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About Dr HC Chang
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Dr HC Chang > Services > Knee > Microfracture for Articular Cartilage Damage
Knee Articular Cartilage Damage
Summary & Treatment
Microfracture is a surgical technique that has been developed to treat cartilage defects.
A Full Thickness Cartilage Defect on the Kneecap
It is a common procedure used to treat patients with full thickness damage to the articular cartilage that goes all the way down to the bone.
This arthroscopic procedure was first introduced about 20 years ago by Dr Richard Steadman as a treatment method that uses the body's own healing abilities and provides an enriched environment for tissue regeneration on the cartilage surface.
Since its development, the microfracture procedure has been used by its originator to treat more than 2000 patients.
Of these patients, 75 to 80% experienced significant pain relief and improvement in the ability to perform daily activities and participate in sports.
Fifteen percent noticed no change, and five percent continued to have joint deterioration.
Microfracture creates small holes in the bone using a sharp tipped metal awl. These small holes become a channel through the surface layer of bone, called the subchondral bone, which is hard and lacks good blood supply. By penetrating this hard subchondral bone layer, a microfracture channel allows the deeper, more vascular bone to access the surface layer hence forming a super clot. This deeper bone has more blood supply, and the cells can then get to the surface layer and stimulate cartilage growth.
The new tissue is a "hybrid" of articular-like cartilage plus fibrocartilage. Experience shows that this hybrid repair tissue is durable and functions similarly to articular cartilage.
Patients with painful contained full thickness cartilage defect.
The defect size should be less than 2cm in diameter.
No lower limb malalignment – those with bowed knees should not have this technique performed for medial knee joint weight-bearing area defects.
Younger patients have better results – ? better healing potential.
Compliant with post-operative rehabilitation and physiotherapy.
Who Will Not Benefit?
Extensive or global cartilage defects.
Unstable knee from ligament injury e.g. anterior cruciate ligament tear.
Poorly aligned knees that may overload the painful compartment.
Severely overweight patient.
Poorly motivated patient who will not follow post-operative rehabilitation and physiotherapy.
The patient usually presents with pain in the knee associated with swelling. The diagnosis of a full thickness cartilage defect can be confirmed using an MRI scan.
The surgery is usually performed under general anaesthesia and the procedure involved minimally invasive keyhole surgery to the knee joint. This procedure is called knee arthroscopy.
Using 2 tiny holes in front of the knee, the surgeon is able to insert a camera into the joint to carefully access the cartilage damage. The other tiny hole allows the surgeon to introduce the metal awl to perform the microfracture.
The key to successful microfracture is the post-operative rehabilitation.
Dr Richard Steadman who invented this technique has stressed the importance of post-operative rehabilitation in order to for other surgeons to reproduce the success that he has had with this technique.
Dr Chang with Dr Richard Steadman
Dr Steadman has taught us that:
Rehabilitation Protocol for Patients with Chondral Defects on the Femur or Tibia
The patient is started on a continuous passive motion (CPM) machine immediately in the recovery room. Ideally, the patient should use the machine for 6 to 8 hours every 24 hours. Range of motion is increased as tolerated until full range of motion is achieved with the machine.
If a CPM machine is not used, the patient begins passive flexion/extension (straightening and bending) of the knee with 500 repetitions three times a day.
The use of crutches, with only light touch-down weight allowed on the involved leg, is prescribed for 6 to 8 weeks. Patients with small defect areas (less than 1cm in diameter) may be allowed to put weight on the leg a few weeks sooner.
Brace use is rarely recommended for patients with chondral defects on the femur or tibia.
Limited strength training also begins immediately after microfracture surgery.
Standing one-third knee bends with a great deal of the weight on the uninjured leg begin the day after surgery.
Stationary biking without resistance and a deep-water exercise program begin 1 to 2 weeks after surgery.
After 8 weeks the patient progresses to full weight-bearing and begins a more vigorous program of active knee motion.
Elastic resistance cord exercises can begin about 8 weeks following surgery.
Free weights or machine weights can be started when the early goals of the rehabilitation program have been met, but no sooner than 16 weeks after surgery.
Patients must not resume sports that involve pivoting, cutting, and jumping for 4 to 6 months after a microfracture procedure. Full activity may be resumed once the physician has examined the knee and given approval for the patient to return to sports activity.
Rehabilitation Protocol for Patients with Patellofemoral Chondral Defects
All patients treated with microfracture for patellofemoral defects must use a brace set for 0° to 20° of flexion for at least 8 weeks. It is essential to limit compression of the new surfaces in the early postoperative period, so that the maturing marrow clot will not be disturbed. The brace should be worn at all times except when passive motion is allowed.
Patients are placed into a CPM machine immediately following surgery. The goal is to obtain a pain-free and full passive range of motion soon after surgery during those periods when the brace is removed.
When the patient wears a brace, strength training is allowed, but only in the 0° to 20° range immediately after surgery in order to limit compression of the affected chondral surfaces. The joint angles of these patients are observed carefully at the time of surgery to determine where the defect makes contact with the opposing surface, either on the patella or on the trochlear groove of the femur. These areas are avoided during strength training for approximately 4 months.
Patients are allowed to put weight on the involved leg as tolerated, but it must be limited to the angles of flexion that do not compress the treated surfaces. For this reason the patient must wear a brace locked in limited flexion.
After 8 weeks, the knee brace is gradually opened to allow increased flexion of the knee, a process that takes about a month. Brace use is generally discontinued at about 12 weeks. Some patients, however, like to continue to wear the brace for strenuous exercise for a few more months up to about 6 months.
After brace use is discontinued, strength training advances progressively.
In order to enhance the formation of cartilage in the microfractured area of the knee, I have added autologous stem cell injections. The stem cells are cultured in the laboratory after harvesting the blood from the bone marrow at the time of the surgery.
The cells are then injected back into the knee joint at 3 weeks after the surgery. This is an experimental technique and the success rates are not known.
Injection of Stem Cells to Promote Cartilage Formation
The commercial use of Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC) has allowed us to provide a single stage repair of the defect using autologous stem cells. This involves aspirating bone marrow blood from the pelvic bone during the surgery. The blood is spinned down and passaged through a device to concentrate the cells and healing factors. This is then combined with special scaffolds and applied to the area of the microfracture to enhance the healing.
All Services and Treatments
16 years of experience in surgical and non-surgical procedures in sports injuries as a Sports Orthopaedic Specialist in Singapore.
Received multiple awards and accolades in the Orthopaedic field.
He is a USA Sports Medicine Fellowship trained Orthopaedic Surgeon and is a member of the Arthroscopy Association of North America as well as the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine.
Published many acclaimed articles on Sports Medicine. If you are experiencing one or more of the symptoms mentioned above, it is important to get a prompt and accurate diagnosis to determine the severity of your injury and get proper treatment immediately.
Dr Chang Haw Chong
hcchang@ortho.com.sg
Orthopaedics is the medical specialty that focuses on injuries and diseases of your body's musculoskeletal system. It includes your bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and even your nerves: basically all the essential parts of your body for you to move, work and enjoy your life.
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Emotional Gurney Lifts Minehead Title
DARYL GURNEY claimed the 2018 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals title with a dramatic 11-9 victory over Michael van Gerwen on Sunday in Minehead.
An incredible finish to the £460,000 tournament saw Gurney show incredible resilience as he fought back from 9-8 down to win the final three legs for one of the biggest wins of his career.
There were tears of joy for emotional Gurney, who clinched the £100,000 title with a spectacular 85 checkout on the bullseye to end Van Gerwen's three-year reign as champion in the event.
"I'm over the moon with that win, it means to much to me," said former World Grand Prix champion Gurney.
"That was the best bullseye I've ever hit in my life, I was determined to make sure we didn't go to a deciding leg and I was relieved to see it go in.
"I knew I was playing well, I was hitting everything in practice and after a sticky start I straightened up my throw and I grew in confidence from there.
"To win this tournament is an unbelievable feeling and I'm going to enjoy this moment."
A tight opening to the final saw the first 12 legs all won on throw, before Van Gerwen took out 88 for a first break of the contest, only for a tenacious Gurney to break straight back.
World number one Van Gerwen broke throw once again to go 9-8 up, only for Gurney to show nerves of steel, taking out 88 in two darts to level at 9-9.
Gurney took out 32 to hold throw and go within a leg of the title, before a stunning 85 finish on the bull sealed a sensational win for the world number five.
For Van Gerwen it was a first televised ranking final defeat in 15 matches, but the Dutchman was keen to acknowledge the achievement of his rival.
"I think he played a phenomenal game," said Van Gerwen, who avenged his Grand Slam of Darts loss to Gary Anderson in the semi-finals.
"To be fair I think I let myself down and Daryl punished me because my performance was not 100 percent."
A dramatic day at the Butlin's Minehead Resort had also seen Gurney overcome Chris Dobey and Danny Noppert to book his spot in a third TV final.
Van Gerwen and Anderson produced a thriller in the semi-finals, while Stephen Bunting, Jonny Clayton and Steve Lennon - on his 25th birthday - were knocked out alongside Dobey in the quarter-finals.
Belgium's Dimitri Van den Bergh also enjoyed success on the Minehead stage as he retained the PDC Unicorn World Youth Championship title, defeating Martin Schindler 6-3 in the final.
