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Catchment area of the Columbia River with major tributaries and dams.
The Columbia River dammed to Lake Bonneville
The Columbia River is a 1953 km long river in western North America. He is the most water of all North American rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean.
With its left tributary, the Snake River, he has put together a length of 2240 km. Its catchment area covers 668,217 km ², of which about 15 % are located within Canada.
The river is named after the ship Columbia Rediviva the American captain Robert Gray, who sailed up the Columbia River on May 11, 1792 the first white man. Gray traveled to the Pacific Northwest to trade in furs.
The Lewis and Clark expedition reached in 1805 from the East by land the mouth of the river. The Columbia River was first fully mapped in 1814 by David Thompson.
5.1 Passage to Lewiston
5.2 deepening of the channel
The source of the Columbia River is located in the Canadian province of British Columbia; it flows through the central eastern part of the U.S. state of Washington. In the last 480 kilometers before its confluence with the river forms the border between the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. The extended catchment area extends over the states of Montana and Idaho. In Astoria Columbia empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Columbia is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region.
He is one of three rivers that break through the system of coastal mountains along the North American Pacific coast, and so establishes a connection from the interior of the continent to the coast. The 80 km long section of the river through the Cascade mountain range is called the Columbia River Gorge. At this narrow point is also the Bonneville Dam.
Running and catchment area
With a discharge rate of about 7,500 m³ / s annual average of the Columbia River is the largest river in North America, which empties into the Pacific Ocean and the fourth most powerful river in the United States; terms of the size of the catchment area of the river is the sixth and in the length in twelfth position. The highest ever recorded runoff at The Dalles, Oregon, was on June 6, 1894 35.113 m³ / s From its headwaters to the Pacific Ocean, the river has a length of 1,953 km. It drains an area of 668,217 km ². This includes almost the entire state of Idaho, and large parts of British Columbia, Oregon and Washington, but also smaller areas of surrounding states.
About 85 % of the pelvis and 1199 km of its length located within the United States.
The Columbia Lake in 820 m height and the adjoining Columbia Wetlands form the headwaters of the southern Rocky Mountain Trench, a broad, deep and very long glacial valley between the Canadian Rockies and the Columbia Mountains in British Columbia. In the first 320 km of the river flowing along the trench to the northwest and flows so Windermere Lake and the city of Invermere - the region is known as the Columbia Valley in British Columbia - and then in the Golden Kinbasket Lake. It orbits the northern end of the Selkirk Mountains and then turns abruptly southward through a region that is known as the Big Bend Country. It flows through the Lake Revelstoke and Arrow Lakes; Revelstoke Lake, the Big Bend Country, and the Columbia Valley are referred to in Canada as Columbia Country. Below the Arrow Lakes passed the Columbia River Castlegar - situated at the mouth of the Kootenay River - and trail, the two centers of the West Kootenay region. The Pend Oreille River have located about 3 km north of the border between Canada and the United States with the Columbia River. To the east of the state of Washington, first the Columbia River follows a south-western direction, forming the southern and eastern boundary of the Colville Indian Reservation and the western boundary of the Spokane Indian Reservation, before settling to the south, and finally near the mouth of the Wenatchee River turns to the southeast. This C-shaped section of the river is also known as Big Bend - called - the great bend. During the Missoula floods, the water took a more direct route to the south and formed by the Grand Coulee. Later, the river took its present course and the Grand Coulee was dry. The construction of the Grand Coulee Dam in the mid-20th century dammed the river and back in the earlier bed Banks Lake was formed.
The river flows at The Gorge Amphitheatre over, a well- used concert building in the Pacific Northwest, and passes through the Hanford Reach National Monument protected area and the historical and present-day nuclear power plants of Hanford Site. The Hanford Reach, Priest Rapids Dam and between the Tri-Cities is - is not the only section jammed in the United States, in which the river - with the exception of its estuary. In the Tri -Cities of the Snake River opens out. Finally, the river makes a sharp bend to the west, making for the rest of its course the border between Washington and Oregon.
Between The Dalles and Portland, the river cuts through the Cascade Range. Only three rivers - the other two are the Klamath River in Southern Oregon and the Pit River in Northern California - break through this mountain range. The Columbia River Gorge is characterized by its strong and steady winds, its beauty and its importance as a transportation route.
The river changes between Portland and Vancouver his direction again. Directed from the mouth of the Willamette River in North - northwest decreases its flow speed, which he dumps sediments. The Columbia River empties below Astoria in the Pacific Ocean. The Columbia Bar, a migrating sandbar at the transition to the open sea, makes the river mouth to one of the most difficult -to-navigate maritime routes in the world.
Important tributaries
The most powerful tributaries of the Columbia:
* Runoff on an annual average, m³ / s
The volcanic activity in the region can be traced back up to 40 million years. The landscape-shaping event in time 17 to 14 million years ago today was the outflow of large Lavamengen who created the Columbia Plateau basalt, a more than a mile thick layer of basalt. She has shaped the flow-through from the river landscape in many parts. During the Pleistocene ( the period before the last ice age, two million to 700,000 years ago ) broke through the river, the Cascade Range and formed the Columbia River Gorge.
The catchment area of the river experienced one of the largest known floods at the end of the last ice age. The periodic breaking of ice barriers of glacial Lake Missoula resulted in runoff, some of which were ten times as high as those of all currently existing along rivers in the world. These events occurred over a period of more than a thousand years, about forty times.
The water levels ranged estimates during this Missoula Floods at the Wallula Gap 380 m, at the Bonneville Dam and 250 m above the present-day Portland, Oregon 120 m above the present level. The periodic flooding of the lower Columbia River Plateau encamped there from large amounts of sediments and contributed to the fertility of the soil in which is the basis for today's agriculture. These floods were also some unusual geological formations, such as the Channeled Scablands in eastern Washington.
In geologically recent past, the river was dammed by a landslide at the north end of the Columbia River Gorge, probably in 1700 following an earthquake. This event is called the " Bridge of the Gods ". The river bed of the Columbia River was thereby completely buried and blocked the drain, until after some time the rising water made her way and finally washed away the lock. 1980 outsourced the eruption of Mount St. Helens large amounts of sediment in the lower reaches from, making the fairway forfeited up to 8 m depth.
At the beginning of the 20th century the difficulty of navigation on the river as an obstacle to the economic development of the region east of the Cascade Range were considered. The following construction of dams and dredging of a navigation channel have changed the river forever.
The once wild and rich in salmon river is now dammed dams for power generation and flood control. In the east, the water is used for irrigation. The natural salmon run is thus largely limited, and will soon be partially restored. The part of the New Deal electrification and realized dam project (especially the Grand Coulee Dam ) was set to music, inter alia, by Woody Guthrie; the song " Roll On Columbia " is dedicated to the Columbia River.
One of the dams on the Columbia include:
In Canada:
The longest undeveloped section are the 80 km of the Hanford Reach in Hanford Reach National Monument, in Benton County, Washington. Here spawn around 80 % of all Chinook salmon of the upper Columbia River system.
1902, the United States Bureau of Reclamation was established to promote the economic development of the arid states in the western United States. One of his most important undertakings was the construction of Grand Coulee Dam for irrigation an area of 600,000 acres of the Columbia Basin Project in central Washington state. With the onset of World War II, the gravity point of the dam construction of the irrigation changed to the generation of hydroelectric power, irrigation won only in the postwar period in importance again.
The expansion of the flow takes place in the framework of the International Boundary Waters Treaty between the United States and Canada by 1909. During the 1960s, both countries signed the Columbia River Treaty. Canada consented to the construction of three dams in British Columbia and the storage of water, and the United States faced in return half of the overgrowth achieved as a result of energy production on the Columbia River are available. Canada's obligation includes two dams on the Columbia River and one on the Duncan River; the last of which was completed in 1973.
