugekommen ist, war die Verlegung von 144 "schwierigen Patienten" aus den Anstalten Deggendorf und Mainkofen, mit denen auch 28 Pflegepersonen und Handwerker nach Regensburg versetzt wurden. Dies konnte nicht die Zustimmung Eisens finden, da sich dadurch das Simonsche Konzept der aktiven Krankenbehandlung nicht mehr durchführen ließ.

Allerdings hat Eisen das "Gesetz zur Verhütung erbkranken Nachwuchses" offensichtlich befürwortet. Mit Schreiben vom 24. Februar 1934 wurde er vom Landesgerichtsdirektor zum zweiten Beisitzer für das Erbgesundheitsgericht Regensburg ernannte. Im Herbst 1934 wurde in Karthaus-Prüll auch ein Operationssaal zur Durchführung von Sterilisierungen von Männern eingerichtet, während Frauen im Evangelischen Krankenhaus Regensburg  sterilisiert wurden. Anfang 1939 wurde dann auch für Frauen die Möglichkeit der Sterilisierung in Karthaus-Prüll geschaffen. Zwischen 1934 und 1939 wurden 572 Sterilisierungen durchgeführt, wobei in der Mehrzahl der Fälle (76 %) die Diagnose einer Schizophrenie ausschlaggebend war, ebenso war "angeborener Schwachsinn" eine relativ häufige Diagnose (10 %). Unter Eisen wurde 1936 auch mit der "Erbbiologischen Bestandsaufnahme" begonnen. Dazu wurde ein eigenes Büro ("erbbiologische Station") eingerichtet. Bis 1940 sind etwa 2000 "Sippentafeln" angelegt worden.

Eisen trat zum 1. Mai 1935 der NSDAP bei (Mitgliedsnummer 3.620.116), wohl um sich für seine Patienten einsetzen zu können; dies hat ihm aber nichts genützt, er musste vielmehr einsehen, dass sein Lebenswerk – die Betonung der Arbeitstherapie für die "Gehirnkranken" – unter den neuen Machthabern zusehends demontiert wurde. Er suchte um die Versetzung in den vorzeitigen Ruhestand an und verließ mit Wirkung zum 1. November 1937 die Anstalt. Unter seinem Nachfolger Paul Reiß wurde Karthaus-Prüll auf die nationalsozialistische Linie gebracht und ab 1940 begannen die Transporte der Patienten in die NS-Tötungsanstalt Hartheim.

Eisen wurde posthum auf eine mögliche NS-Belastung durch die Militärregierung überprüft. Es wurden aber keinerlei Bedenken gefunden, welche gegen die Auszahlung einer Pension an seine Witwe gesprochen hätten.

Literatur
Clemens Cording: Die Regensburger Heil- und Pflegeanstalt Karthaus-Prüll im "Dritten Reich" – eine Studie zur Geschichte im Nationalsozialismus. 2000, Würzburg: Deutscher Wissenschaftsverlag, ISBN 3-9806424-4-5.

Weblinks
Der Patientenkünstler Josef Forster

Einzelnachweise

Psychiater
Mediziner (20. Jahrhundert)
Person (Regensburg)
Deutscher
NSDAP-Mitglied
Geboren 1873
Gestorben 1943
Mann

