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Tag Archives: Till Death Us Do Part
Jul 17, 2019 · 7:55 pm
Tony Blair's Muslim sister-in-law is performing at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Muslim sister-in-law is performing at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Lauren Booth, Tony Blair's sister-in-law, was a very vocal opponent of the 2003 Iraq War and a supporter of the Stop The War Coalition.
She is performing Accidentally Muslim at this year's Edinburgh Fringe.
She trained as an actress, became a journalist and converted to Islam in 2010.
Her father was actor Tony Booth, who became famous as the Left Wing son-in-law of Alf Garnett in BBC TV's sitcom Till Death Us Do Part.
"Your mother's maiden name was Pamela Cohen"
Accidentally Muslim is a dramatisation of her 2016 memoir Finding Peace in the Holy Land.
JOHN: Do you still exchange Christmas cards with Tony Blair?
LAUREN: Yes.
JOHN: So you are persona grata…
LAUREN: Ehhh… Well, I think there's a lot of love in the family.
JOHN: Your mother was Susie Riley née Pamela Cohen. That's a Jewish name.
LAUREN: Yeah. Her father, my grandfather, was Jewish.
JOHN: Was her mother Jewish?
LAUREN: No.
JOHN: So she's technically not Jewish.
LAUREN: That's right.
JOHN: There's a lot of stuff at the moment about anti-Semitism in the Labour Party. Can someone be anti-Israel without being anti-Jewish?
LAUREN: I'm not going to go into that, because that's not in my show.
JOHN: So…?
LAUREN: It's not the same at all.
JOHN: Why not?
Lauren in Iran with an anti-Zionist Rabbi and Christian priest
LAUREN: Because you can be against a political regime without wishing harm on people who follow a faith. There are Zionists who are not Jewish and it's the political ideas that people protest against.
JOHN: Why are you an 'accidental' Muslim?
LAUREN: Because things kept happening to me that pushed me in one direction until, one day, I pretty much woke up and went: Whaaaaat?? – Oh! OK! Right!
Some people will go and read and study for six years. Other people will just accept a faith. But I was resisting. I was like: Nice food, but no thankyou. And… it just happened.
JOHN: You saw a report on TV in 2000 of a boy who got shot in the Gaza Strip and then you accidentally found yourself in his village.
JOHN: Are you Sunni or Shiite?
LAUREN: I just say I am Muslim.
JOHN: Can you be?
LAUREN: You can, because everything is between our hearts and the Creator. I just think it's really disingenuous and unhelpful to get involved in sectarianism.
JOHN: Don't people say: "You have to be with us or them"?
LAUREN: Yes, unfortunately that happens and that's why I don't go into it.
JOHN: How do you spell the faith? Moslem or Muslim?
LAUREN: Muslim. Like the word mosque. You know the origin? Apparently the colonial troops in India described the people flocking to their religious building as mosquitos – that eeeee sound. There were thousands of them and you didn't want them, so that's why it's 'mosque'. Most Muslims refer to it as 'masjid'.
Young Sarah Jane later Lauren Booth
JOHN: You were born Sarah Jane Booth. So where did 'Lauren' come from?
LAUREN: It's an Equity name. There was already an actress called Sarah Jane Booth, my height, brown hair, brown eyes, born the same year.
JOHN: That is rather creepy. You have a doppelgänger!
(LAUREN HUMS THE THEME TO THE TWILIGHT ZONE)
LAUREN: I just plucked 'Lauren' out of the air.
JOHN: Accidentally Muslim is billed as a play in the Theatre section of the Edinburgh Fringe Programme. Is it a play or a monologue?
LAUREN: A monologue.
JOHN: So is it a monologue about how we should all become Muslims?
LAUREN: Absolutely not.
JOHN: But it's going to be a terribly serious talk about death, destruction and…
LAUREN: Well, I've just come out of rehearsals for it and we've been roaring with laughter for 30 minutes. It has some real light and shade in it.
JOHN: You have a director for the show. You started as an actress, then became a journalist. You can write and you can act. Why do you need a director?
LAUREN: It would have been such an act of arrogance to have come back after 26 years of not being on the stage as an actor and say: "I can do this on my own!"… It would have been a catastrophe. I wanted to dramatise the story and make it 'live'. It has a soundscape and visuals and lighting cues and I play twelve characters. So it's very much not a lecture.
JOHN: So it's not a monologue: it IS more of a play.
LAUREN: Is it a one woman dramatisation? Does that work? One of the characters I play is Billy Connolly.
One of the 12 characters Lauren will play (Photograph by Eva Rinaldi)
JOHN: If you have to cover your head for religious reasons and you don't have a beard, how are you going to do that?
LAUREN: You'll have to see the play to find out.
JOHN: Good PR!… So the play is a coming-together of your skills as an actress, journalist, world traveller…?
LAUREN: You know, going through these rehearsals, it's a story of somebody who's by chance at certain pivotal moments in history and has certain realisations along the way. It covers 40 years, 12 characters, 2 faiths and 2 or 3 continents.
JOHN: Which continent is the Middle East in?
LAUREN: It's a totally Orientalist term. The Orientalists said Britain is the middle of the world and everything else (beyond the English Channel) is East, so it is the Middle of the East.
JOHN: It's certainly not Africa; it's certainly not Europe; it's not Asia.
LAUREN: What about calling it Middle Earth?
JOHN: We would have to worry about the Nazgûl coming in. Talking of which, among others, you wrote for the New Statesman AND for the Mail on Sunday. There's a – eh – mixture of politics in there.
LAUREN: Well, my politics was always the same. I like to tell myself that the Right Wing paid for my Left Wing pretensions. But I don't know if ethically, looking back, that really works. Can you take quite so much money off Associated Newspapers and still be Left Wing? That's up for debate. But I wrote what I wanted. They did give me free rein and I did get some good stories that I wanted in because I used to stand-in for Suzanne Moore: hardly a bastion of the Right.
I described doing that kind of job as being an aquifer for hatred for Middle England.
JOHN: …and at the New Statesman? The type of stuff you were writing was…?
LAUREN: I would call myself "a chronicler of London society" at that time.
The Daily Mail's photo of Lauren with her dad Tony Booth
JOHN: Someone said, when you converted, you had moved "from hedonism to hajj". Your dad, actor Tony Booth, was very Bohemian.
LAUREN: Well, we are all products of our childhood and my dad taught me an awful lot. He taught me how to roll a spliff that would look like a cigarette.
JOHN: Remembered fondly.
LAUREN: Absolutely.
JOHN: You've worked for Press TV AND Al Jazeera. Press TV? That's pure propaganda…
LAUREN: It was the only place to get out some really good information about Palestine.
JOHN: You spend a lot of time in the Middle East?
LAUREN: I haven't been for five years. I'm hoping to go back to Qatar. I can't really get into Gaza at the moment. The last time I went through Israel was 2009. The problem with getting into Gaza is you can't get in through Egypt. You have to go in through Israel.
JOHN: Do you personally, specifically have problems getting into Israel?
LAUREN: I haven't so far.
JOHN: You were on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2006. Why did you do that?
LAUREN: Because it was adventure. The only thing that scared me was bungee jumping and I did three… Three!
JOHN: The viewers voted that you had to?
LAUREN: Yeah.
JOHN: You are always going to be tarred with Tony Blair… but the good side is you will always get coverage out of it.
LAUREN: It's not about coverage. I have no issue with it having been a door-opener. At certain times, you have to say: That door was absolutely opened because of it. What you do when you get inside, though, is what defines you. So I am very grateful for that and I hope I've used it for good and made some points that needed to be made and told stories for people who don't normally get their stories told.
JOHN: I was going to say it's a cross you have to bear. But I suppose it's a crescent you have to bear.
LAUREN: Can I have that for the play?
JOHN: It's yours.
Filed under Islam, Palestine, Politics, Religion
Tagged as Accidentally Muslim, Al Jazeera, anti-semitism, Associated Newspapers, Billy Connolly, edinburgh fringe, Finding Peace in the Holy Land, Islam, Israel, Jewish, Lauren Booth, Mail on Sunday, Middle East, New Statesman, Pamela Cohen, Press TV, Susie Riley, Suzanne Moore, Till Death Us Do Part, Tony Blair, Tony Booth
Apr 15, 2015 · 12:34 pm
How Left Wing TV writers won an election for Margaret Thatcher, the godmother of UK alternative comedy
The new ITV series Newzoids starts tonight. A satirical programme about politicians, performed by puppets. (Not too far removed from real life, then.)
"It sounds just like Spitting Image," I suggested yesterday to Dave Cohen, who is one of the writers on Newzoids. Dave is also the man who originally created the oft-used saying Comedy is the new rock 'n' roll.
"W-e-e-e-e-l-l," said Dave, "That's the first thing people compare it to."
"How far ahead is Newzoids recorded?" I asked.
Dave Cohen, the man behind television's political laughter
"Like Spitting Image," Dave said, "over a long period of time. I've been doing mainly songs for it. And the odd sketch.
"The songs have to be done quite a long time in advance.
"We were doing music at the start of the year – January/February.
"Most of the show has been made and I think they have a 2 or 3 minute window to add things."
"That's very dodgy during a General Election campaign," I suggested.
"Well," said Dave, "I'm surprised four episodes are going out before the election because, all the years I've worked on topical shows and at the BBC, there was always this absolute decree that you must be equally rude about everybody. But maybe, because it's ITV…"
"Spitting Image," I said, "transmitted an episode on Election night, but only immediately after the polls closed. Margaret Thatcher singing Tomorrow Belongs To Me…"
"That was actually from another episode," said Dave.
"But very effective," I said, ignoring my mistake.