" This river may have been created by the gods, perhaps by glaciers or the remnants of an inland sea or the pull of gravity or by a combination of it all, but the Army Corps of Engineers checked it today. The Columbia River rises and falls to the dictates of tidal or rainfall following, but follows a computer-controlled, regulated, federally -established plan that is only changed if there are significant disputes be settled or a Senator of the United States is approaching his re-election. In this sense, it is reliable. "
Today, there are at the main branch of the Columbia River dams 14 ( including three in Canada and eleven in the United States). Four of them, and four on the lower reaches of the Snake River have navigation locks to allow ships and convoys traveling from the Ocean to Lewiston, Idaho. There are more than 400 dams in the river system of the Columbia River. These are used not only to power generation and irrigation, but also for flood protection, navigability, water level control, drinking water supply and the mining of public lands and Indian reservations.
The larger dams in Washington and Oregon belong to the Federal Government of the United States ( in part to the Army Corps of Engineers and partly to the Bureau of Reclamation ), the smaller plants are operated by public utilities and private energy producers. The government-owned facilities is referred to as the Federal Columbia River Power System, including 31 dams are on the river and its tributaries. This system has the seasonal flow of the river changed to take account of the greater demand for electrical energy in the winter months. At the beginning of the 20th century accounted for 75 % of the annual discharge of the river to the months of April to September. By 1980, the proportion of summer months had dropped to around 50%, so the seasonal effect was virtually eliminated.
The construction of dams has landscape and the ecosystem changed dramatically by the river. Once the Columbia River river system was one of the richest fishing grounds of salmon in the world. Previously profitable fishing grounds, best known of these are the Celilo Falls in the eastern part of the Columbia River Gorge, in the last century have experienced a significant drop of the catch of salmon. The populations of fish were threatening reduced, although in some dams fish ladders have been set up to allow fish migration to the spawning grounds. At Chief Joseph Dam there is no such fish ladder and therefore the fish migration to the upper half of the river system there is completely blocked.
In the 2010s conservation organizations have had success with lawsuits in federal courts. The Bonneville Power Administration has been committed to the creation of new habitats, particularly spawning areas to compensate for the intervention by the construction of dams in the catchment area of the river. In collaboration with conservation organizations, the local Indian nations and the United States Army Corps of Engineers were purchased for restoration sites. The largest ever purchase 2012 is a 372 -acre former farm on the lower reaches near St. Helens, Oregon which is located so that the dike can be moved back and so around 200 ha rewetted and can be handed over to the flood regime of the river.
Exploration of the River
There is some evidence that Spanish castaways reached the shore in 1679 and traded with the Clatsop; whether they were actually the first Europeans who saw the Columbia River, is not known.
The first recorded Europeans, whose eye 1775 saw the mouth of the Columbia River, was Bruno de Heceta. On the advice of his officers, he decided not to explore the river, because the current was strong and his team was understaffed. He came to the conclusion that it was a bay, which he called Ensenada de Asunción. Later Spanish maps that were based on his explorations, show a river, the Rio de San Roque or a sea port, the Entrada de Hezeta.
Because of Hecetas reports of fur traders and Captain John Meares searched in 1788 after the river, however, interpreted the wrong tendencies and concluded that the river did not exist. George Vancouver sailed by the British Royal Navy in April 1792 at the mouth over and observed a change in the color of the water, but relied on Meares and continued his journey north continues. In the same month he met in the Juan de Fuca Strait to the U.S. sailor Robert Gray, who told him that he had seen the entrance to an estuary and intend to retract into it.
Gray returned to the south and was on 12 May 1792, the first explorer who sailed the river. Grays fur trade mission was financed by merchants from Boston in Oregon, who provided him with a purchase ship named Columbia Rediviva; the ship was on May 18, 1792, named for the river. Gray spent nine days near the river mouth and then left the area. During this time he had reached the farthest point a point about twenty kilometers from the river mouth. Grays discovery later formed the basis for the claims of the United States to the Oregon Country, to which also Russia, Great Britain, Spain and some other nations hope made .
In October 1792 George Vancouver sent Lieutenant William Robert Broughton, his second officer up the river. Broughton sailed a few miles up the river and continued the exploration then continues in lifeboats. He drove up to the Columbia River Gorge, about 160 km upstream of the estuary. He sighted and named Mount Hood and Point Vancouver near the present city of Vancouver. Broughton took the river formally the Kingdom of Great Britain in possession, including its catchment area and the adjacent coastal strip. Gray had failed to take a similar step on behalf of the United States.
Researchers have long speculated about the existence of a Northwest Passage or if a great river connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, and some cartographers have such a connection mapped onto their cards. The Columbia River is on the same latitude as the headwaters of the Missouri River and is deduced from, the Gray and Vancouver had discovered the sought Northwest Passage. A British map of 1798 showed a dotted line connecting from the Columbia River to the Missouri River. The American expedition of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark explored the 1803-1805 hitherto unknown land in the American west and found no connection between the two rivers. After Lewis and Clark had crossed the Rocky Mountains, they built canoes from hollowed-out tree trunks, which they drove down the Snake River and the Columbia River reached. They explored the river a few miles upstream to Bateman Iceland before they drove down the Columbia River. At the mouth of which they ended their expedition and founded Fort Clatsop.
The Canadian explorer David Thompson of the North West Company spent the winter of 1807/1808 in present-day Invermere near the source of the Columbia River in British Columbia. In 1811 he traveled the river to the Pacific Ocean down and was thus the first white Americans who traveled the river in its full length. He reached the mouth shortly after John Jacob Astor's fur trading company founded Astoria.
1825 founded the Dr. John McLoughlin Fort Vancouver (present-day Vancouver, Washington) on behalf of the Hudson 's Bay Company on the banks of the river. The fort served as the headquarters of the fur trade in the Columbia District, and was the largest settlement of White in the Pacific Northwest. Every year drove ships from London across the Indian and the Pacific Ocean to Vancouver to deliver equipment and supply means and redeem them for furs. The fort evolved as the last opportunity for the settlers on the Oregon Trail, to procure supplies. Because access to the Columbia River, the influence from Fort Vancouver to the area from Alaska to California and from the Rocky Mountains to Hawaii extended.
The first French-Canadian North West Company called the river Ouragan ( German: " hurricane " ), which is one of several plausible origins for the toponym Oregon.
The United States and British North America in 1818 agreed the joint occupation of the Oregon territory. The Americans remained generally south of the river, while the British colonized the area in the north. The river was during the later Oregonstreits as a possible boundary line; However, the Oregon Compromise of 1846 laid the 49th parallel established as the border between the United States and Canada. However, the river certain later most of the border between the U.S. Territories of Oregon and Washington. Oregon 1857 State of the United States and Washington followed 1889.
The sailor Robert Gray and George Vancouver in 1792 had indeed proved that it was possible to cross the sandbar at the mouth of the river, but the navigational difficulties through this obstacle are even at the present time a current problem. Despite modern water works, which altered the course at the mouth of the river, making the strong current and variability of sand banks in the trade between the river and the open ocean to a challenge.
The use of steamboats on the Columbia River began around the year 1850 and thus contributed to the rapid settlement and economic development of the region. The steamships wrong at various sections of the river: the lower reaches between the Pacific Ocean and the Cascades Rapids, between Celilo Falls and the mouth of the Snake River; on the Wenatchee Reach in eastern Washington, on the Arrow Lakes in British Columbia and on various tributaries such as the Willamette River or the Snake River, and on the Kootenay Lake. Railways connected the individual steamship connections where they were interrupted in the lower reaches by waterfalls.
Passage up to Lewiston
Already in 1881 suggested industrialists, to modify the natural course of the river to improve navigability. This Water Works will include the construction of jetties at the river mouth, the dredging of the river bed and the construction of locks and a canal. Today, ocean-going ships can travel to Portland and navigation is possible via the Snake River to Lewiston, Idaho.
The Columbia Bar is a variable sandbank at the mouth of the river that makes the trip between the river and the open ocean is difficult and dangerous and numerous rapids to impede navigation. In 1886, the first jetties were built to extend the river to the sea.
1891 Columbia River was dredged to improve navigability. The depth of the shipping channel between the estuary and Portland and Vancouver has been increased from 5 m to 8 m. The newspaper The Columbian called for as early as 1905 a depression on 12 m, this depth was not achieved until 1976.
