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Women and Power in the films of Hayao Miyazaki
Posted by Sally Outen
"Our princess is as strong as they come!"
"Indeed, she rescued me earlier!"
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
In a Disney film, dialogue like this might be written to be self-consciously subversive, a knowing attempt to play upon that whole "rescue-the-princess" cliché. It might come across as empowering, but it's just as likely to ring false, as though the writers aren't sure whether their main objective is to provide strong female role models, or just to show off how clever they are at messing around with fairy-tale tropes.
But these lines actually come from a film by Hayao Miyazaki, and it's difficult to find the same flavour of cynicism in them, within context. In Miyazaki's films, women are every bit as likely to be heroes as men, every bit as likely to be in positions of power – and the majority of Miyazaki's protagonists are well-characterised women. Miyazaki is often described as a feminist (most notably by Studio Ghibli president, Toshio Suzuki), and his films are frequently noted for their feminist themes, as well as for their elements of environmentalism, pacifism, socialism, and complex attitudes towards good and evil. For me, this was always going to be a winning formula, and in evaluating Miyazaki's output, I tend to find myself squeeing incoherently rather than taking an attentive critical viewpoint. So here's my attempt to offer a broad feminist analysis of Miyazaki's work, highlighting the aspects that I've found potentially problematic, alongside more squeeworthy elements.
OK - a couple of warnings. Firstly, this post turned out a bit longer than usual, proof that I should never start typing while watching anime. Secondly, it contains spoilers for Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbour Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Ponyo. It can be inferred that these spoilers will extend to the novels and manga on which some of these titles are based. I haven't included Castle of Cagliostro (from the Lupin III canon) in this analysis because I'm not sure to what extent it is possible to detect Miyazaki's own directorial voice in this film from early in his directorial career.
So, the majority of Miyazaki's protagonists are female. Of course, as Disney has taught us, a female protagonist doesn't necessarily equate to a positive feminist role-model – especially where we're talking princesses. Of course, the title of princess is in itself a measure of a certain type of power - one that derives from a monarchical system. However, the nature of a traditional princess's power, bound up as it is with a patriarchal system that defines her in relation to her father or husband, is not especially satisfactory to me as a feminist.
In fact, at least two of Miyazaki's protagonists are labelled as princesses – Nausicaa and San (the eponymous Princess Mononoke). Actually, San is more of a non-royal-person-raised-by-a-wolf-god, so the label of princess is somewhat of a misnomer. Still, she inherits the strength of her wolf-god mother, and in her formidable defiance of the new order, she commands a level of respect appropriate to the old forest gods. Single-minded and relentless in her fight against the hated humans, San is neither mere love interest nor damsel in distress.
Nausicaa, the daughter of the king of a small nation from the Valley of the Wind, derives some (but certainly not all) of her power from her role as princess. She's courageous, tough, clever and compassionate, a skilled fighter and negotiator. Well-loved as a role-model within her community, she is not afraid to get her hands dirty, repairing windmills and studying practical botany in her spare time. While she works tirelessly to protect her people, she nonetheless maintains a sense of her own freedom, flying around the wilderness with the aid of a small glider. For those who fear Mary Sue-type characters, I might mention that Nausicaa is certainly not without her flaws – her passion turns to rage at times, most horrifically when she loses control and slaughters four soldiers upon discovering the murder of her father. Her understanding of her own capacity for violence informs her struggle to settle a complex conflict through non-violent means.
Unfortunately, the original western release of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, which did not have the approval of Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli, was butchered by its editors and renamed Warriors of the Wind. It appears that a female lead was considered a problem from a marketing point of view – on the cover artwork, a number of male characters (notably absent from the film) manage to upstage Nausicaa herself.
<- Yay!
Um, what? ->
Sheeta, from Castle in the Sky, might also be considered to fit the label of 'princess', although there refreshingly appears to be a matrilineal monarchical system in operation in this instance. Having inherited a mysterious stone pendant and various powerful spells, Sheeta turns out to be heir to the throne of the flying island of Laputa (taken directly from Swift – Miyazaki was apparently unaware of the misogynistic meaning of the island's name at the time). A somewhat submissive character, Sheeta somehow lacks the appeal of Nausicaa as a feminist role model. She spends much of the film trying to avoid being kidnapped, eventually saving herself by inadvertently summoning a giant robot. Through her inherited status she possesses great power, but is unaware of how to channel it, displaying at last an ability to temper that power before it goes too far out of control (stopping the robot before it obliterates a neighbouring village).
Sheeta and male co-protagonist Pazu later join a band of sky-pirates (led by Dola, mother to most of the crew), but while Pazu is given a role as an engineer's assistant, it is taken as read that Sheeta should take over the kitchen duties from Dola's sons. It seems odd that Dola, who seems to be trying to groom Sheeta as her potential successor, should make herself complicit in such a conservative gendered allocation of roles – in consideration of her own reaction to such roles (I'll talk about this later), perhaps she is trying to force Sheeta to rebel*. At the same time, Sheeta has to contend with the unwanted attentions of Dola's sons, whose interest seems to stem from their expectation that she will grow up to be a strong authority figure like their mother (Sheeta's solution is to play the sons off against one another, each doing a portion of her chores for her).Having established herself as a competent navigator and all-round puzzle-solver, Sheeta then spends much of the third act of the film being used by (and later away running from) the film's male antagonist. At last, cornered in the Laputian throne room, she defiantly reasserts her right to shape her own destiny: "I won't give you the stone. You'll die, trapped here with me." But it is Pazu, her male co-protagonist, who eventually persuades her to initiate the destruction of Laputa itself. As before, the power belongs to her, but the decision to use it is not entirely hers.
Ponyo is another 'princess' of sorts – in fact, she can be considered in direct comparison to Disney's Ariel, as Ponyo is a loose adaptation of Andersen's Little Mermaid. Ponyo is a five-year-old goldfish-girl whose parents are the powerful Mother of the Sea (also identified with the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy) and a wizard who has forsaken humanity and now lives in a submarine. When Ponyo develops a friendship with a little boy, Sosuke, and determines to become human, her wizard father Fujimoto takes on the role of The Little Mermaid's sea-king in trying to prevent her from realising her ambition, imprisoning her in a large bubble. With the use of her own powers of transformation and with some help from her sisters, Ponyo defies Fujimoto's power, looses his magic upon the world and goes in search of Sosuke. Her father, in turn, pursues her, placing his assumptions about her safety over her own agency. Fujimoto holds the most immediate power over Ponyo, but (in contrast to the power structures demonstrated in The Little Mermaid) Fujimoto is himself forced to submit to Ponyo's mother, who determines the conditions under which she may remain human.
Sadly, this is the point at which the film fails to break away from the problems inherent in The Little Mermaid, and even manages to further problematise Andersen's story. When Sosuke is separated from his own mother by a flood (oops), he takes on the role of Ponyo's saviour as she reverts to her goldfish form. Meanwhile, Ponyo's mother proclaims that Ponyo will be allowed to remain human if Sosuke manages to pass a test. While Ponyo has, until now, emerged as a resourceful, independent character, her regression to the status of a mere pet and her promotion through the actions of her male co-protagonist is sorely disappointing. (To be fair, the test itself takes the form of a question whose implied message I heartily approve of – can Sosuke accept Ponyo whatever shape she is? – but it doesn't alter the fact that Ponyo's mother apparently believes a male gatekeeper to be the best custodian of her daughter's agency.)
To provide a contrast with Ponyo, who is forced to rely on a male character to affirm her identity, in Princess Mononoke San retains complete control over her sense of herself as a wolf, a fact that male co-protagonist Ashitaka fails to respect until the end of the film. In spite of her growing affection for Ashitaka, and her emergent acknowledgement of the need to forge an alliance with the humans for the common good, she does not surrender to the pressure Ashitaka imposes on her to return to human civilisation with him, instead reaffirming her own sense of group identity and her need to remain with her people in the forest.
San, Ponyo, Nausicaa, and Sheeta each derive a certain amount of their power from their place in a social hierarchy – from the gods, or from an existing hierarchy, or from the residues of an ancient hierarchy. Furthermore, the powers of Sheeta and Ponyo each have a significant magical component. Now – magic, especially magic that is strongly identified with women, has the potential to be rather treacherous in its symbolic significance. It may be considered an attempt to redress the gendered balance of power in society at large – allowing women mysterious magical powers, powers that may even be denied to men altogether, is a quick and easy way to facilitate the creation of convincingly powerful female characters (how sad that it is sometimes simpler to conceive of whole systems of magical lore than to envisage a world free from patriarchy!). However, such power is often illusory. Disney's Sleeping Beauty presents a world in which men's power is physical and held by kings, but women's power is magical. Maleficent and the three good fairies appear to be the most powerful characters in the film, until it becomes apparent that the fairies' power is only of use in freeing the prince whose tangible physical power is able to defeat Maleficent's magic. Similarly, in Miyazaki's films, Sheeta's and Ponyo's magical powers are untempered and unreliable – and both characters rely upon the agency of male co-protagonists to reify their power.
Kiki (Kiki's Delivery Service) is a witch, again living in a world in which magic is significantly the preserve of women. She has just turned 13, the age at which it is traditional for witches to leave home and find work for themselves. The film, like the Eiko Kadono novel it is based on, is a sort of coming-of-age tale, considering the emergence of independence, self-confidence, and creativity in its teenage protagonist. Because magic is coded here as symbolic of real-life power, Kiki's Delivery Service largely avoids the problems displayed by Castle in the Sky and Ponyo; and a number of non-magical female characters are introduced, their skills and independence shown in comparison with Kiki's magic. Furthermore, there is nothing especially mystical about the pragmatic magic used by Kiki and other witches; it is earthy and almost scientific, to be used professionally and in the community in parallel with other skills.
Kiki puts her own skill – that of riding a broomstick – to use in the establishment of a delivery service . When she apparently loses the ability to call upon her magic (a significant departure from the source text), the incident is clearly linked to a temporary loss of self-confidence and does not undermine her underlying power as an individual. Indeed, through her friendship and creative partnership with another professional woman, an artist named Ursula, she regains control of her magic in time to rescue a male character from a rapidly deflating dirigible.Kiki's power, although it is presumably inherited from her mother, is not the product of any established social hierarchy. The same can be said of the power wielded by Miyazaki's later female protagonists, Chihiro and Sophie. And, significantly, although each of those characters develop in worlds where magic is used, they themselves are not magic-users.
In fact, in Diana Wynne Jones's novel Howl's Moving Castle, Sophie is provided with magical powers, although this is not at first apparent. In Miyazaki's loose adaptation of the novel, no component of Sophie's abilities is ever explicitly stated as being magical. Some feminist commentators have expressed disappointment that Sophie's power should have been taken away from her in this way; however, I find it somewhat satisfying that her achievements are allowed to come about through non-mystical means – to me, it makes them feel more grounded and meaningful.At the beginning of the film, Sophie identifies herself as not being conventionally attractive. She is aware of the romance surrounding magician Howl, but notes that "Howl only eats the hearts of pretty girls" (nonetheless, Howl's womanising behaviour, such a prominent feature of the novel, is all but absent from the film). Sophie lacks drive and self-confidence.
However, an encounter with the Witch of the Waste transforms Sophie into an elderly woman, and from now on, feeling some freedom from a variety of societal pressures she had been subjected to as a younger woman, Sophie begins to find herself. Rather than giving in to despair, she travels into the wastes in order to confront the witch. However, coming across Howl's moving castle, she voluntarily (coercively, in fact) takes on the role of a cleaner. While Sheeta's re-delegation of domestic duties to men helps to erode the fallacy of conceptionalising such tasks as 'women's work', Sophie provides another term in the equation by joyfully embracing domestic duties as valuable and often unappreciated work, while reaffirming its gender-nonspecific coding by enlisting two available male characters as assistants. She herself sets about the castle like a ninja, working on both the state of Howl's retreat and on her own assertiveness.
However, it is somewhat problematic for the film to suggest that it specifically takes a woman's input, however much in control of a male workforce, to facilitate the domestic stability that is achieved here, and later to cast Sophie primarily as a Belle-style character whose power is to be focussed romantically on helping her male partner to escape his animalistic nature. Nonetheless, the film does successfully replicate the book's merits in casting an apparently older woman as hero, and in allowing her to come to recognise her own brilliance free from considerations relating to her surface attractiveness.
Chihiro, of Spirited Away, also discovers new elements of her own potential by taking on an unfamiliar working role, but this is just one of a number of spurs to her character development. Chihiro begins her journey as a sulky, unadventurous little girl, but, suddenly trapped in the spirit world and finding that she must struggle to sustain herself, she begins to discover her own strength and resourcefulness. She secures work in a bizarre bathhouse owned by the witch Yubaba, who tries to take away her identity – Chihiro must struggle to remember who she is while learning the rules of her new world and discovering novel ways to solve the puzzles it presents. At first, she leans on other characters, notably the boy Haku, but she progressively moves through independence to dependability, saving Haku's life and finding her way home.
The dynamics of interdependence are also strongly evident in My Neighbour Totoro, whose protagonists, sisters Satsuki and Mei, explore the countryside around their new home while awaiting their mother's return from hospital. These children are characterised as sharing either a healthy imagination or a strong connection with the spirits of the woods and fields – depending upon your interpretation of the film. While this power appears to be linked to their childhood, Satsuki in particular also begins to develop another type of power, identified with maturity (just like Chihiro's emergent power), and manifested as the responsibility she shows in caring for her little sister. It might be assumed that she is forced to take on this role through the lack of a maternal figure, and the family certainly does suffer certain stresses during this period in their lives, but Setsuki's and Mei's mother is depicted neither as failing her family through her prescribed absence, nor as irrelevant.
Comparisons may be drawn here with Lisa, Sosuke's mother in Ponyo. Lisa is juggling a full-time job at a nursing home with the care of her son in the absence of her husband, who is away at sea. While the device of Lisa's separation from Sosuke is questionable, we do gain a glimpse of the complexity of motivations of a character who is not merely a generic mother-figure. And she does get to race a tsunami in the film's most dramatic scene, an action sequence I certainly wouldn't trust Hollywood to allocate to a woman.
Porco Rosso is the only film on our list to feature a single, male protagonist. Porco is a seaplane pilot, a bounty hunter, and quite literally a male chauvinist pig. As the film progresses, we see his misogyny challenged by competent women. When Porco takes the remains of his plane to an old friend, Piccolo, for repairs, the mechanic allocates the job of redesigning the aircraft to his daughter, Fio: "She's young, but she's got something my sons don't have." In fact, Piccolo's workforce is entirely made up of women, who work busily on the construction of the new plane while Porco, otherwise redundant, is charged with the supervision of an infant. He sits sullenly in a corner, his sexist assumptions crumbling around him.
It is somewhat of a pity that Fio, after persuading Porco to let her travel with him as a mechanic and then saving his bacon in a confrontation with some air-pirates, finally places herself as forfeit in a duel between Porco and his rival, the slimy Curtis. While the two pilots battle for their honour, Fio is reduced to taking a passive role, reliant on Porco to save her from becoming Curtis's prize.
Porco Rosso is also, I believe, the only film listed here to fail the Bechdel Test.
The feature of an all-female workforce is not exclusive to Porco Rosso. Princess Mononoke also presents us with a factory staffed entirely by women, recruited from brothels by the leader of Iron Town, Lady Eboshi. In fact, women also frequently hold the main power within institutions in Miyazaki's worlds. In Spirited Away, Yubaba rules the bathhouse with unquestionable authority. In Kiki's Delivery Service, Osono makes the important decisions in the running of the bakery, while her husband takes a more passive role. In Castle in the Sky, Dola is the literal matriarch of the sky-pirates, her sons serving as her foot-soldiers while her husband is charged with maintaining the ship. It is also implied that the Laputian civilisation may have been, at the very least, matrilineal – only the female heir is able to unlock the power of the pendant, which is passed from mother to daughter. Of course, our excitement at this hint of a potentially non-patriarchal ancient society may be tempered somewhat when we juxtapose this with the apparent ethical questionability of that society, but the latter consideration seems to be a product of Miyazaki's attitude towards power and its potential to corrupt – indeed, I cannot think of any instance in which Miyazaki paints a patriarchal institution in a favourable light.
As I mentioned earlier, Miyazaki's antagonists tend to be complex and nuanced rather than one-dimensional embodiments of evil. A large proportion of them are women, in line with Miyazaki's character balances as a whole. In the interests of brevity, I'll abbreviate my discussion of Nausicaa's Lady Kushana, the hardy commander of the Tolmekian forces, and Howl's Moving Castle's Madame Suliman, a powerful magician and Machiavellian politician (whose character marks another departure from the novel). Instead, I intend to concentrate on the four antagonists who I have found to provoke the most interesting questions about Miyazaki's feminism.
Two of these characters are magic-users, and my earlier caveats apply here – certainly, the Witch of the Waste (Howl's Moving Castle again), suffers from the effects of the fickle nature of her constructed power. Coolly formidable when we first encounter her, the witch suddenly loses her edge when her magic is taken away from her by Madame Suliman – yet another change from the book. Her glamour also leaves her, and her appearance switches to that of a plainly dressed elderly woman. While I do not approve of those elements of culture that pressure women to pursue unattainable beauty standards, this forcible 'exposure' of the Witch of the Waste sits somewhat uncomfortably with me – rather than shaming women who are coerced into following such standards, I'd like to see some criticism of the institutions that maintain them.
Following the removal of her powers, the Witch is treated as a harmless, almost humorous character who joins the family-construct that is beginning to form around Sophie and Howl. Apparently a great deal more passive, she nonetheless retains her cunning and eventually emerges once more as a potent threat. However, the Witch's primary motivations, like Sophie's, stem from her love for Howl; defined by the man she desires, the Witch of the Waste retains only limited control over her own power.
Yubaba, the owner of the bathhouse in Spirited Away, is as formidable a businesswoman as she is a witch – like Madame Suliman, much of her power is linked to her competency in a non-magical field. She also exhibits a number of prominent vices, including excessive greed and bitter rivalry with her twin sister, but I believe that her relationship with her child, Boh, merits the most comment here. Boh resembles a baby, but an enormous, strong and fully articulate one – we are invited to infer that his apparent arrested development is the result of over-pampering by his mother. Indeed, it is only when he escapes her influence to pay a visit to Zeniba, his aunt, that Boh begins to grow as a character. This seems to be one of Miyazaki's more problematic depictions of motherhood, but there is a complicating factor here: I confess that I am not entirely sure how best to interpret the link between Yubaba and Zeniba. Almost identical in appearance but with polarised personalities, it is not unlikely that the two witches represent complementary aspects of a divided whole. At the end of the film, Boh returns to Yubaba without question, and it may be suggested that the development he has undergone derives from holistic exposure to divergent aspects of a single maternal influence, rather than from a severance of the maternal bond.
Castle in the Sky, meanwhile, introduces us to Dola, perhaps the most enigmatic of Miyazaki's matriarchs. A pirate captain, rough and aggressive, she is given to bullying her sons somewhat – nonetheless, her charges look upon her with affection, and the viewer is left with the impression that Miyazaki's own attitude towards her is similarly affectionate.
With broad shoulders and huge breasts, square jaw and pink pigtails, Dola is swaggeringly confident in the power of her physicality. She deliberately adopts and discards traditional gendered trappings according to expediency – playing the part of a harmless old woman and hiding a rather phallic cannon in her frillies to avoid its confiscation, but happily discarding an overly restrictive skirt when clambering along a moving train. Choosing deep blue colours for her own costumes, she outfits her sons in matching pink and purple suits. She understands people's assumptions about gendered roles, and is adept at manipulating them for her own ends.
So, one more antagonist (or sort-of-antagonist) and then I'll wrap this post up, as promised. Lady Eboshi, the leader of Iron Town in Princess Mononoke, is heavily implicated in the devastation of the ancient woodlands that support the forest gods and San's wolf-tribe. However, the chief motivation for her actions here seems to be concern for her own people, just as her power derives in no small amount from their unwavering respect for her. Indeed, she appears to be trying to build a society better able to support its less privileged citizens; and as such, she provides welfare for those afflicted with leprosy, and choices for women previously forced into sex work. Eboshi's philosophy has both humanist and feminist overtones, and she invites comparison with many of Miyazaki's female protagonists. However, through the complexity of a situation that does not at first provide a clear solution from both a socialist and an environmentalist viewpoint, she finds herself in a bitter feud with San. The valid and complex struggle between these two powerful women forms the backbone of the film.
In Miyazaki's films, we are presented with a sizeable number of women in possession of power, which is derived from a diversity of sources and takes on a diversity of aspects. In some cases, this power may be rather illusory, or prone to appropriation by male characters. If this post places the greatest emphasis on the failings I perceive in some of Miyazaki's portrayals of powerful women, this is because I'm a fan of his films and hold them to higher standards than I might hold the films of Disney, for example. And while I find it useful to add a few caveats to the idea that Miyazaki's work is totally made of win, there are, I think, moments in every one of the films I've discussed here that have – at one time or another – made me want to punch the air with feminist joy.
* Tellingly, Dola later tries to persuade Sheeta to stay out of a dangerous situation, "because you're a girl!". When Sheeta refuses, pointing out the hypocrisy of Dola's position, Dola laughs, apparently satisfied; she doesn't bring the matter up again.
Posted by Sally Outen at 11:39
Labels: anime, disney, feminism, film, Miyazaki, pop culture, sally outen
"Meanwhile, Ponyo's mother proclaims that Ponyo will be allowed to remain human if Sosuke manages to pass a test. While Ponyo has, until now, emerged as a resourceful, independent character, her regression to the status of a mere pet and her promotion through the actions of her male co-protagonist is sorely disappointing. (To be fair, the test itself takes the form of a question whose implied message I heartily approve of – can Sosuke accept Ponyo whatever shape she is? – but it doesn't alter the fact that Ponyo's mother apparently believes a male gatekeeper to be the best custodian of her daughter's agency.)"
I think what Ponyo's mother did is rather sensible though. Her daughter is leaving the ocean for a different world and her mother wants to make sure she has at least one good friend to look after Ponyo. I imagine if a girl had found Ponyo she too would have been asked to pass the same test.
Agree with rirakuma, but I also like the idea that the struggle for identity and humanity is not something one can achieve entirely by oneself, but requires the acceptance and involvement of others, even though that is something one is never entitled to.
"Porco Rosso is also, I believe, the only film listed here to fail the Bechdel Test."
Heh, most of the others fail the reverse Bechdel Test. Arrietty too, I think.
Sally Outen 2 July 2011 at 20:54
@ rirakuma
*nodnod*, I must admit, the ending of Ponyo is one of the things I'm still very much in two minds over, and I agree with your point – one of Ponyo's mother's big concerns is clearly to ensure that Ponyo will be looked after on land. But I think there are two related issues Ponyo's mother is dealing with, here:
Firstly, Ponyo is too young to take responsibility for her own care – she has taken on the form of a five-year-old girl. But Sosuke is no older than Ponyo, and certainly can't take responsibility for her either. The important decision here, I guess, lies with Lisa and Koichi – whether they are prepared to take over as Ponyo's guardians. I assume that this is what Lisa and Ponyo's mother are discussing when Ponyo and Sosuke are reunited with them. While it's great that Sosuke is prepared to be a friend to Ponyo, the two children's mutual care for one another would not have been sufficient to safeguard Ponyo's welfare on land, and must surely be treated as a secondary consideration to her acquiring foster parents.
Secondly, there's the issue of how Ponyo is actually to become human, permanently. To achieve this, Ponyo's parents resort to the 'old magic', which is lifted straight out of Andersen - if Sosuke can accept Ponyo, she will be able to remain human; if not, she will turn into sea foam (although it is implied that this just means 'return to her previous state of existence'). So I guess that the main issue I have here is with how the magic works - how Ponyo's fate depends on Sosuke's strength of mind. And, while I like to believe that the situation might have been the same regardless of Sosuke's gender, I'm not sure that the film makes this clear within context, especially given its roots in Andersen's "Little Mermaid".
@ sagredo - yes, I think that's a good reading, and the film comes across as less problematic if you take it to be *purely* about identity and acceptance. For me, it has a lot of significance from a trans perspective – as a trans woman, I know that, while I can be clear about my gender identity within my own mind, I still depend upon the acceptance of others to allow me to affirm my identity in my life as a whole.
I read this from a post over that the ghibli group on LJ.
I tend to think another good example of Miyazaki's loose gender stereotypes is Satsuki's and Mei's father in Totoro. He's playful, doting, and down right maternal. He believes his daughters tales of magical creatures that he himself cannot see. He's functionally a single parent and is doing a marvelous job at it, and I think that should certainly be noted as an encouraging stereotype barrier breakdown.
Annalytica 3 July 2011 at 09:21
I watched Nausicaa last night. What struck me is that, as well as being all the things you describe - tough, courageous etc. - she is also, when it's safe to be so, giggly and playful, and, well, girly. (By safe, I mean not in the middle of some massive battle where giggling would be kind of inappropriate and unhelpful.) And she doesn't lose any respect for it, because everyone knows she can be serious when the situation demands it. I found that really striking.
@ animelily - absolutely, yes! Satsuki's and Mei's father is a wonderful character, and convincingly breaks away from the sorts of father stereotypes we're used to seeing on screen. Yay, I love how "My Neighbour Totoro" just manages to be effortlessly joyous in all sorts of ways!
@ Annalytica - I'm really glad you mentioned that - yes, I find it so refreshing to see it taken as read that Nausicaa's girliness, as well as her womanhood, are absolutely compatible with the heroic role she fills. There's some discussion of that point here, in an interesting essay considering the roles of Nausicaa, San, and Disney's Mulan and Pocahontas:
http://www.inhumandecency.org/christine/miyazaki.html
"Secondly, there's the issue of how Ponyo is actually to become human, permanently. To achieve this, Ponyo's parents resort to the 'old magic', which is lifted straight out of Andersen - if Sosuke can accept Ponyo, she will be able to remain human; if not, she will turn into sea foam (although it is implied that this just means 'return to her previous state of existence'). So I guess that the main issue I have here is with how the magic works - how Ponyo's fate depends on Sosuke's strength of mind. And, while I like to believe that the situation might have been the same regardless of Sosuke's gender, I'm not sure that the film makes this clear within context, especially given its roots in Andersen's "Little Mermaid"."
Although Ponyo's fate can be seen to rest on Sousuke, it essentially rests on the way she interacts with him throughout the film. If she'd been whiny/bratty etc Sousuke wouldn't have accepted her. My view is that Sousuke acts as a judge, not because he is male but because he is a human child and Ponyo's equal. He knows how a human child should be.
I see the magic as being based upon acceptance. In The Little Mermaid, the magic is a contract made before she becomes human. She must fulfil the condition of winning the Prince's heart in order for the magic to work. Ponyo wants to be human to stay with Sousuke and as long as he accepts her for what she is the magic will work. For me this means that a girl could also fulfil this role because essentially Ponyo is winning someone's friendship as opposed to their heart and, unlike in The Little Mermaid, it was not prearranged whose friendship she had to win.
Well that's my thoughts on it anyway :)
@rirakuma - yes, I do see where you're coming from, I think. On the one hand, I'm not sure that Ponyo's non-bratty behaviour is highlighted as an especially crucial factor in her gaining Sosuke's acceptance - and while we see her becoming less selfish (notably in the scene with the mother and baby), I didn't observe a huge change in her relationship with Sosuke at that point. But my main reservations are still with the idea of Sosuke as arbitrator of "how a human child should be" - the concept of a gatekeeper, whether male or female, and however benevolent, still sits awkwardly with me.
But, yes, I really like your point about the difference between the way the magical conditions work in "The Little Mermaid" and "Ponyo". For those conditions to have been pre-determined in The Little Mermaid (and set out specifically to lead to the mermaid's downfall), but carefully and painstakingly tailored to Ponyo's needs in Miyazaki's film - yes, that does make a difference, I agree. In that respect, I can see that the film manages to avoid some of the problematic elements of Andersen.
"Boh resembles a baby, but an enormous, strong and fully articulate one – we are invited to infer that his apparent arrested development is the result of over-pampering by his mother. Indeed, it is only when he escapes her influence to pay a visit to Zeniba, his aunt, that Boh begins to grow as a character. This seems to be one of Miyazaki's more problematic depictions of motherhood..."
I don't really see her portrayal as a blanket statement about motherhood but more about her character's relationship with motherhood and reflecting on the type of person (not just woman) she is. In the real world there are all kinds of mothers, some being overbearing & overly doting/protective, which have all kinds of influences on the child being raised.
Lashings performances, TONIGHT in London and next ...
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I'm bi and monogamous
Lashings gig in London!
Links roundup
On Being A Christian
Lashings at the Edinburgh Fringe
What is burlesque?
Feminist events in London this weekend