"A lot of people," said Dave, "thought Spitting Image won the election for the Tories in 1992. Which was a paradox. Everybody who was writing for Spitting Image hated the Tories. I'd say most people who write and perform comedy in general are Left-ish or Left or very Left. The BBC are always moaning that they're desperate to get Right Wing people on quiz shows. I think I agree – and I am not Right Wing myself – but the trouble is finding them. There are not that many."
"You have scripted for Have I Got News For You," I prompted.
"God, yes," said Dave. "Over the years, I've written for William Hague, Robin Cook, Neil Kinnock – that was the worst one ever. He guest-hosted."
"Why was he a nightmare?" I asked.
"When you have some professional comedian like Jo Brand or Lee Mack hosting the show, they'll say OK, give that line to me; I'll do it my way, and you trust that. But, when Neil Kinnock says: It's OK. Don't worry. I'll sort it out… Apparently he wouldn't do any of the script in rehearsal either. I went to the recording and it was an absolute nightmare, really."
Neil Kinnock: Have I got a loser for you?
"Did he look good on transmission?" I asked. "I sat through one recording of Have I Got News For You and it was two-and-a-half hours of recording for a half-hour show."
"All I can say," said Dave, "is that Neil Kinnock looked relatively better in the half hour edit."
"Getting back," I said, "to Spitting Image – with Left-leaning writers influencing the result of the 1992 Election, which the Conservative Party won…"
"Well," said Dave, "there was all this slagging-off the Tories, as you'd expect but, when it came to Labour, there was maybe more anger because Labour were so crap – they were not criticising the poll tax or the Tory cuts and Neil Kinnock was being a bit useless. And that anger also seemed to hit a chord with voters who, even if they hated the Tories, thought: At least they're better than Labour."
"Well," I suggested, "on Spitting Image, Neil Kinnock's character was a floundering Welsh windbag. Margaret Thatcher was very strong in her male business suit. And Norman Tebbit in his leather jacket looked really aggressive – I guess he was supposed to be a devilish-type figure – but, as a result, he actually came across as a strong politician."
"Well," said Dave, "Johnny Speight created Alf Garnett (the central right wing character in Till Death Us Do Part) as a monster and the worse he made him the more loveable he became to the audience. People were saying: Oh, Alf Garnett? We love Alf Garnett! Alf Garnett for Prime Minister! That was another thing with Spitting Image – However hard they made Tebbit and Thatcher, people just went: Hahha! Look at the funny monsters!"
"I always," I said, "thought Alf Garnett was very complicated because, if you agreed with his views, you agreed with his views and the young git sitting on the sofa (his Left Wing son-in-law, played by Tony Booth, father of future Prime Minister Tony Blair's wife Cherie) was just some young idiot. There was nothing to change your existing views. And I always thought, in reality, Alf Garnett would have been a Labour voter: a real dyed-in-the-wool working class conservative-with-a-small-c Labour voter."
There is a clip of Till Death Us Do Part on YouTube.
"Well, this is an interesting area," said Dave. "There was this myth at the time that people who voted Labour could not be racists or sexists. And that's sort-of mostly true now but certainly, in my experience in my stand-up comedy years, there was then a lot of sexism on the circuit."
I said: "I think dyed-in-the-wool Labour voters over a certain age are very conservative with a small c."
"I think where Labour is losing votes to UKIP in this election," said Dave, "it's where those type of attitudes still persist. In cosmopolitan places like London and Manchester, even people who aren't satisfied with Labour are not going to UKIP whereas, in some of the places where things haven't changed so much and people are more dyed-in-the-wool and there are older people in older communities, they're the ones who are going to UKIP."
"Margaret Thatcher still divides people," I said.
"She was a brilliant politician," said Dave. "She did do all these amazing things like the Channel Tunnel, which brought us closer to Europe. She was the first person to say climate change is happening and we've got to do something about it. People forget the very pragmatic side to her. But…"
"You could almost be a fan," I laughed.
"I got utterly stitched-up by a Daily Telegraph journalist," said Dave. "When my book How To Be Averagely Successful at Comedy came out, he interviewed me and there's a chapter in my book in which I say that Margaret Thatcher probably did more to help alternative comedy than anyone else.
Godmother of British Comedy?
"Not just for the jokes but also by allowing people to be unemployed. She basically said: Unemployment is a price worth paying for getting rid of all our old manufacturing industries. So people of my era – I'm from Leeds but I was a journalist in South Wales – just moving to London, unemployed, only had to sign-on once a week, didn't have to go to Job Centres, were allowed to earn a certain amount of money every week and were still allowed to sign-on as long as we declared it. You still got your housing benefit and your dole money.
"The alternative comedy clubs were starting up and The Young Ones had become famous on TV and suddenly there were loads of clubs in London and not enough comedians to play them. I was doing 3 or 4 gigs a week and being paid £20 here, £30 there. All legit and all thanks to Margaret Thatcher.
"So this journalist gave me a nice plug for my book in the Daily Telegraph but said Dave Cohen says Margaret Thatcher had a fantastic sense of humour – I didn't say that at all!"
"People demonise her," I said.
"Well," said Dave. "I've been thinking more about how to deal with politicians, because the social media has become so polarised now – You HAVE to be one thing or another. But I think, really, you've got to engage seriously with people you disagree with. However much you disagree with people, you'll always find a few things you can agree on and that's where you have to start from, really."
The Immigrant Diaries are coming to the South Bank soon
"You told me," I said, "that you are in a storytelling show called Immigrant Diaries in two Fridays' time at the Purcell Room on the South Bank."
"Yes," said Dave. "I'll be telling the story of that fateful day in 1994 when a bunch of comedians got together when the (extreme right wing) BNP were doing very well in the Isle of Dogs – it's in my book too."
"I think everyone in Britain," I said, "is a bloody immigrant except a few people in Wales who speak Welsh and ironically don't want to be British. But then, go far enough back, everyone is an immigrant in every country."
"I am working," said Dave, "on a show for the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn in July – a Muslim/Jewish comedy show. The fact that Jews and Muslims can get together to create a comedy show is considered quite a shocking thing by some people. The very idea they can have a dialogue! The auditions are happening next week."
Filed under Comedy, Politics, Television
Tagged as Alf Garnett, Dave Cohen, General Election, Have I Got News For You, Johnny Speight, Margaret Thatcher, Neil Kinnock, Newzoids, politics comedy, satire, Spitting Image, Till Death Us Do Part, TV
Feb 23, 2014 · 11:44 am
Political comedy, racism and Jew jokes
A Liam Lonergan photo. Not everything is so black and white.
Yesterday's blog was a continuation of a chat I had with Liam Lonergan for his BA (Hons) course in Creative and Media Writing at the University of Portsmouth.
Earlier in our chat, we talked partly about my idea that British sitcoms which have lasted the test of time have often been set in tragic not comic situations.
Here is another extract:
Liam: It's sort of a rubbish question and I hate asking it but Is comedy actually important?
John: I guess it must be important because if there's a totalitarian regime they don't allow it. I somehow suspect there were not many Nazi comedy clubs – or, if there were, the jokes were all about Jews. So maybe they had some great Jewish jokes. Swings and roundabouts.
But totalitarian regimes are frightened of comedy and frightened of humour. If you made a joke about General Franco in Spain in the 1950s you would got arrested. Because I think you can change people's opinions – slowly – with comedy. The trouble with a lot of political comedy, of course, is that comics are preaching to the converted. The left wing comedians who seem terribly popular are popular with left wing audiences. So they're not actually doing anything at all.
Liam: Politics has merged into one now…
John: In the 1980s alternative comedy started because it was Mrs Thatcher. It took off because she was perceived as a right-wing, fairly authoritarian prime minister and the left-wingers had a field day. With the Conservatives (effectively) back in power, I don't quite understand why that left-wing political comedy thing hasn't come back again.
Liam: I think it's easy to chuck something at something that's made of lead – like Thatcher – but something that's made of marshmallow, like Cameron… there's no point chucking anything at it. It just moulds itself to accommodate the object that's being flung at it.
Ben Elton – he used to be a political comic back in the 1980s
John: Maybe it was all done before in the 1980s and you can't repeat… you can't swim the same river twice or something. I dunno… Errr.. I have no idea where I'm going with this. Have you found out what your actual thesis is yet?
Liam: Well, I think you opened it up for me when you talked earlier about this comedy/tragedy thing. That's something I've been really interested in for ages. So I think I might lean it towards that.
John: Well, American TV sitcoms like Cheers and all those shows, they're written by committees and it's gag, gag, gag, gag, gag and not really primarily personality based. David Croft's BBC ensemble sitcoms, which are almost in a class of their own, were by-and-large written by two people: David Croft and someone else. They are by-and-large personality based. They're not primarily gag based. Dad's Army does have lots of gags in it but it's actually personality based.
Most other British sitcoms that have lasted are personality-based in a tragic situation… Terry and June has not lasted; One Foot In The Grave has.
Liam: Do you think there's any American comedy that has that vein – that sort of dark thread running through it – that you like?
John: I did like Maude. Have you ever seen Maude?
Liam: No.
John: It was with Bea Arthur. She went on to be in The Golden Girls as well. But Maude was sometimes wonderfully dark and she was an arguably sometimes unsympathetic central character. In Britain, it was transmitted as a half hour with one commercial break in the middle.
Bea Arthur as Maude; Bill Macy as husband Walter
She's a married late middle-aged woman and, in this one particular episode I remember, her husband's long-lost chum who had been with him during the War was gonna turn up. He turns up at the end of Part One and he's excited to meet his long-lost comrade and goes "Urghh!!" and falls on the floor behind the settee. Cut to commercial break. When you come back… he's dead! So for the whole of the second half of the episode, the husband's going: "Oh my god. I killed him! If I hadn't arranged this today!… Oh my god, he had a heart attack…I killed my best friend!"
