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The Shortlist: 10 Criterion DVDs Every Film Fan Should Own
written by Staff Writer 11 March, 2011
10. Chungking Express (Wong Kar Wai, 1994)
Chungking Express has a relatively small offering in terms of extras, but the box art and restored digital transfer make one of the most beautiful films ever made look even more impressive; Kar Wai is an extraordinary visual stylist and his regular cinematographer Christopher Doyle (who contributes to the UK Artificial Eye DVD) has created some of the most memorable images of the last 20 years. This Criterion DVD could be framed as a work of art and the entire disc is really just a celebration of aesthetic, best exemplified in the excerpt from BBC series Moving Pictures which features Kar Wai and Doyle discussing the film. Their collaborations are among the more interesting in today's cinema and they are celebrated in the audio commentary by Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns (who also contributes to Masters of Cinema) and in a booklet featuring an exclusive new essay by critic Amy Taubin. A masterpiece of 90s cinema, I wish this release had a bit more meat on its bones (the political allegory in the film is fascinating, as is the implementation of auteur themes such as identity, time and food) but it's still an essential purchase for anyone with even a passing interest in cinema. Aficionados should lap it up.
9. Peeping Tom (Michael Powell, 1960)
The controversial thriller that ended Michael Powell's career, Peeping Tom is a film of extraordinary importance and power which put 60s audiences in the shoes of an obsessive voyeur who films women as he kills them. Looking back it is obvious that Powell was ahead of his time and now the film is rightfully proclaimed a masterpiece, especially by its most famous champion Martin Scorsese. Strangely he's nowhere to be found here (although he does introduce the UK Optimum release) but the extras are fascinating nonetheless. Firstly there is an audio essay by film theorist Laura Mulvey, a feminist who wrote the excellent 'Visual Pleasure And Narrative Cinema.' There is also a brilliant Channel 4 Documentary (where is this on the UK edition?) entitled 'A Very British Psycho' which charts the life of screenwriter Leo Marks, as well as the production and critical reception of Peeping Tom, which many forget was released only months apart from Hitchcock's masterpiece. Alongside this feature there are the usual slew of rare on-set production photos and the original trailer. It may not be the most expansive package (indeed we have two extra documentaries in the UK) but the features here are fascinating for fans of the cult thriller, and the rich, saturated colour has never looked better than in this restored, widescreen transfer.
8. Claire's Knee (Eric Rohmer, 1970)
One of my favourite films, this package actually has pretty slim extras but they're all of a brilliant quality, and the film has never looked better than in this restored, high-definition transfer. In fact the Criterion edition of Claire's Knee might be the most beautiful film of all time, shot by master DoP Néstor Almendros, who here provides one of the most absorbing, sumptuous portrayals of Summer ever filmed; crisp green grass, arching trees of shade, vibrant sun and sparkling lakes provide an intoxicating landscape of love. I've never wanted to live in a film as much as I have with Claire's Knee – the people and the environment are just so inviting it's unforgettable. The DVD extras include Rohmer's short film The Curve (1999) and an excerpt from French TV show Le journal du cinéma featuring interviews with cast members Jean-Claude Brialy, Béatrice Romand and Laurence de Monaghan, all of which are brilliant. The film isn't on release in a singular edition however, but rather comes in a Box Set of Rohmer's Six Moral Tales, also including the renowned but less accomplished Love In The Afternoon (1972; although Zouzou is stunning). It's worth buying just for this film but the other five shorts, archival interviews and epic essays also included in the Box Set are undeniably essential.
7. Videodrome (David Cronenberg, 1983)
One of Cronenberg's best films, this media-challenging sci-fi contains groundbreaking special effects by Rick Baker and a surprisingly engaging performance by Deborah Harry in one of her earliest film roles. Cronenberg's key themes of infection and eradication make up this tale of conspiracy theories, body horror and social commentary as James Woods delivers his finest performance and reminds us on every re-watch of why he should by now have an Oscar and be headlining dramas, rather than appearing in redundant supporting roles and voicing cartoon animals. The Criterion treatment serves the film well and has some of the most fun extras of any movie I can think of. Firstly there are two commentaries – one by Cronenberg and DoP Mark Irwin, and the second with cast members Woods and Harry. Camera (2000) is a Cronenberg short starring Les Carlson, Forging The New Flesh is a new 30-minute documentary about the makeup effects of Videodrome and Fear On Film is a brilliant 26-minute roundtable discussion dated 1982, with Cronenberg, John Carpenter (Halloween, 1978), John Landis (An American Werewolf In London, 1981) and Mick Garris (Critters 2, 1988). A stills gallery of rare on-set production and publicity photos complement the original trailers and a feature called Bootleg Video, containing the complete footage of Samurai Dreams, which rounds off a perfect edition that every film fans owes it to themselves to own.
6. M (Fritz Lang, 1931) (2-Disc Set)
Lang's serial killer masterpiece is one of the most powerful and influential films of all time (perhaps its strangest mark is left on Lucio Fulci's New York Ripper, 1982). Peter Lorre turns in an astonishing performance as Hans Beckert, a whimpering slither of a man who is utterly despicable yet strangely engaging, as Lang bravely portrays both the child killers' fractured psyche and the police struggle to catch him with even-handed honesty – indeed, all of the characters are painted as human and therefore can be sympathized with. The DVD comes packed with extras – but the long lost English version is exclusive to Blu Ray (it can be found on the Masters Of Cinema DVD in the UK, however). Also present is a 50 minute interview with Lang conducted by William Friedkin (The French Connection, 1971) and a short film by Claude Chabrol entitled M. le maudit (1982) inspired by Lang's feature – and the disc also showcases an exclusive interview with Chabrol. The audio commentary with film scholars and authors would round off this package nicely but there is also a fascinating documentary on the production and distribution history of M, right up to the recent digital restoration. An essential package – now we just need a Criterion Metropolis (1927).
5. Le Mépris [Contempt] (Jean-Luc Godard, 1963) (2-Disc Set)
My favourite Godard also showcases his finest Criterion treatment, with a double-disc package providing one of the most fascinating DVD extras I've ever seen; The Dinosaur And The Baby (1967), a conversation between Godard and filmmaker Fritz Lang (Metropolis, 1927) who appears in the film as himself. DoP Raoul Cotard (Godard regular, interviewed on the disc) delivers his finest work as the film looks stunning – rich, sumptuous reds and sparking blue oceans, shot in Cinemascope, overwhelm the screen, as does a terrific Brigitte Bardot who delivers her best performance; coincidentally she has never looked better. It's a dramatic deconstruction of marriage on the verge of breakdown and an essay on the art of filmmaking that richly rewards re-watches, especially with the Robert Stam commentary which is as informative as you would expect from a renowned film scholar. The widescreen treatment has been approved by Cotard himself and the subtitle track is more accurate than ever, but only true Godard buffs would care about such things. For everyone else there are two documentaries featuring Godard on the set of Le Mépris, and an excerpt from an interview with the director, dated 1964. A rapturous, intellectually stimulating and heartbreaking masterpiece, make sure yours is a Criterion.
4. Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1985) (3-Disc Special Edition)
Terry Gilliam famously took out a full-page ad in Variety to ask Universal chairman Sid Sheinberg (who had recut and basically butchered the film) "When are you going to release my film?" This genuis marketing, along with Gilliam and Robert De Niro's appearance on "Good Morning America" eventually led to the film being released the way the director intended, and it is now seen as a rightful masterpiece. Anyone interested in seeing what it could have been however, look no further than this Criterion edition which contains the 94-minute 'Love Conquers All' edition with all the changes Gilliam was desperately against. There is also a fascinating documentary entitled 'The Battle Of Brazil', which recounts the aforementioned battle between Gilliam and the films producers. It's an informative and hugely entertaining doc and is complemented by a treasure trove of artwork and production stills for fans of the visionary filmmaker. Also present in this crammed edition is an audio commentary by Gilliam himself, behind the scenes footage, interviews, essays and an on-set documentary entitled 'What Is Brazil?' It's also worth noting that this latest 3-Disc release has some of the best Criterion artwork, something for which the company are famed and respected. The original poster image is located among beautifully shaded clouds; an unforgettable image.
3. The Battle Of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966) (3-Disc Set)
I haven't seen The Battle Of Algiers in years, but I remember it being an overwhelming experience that often feels more like documentary than fiction – yes it is based on truth, but not a single reel of news footage is used in the recounting of one of the most violent and disturbing revolutions in history. It's an electrifying tale, unflinching and harrowing in its depiction but beautifully shot by DoP Marcello Gatti. The extras are too numerous to even list here but highlights include documentaries Remembering History, an exclusive feature that reconstructs the Algerian revolutionary experience including interviews with historians, Five Directors, showcasing five filmmakers (including Spike Lee and Steven Soderbergh) discussing the films importance and lasting appeal, and finally Gillo Pontecorvo's Return To Algiers, a 1992 record of the filmmaker revisiting the Algerian people three decades after regaining their independence. There is also a Making Of, Case Study (with Richard A. Clarke and Michael A. Sheehan) and numerous essays to accompany the standard production stills and trailers. You'll spend days absorbing the DVD of The Battle Of Algiers and it'll be an informative, saddening and enriching experience. Pontecorvo's brilliant Kapò (1959) is also available on Criterion, in the Essential Art House edition.
2. Bergman's Faith Trilogy; Through A Glass Darkly (1961), Winter Light (1963), The Silence (1963)
This makes it onto the list for grouping together Bergman's three greatest works; his trilogy of faith. The auteur famously struggled with his relationship with God and these films come from a period where he questioned the celestial and challenged its relevance. The first and third pictures are brilliant but Winter Light is not just his best film, but for me one of the greatest films of all time. A quietly haunting, beautiful meditation on a crisis of faith in a small community, it's a masterpiece of feeling with one of the most devastating scenes in cinema history. Extras wise the fantastic five-part TV documentary 'Ingmar Bergman Makes A Movie' is included, which chronicles the director on the set of Winter Light, the film he regarded his best and most personal. Watching his creative process is fascinating and the interviews are moving to say the least. Bergman is complemented by new video interviews with biographer Peter Cowie and various essays (including one by Vilgot Sjöman, director of the aforementioned documentary). Honestly though, the films speak for themselves in this package; just absorb yourself into Bergman's world and watch a master filmmaker emotionally deconstruct at his peak, providing fascinating philosophical questions that resonate far beyond the films all-too-brief running times.
1. Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954) (3 Disc Set)
Akira Kurosawa's seminal masterpiece is, along with Citizen Kane (1941), often cited as the greatest film of all time. I'm not that enamoured with it but the film certainly has a masterpiece of a DVD with this 3-Disc Edition boasting the full 207 minute version in a restored Dolby Digital transfer. The film is an epic essay on traditional values and the way of the samurai; an elegiac drama which ends in an hour-long battle sequence – certainly it's about as rich and exciting as Japanese cinema comes. Spread over two discs the film is here complemented by two commentaries, original trailers/teasers and rare production stills (worth the price tag alone). But what really makes this edition special is the two-hour interview between Kurosawa and Nagisa Ôshima (In The Realm Of The Senses, 1976) entitled 'My Life In Cinema' – which, as the title suggests, charts Kurosawa's journey through films and filmmaking. There are also several documentaries and a huge essay booklet featuring work from the likes of Kenneth Turan and Peter Cowie. Even if you don't like this particular film (and lets face it, that's a minority) the extras are fascinating for any Kurosawa fan and the boxed packaging ensures that it's a must-have for the collection.
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Hi. I bought my son a heavy fleece hoodie, and the instructions are wash in cold water and no fabric softener.
The other symbols are no dryer, no dry clean, no bleach, no iron.
Could you tell me how to clean this thing? It was an $80 investment.
Thank you so much for your advice in advance.
Kandace, thanks for the question about applying and interpreting laundry care symbols.
Sometimes clothes manufacturers don't really think about how people will actually need to use (and clean) their products when they are making them, and this seems like a prime example of that to me. What a pain with all those restrictions!
The instructions don't really allow much room for drying this thing at all.
Based on your question I know you've already deciphered your care label.
In addition, I would suggest reading my article about what laundry symbols mean and when you can ignore them.
Now, to solve your problem. Since the item says no dryer, I wouldn't put it in there.
least on a low heat setting, but acrylic is a rather general term and the manufacturer would know its exact melting point for the type used.
Therefore, after washing I would use one of two methods to dry it, hang on a hanger to drip dry, or lay flat to dry.
If one of these methods is suggested on the laundry care symbols on the tag that is the one I would use.
The danger with hanging on a hanger to drip dry is that it can sometimes stretch the fabric. However, if that is the case then generally the tag will say to lay flat to dry to avoid that problem.
I hope this information helps! In addition, although it is an expensive reminder for you, I hope it can help all of us remember to check the laundry care symbol tags at the store, before we purchase things to avoid hassles like this.
I myself learned this lesson the hard way, and I do still tend to forget sometimes. We're all human, after all. However, when I remember this rule I've also saved myself some aggravation in the laundering department several times by refusing to buy an item, especially children's clothing, which had difficult laundering instructions.
So, do you have a question to ask me, Taylor, about laundry? If so, submit your laundry questions here (or your own laundry cleaning tips too).