Locality: Cassibile (Siracusa), Siracusa, Sicilia, Italia | Position: residential area a few kilometers from the sea | Rooms (vani) n°: 8,5 | Bedrooms: 3 | Bathrooms: 2 | Surface: 170 sq.m. (gross floor area house) | Land: 760 sq.m.
The villa we offer for sale is located in the small locality of Cassibile in the province of Syracuse, famous worldwide for the signature of the Armistice for the end of the Second World War and for its delicious and famous strawberries.
The villa is just a few minutes from the center and the beaches, in a semi-central location, where tranquility and privacy are assured.
The strategic location allows you to quickly and easily reach interesting tourist and cultural destinations such as Syracuse (15 km) and Noto (13 km), while a few minutes by car you can reach the beautiful beaches of south-eastern Sicily.
The nearest airport is Catania, just 40 minutes by car (70 km).
The villa is on a level, for a total gross area of about 200 square meters, a terrace and a non-habitable loft accessible by an outside staircase.
The plot of land on which the house is built is 760 square meters.
The house is as follows: entrance, corridor, living room, kitchen, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, garage, two verandas, terrace, loft.
The villa is in excellent condition, the finishes are excellent and all the materials used both for outside and for inside are of excellent quality.
The garden is completely fenced and surrounded by tall hedges and where we also find a wooden house for storing tools.
Access to the property is by pedestrian gate and driveway gate.
The villa has a pleasant outdoor living space that can be used during the long summer periods and will allow you to enjoy its unique climate.
The Villa is served by the municipal aqueduct and is connected to the public sewage system.
The reserved position in the city context, the construction details make the villa perfect both as a main residence and as a holiday residence.
Interesting also as an investment considering the always important economic real estate values which has this sea area in the province of Syracuse.
Cassibile is a small town in eastern Sicily,in the province of Syracuse from which it is 15 kilometers away.
Ground area including the area occupied by buildings = 760 sq.m.
Garage area = 14 sq.m.
Covered verandas area = 39 sq.m.
Walkable terrace area = 40 sq.m.
Attic non-habitable = 135 sq.m.
Land size sq.m.: 760 sq.m.
Garden size sq.m.: 580 sq.m.
Land size mq: 760 sq.m.
Garden size mq: 580 sq.m.