The first lock system at the Cascades Rapids was built in 1895 to allow ships a safe journey through the Columbia River Gorge. The Celilo Canal, which the Celilo Falls are bypassed, was opened to traffic in 1915. In the mid-20th century the rapids drowned in a series of dams along the river. A system of locks allows the ships to move from one reservoir to the next. A ship canal along the Columbia River and the Snake River, which allows the boat ride to Lewiston, Idaho, was completed in 1975. More than 40 % of all wheat exports from the United States to be shipped on the Columbia River.
The eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 caused numerous landslides, causing the water depth of the Columbia River has been reduced to a 7 km stretch of eight meters and the economy has been hampered in Portland.
Deepening of the channel
The efforts to make the river for navigation only and expand the fairway, take on up to the present. 1990, a new round of investigations for dredging of the lower course has begun. These plans were controversial from the outset in terms of their economic efficiency and environmental compatibility.
1999, the United States Congress authorized the deepening of the riverbed between Portland and Astoria by 40 feet ( = 12.2 m) to 43 feet ( = 13.1 m), so that large container ships and freighters wheat Portland and Vancouver can achieve. The project called for measures to compensate for the resulting damage to the environment; for each acre, which was destroyed by the project, had to create the Army Corps of Engineers 12 acre new wetland. The project encountered yet on defense, because this toxic debris at the base of the riverbed would spread around. A lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers was rejected by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in August 2006.
Work on the project began in 2005. The cost was estimated at 150 million U.S. dollars, of which the federal government pay 65 % and the states of Oregon and Washington, 27 million U.S. dollars each. The rest bring to six port companies. The projects cost 178 million U.S. dollars and was completed in October 2010.
Celilo Falls.
Confluence with the Pacific Ocean at Astoria.
Vista House, with Beacon Rock and Hamilton Mountain in the background.
Washington (state) Spokane River Deschutes River (Oregon) Yakima River Cowlitz River Tri-Cities (Washington) Portland (Oregon) Vancouver (Washington) Pasco (Washington) Robert Gray (sea captain) Astoria (Oregon) Water gap Glacial period Golden (British Columbia) Mica Dam Revelstoke Dam Castlegar (British Columbia) Trail (British Columbia) Kettle River (Columbia River) Sandy River (Oregon) 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens Benton County (Washington) Land reclamation Multnomah Falls Shipwrecking North American fur trade William Clark (explorer) Oregon Treaty Canada–United States border Breakwater (structure) Lewiston (Idaho) Revelstoke, British Columbia BC Geographical Names Digital Object Identifier Alouette River Atnarko River Babine River Bella Coola River Campbell River (Vancouver Island) Cowichan River Fraser River Horsefly River Kechika River Middle River (British Columbia) Peace River Prophet River Skagit River Stikine River Stuart River West Road River Integrated Authority File


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Home / Secondary / Competitions / Young Quills / Young Quills reviews 2019 / The Silver Hand
The Silver Hand
By Terry Deary
Young Quills reviews
Amelia's review
In my opinion, this was an overall average book. The start is a bit slow-moving and confusing as it keeps switching from one place to another, focusing on three individuals. Later, I found it clever how they interlocked and linked together although the plot itself was very "unlikely". I found the twists a bit obvious and predictable. The story went on a bit longer than it should have, instead it should have been more detailed like the start of it was.
Some parts of the book were good. The specific scene setting was good, although it could have done with more descriptions. The mystical and mysterious aspect of some of it was well-written, though unrealistic and "out of place" even though the author tried to explain it towards the end. I think this is a book worth reading.
Star rating ★★★
Nathan's review
I really enjoyed reading this book. My favourite character is Ammie, she has a good part of the story and has to keep this secret from everyone called the silver hand. She is also the child of the spy which she also played a good role in the story. I didn't really learn anything new about the past. I would say this book is more gripping story than a factual story and that is what made me like it the most. I would also say the words are not too complex in the book, I would recommend this to an adult that is looking for an easy read or a child looking for a not too long book. I like the way the book transitions being left alone from the war to being taken over by the Germans. I thought the story was a bit light-hearted but at the same time a bit dangerous, like for example when she was in the balloon and almost got shot down. What made it interesting for me that it was peak war and was really dangerous. All the characters in the book seemed really interesting and had a lot of backstory to how they got to where they were.
I would give this book 8 out of 10 but definitely recommend it to peers.
Lola's review
I think this was an okay book. Closer to the end it got less confusing the more you read. But nearer to the beginning, it was harder to understand. I thought this was an adventurous, action-filled book but it wouldn't really be the book of my books.
I would recommend this book for 7 – 11-year-old girls and boys who like adventurous books.
Christina's review
I found Sergeant Grimm interesting because he was the German spy sent to spy on the British and that he had a "silver hand", which later turned out to be cheap tin. His personality was cruel, he went as far to nearly throw Amy (a French girl who found out his secret) off a hot air balloon!
I also found Captain Ellis quite interesting because whatever situation he was put in, he almost never lost his calm demeanour. An example could be when he found out the bag that had fake plans and the bag with a card that was signed by the general that could allow anyone anywhere were accidentally switched, he just remained tranquil because he knew that they still had a soldier following Sergeant Grimm.
I found that the time was extremely interesting because it started out as Spring 1918 and then at the end was November 1918. It also was educational with descriptive words to describe the different settings and the feelings.
What stand out for me on this book is that a German boy and a French boy — on completely different sides of the war — was still able to form a friendship when most odds were against them. They worked together to help end the war and I find that even after years after WW1 they were still friends.
I would definitely recommend this book to other students who like maybe a little violence, beautiful friendship, menacing and sly villains, and a great insight to history.
Isabelle's review
I really enjoyed reading The Silver Hand because it was full of action and plot twists. My favourite character was Ammie because she is such a strong and brave female character. The story was very realistic and fun to read. One thing I really liked about it was how it wasn't as prejudiced as other books about the war, as it kind of tells the story from both sides. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action-filled historical fiction.
Andrew's review
My favourite character in the book was Ammie because she and her friend Marius were on the run together from the Germans behind their lines and she took charge of the situation and helped Marius. I didn't really like the character of the British traitor because his character wasn't really developed much through the story.
I learnt a lot from the book about how the British spy network in WW1 managed to infiltrate many aspects of everyday life.
I found the plot great because there were many twists in the story line, many unexpected as well. I think what most stands out about the book is how the French girl and the German boy worked together despite their countries being at war.
I would definitely recommend this book to other pupils as it is very interesting and hide many secrets about both sides of the war.
Unit Homepage
The Great Sea Dragon Discovery – winner, 11–13 years category
Across the Divide
Armistice Runner
Black Snow Falling
Houdini and the Five-Cent Circus
My Brigadista Year
Race to the Frozen North
Rose Rivers
Secrets of a Sun King
Shadow of the Centaurs's review
The Buried Crown
The First King of England
The Goose Road
The Raven's Children
The Skylarks' War

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Statesboro High School, Optim Sports Medicine, and Dr. Robert Wagner are excited to offer Spring Physicals to any SHS athlete who desires to try out for a sport at SHS during the 2019-2020 school year. The sports physical would be valid for the entire 2019-2020 school year and will cost $10. As always, SHS student-athletes have the option of using their primary care physician to obtain a physical.
The GHSA requires that each student-athlete must have an annual physical examination on file (see information from the GHSA Constitution and By-Laws below).
Students must have a certificate of an annual physical examination on file at the school prior to participating in any athletic try-outs, practices, voluntary workouts or games that indicate the students are physically approved for participation. Physical examinations will be good for twelve (12) months from the date of the exam. EXCEPTION: Any physical examination taken on or after April 1 in the preceding year will be accepted for the entire next GHSA school year.
If you have any questions, feel free to call the SHS Athletic Office at 912-212-8860 or email Coach Prosser (Athletic Director) at cprosser@bullochschools.org.


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You are here: Mobility Beat Alliance Ventures invests in the mobility house to boost electric mobility
Alliance Ventures invests in the mobility house to boost electric mobility
Alliance Ventures, the strategic venture capital arm of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, announces an investment in The Mobility House, a technology company that provides a platform for integrating vehicle batteries into power grids using intelligent charging, energy and storage solutions.