Attention on the PDC circuit now switches to the build-up to the William Hill World Darts Championship, which will begin on December 13 at London's Alexandra Palace.
2018 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals
Friday November 23
Jeffrey de Zwaan 6-4 Jelle Klaasen
Max Hopp 6-4 Steve West
Keegan Brown 6-3 Benito van de Pas
Adrian Lewis 6-2 Adam Hunt
Simon Whitlock 6-4 Kyle Anderson
Daryl Gurney 6-3 Robert Thornton
James Wade 6-4 Ross Smith
Dave Chisnall 6-4 Jamie Lewis
Brendan Dolan 6-4 Michael Barnard
Ryan Searle 6-2 Josh Payne
Nathan Aspinall 6-1 Martin Schindler
Gabriel Clemens 6-3 Andrew Gilding
Steve Lennon 6-2 Ryan Joyce
Mervyn King 6-4 Simon Stevenson
Stephen Bunting 6-5 Richard North
Madars Razma 6-4 Mickey Mansell
Ian White 6-2 Scott Taylor
Gary Anderson 6-2 Alan Tabern
Cristo Reyes 6-1 Rob Cross
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-5 Gerwyn Price
Peter Wright 6-2 Toni Alcinas
Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Matthew Edgar
Michael Smith 6-0 Vincent van der Voort
Stephen Burton 6-5 Jermaine Wattimena
Joe Cullen 6-5 John Henderson
Jonny Clayton 6-3 Mark Webster
Ricky Evans 6-3 Jan Dekker
James Wilson 6-2 Dimitri Van den Bergh
Danny Noppert 6-3 Rowby-John Rodriguez
Chris Dobey 6-3 Ron Meulenkamp
Darren Webster 6-3 Jeffrey de Graaf
Steve Beaton 6-5 Kim Huybrechts
Daryl Gurney 6-5 Ryan Searle
James Wade 6-4 Nathan Aspinall
Chris Dobey 6-3 Dave Chisnall
Steve Lennon 6-5 Cristo Reyes
Gary Anderson 6-1 Simon Whitlock
Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Keegan Brown
Peter Wright 6-2 Max Hopp
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3 Adrian Lewis
Stephen Bunting 6-4 Madars Razma
Gabriel Clemens 6-5 James Wilson
Ricky Evans 6-2 Jeffrey de Zwaan
Stephen Burton 6-3 Darren Webster
Brendan Dolan 6-3 Ian White
Danny Noppert 6-5 Mervyn King
Jonny Clayton 6-5 Michael Smith
Joe Cullen 6-4 Steve Beaton
Third Round
Chris Dobey 10-9 James Wade
Gary Anderson 10-2 Joe Cullen
Michael van Gerwen 10-4 Stephen Burton
Stephen Bunting 10-9 Peter Wright
Steve Lennon 10-7 Gabriel Clemens
Daryl Gurney 10-6 Brendan Dolan
Jonny Clayton 10-5 Ricky Evans
Danny Noppert 10-4 Krzysztof Ratajski
Daryl Gurney 10-2 Chris Dobey
Danny Noppert 10-7 Stephen Bunting
Gary Anderson 10-4 Jonny Clayton
Michael van Gerwen 10-3 Steve Lennon
Daryl Gurney 11-3 Danny Noppert
Michael van Gerwen 11-9 Gary Anderson
Daryl Gurney 11-9 Michael van Gerwen
UNSTOPPABLE LISA ASHTON SECURES WILLIAM HILL WORLD DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP SPOT
LISA ASHTON has qualified for the William Hill World Darts Championship after winning the UK & Ireland Women's Qualifier in Milton Keynes.
The four-time Lakeside Women's Champion will make her debut in the PDC's World Championship after joining Russia's Anastasia Dobromyslova in secure Alexandra Palace spots.
Ashton, a 48-year-old from St Helens, is the top-ranked BDO women's player and her dominance on the circuit was reflected in her qualification at the Marshall Arena as she lost only five legs in seven games.
Ashton enjoyed 4-0 whitewash wins in her opening five matches as she defeated Sharon Costello, Stephanie Stutley, Sarah Ceska, Jane Densley and Denise Cassidy.
She then overcame Rhian Griffiths 5-2 in the semi-finals before sealing a 6-3 defeat of Maria O'Brien in the final with a 132 finish on the bull.
Ashton had been joined in the qualifier by daughters Danielle - who reached the last 16 - and Lindsey, who lost in round one, with a total of 122 female players taking part.
"I'm so chuffed to get through," said Ashton. "For me this is a massive win and it's a massive opportunity to play the men at Ally Pally.
"It's a dream come true and I hope I do the ladies proud. It's been such an amazing day, the quality has been excellent."
Plymouth's O'Brien ended the hopes of BDO number two Deta Hedman and number four ranked Fallon Sherrock in the latter stages, but missed out in the decider.
Hedman - a three-time UK Open qualifier during her time on the PDC circuit - lost out in the semi-finals alongside Griffiths, while Courtney Hine, the daughter of PDC player Steve, was amongst the quarter-finalists.
Lorraine Winstanley, the wife of former PDC star Dean, lost out 4-3 to Hedman in the last 16.
Ashton and Dobromyslova will be amongst an expanded 96-player field for the 2018/2019 William Hill World Darts Championship, with two places having been made available for female qualifiers.
Ashton has previously competed on the PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour circuit, where she reached one quarter-final, while she has claimed nine tournament wins during 2018 on the women's circuit.
Dobromyslova, who won last weekend's Rest of the World Women's Qualifier in Dusseldorf, played in the 2009 World Championship and is a three-time Lakeside Women's Champion.
Ashton added: "We'll be flying the flag and hopefully we can do everyone proud."
2018/2019 William Hill World Darts Championship
UK & Ireland Women's Qualifier
Maria O'Brien 4-3 Fallon Sherrock
Deta Hedman 4-2 Casey Gallagher
Lisa Ashton 4-0 Denise Cassidy
Rhian Griffiths 4-0 Courtney Hine
Maria O'Brien 5-2 Deta Hedman
Lisa Ashton 5-2 Rhian Griffiths
Lisa Ashton 6-3 Maria O'Brien
https://www.williamhill.com
VAN BARNEVELD ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT PLANS
RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD has announced that he will retire from professional darts following the 2019/2020 William Hill World Darts Championship.
The Dutch legend is one of only three players in the history of the sport to be crowned a five-time World Champion and has now decided to play one more year on the PDC circuit before calling time on his glittering career.
Speaking to The Darts Show, the 51-year-old explained his decision and his plan for 2019 following his penultimate World Championship.
"Next year is going to be my 35th year of playing darts at the highest level and it's going to be my last year," said Van Barneveld.
"I noticed in myself that I can't keep up anymore, I know what I can do but it's just not been happening for the past three or four years apart from winning the World Cup with Michael [van Gerwen].
"I'm not winning tournaments anymore, I don't know why but a lot of things have happened in my private life and I've also noticed that my body isn't feeling 100 percent anymore - I don't have the drive, motivation or fitness to carry on.
"I'm a winner, that's what I do – I lift trophies but I can't do it anymore. Maybe there are still a couple of titles left in me and that would be amazing but I can't do this every week anymore.
"I don't want my career to fizzle out which is why I've made the decision to retire at the end of next year."
Van Barneveld won the Lakeside title in 1998, 1999, 2003 and 2005 before joining the PDC circuit in 2006 where he made an immediate impact, winning the UK Open title in 2006 before claiming glory on his PDC World Championship debut, defeating Phil Taylor 7-6 in the classic final which ended with a sudden-death leg.
He has since gone on to rack up 29 PDC titles, including another UK Open crown, four PDC World Cup of Darts wins, the Grand Slam of Darts and the Premier League to continue his success at the highest level.
Van Barneveld also became the first player to achieve a nine-dart finish in both the Premier League, in 2006, and PDC World Championship, in 2009, and has helped to inspire the growth of darts in the Netherlands during a superb career.
Van Barneveld will bid for a sixth world title in the 2018/2019 William Hill World Darts Championship and the doyen of Dutch darts is determined to go out on a high.
"I absolutely believe I can still be World Champion again in one of my last two attempts," Van Barneveld added.
"If you told me after my 2007 World Championship win over Phil [Taylor] that it would be my last World Championship then I would've said you were a fool, but in the last few years we have seen phenomenal players playing at an outstanding level.
"My grandmother always said 'if you believe then you can achieve anything you want' and I still believe I can do this, but not for many more years.
"When I retire I will be 52 and I'm really looking to spending time with my family."
PDC Televised Titles
2006, 2007 UK Open
2007 World Championship
2007 Las Vegas Desert Classic
2012 Grand Slam of Darts
2014 Premier League
2010, 2014, 2017, 2018 World Cup of Darts
Further Titles
1998, 1999, 2003, 2005 Lakeside Championship
2001, 2005 World Masters
1995, 2001, 2003, 2004 Zuiderduin Masters
2003, 2004 World Darts Trophy
2003, 2004, 2006 International Darts League
2007 Masters of Darts
Televised Nine-Dart Finishes
2010 World Matchplay
Raymond van Barneveld's Tweet announcing this can be seen at
https://twitter.com/Raybar180/status/1064474070719315968

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Home News The Doctor Gave His Life By Jumping From The 10th Floor Of...