text:
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WHERE TO TURN
Exploring Gender Dysphoria
By Steven Schlozman, Co-Director
Note: On May 25, 2019, the World Health Organization approved revisions to the 11th edition of its Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) to move gender incongruence out of mental disorders and into sexual health conditions.
What Does It Mean to Be "Gifted?"
By Ellen Braaten, Co-Director
Giftedness. It's such a loaded word.
Almost all parents think their children are gifted. And in a sense, they're right. Watching a child grow from an infant into a human who can read, complete math problems, and have friendships seems miraculous. No wonder many parents think this way.
A Closer Look at Autism
By Arshya Vahabzadeh, M.D.
Autism, more formally referred to as autism spectrum disorders (ASD), are conditions where individuals struggle with social relationships and communication. People with autism also often face challenges in handling changes to their normal routines, or attempts to expand their usually narrow range of interests.
Q+A: Are Behavioral Issues Among Kids as Common as They Seem?
Question: It seems like every child these days has some kind of problem. ADHD. Anxiety. Depression. Are these things as common as they seem?
Answer: Are behavioral challenges among children as common as they seem? Well, it's difficult to say because the line between normal and abnormal behavior is often a matter of degree.
How Scary Is Too Scary?
Intro music written and performed by Dr. Gene Beresin.Outro music arranged and performed by Dr. Gene Beresin.
Here is my most vivid memory of Halloween as a child:
I'm 8 years old.
Podcasts View More...
What Parents Can Do to Promote Mental Wellness in Our Children
By Gene Beresin, Executive Director
Parents are the true experts when it comes to knowing their children, and often the first to notice any changes in their kids' behavior:
Colin was a happy youngster. He had friends, did well in school, and got along with his siblings and parents at home. But in recent months, mom noticed that Colin seemed more distant.
What If My Child Has an Anxiety Disorder?
Seth just started driving, and he's actually doing pretty well. The written test was a breeze, and on the streets around his house he's relatively comfortable. He even volunteered to drive his little sister to the mall. His parents, while suffering a bit of the normal worries that any parent of a new driver would have, are delighted.
Dyslexia, Part 3: Accommodation Options Available
By Amanda Ward, Ph.D. and Hillary Hurst Bush, Ph.D.
This blog is the third in a series on dyslexia. Topics previously addressed include Dyslexia 101, and understanding treatment. Topics to be addressed further in include accommodation options available, and the transition of a child to life, school, etc. following diagnosis.
Ten-year-old Joyce was always known as a bit of worrier. Even as a two-year-old, she seemed anxious from time-to-time, especially when life was a bit stressful. A new babysitter, a noisy birthday party, or a vacation could all trigger nervousness and crying spells, but these symptoms generally went away fairly quickly.
When Survival is Not at Stake: Explaining the Mystery of Panic Disorder
Imagine you're crossing a street and are almost hit by a massive Mack® truck.
You jump out of the way. Your heart is racing and pounding, you're sweating, trembling, hyperventilating, and short of breath. You feel a pit in your stomach, nausea, choking, and tightness in your chest. Your fingers and toes are tingling.
Clay Center TV
Quick Jumps
Your monthly dose of the latest mental health tips and advice from the expert team at The Clay Center.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Ultraista - Sister LP
Ultraísta have announced their first new album since 2012's self-titled debut with the release of "Tin King." The trio will release Sister on March 13, 2020. It's a collection that defies easy categorization, and one that proves that Ultraísta — GRAMMY-winning producer/engineer/musician Nigel Godrich, best known for his two decades helming Radiohead's groundbreaking studio output; celebrated drummer Joey Waronker, who's toured and recorded with everyone from R.E.M. and Beck to Roger Waters and Elliott Smith; and singer Bettinson, an acclaimed solo artist whose work combines synth-driven electropop and dreamy vocal looping — is far more than just the sum of its remarkable parts.
All orders come with an instant grat download of "Tin King."