That investment is the latest by Alliance Ventures in start-up, early-stage development and entrepreneurs at the cutting edge of next-generation technology for the automotive industry. The Mobility House is based in Germany, Switzerland and California's Silicon Valley.
Alliance Ventures aims to provide the right ecosystem of open innovation to ensure Alliance member companies deliver mobility for tomorrow, said François Dossa, Alliance Global Vice President for Ventures and Open Innovation and Chairman of Alliance Ventures. The Mobility House's expertise in e-mobility and energy transition will contribute to the Alliance commitment to zero-emission vehicles and to the achievement of our vision: shaping the future of mobility.
Alliance member companies and The Mobility House have already embarked on several projects together. For instance, through collaboration with The Mobility House, the Nissan LEAF was the first electric car to be used in a Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) project in Germany, in Hagen. Cooperating with Groupe Renault, The Mobility House will market the biggest stationary energy storage systems made with electric vehicle batteries in Europe and contribute through its smart energy platform to make the Portuguese island of Porto Santo, near Madeira, the first "smart island" in the world.
Alliance Ventures is a perfect investor for The Mobility House, said Thomas Raffeiner, founder and CEO of The Mobility House. The fact that the vision and skill set of our companies fit together very well has been proven many times in the past. We are delighted that we can embark on many more projects and make our shared vision of a sustainable energy future come true even faster.
The investment in The Mobility House follows 11 others by Alliance Ventures, including start-up based in North America, Europe and China.
Financial terms of the investment in The Mobility House are not being disclosed.
ABOUT THE MOBILITY HOUSE
The goal of The Mobility House is to create a zero-emission energy and mobility future. Our technology platform unites the automotive and energy sectors. We integrate vehicle batteries into the power grid using intelligent charging, energy and storage solutions. This way, we promote the development of renewable energies, stabilize the power grid and make electric mobility more affordable. The technology company was founded in 2009 and operates globally from its Munich, Zurich and Sunnyvale (CA) sites, serving customers in over 10 countries. These include leading automotive manufacturers, fleet operators, installation companies, energy suppliers and electric car drivers. For more information, visit mobilityhouse.com.
ABOUT RENAULT-NISSAN-MITSUBISHI
Groupe Renault, Nissan Motor Company and Mitsubishi Motors represent the world's largest automotive alliance. It is the longest-lasting and most productive cross-cultural partnership in the auto industry. Together, the partners sold more than 10.6 million vehicles in nearly 200 countries in 2017. The member companies are focused on collaboration and maximizing synergies to boost competitiveness. They have strategic collaborations with other automotive groups, including Germany's Daimler and China's Dongfeng. This strategic alliance is the industry leader in zero-emission vehicles and is developing the latest advanced technologies, with plans to offer autonomous drive, connectivity features and services on a wide range of affordable vehicles.
www.alliance-2022.com
www.media.renault.com
www.nissan-newsroom.com
www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/newsrelease/
ABOUT ALLIANCE VENTURES
Alliance Ventures is the strategic venture capital fund of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, the world's largest automotive alliance. The fund, launched in 2018 and co-located in Amsterdam, Silicon-Valley, Paris, Yokohama, Beijing and Tel Aviv, plans to invest up to $1 billion in its first five years to support open innovation. Alliance Ventures targets technology and business model innovation in new mobility, autonomous driving, connected services, EV & energy and enterprise 2.0. By drawing on expertise and business opportunities from across the world's largest automotive alliance, the fund makes strategic investments at all start-up stages and incubates new automotive entrepreneurs at the cutting edge of next-generation systems for the automotive industry.
www.alliance-2022.com/ventures/


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Informazioni sul libro
The Balfour Declaration: The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict (originale 2010; edizione 2012)
di Jonathan Schneer (Autore)
Utenti Recensioni Popolarità Media voti Conversazioni
264 4 80,604 (3.89) Nessuno
The Balfour Declaration paints an indelible picture of how Arab nationalists, backed by Britain, fought for their future as Zionists in England battled diplomatically for influence. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to either side or even to most members of the British government, Prime Minister David Lloyd George was telling Turkey that she could keep her flag flying over the disputed territory if only she would agree to a separate peace. --from publisher description.… (altro)
▾Informazioni sul libro
Utente: CameronBarham
Titolo: The Balfour Declaration: The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict
Autori: Jonathan Schneer (Autore)
Info: Random House Trade Paperbacks (2012), 480 pages
Collezioni: La tua biblioteca
Etichette: Nessuno
The Balfour Declaration: The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict di Jonathan Schneer (2010)
Aggiunto di recente da millerchris3, rzedted, imnasser1994, WestBranch, jose.pires, SLOlson, JamesBeach, cdonegan, hhvander
A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East di David Fromkin (EduardoT)
The Emergence of the Modern Middle East (181)
Mostra 4 di 4
A very interesting book, clearly the product of an immense amount of research and written in a generally dispassionate way that is unusual given the emotional resonance of the subject - the path to the 'Balfour declaration' of support for a Jewish home in Palestine, and the seeds of the conflict that still mars the middle east today. This is one of those episodes in history where everyone's motives are understandable. Arabs and (some) Jews wanting land and liberty; the western powers desperate to find any way of reaching a breakthrough in the impasse that was decimating their populations in the first world war. Hindsight is a marvellous thing, but one that the author resists very well in favour of describing the key players and articulating their actions and motivations within the context where they took place
otterley | May 12, 2012 |
http://bookeywookey.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-two-paragraph-document-written-in.h...
bookeywookey | Dec 4, 2011 |
This the best volume I have read on the Middle East in the First World War. The author does a fine job of explaining the relationships and motives between the stakeholders in this critical theater of the war. He covers the actions of Great Britain, Russia, France, Turkey, the various factions of the Jews and Arabs, and Germany, even the U.S. Due the number of individuals introduced in this complex adventure, the author includes a 10 page Glossary of Names so the reader can keep track of who is who as the story unforlds.
Even though the story is complex, the author takes you through the events step by step; keeping the narrative readable throughout the 376 pages of text. It is a newer book published in 2010.
Highly recommend this book. Next I will be reading "Shadow of the Sultan's Realm" by Daniel A. Butler. This also a new book on the same subject.....will be interesting to compare them. ( )
1 douboy50 | Nov 8, 2011 |
Unbiased, comprehensive, and relevant. Author does a great job of setting the scene(s). ( )
1 pineapplejuggler | Jun 10, 2011 |
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The Balfour Declaration: The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict
Arthur Balfour
Sir Gilbert Clayton
Pasha Djemal
Horatio Herbert Kitchener
(mostra tutte le voci 9)
Henry McMahon
Sir Mark Sykes
Chaim Weizmann
National Jewish Book Award (Writing Based On Archival Material | 2010)
The Future of Palestine
The Balfour Declaration paints an indelible picture of how Arab nationalists, backed by Britain, fought for their future as Zionists in England battled diplomatically for influence. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to either side or even to most members of the British government, Prime Minister David Lloyd George was telling Turkey that she could keep her flag flying over the disputed territory if only she would agree to a separate peace. --from publisher description.
Scambia (15 lo cerca(no))
Sistema Decimale Melvil (DDC)
956.04 — History and Geography › Asia › Middle East › Middle East
DS125.S366 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania › Asia › History of Asia › Israel (Palestine). The Jews › History


Designed for both present and prospective behind-the-wheel instructors. Lectures and demonstrations include behind-the-wheel driving procedures, traffic and highway safety, sign regulations, and crash prevention. Special emphasis will be placed on defensive driving. Photo ID required.


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Bashable
A multi-platform media and entertainment website
By Bassam Alkantar | 20/08/2016 | Mobiles | 0 comments
Huawei P9 wins European Consumer Smartphone 2016-17 at this year's EISA Awards
Huawei Consumer Business Group (BG) is honored to announce that the Huawei P9 has been named 'European Consumer Smartphone 2016-17' by the European Image and Sound Association (EISA). Furthering its commitment to pursuing the best quality and design without compromise, this is the fourth consecutive year that Huawei has been recognized in this category.