This statistic shows the women's clothing size most browsed for by consumers in the United States from 2015 to 2017, by size category. In 2017, 25.8 percent of respondents stated that they browsed for plus-size clothing in the United States.
*Survey carried out in April of each year ** Misses size refers to size 16 to 18.
How much, if at all, do you think the size of women's clothes of the same size varies between different shops?
For you, what is the color that fits the best with the notion of seduction, sensuality?


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Contact Bill Singer: 917-520-2836 rrbdlawyer@gmail.com
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Wall Street watchdog accused of age discrimination (New York Post by Kevin Dugan)
https://nyp.st/2tsw9py
The New York Post article asserts in part that:
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ousted roughly 20 senior employees after it lost a lucrative contract with the New York Stock Exchange, according to a lawsuit filed by one of the employees.
Brian McIntyre, a former analyst at FINRA, claimed in court papers that each of the employees pushed out was over 40 years old.
McIntyre, who had worked for FINRA for nearly 10 years before getting the boot in 2017, was replaced by a younger, less expensive employee after the regulator tried to cut costs in the wake of lost business, according to the suit.
"FINRA utilized its pension eligibility termination as a pretext to disguise its discriminatory intent and effect upon its older employees," the suit claims.
In anticipation of the institution of proceedings by the SEC but without admitting or denying the findings, Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC,submitted an Offer of Settlement, which the federal regulator accepted. In the Matter of Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, Respondent (SEC Order Instituting Administrative and Cease-And-Desist Proceedings, Making Findings, and Imposing Remedial Sanctions and a Cease-and-Desist Order; '33 Act Rel No. 10511; '34 Act Rel. No. 83508; Invest. Adv. Act Rel. No. 4947; Admin. Proc. File No. 3-18556 / June 25, 2018).
https://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/2018/33-10511.pdf
In accordance with the terms of the settlement, the SEC Ordered Respondent Censured and to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of cited provisions of the Securities Act. Further Respondent shall pay $5,108,441.27 in disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and a civil monetary penalty As set forth under the heading "Summary":
1. From at least January 2009 through June 2013, certain registered representatives at Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC ("WFA") and its predecessor Wells Fargo Investments, LLC ("WFI")2 improperly solicited customers to redeem their market-linked investments ("MLI") early and purchase new MLIs without adequate analysis or consideration of the substantial costs associated with such transactions.
2. An MLI is a fixed maturity financial product whose interest is determined by the performance of a reference asset or market measure such as an equity or commodity index over the term of the product. MLIs have limited liquidity and significant upfront fees, and accordingly WFA considered them to be products intended to be held to maturity and in 2011 implemented a policy prohibiting representatives from engaging in "short-term trading" or "flipping" of MLIs. Notwithstanding WFA's internal guidance and policy, and despite the adverse economic consequences to WFA customers, certain WFA representatives did not reasonably investigate or understand the significant costs of MLI exchanges. Nevertheless, they recommended to their customers that they redeem their MLIs early, typically to realize profits, and to use the proceeds from those redemptions to purchase new MLIs. Supervisors routinely approved the recommendations or the exchanges. This practice caused certain WFA customers to incur significant costs and impaired the customers' ability to achieve their investment objectives. As a consequence, WFA obtained commissions by means of recommendations that contained implied representations that WFA personnel had formed a reasonable basis for the recommendations when they had not, in fact, done so.
Second Circuit Affirms Martoma Insider Trading Ruling. In United States of America, Appellee, v. Mathew Martoma, Defendant/Appellant (Opinion, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; 14-3599 / June 25, 2018)
http://brokeandbroker.com/PDF/Martoma18062Cir.pdf
In a Majority Opinion by Katzman and Chin, Judges; Pooler J. dissenting, the 2Cir affirms the District Court. For background on the case visit the BrokeAndBroker.com Blog Martoma Archive http://www.brokeandbroker.com/index.php?a=topic&topic=martoma
As set forth in the "Syllabus" to the 2Cir Opinion:
Defendant‐appellant Mathew Martoma appeals from a judgment of conviction entered on September 9, 2014 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Gardephe, J.). Martoma was found guilty, after a jury trial, of one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 and two counts of securities fraud in violation of 15 U.S.C. §§ 78j(b) & 78ff in connection with an insider trading scheme. After Martoma was convicted, this Court issued a decision in United States v. Newman, 773 F.3d 438 (2d Cir. 2014), which elaborated on the Supreme Court's ruling in Dirks v. S.E.C., 463 U.S. 646 (1983), concerning liability for a "tippee" who trades on confidential information obtained from an insider, or a "tipper."
On appeal, Martoma argues that the jury in his case was not properly instructed and that the evidence presented at his trial was insufficient to sustain his conviction. Martoma contends that the jury instructions ran afoul of Newman by allowing the jury to find that a tipper receives a "personal benefit" from gifting inside information even where the tipper and tippee do not share a "meaningfully close personal relationship." He further argues that the evidence at trial was insufficient to sustain a conviction under any theory of personal benefit.
We conclude that the jury instructions are inconsistent with Newman. That decision held that a personal benefit in the form of "a gift of confidential information to a trading relative or friend" requires proof that the tipper and tippee share a "meaningfully close personal relationship." 773 F.3d at 452. Newman explained that this standard "requires evidence of �a relationship between the insider and the recipient that suggests a quid pro quo from the latter, or an intention to benefit the [latter].'" Id. Thus, Martoma's jury instructions were erroneous, not because they omitted the term "meaningfully close personal relationship," but because they allowed the jury to convict based solely on evidence of friendship without also requiring either that the tipper and tippee shared a quid pro quo‐like relationship or that the tipper intended to benefit the tippee.
We nonetheless conclude that this instructional error did not affect Martoma's substantial rights. At trial, the government presented compelling evidence that at least one tipper shared a relationship suggesting a quid pro quo with Martoma. For the same reason, Martoma's challenge to the 3 sufficiency of the personal‐benefit evidence fails. The government also presented sufficient evidence for a rational trier of fact to conclude that at least one tipper received a personal benefit by disclosing inside information with the intention to benefit Martoma. Accordingly, the judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.
The Deceased Father, Claimant Mother, Daughter, Son In Law Stockbroker, And A Kickboxing Investment (BrokeAndBroker.Com Blog)
http://www.brokeandbroker.com/4049/finra-kickboxing-arbitration/
In today's featured FINRA public customer arbitration against both UBS and Morgan Stanley, we have some curious facts and allegations. We go a mother and father and their daughter. We got the son-in-law stockbroker. We got a disputed kickboxing investment. We got some odd decisions to drop parties and not to call certain witnesses. We got allegations involving money that seems to have come and gone and come back without damage. All in all, it's a confusing case that becomes even more so after you read the arbitrators' decision.
SEC Notices of Stay: The following boilerplate language is beginning to appear in published SEC Notice to Stay:
This proceeding is stayed pending the Securities and Exchange Commission's consideration of the parties' partial settlement. On June 21, 2018, the Commission issued an order immediately staying all administrative proceedings pending before it or its administrative law judges in light of the Supreme Court's decision in Lucia v. SEC, No. 17-130 (U.S. June 21, 2018). Pending Admin. Proc., Securities Act of 1933 Release No. 10510, https://www.sec.gov/litigation/opinions/2018/33-10510.pdf. The Commission's stay will last until July 23, 2018, or further order of the Commission. Id.
Federal Court Orders Jody Dupont of Anderson, South Carolina, and His Company, Open Range Trading LLC, to Pay $192,000 for Defrauding Customers in Connection with Offering and Selling Futures Trading System (CFTC Press Release 7743-18)
https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/7743-18?utm_source=govdelivery
The United States District Court for the District of South Carolina entered a Consent Order against Defendant Jody Dupont and an Order of Default Judgment against his company (Open Range Trading) in connection with the CFTC's allegations that Dupont and Open Range fraudulently solicited at least 175 clients and prospective clients to subscribe to a commodity futures day-trading system that generated buy and sell trading signals in various futures markets, including the E-mini S & P 500 Index, the Russell 2000 Index Mini, crude oil, and soybeans. The Consent Order requires Dupont to disgorge $92,000 pay a $100,000 civil monetary penalty; the Consent Order also enjoins Dupont from future violations and permanently prohibits Dupont from seeking registration with the CFTC and from trading for five years.
Dupont Consent Order https://www.cftc.gov/sites/default/files/2018-06/enfjodydupontconsentorder060818.pdf
Open Range Trading Default Order
https://www.cftc.gov/sites/default/files/2018-06/enfopenrangetradingllcdefaultorder062218.pdf.
READ Full Text Supreme Court OHIO ET AL. v. AMERICAN EXPRESS CO. ET AL. Finding that Amex's antisteering provisions do not violate federal antitrust law https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/16-1454_5h26.pdf
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BILL SINGER is a lawyer who represents securities-industry firms, individual registered persons, Wall Street whistleblowers, and defrauded public investors. For over three decades, Singer has represented clients before the American Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (formerly the NASD), the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, and in criminal investigations brought by various federal, state, and local prosecutors. He has the distinction of representing witnesses during Congressional investigations. In 2015, Singer achieved a significant award in excess of $1 million from the Securities and Exchange Commission on behalf of a whistleblower client.
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Before entering the private practice of law, Singer was employed in the Legal Department of Smith Barney, Harris Upham & Co.; as a regulatory attorney with both the American Stock Exchange and the NASD (now FINRA); and as a Legal Counsel to Integrated Resources Asset Management. Singer was formerly Chief Counsel to the Financial Industry Association; General Counsel to the NASD Dissidents' Grassroots Movement; and General Counsel to the Independent Broker-Dealer Association. He was registered for a number of years as a Series 7 and Series 63 stockbroker.
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Here you will find photos of interior design ideas. Get inspiredModernSteel Frame. Gone are the days of the cookie-cutter modular homes of the 1950s. Modern Style modular homes shatter the claim that prefab cant be built to look cutting-edge.Often custom built modern home manufacturers offer the most amount of customization of any style because they have no set style.Building with steel frames Method Homes offers 6 unique modular modern home models. We can also work with one of our partnered architects or your own on a custom prefab project.
We are redefining the way you look at modular homes and here to make your modular home experience informative & enjoyable with modern designs & great service.Browse our selection of ranch style modular homes and begin the journey to your dream home. Our team at Westchester Modular can help you customize your unique ranch style modular home from flooring to vanity fixtures. The options are endless. Visit nowDuplexTownhouse Prestige Collection. Choose from our best designs of Duplex and Townhouse Modular Homes that include all the comforts and modern layouts.