The Doctor Gave His Life By Jumping From The 10th Floor Of AIIMS Hospital
New Delhi: A 25-year-old junior resident doctor of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, jumped from the tenth floor of a hostel on Friday leading to his death. Police gave this information.
They said that the deceased has been identified as Anurag and that he was a junior resident doctor in the Department of Psychology. A senior police officer said that Anurag used to stay in the doctor's hostel and allegedly at five in the evening he jumped from the tenth floor of the hostel.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Atul Kumar Thakur said, 'He was taken to AIIMS Casualty where he died. Orders have been ordered to investigate the matter. According to sources, the doctor was suffering from depression.
Shocked & distressed to hear of the painful death of young & most brilliant Dr Anurag Kumar, Junior Resident at AIIMS Delhi
He was under treatment for severe depression for sometime now & took away his own life.
My heart bleeds for his family. Condolences to them & his colleagues
— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) July 10, 2020
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan wrote in a tweet- 'I am shocked and distressed to hear about the painful death of Dr Anurag Kumar, Junior Resident, young and most talented in AIIMS Delhi. He was undergoing treatment for severe depression for some time and he killed himself. Condolences to his family and his colleagues.
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I had the pleasure of working with Rachel when she was at The Alternative Board. She supported me and many other independent business owners in a marketing capacity. Her knowledge of the Web and social media was a great help to me, as was her willingness to share that knowledge. When I asked her to present on social media to my clients, she was able to cut through the mystery and deliver an outstanding presentation in plain language to a group of business owners really helped them understand the topic.


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Aluminum is far from harmless – here's how to reduce your exposure
08/10/2018 / By Isabelle Z.
Aluminum doesn't sound all that dangerous. We see it everywhere in our daily lives: we buy food in aluminum cans, we wrap our vegetables in aluminum foil and grill them, and many of us even unwittingly bake with it. The word aluminum certainly doesn't strike fear into us the way metals like mercury and lead do, but this substance is far from harmless.
Our exposure to aluminum begins shortly after birth because it's used as an adjuvant in the vaccines that many newborns are given. In fact, in the first 18 months of life, the average child will receive 17 injections that contain aluminum. Some of the vaccines that can contain aluminum adjuvants include the hepatitis A, DTP, DTaP, influenza type B, HPV, rabies and anthrax vaccines.
Even if you skip vaccines, you're not out of the woods. That's because it's found in municipal tap water and kitchen staples like flour, salt, baking powder, and cocoa. It's in cookware and food packaging, and it can even be found in over-the-counter antacids like Rolaids.
Once you realize how prevalent it is, it should come as no surprise that 80 percent of the people tested were found to have excessively high levels of aluminum. That's a scary statistic because it has no benefits to the body – quite the opposite, in fact.
Aluminum is a neurotoxic substance that accumulates in the liver, brain, lungs, and kidneys. It affects bone mineralization, causes brain inflammation, and hinders calcium absorption. It has also been associated with several illnesses. For example, one study found that drinking water with a high concentration of aluminum raises the risk of Alzheimer's disease. It has also been linked to anemia, ALS, anxiety, cognitive deficits, mood disorders, and insomnia.
Aluminum has been directly associated to male fertility problems as the metal accumulates within sperm cells. According to studies, the higher aluminum levels a man has in his body, the lower his overall semen quality and sperm count will be.
Some of the early symptoms of aluminum toxicity are attributed to other causes; these symptoms include headaches, heartburn, dry skin, gastrointestinal problems, and depression. Many people don't draw the connection until more severe symptoms show up, such as memory loss, confusion, and paralytic muscular conditions.
If you're concerned that you may be suffering from aluminum toxicity, the best way to determine your levels is with a hair tissue mineral analysis. That's because blood aluminum levels do not reflect the burden on your total body.
Living an aluminum-free life
Whether you get tested or not, the very first thing you should do is get rid of the aluminum in your home. Toss your aluminum cookware, and don't buy food that comes in aluminum cans. Look out for aluminum in the ingredients list of your medications and health and beauty products, and choose sea salt instead of table salt.
You should also take a close look at your drinking water. Aluminum is just one of many reasons you should not be drinking tap water. Consider getting a water purification system for peace of mind.
While these steps will help you avoid additional exposure to aluminum, what about the aluminum that's already in your body? Chlorella, cilantro, and high doses of vitamin C are all natural ways you can detoxify. There's also curcumin, found in turmeric, which can help protect the body from damage from aluminum and the oxidative stress that it causes.
As the planet's third most prevalent element, it may take some effort to avoid aluminum, but it will certainly pay off when it comes to your disease risk. With four out of five people having excessively high levels of aluminum, it is clear that some major changes are in order if people want to preserve their health.
NaturalHealth365.com
Tagged Under: Adjuvants, Aluminum, aluminum poisoning, aluminum toxicity, Alzheimer's, clean food, curcumin, detox, disease causes, ingredients, metals, neurotoxins, toxic elements, toxins, turmeric, vaccine ingredients, vaccine injury, vaccines
Even low levels of heavy metals exposure can raise your risk of cancer and multiple organ damage
More toxic than fluorine, deadly MERCURY secretly invades and damages your body and brain
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Lasiurus scindicus can be used to improve nutrient quality in soil contaminated with lead
Arsenic in drinking water: A piece of the diabetes puzzle?
Papaya reduces cadmium-induced brain damage
Introducing your baby to solid food… and neurotoxins: Elevated levels of mercury found in infant rice cereal
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Fluoride poisoning: The top signs and symptoms to watch out for
09/11/2018 / By Russel Davis
Toxic metals used in medicine could be triggering diseases like multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis
Your dental fillings could be killing you! Dental restorations with mercury can ruin your health
Useful way to repurpose invasive weeds: Water hyacinth, an invasive plant to river ecosystems, may prove useful for oil sorption
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COPYRIGHT © 2017 HEAVY METALS NEWS


Tex is stepping down as Editor-in-Chief of Her Loyal Sons. It took me ten minutes to form that sentence, such is the suddenness and relative importance of the fact.
In the five years I have been writing for this site, Tex has been a constant in my experience. He hired me over a series of emails. He guided me through posting, through administering, and through writing.
None of you see the attention he gives his staff. The texts. The emails. The telephone calls. His computer expertise glosses over the extent of the difficulties he overcomes for us. He is encyclopedic in his knowledge of ND football and the timing of his posts is perfect.
Tex is a husband and a father. The toll this job takes is terrific, given the seriousness and silliness of it. Managing writers who are also parents and/or spouses is challenging on its easiest day. Tex has earned a breather.
Tex will stay on the staff, but he's stepping down and away. I can't have him go too far. I need him too much.
Jude and Moons are going to take over as Assistant Editors in Chief. I am exceedingly grateful to them for that.
Tex is going to post about his decision later. Please afford him every consideration and know that what he has decided is what he feels to be right for him and his family. He is the heart and soul of Her Loyal Sons. I cannot hope to fill his shoes.
I'm sure the site will go from strength to strength under its new editorship, all the best to everyone.


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UNS Update
The Rector of UNS Sign MoU with University of Electro Communication Japan
By humas uns January 13, 2020 No Comments
UNS – the Rector of Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta, Prof. Jamal Wiwoho, together with the President of the University of Electro Communication (UEC), Tokyo – Japan, Dr. Sci. Takashi S.Fukuda, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), in Rector Meeting Room, dr. Prakosa Rectorate Building, Thursday (09/01/2020).
During the occasion, Prof. Jamal Wiwoho is accompanied by the Vice-Rector of Planning and Cooperation Affairs, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Sajidan, the Head of Integrated Services Unit (UPT) for International Service, Irwan Trinugroho, Ph.D., the Head of Institute for Research and Community Engagement (LPPM), Prof Dr. Okid Parama Astirin, the Head of Center of Japanese Studies (PSJ), Dr. Eng Kusumaningdyah N.H. ST., MT, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Techn. Ir. Sholihin As'ad, MT, and the Direktur Branch Office of UEC in UNS, Dr. Budi Kristiawan, ST., MT.
During his opening remark, Prof. Jamal Wiwoho thanked the President of UEC Japan, Takashi S. Fukuda, who take the time to be present in UNS to follow up on the collaboration between UNS and UEC.
"We are grateful to be able to welcome the President of UEC Dr. Sci. Takashi S.Fukuda, in UNS. We would like to thank you for your visit to UNS. UNS is fully aware that in today's globalized world, collaboration with higher education institutions from various countries is an important matter, especially to enhance the quality of education provided to the students in order to fulfill international standard," says Prof. Jamal Wiwoho.
To achieve international education quality, Prof. Jamal wished that the graduates from every university can collaborate to improve the quality of current research.
"Forward, the collaboration will include education and research, while the MoU is signed today (Thursday (09/01/2020)-red). We also thankful for your trust in UNS as the host for UEC Office," Prof. Jamal added.
Separately, the Director of UEC Branch Office in UNS, Dr. Budi Kristiawan, mentions that the collaboration with UNS is extraordinary progress. This is because the higher education institution in Japan is not easily willing to be invited to establish collaboration with universities in Indonesia.