Designed to reinvent smartphone photography, the Huawei P9 is the first smartphone co-engineered with the global iconic brand, Leica Camera AG. The P9's dual-lens camera takes smartphone photography to the next level, allowing people to capture both vivid colors and striking black and white images of unmatched clarity, richness and authenticity.
Awarding the Huawei P9 European Consumer Smartphone 2016-17, the EISA judges announced, "Sometimes the value of getting the important stuff right cannot be understated, and that's precisely what the Huawei P9 does. Sporting a 5.2-inch IPS-NEO LCD with Full HD resolution, octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 955 SoC and Android OS 6.0 with Emotion UI 4.1, the P9 is available in an impressive choice of finishes produced from a wide variety of materials. But that's not all, Huawei makes history by being the first manufacturer to introduce Leica's photography know how to mobile devices. The dual-lens camera captures more light and provides better clarity for both photos and videos. While the 3,000 mAh battery has enough power for capturing every precious moment between charging, the classy finish of those diamond-cut edges with rounded corners on the unibody design combined with 2.5D glass makes the P9 both practical and beautiful in equal measure."
Glory Zhang, Chief Marketing Officer, Huawei Consumer BG commented, "We are honored to receive this award from EISA for the fourth year running. This accolade is testament to Huawei's commitment to creating new mobile innovations that offer new experiences to users. The exquisite design of the P9, praised by the EISA judges, is the result of exhaustive development and attention to detail from the world's top industrial designers, and their tireless efforts have culminated in a visually stunning design."
Global shipments of the P9 and P9 Plus exceeded 4.5 million as of July, with strong sales recorded across many European countries including France, Finland and Britain. The Huawei P9 is available to purchase now from a range of retailers and network providers.
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Bassam Alkantar
Bassam Alkantar is a Lebanese Journalist and Human Rights Activist | bashable.tech is A Lebanese multi-platform media and entertainment website.
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Jake Paul MMA training claims dismissed by UFC legend Daniel Cormier
Published: 15/Jan/2022 11:38
YouTube: Showtime Sports
Jake Paul has been rumored to be making a switch from boxing to MMA and joining the famed AKA gym. However, he won't get any help from Daniel Cormier.
Since he first got involved with influencer boxing all the way back in 2018, Jake Paul has made some serious waves in the fight game. The YouTube star has turned a few heads with knockout wins over Nate Robinson, Ben Askren, and Tyron Woodley.
After beating Woodley in late 2021, all eyes are on who he might fight next – with former Middleweight boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. reportedly lined up.
There are also rumors that, after long last, Jake might step into the Octagon and fight in the world of MMA – likely for Bellator or PFL, rather than the UFC. Though, he won't be getting help from some of the top dogs.
Showtime Boxing
Jake Paul improved to 5-0 with a KO win over Tyron Woodley. All eyes are on who he'll fight next.
After the MMA switch rumors started to swirl, the social media star claimed that he'd be working with Khabib Nurmagomedov and the American Kickboxing Academy team – which also includes former UFC champion Daniel Cormier, with whom he's had some beef.
Read More: Joe Rogan fans want Jake Paul fight after MMA training video
Cormier, now a commentator for the UFC, was asked about Jake possibly joining the gym and getting involved with MMA. Though, he has his doubts.
"No, I have no interest in that. It seems like a lot of ploys, right? It is always ploys," he told The Schmo. "I don't know how true much of it is, but it seems like a ploy to me, so I'm not going to play that game."
Timestamp of 7:47
The gym's head trainer, Javier Mendez, also poured cold water on the YouTuber joining the team immediately – noting that membership requires a vote, no matter who you are or what you've done.
"He hasn't been given consent because he hasn't asked, it's not that he won't, I just know he hasn't asked," he also told The Schmo. "If he does get denied, he won't know who denied him cause we don't say that."
It remains to be seen if the YouTuber's switch will actually happen or, if like Cormier believes, it's all just a ploy to build some hype.
Jake Paul's 2020 Arizona trespassing charges dropped after alleged looting incident
Venusaur best moveset in Pokemon Go & is it any good?


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2021's Top 10 Retail Experiences: No. 6 La Centerra At Cinco Ranch
Chain Store Age picks physical retail's most engaging centers
Al Urbanski
Real Estate Editor & Manager
In the Houston suburb of Katy, packed with lots of people and lots of retail, La Centerra is an outdoor center with incredible space, a wide variety of stores and restaurants, a public park, and a clock tower that guides guests to the site from as far as 10 miles away.
"There's a great mixture of uses at La Centerra, and a lot of open spaces," said Josh Poag, CEO of Poag Shopping Centers, which acquired La Centerra in 2017. "During the pandemic, all of the restaurants got quickly engaged in doing takeout orders. People were lined up. Outdoor yoga classes went ahead with people spaced 10 feet apart. It was business as usual."
La Centerra's 400,000-plus sq. ft. of GLA holds a cast of tenants that appeal to consumers across all income levels and age groups. Two dozen food and beverage stops range from Bar Louie to Starbuck's, Perry's Steakhouse to Baker St. Pub & Grill, and Ambrizia Social Mexican Kitchen to Torchy's Tacos.
The retail roster runs across the board and counts Kendra Scott, LensCrafters, Peloton, Image Orthodontics, Edward James, Jos. A. Bank, Music & Arts Center, SportClips, Trader Joe's, and Sephora.
But La Centerra's Central Green ends up being one of the biggest traffic builders at the property. It's within walking distance of the town of Katy's schools, library, and theaters and hosts 200-plus events a year that include live music, group workouts, and movie nights. The center is also home to the Art Museum TX, a public outlet for local artists.
"La Centerra has a great relationship with the community. We program a lot of events and the city brings in a lot of events, too," Poag said. "It's upper-middle-income retail, entertainment and dining, and it works really well."
Stay tuned for daily profiles of the next four centers. Until then, catch up on what you missed:
No. 1 Easton Town Center
No. 2 American Dream
No. 3 Galleria Dallas
No. 4 Tuscan Village
No. 5 National Harbor
Gelson's names CEO


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From left, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams spoke at the press conference, with state Senator Brad Hoylman and Susan Steinberg, S.T.P.C.V. Tenants Association president, at far right. (Photo by The Village Sun)
Stuy Town-Peter Cooper tenants fight potential deregulation
BY THE VILLAGE SUN | Trying to make sure their landlord doesn't pull a fast one, tenants at Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village on Thursday filed a legal action in State Supreme Court to protect thousands of apartments likely facing illegal deregulation.
In the first tenant-led test of New York's new tenant-protection legislation — the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 — the action asks for a declaratory judgment on whether the new laws apply to residents of the iconic middle-class housing development.
Starting on July 1, more than 6,200 of the rent-regulated apartments at S.T.P.C.V. could be subject to illegal deregulation by the East Side complex's owner, Blackstone, the tenants say.
However, the tenants' legal action argues that deregulating the units would be a clear violation of H.S.T.P.A., which established that any apartment that was rent-regulated when the law passed — on June 14, 2019 — would remain subject to rent regulation forever.
Standing with tenants leaders and their attorney at a press conference announcing the legal action was a bevy of politicians, including state Senator Brad Hoylman, Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, Councilmember Keith Powers, Comptroller Scott Stringer, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, plus a representative of Congressmember Carolyn Maloney.
"The principal at stake in this tenant-led lawsuit is nothing less than the future of affordable housing at Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village," Hoylman said in his remarks. "I join my colleagues…in demonstrating our support for this legal action and urging Blackstone to stand down and follow the law."
"Despite being the wealthiest landlord in the world, Blackstone must also follow the law," Epstein said.
Powers grew up in the East Side complex, which stretches east of First Ave. between 14th and 23rd Sts.
"Since its opening, generations of middle-class tenants have been able to build a home in Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village," he said. "I know firsthand that it is a unique community, a true neighborhood, here in New York City, made possible because of strong rent regulations."
Blackstone has committed to not raising rents beyond Rent Guidelines Board thresholds until the legal matter has been resolved.