text:
The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/2001/05/03/softball-takes-two/)
Softball Takes Two
By ryan | May 3, 2001
Cornell softball played Binghamton yesterday at Neimand-Robison Field before heading to Harvard this weekend for its three-game playoff series with the Crimson. In the seniors' last games on their home field, the Red swept the Bearcats in a doubleheader, 2-0 and 6-5.
Before the games began, there was a ceremony to laud the seven departing seniors. The coaches handed out gifts, interesting facts and stats for each player were read and the glory of their four years together was recalled.
Tears were shed as the memories of each individual's four years on East Hill came rushing back before a good-sized crowd for a weekday game.
"Today was all about the last four years," said senior Nicole Zitarelli. "It was really neat how emotional it was, it shows how close we've all gotten."
This senior class was the first to play on Neimand-Robison Field for their entire careers.
"We played the first game on that field," continued Zitarelli. "I even remember how excited we all were when we finally got to practice on the 'new' field."
Emotions ran thick during the entire ceremony and there were hugs all around, but once the line-ups were announced, it was time to get down to some business.
In the first game, freshmen Nicole LePera and Sarah Sterman combined to shut out the Bearcats, controlling the game from beginning to end.
In the first inning, their classmate Kate Varde gave them all the cushion they needed, scoring another freshman, Erin Sweeney, on a double that hit the center field wall. Then Allison Batten added insurance for the Red, with an RBI in the bottom of the fifth that scored Sweeney again.
LePera pitched 5 2/3 innings, sprinkling her innings with a number of Ks and Sterman came in to notch the final four outs and close the door on Binghamton.
"Our pitchers were in command of the game the whole way through," commented head coach Dick Blood, "[Binghamton] never even got a runner to third base."
In the second game, things got a little more interesting for the Red as the Bearcats scored a number of runs throughout the high-scoring battle.
In the first inning, Binghamton began the scoring off a Jessica Chellis double. Chellis led the offensive attack for Binghamton all day, scattering six hits in the two games.
The Red responded immediately with a Batten double in the bottom of the first frame that scored Sweeney and Varde.
The fifth inning saw Batten provide another boost for the Red when she belted a home run to left, scoring two runs. In that same inning, Kristen Hricenak muscled a ball to left field scoring a run to make the score 5-1 at the end of five innings.
The Bearcats then mounted a comeback in the top of the sixth, garnering three runs on five hits to bring themselves within a run at 5-4.
Blood then called on stopper Sarah Sterman once again to shut the door. She responded by getting two quick outs, leaving runners on second and third to end a scary inning for the Red.
"I wanted Sterman to pitch at least two innings a game today for this weekend," said Blood, "but she ended up having to shut down possible rallies in both games and did an important job for us."
The Red added a run in the sixth and Binghamton could only manage one run against Sterman in the top of the final inning to end the game, 6-5.
"It was really good to win both of our last games [at home] against a pretty good team," said senior Kelli Larsen after the game. "It made the emotions of the day that much better."
For anyone who has played a final game at a place they love, whether it be in high school or college, the bittersweet quality of the emotions of such a game can be overwhelming.
"It's like I lose a piece of myself every year," summed up Blood, "but I know that they are proud of what they've accomplished here in their four years, both on and off the field."
It was an emotional day for all those involved with Cornell softball. And emotion like that will be fuel for the necessary fire heading into a weekend that will determine whether or not the seniors' careers as Cornell athletes will continue.
Archived article by Scott Jones
Test Spins: KRS-One
By ryan May 4, 2001
Hardcore, funky, old school rap has returned, as KRS-One ambushes the hip-hop scene with socio-political rhymes in his comeback album Sneak Attack. After a four-year hiatus from his last album I Got Next, KRS-One further develops his traditional
Reaccreditation Team Meets with Cornellians
A reaccreditation evaluation team made its on-site campus visit this week, arriving on Sunday and leaving on Wednesday. Nannerl O. Keohand, president of Duke University, led the evaluation team, which met with a wide variety of people on campus, including deans, executive staff, trustees, faculty, students and staff. The decennial evaluation is required of all federally-funded higher education institutions under the jurisdiction of the Middle States Association Commission on Higher Education (MSA/CHE). Cornell used to the opportunity to gather careful review and input from members of the campus community, by writing an extensive self-study document that addressed a broad range of issues, including undergraduate and distance learning. The evaluation team expects to forward a draft report on its recommendations to President Rawlings by the middle of this month, for comment from the administration. The report should be finalized by mid-June, and in February 2002, the MSA/CHE board will take final action on the evaluating team's recommendation regrading Cornell's ongoing reaccreditation. — Jennifer A. RobertsArchived article by Jennifer Roberts


Mega-Lafitt® gives your driveway, patio or walkway the most natural look provided by a modular paver and has an 80mm height. These pavers combine the appearance and texture of a cut flagstone with the longevity and durability every Four Seasons OLC client expects from Belgard. A wide range of modular shapes allows design flexibility for homeowners and Four Seasons OLC takes pride in being the top competitors for pavers in Portland.


A majority of the Earth's surface is covered in water, with approximately 70% of the Earth comprised of water. Of all the water on Earth, over 97% is saltwater, leaving only 2.5% as freshwater. To make matters even worse, over 68% of freshwater is frozen in icecaps and glaciers, over 31% is found in ground water, and only 0.3% is found in surface water1. This means more than 99% of the Earth's water is unusable by most living organisms!
With over 7 billion people in the world and the population increasing rapidly, access to safe, clean water has never been more crucial. The world's water use has been growing at twice the rate of the population2, thus depleting the already limited sources of usable freshwater. According to the Global Water Institute, around 700 million people suffer from water scarcity today, and this number is predicted to double by 20253. So while our continents may be surrounded by water, sustainable practices and water conservation have never been more important to combat the very real threat of water scarcity.
Water scarcity is usually associated with limited drinking water, but the global water crisis effects so much more.
Water is needed for virtually everything humans produce. Products that require water range everywhere from hamburgers to smartphones. Agriculture is a major industry effected by water scarcity, because the agricultural industry is the greatest user of water. Agriculture leads the way in terms of freshwater withdrawals, accounting for 70% of all withdraws4. It takes a lot of water to feed the world, so water scarcity is a real threat to global food production.
Water is the greatest limiting factor when it comes to feeding the rapidly growing world population, meaning water scarcity has a critical impact on food security. Food security is the condition in which all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food5. World hunger is a long lived issue, and water scarcity is only expanding the problem. It takes roughly one liter of water to produce one calorie, which means an adequate diet requires about 2,000 liters of water to feed one person every day. Research conducted by John Hopkins University indicates if the current water management practices remain unchanged, the global agriculture sector will require double the amount of water to feed the world in 20256. With a limited source of freshwater and an increased demand for food production, the need for sustainable water practices has never been greater.
MECO works to develop both effective and sustainable water purification systems, because the ability to test and treat water for all uses, not just consumption, is crucial. Without proper tests and treatments, an area's inhabitants or farming industries risk consuming or using polluted water sources.
Sustainable water practices can be exercised on an individual level, but they should be prioritized on the industrial front as well. MECO has been 100% dedicated to providing sustainable water purification technologies for 90 years and counting. It's more than a commitment to us, it's a mindset and everything we do. Our innovative technologies make water accessible now and for years to come.