"In Japan (red: the universities) the ranking is high, and UEC is willing to establish a collaboration with UNS is a good thing. In UNS, UEC will open a Branch Office and it will be the only Branch Office in Indonesia. The Office will be located in Postgraduate building on the 5th floor. This office will be used as a workspace and serves the UNS students who will conduct exchange studies and research with UEC," says Dr. Budi Kristiawan. Humas UNS
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text:
When Freedom Isn't Free
The bail industry wants to be your jailer.
By Alysia Santo
In a Dallas Hilton conference room last summer, a few dozen state lawmakers from around the country gathered for a closed-door presentation about an all-American industry under threat. The pitch was part of an annual conference hosted by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a powerhouse conservative consortium that promotes — and often drafts — pro-business legislation. The endangered industry was bail.
Bail is an essential lubricant of American justice, asserted Nicholas Wachinski, executive director of the American Bail Coalition, a trade group for insurance companies that underwrite bail bonds. But now bail agents are under siege by so-called reformers, who argue that the traditional bail system forces poor defendants to choose between paying fees they can't afford and sitting in jail until they go to trial. A growing number of states — New Jersey, Colorado, Virginia, Delaware, West Virginia, Hawaii and others — are limiting the use of bail for defendants who don't pose a threat, or replacing for-profit bail with government supervision.
Of course, Wachinski said, the bail bond industry will continue its tireless lobbying to protect its lucrative franchise, but he was there with another message: Innovation! New products! New markets! "A brave new world!" Why should bail bonds be only for defendants who are awaiting trial? How about bail bonds for a whole new class of customers: people who have already been convicted.
"My task," Wachinski told the crowd, "is to bring the sexy side of bail back."
In a courtroom just outside Jackson, Mississippi, Kristina Howell was about to experience a new, "sexy side of bail."
After spending two days and nights in jail for drunk driving this past August, Howell was brought to the Byram city court, where she pled guilty and was told she had to pay a fine of $1,044. If she couldn't come up with the money on the spot, she was headed back to jail. "I panicked," said Howell, who lives and supports her son "paycheck to paycheck."
But there was one other option. The judge explained to Howell that she could avoid jail by purchasing a new kind of bail bond, a post-conviction device that bail agents in Mississippi are busily promoting around the state. It would cost $155, and would buy her two extra months to come up with the money to pay her fine. Howell was then escorted to another room, where Patty Hodges from the Mississippi Bonding Company sat ready with the paperwork.
Kristina Howell holds her "get out of jail box" for money that goes toward paying the cost of fees relating to her case.
Alysia Santo/The Marshall Project
If Howell had been arrested two months earlier, her experience would have been different. Before this summer, those who found themselves facing a fine they couldn't afford were allowed to pay the court in installments. But that system wasn't working, says Dale Schwindaman, a Byram judge. "People would sign up for a payment plan, but then they wouldn't come in and pay," he said. Under the new system, if a person doesn't return to court to pay her fines, it's the bail agent's job to track her down. This new system takes some of the burden off court clerks, who were hounding defendants to pay, as well as local law enforcement officers, who were tasked with rounding up the people who failed to settle their debts. "It gives people some time to come up with the money, and they also give us a way to secure them actually paying the fine," said Schwindaman. And it gives the bail bondsman a tidy profit.
Mississippi has been a kind of laboratory for bail industry experiments. The state is the country's poorest and has the third-highest per-capita incarceration rate. The Mississippi Bail Agents Association exercises strong legislative influence, boasting on its website that "[s]ince 1992, there have only been two years in which the MBAA did not succeed at making changes to the state bail statutes." The bail industry has given more in campaign contributions per capita to state politicians in Mississippi than anywhere else. Versions of post-conviction bail legislation have also passed in South Dakota and Michigan, a victory celebrated by bail agents but not yet put into widespread practice.
"It's just another tool in the toolbox," says Gene Newman, a bail bondsman who claims credit for writing Mississippi's post-conviction bond bill, which passed the legislature in 2007. After a person is convicted, a judge might order the defendant to complete certain requirements to avoid jail, paying a fine (as in Howell's case), going to rehab, or submitting to other types of monitoring. In order to ensure that the person returns to court and proves she has met the requirements, the judge can require her to purchase a bail bond. As with traditional pretrial bonds, it becomes the bail agent's responsibility to locate and apprehend people who don't return to court.
Mississippi doesn't track how widely the new bonds are being used, but Newman said he has been traveling the state, "selling them to the courts." He predicts that other states will follow Mississippi's lead, given the packed jails and exploding caseloads for probation and parole officers across the country. "The system is so overwhelmed," he says. "They need private help."
Back in Byram, Kristina Howell paid the $155. It was a hefty fee for Howell, who earns about $300 a week waitressing at a local Mexican restaurant, but it beat going back to jail. By mid-October, her bond was up and the money for her court fine was due. She had paid down some of it, but still owed $744, and she pleaded for an extension. Her bail agent, who had the power to revoke the bond and send Howell back to jail, decided to give her a break. "She's doing the best she can," she told the court. "I don't mind continuing the bond." The judge gave Howell two extra weeks to come up with the rest of the money.
After her hearing, Howell went to the nearest pawnshop and hocked her engagement ring and a gold necklace from her baptism. During her frantic search for money, electricity bills had piled up. The Internet was shut off. But a few days before her final court date, Howell scraped together the rest of what she owed, mostly by borrowing from friends. "Right now I'm just trying to make enough money to keep anything else from getting cut off," she said.
She was not done yet. In addition to the cost of her bond, Howell would be paying a stack of other bills to private contractors. Defendants in Mississippi courts pay a growing share of the court's administrative expenses— including fees for private probation, private drug tests, and private DUI classes. By the time she has completed all her requirements, Howell's payments to private companies will total more than $1,000, effectively doubling her original court fine.
The United States is one of only two countries — the other is the Philippines — with a private bail industry. In America the process typically works like this: After people are arrested, either they are released on their own recognizance or a judge will require them to put up bail money to be returned once they appear for trial. (Only those accused of the most violent crimes are denied bail entirely.) Those who can't afford to pay their bail have the option of either staying in jail or using a bail agent, who will charge a nonrefundable fee—usually 10 percent of their bail—to post a bond and bail them out. Defendants do not get that fee back even if they are found innocent. In exchange for the fee, bail agents promise courts that they'll track down defendants who fail to appear for their next court date. If the defendant can't be located, the agent is responsible for paying the entirety of the bail. (In reality, courts are often inefficient about collecting the money.)
"We're their jailer," says Scott Hall, a bail agent and the president of the Professional Bail Agents of the United States. "Every time I sign my name [to a bail bond] I've got to bring a body or bring a check."
In many other countries' court systems, the influence of commercial bail is seen as "a public mischief in that it attempts to pervert and obstruct the court of justice," wrote F. E. Devine in his 1991 book, Commercial Bail Bonding, which remains the only international survey on pretrial release. In some countries, such as England and Canada, making a profit by posting a defendant's bail is a crime.
America's current pretrial system is an outgrowth of English common law, which like many other court systems relies on the word of defendants and relatives, as well as collateral, such as property, to safeguard against people skipping court. This evolved, in the entrepreneurial American spirit, into the practice of posting bail for profit, and the business has since become an integral part of the justice process in most of America. Thanks to the influence of the bail bond industry—mostly subsidiaries of major insurance companies—bail amounts have surged, generating huge profits for the industry. In 1994, 24 percent of defendants were released on a commercial bail bond. By 2004, that number was 42 percent. Average bail amounts for those detained pretrial on felony charges more than doubled between 1992 and 2006, from $40,000 to $90,000. It's estimated that bail bonds are a $14 billion industry1.
$14 billion industry1Between 1992 and 2006, the number of felony defendants released on their own recognizance decreased from 41% to 28%. Over that same time period, bail costs surged, from an average amount of $25,400 in 1992 to $55,500 in 2006.
Opponents of this system argue that it effectively punishes poor people who can't afford to get themselves out of jail. In 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder characterized the costs of bail as an impediment to lowering prison populations, noting that nonviolent, non-felony offenders remain in custody "because they simply cannot afford to post the bail required—very often, just a few hundred dollars." While they languish in jail, they may lose their prospects of returning to a normal life. Research has shown that those who remain detained while awaiting trial were more likely to go to prison and received longer sentences compared to those who were released. It's harder to mount a robust defense from jail—to find witnesses, to meet with an attorney, to raise the money to pay for a defense. Moreover, jailed defendants could lose jobs, housing, custody of their children, and ties to the community that may influence judges and juries at sentencing.
Studies indicate that both commercial bail and nonfinancial alternatives such as government tracking can be effective at ensuring that defendants return for trial. Many recent reform efforts2 have focused on developing those nonfinancial means.
recent reform efforts2Most recently, New Jersey passed a comprehensive bail reform package that allowed judges to deny bail based on public safety concerns, and set up a government-run pretrial services agency, which will serve as a non-monetary alternative to release low-risk defendants from jail. Much of the advocacy behind the legislation centered on a report commissioned by the Drug Policy Alliance that found nearly 75 percent of those held in New Jersey jails are there waiting for their trial for an average length of 314 days. Nearly 40 percent of those inmates were incarcerated because they couldn't afford bail. Twelve percent had a bail amount of $2,500 or less.
New Jersey is joining a growing number of states that are moving away from pretrial systems that require the exchange of money for jail release (commercial bail bonding is just one vehicle for that financial arrangement. Other reforms often involve establishing a "risk score" that calculates how likely a defendant is to skip court, based on their crime and prior offenses, to help judges determine whether they need to set bail. Those considered low-risk are typically released without financial conditions, and some programs also include government supervision for low-level defendants to help ensure they show up for their court dates.