The Chamberlin Rhythmate 40 is an extremely rare tape loop based drum machine. From what is known, only a handful of the model 40's were ever produced, all during the mid-to-late 1970s. This Rhythmate still has its original tape set. All tapes are intact and work with all settings (1 through 14 and A, B, and C variations). According to Wikipedia, approximately only ten (10) of these were ever made.


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Tiskárna Václav Pešl je zaniklá polygrafická firma v Praze, která se nacházela v Košířích v ulici Lovčenská. Po roce 2003 byly její provozní budovy zbořeny a na místě se nachází nová zástavba.

Historie
Roku 1931 dal majitel nakladatelství Václav Pešl postavit podle plánů architekta Jana Píseckého tiskárnu a přilehlý obytný dům. Na dům přímo navazovala budova administrativy se zasklenou střešní terasou. Ta umožňovala kontrolovat dodávky do dvora tiskárny.

Po zrušení tiskárny sloužil areál jako sklad a po roce 2003 byl demolován.

Literatura
 BERAN, Lukáš, ed. a VALCHÁŘOVÁ, Vladislava, ed. Pražský industriál: technické stavby a průmyslová architektura Prahy: průvodce. 2., rozš. vyd. V Praze: České vysoké učení technické, ©2007. 303 s. . Kapitola 8: Smíchov, Košíře. S. 173, č. 219.

Průmyslové stavby v Košířích
Zaniklé polygrafické firmy v Praze

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
HD 114783 är en ensam stjärna belägen i den mellersta delen av stjärnbilden Jungfrun. Den har en skenbar magnitud av ca 7,56 och kräver åtminstone en handkikare för att kunna observeras. Baserat på parallax enligt Gaia Data Release 2 på ca 47,4 mas, beräknas den befinna sig på ett avstånd på ca 69 ljusår (ca 21 parsek) från solen. Den rör sig närmare solen med en heliocentrisk radialhastighet på ca -12 km/s.

Egenskaper
HD 114783 är en orange till gul stjärna i huvudserien av spektralklass K0 V. Den har en radie som är ca 0,8 solradier och har ca 0,5 gånger solens utstrålning av energi från dess fotosfär vid en effektiv temperatur av ca 5 100 K.

Planetsystem
År 2001 fann California and Carnegie Planet Search team en exoplanet i omlopp kring HD 114783. Upptäckten gjordes vid Keckobservatoriet.

Se även
 Lista över exoplaneter

Referenser

Noter

Externa länkar
 https://www.universeguide.com/star/64457/hd114783.

Stjärnbilden Jungfrun
HD-objekt
Glieseobjekt
Huvudseriestjärnor klass K
Solsystem


text:
Government ministers reported to police over their mishandling of the pandemic
Basit Mahmood
The Met Police told LFF they had no comment to make.
The campaign group Keep Our NHS Public (KONP) has written to Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, asking for "due consideration in relation to the commission of serious offences in the handling of the pandemic by the government."
The letter comes after the conclusion of the People's Covid Inquiry, conducted by KONP and chaired by Michael Mansfield QC. The inquiry found that the NHS went into the pandemic woefully underprepared and under resourced. It also found a number of major failings by the government, including that of "misconduct in public office" by several key ministers.
Referring to the inquiry, the letter states: "The panel was of the clear view that what was disclosed by the evidence, heard over many weeks between February and July, gave reason to be concerned that criminal offences of some gravity had been committed. These events are serious and involve the unnecessary deaths of many thousands of UK citizens."
The letter to the Commissioner draws attention to two alleged offences committed by government ministers: "One is a statutory offence of corporate manslaughter, where gross negligence has been manifest on a systemic level, and the other is misconduct in public office, a common law offence, which you will note is the title of the KONP report from the People's Covid Inquiry."
Dr Tony O'Sullivan, KONP co-chairman, said the Met Police had a duty to investigate ministers over "their reckless misconduct in public office that has caused such death, suffering and damage."
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
People's Covid Inquiry: 'The pandemic has uncovered a government unfit for purpose'
Baroness Jones: The police are in thrall to a corrupt government that regards itself above the law