Bloody hell! This is an American sitcom! And Maude was sort of dark and had… It was more sort of vaguely Jewish humour.
Liam: With the American Office you've got to separate it from the British version. It's a completely different sort of beast. The main character played by Steve Carrell is, in a more subtle way… he's a dark character. The fact that he's absolutely full of desperation and is in love with this idea of love but it's never fulfilled.
John: Another British comedy set in an unfunny situation (that was funny) is Till Death Us Do Part. I saw a few episodes of the American version – All In The Family – and it wasn't as dark. He was not as dislikeable a character.
Also 'dislikable' is in the eye of the beholder.
Till Death Us Do Part was interesting because it was written by Johnny Speight and supposedly Alf Garnett was a character to be despised and frowned upon. But I always had a feeling that it reinforced people's prejudices. People who were already bigoted wouldn't be turned by the way his character was written. We're talking about trying to change people's attitudes. The whole point of that was to turn people's attitudes so they realised what a bigot he was and I'm sure…
Liam: …it reinforced it.
John: Yes, absolutely reinforced the bigotry. I'm sure if you were that sort of person you would sit there and think: "Yeah, Alf's quite right. That Liverpool yobbo son-in-law IS a wanker and Alf is the voice of reason."
Liam: I think Jimmy Carr has used quotes… holding a mirror up to racism and laughing at racism rather than race. He's laughing at the racism rather than race.
Love Thy Neighbour – a top-rating comedy show of the 1970s
John: I always thought Love Thy Neighbour – which has not lasted, because it wasn't tragedy – was always very dodgy. I saw it when it first went out and I always thought: "I'm not sure I like this very much". And Mind Your Language, which was set in a language school, was just full of stereotypes and I thought it… was just about OK but it wasn't really… It was just… There's a difference between…
Liam: Like, cartoon racism?
John: There's a difference between making fun of stereotypes and being too close to being racist. I think you can say (I'm Scottish myself) all Scots are drunks as a joke. And that's fine. That's actual comic social observation, taken to an extreme. There is a drinking problem in Scotland. So Scots are drunk and dour. The Irish are drunk and sing Tiddle-ee-aye music. The Welsh sing a lot in choirs. The English are either toffee-nosed or football hooligans.
Liam: Or sexually repressed.
John: Or sexually repressed. Yeah. Yeah. So there's a difference between taking a slight tendency to an extreme simply to deliver a punchline and laugh about it… and saying people are to be despised or reviled because of something. That's arguably the difference between Jewish jokes and jokes about Jews. It's attitude.
If you're abroad, the English are seen as two simultaneous stereotypes which are mutually exclusive but which run together. The English are either very snooty, upmarket public school people who look down on you and have a superiority complex – or they're the dregs-of-society football hooligans. Both views have some basis in reality. And you can make jokes about both. But the first tends towards humour, which is acceptable, and the second tends towards xenophobia, which is not. It's a fine line and it moves.
Filed under Comedy, Politics, Racism
Tagged as Alf Garnett, Be a Arthur, Cheers, comedy, Dad's Army, dark, David Croft, Jewish, Jimmy Carr, Johnny Speight, Love Thy Neighbour, Maude, Mind Your Language, politics, racism, sitcoms, stereotypes, Thatcher, Till Death Us Do Part, xenophobia
Aug 31, 2011 · 10:23 am
Even if you get famous you are probably going to end up an unknown nonentity
At the Edinburgh Fringe last week, I was talking to someone about the fame of Tony Bennett, the great crooner from the golden era of crooners. He even played Glastonbury because he is so famous as the great crooner from the golden era of crooners.
More of him later.
I got home from the bubble of the Edinburgh Fringe yesterday, where reviews and the number of stars each show gets is all-important.
Hold on. Was it yesterday I got home? No, it was Monday. My mind is fogged.
I got home from the Edinburgh Fringe two days ago to find The X Factor has re-started on ITV1 or, at least, programmes in which vast auditoria are filled by excited punters watching the auditions for The X Factor… and Celebrity Big Brother is doing rather well in ratings terms on Channel 5, though I do not recognise anyone on it except the paparazzo with pink hair, Jedward and (because she seemed drugged out of her head) someone I realised was Kerry Katona (and because people keep calling her "Kerry").
This demonstrates two things.
Edinburgh really is a self-absorbed bubble.
I am out-of-touch with Heat magazine.
And celebrity is fleeting.
That's three things.
My mind is fogged.
But I do know there are two clichés of showbiz success.
One is the overnight success and the other is the scenario of plodding-away-for-years, 'paying your dues' and then becoming famous.
Of these, the overnight success cliché is easier to comprehend. Talent shows like The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent are like job interviews and non-showbiz viewers can understand that. Showbiz talent shows are like The Apprentice – which has the format of a glorified job interview – with added glitter and stardust.
To the ordinary punter, Michael McIntyre is an overnight success much like an X Factor contestant. It seemed like he was a total unknown one week and, within a month or so, he seemed to just come from nowhere to achieve what punters regard as superstardom.
But last year sometime (my mind is fogged) he said he did not want to crack America because "it's taken me long enough to sort things out here and I don't want to start again somewhere else."
Whether that is actually 100% true and he doesn't actually want to crack America, I don't know. But he has certainly paid his dues. He was toiling away for years, mostly unseen, and has eventually succeeded through solid, dogged hard work and talent.
Many others with exactly the same degree of talent or more, also working doggedly for their big break are, of course, still toiling away and will never get even a tenth of one percent of the public recognition Michael McIntyre has received.
Michael McIntyre deserves to be successful.
So do many other equally talented performers.
So, perhaps, do some of the X Factor hopefuls.
But they won't be.
Because talent is not enough.
Dogged determination and hard work is not enough.
Paying your dues is not enough.
The three ingredients for potential success are talent (not always 100% necessary), dogged determination and pure luck.
The joker in the pack is that many vastly talented people have a self-destructive streak. They have the seeds of their own failure within them.
One of the oddest problems is that many performers, confident on stage, are painfully shy off stage. This means they are terrified of self-publicity when off-stage. Being themselves is a terrifying thought, so they ironically do not want and/or do not understand self-publicity.
But without self-publicity, it is unlikely they will succeed.
And, as several years of Big Brother show, even with rampant self-publicity, celebrity is fleeting.
When I was very young, the biggest comedy and entertainment name on British television was Arthur Haynes. His scripts were written by Johnny Speight.
Ask most struggling professional British comics today who Johnny Speight was and they may know because of Till Death Us Do Part.
Ask them who Arthur Haynes was and they will look at you blankly.
Who was his long-time TV straight man?
Nicholas Parsons.
The also-ran has become a star; the megastar is forgotten.
Because the other way to achieve fame is to out-live the competition.
Tony Bennett – the great crooner from the golden era of crooners?
Bollocks.
There was Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Perry Como, endless others.
At the time, Tony Bennett was way down the list of crooners. But he outlived them all, so his place in the running-order of fame has risen.
Perry Como was a megastar.
I hear muffled cries of "Who?"
Fame is like a TV weather forecast.
Everyone thinks it's important to pay attention at the time but, ten minutes later, you can't remember it.
Filed under Comedy, Music, PR, Television
Tagged as Apprentice, Arthur Haynes, Big Brother, Britain's Got Talent, celebrity, Dean Martin, edinburgh, fame, festival, Frank Sinatra, Glastonbury, Jedward, Johnny Speight, Kerry Katona, Michael McIntyre, Nicholas Parsons, paparazzi, Perry Como, stardom, talent, Till Death Us Do Part, Tony Bennett, X Factor
Jan 23, 2011 · 10:44 am
The funniest British TV sitcoms are actually tragedies and the latest one is neither British nor a sitcom
(This blog later appeared on Chortle, the UK comedy industry website)
Last night, I caught bits-and-pieces of a documentary on the making of the classic and still funny BBC TV series 'Allo 'Allo – one of the wonderful ensemble sitcoms produced by David Croft – Are You Being Served?, Dad's Army, Hi-de-Hi!, It Ain't Half Hot Mum et al.
One night last year, I sat through an entire evening of BBC3 comedy – four programmes – without a single smile. I think the main problem – especially with sitcoms – is that the writers think the object is to write funny lines for funny characters in inherently comic situations.
But, with the exception of David Croft's various series, I think the classic British sitcoms are almost all, at heart, tragedies. They are centred on unfunny characters in tragic situations.
From Hancock's Half Hour through to One Foot in the Grave, the central sitcom characters are not funny people. And the situations are not funny.
The Tony Hancock character is a pompous, insecure, humourless and self-obsessed prat – you wouldn't want to be stuck in a lift with him. But the series are very funny.
The situation in Steptoe and Son is that both flawed characters are trapped by their suffocating relationship. The (again slightly pompous) son wants to escape to a wider, more exciting world but is trapped by a sad old father terrified of losing his son and being alone.
Till Death Us Do Part featured another suffocating relationship where a racial bigot, bitter at life in a modern world he hates and his long-suffering wife are trapped by poverty with their daughter and loud-mouthed, know-it-all son-in-law in a claustrophobic circle of constant arguments and ego-battles. It's a near definitive situation of personal hell.
In One Foot in the Grave, a bitter, grumpy old man and his wife are trapped in a childless and almost entirely loveless relationship but have been together so long they have no alternatives left. In one masterful episode, they are in bed in the dark throughout; the camera never leaves the room; it transpires at the end that they once had a child who died – hardly the stuff of cliché, knockabout comedy.