"It really boils down to a philosophy of whether you think people should have to pay to get out or not," says Robert Morris, an associate professor of criminology at the University of Texas at Dallas. "[Bail agents] handle the release of most defendants, period. It would require massive government spending to handle everything pretrial."
Industry advocates argue that without for-profit bail bonds, there would actually be more people in jail. "I don't believe there are people in jail who can't afford bail," says Eric Granof, vice president of communications for AIA Bail Bond Surety, an organization representing some of the largest insurance companies that underwrite bail bonds. "There are payment plans, and families can work with bail bondsmen to get people out. Saying people are languishing away is just not true."
National data suggests otherwise. About two-thirds of the jail population consists of people awaiting trial—more than 450,000 people. And five out of six of those individuals are there either because they couldn't afford bail or because a bail agent declined to post a bond.
Bail agents run a business with a singular focus: to ensure that a defendant returns to court. If a person is arrested for a new offense while out on a bail bond, the bail agent does not have to pay the court. Advocates for reform say this means there is no incentive for bail agents to help people stay on track while awaiting trial. E. Thom Rumberger, a representative of Accredited Surety and Casualty Co., Inc., put it this way to Congress in 1998: "We write bonds for appearance. We do not write bonds for performance."
A bail bond office in Hinds County, Mississippi where Byram, the court that uses post-conviction bonds is.
Scandals involving commercial bail—such as bondsmen extorting sexual favors in exchange for their services—have earned the system a reputation for being vulnerable to corruption. These concerns have been around since the early 1900s, and have led to the abolition of commercial bail in Illinois, Kentucky, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C. There is no reliable research indicating whether abolishing commercial bail has affected jail populations. The most recent data compiled by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, from 2006, shows that the incarceration rates in the jails of Illinois, Kentucky, and Oregon are somewhat lower than in neighboring states; Wisconsin's rate is higher than its neighbors'.
Opening Statement
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Challenges to this centuries-old system have gained momentum again in recent years, and this time, the industry has responded with the campaign to expand into new markets. The successful implementation of post-conviction bonds in Mississippi courts is just one frontier in a growing effort on the part of the bail industry to find new business opportunities in a political climate increasingly concerned about mass incarceration.
"There's a sense in the bail industry of a dwindling marketplace," says Tim Murray, director emeritus of the Pretrial Justice Institute, which advocates bail reform. "And they are tenacious in their fight for survival."
Another bail industry product under consideration is a bond that secures early release from prison. An inmate seeking parole could be required to purchase a bond, and the risk of forfeiting the money would be a strong incentive to obey the conditions of parole.
Steven Pickett, chairman of the Mississippi Parole Board, said this could be a solution to the state's exploding prison population. Pickett expects legislation allowing these types of bail bonds to be introduced during this session.
ALEC has pushed legislation for these early-release bonds with claims that such programs "would rely on the proven success of the private bail bond industry, rather than the proven dysfunction of the government-run parole and probation system."
There's also a push to use bail bonds as a way to keep nonviolent drug offenders out of jail and ensure that they attend treatment programs. The glut of low-level drug offenders clogging jails and prisons has increasingly attracted the attention of politicians and the public, and commercial bail proponents often describe their new products using the same language as reformers. "Minimal drug use should not be criminalized, because it leads to bigger addiction problems," Nicholas Wachinski told his Dallas audience.
Rather than incarcerate someone with a drug- or alcohol-related offense, he explained, the offender could pay a bail agent, who would in turn be charged with assuring that a person goes to drug counseling meetings. According to Wachinski, California judges have already expressed interest. "Get these treatment bonds introduced in your states," he urged the legislators. In other words, the bail industry not only wants to be your jailor, it wants to be your parole officer.
ALEC has proved an effective legislative vehicle for the bail industry. According to documents leaked in 2011, roughly 1,000 bills based on ALEC language are introduced in state legislatures in a typical year, and about 20 percent of them are enacted. Bail industry leaders hold top positions within ALEC, and in 2010, the industry referred to the council as its "life preserver." Forms of the post-conviction bail law that passed in Mississippi have been introduced in at least fourteen other states, in some cases with the help of ALEC-backed legislators.
Toward the end of the summer's ALEC conference, the time arrived for the main event: the approval of the year's new slate of model legislation. One resolution urged close supervision of offenders released from prison, "which typically includes such practices as regular reporting, electronic monitoring, drug testing, treatment referral if needed, and job placement."
Before the members cast their votes, Wachinski requested an amendment: "Whenever possible, public-private partnerships should be engaged" to facilitate that supervision.
The bill passed unanimously.
Tags: →Bail →Bail Bonds →Bail Reform →ALEC →Privatization →Poverty


Ending an increasingly costly client relationship is sound policy, and in this case it is also the right thing to do on principle.
The U.S. keeps expecting North Korea to give up something that they have no reason to give up in exchange for something that isn't as important to them as we think it is.
It is not an accident that one of the most consistent and fanatical advocates for bombing Iran is John Bolton, whose seething contempt for international law and institutions is well-known.
We need to get help for our primacy addiction before it kills us.
The U.S. should repudiate preventive warfare because it is both illegal and inherently unjust.


text:
Rodin and the Royal Ballet of Cambodia
By Robert Jackson Wood
Auguste Rodin sketching a dancer from the Royal Ballet in a Marseille Garden, 1906.
On May 2, the Royal Ballet of Cambodia comes to BAM for three shows as part of the Season of Cambodia festival. If any of you are artists or sculptors, prepare to be inspired. In July of 1906, the great French sculptor Auguste Rodin saw the Royal Ballet of Cambodia perform in France—once in Paris and several times that month in Marseille—and quickly became obsessed. "I contemplated them in ecstasy," he wrote of the dancers after a binge of sketching that would produce over 150 of his most famous drawings in just a week.
Postcard from the 1906 Marseille Colonial Exposition
The occasion for the ballet's visit was a number of performances at the 1906 Marseille Colonial Exposition, a massive and at times carnivalesque showcase of French colonial spoils from Southeast Asia and beyond (Cambodia was a protectorate of France from 1863—1941). The ballet made occasional trips to Paris, however, and it was there that Rodin first managed to see them perform. His first attempt was unsuccessful; the sculptor—then 66 years old and hugely famous in France—was turned away at the door for not wearing a tie. But later, in the bucolic setting of the city's Bois de Boulogne, he finally had his encounter.
Poster for 1906 Marseille Colonial
Rodin was enamored, so much so that two days later, he followed the Royal Ballet back to Marseille without so much as a change of clothes. He'd forgotten his drawing paper, too, and after procuring a bunch of grocery store paper bags to use as a substitute, Rodin set up in the gardens of the dancers' lodgings and began sketching. "The friezes of Angkor were coming to life before my very eyes," he remembered, referring to the bas-reliefs inside the massive Khmer temple Angkor Wat—the same reliefs from which the dances and costumes of The Legend of Apsara Mera take their inspiration.
Rodin might very well have exoticized the dancers in the manner of the exposition in Marseille. Yet what he saw instead in their deliberate, graceful movements was something more universal (if from a distinctly western point of view). "The Cambodians have shown us everything that antiquity could have contained," he remarked. "It is impossible to think of anyone wearing human nature to such perfection; except them and the Greeks."
Make what you will of the dancers' perfection—and share it with us in the comments below—when they make their much anticipated appearance in the opera house this week.
Auguste Rodin, Cambodian Dancer, 1906.
Graphite pencil, gouache
Pencil, stumping,watercolour, gouache soft lead pencil highlights on paper
Labels: Auguste Rodin, Bois de Boulogne, dance, Marseille Colonial Exposition, Royal Ballet of Cambodia, The Legend of Apsara Mera
GORGEOUS sketches, but Rodin sounds like quite the creepy stalker. I wonder how the dancers felt about this/him.
Robert May 2, 2013 at 5:47 PM
Apparently, he tried their patience on occasion, but it wasn't anything a few gifts couldn't fix. There's a story about a 14-year-old dancer named Sap who'd asked Rodin for a pair of shoes. Rodin remembered saying "Tomorrow you'll have your shoes, but now pose for me a little more." Rodin again: "I loved these Cambodian girls so much that I didn't know how to express my gratitude for the royal honour they had shown me in dancing and posing for me. I went to the Nouvelles Galeries to buy a basket of toys for them, and these divine children who dance for the gods hardly knew how to repay me for the happiness I had given them. They even talked about taking me with them."
Lovely beyond belief, the essence of femininity in serenely feline poses that flow like honey--and hail to the Goddess Mohini who steals the elixir of life from a mere giant and to King Kambu who woos the Apsara. Driving home through the Manhattan skyline, you will note royal hats like his: the Chrysler Bldg spire and the golden John Hancock pyramidal tower.
Beautiful staging and exquisite costumes and masterly musicianship from singers and percussionists. Discreet flexing of toes in harmony is possible for a member of the audience--the sinuous hands may be only for the very very limber.
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text:
A Year of Seoul Searching
North America Aug 2013 1377471600
Asia Aug 2013 1377212400
The Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng
Victor, New York
So Cambodia has been ... interesting. My pictures on facebook suffice to tell about the touristy stuff... Angkor Wat.. the floating villages, and around Siem Reap. Words don't really do them justice the way pictures do, so I'll leave that to my albums.