This is Part 2b of a 10 part series of blogs in support of the 10:10 campaign initiated by Franny Armstrong's team to complement the documentary on global warming, "The Age of Stupid". It is to enable each one of us to take action to reduce our carbon emissions by 10% in 2010. Download the 10 point family checklist from the campaign here.
The Checklist lists "Saving 10% on heating" as Step Number 2. I've modified this for warmer countries and included this section on reducing cooling bills from airconditioning. Here are the things you can do to reduce your cooling bills and the related carbon emissions from energy use.
2. Unblock the condenser unit by clearing any debris or obstruction that may restrict the airflow. Ensure the condenser unit is not under direct sunlight. You can save about 10% of your AC bill by keeping the condenser unit in the shade.
3. Close doors and windows when air-conditioning is on, to prevent warm air from coming in. Make sure the seal between the air-conditioner and the window frame is airtight to prevent cool air from escaping outside. Use drapes and blinds to keep too much direct sunlight out.
4. Use a ceiling or standing fan instead of an air-conditioner. This can lead to huge energy savings. Make sure the fan is blowing down. If it faces up, it is only pushing back warm air from the ceiling back to the floor, and won't give a cooling effect. When the air is cool outside, open the windows and let the breeze in.
5. Don't overcool the room. Set temperature between 24 to 25 degrees Celsius. Adjusting your thermostat just two degrees higher can save hundreds of pounds of carbon dioxide through reduced electricity consumption.
6. Service your air-conditioners regularly. Cleaning both the evaporator coils (indoors) and the condenser coils (outdoors). Also check the refrigerant level which is the fluid enabling the cooling. Check that the compressor, fan, and all the electrical fittings inside are working properly. Clean air conditioning filters regularly, once a month preferably, to remove dust and allow for proper air flow. Unclog the drain channels of the airconditioner.
7. Choose the right air-conditioner settings. Instead of an "outside" air setting (which brings in warm air from outside) choose a "re-circulate" air setting which re-cools indoor air. A "high speed fan" setting helps save energy by blowing cool air into the room quickly. Keep your air-conditioner on "fan-mode" and use a ceiling or standing fan to supplement. This saves energy.
8. Use air-conditioners with Inverter technology. These vary the speed of the compressors, so when indoor temperatures reach a certain temperature level, the compressors are operated at low speeds to maintain the temperature. This saves more than 40% of energy costs compared to conventional air-conditioners which use the on/off technology. So Inverter systems are quieter, more energy efficient and place less stress on the equipment.
9. Use heat-resistant panels on windows. They keep indoor temperatures at 30°C even on extremely hot days. Reflective blinds also help to keep the room cooler.
10. Install a radiant barrier made of aluminium foil-like material on the underside of your roof (especially if you live in a house with a roof, or the top floor of a building). This blocks heat that falls on the roof, and keeps the top floor or attic cooler.
11. Install an attic fan on the roof of the house. Hot air tends to get trapped at the top of the house. The attic fan acts as an exhaust to help expel the hot air especially in multi-level establishments.
12. Switch off the airconditioner if you're not going to come back to the room within half an hour or so. It's not necessary to keep the house constantly cool. If you leave the AC on throughout the day, it is constantly absorbing heat which it has to cool, and this wastes energy.
13. Reduce heat sources. Conventional light bulbs give 10% light and 90% heat, which has to be cooled by the AC. Instead use compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) which give off about 80% less heat, and use about a quarter of the energy.
Also make sure that while cooking, shut the kitchen door. The hot air from the kitchen won't reduce the AC's cooling effect this way.
14. Plant trees outside the house if you have a garden. They have a natural cooling effect on the house.
15. Choose or build a house with north-south orientation, as this absorbs less heat, as less direct sunlight falls on it. Preferably use light paints on your walls, rather than dark colours which absorb more heat.


Bits & Scraps Of My Life: A little creative therapy and a wholeeeeee lotta challenges!
A little creative therapy and a wholeeeeee lotta challenges!
I have ALMOST made it thru this week!!!!! I keep tellin myself...."I think I can, I think I can!!" It;s got me this far so I'm stickin with it!!
I guess I need to update ya'll a bit. Bob got home from the hosptial late Wednesday evening. They put him back on the lovely wound vac machine and most of the day Wenesday was spent waiting for them to get a take home model to the hospital. Since Bob has gotten home it seems like it has been one thing or another. He is in LOTS of pain and not sleeping, which is keeping me awake and I don't sleep well as it is either. So we are both really grumpy and starting to take it out on one another. He is still really depressed, and understandably so, and I am trying very hard to keep him motivated and trying to get him to think more positive. But in all honesty, he is just "over" this mess. So we had a go round on Wednesday night and a HUGE one yesterday. If we make it thru this without killing one another it will be a miracle. I see now why so many couple split when there is a chronic health issue involved. I used to think it was just awful to fight with someone with a health problem they have no control over and they needed to be cut slack......now I kinda see both sides of the coin. Dealing with it is VERY stressful for eveyone involved. And neither party can truly know what the other is going thru and that inevitiable leads to some resentment. I don't want that to be the case in my realtionship. So I am trying to keep my head and discuss things as they come along and not let them boil over into knock down drag outs. That's not good for anyone.
And did I tell ya I started having car trouble again? We got my brakes fixed and I ahve a "low collant" light that will not go off on my dash.....even tho there is plenty of coolant in the car. Turns out there is a pin hole in my radiator and we have to get a new one. WHAT????? Apparantly it can't be welded or is plastic or soemthing....I dunno.......I just know we have a new radiator downstairs ready to be put in tomorrow sometime....hopefully!!!
So needless to say I REALLy needed to get away by myself and get some creative therapy in!!! So lucky you.......I have 2 layouts to share :) Yayyyyyyy!!!!
Such sweetness!!!! Where did those days go????? Isn't that blue paper and the alpha just stunning???? It's from Pink Paislee's Mistletoe & Co line. As you can see it is just perfect for baby layouts too!! The papers are flip sides of one another...I am SOOOO glad I bought more than one!!!!! I used the swirls included in the alpha sheet to make a little heart circling one of the photos :):) Here's a closer look..
And those teeny letters are from Cosmo Crickets Tiny Type......I bought them in red, black and cream. Yeah I am shooting for ALL of the colors......LOL.
Next up is the sketch from Inspired Blueprints, which is so new its only up on the blog and NOT the Ning site right now.....LOL. I had a lot of fun with this one and went with a halloween theme....again scrapping Jesse.
Used BUNCHES of different stuff here! I have Coredinations black cardstock, Bat paper is The Paper Studio, Orange houndstooth is Modsheets.....I LOVE this stuff, it's shiny and feels jsut like heavy magazine paper, I also have some Moonshine Crew from Reminisince, Thickers, Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type, and All My menories cardstock backing the photo.......I also tried to ink the edges of the papers with black but it's not showing on the photo but looks awesome IRL.
This one is also for the challenge this week at Frosted Designs to share a fall or halloween layout.
I think thats it......lol. Once again I thank you for looking and reading my ramblings......it's way cheaper than a shrink......LOL.
Hi Tina!! It has been a while since I have stopped by your blog... how have you been?! Now that's a silly question since you just told us! I am sorry to hear about all the medical problems with Bob... I know it must be difficult for both of you. I will say a prayer for you and your family. Now on to happier stuff... your LOs are darling!! I LOVE the halloween one!! The papers are fabulous and the picture is darling!! Thanks for making Frosted Designs one of your challenge stops this week!!
Hang in there! These creations are awesome!! Thanks so much for joining our challenge at The Sisterhood! Hope to see you again next challenge.
Hang in there girl! Best wishes! How you manage to do all of these great layouts in the midst of your troubles is amazing to me!
I'm sorry you and Bob are going through so much. I will keep you and your family in my prayers. Hang in there, and use this great hubby/therapy to get through it.
Your LO's are beautiful I specially love the holloween one, adorable photo. Thanks for playing with us at Frosted Designs.
Adorable layouts! Thanks for playing along with us at Frosted Designs!


Steeplechase racing. The races began on May 13, 1978 and have been a staple of Charlottesville social life ever since. Each race draws crowds of between 18,000 and 23,000 people, including steeplechase enthusiasts, Charlottesville residents, tourists, and area college students. Spectators may purchase parking spots around the racecourse, and many people host delicious tailgate picnics for their family and friends.
The races are held the last Saturday in April and the last Sunday in September. The Fall Race Meet is Family Day at the Foxfield Races and includes horse related children's activities before and between the races. Business sponsorships and private tents are available in addition to the tailgating spaces. 10:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Admission Charge. Sanctioned by the National Steeplechase Association as two of eleven races held in the Commonwealth of Virginia.


This summer, Groupon has been hosting Girls Who Code (GWC) in their Chicago headquarters for a 7-week summer immersion program that aims to increase the number of women in Engineering by teaching high school girls the skills they need to be successful in college and beyond. GWC is a national non-profit organization working to close the gender gap in technology. As a woman working in technology, this non-profit caught my eye when it launched back in 2012 as something that would really make a difference in closing the gender gap. Throughout my career, I've been asked to participate or advocate for a large range of efforts focused on improving diversity and culture as it relates to gender in technology. While these efforts are important and necessary, I've always felt they weren't addressing the source of this trend in the US. When thinking about starting this non-profit, Reshma Saujani (the founder and CEO of GWC) looked at the data and honed in on addressing the problem when the drop outs occur (sweet spot 8-9th grade).
While campaigning for the NY seat in the House of Representatives in 2010 and running for New York Public Advocate in 2013, Reshma started seeing a trend of little to no girls in robotics labs and computer science classes as she toured schools in NY. This brought her to the conclusion that this is the biggest domestic issue of this time. Regardless of whether or not you agree with that statement, the numbers are hard to ignore. In the 1980's 37% of computer science graduates were women. Today, it's 12%. She points out Steve Jobs probably had more women on his initial Apple team than Mark Zuckerburg has at Facebook today. What's happening?
Saujani compares this phenomenon to the medical and law fields in the 70's when 10% of doctors and lawyers were women. Today it's 50%. What happened? Popular television shows in the U.S. like LA Law, Grey's Anatomy and Law and Order have arguably altered the perception of these professions for young women. Just like Reshma experienced, if young girls are indoctrinated with images and messages of women who are smart and successful, they say "I want to be that too." It's subtle and often subconscious, but it makes a real impact. So why is the opposite happening in technology? Constantly, girls are receiving the message that this is not for them. They are listening, and they are opting out.
Today GWC has 57 programs in 8 cities nationwide and is embedded in companies like Facebook, Square, Twitter and Amazon. Companies don't see this as charity, but a recruiting effort.
All of the girls in the first GWC cohort majored in computer science, were at the top of their classes and received internships at big tech companies. Today only .4% of girls in high school want to major in CS. Only 7,500 women graduated in computer science last year. 95% of girls leaving the GWC program want to major in CS. As this program grows, we can turn this number around in the next 5 -10 years. That's an impressive start to this initiative.
For those not in the technology industry, most people have young girls in their lives. She advises us all to encourage girls into STEM fields. This can be accomplished by buying them a Goldiblox set or talking to them about the interesting problems they can solve with technology. We all need to be evangelists on this issue. I was recently having a conversation with my 6 year old cousin and I asked her what her favorite subject was in school. She proudly announced it was Math. Remembering what Reshma said, I went a bit overboard telling her how awesome that would be and all the interesting problems she could solve. I'll have to remember to have that conversation again when she reaches 8th grade.