From left, Borough President Gale Brewer, Councilmember Keith Powers, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and state Senator Brad Hoylman. (Photo by The Village Sun)
In the 1990s and early 2000s, the former owners of the 80-acre complex illegally deregulated apartments — under the guise of luxury decontrol — while receiving J-51 tax benefits. J-51 tax benefits — which are granted for renovations — require that rent regulation be preserved during the period the landlord is receiving the benefits.
In 2007, then-current and former S.T.P.C.V. tenants sued the landlord over the illegal deregulations in the landmark Amy L. Roberts et al v. Tishman Speyer case and won. As a result, 4,300 apartments were re-regulated in 2009 and nearly 2,000 more have been re-regulated over the past decade.
In turn, five years ago, Blackstone signed an agreement to keep 45 percent — or 5,000 — of the complex's apartments affordable. Yet, Blackstone is also citing a previous 2012 legal agreement, under which the complex's roughly 6,000 other apartments are set to be deregulated when they are removed from the J-51 program this June.
It all sounds complex and confusing, but the politicians supporting the tenants assure that the sweeping new law is on their side.
Tim Collins, the attorney for the tenants, said the legal action, at this point, is merely "anticipatory."
"We're just asking for clarification, we're not asking for damages," he said. "Blackstone hasn't done anything wrong yet."
Attorney Tim Collins, left, said the legal action is "anticipatory," as in, trying to head off an unwanted outcome. (Photo by The Village Sun)
Rents would not go down as a result of this legal action, but they would be subject to rent regulation, he said.
That's a very important point, noted Powers: It means the landlord would not be able to effectively evict tenants — even ones already paying a market-rate rent — by raising the rent astronomically beyond what they could pay.
Powers said there's no question about it: The entire complex — with its 11,000 apartments — is legally rent-regulated.
Susan Steinberg, president of the S.T.P.C.V. Tenants Association, said many apartments in the development already sport a high rent, with one-bedrooms going for $3,500 a month or more.
"We have one person renting for $14,000," she said, with a disbelieving smile. "I think they made one a penthouse or it's one of the five-bedrooms."
Generally speaking, Peter Cooper Village has traditionally been more expensive, with larger apartments, than Stuy Town, she said.
"Stuyvesant Town was for firemen, policemen, nurses and teachers," she said. "Peter Cooper was for judges, doctors and lawyers."
Judith Miller, a Stuy Town resident since the 1970s and active member of the Gramercy Stuyvesant Independent Democrats, said she knows she has a good rent deal. But she doesn't want to see her neighbors exploited.
"My husband was an original tenant. He came in 1950," she said. "I'm in a wonderful position, but these positions are diminishing."
Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act
J-51 tax breaks
rent regulation
Stuyvesant Town Peter Cooper Village


Has your nonprofit frozen wages or awarded minimum pay increases over the last few years while asking employees to take on new responsibilities? Are they being asked to contribute more to your benefit plan, or take a benefits cut?
Such organizational moves often are necessary during tough economic times. That said, don't lose sight of the importance of your staff, from hiring and training them to rewarding them for their performance, and providing motivation to stay.
When asked to list their organization's assets, nonprofit leaders are likely to name investments, facilities, real estate, cash and other tangible assets. Too often, personnel are left off the list.
But without a knowledgeable and committed staff, you stand little chance of delivering program services or raising enough money to fund them. And when you consider the cost of hiring, training and mentoring staff, not to mention the losses your nonprofit incurs when an experienced employee leaves, it's easy to see why you should assign a high value to your people.
Finding and keeping good staff starts with smart hiring. Just as you wouldn't buy a mutual fund without researching its performance and strategy, don't hire staffers without thoroughly vetting them for potential rewards and risks.
Experience, education, skills and employer recommendations are merely a starting place. Good hiring requires employers and job candidates to honestly assess their respective objectives. Don't hire someone simply because you're desperate to fill an empty position. Shaky starts rarely lead to long-term success. Similarly, don't court a candidate who seems likely to jump ship when a "better" offer comes along — no matter how impressive his or her resumé.
When a new employee comes aboard, ensure he or she receives comprehensive training — not only related to job responsibilities, but also about your not-for-profit's culture and ethics. Staffers need to buy in to your mission and support the programs you've established.
Also ensure that employees understand your evaluation and compensation system — and feel like full participants. Often, they leave a job claiming their employment expectations weren't met and the employers are left scratching their heads about what went wrong. Staffers must be able to voice perceived obstacles to their successful long-term employment without fear of reprisal. If you want to keep them, listen and try to find ways to help them succeed.
Although financial compensation is generally the best way to reward and retain people, there are other ways you can let employees know you value them — without busting your budget. For example, consider tangible rewards other than money. You could write a personal "thank you" note and enclose a small gift card when a staff member achieves something special. Or you could reward that person with an extra vacation or personal day. Another idea: Offer the employee more flexible hours, such as earlier starting and leaving times or the option to telecommute.
And don't forget the value of praise and recognition. Acknowledge employees for a job well done at staff meetings or in your nonprofit's newsletter. Or invite "star" employees to be introduced at a board meeting, or to represent your nonprofit at an industry conference. All of these actions reflect your confidence in those individuals and indicate their importance to the organization.
Your nonprofit may be unable to compensate employees quite as well as its for-profit counterparts. But, if your focus is on valuing and growing your assets — that is, your employees — all you need is a little creativity in order to reward them in many other ways.


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EXCLUSIVE: Young and Restless Grad Davetta Sherwood Dishes Gig on Fuse's The Hustle
In 2006, she took over one of the most popular, young adult roles in the history of CBS Daytime's No. 1 soap — and more than made it her own. In 2013, however, The Young and the Restless alum Davetta Sherwood (ex-Lily Winters) is going hard on cable.
The talented actress is starring as feisty stylist Cecile on Fuse's first-ever scripted drama, The Hustle. I recently caught up with an all-grown-up Sherwood, who dished about her new gig in creator Prentice Penny's (Happy Endings) dramedy.
Daytime Confidential: Congratulations on being cast as Cecile in Fuse's premiere, scripted drama, The Hustle. What can you tell us about your character?
Davetta Sherwood: I play Kutta's [one of the rappers from the group] baby mom. She's a mother and a stylist. And despite not being with Kutta, she is still trying to have her career as well as keep a cordial relationship with her child's father. She kind of helped him get on and she still cares about him. But now she is dating someone and trying to live her life.
DC: The show is being compared to HBO's Entourage, only instead of exploring the film industry through the eyes of young, white men, The Hustle is set in the world of hip-hop and has a predominantly black cast. Do you feel this type of program is a long time coming?
DS: Yes. When I, or friends, watched Entourage, or talked about it, they love the show, but you can't help but think, what about us? We all know people who are hustling, or working, or trying to make it in one aspect or another. The Hustle gives us that. It's not exactly Entourage. It has the same feel though, mixed with a hip-hop feeling. I think everyone can enjoy that.
DC: There seems to be more opportunities for women of color to do drama on television of late. Kerry Washington is killing it on ABC's Scandal. Meagan Good had the lead role in the short-lived Deception on NBC. OWN is breaking records with The Haves and The Have Nots starring Tika Sumpter. Have you noticed a shift in the mood among other actresses of color when auditioning for roles?
DS: I think there is a bit more confidence, more a sense of we have a choice when it comes to the roles we play. I'm not taking anything from anyone, as we all have to crawl before we walk, but it's great to be in a place where you actually have a choice. You can say, "No, I'm not playing that part." Or, you can even start giving your insight or perspective into what the character is, or feels in the scene. Before, you were so happy to get offered a role, many just took it and kept quiet. I think we are finding our voice.
DC: You're no stranger to drama, having starred as Lily Winters on The Young and the Restless, but The Hustle is being billed as a "dramedy". Are you ready to exercise your funny bone?
DS: I am. I have played mostly dramatic roles, but in real life I am funny. Well, I think I am anyway. So it's going to be great to be able to explore that.
DC: Speaking of Y&R, you haven't played Lily since 2006, but a week doesn't go by without at least one fan writing on a soap opera message board that they wish you were still in the role. Did you expect to make such an impact, during your brief stint on the sudser?
DS: Not at all. I still get emails and people recognize me in the street at times and it's still just a blessing to have had that opportunity.