What is worth writing about is what we witnessed once we got to Phnom Penh. Arguably my least favorite destination of those two months, it was a ....city. Nothing more, nothing less. And a third world city at that. Before I say anymore, I've met people who described this as their favorite destination. So if for some reason someone is actually reading this blog, don't go off my opinion alone. I just didn't like it. I am by no means a snob, and I've roughed it as much as the next backpacker and enjoy doing so. But the city as a whole was dirty, and just ...depressing. I didn't feel good being there. I didn't like walking the streets. The complete devastation and poverty was completely overwhelming, and it surprised me that I was so turned off by it all.
Regardless, the reason we came here was not uplifting in the least, so it was almost fitting that the city didn't pretend to be something it wasn't. We came here to see the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng.
If you are an American, and you're not a SE Asia History buff, it's safe to say you're not too informed about what happened in Cambodia 40 years ago. I'm sure there are plenty of people that do know, but until I traveled to Asia, I had never heard about a genocide that rivaled the Holocaust. This was news to many people I told about, many much older than I was.
In a nutshell, Pol Pot, a communist leader in Cambodia, led his regime of the Khmer Rouge to commit atrocities against humanity during the 1970s. His goal was to create a self sufficient agrarian society, based in communism. Anyone suspected of wanting to partake in a capitalist society, (which was basically anyone who had an education, a background or ethnicity in something other than pure Cambodian, anyone who wore glasses, anyone who had any involvement with the government or politics of the former Cambodia, were immediately sentenced to death, or in the very least, torn from their families and anything held dear). Families were rarely kept together. Children were viewed as clean slates, so they had to be separated from the influence of their parents, who were more set in their ways.
All in all, it was unthinkable. Everyone was sentenced to work camps, those who weren't immediately killed, that is. If they weren't killed, many died of starvation, disease, or mistreatment. About a quarter of the population of Cambodia did not survive these few years of Khmer Rouge rule, and to this day, over two thirds of the population is under 30 years old. So many elder people were murdered, that the age gap still exists.
So, the killing fields were where people were brought to be executed. Soldiers would bring people to die after telling family members that they needed their fathers or husbands for "help," etc. It was all lies, all the time.
There were about 20,000 mass graves across Cambodia, which entombed over 1.3 millions souls. The total number of deaths including disease and starvation far surpass 2 million. As aforementioned, this was about a quarter of the Cambodian population. We visited one of these sites outside of Phnom Penh, and listened to an audio tour on cassette tape. We learned that clothing still surfaces from the mud after a heavy rain. There are also bone fragments that surface as well.
We listened to Pol Pot, and some of his statements. Regarding most individuals, his belief was that, "to kill is no loss, to keep is not gain."
He also believed that it was better "to kill an innocent rather than spare an enemy." Regarding children, he believed they were not worthy to be spared either. If the parents posed a problem, he said, "To kill the grass, you must also kill the root."
Truly scary.
We continued our depressing day when we visited Tuol Sleng, also known as S-21. This was a high school turned torture chamber in the center of Phnom Penh. There were still playground pieces standing that were used to hang prisoners from using simulated drowning and other forms of torture.
We got here and read about Tuol Sleng, which in Khmer, means "Hill of Poisonous Trees" Upwards of 20,000 people perished here, in this small school. Prisoners were demanded to tell about associates and friends who were against Pol Pot's regime, and the majority of times, were questioned themselves as suspects. I read about one prisoner who just began making up stories about himself and agreeing with accusations to make the torture stopped. He didn't care about the outcome, if only he would stop being tortured, which included everything from simulated drowning, fingernail removal, to medical experiments where organs were removed without anesthetic, to being skinned alive. Death started to look appealing.
Only 7 survived, out of almost 20,000 people. (Though I have heard this number might not be exactly accurate.) One man's story really struck me, whose name was Vann Nath. He was an artist imprisoned in S-21, and suffered there. One day, he was brought in front of Duch, one of the immediate men under Pol Pot. He was requested to draw a portrait of Pol Pot. If he succeeded in pleasing Pol Pot, the results would be good. Two others had tried to paint the portrait before him. They were executed.
He ended up pleasing the guards and Pol Pot, and his life was spared. He was one of those who survived S-21, and wrote the only account of what it was like inside those bars. His story is called A Cambodian Prison Portrait: One Year in the Khmer Rouge's S-21 Prison.
That day, we went back, and didn't really do much else the rest of the day. As we walked home, we saw a woman bathing her naked baby in the street by pouring a water bottle over his head and body. It reminds you that it wasn't that long ago that this all happened. There are still people on trial for these atrocities. Pol Pot died only 15 years ago, in his own home with his wife. He was under house arrest, after he killed his lifelong comrade by sentencing him to death, as well as many other members of his family. He died at 82 years old. Many of his victims never made it to a year old.
This day was devastating. It's amazing to me, as someone who travels and tries to stay informed, that almost a quarter of my life has passed me by before I knew all this had happened. Sometimes, America makes me feel like I'm in this bubble. And the things I find when I leave it are... astonishing. I wonder what that means for our country, sometimes. This feeling only continued as I wondered the rest of this region. But I'll get to that later.


text:
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Sailing from Greece
Scenic Eclipse of Scenic
Setting sail from Athens (Piraeus)
Athens is a city awash with historical and cultural significance. Towering over the city are the gleaming columns of the Parthenon, surely one of the most iconic sights in the whole of Europe. And yet Athens is much more than an open air museum; this is a dynamic, bustling metropolis, and a place where history is still very much unfolding. For all its faults, the Greek capital possesses an energy and an optimism that are manifest in everything from the burgeoning art scene to the restaurants and bars that continue to pop up on a regular basis.
Our tip
Once you have seen the essentials, explore further afield and you will immediately escape the tourist crowds. Visit Kerameikos cemetery, for example, or Mount Lycabettus.
Greece: Santorini
The volcanic island of Santorini (known officially as Thira) is one of the most spectacularly beautiful in the Mediterranean. The pretty village of Oia, with its whitewashed houses and windmills tumbling down the hillside, is particularly photogenic.
Greece: Milos
The volcanic island of Milos is ringed by pretty beaches and scattered with charming villages, famous as the place where the Venus de Milo was discovered by a local peasant in 1820. Milos is also known as the 'island of colours' thanks to its many-hued, mineral-rich cliffs and beaches.
Greece: Heraklion
Crete's bustling capital is a modern and cosmopolitan city, where the island's rich history isn't immediately apparent. Take a closer look, however, and you'll find a fantastic archaeological museum, along with remnants of Venetian fortifications and a lively seafront promenade, with plenty of nice outdoor cafés.
Greece: Kefalonia
Rugged Kefalonia is the largest of the Ionian islands, and remains unspoilt by tourism despite earning fame as the setting for 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin'. The island rewards exploration, with some splendid beaches and lovely little villages, and the vineyards here produce some excellent wines.
Montenegro: Kotor
Kotor sits at the head of a beautiful, fjord-like bay, hemmed in by glowering mountains. The compact, walled old town is Montenegro's star attraction, a warren of little alleyways and shady squares that is often described as a 'mini Dubrovnik'.
Croatia: Dubrovnik
We never fail to be moved when we see the terracotta roofs and honey-golden walls of Dubrovnik, and a stroll around the perfectly preserved old town is a highlight of any visit to the Dalmatian coast. Make sure you take the time to walk around the walls and soak up the marvellous sea views.
Croatia: Hvar
Hvar is the most popular of Croatia's islands, a ruggedly beautiful place carpeted with lavender fields and dotted with little villages. The island's capital, Hvar Town, is a charming collection of marble streets arranged around a harbour, and it gets very busy in the summer months.
Croatia: Split
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Our Friend: A First-Rate Drama That Explores Friendship, Grief and Loss
tags: Mark Hofmeyer reviews, Our Friend 2020 review, Our Friend movie review, Our Friend Review
Grade – A – Our Friend is a heartfelt film that features excellent performances, solid direction, and a lot of heart. The dramatization of its source material has turned several critics off, but I really appreciate the emotion and drama.
Based on "The Friend," a 2015 Esquire article by Matthew Teague, Our Friend tells the story of a man named Dane (Jason Segel) being a very good friend, to his friends Nicole (Dakota Johnson) and Matt Teague (Casey Affleck). Spanning 15+ years, Our Friend uses nonlinear storytelling to tell the story of two evolving relationships that go through ups, downs, and more of both. The first relationship is between Nicole and Matt, who meet in New Orleans, get married, have two kids, and move to a suburb in Alabama. The other relationship is the friendship between Nicole and Matt, and their friend Dane, who manages a sporting goods store in New Orleans, and comes to their aide (for several years) when Nicole is diagnosed with cancer.
What makes Our Friend work so well is how it explores friendship, grief, and loss in a mature and intimate manner. Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite (Megan Leavey, Blackfish – excellent documentary) and writer Brad Ingelsby (The Way Back, Out of the Furnace) do a commendable job of letting intimate moments breath, which allows the experienced cast to shine. Our Friend is loaded with "small" personal moments which feel refreshing and give the characters room to become three-dimensional people who have flaws, imperfections and eccentricities. I love how Cowperthwaite includes character-developing hiking trips, and intimate moments on porch swings, that make us like and understand the characters more. Also, kudos to cinematographer Joe Anderson (The Old Man and the Gun) for creating an interesting visual palette that utilizes symmetry, wide-angle lenses and door frames expertly.