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What More UK's sales team returned to its Lancashire head office with a full order book following the Spring Fair, which ended yesterday (Thursday February 9).
What More UK back from Spring Fair with full order book
10th February 2017	News Comments Off on What More UK back from Spring Fair with full order book 953 Views
The housewares supplier showcased hundreds of products across a 255sq m area at the trade show, which took place at the NEC in Birmingham from Sunday (February 5).
A key stand highlight was the new brand Baker & Salt: a range of baking dishes. Made from vitreous enamel and with a hand-sprayed finish, What More UK said these items can be used in the oven, as well as on the hob, barbecue and outdoor fire without buckling.
The company added that buyers expressed lots of interest in the products, which will be available to order from April.
The area also included cookery demonstrations of the PushPan and Wham Cook ranges.
What More UK director Tony Grimshaw OBE said: "Our huge stands offered just a taster of the 850 or so products we produce. As always, Spring Fair was a great show for us, giving us the opportunity to meet UK-wide buyers from large multiples to independents.
"Our UK sales team worked their socks off and made Spring Fair very worthwhile for us. They set the bar high at the NEC this week, and they've now passed the baton to our international sales team who have jetted off to Frankfurt for the Ambiente trade show."
This German exhibition attracts more than 134,000 buyers from over 150 countries. What More UK has increased the size of its Ambiente exhibition stand by 15% to accommodate its growing product ranges. The event runs in Frankfurt's Messe from today (Friday February 10) to Tuesday (February 14).
The business already exports products to 71 countries worldwide and hopes to use Ambiente to reach out to new international markets.
The UK is the 'Partner Country' of Ambiente 2017 and What More UK, which holds the Queen's Award for Enterprise in recognition of outstanding achievements in international trade, is looking forward to the extra opportunities that its British-made credentials will bring to the show.
What More UK is a leading manufacturer of plastic housewares under the Wham brand. The business has a portfolio of more than 850 plastic housewares, gardening and DIY products, which are manufactured at its 500,000sq ft purpose-built facility in Altham, close to Burnley.
In 2014 the business diversified into bakeware and today produces a range of Wham Cook non-stick and vitreous enamel bakeware at its purpose-built manufacturing facility. What More UK also owns the award-winning PushPan brand bakeware range.
Presenter and demonstrator Anita Finningham gave cookery demonstrations of the Baker & Salt, PushPan and Wham Cook ranges on the What More UK stand
Previous Double win for Borough Kitchen in The Housewares Innovation Awards
Next Sainsbury's introduces same-sex cards for Valentine's Day
The British Home Enhancement Trade Association (BHETA) hosted a series of webinars with a selection …


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#CAA
#HowdyModi
#G7
#G20
#SabarimalaCase
India's Journal
Where were Jupiter and Saturn born?
Touch and taste? It's all in the tentacles
Positive outlook predicts less memory decline
A drop in temperature
High-fidelity record of Earth's climate history puts current changes in context
Cooling of Earth caused by eruptions, not meteors
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Centenarian study suggests living environment may be key to longevity
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Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission to Red Planet successfully launched
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A-370: Live Updates
IASmind.com
in Defence, National
Counter-insurgency ops expert Gen Rawat is India's first CDS
by India's Journal December 30, 2019, 10:32 pm 1.8k Views
Outgoing Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat will be India"s first Chief of the Defence Staff from December 31, 2019, the Central government said on Monday. General Rawat, who took over as the Chief of the Army Staff on December 31, 2016, will demit the post on Tuesday after three years.
Prior to becoming the army chief, he had been Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) from September 1, 2016 till December 31, 2016, and had headed the army"s Southern Command before it.
Commissioned in the Fifth Battalion of the Eleven Gorkha Rifles in December 1978, from Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, where he was awarded the "Sword of Honour", he has vast experience in high altitude warfare and counter-insurgency operations.
He has commanded an infantry battalion, along the Line of Actual Control in the eastern sector, a Rashtriya Rifles sector and an Infantry Division in the Kashmir Valley, a Corps in the eastern theatre and the Southern Command. He has held instructional appointments at Indian Military Academy, Dehradun and at Army War College, Mhow.
Rawat"s important staff appointments include at the Directorate General of Military Operations and Military Secretary"s Branch at Army HQ and as Major General General Staff (MGGS) at HQ Eastern Command.
He has also headed a Multinational Brigade, in a Chapter VII mission of the UN Charter, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC). Whilst serving with the United Nations, he was twice awarded the Force Commander"s Commendation.
An alumni of Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, the Higher Command & National Defence College Courses, Rawat, during the span of over 38 years service, has been awarded for both gallantry and distinguished service with the UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM, COAS commendation on two occasions and the Army Commander"s Commendation.
He had also attended the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) course at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, USA.
Academically inclined, he has authored numerous articles on national security and leadership, which have been published in various journals and publications. He was awarded M. Phil in Defence Studies from Madras University.
He has a Diploma in Management and another Diploma in Computer Studies. He has also completed his research on military media strategic studies and was awarded Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D) from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut in 2011.
With the inputs of Agency.
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Nenad Maslovar (, born 20 February 1967) is a Montenegrin retired football player. He is currently president of Montenegrin Second League team OFK Grbalj.

Club career
Born in Kotor, SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia, he made his debut as senior with FK Bokelj during the 1986/87 season of the Yugoslav Second League.  He continued his career in Yugoslav First League clubs FK Spartak Subotica and FK Velež Mostar reaching his highlight during the 1990s when he played with Red Star Belgrade becoming in that period a national team player. His last six years of his career he spent in Japan.

International career
Maslovar made his debut for FR Yugoslavia on 12 June 1997, in a friendly match against Ghana at a Korean tournament and has earned a total of 3 caps, scoring no goals. His final international was four days later against hosts South Korea.

Personal life
He was elected president of OFK Grbalj in November 2018.

Club statistics

References

External links

 Profile at Serbian federation official site

1967 births
Living people
People from Kotor
Association football midfielders
Yugoslav footballers
Montenegrin footballers
Serbia and Montenegro footballers
Serbia and Montenegro international footballers
FK Bokelj players
FK Spartak Subotica players
FK Velež Mostar players
Red Star Belgrade footballers
JEF United Chiba players
Avispa Fukuoka players
Yugoslav Second League players
Yugoslav First League players
First League of Serbia and Montenegro players
J1 League players
Serbia and Montenegro expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in Japan
Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Japan
Montenegrin football managers
OFK Grbalj managers

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Big Brother and the Holding Company – amerykański zespół rockowy, utworzony w San Francisco w 1965 r. Jest częścią tej samej sceny muzycznej, z której znamy zespoły takie jak Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service czy Jefferson Airplane. Big Brother and the Holding Company jest najbardziej znany dzięki występującej w nim w latach 1966–1968 Janis Joplin. Nagrany przez nich w 1968 r. album Cheap Thrills zaliczany jest do arcydzieł psychodelicznego rocka z San Francisco; zajął 338 miejsce w rankingu 500 najlepszych albumów wszech czasów gazety Rolling Stone.

Historia zespołu

Pochodzenie z San Francisco
Lider zespołu – Peter Albin (gitarzysta country-bluesowy, który grał z przyszłymi muzykami z Grateful Dead – Jerrym Garcia i Ronem McKermanem) spotkał Sama Andrew, który znał się na jazzie i muzyce poważnej, ale także grał rock & rolla. Zaczęli grać wspólnie, spotykając się w domu Petera, a w końcu Sam zaproponował stworzenie zespołu. Dołączył do nich James Gurley i w 1965 r. zaczęli występować w otwartych dla wszystkich jam sessions, organizowanych przez przedsiębiorcę – późniejszego menadżera BBHC – Cheta Helmsa. Chet zachęcał ich do pracy na rzecz zespołu, znalazł dla nich perkusistę, Chucka Jonesa, i zorganizował im pierwszy koncert – był to występ na Trips Festival w styczniu 1966 r. Wśród publiczności był David Getz – malarz i perkusista, który wkrótce zastąpił Jonesa. Big Brother and the Holding Company stali się stałym zespołem Avalon Ballroom – klubu muzycznego, którego właścicielem był Chet Helms. Grali wtedy progresywnego, instrumentalnego rocka. Chet uważał, że zespół potrzebuje wokalistki o silnym głosie i skontaktował się ze swoją znajomą z czasów studenckich – Janis Joplin, mieszkającą wówczas w Austin, w Texasie. Janis przyjechała do San Francisco i dołączyła do zespołu w czerwcu 1966 r.

Janis Joplin
Joplin zaczęła karierę z BBHC w 1966 r. Po latach gitarzysta zespołu, Sam Andrew, tak opisuje pierwsze wrażenia muzyków po jej spotkaniu:

"Byliśmy w pełni stabilnym, rockowym zespołem. Graliśmy ciężką muzykę. Mówiliśmy sobie: fajnie, są 3 czy 4 kapele w mieście, jesteśmy jedną z nich. Wciąż jesteśmy w prasie, wszystko idzie po naszej myśli. Robimy przysługę tej kobiecie, pozwalając jej śpiewać u nas! Przyszła na pierwszą próbę i była ubrana po teksańsku; nie wyglądała jak hippiska, ale jak moja matka, która też pochodzi z Teksasu! Świetnie śpiewała, ale powiedziałbym, że nie powaliło nas to specjalnie. Myślę, że graliśmy po prostu bardzo głośno – zbyt głośno jak dla niej. Przypuszczam, że niewystarczająco przyciszyliśmy instrumenty. Pisała wtedy w listach do domu, że jesteśmy wszyscy tak egzotyczni; te nazwy zespołów, wszystko inne. Można by powiedzieć, że ani ona nie zachwyciła nas, ani my jej – obie strony odniosły podobne wrażenie. Janis była naprawdę inteligentna i zawsze stawała na wysokości zadania. Śpiewała nasze piosenki. Ale nie była to od razu niezwykła rewelacja, jak pewnie wszyscy sądzą, jak to bywa pokazane w filmach. Nie byliśmy podekscytowani w rodzaju O Boże, chyba jesteśmy w Niebie, mamy Janis Joplin!. Chodzi mi o to, że była dobra, ale musiała jeszcze wiele się nauczyć. Około roku zabrało jej, żeby nauczyć się śpiewać z elektrycznym zespołem."