DC: What would you say to your soap opera fans, to convince them to tune in for The Hustle?
DS: If you were a fan of Y&R for the drama and you got attached to the characters, The Hustle will have you begging for the next episode. You have great characters that you can relate to and really build a relationship with. An amazing cast, with wonderful guest appearances and even some fights. What more could you want?
The Hustle airs Wednesdays at 11/10C on Fuse.
FuseThe Young and the RestlessEntourageThe HustleExclusivesPrentice PennyDaytime Confidential InterviewsDavetta Sherwood
Young and Restless Alum Davetta Sherwood Stars in Fuse's First Scripted Drama 'The Hustle' (VIDEO)
Daytime Confidential EXCLUSIVE: Catching up With Andrew from "The Fashionista Diaries"
DC Exclusive: Buppies' Preston Davis and Damien Wigfall Talk "Treliot"
DC Exclusive: Sneak Peek at Tonight's Imaginary Bitches!


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Red Wine 9
Piedmont 8
Tuscany 3
Decanter 2
Jeb Dunnuck 2
Gaja DaGromis Barolo 2018
Nebbiolo from Barolo, Piedmont, Italy
Gaja Ca'Marcanda Magari 2020
Bordeaux Red Blends from Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy
Gaja Sperss Barolo 2017
Gaja Sito Moresco 2018
Other Red Blends from Piedmont, Italy
Gaja Gaia and Rey Chardonnay 2020
Chardonnay from Piedmont, Italy
Gaja Pieve Santa Restituta Brunello di Montalcino 2017
Sangiovese from Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy
Gaja Conteisa 2017
Gaja Barbaresco 2019
Nebbiolo from Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy
Gaja Ca'Marcanda Vistamare 2020
Other White Blends from Tuscany, Italy
Gaja Sori Tildin 2017
Gaja Costa Russi 2017
Perched atop a steep hill in the Langhe sits the small village of Barb...
Perched atop a steep hill in the Langhe sits the small village of Barbaresco, home of the GAJA winery. The story of the GAJA Winery can be traced to a singular, founding purpose: to produce original wines with a sense of place which reflect the tradition and culture of those who made it. This philosophy has inspired five generations of impeccable winemaking. It started over 150 years ago when Giovanni Gaja opened a small restaurant in Barbaresco, making wine to complement the food he served. In 1859, he founded the Gaja Winery, producing some of the first wine from Piedmont to be bottled and sold outside the region. Since that time, the winery has been shaped by each generation's hand, notably that of Clotilde Rey, Angelo Gaja's grandmother. Her passion for uncompromising quality influenced and informed Angelo Gaja. Through Angelo, these values have become the cornerstone of the GAJA philosophy and are engrained in every aspect of wine production
In 1961, Angelo Gaja began his mission of bringing this great winery to an even higher level. He was the first to use barriques, 225-liter French oak barrels. Under his direction, GAJA pioneered the production of single-vineyard designated wines and was the first to plant Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc varietals in Piedmont. He was also instrumental in elevating the native Nebbiolo grape to world-class esteem.
Angelo Gaja is joined by the fifth generation of the GAJA family – his daughters Gaia and Rossana and his son Giovanni. Together they continue to advance the winery's legacy. To fully realize their vision, all GAJA wines are produced exclusively from grapes grown in estate-owned vineyards, including 250 acres in Piedmont's Barbaresco and Barolo districts as well as estates in Pieve Santa Restituta (Montalcino) and Ca'Marcanda (Bolgheri). It is from these storied vineyards, and their terroir – the combination of soil, weather and vines that grow upon them, that GAJA wines reveal their true heart and soul.


Although post-stroke depression is a well-characterized disorder, there is less understanding of how pre-existence of depression is affected by a stroke.
We describe a patient with treatment-resistant major depression, which had been ongoing for 14 years but disappeared shortly after onset of a subarachnoid hemorrhage. Her cognitive function and functional status were mostly unaffected by the stroke. However, she no longer excessively regretted past events. Lesions were found in the orbitofrontal cortex, which is involved in feeling regret, and in the adjacent subgenual cingulate area, which is metabolically hyperactive in treatment-resistant depression and is the target for deep-brain stimulation for relief of treatment-resistant depression. The lesions from the stroke may have caused the disappearance of the patient's treatment-resistant depression by alleviating excessive regret and decreasing the elevated activity in these areas.
This patient's clinical course may shed light on the neuropsychological and neurophysiological mechanisms of major depression of the melancholic subtype.
Although post-stroke depression is a well-known disorder, how a pre-existing depression is affected by stroke has not been well studied. To the best of our knowledge, only Mimura et al.  have documented the post-stroke character of a patient who had major depression before the stroke event. This patient showed acute mania following a right-side infarction in the area of the middle cerebral artery. Studies on mood changes after brain damage can help elucidate the brain mechanisms that regulate mood states. Here, we describe a female patient with treatment-resistant major depression that had lasted for 14 years but improved dramatically shortly after a subarachnoid hemorrhage with the rupture of an anterior-communicating artery aneurysm. We discuss potential mechanisms underlying her mood change.
The patient and her family members granted informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical aspects of this study were reviewed and approved by the Ashikaga Red Cross Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee. The patient was a 69-year-old housewife with 14 years of education and no remarkable medical history. Her parents ran a family-owned precision instruments plant. She married an employee of the company, who later succeeded her father as president. She was a serious-minded person who liked order and was dedicated to her husband and the management of the family firm. She would sacrifice her well-being for others and had a strong sense of responsibility. She tended to think and plan seriously before acting. She first presented with depression at age 55, shortly after her father-in-law died. Although she had taken care of him for the preceding five years, she regretted not having been able to positively help him during his illness. She visited the Ashikaga Red Cross hospital at that time for help with her depressive state, and we followed her thereafter. The patient's symptoms included a severely depressed mood, anhedonia, poor concentration, low energy, psychomotor retardation, irritability, agitation, insomnia, feelings of excessive guilt, and suicidal ideation. She was diagnosed with major depression of the melancholic type  and was prescribed the tricyclic antidepressant trimipramine maleate, which was gradually increased to 150 mg daily over a period of 3 months. Although her depression partially remitted during the course of treatment, it deteriorated again at age 57 when her mother-in-law was diagnosed with dementia and admitted to a nursing home. The patient again had excessive feelings of regret about not having effectively helped her mother-in-law. She was prescribed the tricyclic antidepressant, amoxapine (150 mg daily), but her depression did not improve. Indeed, it deteriorated further between age 62 and 68 during which time she lost her three siblings. At age 68, her scores for depression on the Hamilton  and MADRS-J  scales were 28 and 36, respectively, which characterized her as very severely depressed (Table 1). Although the serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor milnacipran (100 mg daily) was used with the amoxapine, her symptoms did not change. She often stayed indoors, and on her last visit to our hospital two weeks prior to the subarachnoid hemorrhage at the age of 69, her scores for depression on the Hamilton and MADRS-J scales were 29 and 38, respectively (Table 1).
The subarachnoid hemorrhage (Hunt and Hess grade 3 ), which involved the rupture of an anterior-communicating artery aneurysm, required surgical clipping. The computed tomography of her head (Fig. 1) demonstrated a low-density area in the orbitofrontal cortex and subgenual cinguate area, which was apparently caused by an intraparenchymal hemorrhage. The imaging also shows a surgical clipping for the ruptured aneurysm and a second clipping to prevent further rupture of the right anterior cerebral artery aneurysm. We evaluated the patient's regional cerebral blood flow with IPM single-photon emission tomography using the Easy Z-Score Imaging System , which is a voxel-by-voxel Z-score analysis after voxel normalization to global mean values. The Z-score = ([control population mean] – [individual value]/[control population standard deviation]), is displayed on the anatomically standardized MRI template (Fig. 2). The imaging demonstrates dense hypoperfusion in the orbitofrontal cortex, basal forebrain, and subgenual cingulate area.