Only Fools and Horses is slightly funnier in its situation and in the way it plays, but still features a rather sad and insecure loser at its heart in what, in reality, would be an unfunny situation.
Even The Office (much over-rated) has an unsympathetic and again very insecure central character you would hate to work for or with.
The American, partly Jewish vaudeville-based tradition of TV sitcoms is to have a high laugh-per-speech count written by large teams of gag writers.
The classic British sitcoms which have lasted the test of time are written by single writers or a pair of writers and, ignoring David Croft's shows (almost a genre in their own right), they tend to have what would in reality be unsympathetic central characters in tragic situations.
Ironically, the most consistently funny situation comedy currently screening on British television is neither a sitcom nor British. At the time of writing, episodes from three different series of the American show are being screened on three different British channels every week – by ITV1 before lunchtime on Saturdays, by ITV3 on Thursday evenings and it is stripped at breakfast time on Quest.
Monk is, in theory, a US detective/police procedural series about a sad and lonely former detective with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, without friends, unable to function in the everyday world and unable to get over the murder of his wife several years ago. Almost every episode has tear-jerking pathos and almost every episode is more genuinely funny than any number of current British sitcoms where the writers are wrongly attempting to put funny lines in the mouths of inherently funny characters dropped into funny situations.
Although it is clearly NOT a comedy series – it is clearly a detective/mystery/police procedural series – over the years it ran (2002-2009) it won three Emmys and had thirteen other nominations in the Comedy Series category.
If you want to know how to write a sitcom, watch Monk.
Filed under Comedy, Television
Tagged as Allo Allo, American, Are You Being Served, award, bbc, BBC3, bigot, british, Carl Reiner, classic, cop, Dad's Army, David Brent, David Croft, detective, Emmy, gag writer, genre, Hancock's Half Hour, Hi-de-Hi, humor, humour, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, ITV1, ITV3, Jewish, Larry Gelbart, Mel Brooks, Monk, Neil Simon., Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, One Foot in the Grave, Only Fools and Horses, police procedural, Quest, racial, series, show, Sid Caesar, sitcom, situation comedy, Steptoe and Son, television, The Office, Till Death Us Do Part, Tony Hancock, tragedies, tragedy, tragi-comedy, TV, uk, US, vaudeville, woody allen, writing teams


"Let's go on a road trip." When Viv said this, I had no idea he meant driving 3500 kilometres through the entire country of New Zealand, covering both North and South Islands through mountains, valleys, deserts, bridges and what not. However, I was excited as he loves to drive and I love being driven around. And we set off for what was to be the most fabulous holiday of our lives so far.
A little bit about New Zealand first. In the early 14th century, Polynesian settlers arrived in canoes. Their ancestor Kupe had found the country 400 years earlier and named it 'Land of the long white cloud'. In 1642 Dutch explorer Abel Tasman landed there and called it 'Nieuw Zeeland'. In 1769, British navigator Captain James Cook arrived and hoisted the Union Jack. In 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, making New Zealand a British colony, putting the Maori people under the protection of the crown and promises of continuing rights to tribal lands. In 1947, New Zealand became an independent nation as a member of the British Commonwealth.
Though the indigenous culture is Polynesian Maori, the country shows heavy influence of European settlers. This has resulted in a good multi-cultural mix with English and Maori being the official languages. People are friendly and worship sports, especially rugby. What cricket is to India, rugby is to New Zealand. Home to writer Katherine Mansfield, actor Russell Crowe and director of the 'Lord of the Rings' fame Peter Jackson, New Zealand is indeed middle Earth.
There are five geographic hubs in NZ - Auckland, Rotorua and Wellington in the North Island and Christchurch and Queenstown in the South Island - and we were going to cover all these and more! NZ has an excellent network of roads and abundant natural beauty - I couldn't get over how mountains, valleys, lakes, beaches, deserts and glaciers can all be found in the same country!
We landed at Auckland airport on 10th February where we were supposed to be greeted by the car rental people. To our shock, there was no sign of them. Finally after making a few calls, they came to pick us up and told us that there had been some miscommunication between them and our agent who had not told us that we would be received at another gate. Anyway, we got our car, an adorable silver Mitsubishi Colt Plus, and armed with a city map, we were off to the Sky City Hotel.
Our holiday started with a lot of rain!
While Viv was getting used to driving an automatic car, I was well, looking outta the window and enjoying the sites. Suddenly he threw the bomb at me. "Look at the map and guide me to the hotel." He said. "WHAT?" I could not believe my ears! I'm the kind of person who can get lost in her own neighbourhood, the kind who needs to call friends and ask for directions to go from shopping malls, the kind who never ever uses a map. And now, there I was, with a map in my face, and no one to ask directions from, expected to guide us to our hotel! Sheesh.
Anyway, I had no way out but to face my fear - the city map. But on hindsight, I think I did well. We only travelled 10 km extra to get to our hotel, and that too because Viv turned right when I yelled "Turn left here! Turn left here!"
Nevertheless, we ended up getting a nice little tour of the city centre.
By the time we checked into our hotel, it was late afternoon, almost evening. We were exhausted, we'd been travelling like crazy in the last month or so.
We decided to study all the maps and brochures we had and plan which places we were going to visit the next day.
We also took some sample shots with our new camera.
Then we set out for dinner and a walk around the place.
We ate at a kebab place and wandered around, enjoying the night views.
The Sky Tower (more about it later!) presented an awesome sight!
I pose in front of an ad agency called 'Work'. At 'Work' away from work! Yippeee!
Finally we get back to the hotel for a good night's rest.
The next morning was an absolutely glorious one, and though we had slept like crazy (we even missed breakfast!) we got ready quickly as we had a lot of places to see. Auckland is also known as the 'City of Sails' and is the most populated city in NZ. Of the 4 million inhabitants of NZ, almost 1 million live in Auckland itself.
We decided to start with the 328-m Sky Tower. The tower is not just the tallest landmark of Auckland, it is also the tallest tower in the southern hemisphere, offering breathtaking views for more than 80 km in every direction.
We took a glass-floor lift up to the tower. Scary.
All important landmarks such as the Harbour bridge, the port, ancient Maori sites, the Auckland war memorial museum, Albert Park and Mt. Eden are visible from the Sky Tower, as well as many of the 50 islands of the Auckland's gulf, and 48 volcanoes, many of which erupt regularly. Auckland is the only city in the world built on an active field of volcanoes.
You can see the Harbour bridge on the left.
Sections of the floor atop the Sky Tower are made of glass, and it was so freaky to stand on them that both Viv and I decided that if this scared us, we were not really the bungy-jump kind of people. Of course, all that was to change in a few days.
... in spite of the notice that said "This glass floor is 38 mm thick. It is as strong as the concrete you are standing on."
There were red boards with multiple-choice-questions to tell us about trivia related to the tower.
I pose against the glass walls of the Sky Tower while Viv clicks this.
I wanted a picture of us together so we found a kind soul to click it for us.
There's something called a sky jump which you can do from the top of the tower. Unlike bungy, it does not involve hanging upside down or bouncing. You just fall down straight at about 85 km per hour and then slow down in the last few metres to gently land on the floor. Of course, we did not do it.
We made our way down, bought a New Zealand atlas to help us navigate the rest of the country and set off for our next destination - Mt. Eden. We were basically following the route of the Auckland City bus that takes tourists to the 14 important landmarks of Auckland, but we decided to skip places like museums and spend more time at places that we liked more. It was another long drive and because I was still honing my map-reading skills, we got lost.
... and I multi-tasked between clicking pictures and reading the map. Finally, we decided to stop at a shop and ask for directions. The shop-owner turned out to be a sari-clad Gujrati lady who only spoke hindi, and she gave us perfect directions to get to Mt. Eden.
We were back on track, looking for the Honeywell building to take a left from.
And ah, there it was!
After we took the left, we saw this tourist bus in front of us, so we just chilled and followed the bus through the winding road up. The views were even better than the ones from the sky tower!
Stalking the bus... check out the second tree, it's not fallen, it's just growing like that!
Mt. Eden (Mangawhau in Maori) is a dormant volcano, which at 196 metres above sea level is the highest natural point of Auckland.
This is Mt. Eden's majestic crater - about 50 metres deep. And what are the black dots??
By now, Viv had got the hang of driving in NZ, and we were both so in love with the car we named it Golu (because of its round-ish shape). Golu Plus actually, since it was a Mitsubishi Colt Plus.
Viv poses with Golu after parking it.
I pose too! Hey, if he's the driver, I'm the navigator!
This lady was just chilling up there with her dog and I found it an irresistible shot!
We decided to take a walk around the area. It was incredibly windy up there, the wind was so loud it actually interfered with conversation!
As we walked through the grass, I was amazed at how beautiful even the flowers growing amongst the grass were!
That was a plane, this is the bird!
We decided to take a walk around the rim of the volcanic crater.
Sign near the rim - guess it's not really for the cows.
We had finally seen everything around Mt. Eden and were ready to head off to our next destination.
Viv studies the map, which was fluttering so hard he had a tough time hanging on to it.
Our next destination was Parnell Village, a collection of wooden villas reclaimed and restored for retail purposes.
Many of these villas are linked by little wooden bridges, and are surrounded by shrubs and little fountains to maintain the rustic look.
I pose in front of the Holy Trinity Cathedral.
As we walked along Parnell Road, we saw this red car with the number plate 'EAT U UP'. In NZ, alphabetic number plates are allowed, and we saw a few funny ones throughout our holiday.
Yet another one! It says 'I AM A LADYBIRD'.
After this, we headed for the beaches along Tamaki Drive. The cold weather ensured that there was no way we were getting into the water. Throughout the vacation, the one question I had for every New Zealander I met was "Excuse me, isn't it supposed to be summer now??" Brrrr!