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Home / News / Borgward
Borgward's Chinese backer seeks new investors to support brand's expansion
Viknesh Vijayenthiran October 16, 2018
Chinese automaker Foton announced a week ago that it will sell a 67-percent stake in Borgward to attract new investors and help the revived German automaker expand sales into new markets. Foton acquired the rights to the Borgward brand in 2014 and helped fund its revival. Under the sale plan, Foton will keep the remaining 33 percent of Borgward. Since its comeback, Borgward has launched the BX7, BX6 and BX5 crossover SUVs and announced plans for an electric BXi7 due in 2019. Borgward's lineup is currently assembled at a plant in Beijing, China but the automaker's headquarters and engineering...
Borgward joins coupe-like crossover craze with BX6
Historic German brand Borgward has unveiled its third model since its revival in 2015, the BX6 coupe-like crossover SUV. Borgward first showed a concept of the BX6 in 2016 but the company finally rolled out the production version on May 9 during a special ceremony in Beijing. The BX6 is Borgward's...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran May 16, 2018
Borgward Isabella concept brings a storied name back from the past
Borgward emerged in the early to mid-1900s as an underdog German automaker that would, after some great successes, fold in the early 1960s. However, the storied brand was reincarnated in 2008 and the brand showed a new production model, the BX7 SUV, in 2015. Now, Borgward is looking to the future...
Sean Szymkowski September 13, 2017
Borgward bringing a modern Isabella to the Frankfurt auto show?
Revived German automaker Borgward is planning something special for September's 2017 Frankfurt auto show. The automaker recently released a teaser image for a Frankfurt-bound concept car which is believed to be a low-slung, sporty coupe. Along with the teaser, Borgward released the tag line...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran July 31, 2017
Borgward confirms electric SUV, German plant
Revived German car brand Borgward, backed by state-owned Chinese automaker BAIC, unveiled its first model in almost 50 years during the 2015 Frankfurt auto show. The model was a mid-size SUV called the BX7 that Borgward started selling in China in 2016. The BX7, which is also built in China, has...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran April 24, 2017
Mini design boss Anders Warming moves to Borgward
Danish designer Anders Warming has left the BMW Group where he worked for the past 16 years to join fellow German automaker Borgward. Borgward went out of business more than half a century ago but was recently revived by a descendant of the founder of the original company, as well as Chinese...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran August 2, 2016
Borgward brings BX5 and BX6 TS plug-in hybrid SUVs to Geneva
Stephen Edelstein March 4, 2016
Revived German carmaker Borgward unveiled two new models at this week's 2016 Geneva Motor Show. Like the BX7 unveiled last fall at the 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show, they're both crossovers, and are likely aimed at the Chinese market. Both have plug-in hybrid powertrains. The Borgward BX5 is a smaller counterpart to the mid-size BX7, with similar styling. Borgward says it is a plug-in hybrid, with an internal-combustion engine producing 143 horsepower and electric motor rated at 115 hp, but doesn't give any other details. It says the BX5 is currently in the prototype stage but will soon be ready...
Borgward Bringing Something New To 2016 Geneva Motor Show
Revived German automaker Borgward made headlines last year when it rolled out the BX7 SUV at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The mid-size SUV was the first new Borgward in half a century, but it's destined to be just the first in a handful of new models the company is planning. Borgward has just announced...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran January 27, 2016
2016 Borgward BX7 first look
After remaining dormant for almost half a century, Germany's Borgward is finally back with a new model. The company unveiled the BX7 at the 2015 Frankfurt auto show. The modern incarnation of Borgward has little to do with the company that went bankrupt in 1961 and was at one point one of the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran September 11, 2015
Borgward Teases Its First New Car In More Than 50 Years
Many readers won't be familiar with historic German brand Borgward, since the company originally went bankrupt back in 1961. That's set to change, however, as a revival is in the works, with brand founder Carl F. W. Borgward's grandson Christian Borgward and Chinese industrial...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran September 8, 2015
Borgward Enlists Ex-Daimler China Chief, Plans SUV For Frankfurt
The last Borgward rolled off the assembly nearly half a century ago. But that isn't stopping the grandson of the founder together with Chinese truck company Foton from trying to resurrect the long-dead German luxury brand. And now Ulrich Walker—ex-chief of Daimler China—has joined the...
John Coyle May 21, 2015
Borgward Displays Past, Announces Plans For Future In Geneva
When we learned China's Foton was going to officially relaunch—after half a century of dormancy—Germany's Borgward marque at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, we thought the company's long-rumored concept might finally be ready for prime time. MUST WATCH: Here's A 'Furious 7'...
John Coyle March 7, 2015
China's Foton Set To Launch Revival Of Borgward At The Geneva Motor Show
John Coyle February 28, 2015
Even among auto enthusiasts, the Borgward name isn't particularly well known. During its heyday, the brand was distinguished by its use of advanced technology, but the last time a car sporting the Borgward badge rolled off the line in Germany, the Beatles were playing the Cavern Club, John F. Kennedy was president, and doctors were still promoting cigarettes. And while half a century is a long time for a marque to be dormant, that hasn't stopped Chinese automaker Beiqi Foton Motor from launching a comeback for Borgward at this year's Geneva Motor Show. Another attempt at a resurrection began...
Borgward Starts Testing New Prototype
German car manufacturer Borgward, which went bankrupt back in 1961, is set to make a revival according to latest reports from Dutch media. Leading the company's return is Christian Borgward, the grandson of Carl Borgward who was the original founder. Borgward, with the help of several...
James Martinez January 18, 2008
Borgward Set To Return After 45-Year Hiatus
German car manufacturer Borgward, which went bankrupt back in 1961, is set to make a revival according to reports from German media. Leading the company's return is Christian Borgward, the grandson of Carl Borgward who was the original founder. Borgward, with the help of several investors...
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The Uses of Tragedy in Fiction and in Life
When I lived in Berkeley during the summer of 1967 the entire USA seemed to be speculating about the secret behind the radio hit "Ode to Billie Joe," a new song by Bobbie Gentry. The lyric tells of the suicide of a young man who jumps from a bridge, though the song provides only a series of tantalizing clues about what happened, and nothing of why. As a boy of thirteen, I hardly understood how serious this was, though it certainly intrigued me.
Even at that age, I recognized that when you have recently suffered a major loss, words intended to comfort you, reassure, or cheer you up are not likely to help.
Then in 1976, a film called Ode to Billy Joe, inspired by Bobbie Gentry's song was released, and it proved a genuine tear-jerker. When I saw the film at age twenty-two, I admired its visual and emotional realism, and the beauty and sincerity of the young protagonists, Billy Joe and Bobbie Lee. Only, not until recently was I able to view the film again, on DVD. After nearly forty years, I find appreciate this beautiful film and its nuances as I never could before.
For some critics, the uncertainties of the song proved more evocative and haunting, while the film and the detailed revelation of what happened and why, did not prove so satisfying. Personally, I appreciated the film's sweating, believable Southern characters, the drone of the cicadas in the Mississippi heat, the excellent dialogue, and the tragic tangle of events. I admired how the young heroine endures her terrible loss.
Unlike the song, the revelations of the film are not ambiguous. Yet no matter how much information we may have about the loss of any person, we can never know the bottom line. The ultimate "why?" cannot truly be answered, even with apparent motivation and circumstances. The complexity and subtle nature of human experience renders any simple, linear cause-and-effect explanation no more than a rationalized emotional placebo. The truth of our existence is profoundly mysterious.
Though I have had a near-death experience (NDE), went to the "Other Side" and returned, I am not convinced of what that really means. Concerning life after death and before birth, I am agnostic. What I believe in is life. Still, human experience demonstrates that loved ones who pass on may sometimes return to comfort their survivors, or finish some interrupted business. To doubt that this happens, in my opinion, takes skepticism too far, and dishonors the meaningful experience of a great many human beings.
My belief is that mortality is mysterious, that nobody knows for sure what, if anything, happens to our consciousness after we die, or where we come from "before birth." In the sense of our evolving DNA and the stardust of which it's composed, it seems we've all been around in some form, all along and always will be. For insight, Nature is always the best source, and if you observe what's happening in a forest, everything is recycling, all the time.
Of course, grief can be caused not only by death of a loved one, but also by the end of a relationship, or by anything you consider a terrible failure, a betrayal, the loss of a beloved home, or a serious health diagnosis.
So, what do we learn from tragic loss, in both fiction and our human lives?
You can never afford to take anything that you love in your life for granted, not for a moment. Cherish what you love, here and now: always. So easily we focus on the past, on what we do not have, and may overlook the good things that are present.
In fiction, tragedy adds the depth of realism to human experience, and produces change in the survivors, motivation, or shifts of direction in plot and story, and character development. The fictional Billy Joe, and his remarkable survivor Bobbie Lee have helped me to clarify my feelings about these realities in my own life.
In life, nothing can mitigate the impact of a tragic loss, though certain beliefs may provide a buffer from the harsh realities. In fiction, the portrayal of loss has an ancient pedigree that goes back at least five or six millennia to Gilgamesh and his lost Enkidu, yet it still provides no definitive answers.
Posted by Bruce P. Grether at 9:00 AM 0 comments
Building Worlds: The Origins of Imaginative Fiction
by Bruce P. Grether
Much as I have always loved C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Herbert and other great world-builders of imaginative fiction, I've never wanted to write a book that resembles anything I've read. Thus the worlds I've created contain no Great Lion, no Elves, dragons or wizards, and no giant sandworms.
I'm not bragging, probably I'm just a stubborn individualist this way. Though I've seen speculation that readers of such books tend to two basic categories, wanting originality, or wanting the same basic thing over and over again thinly disguised, I'm not certain it's so simple as either exploring something that seems new, or imitation.
Perhaps this all has more to do with the early influences upon writers, as well as readers.
Recently I've considered what stimulated my own creative imagination early on. Though I was not actually reading much fiction on my own yet at age five, I know that my mother was actively reading to me and my siblings almost every night, a wide variety of fiction: Mark Twain, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and various other classic children's books.
That same year, I experienced a remarkable scope of actual experiences, only bits and pieces of which I clearly remember. We traveled westward from Thailand to the USA, and I saw the Great Sphinx, played at the foot of the Great Pyramid, saw mummies in the Cairo museum; in the Coliseum in Rome, I pretended a marble chunk was a piano; we saw the Crown Jewels in London; at Lincoln's tomb in Illinois I was photographed pretending to smoke my toy peace pipe and wearing a feather bonnet. In Denver, I vividly recall that we saw Disney's brand new film, SLEEPING BEAUTY.
During my sixth through my eighth year back in Thailand, my first three years of elementary school exposed me to an immense range of imaginative fiction, from fairytales, to detective stories, to Narnia, and many others. I've been both an avid reader and a writer ever since. Some of my first few completed novels were somewhat derivative, and we can certainly learn our art and craft by imitation. In my early teens, however, I consciously realized that I was not interested in creating worlds that much resembled any I've read.
Something different than conscious creation set my writings in motion, a form of inspiration, perhaps from the unconscious mind. The worlds I've fully explored by writing full-length novels and series of novels set there have all opened to me without exception through a vivid dream. Most dreams that I recall are not so detailed or clear, but the ones I refer to each created a doorway in my mind that I could always pass through again.
That's how it works for me!
www.9realities.com
Magnificent MALEFICENT!
A review by Bruce P. Grether
(NO SPOILERS, or at least nothing very specific!) I'll seek to avoid revealing major, specific plot points in this brief look at the marvelous new Disney film MALEFICENT, which I saw in a cinema yesterday. In fact, though I have read only a few reviews, on several points I would have enjoyed being totally surprised, though these points by no means spoiled the film for me.
I've been especially drawn to this production in part because as a boy of five, I saw Disney's original animated SLEEPING BEAUTY that serves as the lunching pad for this new live-action film. The former had a lasting affect upon me, and now I've found the latter moving, beautiful and of rare cinematic quality.
MALEFICENT offers something I find missing in many contemporary fantasy stories: a meaningful, plausible origin and motivation for figures viewed as villainous. In fact, this revisionist version reminds me of the numerous versions of Greek myths, in which we sometimes still have older more "goddess-oriented" versions, later revised to give male gods greater importance. Though MALEFICENT is filled with magick and fantastic beings, the causes of evil behavior work the same way for humans in our "real" world.
Another aspect of the film I found delightful was the depiction of the "Fair People," or inhabitants of the Fairy realm, which aligns quite accurately with actual western European traditions. This impressive re-telling does not demolish the original at all, but re-tells it with some surprisingly different slants, which I for one found extremely refreshing and satisfying. So bravo to all involved for pushing beyond the simplistic good-evil scenarios of so much contemporary fantasy!
One more touch of praise must go to Angelina Jolie, whose skilled portrayal of the eponymous character is a major part of why I'd call this film magnificent!
On the Road - A Film Review by Bruce P. Grether
Many citizens of the USA have a romantic fixation concerning the landscape of this vast nation, its variety, and the cultural differences of regions, such as the East, West, North, South and the Middle, all imbued with their own character, beauty, and mystique. The classic novel by Jack Kerouac, On the Road, touches into all of these, as well as depicting a rich assortment of human characters.
Like many readers and writers, I have waited a long time for On the Road to come to the screen. One major challenge to such a visual adaptation is that Kerouac's beautiful, quirky and inspired prose in the novel is not easy to translate visually. There is a kind of poetry and heart to his best writing that must be heard and felt, as much as seen. Still, the film offers exquisite cinematography, and fine performances by the entire cast. Though I appreciate the choice to use Kerouac's fictional character names, this may confuse some viewers unless they research on Wikipedia.
As with the novel, the major focus is what we now call a classic "bromance" between the narrator (the character Kerouac based on himself) and his good friend and inspiration based on that famous wild man Neal Cassady. There are several layers of romantic fixation going on here, for Kerouac crafted most of his works by recording his own life and friendships through a kind of romanticized filter. His novels ended up as accounts of how he wanted to see things, and often quite different from how others viewed events.
This beautiful film mostly honors Kerouac's version of things, though there are touches of biography added that are not so flattering, such as the wonderful performance of Kirsten Dunst, as the woman who married Cassady's character. Though her role is relatively small, she achieves special luminosity and poignance. Also exceptional are Garrett Hedlund as the Cassady character, who brilliantly convinces with his rakish charm. The unexpected casting of Viggo Mortensen as the character inspired by William S. Burroughs, is a brilliant vignette, and quite true to life.
No doubt my view of the film is colored by my own fascination with the Beat Generation, whose works and lives I've studied for decades. My partner who is not so fixated said, "The film seems to be about three things: substance abuse, male bonding, and abuse of women." Though I cannot disagree, to me the film, like the novel, provides a depiction of how certain people can light up other's lives with enthusiasm and inspiration; this may even translate into the creation of writing and art.
Though creativity does not require irresponsible behavior, the other side of the equation is the free spirits that defy convention, and question external authority. For anyone interested in the literary and cultural history of modern times, On the Road is definitely worthwhile. I'm less certain what I feel about how the film ends, and yet in a real sense, that conclusion was only the beginning of much else.
Posted by Bruce P. Grether at 3:01 PM 0 comments
Building Worlds: The Origins of Imaginative Fictio...
Bruce P. Grether
Hill Country, Texas, United States
I live in the beautiful Hill Country of Texas with my beloved partner Tom. I grew up in Southeast Asia as the son of Protestant missionaries. I lived in Berkeley, California off and on during the 1960s, and later in various places. My diverse experience contributes to the richness of my imaginative stories. After 17 years as a college dropout, I finally returned to school and obtained a degree at CSU in Fort Collins, Colorado in. I graduated in 1994. I'm now writing and making artworks full-time at home and my purpose is service to humanity and the planet. I do what I love and I love what I do. Self-employed from now on, soon I'll invite Tom to retire and also pursue his own bliss.
Copyright 2011 Bruce P. Grether/ All Rights Reserved. Watermark theme. Powered by Blogger.