Minęło trochę czasu, zanim niektórzy fani zespołu zaakceptowali nową wokalistkę. Jej muzyka diametralnie różniła się od tej, którą Big Brother wykonywał przedtem. Niektórzy uważali, że Janis po prostu krzyczy, co nie miało dla nich żadnej wartości artystycznej. Pojawiły się też zarzuty, że zespół się skomercjalizował. Big Brother grał muzykę eksperymentalną i bardzo oryginalną, lecz gdy Janis do nich dołączyła, stali się bardziej konwencjonalni. Zaczęła też wzrastać popularność zespołu na undergroundowej, psychodelicznej scenie muzycznej San Francisco.

Big Brother And The Holding Company
Pod koniec roku 1966 Big Brother podpisał kontrakt z wytwórnią Mainstream Records. Wszystkie piosenki na swój album nagrali w studio w Chicago w 3 dni – od 12 do 14 grudnia. Mainstream Records to wytwórnia znana z wydawnictw jazzowych – Big Brother był pierwszym rockowym zespołem, z którym współpracowała. Mogło to mieć wpływ na dzieło końcowe, ponieważ płyta zdecydowanie odbiegała od oczekiwań zespołu. Znalazł się na niej akustyczny rock i folk, a nie planowany heavy acid rock. Pierwszymi singlami były "Blindman" i "All is Loneliness". Pozostałe single to: "Down On Me" – "Call On Me" oraz "Coo – Coo" – "Last Time". Żaden nie odniósł większego sukcesu, więc wytwórnia odwlekała wydanie płyty do sierpnia 1967 r., gdy zespół odniósł już spektakularny sukces na Monterey Pop Festival. Album zajął 60 miejsce na liście przebojów Billboard i pozostał na liście przez 30 tygodni.

Monterey Pop Festival
Legendarny występ zespołu na Monterey Pop Festival w czerwcu 1967 r. przyciągnął uwagę w USA i za granicą.

Występ zespołu planowany był na sobotnie popołudnie. Big Brother miał zagrać "Down On Me", "Combination Of The Two", "Harry", "Roadblock" oraz "Ball and Chain". Jednak zespół, który wraz z pozostałymi, alternatywnymi zespołami z San Francisco nie pozwolił ekipie filmowej nagrać swego koncertu bez zapłaty, zabronił rejestrowania występu. Okazał się on jednak tak świetny, że organizatorzy poprosili zespół o zagranie jeszcze raz, następnego wieczoru, aby można było nagrać ich występ. Zarejestrowano 2 utwory: "Combination Of The Two" oraz "Ball and Chain" – szczególnie ta druga piosenka zachwyciła publiczność.
Zespół podpisał kolejny kontrakt z wytwórnią Columbia Records w listopadzie, a ich managerem został Albert Grossman.

Cheap Thrills i odejście Janis Joplin
Pierwsza płyta zespołu wydana przez Columbię miała być nagrana wiosną i latem 1968, i wydana w tym samym roku. Była bardzo oczekiwana, po tym jak pierwszy album został zignorowany. Początkowo planowano płytę live, ale po dwóch koncertach w Grande Ballroom w Detroit materiał nie usatysfakcjonował producenta Johna Simona i managera Alberta Grossmana. Dlatego zrezygnowano z projektu live i zdecydowano się na nagranie materiału studyjnego ("Down On Me" oraz "Piece Of My Heart" nagrane w Grande Ballroom zostały potem włączone do solowej płyty Janis – In Concert, wydanej w 1972 r.). Jednak kłopotliwe okazało się zaadaptowanie nieokiełznanego brzmienia grupy i nieuporządkowanego trybu życia jej członków do warunków studyjnych; postęp zachodził powoli, a presja Grossmana, Columbii i prasy wzrastała. Niektórzy członkowie zespołu narzekają na producenta Johna Simona – w ich opinii nie nadawał się do tej roli, ponieważ ich stylistyka była mu zupełnie obca i nie rozumiał psychodelicznej, basowej muzyki grupy. Pierwotna nazwa płyty brzmiała 'Sex, Dope and Cheap Thrills' (seks, narkotyki i tanie podniety), ale Columbia wymogła na zespole skrócenie tytułu do Cheap Thrills. Na okładce Columbia planowała umieścić nagie zdjęcie muzyków leżących w jednym łóżku w pokoju hotelowym, ale zespół nie popierał tego pomysłu. Zamiast tego poprosili undergroundowego rysownika komiksów – Roberta Crumb'a, żeby coś wymyślił. Jego projekt znalazł się ostatecznie na okładce albumu; z tyłu Columbia umieściła czarno-białe zdjęcie Janis. "Ball and Chain" to jedyna piosenka nagrana całkowicie na żywo, jednak nie w Fillmore Auditorium, jak napisane jest na okładce, ale podczas koncertu w Winterland Ballroom w 1968 r. Ta sama wersja utworu pojawiła się też na płycie Live At Witerland '68, wydanej w 1998 r.

Album został wydany w lecie 1968 r., czyli rok po debiucie zespołu, i zajął pierwsze miejsce na liście przebojów Billboard po ośmiu tygodniach. Utrzymał się na tej pozycji przez 8 tygodni, a singiel "Piece of My Heart" także stał się ogromnym przebojem. Pod koniec roku Cheap Thrills było już jednym z najbardziej popularnych albumów nagranych w 1968 r., sprzedano prawie milion egzemplarzy płyty. Mimo że na płycie znalazło się tylko 7 piosenek, osiem innych utworów zostało wydanych na innych płytach. "Catch Me Daddy" oraz "Farewell Song" to jedne z najpopularniejszych piosenek – ich oryginalne wykonania znalazły się na 3-płytowym wydawnictwie Janis z 1993 r. "It's a Deal" i "Easy Once You Know How" znajdują się na Box Of Pearls z 1999 r. "Flower in the Sun" I "Roadblock" zostały wydane na reedycji płyty Cheap Thrills jako "bonus tracks".

Pod koniec lata 1968 r., tuż po występie w Palace Of Fine Arts Festival in San Francisco, Janis oznajmiła, że opuści zespół na jesieni tego roku. Oficjalny powód tej decyzji to chęć Janis do rozpoczęcia solowej kariery i założenia zespołu, który będzie wykonywał muzykę soul. Janis poprosiła Sama Andrew, aby wraz z nią odszedł z Big Brother and The Holding Company, na co gitarzysta się zgodził. Janis występowała z Big Brother do 1 grudnia 1968 r. – odbył się wtedy ich ostatni wspólny koncert w San Francisco. Już 20 dni później Janis i Sam zagrali w Memphis po raz pierwszy z nowym zespołem, nazwanym Kozmic Blues Band.

Lata 1969–1972
Po opuszczeniu zespołu przez Janis, Dave Getz i Peter Albin dołączyli do zespołu Country Joe and the Fish w ich turze po USA oraz Europie. Uczestniczyli też w nagrywaniu płyty Here We Go Again tego zespołu. Dave i Peter opuścili Country Joe w maju 1969 r., z myślą o reaktywacji Big Brother and the Holding Company z gitarzystą Davidem Nelsonem. Przesłuchali kilkoro potencjalnych wokalistów, jednak w końcu zespół został reaktywowany w 1969 r. w prawie tym samym składzie, co oryginalny (oprócz Janis): Albin, Andrew, Getz i Gurley, a oprócz nich Nick Gravenites (wokal), Dave Schallock (gitara) i Kathi McDonald (wokal). Płyta Be A Brother została wydana w 1970 r. – był to pierwszy album zespołu wydany bez Janis Joplin. James Gurley gra tam na basie, a dawny basista – Peter Albin – na gitarze rytmicznej. Sam Andrew śpiewa wraz z Kathi McDonald i Nickiem Gravenites, David Schallock jest gitarzystą solowym, Dave Getz gra na perkusji i czasem na klawiszach. Ostatni album studyjny zespołu, How Hard It Is został nagrany w 1971 r. Skład jest podobny: Sam, Kathi i Nick śpiewają, gra też z nimi Mike Finegan. Zespół grał w takim składzie do 1972 r., jednak narkotyki, utrata managera, brak występów i wewnętrzne konflikty doprowadziły do rozpadu grupy. W ciągu następnych 15 lat zespół raz zagrał ponownie razem – był to koncert 'The Tribal Stomp' w 1978 r. w Greek Theatre w Berkeley.

Od 1987 do dziś
Zespół postanowił spróbować jeszcze raz w 1987. W składzie znów znaleźli się Albin, Andrew, Getz i Gurley – ten ostatni jednak opuścił zespół w 1996, ponieważ nie zgadzał się z ideą znalezienia piosenkarki na miejsce Janis Joplin. W 1997 Gurleya zastąpił Tom Finch. Big Brother nie posiada teraz stałej wokalistki; pośród wielu, z którymi zespół występował, znalazły się Michel Bastian, Lisa Battle, Halley DeVestern, Lisa Mills, Andra Mitrovich, Kacee Clanton, Sophia Ramos, Mary Bridget Davies, Chloe Lowery, Jane Myrenget, Cathy Richardson. Obok Sama Andrew, na gitarze gra dziś Ben Nieves. W 1999 r. zespół wydał płytę Do What You Love, na którym rolę wokalistki pełni Lisa Battle. Znalazły się na tej płycie nowe wersje dawnych utworów, np. "Woman Is Losers", ale też nowe piosenki. Hold Me to kolejna płyta, wydana w 2006 r. Zawiera materiał live, nagrany podczas koncertów w Niemczech w roku 2005. Występują na niej gościnnie gitarzysta Chad Quist i piosenkarka Sophia Ramos. W 2008 r. zespół zdecydował się na wydanie 2-płytowego zestawu The Lost Tapes ('zagubione nagrania'), na którym znalazły się piosenki zarejestrowane podczas koncertów w San Francisco w latach 1966–1967, w których śpiewa Janis Joplin. Niektóre z tych utworów były już przedtem nieoficjalnie wydane, ale jest tam też 12 nigdy przedtem niewydanych piosenek.