The drive along Tamaki Drive was full of amazing views of sailboats.
Finally we reached Okahu Bay, one of the prominent city beaches. It was a small beach, and the beachgoers consisted of families with incredibly cute babies and children!
I had a fun time frolicking with the seabirds!
Though the sky looked cloudy, the weather was awesome!
On the drive towards Mission Bay, we passed the Tamaki Yatch Club.
Finally we reached Mission Bay!
Mission Bay seemed to be a much more happening beach, with many more people indulging in beach activities such as flying kites, jogging, and bathing in the sea.
We watched this guy fly this very cool kite! It was awesome!
We also wanted to go to the Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World, but they had changed the summer opening hours, and we missed it by five minutes. That was kinda sad, but we had seen a lot in the day, and were ready to go back. We freshened up in the hotel and went for dinner at Denny's near our hotel, where we had the most gorgeous fudge brownie of my life!
but where r the captions? :-?
1) What crater was that?
2) How tall is the sky tower actually (if I'm not wrong, t's the one resembling the sears tower in a couple of those pics right)?
1) It's the Mt. Eden crater.
2) The Sky Tower is 328 m tall.
Is all this travelling a part of your job???????
Seriously, I ll change my profession if it is.


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Copyright � 2012 Binarysemantics.com, All rights reserved.


The students performed their song for the entire school adding a new level of courageousness to their experience. And they were so inspired by their song subject that they chose to start an anti-bullying campaign in their school. Throwing cliques and daily pettiness aside, the class came together as one to write a powerful song and create an important social action campaign. As a teacher, I couldn't be prouder.
Imagine the faces of students who have just written a powerful song that makes history and current events come to life.
Imagine seeing the faces of normally shy students proudly sing their song before their peers.
And then imagine these students inspiring other students to join them in STEPPING UP! and making a difference in their community .
It is an amazing thing to behold and your contribution will help students from all walks of life engage in this pivotal life experience!
Michelle shows compassion and strength everyday. She was called upon as a First Responder in the Navy Yard Shooting and she was one of the few non law enforcement individuals at the scene. Her courage in the wake of such a tragedy helped others cope with the circumstances.
Michelle comforted the survivors and was there to inform families who had lost a loved one in the tragedy. During the year, Michelle not only helps many who are grieving, but also organizes and manages a summer camp for children who have lost a loved one. Her dedication to these children and the help, activities and understanding she provides instills courage and strength in the campers and also a foundation to move forward after experiencing personal tragedy. Her courage is seen everyday in the many people she helps!
On Monday, September 16th, at 8:30 am, the unthinkable happened. A gunman entered Navy Yard Building 197 armed with a sawed-off shotgun and serious mental health issues. By 11:00 am, he and twelve others were dead. I want to share with you what happened next, so that you may better know what the Wendt Center does when the unthinkable happens in our community.
10:30 am. As part of D.C.'s first response team, we received a call requesting that a team of therapists go to National's Stadium, Lot B, to support family members and friends waiting anxiously for evacuated loved ones and to provide trauma care to Navy Yard employees.
11:30 am. Their schedules and routine quickly cancelled for the day, five of our therapists were assembled at Lot B, ready to do what we do best – support, connect, be with those who had just survived the worst day of their lives, and with those whose loved ones had not.
12:00 pm. Worried family and friends began arriving, anxious about their loved ones. We heard the thunder of search helicopters overhead and the fear in the air was palpable.
2:00 pm. The buses began to arrive with evacuees. Some needed to borrow cell phones to contact loved ones; others needed to find transportation home (most had had to leave their personal belongings behind, including house and car keys, wallets, and cars). Others needed to talk, and to walk, and to cry. One early arrival to Lot B saw her friend and colleague shot and killed and was carried to safety by a co-worker. She was unable to enter the covered lot because it felt too much like the space from which she had just escaped. So she walked, and walked, and walked, and she talked, and she waited for her husband to arrive. She walked and talked for over three hours with one of our therapists, sharing her experience, what she had heard, and seen, and felt on what was supposed to be just another Monday.
As the day unfolded, our therapists sought out, connected with, and supported many family members and evacuees. By 4:00, we knew which had been able to contact their loved ones (and were now just anxiously waiting to see them, touch them, have proof that they were safe) and "I have never been more proud than I was last week to lead this amazing organization." Michelle Palmer, Executive Director which had not and were waiting with baited breath, increasing tension, with each arrival of a bus. A young woman in her early 20's arrived somewhere in the mid-afternoon, by herself. Her name was Danielle. She was waiting for her mom. She had not been able to contact her. I asked her what building her Mom worked in. She thought it was Building 197, but wasn't sure. We waited, and we talked. We waited together for a long time.
6:00 pm. All the dead, I was told, had been fingerprinted. Only one death notification would be done at the Stadium. That notification would be to Kenneth Proctor's wife, who had recently arrived at Lot B. Together with the FBI, a Metropolitan Police Detective, a member of the Secret Service anti-domestic terrorism unit, and a Navy chaplain, I went to the restaurant at National's Stadium and waited for Mrs. Proctor to be brought in. It was clear to me as she was walking and talking with the FBI agent that she had no idea what we were doing there. The secret service agent delivered the news, and Mrs. Proctor dissolved in tears, began to shake and rock.
I looked around at the law enforcement staff – they were all looking at me, needing me to do something, to somehow fix Mrs. Proctor. But, there was no fixing Mrs. Proctor in that moment; her heart had just been broken. So, the task became putting Mrs. Proctor somewhat back together again so that she could walk out of that restaurant and break the news to her 15-yearold son who was waiting for her at home.
As Mrs. Proctor left, I went to check on Danielle, who had been waiting for her Mom. She was gone. I felt it was a sign that she was ok. I was ready to go home. I was tired, I was cold, and the experience with Mrs. Proctor left me feeling profoundly sad. But the FBI approached me and said we had six more notifications to do, here, at the Stadium. I had already sent all our Wendt Center therapists, cold and drained, home after an exhausting day. Members of the Department of Mental Health had also left, thinking, as did I, that our work for the day was finished. But for the next five hours, I became the face of one of the worst moments in six families' lives. Each person reacted differently to the news. Some cried, even wailed. Others sat in stunned silence.
12:15 am, September 17. I left National's Stadium, together with one of the FBI's Victim Response Unit. We were the last to leave.
The Wendt Center staff spent the rest of last week supporting surviving family members and highly traumatized Navy Yard employees at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where our RECOVER program helps people who come to identify their deceased loved ones. We helped them there, as well as at the Navy Yard Emergency Family Assistance Center that was set up at Joint Base Anacostia.
The day after the shooting, I learned that the mother of Danielle, the young woman I had waited with and talked with – and who I thought was one of the fortunate ones — was, in fact, among the dead. Her name was Mary Knight.
I saw Danielle last Thursday at a Navy/FBI family briefing. She ran to me and hugged me and thanked me for "taking care" of her earlier that week. At that briefing, family members gave voice to their pain, anger, frustration. As the briefing closed, they joined hands in a ritual of mutual support. Family members were asked to share the name of their loved one. One woman confessed she could not stop thinking about the shooter's parents. She felt terribly sorry for them and asked everyone to please remember that the Alexis family also lost someone they loved on Monday. Amazingly, people began nodding and saying "Amen." It was a cleansing, healing moment during which the negative energy shifted and evaporated . . . The amount of grace, understanding, and forgiveness is something I will never forget.
. . . that the human spirit is resilient and gracious beyond anything we can imagine.
. . . that untreated or undertreated mental illness can have disastrous consequences.
. . . that the Wendt Center has the good fortune to partner with amazing local and government agencies.
. . . that the Wendt Center has the most talented and dedicated staff in the District of Columbia (maybe even the world).
And I know that I have never been more proud than I was last week to lead this amazing organization.
While taking her son to religious school one icy Sunday morning in '98, she had a terrible car accident. She was in a coma for 6 weeks and suffered traumatic brain injury. She had to relearn how to speak, read, walk and cook, which she said she was never good at before the accident! The recovery process was long and painful.
Today, Rabbi Lynne F. Landsberg is Senior Advisor on Disability Issues for the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington, DC. Rabbi Landsberg is co-founder and co-chair of the DC Jewish Disability Network—a coalition of national Jewish movements and organizations advocating for the civil and human rights of people with disabilities. She also serves on the Steering Committee of the Interfaith Disability Advocacy Coalition–a coalition of representatives from national denominations and faith groups (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and more).
Rabbi Landsberg is founder and co-chair of the Central Conference of American Rabbis' (CCAR) Committee on Disability Awareness and Inclusion. She is co-founder of Hineinu: Jewish Community for People of All Abilities. Hineinu is an historic and innovative collaboration of the Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist and Reform Jewish Movements. Disability professionals from each stream share resources, support and direction in order to increase disability inclusion in synagogues for people of all abilities.
Rabbi Landsberg was Associate Director of the Religious Action Center, Reform Judaism's social justice center in Washington, DC (1988-96) and then Regional Director for the Union for Reform Judaism's Mid Atlantic Region.
She was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion's Rabbinical School and received her Masters of Theological Studies (MTS) from Harvard Divinity School.
Rabbi Landsberg has served as associate rabbi of Central Synagogue in New York City (1981-84) and then as rabbi of Temple House of Israel in Staunton, Virginia and Congregation Beth El in Harrisonburg, Virginia until coming to Washington, DC.
Arriving in Washington, D.C. in the fall of 1988, she assumed leadership roles in inter-religious affairs and in Black-Jewish relations. She served as the vice-chair for the Interfaith Coalition on Justice and Peace, a coalition of national religious bodies influencing public policy. She served on the board of directors and had been the national spokesperson for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, an inter-religious organization dedicated to safeguarding the constitutional guarantee for reproductive freedom.