text:
Q: OSX [Error 32] Broken pipe on python app I am using mac osx 10.9 and python 2.7.
Made app using py2app which is basically continuously checking for save time of a file.
Monitoring any changes made in the file in a while loop with small sleep in each iteration.
Process should not stop at all, but it is exiting with error-32 Broken pipe after 15-20 minutes.
How to resolve it.
try:
    while True:
        app_log.debug("while true")
        time.sleep(5)
        configProp.read(propfile)
        fileNameList=configProp.sections()
        if len(fileNameList)!=0:
            app_log.debug("fileNameList is not zero")
            for i in range(0,len(fileNameList)):
                tempnameinfile=configProp.options(fileNameList[i])
                openTimeLive = configProp.get(fileNameList[i], "openTimeLive")
                openTimeLive = float(openTimeLive)
                openTime=float(openTime)
                configureTime = 3600*float(configureTime)
                monitorTime=float(openTimeLive + configureTime)
                if monitorTime > time.time():
                    lastSavedTime = os.path.getmtime(str(tempname))
                    app_log.debug(lastSavedTime)
                    aa = abs((float(openTime)) - (float(lastSavedTime)))
                    if abs(aa) > 1 :
                        app_log.debug("file modified")
                        t = ThreadClass(fileNameList[i])
            #             t.setDaemon(True)
                        t.start()
                        time.sleep(5)
                        configProp.set(fileNameList[i], str(tempnameinfile[0]),lastSavedTime)
                        with open(propfile, 'wb') as propFile:
                            configProp.write(propFile)
                        app_log.debug("completed")
except Exception as e:
        app_log.error(e)
        print e

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Solidarity in Times of Precarity
Carolyn Chernoff has a simple suggestion for this conference season and for academics in general: don't leave your friends behind.
Carolyn Chernoff
It's conference season for my discipline, sociology. Social media is full of hacks and hashtags of how to maximize the conference experience: bring nuts and protein bars or a collapsible water bottle. Update your website and business cards. Grad students should reach out to tenure-track scholars
This is all good advice, but I wonder: What about the precariat? You know, the 70 percent or so of teaching labor at most colleges and universities, with titles like "adjunct," "lecturer" or "visiting professor"? Or those of us who are unemployed with a Ph.D. in hand, or underemployed, or off to work outside academe.
If you are on the tenure track or tenured, however, you might forget that many of your grad school or teaching peers can't afford expensive conferences. Or we won't be there because we are busy teaching three, four, five or more classes as contract labor. We often literally don't have time for research and writing. Conferences might be great places to network or draw attention to our research, but they favor the fortunate. If your name tag lacks a prestigious affiliation, much less any affiliation, people pass you by. It's just how the business goes. It's not personal, except when it is.
Regardless of your employment status, if you've gone to grad school or worked in academe, you have witnessed more than your fair share of truly deplorable behavior. Maybe a senior colleague has called you a "dirty Jew" to your face in front of students. Maybe that same colleague has introduced you at a conference as a "part-time helper in cultural studies" rather than a visiting assistant professor of sociology. Has a superior expressed surprise that you continue to have an "ambitious" research and publication record, while mostly talking to you about your pants? You know, as some purely hypothetical examples.
But in some ways, that's no surprise. Academe is notoriously brutal. Grad school is often more akin to a hazing than an apprenticeship. Many of us have been told directly some earthier version of detritus rolls downhill. We expect that we'll have to fight our way to the top, and some of us take pride in being warriors.
What might be surprising, though, is the horizontal hostility from those we used to call friends. Most of us outside the tenure track can tell you how many of our dearest grad school and professor friends love to ask us to read drafts of their work, or listen to them complain about the difficulties of their jobs, only to ignore us in public or only call or email when they need a favor. Some of us can't tell those stories, however, because more successful friends and peers drop us once it's clear we won't be victors of the academic Hunger Games.
Maybe you've shared hotel rooms with colleagues who regale you with tales of the parties and gatherings they went to the night before with senior scholars -- without inviting you. Then, too, are the dinners I've been lucky to attend where senior scholars realize that their peers who teach a 2-2 course load probably are good scholars who aren't as productive as those who teach one class a year at a top-10 grad school because, well, they're teaching. To say nothing of the 3-3, 4-4, 5-5 loads out there, and the adjuncts who cobble together a barely living wage by teaching as many courses as they can.
Many of us will not be at our discipline's conferences because we can't afford them. But if you're visiting our cities or towns or exurbs, take us to dinner and talk research. Talk about teaching. Listen to us and connect us when and where you can. If you ask us to do the unpaid labor of article and journal reviews or commentary, remember that it comes at a cost. When any of us spend a few hours reviewing someone else's article, book proposal or tenure file, those are several hours we're not spending writing, researching or applying for grants. For those of us whose time is spent teaching large sections of introductory classes, where student evaluations determine whether we'll be employed next semester, those are the trade-offs we have to make: work for pay, not for scholarship.
Your precariat pals are not wasting time or "choosing" to leave academe; we're forced out. The longer we're out of grad school and without a tenure-track job, the smaller the likelihood is that we will ever publish well or get those mythical jobs. Many of us still hold out hope, though. Connect us to scholars with jobs or publishers. If we're not able to continue our research, writing or teaching because there are no jobs, remember that: it's structural.
Remember that people already marginalized by race, class, gender, sexuality, immigration status, ability or other structural conditions are also much less likely to be employed as professors or scholars. We are marginalized by structural conditions. So, of course, individual solutions, especially those that ask junior scholars and marginalized workers to reach out to our more powerful peers, ignore the larger reality: academe is not a meritocracy, nor is it a system of individual actions. The system asks those most marginalized to do the work to overcome marginalization. It's a catch-22.
I'm saying two things: keep us in the academic loop and understand why we might not be able to stay in the academic loop. The structural inequality that academe is built on absolutely marginalizes people of color, those from working-class or poor backgrounds, the disabled, the fat, the nonbinary, women, queer folks and so many more. Or rather, if you are white, straight, male, cis, gender normative and middle class, scholars are going to take you more seriously, and you'll have an easier time finding employment and be likely to carry a smaller teaching load for higher pay than your peers.
And yet, I'm suggesting in some ways that small individual actions might help. If you're tenure track or tenured, buying a lecturer or unemployed friend a coffee or a drink won't create a job, but a humane action might remind both of us that the university is a system that operates on forced scarcity. For your own sake, don't be someone who gets passive-aggressively called to task in an online column. For your own humanity, don't exploit us or shun us in public. Remember that even though relationships are something academe does not nurture, they make life worth living.
Including your friends in panels, calls for proposals, paid lectures or workshops -- none of that will create jobs or change universities. That requires larger structural changes. But the individual actions can help create some bottom-up improvements, as well as call attention to the larger labor conditions that marginalize already-marginalized scholars, and make some individual success seem merited.
We aren't leaving academe because of failure, incompetence or lack of grit. We simply lack a job. So I have a simple suggestion for this conference season, and for academics in general: don't leave your friends behind. If much of academic success is networking and mastering the hidden curriculum even after student days are long gone, remember and include us -- the precariat, the unemployed, the underemployed. There have to be better hashtags (and better actions), but think about #SolidarityWithPrecarity, and remember: solidarity is a verb.
Carolyn Chernoff writes from the margins of gender, sexuality, politics and precarity. As a cultural sociologist of inequality, she uses an intersectional feminist, race-critical framework to address issues of representation and power. Much of her scholarly work explores racialized conflict in projects of social change. In addition to journals and edited collections, her public sociology appears in places like The Huffington Post and Lifehacker. You can find her at @CarolynChernoff and carolynchernoff.com.
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If you could have a CC-related "super power", what would you choose?
Who's your best friend in the whole wide world?
Who's your least favorite person in Detroit?
Who do you feel the most ambivalence to in half of the entire southwestern region of Japan?
Why don't you come to chat anymore? I feel unloved.
Why isn't anyone in KORT as funny as trapyoung? He's really funny, you should get on that.
What is your favorite eating utensil? Of all he suggestions you've seen, which do you think would be the coolest, if implemented, no matter if it's possible or not? What is your favorite letter of the English and Greek alphabets and why? How would you respond if you got completely destroyed in a CC game by a chef?
Is it true you ate a house?
Your second favourite keyboard button (I know you favourite is Caps Lock)?
Why are you wasting your life on an interent version of a board game?
Now You are a mod, do you consider yourself superior to everyone?
TheSaxlad wrote: Now You are a mod, do you consider yourself superior to everyone?
Thanks for the questions! They will be answered in the next edition of the newsletter!