Kontrowersyjna kwestia
W 2007 r., po wprowadzeniu albumu Cheap Thrills do Grammy Hall Of Fame, założyciel i gitarzysta zespołu James Gurley ocenił Big Brother and The Holding Company najbardziej niedocenionym zespołem wszech czasów, jako że nigdy nie doceniono ich aranżacji i jego twórczych pomysłów. Gurley stwierdził też, że Clive Davis namówił Janis do odejścia od zespołu i nagrywania ze studyjnymi muzykami, którzy grają lepiej niż BBHC. W filmie dokumentalnym 'Nine Hundred Nights' Peter Albin powiedział, że to ich manager – Albert Grossman – doradził Janis, by opuściła zespół i założyła własny. Powodem miało być zaoszczędzenie na sesjach nagraniowych. Sam Andrew natomiast uważa, że Janis odeszła zarówno z powodów artystycznych, jak i finansowych; Janis wielokrotnie proponowała muzykom, by dodali klawisze i sekcję dętą do niektórych piosenek, ale oni odmawiali, tłumacząc, że zmieniliby w ten sposób oryginalne brzmienie Big Brother. Zespół musiał także wykonywać te same piosenki bardzo często, czasem do trzech razy dziennie, więc Janis miała prawo czuć się tym znudzona. Każdemu z muzyków płacono oddzielnie – Janis wiedziała, że odchodząc, dostawałaby całe wynagrodzenie i musiałaby tylko płacić swoim pracownikom.

Dyskografia
 Big Brother and the Holding Company, Sony/BMG (1967)
 Cheap Thrills, Columbia (1968)
 Be a Brother Acadia (1970)
 How Hard It Is Columbia (1971)
 Can't Go Home Again Legend (1997)
 Live at Winterland, Sony (1998)
 Do What You Love (1999)
 Hold Me Cheap Thrills (2006)
 The Lost Tapes 2-disc set, Airline Records (2008)

Przypisy

Bibliografia
 Nine Hundred Nights, Big Brother and The Holding Company with Janis Joplin, 2001, USA – film dokumentarny o dziejach współpracy zespołu z Janis Joplin.
 Myra Friedman, 'Janis Joplin. Żywcem pogrzebana' wyd. Wydawnictwo b, Warszawa 2005.
 Alice Echols, 'Scars Of Sweet Paradise. The Life and times of Janis Joplin', wyd. Virago Press, 2000.

Amerykańskie zespoły rockowe


Here you will find a list of different private accommodations in Hirtshals, Tornby and the nearby area. To live privately is a lovely form of accommodations where you can stay for a longer stay, a weekend break or just a single night.
Stay with the locals and get closer to the local life. Many of the private accommodations has attractive locations close to the many attractions and sights of the area.
Many of the private accommodations offers breakfast, towels and linens for a small price. Read more about the different private rooms in the list below and read more about the different facilities.


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Home Music Beggar's Banquet: Top 10 Beggars of Soul Music
James Porter
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 11: Keith Sweat performs on Heart & Soul at SiriusXM Studio on March 11, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
It's the early nineties. Jaleel White, then riding high playing the "Steve Urkel" character on the sitcom Family Matters, is guesting on Arsenio Hall's talk show. The subject turns to young Jaleel's music tastes. Luther Vandross' name comes up in conversation. Jaleel wasn't a fan.
"He begs too much!," he said.
Okay, at a moment in black music when the New Jack Swing sound was hot and gangsta rap was around the corner, kids Urkel's age didn't want to know about any old-fashioned, bent-kneed romantics who apologize for things they probably didn't do. However, since the dawning of rhythm & blues, it was tacitly understood that rhythm & blues was the one genre where a person could beg and still retain their dignity when they got up off the floor. When most R&B singers go into their pleading bag, they do so with the conviction of a preacher. Some aren't even tender about it – they dead-ass attack those pleas with all the gusto of a hungry man at a buffet table.
So, without further ado, here are ten great rhythm & blues artists in the begging business. Some of these folks could make Luther Vandross look like Mr. T.
Tyrone Davis
(2) David Ruffin (3) Levi Stubbs
(4) Lorraine Ellison
(5) Lenny Williams
(6) The Manhattans
(7) Andre Williams
(8) James Brown
(9) Jerry Washington
(10) Keith Sweat
The undisputed Godfather of Begging. Others have come before, and many have come since, but Tyrone Davis had a patent on it, starting with his first hit, 1968's "Can I Change My Mind." In that song, Tyrone threatens to leave, but chickens out when his lady doesn't stop him.
After that single sold a million copies, Tyrone amped up the begging on subsequent releases. His prime begging moment was during the monologue on "I Had It All The Time," where he calls his lover direct from Chicago's O'Hare Airport, apologizing profusely for some mistake he made ("oh baby, yeah – I'm ready to CRAWL"), adding that he's "had a lot of time to think (and) reminisce" – probably while drunk – "about all he good things about you…": Coming dead close: "You Wouldn't Believe," where his wife walks out on him after accusing him of cheating.
Never mind that he's so honest that he literally shows her his "pay stub so you can see how much I made." Despite his forthrightness, she still thinks ole TD is tippin'. No wonder Tyrone is always pleading, even though he was probably in the right.
(2) David Ruffin
(3) Levi Stubbs
American soul singers The Four Tops (American singer Lawrence Payton (1938-1997), American singer Abdul 'Duke' Fakir, American singer Renaldo 'Obie' Benson (1936-2005), American singer Levi Stubbs (1936-2008)) perform live at the Apollo Theater in the Harlem neighbourhood of Manhattan, New York City, New York, circa 1965. (Photo by Don Paulsen/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
I call the respective lead singers of the Temptations and the Four Tops "arrogant beggars." While both men could scuff their knees as well as anyone who wanted it real bad, neither man had the humility of Tyrone Davis.
Ruffin and Stubbs sounded a little more entitled. Right at the top of the Temptations'"Ain't Too Proud To Beg," Ruffin is right in your face: "I KNOW YOU WANNA LEAVE ME, BUT I REFUSE TO LET YOU GO!" He then adds that he will resort to begging if he has to, but his tone is so cocky that it comes off as a threat.
As for Levi Stubbs, he always had a vulnerable streak even when he got the girl. Most of the time he's usually living in mortal fear that she's about to leave him – "Shake Me, Wake Me," "Bernadette," and especially "Standing In The Shadows Of Love," where he almost invokes hell and damnation during the spoken passages.
His most defeated moment was "Baby, I Need Your Loving" – for once, his voice was unusually clear, not as gravelly, and you can bet he didn't want to see his lifeline taken away by the woman he's singing to.
In pure chart terms, Lorraine Ellison is fairly obscure (two songs in Billboard's R&B Top 40 listings), but aesthetically, Lorraine recorded a body of work that is just as essential as Etta James or Aretha Franklin, with a strong cult following.
One of those two hits was 1966's "Stay With Me," which doesn't hit you over the head with its greatness, but rather sneaks up on you and smolders before you even know what's going on.
The begging on this song was so intense that when Mary J. Blige remade it, she toned down the submissive lyrics. Lorraine was "asking and begging"; Mary J. was TELLING him. Despite this, Ellison's original is still a powerful force. Out-of-tune trumpets and all.
Lenny was a former lead singer of Tower Of Power who struck out on a career of his own.
He recorded "'Cause I Love You" twice, on two different albums. The second version, on the Spark Of Love album, was the one that got the airplay, and again, it was the spoken bit that did it.
The phone calls that went unanswered, the unfamiliar car parked in his lady's driveway, the records he played all night till he didn't want to hear them anymore, the television he watched "until television went off" – after all this, the man just snaps. Oh, oh, oh, oh…
Blue Lovett was one of the greatest talking bass singers this side of Hoppy Jones from the Ink Spots. Several of the Manhattans' numbers feature Lovett's love-man raps (including the million-selling "Kiss & Say Goodbye").
However, she's leaving him on "Don't Take Your Love." In that deep, thundering voice of his, Lovett turned on the waterworks full steam, even invoking that old cliche "a man ain't supposed to cry."
Andre was a jack-of-all-trades who split his time between Dallas, Chicago and Detroit, involved in the music business as a singer, producer and songwriter (his best-known number was likely "Shake A Tail Feather," recorded by everybody from the Five Dutones to Ray Charles in the Blues Brothers movie).
As a singer, he recorded a ton of off-the-wall numbers, including "Bacon Fat," "Rib Tips," "Pearl Time," "Cadillac Jack" and "The Greasy Chicken."
However, he was not adverse to throwing his pride out the window if it would either get him laid or keep him out of jail.
Thus, "Let Me Put It In" was a frenzied appeal for, ah, a woman's…attention (I'm being polite). In "Jail Bait," he's pleading to the judge not to send him to the Big House (I guess he didn't think twice about asking the girl's age).
American soul singer and songwriter James Brown (1933-2006) performs live on stage with the J.B.'s, including bass guitarist Bootsy Collins on left and guitarist Catfish Collins (1943-2010) behind on right, in East Ham, London in March 1971. (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns)
What's the Godfather Of Soul doing on a list like this? Well, in the fifties and early sixties, before he became the Minister Of New New Super Heavy Funk, he recorded a surprising amount of love ballads.
Even though the studio versions of "Please Please Please," "Lost Someone" and "Prisoner Of Love" will give you a good example of his vulnerability, you need to hear the live versions on the first two "Live At The Apollo" albums to really hear JB moaning about his romantic woes.
Especially on Live At The Apollo, Vol. 2, where he starts wailing off mic, in the middle of "Prisoner Of Love." Whatever he was up to, I'm sure the Apollo audience loved it. The listener at home might not know what's going on, but it doesn't take long to figure it out.
Again, it's all about the monologue, which in this case threatens to be an entire soap opera. At the beginning of his 1972 southern-soul classic, "Right Here Is Where You Belong," we hear Jerry asking some stranger where "Kim" lives.
Remarkably, the stranger obliges, giving him the exact apartment number. Jerry knocks on the door, knowing he's in hot water with this lady. She angrily responds: "what do you want!" And then Jerry starts working his show: "wait, wait one minute, please…don't close the door…I was just released from the hospital…the doctor told me that the medicine can't do no good…he told me what I have is more serious than cancer…a very, very bad case of the blues…"
The rap is over, and then a vocal group starts sweetly harmonizing on the title. I sure hope Jerry ("it's me, baby") and Kim reunited.
Around the time of the Jaleel White/Arsenio Hall conversation related at the top of the article, New Jack Swing was the preeminent musical style of the day, fusing mainstream R&B with a hip-hop sensibility.
Along with Al B. Sure!, Guy, and others, Keith Sweat was one of the more popular acts in that idiom. Despite Jaleel's protests, Keith was keeping the begging spirit alive.
What's even better, he knows it and owns it. Most modern-day interviews with Sweat reveal that he is fully conscious of the great "begging" tradition in soul music, and he is perfectly happy to be part of that lineage, even predicting that it will make a comeback…someday. WIth a fairly solid string of hits from 1987 onward, he's definitely doing his damndest to keep it going
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Vysr, a new web browser, will debut RoamAbout--an application that enables consumers to tap their favorite web services and social networks wherever they go on the web. Both a downloadable web browser plug-in and an open web application platform, Vysr RoamAbout provides developers with a distribution channel for today's "user-centric web." Vysr was founded on the premise that consumers today need a simple way to take their services and networks wherever they go on the web. Vysr RoamAbout is an application that enables consumers to take their services with them, anywhere on the web. Other approaches require consumers to leave their destination site and go to another site to retrieve a service. As a web services platform, RoamAbout exposes a rich set of service enablers such as a voice and text communication infrastructure, connectors to social networks, and identity management. Vysr RoamAbout is currently available immediately for Firefox.