Rabbi Landsberg is the 2012 recipient of the Jewish Foundation of Group Homes S. Robert Cohen award. She is featured in Amazing Gifts: Stories of Faith, Disability and Inclusion by Mark I. Pinsky. She co-authored with Shelly Christensen, "Judaism and Disability: R'fuat Hanefesh—The Healing of Our Souls, Individual and Communal," in Judaism and Health—A Handbook of Practical, Professional and Scholarly Resources (Jewish Lights).
Rabbi Landsberg and her husband, Dennis Ward, have one son, Jesse L. Ward, a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, now fully employed.
Before he was a Marine, he was a musician and a model. The wonderful mom of Niall Coti-Sears, Susan Coti, is the Chords of Courage Director of Education. Her work is dedicated to the memory of her son. We are so proud to have Chords of Courage's "Listen To Our Music" page dedicated to this wonderful young man whom we lost far	too soon.
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While there are plenty of recipes from the '50s that we're pretty happy aren't popular anymore (fish-filled jello salad, we're looking at you), there are some that definitely deserve some attention, seeing as they're just as tasty and delicious as they were all those years ago. Specifically, we're talking about pineapple fluff.
Similar to ambrosia, this dish is a refreshing confection, filled with crushed pineapple, coconut flakes and mini marshmallows that tastes like you're eating a tropical cloud. Give this a chance, 'cause it's perfect for any gathering with friends and family, and we guarantee people will scarf it down!
In a large bowl, stir together pineapple, pineapple juice, and instant pudding mix.
Mix until combined and slightly thickened, then fold in frozen whipped topping, marshmallows, 3/4 cup coconut flakes, pecans, and coconut extract, stirring until fully incorporated.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1-2 hours, or overnight.
Place remaining coconut flakes in a medium pan or skillet over medium heat and toast for 4-6 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly browned.
When ready to serve, garnish pineapple fluff with fresh pineapple, toasted coconut and mint.


The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act could bring changes to homeownership, as well as the real estate business as a whole. With many of the modifications affecting buyers and sellers, real estate professionals need to approach the subject carefully to reduce the chance of miscommunication. Educating clients on matters outside of the services agents are licensed to perform can be a liability; therefore, agents should direct their clients to a tax professional, instead of providing advice themselves.
While agents and brokers need to be knowledgeable about how the new tax law could impact homeowners and prospective clients, they should also be aware of the implications these changes could have when it comes time to file their own taxes. According to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), these are the tax policies that could have the biggest impact on real estate professionals.
Business owners must have taxable income less than $157,500 for single taxpayers or $315,000 for married couples filing jointly.
If business owners make over these income levels, the 20 percent deduction is phased out over a range of $50,000 for single filers and $100,000 for joint filers.
"Many agents and brokers who earn income as independent contractors or from pass-through businesses will see a significant deduction on that business income," said NAR President Elizabeth Mendenhall in a statement when the bill passed.
According to various sources, this policy is not clear and heavily depends on how a business is classified: sole proprietorship, partnership, Limited Liability Company (LLC), Single Member Limited Liability Company, C Corporation, Professional or Personal Service Corporation, or S Corporation. Therefore, many businesses may seek reclassification if it helps them lower their tax bill. Brokerages should consult with their tax advisors on how to proceed with future filing and classification.
The amount of property qualified for immediate expensing has been increased from $500,000 to $1 million. In addition, the phase-out limitations were increased to $2.5 million from $2 million. Real property definitions have also been expanded to include improvements to nonresidential properties, such as roofs; heating, ventilations, and air conditioning property; fire protection and alarm systems; and security systems. According to Forbes, these changes will allow businesses with less than $25 million in annual sales to use the simpler cash method of accounting instead of the more complex accrual method.
The new law states that taxpayers cannot take a deduction if the activity falls under any of three categories: entertainment, amusement or recreation. This also includes any membership dues for business-related clubs or organizations. The deduction's repeal also comprises charges for facilities used in connection with the above items.
The removal of this tax deduction may have a significant impact on the real estate industry, especially since vendor-agent relationships are sometimes formed and continued over a business lunch or dinner meeting. In addition, real estate professionals rely on client appreciation events to keep in touch with their buyers and sellers as a way to obtain referrals or continued business. Taxpayers can, however, continue to deduct 50 percent of food and beverage costs as long as they are tied to operational expenses, such as employee meals or business travel.


text:
Luna boys basketball team develops championship identity
By Staff | Feb 18, 2016
Kevin Lammer (left) and Kalalani Kaaikala Caban were honored on Senior Night.
LAHAINA – When he took over the helm of the Lahainaluna High School boys basketball program before the start of last season, Jason Justus expressed the need for the Lunas to find an identity of their own. He hoped that his team could emulate the Lady Luna mystique that has carried that program to seemingly unmatchable heights here on Maui and at the state level.
The Lahainaluna girls have won 12 straight Maui Interscholastic League titles – winning 120 consecutive regular season games in the process – and finished in the final four of the last five state championship tournaments after bringing home the first Neighbor Island title for girls or boys in 2010.
To be precise, Coach Justus hoped his charges could match the dedication, work ethic and commitment that have led the Lady Lunas to the top.
More to the point, he emphasized his admiration and belief in the relentless defensive pressure employed by Coach Todd Rickard's Lady Luna teams.
Justus served his belief in, and respect for, the attention placed on the Lahainaluna girls' defensive style of play.
"Your shots aren't going to always fall, but your defense has to show up every time," he says.
The Luna boys went undefeated in 2015 to win the MIL championship and finished fifth at the HHSAA State Championship Tournament, knocking out the top-seeded Oahu teams along the way.
The squad is headed to states once again after winning the league title this season. And, the championship manuscript of hard-nosed, physical defense written by Rickard's Lady Lunas has been the imprint of the Justus system. The identity is in place – mission accomplished!
At these heady times for the Luna hoop teams, the only down thought turns to the senior student athletes on the rosters as they suit up in their red and white uniforms for the last times.
For the Luna boys, it will be the last run for Kalalani Kaaikala Caban and Kevin Lammer, whose value to the team's championship run is undeniable, according to Coach Justus.
"Kalalani and Kevin have been quiet emotional leaders for our team. They both worked very hard all season long to become examples of team players and leaders by a positive action on and off the court," said Justus, who was assisted this season by Alec Austin, Freddie Baisa and Kalei Houpu.
"Kevin is simply an outstanding team player – the type of kid that will play defense, rebound and do all the dirty work without complaining. No matter what he does in life, he will always be a great team player," Justus continued to say.
"And Kalalani has been our quiet leader, and that has been contagious for the whole team, as they followed his example to work hard over the entire summer. That has led to him having a good senior year."
"Coach Jason and Coach Dan (Williams) of Westside Hoops have been great influences for all of us on this team," said Kaaikala, who is headed for Walla Walla, Washington, an NAIA college, for basketball and a health sciences course of study.
"All of the coaches have pushed us to always do our best and helped us to gain confidence in ourselves. We really bonded together and became just like family under the leadership of all the coaches and Dan and Genevieve (Ruvald) from Westside Hoops. I'm really thankful to my family and all of my boys on this team, too."
For Lammer, who is headed for the University of Colorado Denver to study business, the support of his parents, the coaches and Westside Hoops all contributed to build a sense of confidence in him.
"My mom and dad have supported me in all things and help me become a self-motivated person. Especially, Coach Alec Austin was there to push me as a voice in the back of my head to do it right. They've all given us confidence and faith in ourselves that we can do this," he concluded.
Imua Lunas!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Taylor Swift Reunites With Harry Styles at 'Haircut Party'
By Victoria Pavlova in Lifestyle / Showbiz on 12 February 2014
Follow Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift Ellie Goulding Harry Styles Cara Delevingne
New hair and old flames - the last night of Swift's UK tour was a big one.
Taylor Swift played at the O2 in London last night. She did a duet with Ellie Goulding. There were roughly 20 000 people in attendance, despite the continuing tube strike in the city (that's the subway for you Americans). All of this pales in comparison to the news that A. Taylor got a haircut and B. Harry Styles may have been/was spotted, sort of, in a blurry instagram video/is rumored to have been backstage during Swift's impromptu haircut party. What is a "haircut party" you ask? Apparently, it means loads of people standing in a tiny room, cheering Taylor, as she has her hair cut. Are you excited yet?
This marks the end of Taylor's UK run in support of RED.
"This is how many people are watching me get a haircut right now," Swift says as she pans her camera phone across the crowd huddled together in a small room backstage.
Was that Harry Styles in the background?
The video is quick and blurry, but it does look like Styles, Cara Delevingne and Ellie Goulding were all in attendance. Does this mean that it wasn't such a bad breakup between Swift and the One Direction lad after all? Considering that both like to share all kinds of details about their lives on Twitter and Instagram, their fans will probably be among the first to know. Getting back to what really matters though – how does Taylor manage to look great with any haircut? It probably involves a team of stylists and several hours, but her brand new bob looked pretty stunning. Swift debuted the cut in an instagram shot, posing with Ellie Goulding.
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The Giver Movie Review
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Ohio Media School Cincinnati Campus Welcomes Congressman Warren Davidson
By EIN Presswire On May 5, 2022
Congressman Davidson with Ohio Media School Cincinnati Campus Team
We appreciate Congressman Davidson's commitment to education, his support in getting to know us, and our mission to best prepare our students to be the candidates of choice for media employers."