text:
Language of document : Bulgarian Spanish Czech Danish German Estonian Greek English French Italian Latvian Lithuanian Hungarian Maltese Dutch Polish Portuguese Romanian Slovak Slovene Finnish Swedish ECLI:EU:C:2010:780
JUDGMENT OF THE COURT (First Chamber)
16 December 2010 (*)
(VAT – Sixth Directive 77/388/EEC – Exemptions – Article 13(B)(b) – Letting of immovable property – Sale of contractual rights convertible into usage rights for timeshare holiday accommodation)
In Case C-270/09,
REFERENCE for a preliminary ruling under Article 234 EC from the Court of Session (Scotland) (United Kingdom), made by decision of 10 July 2009, received at the Court on 14 July 2009, in the proceedings
MacDonald Resorts Ltd
The Commissioners for Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs,
THE COURT (First Chamber),
composed of A. Tizzano, President of the Chamber, J.-J. Kasel, A. Borg Barthet (Rapporteur), M. Ilešič and M. Berger, Judges,
Advocate General: V. Trstenjak,
Registrar: L. Hewlett, Principal Administrator,
having regard to the written procedure and further to the hearing on 10 June 2010,
after considering the observations submitted on behalf of:
– MacDonald Resorts Ltd, by C. Tyre QC, and D. Small, Advocate,
– the United Kingdom Government, by S. Hathaway and F. Penlington, acting as Agents, and P. Mantle, Barrister,
– the Greek Government, by G. Kanellopoulos, S. Trekli, M. Tassopoulou and S. Spyropoulos, acting as Agents,
– the Portuguese Government, by L. Inez Fernandes, acting as Agent,
– the European Commission, by M. Afonso and R. Lyal, acting as Agents,
after hearing the Opinion of the Advocate General at the sitting on 7 September 2010,
gives the following
1 This reference for a preliminary ruling concerns the interpretation of Articles 2, 9, 10 and 13B of Sixth Council Directive 77/388/EEC of 17 May 1977 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to turnover taxes – Common system of value added tax: uniform basis of assessment (OJ 1977 L 145, p. 1), as amended by Council Directive 2001/115/EC of 20 December 2001 (OJ 2002 L 15, p. 24, 'the Sixth Directive').
2 The reference was made in the course of proceedings between MacDonald Resorts Ltd ('MRL') and the Commissioners for Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs ('the Commissioners') regarding the scheme for value added tax ('VAT') applicable to supplies of certain services by MRL.
3 Article 9 of the Sixth Directive provides:
'1. The place where a service is supplied shall be deemed to be the place where the supplier has established his business or has a fixed establishment from which the service is supplied or, in the absence of such a place of business or fixed establishment, the place where he has his permanent address or usually resides.
2. However:
(a) the place of the supply of services connected with immovable property, including the services of estate agents and experts, and of services for preparing and coordinating construction works, such as the services of architects and of firms providing on-site supervision, shall be the place where the property is situated;
4 Article 10(1) and (2) of the Sixth Directive state:
'1. (a) "Chargeable event" shall mean the occurrence by virtue of which the legal conditions necessary for tax to become chargeable are fulfilled.
(b) VAT shall become "chargeable" when the tax authority becomes entitled under the law at a given moment to claim the tax from the person liable to pay, even though the time of payment may be deferred.
2. The chargeable event shall occur and the tax shall become chargeable when the goods are delivered or the services are performed. Deliveries of goods other than those referred to in Article 5(4)(b) and supplies of services which give rise to successive statements of account or payments shall be regarded as being completed at the time when the periods to which such statements of account or payments pertain expire. Member States may in certain cases provide that continuous supplies of goods and services which take place over a period of time shall be regarded as being completed at least at intervals of one year.
However, where a payment is to be made on account before the goods are delivered or the services are performed, the tax shall become chargeable on receipt of the payment and on the amount received.
By way of derogation from the above provisions, Member States may provide that the tax shall become chargeable, for certain transactions or for certain categories of taxable person, either:
– no later than the issue of the invoice, or
– no later than receipt of the price, or
– where an invoice is not issued, or is issued late, within a specified period from the date of the chargeable event.'
5 Under Article 13B of the Sixth Directive:
'Without prejudice to other Community provisions, Member States shall exempt the following under conditions which they shall lay down for the purpose of ensuring the correct and straightforward application of the exemptions and of preventing any possible evasion, avoidance or abuse:
(b) the leasing or letting of immovable property excluding:
1. the provision of accommodation, as defined in the laws of the Member States, in the hotel sector or in sectors with a similar function, including the provision of accommodation in holiday camps or on sites developed for use as camping sites;
2. the letting of premises and sites for parking vehicles;
3. lettings of permanently installed equipment and machinery;
4. hire of safes.
Member States may apply further exclusions to the scope of this exemption.
The dispute in the main proceedings and the questions referred for a preliminary ruling
MRL's activities
6 MRL is a company which has its registered office in the United Kingdom. It is registered for VAT in that Member State and for IVA, the Spanish equivalent of VAT.
7 MRL's business, which is carried on in the United Kingdom and in Spain, consists in selling timeshare usage rights in properties in holiday resorts situated in those two Member States ('timeshare usage rights'). It uses the same contractual documents in the United Kingdom and Spain.
8 Since 3 October 2003, MRL has being marketing a new product consisting of an options programme called 'Options by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts' ('the Options Scheme'). That scheme was set up in order to make better use of the unsold timeshare inventory, and to offer to MRL's customers greater flexibility in how they could enjoy accommodation in MRL's resorts, in particular as regards the choice of resort and period of occupation.
9 To set up Options, MRL established a club called 'Options by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts' ('the Club'). It is a non-profit-making unincorporated body governed by a written constitution ('the Constitution'). According to the Constitution, its principal object is 'to secure for the Members rights to reserve holiday accommodation and other ancillary benefits for specified periods in each year during the period of 30 years hereinafter mentioned in terms of the [Options Scheme] as defined by this Constitution'.
10 According to the order for reference, the main characteristics of the Constitution and the contracts relating to it may be described as follows:
– the Club was constituted for a term of 30 years, from 3 October 2003 until 2 October 2033;
– MRL is the founder member, with the power and responsibility to conduct the business and affairs of the Club and administer the Options Scheme and take any steps that it considers necessary for that purpose;
– as founder member, MRL appointed a trustee and transferred to it its right and title to its timeshare accommodation inventory. Under the Constitution MRL became entitled to the 'Points Rights' accruing to that accommodation. Those rights are available for sale by MRL to ordinary members;
– MRL's customers who apply to join the Options Scheme, and who comply with the conditions for membership, become ordinary members of the Club. They acquire 'Points Rights' either by purchasing them from MRL or by depositing timeshare usage rights relating to fixed weeks with the trustee;
– MRL attributes a value to all timeshare weeks available for use by members. The values are expressed as a certain number of points determined according to the location, standard and type of accommodation and the time of year concerned. Members are credited each year with a number of points according to their Points Rights. They may redeem those points in the year concerned by occupying particular accommodation for a chosen period, up to the value of their points and the number of weeks available. The expression 'Points Rights' means the entitlement of members to be credited each year with points so that they can exercise their rights to occupy accommodation during the year concerned.
– there is no joining fee payable on first becoming a member of Options Scheme, but on applying to join it a new ordinary member must acquire Points Rights. He may do so in one of two ways. He may purchase points rights from MRL (currently at GBP 2.50 per Points Right, subject to promotional discounts). The purchase is effected by way of a 'Points Sales Contract' between the new member and MRL. Or he may receive points rights in return for depositing with the trustee timeshare usage rights which he has acquired from MRL and payment of an 'Enhancement Fee';
– the second of those methods can be effected in two different ways. First, a pre-existing MRL timeshare owner may bring his property to which those rights pertain within the Options Scheme by entering into an 'Enhancement Contract' with MRL, thereby receiving Points Rights relating to that timeshare interest. Second, a person who does not own timeshare usage rights may enter into a 'Resale and Enhancement Contract' with MRL by which he simultaneously acquires such rights and brings them within the Options Scheme. Members who have entered either of those contracts are referred to as 'Enhanced Members'. Such a member retains the right, exercisable within the first two months of each year, to use the timeshare usage rights that he brought into the Options Scheme in the relevant year. If he does not do so he is credited with a number of points which he may use on other accommodation of equivalent value in the Options Scheme. If the Enhanced Member deposits his timeshare usage rights with the trustee they are made available for use by any other members who may redeem their points in order to use the accommodation for those weeks;
– ordinary members agree to pay annual management charges appropriate to their holding of points rights and transaction fees for reserving accommodation when redeeming points. Payment is made to MRL in Scotland;
– additional Points Rights may be purchased from MRL by ordinary members at any time;
– MRL may permit members to exchange points for accommodation in hotels operated by it or for other benefits. Thus, MRL has offered members the possibility to request, up to 10 months in advance, the exchange of their points for accommodation for periods of 3, 4 or 7 nights in one of over 70 hotels, subject to availability. The number of points required for such a booking varies according to a specified classification into which the hotels concerned are ordered. Once the booking has been confirmed, MRL becomes responsible to the hotel for the accommodation cost;
– members may save up points unused in one year to be used in the following year. Their whole points entitlement may be saved if the request is made not later than nine months before the end of the current year, and up to 50% may be saved if the request is made between nine and three months before the end of the year;
– conversely, until three months before the end of the year, members may borrow points from their following year's entitlement in order to make a booking that calls for points exceeding their Points Rights for the current year, if they pay the next year's estimated management charges at the time of making the reservation;
– MRL may arrange for members of the Club to have access to an external (that is run by a third party) timeshare exchange programme. MRL has established links with a programme known as Interval International, so that on joining the Options Scheme, members acquire, at no extra cost, two years' membership of the Interval International programme. Thereafter, members may continue as members of the Interval International programme by separate arrangement and at their own expense. Membership of Interval International entitles members of the Options Scheme to exchange timeshare weeks in the Options Scheme, for which they have redeemed their points in a given year, for accommodation made available by other members of Interval International. MRL is entitled to terminate or to change any affiliation to an external timeshare programme which it has arranged;