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Organismes de bienfaisance et à but non lucratif
Secteurs industriels connexes
Perspectives juridiques/Communiqués/Impact Social/Janvier 2013/Clergy Residence Deduction – CRA Revises Form T1223
Clergy Residence Deduction – CRA Revises Form T1223
Janvier 2013 | Amanda J. Stacey
Canada Revenue Agency has released a revised T1223 form applicable for clergy
residence deduction claims for the 2012 taxation year. In particular, the CRA has added requirements
to Part B of the form, which is the employer certification portion of the form.
respect to employees who are members of the clergy, the CRA states that
employers must now provide employees with a copy of their ordination
certificate. It is our view that this
requirement has no basis in law. While
an employee claiming the deduction would be required, on audit, to prove his or
her status as a member of the clergy, there is no Income Tax Act requirement to
produce an ordination certificate to substantiate a claim for the deduction.
respect to employees who are regular ministers of a religious denomination, the
CRA now requires a description of how the employee was appointed to his or her
role as a regular minister. IT-141R
« Clergy Residence Deduction » states that to qualify as a regular
minister, among other things, the person must be appointed or recognized by a
body or person with the legitimate authority to appoint or ordain ministers on
behalf of or within the religious denomination.
Employers should include a brief description of the appointment process
for their denomination here, including who within the denomination appointed the
employee, and the source of that person's authority to make the appointment.
respect to employees appointed to administrative service by appointment of a
religious denomination or religious order, the CRA now requires that employers
describe how the individual was appointed to his or her position. We should note that this portion of the form
is somewhat unclear. On one
interpretation, a description of how an individual was appointed to
administrative service is only required where a separate organization (i.e. not
the individual's employer) has appointed the individual in question. However, it is also plausible that such a
description is required regardless of the appointing organization. It is our view that a brief description will
suffice here, and should be included regardless of the appointing organization.
the second year in a row that the CRA has amended its T1223 form to add further
informational requirements. Readers may
recall that last year, for the 2011 taxation year, the CRA introduced a
requirement to attach job descriptions to the T1223, and the job descriptions
must show a percentage allocation of time spent on specific job duties. It should be noted that the T1223 is not
required to be filed with an individual's tax return. It must, however, be kept by the individual
and produced if requested by the CRA. We
have concerns that these yearly changes are indicative of a desire by the CRA
to restrict access to the deduction on grounds that are not necessarily in
keeping with the law. Employers with
concerns regarding the completion of T1223 forms for their employees are
encouraged to seek advice and Miller Thomson Charity and Not-for-Profit lawyers
have the requisite expertise to assist with such questions.


Obstetrician/Gynecologist, Tochi Keeton, M.D., is a Texas native but moved to Arkansas to begin practicing medicine. She earned her medical degree and completed her residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX.
Dr. Keeton is a member of the physician team at South Arkansas OB/GYN Associates and the JRMC Medical Staff.
When she isn't caring for patients of South Arkansas, Dr. Keeton and her husband Julius enjoy traveling and spending time with their son.
For information about referring patients to Tochi Keeton, M.D., please click here.


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The recent Tweetcamp event was organised by Farhan Rehman (@farhan), Dees Chinniah (@cyberdees), and Jon Bishop (@jonin60seconds), I just ran around with a microphone on the day, and chatted with Farhan before hand! It was far from being another BarCamp. While many familiar faces from the social media space came along, it also reached people who hadn't been to any sort of unconference before.
TweetCamp is about bringing communities together, in real life. It's about accelerating the conversations that happen on Twitter, in real life. It's about creating richer, more personal connections… …It's all about bringing the people together who you know from and through Twitter, into a physical space, and then having some of those great conversations and interactions you would have online, but in real life.
The process of on-line to off-line bridging is something I pursue in the corporate space. On-line platforms work best with people who have met off-line and interacted face-to-face. Similarly, on-line tools let people sustain relationships when time and distance – from remote working or hectic schedules – would otherwise curtail them. Tweetcamp was an opportunity to experiment with different ways of stimulating discussion and self-organising a very large group (about 150 people or so).
Amy Sample Ward has challenged the team to build on this start at bridging on-line and off-line communities in her thoughtful post. The conversations and activities were very varied. I met someone I knew by swapping a toilet seat for a wonderful water spray – you had to be there. You'll also hear Ray mentioned in the video. He is a poet and ran a poetry workshop. Inevitably he was 'dragged' on to Twitter, where you can now find him as @TheEducatedfool. He was there as part of the BBC poetry initiative, which came up with an innovative live idea for the event, linking Tweetcamp to Glastonbury via Twitter. People tweeted short poems from the event, which were displayed live over there. I told you it wasn't your usual barcamp!
As well as a wonderful lunch, and Muesli, from sponsors Mymuesli, Addlestones provided a wonderful end to the day with their cider. A big thank you to all of the sponsors. The day wasn't about the food though, it was about the conversations, which covered topics as diverse as children's use of the Internet to internal business communications, and a range of other topics between.