— Beonair Network of Media Schools
CINCINNATI, OH, UNITED STATES, May 4, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — Ohio Media School's Cincinnati Campus was honored to welcome Congressman Warren Davidson (R-OH) of Ohio's 8th Congressional District and Deputy District Director Ben Thaeler to campus. They were able to tour our studios and classrooms and meet both students and graduates of our multi-media programs.
Congressman Davidson recognized that "One size does not fit all" in education. He spoke about his path after high school began when he enlisted in the Army as part of the 3rd Infantry Division stationed in Germany, where he witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall. His commanding officers recognized his potential and helped Warren earn an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated near the top of his class as an American History and Mechanical Engineering student. With a non-traditional start to his career pathway, Congressman Davidson's passion for all types of education and ways to achieve career success was evident in our conversations.
Our students and graduates shared with Congressman Davidson that their choice to attend Ohio Media School was intentional. They believe it will open doors to careers that would not be possible without the skills acquired and the network forged with instructors, alumni, and industry professionals who offer mentorship and guidance at the campus level.
We appreciate Congressman Davidson's commitment to education, his support in getting to know Ohio Media School, and our mission to best prepare our students to be the candidates of choice for media employers with entry-level positions upon graduation. Our students learn hands-on from instructors who are professionals in the industry, and our focus is to ensure they are best prepared to meet their career goals.
This visit was the perfect time for our students and administration to showcase the campus to Congressman Davidson and demonstrate the importance of our education. Every person and business depends on media, and our students will help shape the narrative as they move forward in their careers.
Campus Director Rhonda Estep Frazier enjoyed hosting Congressman Davidson and Mr. Thaeler. She was proud to share our mission and hopes our relationship with the Congressman will continue to grow.
We invite you to get to know us. The Beonair Network of Media Schools, which includes Ohio Media School, Illinois Media School, Colorado Media School, and Miami Media School, is incredibly proud of our mission to provide ambitious students with hands-on training, excellence in education, and meaningful internship experiences that will best prepare them to achieve their goals at graduation. Our diploma programs include Radio & TV Broadcasting, Digital Media Production, Audio Production, Film & Video Production, Sports Broadcasting, and Media Sales and Marketing. Each program is designed to deliver excellence in education and the opportunity for our students to intern to gain real-time experience to complement the curriculum. The Beonair Network of Media Schools are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), which the U.S. Department of Education recognizes.
To learn more about our programs and connect with our career-ready graduates, please contact National Employer Representative Lynda Leciejewski.
LLeciejewski
John Girard
M & S Media Inc.
May 04, 2022, 18:07 GMT
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The Pentagon's Kadema Air Base Called "World's Most Dangerous Airport"
January 5th, 2018 - by admin
The Peace Report / Veterans for Peace & Jon Mitchell / The Japan Times – 2018-01-05 23:04:50
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/04/09/national/contamination-kadena-air-bases-dirty-secret/
Army Veteran: Noise Pollution from Okinawa to Vermont
The Peace Report
(December 24, 2017) — VFP Board of Directors member Adrienne Kinne speaking outside Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. The local community has been demanding the closure of Kadena Air Base, an airfield that constantly disrupts daily life on the island. Military aircraft are conducting missions all throughout the day and night.
Also, the US Air Force wants to base the F-35 fighter jets our of Vermont and a huge movement is building in opposition of that decision.
Learn more about the Vermont Issue here: http://www.stopthef35.com/
Futema Air Station, Okinama
The Peace Report / Veterans for Peace
(January 4, 2018) — Filmed in December 2017 during a Veterans For Peace delegation to Okinawa. VFP member Ken Mayers is speaking at Futenma Air Station, aka the world's most dangerous airfield.
Learn more: http://thepeacereport.com/vfpinokinawa/
Contamination: Kadena Air Base's Dirty Secret
For the first time, documents released under the
US Freedom of Information Act reveal extensive pollution
on an active American base in Japan
Jon Mitchell / Special to the Japan Times
(April 9, 2016) — Located in the center of Okinawa island, Kadena Air Base is the largest US Air Force installation in Asia. Equipped with two 3.7-kilometer runways and thousands of hangars, homes and workshops, the base and its adjoining arsenal sprawl across 46 square kilometers. More than 20,000 American service members, contractors and their families live or work on the base alongside 3,000 Japanese employees.
Kadena Air Base hosts the biggest combat wing in the US Air Force — the 18th Wing — and, during the past seven decades, the installation has served as an important launch-pad for wars in Korea, Vietnam and Iraq.
Given the long history of Kadena Air Base and its city-sized scale, it is easy to understand why the US Air Force calls it the "keystone of the Pacific."
But until now, nobody has realized the damage the base is inflicting on the environment and those who live in its vicinity. Documents obtained under the US Freedom of Information Act reveal how years of accidents and neglect have been polluting local land and water with hazardous chemicals, including arsenic, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), asbestos and dioxin.
Military authorities have often hidden this contamination, putting at risk the health of their own service members and the 184,000 civilians living in neighboring communities.
This week, we examine the pollution of local water resources and the exposure of on- and off-base residents to lead and asbestos. The accompanying article explains the flaws in current guidelines that allow the US military in Japan to conceal such contamination.
Next week, we will investigate the installation's ongoing struggles to manage contamination from PCBs, its cover-up of the discovery of hazardous waste near two on-base schools and the human impact of this pollution.
In January, the US Air Force released 8,725 pages of accident reports, environmental investigations and emails related to contamination at Kadena Air Base. Dated from the mid-1990s to August 2015, the documents are believed to be the first time such recent information detailing pollution on an active US base in Japan has been made public.
The documents catalog approximately 415 environmental incidents between 1998 and 2015; 245 of these occurred since 2010. Incidents range from small leaks that stayed within the confines of the base to large spills discharging tens of thousands of liters of fuel and raw sewage into local rivers.
During the 1998-2015 period, total leaks included almost 40,000 liters of jet fuel, 13,000 liters of diesel and 480,000 liters of sewage. Of the 206 incidents noted between 2010 and 2014, 51 were blamed on accidents or human error; only 23 were reported to the Japanese authorities.
The year 2014 saw the highest number of accidents — 59, only two of which were reported to Tokyo.
Large parts of the documents have been redacted and reports for the years from 2004 to 2007 are missing. These omissions almost certainly mean that the actual statistics are much higher.
Due to its location, Kadena Air Base plays an integral role in the supply of the island's drinking water. There are 23 wells within the installation, some of which contribute to on-base potable water. More than 300,000 meters of drains carry the installation's storm water into local rivers, including the Hija River, which supplies drinking water for six municipalities and Okinawa's capital, Naha.
Documents suggest that mistakes and negligence on the base have contaminated this water supply.
In August 2011, for example, 760 liters of diesel spilled into the Hija River when an operator abandoned a generator tank prior to the arrival of a typhoon. In December 2011, 1,400 liters of diesel leaked from US Air Force housing on Camp McTureous after officials ignored a warning light; the fuel contaminated the Tengan River.
Other reports suggest that miscommunication exacerbated spill incidents. In June 2012, an engineer took an hour and 20 minutes to respond to a 190-liter fuel spill because he was at a food court on the base and could not hear his telephone ringing. More recently, in February 2015, environmental teams failed to respond to two incidents — the first involving 170 liters of fuel and the second 23 liters of hydraulic fluid — despite being alerted by emergency crews.
As well as fuel leaks, the base mistakenly released at least 23,000 liters of fire suppressant foam between 2001 and 2015. In August 2012, a Japanese firefighter set off a fire system in an accident that leaked 1,140 liters. Then in May 2015, a drunk US marine, released 1,510 liters in an act of vandalism. Such foams can contain carcinogens, chemicals known to cause reproductive and neurological disorders, and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS).
PFOS, categorized by the Environmental Protection Agency as an emerging contaminant, has recently become the focus of concerns both on Okinawa and in the United States.
In January, Okinawa Prefecture announced that waterways around Kadena Air Base were currently contaminated with PFOS; in 2008, levels in an on-base well had measured as high as 1,870 nanograms per liter. The EPA's provisional health advisory limit for drinking water is 200 nanograms per liter. Last month, the US Air Force promised to conduct tests for PFOS contamination on 664 bases in the United States.
At the time of publication, a spokesperson for US Forces Japan was unable to confirm whether similar tests would be conducted on Okinawa or elsewhere in the country.
Komichi Ikeda, an adviser at Environmental Research Institute Inc., Tokyo, says "current research suggests (PFOS) may cause cancer, reproductive disorders and damage the next generation."
"Pregnant women and young children ought to be especially careful to avoid consuming water contaminated with PFOS," Ikeda says.
Since 2008, Kadena Air Base has also spilled at least 1,670 liters of hydraulic fluid, a known source of PFOS; meanwhile, drains from the base's fire-training area, where foams are routinely sprayed, feed into local waterways.
Another threat to Okinawa's water supply comes from leaks of raw sewage, which the base apparently only started recording in 2010. In November 2010, a 57,000-liter spill contaminated the Shirahi River and the sea with sewage measuring 36,000 fecal coliform colonies/100 milliliters — 90 times the Environmental Protection Agency's maximum limit for swimming waters.
More recently, in June 2013, an overflowing manhole leaked 208,000 liters of sewage into the Hija River. The base took 27 hours to notify local authorities but its subsequent press release stated, "The health and safety of our service members and our friends in local community is our top priority." Follow-up emails exchanged among US Air Force officials include the comments: "We received little media coverage. So that's good news."
Furthermore, the documents highlight the dangers of operating a busy airport in the midst of civilian communities. Numerous in-flight emergencies cause pilots to abort their missions — two occurring in a one-week period in January 2015. Also, in August 2011, an in-flight emergency caused an F-15 to dump 150 liters of fuel from low altitude. The summary concluded, "There was no impact to the local community."