– MRL has the power at any time to remove from the Options Scheme any of the timeshare weeks which it has deposited with the trustee. However MRL is obliged to ensure that there is always sufficient accommodation available to satisfy the total of the Points Rights held by itself and by ordinary members. MRL also has the power to determine and vary the points grading of accommodation, and to re-denominate points and 'Points Rights' by increasing or decreasing their number in line with each other whilst maintaining their value.
The proceedings before the national authorities
11 The dispute in the main proceedings concerns the proper classification, for the purposes of liability to VAT, of the supply of certain services made by MRL in the course of its timeshare usage rights business. The place of supply of those services is also at issue
12 The dispute arises from a decision of the Commissioners in March 2004 that the sale of 'Points Rights' is to be treated as the taxable supply of benefits derived from membership of a club and that the place of that supply is the United Kingdom.
13 MRL's appeal against that decision to the VAT and Duties Tribunal, Edinburgh, was dismissed by decision of 16 June 2006.
14 The Court of Session (Scotland), before which an appeal against that decision was brought, decided to stay proceedings and to refer the following questions to the Court for a preliminary ruling:
'1. Where the applicant, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Club and the contracts associated therewith, makes supplies of contractual rights ("Points Rights") which entitle the purchaser to points redeemable annually for the occupation and use of timeshare accommodation in MRL's resorts, is that supply to be characterised as the leasing or letting of immovable property within the meaning of Article 13B(b) of the Sixth … Directive, or … as membership of a club, or … in some other manner?
2. Does it affect the answer to question 1 that:
(a) in some cases the contractual rights are acquired in return for the customer depositing with MRL pre-existing [timeshare usage] rights … held by the customer in … accommodation at a particular place for one or more fixed weeks?
(b) the customer may in any year decide not to redeem his or her points entitlement for that year in whole or in part for any rights of occupation and may instead elect to augment his or her entitlement in the following year, or, subject to the contractual conditions of the [Options Scheme] in any year, may augment that year's entitlement by "borrowing" – from his or her entitlement to points in the following year;
(c) the properties comprising the pool of accommodation may change between the time when "Points Rights" are acquired and the time when points are redeemed for the right to occupy a property;
(d) the number of points to which the customer is entitled each year may be varied by the supplier in accordance with the contractual conditions of the [Options Scheme];
(e) [MRL] may from time to time arrange for persons holding Points Rights to have access to [another] timeshare programme;
(f) [MRL] may from time to time arrange for persons holding Points Rights to exchange their points for accommodation in hotels operated by [MRL] or for other benefits provided by [MRL]?
3. Where a taxable person makes supplies of the services described in questions 1 and 2 above,
(a) are these "services connected with immovable property" within the meaning of Article 9(2)(a) of the Sixth VAT Directive …?
(b) [If] the answer to question 3(a) is [affirmative]: in circumstances where members of the Club may exercise their contractual rights by occupying timeshare accommodation in more than one Member State, and it is not known at the time of supply which accommodation will be so occupied, how is the place of supply to be determined?'
The questions referred for a preliminary ruling
15 By its questions, which it is appropriate to examine together, the national court is, in essence, asking, first, for guidance as to the classification of supplies of services such as those at issue in the main proceedings and the place where such services are supplied and, second, whether the derogating arrangements laid down in Article 13B(b) of the Sixth Directive are applicable to those services.
The classification of the supply of services
16 It should be recalled that, under Article 2(1) of the Sixth Directive, 'the supply of goods or services effected for consideration within the territory of the country by a taxable person acting as such' is to be subject to VAT. In that regard, the Court has already held that a supply of services is effected 'for consideration', within the meaning of that provision, and hence is taxable, only if there is a legal relationship between the provider of the service and the recipient pursuant to which there is reciprocal performance, the remuneration received by the provider of the service constituting the value actually given in return for the service supplied to the recipient (Case C-16/93 Tolsma [1994] ECR I-743, paragraph 14; Case C-172/96 First National Bank of Chicago [1998] ECR I-4387, paragraph 26; and Case C‑174/00 Kennemer Golf [2002] ECR I-3293, paragraph 39).
17 The supply that is characteristic of the type of service which is the subject of the contract at issue in the main proceedings consists in awarding contractual rights called 'Points Rights', which enables the other party to the contract to acquire points which may be converted every year into a right to temporary occupation of accommodation in the holiday resorts of the supplier of services or to obtain hotel accommodation or other services which are not listed in the contractual documents.
18 In those circumstances, it is necessary to examine the components of that contract in order to identify the services supplied as consideration for the fees charged by the supplier of services. In that connection, it is appropriate to follow the method used by the Advocate General, in point 51 of her Opinion, and thus identify first of all the different kinds of fees provided for by that contract.
19 It is apparent from the order for reference that, under the Options Scheme, customers may acquire 'Point Rights' either by purchasing them from MRL by paying a purchase fee, or by depositing timeshare usage rights for fixed weeks with the trustee and paying an 'Enhancement Fee'.
20 In the second case, 'Points Rights' may be acquired by a pre-existing holder of timeshare usage rights who transfers those rights to the Options Scheme under an 'Enhancement Contract' concluded with MRL. Once he acquires rights in the Options Scheme, that person loses, in principle, the link with the specific timeshare usage rights which enabled that acquisition.
21 It is true that the latter characteristic distinguishes the Options Scheme at issue in the main proceedings from the scheme in the case which gave rise to the judgment in Case C-37/08 RCI Europe [2009] ECR I-7533, to which MRL refers. Access to MRL's Options Scheme is obtained purely and simply by the acquisition of points, and it is those points which may subsequently be converted into services provided by MRL under that scheme. Therefore, the points, to which every 'Points Rights' holder is entitled, reflect the value of a stay in specific accommodation or other services supplied by MRL while constituting in a way the means of payment that customers use, in particular, to pay for the acquisition of a right to temporarily occupy accommodation. On the other hand, the scheme at issue in the case which gave rise to the judgment in RCI Europe was a simple scheme for the exchange of timeshare usage rights.
22 However, that distinction does not prevent the same criterion from being used for its assessment, namely the members' ultimate intention when they pay for the services received (RCI Europe, paragraph 29).
23 Applying that criterion in a scheme in which, formally, there is no exchange of timeshare usage rights, such as the scheme at issue in the main proceedings, it appears that 'Points Rights' under the Options Scheme are purchased with the intention of using those rights in order to convert them into services offered under the Options Scheme.
24 As the Advocate General pointed out in point 74 of her Opinion, the customer completes the first transaction not to collect points, but with the intention of temporarily using accommodation or of obtaining other services which he will choose at a later date. Therefore, the purchase of 'Points Rights' is not an aim in itself for the customer. The acquisition of such rights and the conversion of points must thus be regarded as preliminary transactions in order to be able to exercise the right to temporarily use a property, or to stay in a hotel or to use another service.
25 Therefore, it is at the final moment of that conversion that the purchaser of 'Points Rights' receives the consideration for his initial payment.
26 According to the case-law of the Court, the basis of assessment for a supply of services is everything which makes up the consideration for the service supplied and a supply of services is taxable only if there is a direct link between the service supplied and the consideration received by the supplier (see, to that effect, Case 102/86 Apple and Pear Development Council [1988] ECR 1443, paragraphs 11 and 12, and Tolsma, paragraph 14).
27 Therefore, it appears that, in a scheme such as the Options Scheme, the actual service for which 'Points Rights' are acquired is the making available to participants in that scheme of the various possible benefits which may be obtained by virtue of the points deriving from those rights. The service is not fully supplied until those points are converted.
28 It follows that, in cases where the service consists in providing hotel accommodation or a right to temporarily use a property, it is when the points are converted into specific services that the connection between the service supplied and the consideration paid by the customer is established, the consideration being constituted by points deriving from previously acquired rights.
29 Furthermore, as regards a system such as that at issue in the main proceedings, it must stated that, when 'Points Rights' are acquired, the customer does not know exactly which accommodation or other services are available in a given year or the value in points of a holiday in that accommodation or of those services. Moreover, it is MRL which determines the points classification of the available accommodation and services, so that the customer's choice is limited from the outset to accommodation or services which are accessible to him with the number of points he has available.
30 In those circumstances, the factors necessary for VAT to become chargeable are not established when rights such as 'Points Rights' are initially acquired, which excludes the application of the second subparagraph of Article 10(2) of the Sixth Directive.
31 As follows from the judgment in Case C-419/02 BUPA Hospitals and Goldsborough Developments [2006] ECR I-1685, in order for VAT to be chargeable, all the relevant information concerning the chargeable event, namely the future delivery of goods or future performance of services, must already be known and therefore, in particular, the goods or services must be precisely identified. Therefore, payments on account of supplies of goods or services that have not yet been clearly identified cannot be subject to VAT (BUPA Hospitals and Goldsborough Developments, paragraph 50).
32 Since the real service is obtained only when the customer converts the points attaching to the 'Points Rights' that he has previously acquired, the chargeable event occurs and the tax becomes chargeable only at that moment, in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article 10(2) of the Sixth Directive.
33 It follows that, under such a scheme, it is only when the points converts the points deriving from rights previously acquired into the temporary use of a property or hotel accommodation or another service that it is possible to determine the treatment for VAT purposes applicable to the transaction, according to the type of service supplied. Therefore, in particular, the place of supply is the place where the property or hotel is situated in which the customer obtains the right to stay after conversion of those points.