Didn't Tony Randall do Poirot once?
Suchet is the one everyone thinks of nowadays, but in my mind's eye, I always thought of him as short and slim, walking stick, spats, kid gloves and all.
Joan Hickson is the one who did the TV versions of Miss Marple, right? I thought she was perfect, too.
I was able to enjoy the Margaret Rutherford romps by pretending that was some other Miss Marple, not Agatha Christie's. For me, Joan Hickson is THE Miss Marple.
I thought Albert Finney in "Murder on the Orient Express" was the perfect Poirot. It may have looked like caricature, but Poirot was a caricature anyway (and I bet he had a whale of a time doing it). I was most disappointed when he was replaced by Peter Ustinov for the follow-ups: Ustinov never plays anyone other than Ustinov.
I agree with Scribbler about Roy Marsden and Dalgleish, though my memories of the latter are getting dim - I stopped reading P D James when it became apparent that she was suffering from the delusion that she was Dickens (not long after "Death of an Expert Witness", I think).
Pray tell: Was I wrong about Tony Randall, or is everyone intentionally ignoring me?
All those big fat men playing Poirot. No wonder I don't like any of them.
Yes, according to the IMDB, Randall was Poirot in The Alphabet Murders (1966), with a full gamut of British character actors as supporting cast.
I realized after looking back through posts that I made a comment that sounded like I thought Kelly was an air-head. Of course, she's not - she just gets perceived that way, which was why I was thinking blonde.
I never quite bought Hayes or Lansbury as Miss Marple. Even though I like both actresses. I think it was because they both have a certain liveliness of nature, that you just *know* these women have been married. Their personalities are just too attractive. Miss Marple (in reading) was always so primly withdrawn.
That's what Joan Hickson conveys so beautifully. That surface withdrawal so much a part of an elderly maiden lady of the period. And yet, she also displays that very knowing quality of Miss Marple.
My favorite moment of Hickson in the role - this is off the top of my head, so I can't remember which story it was - is when the police inspector, the one that doesn't like her, is talking to his undering about the village setting and has referred indirectly to Miss Marple. Something about her interfering, I think. Anyway, he's just described her as a cobra. Immediately, she comes up some stairs behind him, sees him, her blue eyes wide open, with that knowing smile, and says "Ooh. Hello, Inspector."
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Below is a list of food trucks, trailers, carts, and stands that call Hockley, Texas their home city.
At Tacos Ole' we strive to unleash the bold in you. Come let us uplift you through food, fun and fellowship.


NordFX is very pleased to announce it has won the "Best Broker for Trading with Advisors" IAFT award. The nomination featured 15 other companies but most of the IAFT traders and site visitors chose NordFX. We are thankful for the support and trust extended to our company and will continue to perfect the quality of our work.
In addition, NordFX became one of the IAFT Awards sponsors as we consider such events conducive to healthy competition, professional development, business openness and more reliable services.
At all times NordFX strives to make trading easy, convenient and effective for its customers!


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Seyyed Abdolkarim Hasheminejad (1932 — 1981)() was an Iranian dissident cleric of the Pahlavi regime who was assassinated after the revolution of 1979.

Early life

Hasheminejad was born in 1932 in the province of Mazandaran. He studied under Ayatollah Koohestani before moving to Qom to further his studies. He was at the center of the religious debate set by Hassan Abtahi. He married Abtahi's sister, who died in 2007.

Education

Hasheminejad was a disciple of Ayatollah Seyyed Hossein Borujerdi and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. He began his higher education at age 27 and reached the rank of ijtihad. He then migrated to Mashhad. He studied many fields apart from religion, holding discussions and classes with young people, especially students, from which some of his books resulted. He was a writer, a passionate and knowledgeable public speaker and a famed Seminary teacher.

Political activities

Hasheminejad was arrested in the June 5, 1963 demonstration in Iran. His second arrest was when he gave a speech on 14 October 1963 against the State Associations Bill, the arrest of Khomeini, as well as the lack of freedom in the country.He resumed political activities and religious meetings after that. He was later arrested once more. In total, he was arrested five times from 1963 and 1978. His last arrest was on June 22, 1978 but, rise of the Islamic Revolution led to his release after one day. Hasheminejad was one of the main instigators of the Islamic Revolution in Mashhad.

After the revolution

After the revolution, he became the first representative of Mazandaran province during the drafting of the Iranian constitution and played an important role in the adoption of important principles. After the revolution, he refused any official capacity.
He was party secretary of the Islamic Republican Party in Mashhad.

Death

On 30 September 1981, a suicide bomber infiltrated the office of the Islamic Republican Party and assassinated Hasheminejad. He was buried at the shrine of Imam Reza (the eighth Imam of Shia Muslims).

References

Iranian Islamic religious leaders
Islamic Republican Party politicians
People assassinated by the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran
People from Behshahr
Burials at Imam Reza Shrine


This is the first of the "Freshwater" drafts of Woolf's short story, "The Searchlight," written in 1941. Frances Hooper purchased the holograph from Leonard Woolf for $125 in 1944. There is a 1939 corrected typescript of "The Searchlight" in the Virginia Woolf Papers at Smith College, donated by Ann Safford Mandel '53. Thirteen additional drafts of this short story, ranging in date from 1929 to 1941, are known to scholars.
Virginia Woolf. "The Searchlight": holograph, .
In 1939, Woolf wrote in her diary that she had written "the old Henry Taylor story that's been humming in my mind these 10 years" as a relief from her work on the biography of Roger Fry. Sir Henry Taylor worked in the Colonial Office under Woolf's grandfather, Sir James Stephen, and was a close friend of the photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. The central incident of the story involves Taylor looking through a telescope from a tower at Witton-le-Wear, where he was isolated as a child. In the "Freshwater" version of the story, Taylor is posing for Julia Margaret Cameron as King Arthur, and later recounts his story of the telescope for another house guest as they stroll on Freshwater Down.
Leonard Woolf. Signed typed note to Frances Hooper, 22 January 1944.


Based on the Machine by Tashi Bharucha the Baby Machine is a more compact titanium frame lock version with a faux-integral construction that keeps the clean lines of the Machine while reducing the production cost. As always Reate fit, finish and operation is flawless. Offered in tumbled, blue anodized or blasted gray titanium with blades of Damasteel's premium RWL34 stainless steel.


The Tanzania Transportation Technology Transfer (TanT2) Centre is a clearing-house for transportation information where technological information from within the country and different parts of the world is collected sorted and tailored to suit local conditions and then disseminated across the whole transport industry in Tanzania from national to local level. The Centre also, has been established for the purposes of coordinating, developing and conducting all the activities of training, education, technical assistance, research and development in pursuit of the objectives of the TanT2 centre.
The TanT2 Centre aims at improving the quality of all modes of transport at all levels in the country through technology transfer.
The Government of Tanzania (GOT) through the Ministry of Works established the Tanzania Transportation Technology Transfer (TanT2) Centre in August 1997. The Centre was established in collaboration with the then Faculty of Engineering of the University of Dar Es Salaam (UDSM) and with support from the United States Federal Highway Administration (US FHWA). To-date the Centre has established partnership and collaborations with various local and international institutions including the World Road Association (PIARC),United States Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration (US DOT FAA), Institute of Transportation Engineers of USA, TRL of UK, Tanzania Global Development Learning Centre, Economic and Social Research Foundation, Technology Transfer Centres and other transportation resource institutions worldwide.
The Centre is an institution attached to Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS) under the Ministry of Works. The Centre structure comprises two sections of Clearinghouse, and Training and Research with a support unit of Finance and Administration. The Centre has an Advisory Committee of 13 members representing stakeholders from public and private institutions in the transport sector in Tanzania.
The Centre Offices are located within the Highway and Transportation Laboratory Building, Prospective College of Engineering and Technology, University of Dar Es Salaam.
To be renowned nationally and internationally as the paramount resource in developing and transferring innovative and appropriate technologies, proven solutions and reliable services to successfully resolve the challenges facing the transportation community in Tanzania.
To foster safe, efficient and environmentally sustainable transportation systems in Tanzania by improving skills and knowledge of transportation providers and users through training, technical assistance and technology transfer.


Set up is encouraged around 11 - 11:30. before the event.
Name, phone number, items vending, size of area needed.
If you want to camp or attend the Dark Cellar Session, Fees do apply. Please register below for this portion of the day.
Dont forget to bring your confirmation of your registration from paypal.. and your cameras.
Looking forward to spending the day with you.