Dakota Johnson and Casey Affleck are reliably solid as the married couple in need of help, and their performances are layered and likable throughout. The standout performance belongs to Jason Segel, who imbues his character with a believable dose of ennui, enthusiasm and melancholy. Several reviews have labeled his character as a "loser," (which is super lazy), this is incorrect as Dane is clearly suffering from depression, and struggles with constant self-doubt. The highlight of the film comes when Dane goes on a long hiking trek in the middle of nowhere, and has an interaction with a fellow hiker named Teresa (Gwendoline Christie), who sees through his façade, and helps him through his current doubt of sadness (it's really neat).
If you're in the mood for a solid drama that features excellent performances, it doesn't get any better than Our Friend.
from → Mark's movie reviews
← John's Horror Corner: The Black Cat (1981; Gatto nero), Lucio Fulci's reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe's classic story.
John's Horror Corner: Sputnik (2020), a thoughtful, tense, atmospheric Russian Sci-Horror creature feature. →


text:
Willow H. Wood
Cats are my patronus. A clowder of cats.
Bloodshot Buck
Essays, Politics
Religious Reformation in Dragon Age II and Final Fantasy X
July 25, 2013 November 29, 2017 Willow H. Wood
Before we can explore the discourse surrounding the theme of religious reformation in the videogames Final Fantasy X (Square, released in Japan 2001) and Dragon Age II (BioWare, released universally in 2011), it is important to define what is meant by 'reformation'. The Collins dictionary definition is, '1. improve 2. reconstruct – vi. 3. abandon evil practices' (p. 620) In this case, in order for change to occur within a current system, everything has to be altered; the entire system has to be reconsidered, not slightly altered.
Within the two videogames discussed here the characters take drastic measures to alter their respective societies into what they believe is better, but each story does so with very different tones and moral choices. Reformation encompasses race, class, religion, politics, gender, sexuality but for the sake of focus, religious reformation will be the main study of this essay as it is the most prominent change within these two videogames.
If you're currently playing the games in question, be warned: this post has spoilers.
Challenging Popular Perceptions
Videogames are undervalued as a 'low cultural medium'
Artwork by StellaB
First, what makes these two stories worthy of study when it comes to religious discourse? Is it possible that two popular videogames could contribute more to society than escapism? Gordon Calleja would argue, yes, as 'Games reflect aspects of the society and culture that made them while contributing to that society in the process; as a result, understanding them is a recursive process of exploration into collective knowledge and social practices.' (2011, p. 8)
When Final Fantasy X (FFX) and Dragon Age II (DA2) were created it is possible that the religious symbolism and anarchist tendencies utilised within them were simply tools to build immersible worlds. On BioWare discussion forums David Gaider himself, the main writer of DA2, frequently dismisses claims that the creators made conscious links to religious figures and current issues concerning activism. But this does not mean that DA2 or FFX do not critique our moral system or our ability to question the system of society. The games have profound messages even if they are 'unintentional'.
Ian Bogost argues that, 'Serious games replace the cycle of capital with the cycle of political regimes, the cycle of industrial production, the cycle of institutionalized social goals.' (2007, p. 320) This means that videogames have the potential to persuade and challenge the real world. Games like FFX and DA2 are underestimated in their cultural value due to their pixelated medium but they can have a profound impact on today's generation of gamers. Videogames are a free-form place, an environment that can reshape or alter the real world to reflect our everyday lives, desires and morals. And because it is a visual medium that stimulates sight, sound, active decision making and creativity; interactive stories – like DA2 especially – can give the gamer an accessible way to emote and invest in the issues that arise within a free-form world.
As Bogost goes on to say:
On the one hand, videogames can represent ethical doubt through logics that disrupt movement along one moral register with orthogonal movement along another. On the other hand, videogames can represent ethical positions through logics that enforce player behavior along a particular moral register.
It is surprising that the latter strategy has not found more use in games conceived to support stable moral systems, such as those of organized religion. (2007, p. 287)
Here the connection has already been made between organised religion and the persuasive power of videogames. To discuss how FFX and DA2 dismantle their real world parallels, the next few paragraphs will briefly describe the set up of these two fantasy universes
The Foundations of FFX's Religious System
FFX is the more complex of the two worlds to break down. It draws from Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism, to name a few. With such a diverse foundation for its religion, even in its alphabet and holy song – Siddham Sanskrit script and mantra-like chants – it is possible that FFX can be viewed not as a critique on one culture's beliefs but on the very concept of organised religion.
The object of suffering within FFX is hi-tech machinery called 'machina' and anyone who uses machina is a heretic keeping suffering alive. The origin of this technophobia arose a thousand years before the game starts when a summoner (a magic user) called Yu Yevon summoned a creature the people named "Sin". Sin was programmed to destroy any city that used machina and so, to protect themselves, the Yevon Church was formed.
The Church banned machina in the hopes of appeasing Sin but in order to enforce this rule, teachings were written that said machina made people lazy – made them proud and arrogant – and this was mankind's sin. Now, despite four successful attempts to kill Sin, he is always reborn, creating a cycle of death and rebirth to remind the people not to use the forbidden technology. It is easy to see a mixture of 'original sin' from Christianity – mankind must repent for the crime of one man, in this case a generation – and the cycle of death and rebirth; the wheel of suffering from Buddhism.
When researching for this essay I read a lot of Helluin's lenses. Her lens Final Fantasy X Symbols & Glyphs in particular informed me about the foundations of FFX's religion. It's worth reading if you're interested in glyphs, symbology and religious mythology.
The Similarities and Differences in DA2
A slightly easier religion to break down
This theme of original sin carries over into DA2. It is much more obvious, too, as its central, ruling religion draws heavily upon Christianity rather than a mix of beliefs. The crime here is that the people idolised monsters, the Old Gods created by the Maker, instead of worshiping the Maker Himself. This angered the Maker and so He turned His back on the world. This false worship is deemed by the Chantry, the church of the Dragon Age world, as the 'original sin'. To directly quote the Bible we can almost tie together how machina and the Old Gods both represent the snake by offering forbidden knowledge, 'Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made.' (Gen. 3:1) This 'craftiness' is especially true for the Old Gods as they misled the people even further after the Maker discarded them.
The Old Gods eventually managed to lure a select few mages (magic users) into entering heaven and sitting on the Maker's throne, but their pride and arrogance corrupted it. The Maker cast humanity aside yet again, the 'second sin' and cursed the intruding mages into mindless, poisonous creatures that would breed and plague the world upon their return. It took almost one-hundred years for these creatures to be defeated but, just like Sin in FFX, these creatures keep returning to purge the earth. It is the price for past sins.
This symbolic punishment in both videogame worlds can be compared to the punishment that God placed on Adam and Eve, and upon all their descendants, "To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; [ … ]" To Adam he said, [ … ] "…By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground…"' (Gen. 3:16-17-19) While this is not as drastic as the returning purges within the two videogames, it is hard to ignore the similar connotations.
The Martyr
Yuna as Christ
The final religious distinction to make within both games is the clear representation of a martyr who dies for the people, although depicted very differently in each story. In FFX, summoners, like the protagonist Yuna, are trained to temporarily 'defeat' Sin by using magic instead of machina. This magic, however, has killed every summoner who has confronted Sin whilst using it. It is a case of magic versus machine; magic is the solution in FFX and the downfall in DA2.
Summoners must martyr themselves to protect the people as a whole. No solution is offered to these summoners and their companions – there is no alternative; the church is complicit in this. This can be compared to Jesus who theoretically died for our sins, 'For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.' (1 Cor. 5:22), and now we are atoning for the 'original sin' through the summoners sacrifice. As said by a character in game, "She [a summoner] must ease the suffering of all Spira. She must be a leader for the people." (Lord Seymour, FFX, 2001). The people of Spira are trapped in their religious beliefs in the hope that one day Sin will be vanquished.
This sacrificial mentality remains even after Yuna discovers that the Church is corrupt and, because of this discovery, has been branded a heretic:
Kelk: Branded a traitor, but still you would fight Sin? Lost to the temple, hated by the people, yet you continue your pilgrimage? Everything lost! What do you fight for?
Yuna: I fight for Spira. The people long for the Calm. I can give it to them. It's all I can give. Defeating Sin, ending pain…this I can do. (FFX, 2001)
Read more about the many summoners of FFX and where they came from… in Helluin's lens The Summoners of Final Fantasy X
Andraste as Joan of Arc
In Dragon Age history the same value of importance is placed upon a woman called Andraste who claimed to be the mortal bride of the Maker. She proclaimed that if people worshiped Him once more and reined in their wicked use of magic, He would return to caring for the world. Andraste fought a long and bloody war for the freedom of slaves and to spread 'the Maker's word', but was eventually burned at the stake. This act lost the Maker's love yet again – the 'third sin'.
Upon closer inspection, Andraste's life is undeniably similar to Joan of Arc (and even draws parallels with Queen Boudica), including the manner of her death, but compared to Summoner Yuna this figure of salvation is proactive and brutal. Both women's role within the two religions is that of a messianic Christ-figure but Andraste's death does not achieve salvation, like Christ, and neither does it give the people a respite from the war, like a summoner or Joan of Arc.