34 It is true, as the Advocate General points out in points 78 to 85 of her Opinion, that problems may arise from the application of that principle, such as the need, with respect to each conversion of points, to convert the points redeemed by the customer into a monetary value corresponding to the value of the 'Points Rights', the problems related to the lack of clarity with respect to the rate of conversion for 'Points Rights' into points, the non-taxation of revenue over potentially long periods of time, the problems related to the variability of VAT rates between the acquisition of 'Points Rights' and the redemption of the corresponding points, and the possibility that the customer does not convert his points.
35 However, such difficulties cannot justify the adoption of an approach, such as that suggested by MRL, by which the place of the supply of the service is determined by the application of an aggregate method of apportionment based on the portfolio of accommodation available when the 'Points Rights' were acquired.
36 The application of such a method would also give rise to difficulties of several kinds and would also involve a risk of abuse, in that it would be possible for a taxable person to include, in the portfolio, accommodation which is supposedly available but not used and is situated in States not subject to the fiscal supervision of the European Union.
37 Furthermore, such a method of apportionment has no express legal basis in the Sixth Directive. Its only justification would be to simplify the administrative tasks required of MRL in order to fulfil its obligations to the tax authorities.
38 In that context, it should be recalled that an undertaking such as MRL, as a person subject to VAT, has, in accordance with Chapter XIII of the Sixth Directive, a certain number of obligations, including that under Article 22(2) to 'keep accounts in sufficient detail to permit application of [VAT] and inspection by the tax authority'.
39 In order to fulfil that obligation, such an undertaking must submit accounts enabling the taxable amount to be identified in a manner which is sufficiently transparent, which is indispensable for the functioning of the common system of VAT.
40 It should be added that the Member States are not powerless if the taxable person fails to cooperate. The principle of a common system of VAT does not preclude the introduction of measures penalising irregularities committed when declarations are made as to the amount of VAT due. On the contrary, Article 22(8) of the Sixth Directive provides that Member States may impose other obligations which they deem necessary for the correct levying and collection of the tax (Case C‑502/07 K-1 [2009] ECR I-161, paragraph 20).
41 Finally, it should be pointed out that, under Article 80(1) of Council Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 November 2006 on the common system of value added tax (OJ 2006 L 347, p. 1), in order to prevent tax evasion or avoidance, Member States may take measures to ensure that, in respect of the supply of services involving management, ownership, membership, financial or legal ties as defined by the Member State, the taxable amount is, in certain cases, to be the open market value.
42 In the light of all of those factors, it must be held that the supplies of services by an operator such as MRL under a system such as the 'Options Scheme' must be classified at the time the customer participating in such a system converts the rights he initially acquired into a service offered by that operator. When those rights are converted into accommodation in a hotel or into a right to temporary use of a property, those supplies are supplies of services connected with immovable property within the meaning of Article 9(2)(a) of the Sixth Directive which are performed at the place where that hotel or property is situated.
The possibility of exemption under Article 13B(b) of the Sixth Directive
43 As regards the transfer of rights such as the 'Points Rights' at issue in the main proceedings in so far as they may be used to obtain hotel accommodation, it must be observed that the exemption provided for in Article 13B(b) of the Sixth Directive is expressly excluded by Article 13B(b)(1) thereof as far as concerns the provision of accommodation in the hotel sector.
44 On the other hand, where such rights serve to obtain the temporary use of a property, it must be determined whether the transfer of those rights must be classified as the 'letting of immovable property' within the meaning of Article 13B(b) of the Sixth Directive, and whether the exclusions from the derogation scheme provided for by that provision are applicable.
45 As a preliminary point, it should be noted that the terms used to specify the exemptions provided for by Article 13 of the Sixth Directive are to be interpreted strictly, since they constitute exceptions to the general principle that VAT is to be levied on all services supplied for consideration by a taxable person (see, inter alia, Case C-472/03 Arthur Andersen [2005] ECR I‑1719, paragraph 24; Case C‑415/04 Stichting Kinderopvang Enschede [2006] ECR I‑1385, paragraph 13; and Case C‑89/05 United Utilities [2006] ECR I-6813, paragraph 21).
46 According to settled case-law, the fundamental characteristic of the concept of 'letting of immovable property' for the purposes of Article 13B(b) of the Sixth Directive lies in conferring on the other party to the contract, for an agreed period and for payment, the right to occupy property as if that person were the owner and to exclude any other person from enjoyment of such a right (see, to that effect, Case C-326/99 'Goed Wonen' [2001] ECR I-6831, paragraph 55; Case C‑108/99 Cantor Fitzgerald International [2001] ECR I-7257, paragraph 21; and Case C‑275/01 Sinclair Collins [2003] ECR I-5965, paragraph 25). In order to determine whether a contract falls within that definition, account should be taken of all the characteristics of the transaction and the circumstances in which it takes place. The decisive factor in this regard is the objective character of the transaction at issue, irrespective of how that transaction is classified by the parties (see, to that effect, Cantor Fitzgerald International, paragraph 33).
47 In a context such as that in the main proceedings, the right to temporary use of a property obtained in exchange for rights initially acquired fulfils the conditions for a letting, as it displays characteristics corresponding to the concept of 'letting' within the meaning of Article 13B(b) of the Sixth Directive. It is apparent from information supplied by the national court that once the member has converted his points into such a right, he is entitled to occupy a property as if he were the owner and to exclude any other person from its enjoyment for a specific period.
48 As the Advocate General noted, in point 105 of her Opinion, under a system such as that at issue in the main proceedings, a customer acquires 'Points Rights' ultimately in order to obtain the right to temporarily use a holiday property. Therefore, in order to classify the transfer of such a usage right as a 'letting' it is irrelevant that there is insufficient knowledge of the individual characteristics of the property concerned as, in any event, the conditions of use are known to the parties to the contract.
49 As regards the exclusion set out in Article 13B(b)(1), that provision concerns not only accommodation in the hotel sector but also the provision of accommodation in sectors with a similar function, it being understood that, under the second subparagraph of Article 13B(b), the Member States may apply further exclusions to the scope of the exemption set out in point (b) thereof.
50 As the Court stated in Case C-346/95 Blasi [1998] ECR I-481, paragraphs 20 to 22, the words 'sectors with a similar function' should be given a broad construction, since their purpose is to ensure that the provision of temporary accommodation similar to, and hence in potential competition with, that provided in the hotel sector is subject to tax. In defining the classes of provision of accommodation which are to be taxed by derogation from the exemption for the leasing or letting of immovable property, in accordance with Article 13B(b)(1) of the Sixth Directive, the Member States enjoy a margin of discretion. It is consequently a matter for the Member States, when transposing that provision, to introduce those criteria which seem to them appropriate in order to draw the distinction between taxable transactions and those which are not, that is the leasing and letting of immovable property.
51 It follows from the foregoing provisions that Article 13B(b) of the Sixth Directive does not preclude a Member State from imposing VAT on the transfer for consideration of rights held by third parties to the temporary use of a property.
52 In the light of the foregoing, it must be held that, under a scheme such as the 'Options Scheme', when the customer converts his initially acquired rights into a right to temporarily use a property, the supply of services concerned constitutes a letting of immovable property within the meaning of Article 13B(b) of the Sixth Directive (now Article 135(1)(l) of Directive 2006/112). However, that provision does not prevent Member States from excluding that supply from exemption.
53 Therefore, the answer to the questions referred is that supplies of services effected by an operator such as the applicant in the main proceedings under a scheme such as the 'Options Scheme' at issue in the main proceedings must be classified at the time when the customer participating in such a scheme converts the rights he initially acquired into a service offered by that operator. Where those rights are converted into hotel accommodation or into a right to temporarily use a property, those supplies are supplies of services connected with immovable property within the meaning of Article 9(2)(a) of the Sixth Directive which are performed at the place where the hotel or that property is situated.
54 Under a scheme such as the 'Options Scheme' at issue in the main proceedings, when the customer converts the rights he initially acquired into a right to temporarily use a property, the supply of services concerned constitutes the letting of immovable property within the meaning of Article 13B(b) of the Sixth Directive. However, that provision does not prevent Member States from excluding that supply from exemption.
55 Since these proceedings are, for the parties to the main proceedings, a step in the action pending before the national court, the decision on costs is a matter for that court. Costs incurred in submitting observations to the Court, other than the costs of those parties, are not recoverable.
On those grounds, the Court (First Chamber) hereby rules:
1. Supplies of services effected by an operator such as the applicant in the main proceedings under a scheme such as the 'Options Scheme' at issue in the main proceedings must be classified at the time when the customer participating in such a scheme converts the rights he initially acquired into a service offered by that operator. Where those rights are converted into hotel accommodation or into a right to temporarily use a property, those supplies are supplies of services connected with immovable property within the meaning of Article 9(2)(a) of Sixth Council Directive 77/388/EEC of 17 May 1977 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to turnover taxes – Common system of value added tax: uniform basis of assessment, as amended by Council Directive 2001/115/EC of 20 December 2001, which are performed at the place where the hotel or that property is situated.
2. Under a scheme such as the 'Options Scheme' at issue in the main proceedings, when the customer converts the rights he initially acquired into a right to temporarily use a property, the supply of services concerned constitutes the letting of immovable property within the meaning of Article 13B(b) of Sixth Directive 77/388, as amended by Directive 2001/115 (now Article 135(1)(l) of Council Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 December 2006 on the common system of value added tax). However, that provision does not prevent Member States from excluding that supply from exemption.
[Signatures]
* Language of the case: English.