Back on the ground, the documents released under the Freedom of Information Act point to the exposure of US and Japanese nationals to dangerous levels of lead and asbestos.
For many decades, a furnace within the installation burned ammunition and "other exotic pyrotechnics" without any emission controls.
In 1993, investigators discovered this incineration had contaminated nearby land with lead at 13,813 milligrams/kilogram and more distant jungle with 6,000 milligrams/kilogram. There were "small farms and vegetable plots" in the area and the site was near a waterway.
Another burn pit, cited in an April 1994 report, was blamed for lead concentrations in soil exceeding 500 milligrams/kilogram with fields again apparently in the close vicinity.
The Japanese government's cleanup standard for lead contamination in soil is 150 milligrams/kilogram. Japan has no standard for agricultural land but in Germany the maximum level permitted is 100 milligrams/kilogram.
"People working in the area need to worry about intellectual disabilities and damage to their nervous systems," Ikeda says. "Also if they inhaled this lead and other substances over a long period, it may have caused reproductive damage and harmed blood and organs such as kidneys. Because the levels are so high, there is the very strong chance that the land remains contaminated today."
Ikeda also criticizes the reports for their lack of data on other heavy metals likely discharged during the incineration of ammunition, including depleted uranium, which the US Air Force used widely in the 1990s.
Moreover, surveys from 2000 to 2001 revealed serious contamination from asbestos in many buildings such as dormitories, mess halls and boiler rooms. Inspectors found large chunks of deteriorating asbestos materials scattered onto nearby lawns.
One of the locations was an abandoned hospital that had been used for "readiness training" prior to 2000. Investigators noted how military personnel had used axes and chainsaws to breech asbestos-packed doors, resulting in the spread of "friable" (easy to crumble) material across an area of 460 square meters.
The World Health Organization estimates that asbestos is responsible for one-third of occupational cancer fatalities worldwide. In recent years, Japanese base employees have struggled to win compensation from Tokyo for illnesses attributed to their work in asbestos-contaminated environments. Many were instructed to work without proper safety equipment. In 2014, the Japanese government agreed to pay compensation to 28 victims but experts estimate the number of sick is likely in the hundreds.
Former base worker Susumu Tamura witnessed firsthand the dangers of asbestos. Employed on US bases for 43 years until the 1990s, his testimony helped to win compensation for the family of a colleague killed by asbestos-related lung disease.
In a recent interview with The Japan Times, Tamura recalls the dilemma faced by many Okinawans employed by the US military. "Even if we thought what we were ordered to do was wrong, we didn't refuse," Tamura says. "We were worried that we'd be fired."
During his time on the bases, Tamura regularly witnessed lax environmental standards, including the illicit dumping of waste and shoddy cleanup work.
"Nowadays, safety conditions may have improved," Tamura says. "In the past, however, the only way to describe them was yaritai hodai — the US military did whatever it wanted."
Freedom of Information Act Lifts Lid on Secret
History of Contamination at Kadena Air Base
One hundred and thirty US bases are in operation in Japan — 32 of which are located in Okinawa Prefecture — but the Americans who serve upon them and local residents know nothing of the dangers these installations pose to human health or the environment.
At the root of the problem lies the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which makes no allowances for Japanese officials to conduct pollution checks within US bases — nor does it hold the military responsible for cleaning up land that is returned for civilian use.
In 2015, Washington and Tokyo pegged a supplementary agreement onto SOFA giving local authorities the right to request a base inspection following a spill. To date, however, the Pentagon has failed to green-light any such checks.
With both SOFA and the new agreement failing to protect the country's environment, it comes down to Japan Environmental Governing Standards. The guidelines specify when US forces need to report spills to the Japanese government, for example, after they surpass a certain volume or contain a substance listed as hazardous. However, they do not assign punishment to bases breaching environmental policies or hold the military responsible for contamination outside its bases.
Documents recently released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal instances of US Air Force officials conspiring to hide environmental incidents from the public. In July 2014, for example, the discovery of a buried barrel of chemicals within Kadena Air Base sparked emails urging responders to keep a "low profile please. Don't want this release (sic) to press."
This combination of flawed regulations and lack of transparency creates obstacles for researchers trying to ascertain pollution within US bases in Japan. Scientists can only check land that has already been returned for civilian use — by which time it is too late to prevent contamination — or conduct tests on wildlife captured near active bases in the hope their tissues will reveal traces of any toxins.
Given these constraints, one of the most effective ways to lift the lid on locked-tight bases is the FOIA.
"This release of documents about Kadena Air Base is a great example of the power of the FOIA. Because the US government has a hand in many global activities, the international community has many questions for it," says Beryl Lipton, a member of MuckRock, the organization that helped to secure the release of the documents.
"The FOIA gives great power to the people," Lipton says. "Official press releases and statements are no longer the final say on a matter — you can check what public officials say. The FOIA can hold the US government to their own words by their own law."
This is the first installment of a two-part series on contamination at Okinawa's Kadena Air Base. The second installment was published on April 17


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Serbia plans to cut its total debt to 60 percent of GDP in 2005
April 29, 2004 29.04.2004 • 08:00
BELGRADE (Reuters) – Encouraged by renewed support from multilateral lenders and better-than-expected macroeconomic indicators, Serbia announced yesterday it expected its debt-to-GDP ratio to drop below 60 percent in 2005, despite new loans. Serbia this week won a preliminary accord with the International Monetary Fund, unlocking a new tranche as part of an $889 million three-year loan agreement, which expires in mid-2005. Belgrade last drew a loan tranche in late July 2003. It will be followed by the release of the World Bank's $120 million 20-year credit, with a 10-year grace period and 0.75 percent annual interest, to support Serbia's structural reforms. A further 95 million euros ($113.1 million) will be made available by the European Union in macroeconomic assistance. «To all critics of new debt, this agreement with the IMF is extremely important… Despite new loans, total debt-to-GDP ratio will drop to below 60 percent by the end of 2005 from 73 percent last year, Finance Minister Mladjan Dinkic said. In 2001, this ratio stood at 150 percent, he said. Acknowledging that talks with the IMF were extremely hard, Dinkic said the IMF accord was important because it saved the nation $600 million in additional debt relief from the Paris Club of sovereign lenders. Creditors granted Serbia a phased 66 percent write-down on its $4.5 billion debt in 2001, with a 51 percent forgiveness at the start of the loan deal with the IMF in 2002 and the remaining 15 percent kept until the expiry of the agreement in 2005. «Talks with the London Club of commercial banks are now on the agenda and we expect a deal that will leave us with a sustainable foreign debt. That agreement should help us reduce the debt burden on GDP,» Dinkic told a news conference. Serbia's total outstanding debt stood at $14.3 billion in February, $2.7 billion of which it owed to the London Club. Economists have said that Serbia could face a debt crisis in 2007 and maybe sooner unless it boosts growth with greater investment and cuts in spending. External debt-servicing will reach 6.6 percent of GDP in 2006/07 and 8.3 percent in 2008-2010, according to central bank and IMF estimates. Serbia needs $1.2 billion a year in foreign direct investment to ensure sustainable growth and liquidity. To avoid a debt crisis, GDP should grow at least 4.0 percent in 2004, 4.5 percent in 2005 and 5.0 percent in 2010, economists say. Dinkic said yesterday he expected GDP to grow 6.0 percent and not 4.3 percent as initially planned, due to stronger-than-expected expansion of the industry in the first quarter of 2004. Under the IMF deal, Serbia must cut its budget gap to 2.5 percent of GDP from an initially planned 3.6 percent. It must also lower the balance of payments deficit to 11.0 percent of GDP from 12.5 percent in 2003 when GDP stood at an estimated $20 billion. Serbia's central bank is to consider some monetary easing to help fuel growth after this week's accord with the IMF obliged the state to cut its budget gap. Governor Radovan Jelasic told Reuters in an interview late Tuesday the easing could be achieved by releasing some savings deposited with the bank, boosting the lending capacity of commercial banks. Jelasic said the deal would keep the hands of the government tied when it comes to stimulating growth, planned at 4.3 percent in 2004. But the central bank could step in. «We are now considering a possibility to help stimulate growth with new savings, 50 percent of which are now being deposited with the central bank,» Jelasic said by phone from Frankfurt, where he stopped on his return from the Washington Spring Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank. The central bank launched the deposit immobilization rule in late 2000 to boost confidence in the financial sector after the state confiscated $4.0 billion during the era of Slobodan Milosevic. New savings stood at 1.0 billion euros in late 2003. It has considered releasing up to 15 percent of the funds. «Considering Serbia had a balanced budget in the first four months of the year and that the deficit would be created in the next seven months, there will hardly be room for further monetary easing,» he said, adding that the reserve requirement for banks would be kept unchanged at 18 percent. Despite criticism at home that the pact with the IMF could mean higher inflation, planned at 8.5 percent in 2004, and hurt the dinar, he said the 2004 dinar easing would not be dramatic. The dinar lost 11.3 percent against the euro in 2003. «The dinar will depreciate by a difference between domestic and eurozone inflation. We'll also watch euro/dollar gyrations. But the inflation component is more important,» Jelasic said. The falling dinar and a lower budget deficit should help Serbia cut its $20 billion balance-of-payments deficit. «Lower consumption will lead to decreasing imports and a falling balance-of-payments deficit. But the key issue is to attract investments. These are vital to help us service the external debt,» Jelasic said. Serbia's debt bill in 2004 is estimated at some $600 million, or 20 pct of its exports.
Uncertain prospects for the economy after the Olympics
Alpha Bank results help index rise 1.22 percent
Age limit on passenger ships to be scrapped
Bulgarian steel mill in talks with four bidders


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