Oppose the trend toward centralization of power in our party structure.
Please see below the text of an email that I just sent to RNC Chairman Preibus.
I ask you to back off from supporting some of the proposed changes to the Rules of the Republican Party being presented this week to the RNC Standing Committee on Rules for approval and then to the full Republican National Committee for final passage.
In an unprecedented abuse of the power in the hands of a candidate about to receive a Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign forced through at our national convention in Tampa a number of changes in the national Rules of the Republican Party. Everyone knew that none of the changes could possibly help to produce a Republican victory in 2012 and that those rules changes in 2012 would apply fully to the 2016 election cycle.
For generations, all previous Republican candidates who had sewn up our presidential nomination wisely refrained from using their power to demand that the national conventions about to nominate them pass any particular rules changes. They and their campaigns knew that changes passed at the convention that nominated them would control our national committee operations and the Republican presidential nomination process in the next following four years.
Our presidential nominees tend, wisely, to allow our long-term rules to be determined by representatives elected from each of the states to serve on the RNC's Standing Committee on Rules and on the national convention's Rules Committee.
This is a good example of power in our party flowing from the bottom up.
The rare occasions when sure-to-be nominated presidential candidates threw their full weight into deliberations about rules changes were when there might be a minority report filed from the Convention Rules Committee that would have to be debated and voted on by the entire convention.
Convention floor battles over the rules happened most recently in 1972 and 1976.
In 1972, President Nixon nailed down every aspect of the national convention except the controversies over the rules. He allowed liberal Republican Senators Charles Percy (Illinois )and Jacob Javits (New York) to duke it out in a rules battle with conservatives led by Californor Gov. Ronald Reagan. Conservatives won that convention floor battle, and Nixon went on to win reelection in a landslide.
In 1976, President Ford couldn't stop a convention floor fight over party rules because it was not yet clear whether the convention would nominate President Ford or Gov. Reagan.
All other presidential nomination winners have tended to use their power over the rules process only to prevent convention-floor battles because they believed that such battles distract from the political message they want the convention to deliver to the national television audience.
I've attended all the meetings of the Republican National Convention Rules Committees starting in 1972, and I have served as a member of all of our national conventions' Rules Committees starting in 1988. For 40 years, I worked with like-minded conservatives against changes which tend to centralize power within our party and on behalf of rules improvements which open greater opportunities for power in our party to flow from the bottom up, rather from the top down.
Republican rules matters seldom attract much public attention.
Although for literally 40 years I had always taken an active and sometimes important role in deliberations and decisions regarding our national rules, I never sought and almost never received any media coverage at all for my involvement in party rules matters.
Like many others similarly involved, I considered work on rules matters an important, sometimes burdensome, but quiet duty. But the unprecedented series of power grabs introduced and passed at the Convention Rules Committee meeting in Tampa by the Romney campaign through Ben Ginsberg (their designated representative on the Convention Rules Committee} attracted the instant attention of print, broadcast, and online media.
Everyone knew that Romney lieutenant Ron Kaufman of Massachusetts was in charge of national convention matters for the Romney campaign. Everyone also understood that Ben Ginsberg of D.C. was the Romney/Kaufman leader at the Convention Rules Committee meetings.
Under pressure, many members of the Convention Rules Committee did whatever Ron Kaufman and Ben Ginsberg let them know they wanted done.
That's unfortunate. Willingness always to do exactly what one is told to do is overrated as a measure of party loyalty.
Ron Kaufman admitted two months ago in my presence that what he really wants is for Republicans to hold a one-day national presidential primary across the country. His position favoring a one-day national Republican primary runs directly counter to the almost universal consensus among generations of participants in our national rule-making process that front-loading the schedule of our delegation-selection process is very dangerous to our party.
Front-loading gives enormous advantages to the wealthiest candidates and to not reliably-conservative Republicans who are likely to be deliberately and quickly popularized by the liberal media. Front-loading increases the possibility that someone would win our nomination because of some short-term fluke. A brief primary season allows insufficient time for us to evaluate candidates' abilities to function well in a rigorous big league of a national campaign and makes it less likely that grassroots conservatives would have sufficient time to unite behind one of several more conservative candidates.
During the Convention Rules Committee meeting in Tampa, I warned repeatedly in unmistakable terms that the Romney/Kaufman/Ginsberg power grabs would generate massive outrage from conservative grassroots Republicans and seriously hurt the Romney presidential campaign.
Those predictions quickly proved accurate when huge numbers of our national convention delegates demonstrated their outrage by voting loudly on the convention floor against adoption of the Convention Rules Committee report.
Ignoring the need to unite our party for victory in November, the Romney campaign's power grabs in the rules process sent home from the national convention thousands of angry Republican activists. That was a stupid mistake, and the perpetrators remain unrepentant. In fact, they continue to want more centralization of power and further national intrusion against state parties' decision-making regarding their states' delegate selection process.
The Romney/Kaufman/Ginsberg power grabs have interrupted a long and healthy restraint in the rules process by those holding great power at the top of our party. Previously, presidential candidates who had already won enough delegates to win our nomination and incumbent RNC chairmen did not exercise their decisive power to force national rules changes at our national conventions. That was largely because such rules changes would primarily affect the process four years later.
All competent presidential candidates knew that throwing their weight around in the rules process at the national convention would certainly anger many Republicans whose united support they would need in the coming general election campaign.
Non-incumbent presidential candidates knew that, if they won the presidency, the party rules would give them no trouble when they ran for reelection.
Incumbent Presidents running for reelection knew they wouldn't be candidates in the next following cycle.
Incumbent RNC national chairmen routinely subordinate themselves to the campaigns of the coming presidential nominee as soon as the identity of that nominee becomes certain.
Thus national rules changes were for generations decided openly through a bottom-up process by representatives elected from each state.
The Romney/Kaufman/Ginsberg power grabs in Tampa overturned the bottom-up process and opened up a slippery slope toward more and more control from the top down.
Here are my thoughts about the six proposals I understand will be offered by your appointed subcommittee this week.
1. Rule 16(c). The requirements for proportional allocation of delegates in March 2012 worked reasonably well. If there had not been a dramatic series of power grabs in the rules process in Tampa, some change like this might have been devised then. Nevertheless, a clarification like this might prevent avoidance of meaningful proportionality.
2. Rule 16(c)(2). This proposal is a virtually meaningless sham. The proposal should be amended to replace "March 15" with "March 31." To stop the stampede toward front-loading of presidential primaries, the rules in effect in 2012 required proportional allocation of delegates in March primaries. The Ginsberg power grabs in Tampa entirely eliminated the proportionality requirement. The subcommittee proposes restoring proportionality only in the first half of March. If the whole month of March is not included, RNC members should defeat this proposal. A full month would give an underfunded candidate who beats expectations in early March a reasonable time to raise funds and recruit volunteers. No wealthy candidate could sew up the nomination in a flood of mid-March winner-take-all primaries. One full month means something; two weeks is trivial.
3. Rule 17(a). The 2012 enforcement provision did not work to prevent states from scheduling their presidential primaries before the period in which binding delegate selection could be legitimately conducted. These more severe penalties might work.
4. Rule 17(f). Deleting this provision would help make the rules internally consistent.
5. Rule 20. It's a very bad idea, and there is much to be said against it. Except when absolutely necessary, as in preventing an otherwise unstoppable disaster, like a mad rush of frontloading primaries leading toward what amounts to a national primary day, the national party has no business telling the states what to do regarding their selection of national convention delegates. Granting the RNC Executive Committee the authority to grant a waiver to states which violate the deadline provision amounts to putting the decision in the hands of the RNC chairman. I served a term on the RNC Executive Committee and never saw any open opposition to what the national chairmen wanted. Every "decision" was unanimous. The office of RNC Chairman has overwhelming power already, for good or for ill. If the deadline were kept at 35 days before the convention (see below), Rule 20 could be and should be enforced.
And by the way, since Dean Burch became RNC chairman in 1964 during the Goldwater campaign, I have known personally all of the RNC chairmen, about 20 in number.
Regardless of their merits or faults, all former chairmen had quite sufficient powers at their disposal.
But all former RNC chairmen were importantly constrained because they had to follow the national Rules of the Republican Party, rules which could be changed only by the national convention.
Because of the new Rule 12, as a result of a motion by John Ryder, you are the first national Republican Party Chairman to have an opportunity to use the immense power of your office to get the RNC membership to change major portions of The Rules of the Republican Party between national conventions.
The Democratic Party has been shamefully corrupted for many years by internal power struggles to change their rules between their national conventions to favor different factions of their party, different party leaders, or different candidates for their presidential nominations.
That is why I strongly opposed the awful, new national Rule 12, moved by John Ryder with Ben Ginsberg's full support, at the Convention Rules Committee meeting in Tampa.
As surely as anything can be in politics, Rule 12 makes it certain that some future RNC chairmen, men or women who will lack many of your merits, would use Rule 12 to make changes in our national rules for disreputable purposes between our Republican National Conventions. As things now stand, only a national convention can repeal Rule 12, and I hope and pray that our 2016 convention repeals it.
6. Rule 20(a). This proposal should be defeated. Other changes now incorporated into our rules have already greatly shortened (compared to 2012) the time period available for the candidates for our presidential nomination's contest to win delegates. This goes too far. States which want to elect or select their delegates close to the existing deadline of 35 days before the national convention should be allowed to do so. And if any state were to have the possibility of receiving a waiver of the deadline by "the RNC Executive Committee" (really the RNC Chairman}, any state should be accorded the same courtesy. Virginia frequently chooses to hold our state conventions in early June. But there is no chance of a dangerous "back-loading" of the delegate selection process. This proposal is really bad. The office of RNC Chairman does not need another club to hang over the heads of state party leaders and presidential candidates.
One way or another, a number of other rules changes must be made to prevent the recurrence of especially obnoxious aspects of the national convention procedure in Tampa.
For example, during the roll call vote on the convention ballot for our presidential nomination, each state's delegation chairman called out the number of his state's delegate votes cast for each candidate. Then the convention Secretary announced only the number of that state's delegate votes that state cast for Mitt Romney. Vote totals for other presidential candidates announced by the state delegations' chairmen were not repeated by the convention Secretary. This unfair practice provoked cries of outrage all through the roll call of the states from delegates all over the convention hall.
Hundreds of properly elected delegates came to the convention and found, through no fault of their own, that their votes weren't counted. Only votes for Mitt Romney were counted.
Reince, you know I have standing to comment strongly about this, because you know personally that my wife and I each contributed $15,000 to Romney Victory, Inc. just before the national convention.
The unmistakable message to non-Romney delegates was: "We won. You lost. To Hell with you." Our national party rules should be amended to make sure that this arrogant, hideous practice is not repeated.
This problem will surely be fixed by rules changes adopted in the normal process unless our 2016 prospective nominee or our RNC Chairman intervenes to prevent this badly needed change.
Another example of a Romney/Kaufman/Ginsberg power grab inserted into our rules was upping from five to eight the number of state delegations a candidate for our nomination will have to carry in order to qualify to have that candidate's name formally placed in nomination at the convention.
A respectable case could be made for preventing a long series of favorite-son candidates from taking up convention time for formal nominations and floor demonstrations.
But to deny a candidate who has carried at least five states the right even to have his name placed in nomination at the convention is unfair and certain to alienate that candidate's widespread grassroots supporters. And to deny duly-elected delegates the right to have their properly cast votes counted for their candidates at the convention is worse.
I am asking you to support my opposition to certain parts of your hand-picked subcommittee's proposals. Give a clear indication to grassroots Republicans that you favor a major rollback of the Romney/Kaufman/Ginsberg power grabs. You should take steps to make it clear that you are not now the principal defender of the Romney/Kaufman/Ginsberg power grabs which took place at the national convention in Tampa.
Reince, you may very well get the required 75% vote of the 168 RNC Members for all the rules changes to be voted on this week. You control the large RNC staff (including the whole Legal Counsel staff), all the RNC funds, all the appointing power, and baskets of other goodies to distribute and sticks to wield.
To overcome that line-up of power, I do not have even any staff to run an organized opposition campaign among RNC members. Nevertheless, I intend, as always, to make the case for what I think is right. Many grassroots Republicans will follow closely what happens. By raising the right issues and obtaining record votes when appropriate and possible, I intend to make the public aware of what happens this week and in the future. Perhaps some RNC seats may change hands as people leave through normal attrition and when grassroots Republicans have an opportunity to hold their representatives accountable as the whole RNC membership comes up for re-election in 2016.
And there is another possibility. Conservatives might nominate a presidential candidate in 2016 or 2020 who will support a reversal of what it seems thus far is turning out to be a four-year period of centralizing power grabs.
A soon-to-be-nominated presidential candidate has the power to get exactly what he wants, for good or for ill, from the rules process at any national convention. The Romney campaign proved this at the Tampa convention by stupidly forcing through many outrageous, power-grabbing rules changes, which any politically competent person could have predicted would cause uproar at the convention, enrage many Romney supporters and potential Romney supporters, and hurt his campaign badly. A future conservative nominee could see the problem and set things right.
Tension is currently high between different elements of our party, and millions of grassroots conservatives and libertarians are wavering over their decisions about the value of the Republican Party as a vehicle to advance their motivating principles.
You could do our party a world of good right now by showing your disapproval of the blundering power grabs made in Tampa and demonstrating that you oppose the trend toward centralization of power in our party structure.