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Deciding to leave camp and go to Spokane, Washington
00:04:13 — Segment 21 of 35
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World War II -- Leaving camp -- "Resettlement"
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Frank Yamasaki
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Frank Yamasaki Interview I
03:10:32 — 35 segments
Lake Forest Park, Washington
Nisei male. Born 1923 in Seattle, Washington. Spent prewar childhood in South Park and Belltown areas of Seattle. Incarcerated at the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Refused to participate in draft, imprisoned at McNeil Island Penitentiary, Washington, for resisting the draft. Resettled in Seattle.
Lori Hoshino, interviewer; Stephen Fugita, interviewer; Matt Emery, videographer
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Die Liste der Naturdenkmale im Amt Schradenland enthält alle Bäume, welche als Naturdenkmal im Amt Schradenland im Landkreis Elbe-Elster durch Rechtsverordnung geschützt sind. Naturdenkmäler sind Einzelschöpfungen der Natur, deren Erhaltung wegen ihrer hervorragenden Schönheit, Seltenheit oder Eigenart oder ihrer ökologischen, wissenschaftlichen, geschichtlichen, volks- oder heimatkundlichen Bedeutung im öffentlichen Interesse liegt. Grundlage ist die Veröffentlichung des Landkreises Elbe-Elster.

Legende

Gröden
Keine Naturdenkmale bekannt.