FORT LEE, NEW JERSEY – August 9, 2018 – Siklu, the global market leader in mmWave wireless solutions is introducing new models in its EH-700 product line supporting external antennas, the EH-7XX-EXT.
The EH-700 and EH-710 operate in a TDD format in the lightly licensed 70GHz mmWave band, and offer support for aggregated capacities as low as 100Mbps, reaching all the way to 1Gbps. While the existing 16cm integrated antenna model satisfies a plurality of application needs, there are times when a deployment just needs to reach further. With options for an external one-foot or two-foot antenna, the EH‑7XX supports this need for additional range. Customers can still use the EH-7XX with a smaller 16cm antenna where needed (not FCC approved).
Operating as a TDD solution supports applications where symmetry or asymmetry in the uplink and downlink capacity is required, achieving this in a carrier-class product. By adding the EH-7XX to the Hundred Series of Siklu PTP products, Siklu continues to expand its already extensive portfolio of mmWave E-band solutions. The small form factor product also includes an integrated MEF-compliant 3-ports gigabit Ethernet switch, with up to 50W to total POE output, satisfying the power needs of many Smart-City deployments with a single wire to cameras or Wi-Fi access points.


Despite years of federal investment and political hand-wringing, the gulf in broadband availability between Canada's urban and rural population stubbornly refuses to vanish. The most recent federal report found that while 96% of Canadians in urban areas have access to download speeds of 50 Mbps, just 39% of Canadians in rural areas can say the same.
THE GOVERNMENT'S FOCUS for expanding broadband availability often focuses on quality-of-life use-cases such as education and healthcare, which benefit greatly from enhanced connectivity. But studies have shown that historically, access to rural broadband also promoted rural employment and wage growth.
In March, the federal government kicked off an auction for new wireless spectrum, pitting a dozen regional and national operators against each other. At stake are licenses to use lowband 600 MHz spectrum, a valuable section of the airwaves that could confer a long-term competitive advantage to the winners.
But the concern for this auction goes beyond the wireless operators' profit and loss. The deployment of 600 MHz spectrum, which travels further and penetrates obstacles better than any other wireless data frequency, will provide a unique opportunity to connect Canada's hardest-to-reach communities. A look south of the border demonstrates the potential advantages of 600 MHz for driving industry growth in rural areas – but also hints at how the government may be squandering an opportunity for major change.
At their most basic, mobile networks function by sending signals over radio waves, much like FM radio or broadcast TV. If you've ever noticed that an FM radio signal is much more consistent than your cellphone signal, you've discovered that low-band radio waves – those with a lower frequency – travel further and pass through objects much better than their higher-band counterparts.
This is particularly important for mobile networks, because your cell service provider doesn't just use one frequency. Canadian operators rely most heavily on mid-band and high-band spectrum, such as 1700 MHz and 2600 MHz, for the majority of their LTE networks. The lowest frequency currently in use is 700 MHz, and it has not been fully deployed across the country. The 600 MHz spectrum that the government is now auctioning off was previously used for broadcast television, and when deployed, will be the furthest-travelling cellular frequency in use.
In practical terms, operators using 600 MHz will see a 25% coverage improvement compared to 700 MHz, and a 200-400% improvement compared to mid-band frequencies like 1800 MHZ. For customers and businesses in rural areas, the benefits are obvious: coverage and speeds will improve, meaning fewer dropped calls and usable mobile internet in more places.
600 MHz's potential for rural coverage has already been proven to work in the wild. In 2017, US operator T-Mobile spent $8 billion USD on licenses for 600 MHz covering the whole country. In the two years since, hundreds of thousands of rural Americans have reaped the rewards.
T-Mobile has rolled out 600 MHz region-byregion, depending on how quickly each state has been able to clear the airwaves previously used by TV stations. In Kansas and Missouri, some of the first states to receive 600 MHz coverage, average download speeds and coverage are up by around 15% compared to Indiana and Ohio, neighbouring states that are yet to see 600 MHz built out.
When looking at just rural areas within those states, the improvement is even more stark: cell signal is 30% better for T-Mobile subscribers in rural Kansas and Missouri, compared to Indiana and Ohio customers. Achieving that kind of coverage improvement typically takes a longterm infrastructure investment, but it's been less than two years since T-Mobile first bought its 600 MHz spectrum, which demonstrates the immediate impact that low-band spectrum can have on rural communications.
In the 21st century, reliable access to highspeed internet is a prerequisite for any business in the services sector. Canada's economy is increasingly shifting from goods-based industries to the services sector, but with reliable internet access a necessity for service-sector businesses, rural areas are being left behind in the transition.
The challenge becomes particularly stark when looking at business size. Over half of service-sector companies have four or fewer employees, and the overwhelming majority of service-sector companies fall into the category of small businesses. Those companies will not be able to afford the high cost of running physical copper or fiber cables to premises — wireline internet installation in rural areas, even when available, can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Wireless access can solve this problem and drastically reduce start-up costs for rural companies; even if the internet service itself is inferior to wireline internet, lowering the infrastructure costs associated with starting a small business would promote entrepreneurship in rural areas.
Thanks to the improved coverage characteristics of 600 MHz spectrum compared to other wireless frequencies, there is improved potential for rural coverage and the provision of reliable mobile internet to previously underserved communities, which could have great knock-on potential for small business growth in rural areas. Fingers crossed that the winners of the 600 MHz auction realize that opportunity, and build out their networks accordingly.


I don't know how many criminal jury trials I have conducted over the last quarter century, but there have been a lot. From those experiences, I am absolutely convinced that Mr. Mesereau is 100% correct–humility, decency, compassion and the absence of arrogance are the hallmarks of every great trial lawyer I have been privileged to watch. Young lawyers who want to be great trial lawyers should figuratively tattoo his words on their foreheads.
I literally just acted on your advice.
Here's looking forward to his FL post.


When the amoebic grocer affairs to accessible a store, it sometimes conducts an audition: Local vendors, some little added than hobbyists, angle things they accomplish or broil with the aspiration of one day bartering an ever-expanding cardinal of Whole Foods' stores. Aloof accepting a artefact best for one Whole Foods abundance is a coveted endorsement.
Among the talents who emerged from about 70 entrepreneurs arrive to audience for the Whole Foods abundance planned for Englewood is Rachel Bernier-Green, who bakes busy amoroso accolade in a bartering kitchen amplitude she rents on Leavitt Street, aloof south of Grand, in Chicago.
"To be on the shelves of Whole Foods, which is my claimed admired grocery store, would be awesome," said Bernier-Green, 27. Her business, Laine's Broil Shop, which ceremoniousness a ancestors name, started as a amusement in 2012 and has been affairs accolade online.
While the Englewood abundance isn't slated to accessible until 2016, Whole Foods advisers were wowed by her accolade and seemed acquisitive to accomplish an actual deal.
"We could buy your artefact afore Englewood," Robert Whittaker, the grocer's Midwest bakery coordinator, told Bernier-Green during an all-day affair Jan. 23 for abeyant suppliers at Kennedy King College at Halsted and 63rd streets. The grocer accustomed Tribune reporters to sit in on the pitches. Whittaker, who said he envisioned Bernier-Green's accolade featured at an all-embracing cookie base in one store, asked her to accelerate aggregate cookie appraisement information.
"I don't anticipate it has sunk in fully," she said as she opened 1-pound blocks of adulate and able to mix sugar, Dutch amber powder, alkali and espresso crumb for thumbprint-cookie capacity headed for a 30-quart mixer. Her sister, Lizzy, is allowance her broil and asks her earlier sister if her thumbprints canyon muster.
Bernier-Green hopes that accepting her bottom in the aperture at one Whole Foods abundance leads to added business with the merchant.
Almost a anniversary afterwards her Whole Foods meeting, while the aroma of her Mexican bells accolade fills the aggregate kitchen, Bernier-Green said she affairs to buy her own applicant freezer and acknowledgment to put in the aggregate kitchen to adapt for bartering artefact to Whole Foods.
Bernier-Green, who additionally dreams of accepting her own retail abundance someday, said she will altercate abeyant costs options for the appliances, prices of which alpha at about $5,000, with the Greater Englewood Community Development Corp., which aims to activation bread-and-er development in the poor neighborhood.
Rachel Bernier-Green, buyer of Laine's Broil Shop, prepares accolade in her busy amplitude at Kitchen Chicago. She afresh pitched her artefact to Whole Foods.
When it comes time to appoint employees, Bernier-Green said she affairs to acquaintance abandoned shelters that accept programs to advice poor bodies acquisition jobs. "We're hopeful we can get three currently abandoned bodies who are in shelters into full-time jobs by the end of the year," she said.
Texas-based Whole Foods said it's abnormally agog on accepting "hyperlocal" products, or those fabricated in neighborhoods, into its stores. It's gluttonous to abutment 25 businesses in Englewood. Attendees acquisitive to acreage business from Whole Foods included Jimmy's Vegan Accolade and Grandma Maud's, a supplier of Southern-style aliment products.
Chicago companies already accept developed as a aftereffect of such deals with Whole Foods. Booty Scrumptious Pantry, which Lee Greene brought from Italy to Logan Square in 2010. A brace of years later, the aggregation awash articles such as pickles in aloof one Whole Foods abundance in Madison, Wis. Greene got a accommodation from the grocer to buy some equipment, including a algidity assemblage so she can banal up on peppers aback they're in season, and now her company's Heirloom hot sauces — fabricated in accord with Co-op Sauce, accession Chicago aggregation — are awash in Whole Foods aliment nationwide.
"There are lots of cool, smart, little aliment about Chicago, but aback you're talking to accession at a affair and you say that your articles are awash at Whole Foods, bodies booty you abundant added seriously," Greene said aftermost week.
Scrumptious Pantry started with one actuality but now has two full-time workers and four part-timers, she said.
Getting the nod from Whole Foods is not accessible because the grocer expects vendors to accommodated its affection standards. Among the artefact no-nos: hydrogenated fats, aerial fructose blah syrup, red dye No. 40, and bogus preservatives, colors, flavors and sweeteners. Added than 50 capacity are banned from body-care products.
"If it does affect your product, we're actuality to adviser you in a new direction," said Julie Blubaugh, a Midwest "forager" for Whole Foods who scouts for items that could be added to new-store shelves.
Among Whole Foods' requirements is that ready-to-eat aliment be able in a accountant bartering kitchen and that articles accommodated government requirements for labeling and weights. Capacity and subingredients charge be disclosed.
Bernier-Green came prepared, handing out an capacity account and answer how she uses agrarian abrade and no preservatives. .
Laine's is based in Chicago's Oakland neighborhood, breadth Bernier-Green lives. In accession to her Mexican bells accolade and thumbprint cookies, she makes amoroso accolade in flavors such as boilerplate bean, orange aroma and mocha. Online, her busy amoroso accolade alpha at $4 apiece for custom designs and $3 for basal designs, with a minimum adjustment of a dozen accolade per flavor.
Bernier-Green, the oldest of six children, said she was home-schooled and that her mother accomplished her fractions through recipes. An accountant, Bernier-Green holds bachelor's degrees in accounts and accounting and a master's in taxation from the University of Illinois at Urban-Champaign.
Bernier-Green does best of the baking and decorating, but her father, mother and sister additionally are complex in the business, which is self-financed. Her sister currently lives in Ann Arbor but is affective aback to Chicago to run circadian operations.
Sonia Negron started her gluten-free baking business bristles months ago.
"About 4,000 brownies I threw abroad in adjustment to actualize recipes that were edible, adorable and wouldn't abatement apart," said Negron, a North Side resident. She does the baking herself.
Negron makes seven kinds of gluten-free brownies in an Elk Grove Village gluten-free bartering kitchen. The treats accept names and recipes that reflect her Latina heritage, including El Mexicano Horchata and Dos Boricuas Fiery Orange. She has been aircraft them as far abroad as New York.
"Right now it's aloof me accomplishing everything," she said.
Negron, whose brownies advertise for $3.75 anniversary in Sweet Natalie's bakery in Geneva, said she was "pleasantly surprised" aback she abstruse about the Whole Foods supplier acme in an email.
She'd like to get into the Englewood abundance and eventually added Whole Foods locations.
Negron's broil boutique was as abundant a claimed endeavor as it was business. She has Celiac disease, an autoimmune ache acquired by bistro gluten.
"I was ailing for seven years and I didn't apperceive what was authoritative me ill," said Negron, ahead an autogenous designer. She went to nine altered doctors and said she was either misdiagnosed or undiagnosed.
"I accomplished it was the aliment that was authoritative me sick," she said.
Negron, 41, said she hopes alive with Whole Foods will acquiesce her to aggrandize her gluten-free card above brownies and to accessible her own retail store.
She's costs her business through acclaim cards and accumulation but is because applying for costs with the Chicago Adjacency Initiatives Micro Accounts Group.
Negron brought forth two of her alone captivated brownies: attic rum and excellent pistachio. She told Whittaker, the Midwest bakery coordinator, that she'd be authoritative the deliveries herself. Negron acclaimed that she buys her amber chips from Schiller Park-based Enjoy Life Foods, which makes foods chargeless of gluten and added above allergens.
"We'd like to get you in sooner," afore Englewood opens, said Whittaker, who said accession from Whole Foods would be in blow with her in three or four weeks. Negron additionally was asked to chase up with some added advice about her ingredients.
"What I'd absolutely like is to accomplish a active accomplishing what I absolutely like — and this what I absolutely like," Robinson, 60, told a Whole Foods coordinator.
Robinson began authoritative bar soap in her Bronzeville home as a amusement three years ago, afterwards she begin that her bark didn't accede with abounding anatomy ablution articles with chemicals. Aback Robinson circling through her email to acquisition advice about the Whole Foods supplier summit, she accomplished that her business, Bath Scents Handcrafted Soaps, could be her livelihood.
Robinson produces organic-certified soaps in a array of fragrances, including auto grass, rosemary and lavender, all from a cordoned-off breadth in her kitchen.
Making soap is a time-consuming process, so Robinson about makes 24 confined in five-week period.
Robinson, who works for an announcement firm, sat bottomward with a Whole Foods coordinator to angle her product.
After acquirements Robinson additionally packaged the soap in recycled paper, the coordinator encouraged her to advance that on the awning as able-bodied as abacus a binding bar code.
The coordinator appeared admiring with Robinson's account to accord out samples and authenticate her artefact in-store afore cogent her they would be in blow for accession meeting.