Instead, the Andrastian Chantry was formed hundreds of years later based upon her teachings and mages were oppressed out of fear; locked away and watched by the Chantry's militia. Magic must serve man and never rule over the world again.
Artwork of Andraste found [here]
Being Led to Accept One Outcome
Defying the Yevon Church
When Yuna learns the terrible details of the ritual required to defeat Sin she is dismayed, but it is her lover, Tidus, who demands more answers. Only then do we learn the missing piece: that Sin is reborn from the ritual. Once they understand the futility of their efforts – that Sin is purposely kept alive by the Church of Yevon – Yuna refuses the sacrifice and begins a new journey to defeat Sin once and for all, even if that means she must use forbidden machina.
This is obviously a huge leap for the characters to make, especially for Yuna who was raised as a Yevonite, but there is little reason for the gamer to oppose this heresy. As Bogost explains, 'Persuasive games expose the logic of situations in an attempt to draw players' attention to an eventual site and encourage them to problematize the situation.' (2007, p. 332) The problem here is that Yuna must prove the Church is a lie.
Religion is often a source of hope for people. Saints, symbols and mantras serve as unquestionable stability within peoples' lives, a code to rely upon when the world becomes too terrible or confusing to deal with – especially in a world like Spira where there is the constant threat of being attacked by Sin. The gamer is led through Yuna's path of contemplation as she breaks down the reasons why it is ultimately better to defy the Church. Unlike in DA2, all of Yuna's companions come around to her way of thinking and fight to destroy not only Sin, but everything each of them has believed in.
This conclusion seems logical as the question of "right and wrong" is not too difficult to make. The conflict is internal. Coming to terms with the corruption of the Yevon Church is tricky, but actively destroying it is easier for the gamer than the characters.
At the end of the game, Yuna gives a speech to the people in which the Yevon Church is renounced as false and Spira can face a new age. While there is emphasis on ascending from a despairing cycle – there is no reason to feel guilty any more – emotional value is placed on love and friendship; working together.
The final images are flashes of Yuna's companions from throughout her pilgrimage. There is one shot of when she almost gave into the Church rather than fight against it, before a final, lingering image of the man she fell in love with, Tidus. Ultimately, there is a sense that Yuna has done something wonderful. She is a hero for uncovering Yevon and destroying Sin. Now society can begin anew and join hands to rebuild the world.
The Ending of Final Fantasy X
Yuna's final stand (and loss) and her speech to Spirian citizens
The Power of Persuasive Games
Being forced to make decisions and problematise society
DA2's ending, in comparison to FFX's, however, is much different. The final feeling at the end of BioWare's game plays significantly on guilt, justice and the fact that reality is never black and white: sometimes the only options one has in order to progress are both nasty. It is a matter of seeing the bigger picture and picking the lesser of two evils. In DA2 this has a stronger impact on the gamer as the story unfolds from a first person perspective and, as Bogost explains with this kind of roleplaying experience, 'The object of the persuasion [you] is held accountable, even held hostage for response.' (2007, p. 318) The gamer must choose the best course of action based on the arguments presented to them, and their decision greatly affects the overall outcome.
The story changes depending on the decisions the protagonist (known as 'Hawke' from here on) makes, unlike the third-person narrative in FFX where you will end up at the same resolution no matter what. This forces the player to make controversial or tough decisions that can determine whether key characters, like the revolutionary mage Anders, live or die.
Some background knowledge is required to fully understand the build up to DA2's theme of religious reformation.
As mentioned before, the Chantry's main belief is that "Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him" (Transfigurations 1:1-1:5). Mages are watched every minute of the day by the Chantry's militia to the point of living in constant fear, oppression and unjust punishment if accused of wrong doing. It builds up to where the revolutionary mage Anders literally blows up the Chantry, killing the Grand Cleric and all her priests. Hawke is then caught in the middle of two opposing sides: the militia or the mages.
Artwork by Sandara
Compared to FFX, this is a significantly more violent and direct approach at challenging the laws society is founded upon. Throughout the game the Grand Cleric has been shown as a sympathetic and diplomatic character and the act of murdering her – even if in the name of liberation – is a shock. Anders' reason for doing this is like the attitude identified in Pullman's novels where he creates the implication that, 'people must cooperate, even while preserving their own cultures. The Church does not cooperate; it coerces.' (2007, p. 8, BURKE)
Anders makes a similar argument: the Chantry is a form of compromise and placation, not a means to improve their culture's attitude towards mages. He even says, "I removed the chance of compromise, because there is no compromise." (Act 3, DA2, 2011) What he means is: the lives of people are not things to be compromised on, mage or otherwise. Compromising has not improved the welfare of mages, it has only altered the depravity in which they live.
Ander's Speech & Forcing Hawke to Make a Choice
Begins at 2:15
Messages of Religious Reformation
What's the outcome of these games and what are they trying to tell us?
In FFX, when it is suggested that the characters should bring down the Church there is little resistance. It does not take long for all the characters to come to a consensus. The arguments of the opposing side are weak and easy to prove wrong, especially as every character feels betrayed rather than attacked. In DA2, after the Chantry is obliterated along with the Grand Cleric, there is a severe split in opinions within Hawke's companions.
FFX is an emotional story that focuses on a small group of people. The theme of religious reformation and salvation is achieved through sacrificing ones beliefs and disbanding the Church. It would seem the message is to take action if one sees corruption and understand where ones beliefs come from. In DA2 the solutions are unclear. Anders tries to place greatness in people and mages by taking it from the divine. Without the Chantry to quell both sides of an argument: suppress the mages or free the mages, Hawke is forced to pick and fight for one side instead of hoping the issue will solve itself.
It raises notions like: terrorists are people too, being aware of the world around you is important, religion might be one of the key powers holding us back from 'purposeful autonomous behaviour' and, last but not least, is violence 'OK' if it is the only way to be heard or instigate change? Unlike FFX, there is no clear answer at the end of the game. All decisions are left up to the gamer. Even the final character to speak in DA2 expresses how disturbed she is to learn of 'the truth'. As a soldier of the Chantry she believed Anders and Hawke needed to be found, forced to repent and then executed, but once she learns how things escalated into the Grand Cleric's death, she is no longer sure if she is fighting for the right reasons.
Games Can Change the Way We Think
To conclude…
Overall, it could be argued that these two games tackle religion with different purposes but both put forward the idea that organised religion is flawed. Final Fantasy X is designed to tell a story and Dragon Age II is designed to force its consumer to think and take responsibility for their actions. The medium of game strengthens the impact of both stories and the end result can leave a sense of disquiet within the gamer. Ultimately, to end with a quote from Bogost, these games guide us to at least contemplate religious reformation. 'Videogames themselves cannot produce events; they are, after all, representations. But they can help members of a situation address a logic that guides it and begin to make movements to improve it.' (2007, p. 332)
Discover more of Helluin's lenses!
Check out her Final Fantasy Lensography.
Dragon Age II, 2011 [videogame]. Lead writer Gaider DAVID. USA: BioWare.
Final Fantasy X, 2001 [videogame]. JAPAN: Square.
ANON., 2009. Holy Bible (NIV) New International Version. CHINA: Hodder & Stoughton.
BOER, R., 1998. Ezekiel's Axl, or anarchism and ecstasy. In: AICHELE, G., & PIPPIN, T., ed., 1998. Violence, Utopia and the Kingdom of God: Fantasy and Ideology in the Bible. NY: Routledge.
BOGOST, I., 2007. Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames. USA: The MIT Press.
BURKE, R. C., 2007. "'Every church is the same: control, destroy, obliterate every good feeling': Philip Pullman and the challenge of religious intolerance." Forum on Public Policy: A Journal of the Oxford Round Table [online], Summer 2007, n.p. Available: Academic OneFile [accessed 10 April 2010]
CALLEJA, G., 2011. In-Game: From Immersion to Incorporation. USA: The MIT Press.
MAKINS, M. et al., 1999. Collins Shorter Dictionary and Thesaurus. 5th ed. UK: Omnia Books Limited.
STUDIO BENTSTUFF, ed., 2001. Final Fantasy X Ultimania Omega. JAPAN: DigiCube.
Tagged author willow wood, da2, dragon age 2, ffx, final fantasy x, religion, religious reformation, video games, willow h wood, willow wood bigworldnetwork
Published by Willow H. Wood
A writer with many personalities all trying to be one person.	View all posts by Willow H. Wood
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3 thoughts on "Religious Reformation in Dragon Age II and Final Fantasy X"
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bardicblogger says:
I haven't played FFX but I've completed Dragon Age 2 a few times and it is an excellent game. I really enjoy the complicated society created within it and the interesting character portrayals. It's always refereshing to play a game whereby the choices aren't always `black' and `white' and where you are as you put it `forced to think and take responsibility for their actions'. I also found the fact that your group have differing opinions within them and how they respond to you is affected by those decisions a much more honest approach to leadership and society.
Great article! Very detailed and interesting.
Willow Wood says:
Yes, I love that your companions disagree with you and challenge your decisions. I think it makes a gamer a little less passive – they have to consider how their actions will affect not just their own character, but the others around them.
I'm so glad you liked this article. Thanks for reading!
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