Großthiemig

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Hirschfeld

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Merzdorf

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Einzelnachweise

AmtSchradenland
!AmtSchradenland
!Naturdenkmale im Amt Schradenland


'Depression drives homemaker to suicide' was one of the headlines in a leading daily some months ago (http://www.deccanherald.com/content/536757/depression-drives-homemaker-suicide.html). The deceased had been described as a 'leading a happy life' by her family. What would drive a woman leading a happy life to leave her 5-year-old at the neighbor's and return home to hang to her death? The news report went on to add that the woman had recently slipped into depression and was being treated for it.
According to a National Institute of Mental Health report published in the US in 1997, women are twice more prone to depression than men, and this can be attributed to stress from family and work responsibilities, increasing expectations of women, and quickly changing societal roles.
A study on Depression in Women in Indian context (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4539868/), states that lifetime prevalence of depression in women is 10-25 percent, where as for men it is 5-12 percent. Statistics released by WHO (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Women-more-prone-to-depression-than-men-Indians-worst-hit-WHO/articleshow/16746142.cms) also reiterate that Indian women are a 50 percent higher risk of depression as compared to their male counterparts.
So, what is homemakers' depression? How is it different from your regular blues? And how must one deal with it?
We all have our low moments when we may experience some of these symptoms, but that doesn't necessarily signal depression. However, if you have been grappling with five or more of these symptoms for two weeks or more, it is advisable to seek professional help.
In any job, one's efforts are quantified in terms of a monthly remuneration, promotions and other perks. A homemaker's job, on the other hand, requires a lot of consistent hard work without any tangible returns. In such a scenario, a lack of appreciation and acknowledgement from the members of the family, especially one's spouse, can trigger a sense of dejection and lead to onset of depression. Besides, inadequate preparedness for taking on domestic responsibilities and a sense of isolation due to spending a great deal of time in the confines of the house are also factors that can trigger depression in homemakers.
Seeking help is one of most poignant challenges for those grappling with this form of clinical depression because of factors such as inability to recognize the condition and social stigma attached to it.
Only one in three depressed women are likely to ever seek treatment or take corrective measures to address the problem.
Yes. Like any other form of clinical depression, this too can be treated with the right kind of medical assistance. Cases of moderate depression can be treated with therapies such as yoga, meditation or exercise, as these activities increase norepinephrine levels in the body, which in turn helps in controlling the feelings of stress and anxiety that the root cause of depression in homemakers. In more complex cases, a patient may be put on a mix of therapy and antidepressant meds until the likelihood of a reoccurrence can be ruled out.


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Holder: US Not Censoring Journalists Because 'We're Not in a Time of War'
Warns Press to Be Aware of 'National Security' Impact of Reporting
Jason Ditz Posted on February 17, 2015 February 17, 2015 Categories NewsTags censorship, Obama
Addressing the National Press Club today, Attorney General Eric Holder warned reporters against coverage which "has a negative impact on the national security of the nation."
Holder conceded that the US is not yet "in a time of war," but cited censorship during World War 2 as an example of the government's ability to clamp down on the press when they feel it necessary.
"In World War II, if a reporter had found out about that existence of the Manhattan Project, is that something that should have been disclosed?" Holder asked, by way of providing an "example" of the need to limit media coverage.
At the same time, Holder's assessment of the US as not "in a time of war," seems to contradict his own comments just a month ago in Paris, when he declared the US to be at war with "radical Islam," and declared the US "determined to take the fight to them."
Holder made the comments in response to questions about the Justice Department's hostility toward journalists covering national security matters, suggesting that the policy is only going to get worse as officials escalate the current crop of wars.
In reference to Holder's example, the Cleveland Press actually uncovered the Manhattan Project, and reported openly about the "secret city" of scientists the US had working in New Mexico at the time.
The article, titled Forbidden City, was openly critical of the censorship regime in place at the time, and defiant about the calls for "self-censorship." Openly reporting on "tremendous explosions" about a year and a half before the atomic attack on Hiroshima, Holder appears not to have had his history right.
Not that the Office of Censorship didn't try. They forced Time Magazine to kill a followup story on the Cleveland Press piece, and even tried to get the reporter, John Raper, drafted and sent off to die in the Pacific. That plot failed, it turned out, because Raper was in his sixties and far too old to conscript.
13 thoughts on "Holder: US Not Censoring Journalists Because 'We're Not in a Time of War'"
RickR30 says:
How much longer till he's gone for crying out loud?
t. mauel says:
The U.S. is not in a war. The U.S. is actively involved in about 6 wars to varying degrees. Directly with ground forces in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. Directly with drones and special op. forces in Yemen, Pakistan, and Somalia. Indirectly with proxies in Ukraine and Libya.
curmudgeonvt says:
Wait a minute…according to the warmongers the problem is there are NO BOOTS ON THE GROUND – they're "trainers" and "advisers" – The Peace President ended all the fighting wars, didn't he? Isn't that why he was gifted the Peace Prize?
"Boots on the ground," best as I can surmise, means at least tens of thousands deployed directly into somewhere or other around the same time. It wouldn't count, for instance, if you had thousands and thousands over a number of years, but never at once.
That's howcome whenever Boko Haram or Ebola pops up in the news I get the distinct impression people think Africa is something we have to get into, like we're not there already. The same people, no doubt, who followed the Libyan war and the Benghazi attack, has heard of Africom, vaguely remembers the Battle of Mogadishu, etc. But there hasn't been an African Iraq, so it doesn't count. Plus, all the press goes to the places we weren't (or weren't as much as some think we oughtta been), like Sudan and Rwanda, rather than where we are, which is pretty much everywhere.
In all the reporting I've read over the past 15 years there has never been a number attached to the phrase "boots on the ground." The kill team (10-20?) dispatched to take down bin laden were "boots on the ground" – their intent was to kill, not train or advise.
Some people also believe that all our wars "over there so we won't have to fight them here in the homeland" are designed to protect our "freedoms" and are protecting us from the "evil doers." Bullshit, I say…all of it.
bilejones says:
You are a fool.
The US, it's owners, agents and tools are in a single war, that against the American people.
USG been at war for last 60 years with almost every nations in this world, so what is this man is talking about only him can answer that question, but off course based on his judgment and the way his looking at usg war history.
If an analyst at the Pentagon or for that matter in the White House is analyzing the war participation and strategic positions of US vs. Russia he or she cannot fail to notice the following. ISIL threatens oil and gas fields in the Middle East and Libya where US and other Western oil firms have huge investments and are actively producing gas and oil. ISIL is not threatening Russian oil and gas fields and, as far as I understand, is not threatening Russia's oil-rich neighbor Kazakhstan. The US is droning or bombing with airplanes in the following countries: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and probably Somalia. Not too long ago in Libya. Russia is droning or bombing with airplanes in no foreign country. Zero. Conclusion: Russia occupies the political and propaganda high ground.
With regards to secrecy on the development of atomic weapons the following happened at the University of Chicago where Enrico Fermi and his co-workers were operating the world's first nuclear reactor. Entry to the premises was quite firmly controlled. One day a janitor who knew Fermi well asked him "Doc are you building an atomic bomb"? That question triggered a security scare which went all the way up to President Roosevelt. Did the janitor know or did he only guess on the basis of rumors? In the first case he had to be given a certain security status and clearance. It was eventually decided that he was only guessing and did not know what was going on under the University's football field.
Joe Hill says:
Did any of the esteemed National Press Club stenographers bother to ask Mr Holder just exactly what is his definition of "war"? No? I didn't think so…
He is correct that there is no need for government censorship – they are already doing a bang-up job of self-censorship.
Farflungstar says:
Orwellian Dick.
Because 'boots on the ground' is not officially declared, this means we are not at war?
Please. If AmeriKa stopped making war, it wouldn't know what to do with itself.
Anti_Govt_Rebel says:
The United States is a rogue nation. In the last few decades, it's only answer to world problems is anger, killing, genocide, bombs, war, sanctions, lying, torture, spying, assassinations. and hatred of the target countries and their people.
Diplomacy, respect, and talking are out, mindless violence and stuborness are in.
John Ellis says:
President Andrew Jackson
"There can be security only in expansion"
And there can be expansion only by force, a state of war actually. For we were created to be an Empire ever exploring, settling and killing off "the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages," as our Declaration of Independence describes it. All for the wealth and glory of European rich nobility who did curse our nation with such a corrupt and satanic purpose, forever to be so condemned unless by a rebellion we put out of it's misery such an enigma.
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text:
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