text:
John Garamendi on Foreign Policy
Moral and strategic interest in strong & secure Israel
The United States has a moral and strategic interest in a strong, secure and viable Israel. The special relationship between the United States and Israel is based on shared values and a commitment to democratic principles. Israel is a democracy and values human rights, having been created not only out of biblical history, but also out of the worst violation of human rights in recent centuries--the Holocaust. Israel remains the only true democracy in the Middle East; therefore it is in the critical interest of the United States to strongly support Israel and its people.
The United States must continue to support the defense of Israel, including honoring its foreign aid commitments as set forth in the August 2007 Memorandum of Understanding on U.S. Military Assistance. Further, our nations must work jointly to eliminate domestic and international terrorism and to stop the spread of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. Source: 2010 House campaign website, www.garamendi.org, "Issues" , Nov 3, 2009
Resolved long-standing issues between Guam and US government
Guam: I was appointed by President Clinton to be the Special U.S. Negotiator to resolve a series of long-standing issues related to the island territory's relationship to the United States.
Tourism & Travel: Fulfilling the goals of the White House Conference on Travel and Tourism, I led the Interior Department's efforts to more fully integrate the country's natural, historic and cultural resources into the tourism and recreation sector of the economy. Source: 2010 House campaign website, www.garamendi.org, "Issues" , Nov 3, 2009
Protect Congo's national parks while negotiating peace
As a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (my wife Patti and I spent our two years fighting smallpox in rural Ethiopia), I formed a new team that is actively engaged in negotiating a peace settlement in the Congo. The team is bringing people together around an emphasis on environmental protection and the preservation of the nation's five national parks with their incomparable flora and fauna. Source: 2010 House campaign website, www.garamendi.org, "Issues" , Nov 3, 2009
Diplomacy should always be our first mission abroad
My perspective on foreign policy has been shaped by these primary principles:
America's moral authority as the world's leader of free nations rests on a devotion to human rights and individual liberty for all citizens of all nations.
Diplomacy should always be our first mission in international relations, and ultimately, is almost always the best way to resolve conflicts abroad.
Source: 2010 House campaign website, www.garamendi.org, "Issues" , Nov 3, 2009
Rated +2 by AAI, indicating pro-Arab pro-Palestine voting record.
Garamendi scores +2 by AAI on Arab-Israeli issues
The Arab American Institute has compiled a Scorecard to catalogue the voting record of the 112th Congress on issues of importance to the Arab American community. For the House, we included 15 items: two bills on the Arab Spring, five bills and one letter on Palestine, two bills on Lebanon, three bills and a letter regarding civil liberties, and two bills on immigration.
H.Res. 88 (+): supporting democratic aspirations in Egypt
H.R. 2643 (+): penalizing the Bahraini government for attacking medical personnel
H.R. 1006 (-): the Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act
H.R. 1501 (-): withholding US contributions until the UN retracts accusations of Israeli war crimes.
H.Res. 268 (-): opposing any unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state
H.R. 2457 (-): prohibiting any US government document from referring to "Palestine"
H.R. 2829 (-): defunding the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. The bill's 141 co-sponsors receive a (-).
8. (+). Rep. David Price (D-NC) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) issued a letter titled "Support Palestinian Aid and Israel's Security," in which they call upon Congress to continue aid to the Palestinian Authority.
H.R. 2215 (*) "to ensure that United States taxpayer dollars are not used to fund terrorist entities in Lebanon
H.R. 996 (+): to raise awareness of the use of cluster munitions where civilians are present
H.R. 140 (-): the "Birthright Citizenship Act, to eliminate "anchor babies" by changing the 14th Amendment.
H. Res. 283 (+): to counter violence and discrimination against Muslim, Arab, Sikh, and South Asian communities
H.R. 1805 (-): authorizing an extension of the USA PATRIOT Act until 2013, and amending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)
H.R. 1842 (+): the DREAM Act to protect undocumented minors pursuing higher education.
H.R. 1932 (-): the Keep our Communities Safe Act for greater power to detain undocumented immigrants.
Source: AAI website 12-AAI-H on May 2, 2012
Commitment to unbreakable U.S.-Israel bond.
Garamendi signed Hoyer-Cantor letter to Secy. Clinton from 327 House members
Dear Secretary Clinton:
We are writing to reaffirm our commitment to the unbreakable bond that exists between our country and the State of Israel and to express to you our deep concern over recent tension. In every important relationship, there will be occasional misunderstandings and conflicts.
Our valuable bilateral relationship with Israel needs and deserves constant reinforcement. As the Vice-President said during his recent visit to Israel: "Progress occurs in the Middle East when everyone knows there is simply no space between the U.S. and Israel when it comes to security, none. No space." Steadfast American backing has helped lead to Israeli peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan. And American involvement continues to be critical to the effort to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
We recognize that, despite the extraordinary closeness between our country and Israel, there will be differences over issues both large and small. Our view is that such differences are best resolved quietly, in trust and confidence, as befits longstanding strategic allies. We hope and expect that, with mutual effort and good faith, the United States and Israel will move beyond this disruption quickly, to the lasting benefit of both nations. Source: Hoyer-Cantor letter to Secy. Clinton from 327 House members 2010-LT-UB on Mar 25, 2010
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Continuing the Shield trilogy, WWE Volume 2 follows the most unhinged former member of The Shield: Dean Ambrose.
Dean Ambrose is bluecollar toughness personified. He's not the biggest guy in the ring. He's not the strongest. But you have another thing coming if you expect him to stay down.
If that were all, that would be enough. But Dean Ambrose is also known as the Lunatic Fringe and naturally he's going to run into trouble while on the road traveling from one gig to another. Dean may have bitten off more than he can chew when he finds himself face-to-face with the beast incarnate Brock Lesnar on the path to WrestleMania. Welcome to Suplex City, Dean. Enjoy your stay.