No complications common to a subarachnoid hemorrhage (i.e., hydrocephalus and/or vasospasm) were observed, and the patient recovered sufficiently to be discharged from the hospital after 2 months. She had no palsy or sensory disturbance. Antidepressant treatments were stopped immediately after her admission and were never resumed. For several months after the stroke, she was forgetful and showed mild spontaneous confabulation. Eventually, her memory deficit and confabulation improved, and she began living independently 6 months post-onset. She and her family members said that she had no cognitive dysfunction and was no longer forgetful.
Her cognitive function was evaluated 6 months after the hemorrhage using a wide range of neuropsychological measures. Her general cognitive function was assessed using the Japanese version of the Mini Mental State Examination , on which she had a perfect score of 30/30. The Japanese version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale  was used to evaluate her verbal and performance intelligence quotients, and her respective scores were 103 and 97, both within the normal range of 70 to 130 and close to the average of 100. For executive function, the Japanese version of the Behavioral Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome  was used, and her score of 109 was within the normal range of 70 to 130 and slightly above the average of 100. Her episodic memory and attentional function were assessed using the Japanese version of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised , for which she scored 84 for verbal memory, 86 for visual memory, 80 for delayed recall, and 109 for attention/concentration, all within the normal range of 70 to 130. However, compared with both the Wechsler Adult Intelligence and the Behavioral Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome scales, her episodic memory scores were relatively small, suggesting that she might have a very mild memory deficit. Finally, the Japanese version of the Frenchay Activities Index  was used to evaluate her functional status when using instruments of daily living activities, e.g., housework. Her score of 29 was within the normal range of 27.5 ± 8.6 for females age 70–79 years. In summary, although no pre-onset scores are available for comparison with the scores 6 months after the hemorrhage, her cognitive and functional status was considered to be mostly unaffected.
Her depression disappeared completely shortly after the stroke. Her scores on the Hamilton scale and MADRS-J at 2 months post-hemorrhage decreased (i.e., improved) to 6 and 5, respectively, both of which are within the normal range (Table 1). She performed housework efficiently, often went out with her friends, and had no manic episodes. She also did not exhibit apathy, disinhibition, or impulsiveness, which are frequently observed after damage to the orbitofrontal cortex. Her serious-minded and self-sacrificing behaviors and strong sense of responsibility lessened, but she did not become irresponsible. She also no longer excessively regretted past events. Her family members reported that before the stroke she had spent much time regretting past events and that her behavior and life changed in positive ways after the stroke. When asked if the experience of a serious physical illness and a narrow escape from death had changed her way of thinking, she replied that she did not agree with that statement and that she did not know why her way of thinking had changed. She said that she used to live an excessively organized and orderly life before the stroke, but somehow no longer took things too seriously. At age 70, 1 year after the stroke, her scores on the Hamilton scale and MADRS-J were four and five, respectively, within the normal range (Table 1). She had no recurrence of depression for 10 years after the stroke.
We describe herein a patient with treatment-resistant major depression that lasted for 14 years and that improved dramatically shortly after a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which disrupted the orbitofrontal cortex and subgenual cingulate area. Following the stroke, she no longer experienced excessive regret for past events. Possibly, the change in her behavior reflects a normal psychological response to a severe physical illness. However, elderly people are generally unable to change their behavior, and this patient did not agree with this suggestion. In our opinion, her 10-year recovery from a depressive state that had lasted for 14 years prior to the stroke cannot be explained as merely a psychological response.
Mood change after brain damage has been reported previously. Gainotti  found that patients with left-sided lesions were more likely to demonstrate emotional tendencies for "catastrophic reactions" (anxiety, tears, and/or swearing), and those with right-sided lesions were more likely to show "indifference reactions" (indifference, minimization, and/or anosognosia). Right-hemisphere lesions are also sometimes associated with undue cheerfulness  and euphoric mood change . These past studies suggest that right-hemisphere lesions might result in a positive mood. However, this is not the case for this patient, whose lesions were not limited to the right hemisphere. Rather, the patient's lesions involved the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex and the subgenual cingulate region. According to Camille and colleagues , the orbitofrontal cortex is involved in the experience of regret. Before her subarachnoid hemorrhage, the patient's depression was considered to be the melancholic subtype , with a tendency for an extreme sense of order and responsibility, and excessive regret about the past. Thus, possibly, the patient's loss of excessive regret was caused by damage to the orbitofrontal cortex.
In addition to the aforementioned neuropsychological mechanism, another potential mechanism for the patient's clinical course involves brain metabolism. According to Mayberg and colleagues , the subgenual cingulate area may be critically involved in modulating negative mood states and is metabolically hyperactive in patients with treatment-resistant depression. In support of this hypothesis, a decrease in subgenual cingulate activity has been reported in patients who responded to antidepressant treatments or had ablative surgery [17, 18]. Furthermore, her group assessed whether chronic deep brain stimulation could decrease subgenual cingulate activity and produce a clinical benefit in six patients with refractory depression . Using chronic stimulation of white matter tracts adjacent to the subgenual cingulate area, a striking and sustained remission of depression was obtained for four of the six patients who also showed decreased regional cerebral blood flow in the subgenual cingulate area and orbitofrontal cortex. Recently, Hilimire et al.  reported that subgenual cingulate deep brain stimulation reduced negative self-bias in patients with treatment-resistant depression and the change in self-bias may contribute to changes in mood. Given the role of the subgenual cingulate area in mood regulation and the fact that it was also disrupted in our patient, this area in our patient perhaps was metabolically hyperactive prior to the hemorrhage, and damage to the region and its adjacent orbitofrontal cortex reduced this elevated activity leading to the complete disappearance of her depression.
The aforementioned neuropsychological and metabolic mechanisms are not incompatible. Rather, we consider that damage to the orbitofrontal cortex and the adjacent subgenual cingulate area may have worked together to produce the disappearance of the treatment-resistant depression by alleviating her excessive regret and metabolic hyperactivity. Although the neural basis for depression is still incompletely understood, the orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate are among the areas that are most consistently implicated in depression, as are the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, medial temporal lobe, striatum, thalamus, and brain stem [21, 22]. The details of our case study cannot explain the neural basis of depression, but it suggests intriguing neuropsychological and neurophysiological mechanisms underlying some cases with treatment-resistant depression of the melancholic subtype.
We thank the patient and her family members for allowing us to perform this study.
MF acquired case data, designed the study, and drafted the manuscript. MK and MM supervised the study. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
The written informed consent to publish in this journal was obtained from the patient.
The patient and her family members granted informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical aspects of this study were reviewed and approved by the Ashikaga Red Cross Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee, no 2016/24. The written informed consent to participate in this study was obtained from the patient.


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For Sale in Los Angeles
1930s Mediterranean by Arthur Kelly asking $7M in Laughlin Park
On the market for the first time in half a century
By Pauline O'Connor Jul 29, 2019, 4:59pm PDT
The property sits atop the highest point in the gated enclave.
Photos by Charmaine David, courtesy of Richard Stanley/Coldwell Banker
Up for sale for the first time since 1970 is Los Feliz's Sparks-McLaren Residence. Located in the gated enclave of Laughlin Park, the stately Mediterranean Revival was designed in 1930 by Arthur R. Kelly, architect of the Harvard-Westlake School, the Wilshire Country Club, and the humble abode known as the Playboy Mansion. The home was built for mining investor Alexander McLaren, his wife, Esther, and Esther's sister, Edith Sparks.
Sited on a cul-de-sac at the highest point in the celebrity-heavy development, the prize property enjoys wrap-around city, hillside, and Griffith Park views. Measuring 4,412 square feet, it contains three levels. On the entry level, you'll find the living room, formal dining room, family room, and kitchen; upstairs are four bedroom suites, and on the lower floor, guest quarters, a wine room with bar, and laundry room.
Notable interior features include beamed ceilings, hardwood floors, Palladian windows, French doors, multiple fireplaces, built-ins, and lovely Art Deco tile. Outside, there's a sizable swimming pool, a tree-shaded patio, and a three-car garage.
The .32-acre property is listed with Richard Stanley of Coldwell Banker at an asking price of $7 million. Open houses are scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, noon to 3 p.m. Thursday, and 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The home has three fireplaces.
The formal dining room is lined with French doors.
The kitchen has been outfitted with professional-grade appliances.
The upper level has four en suite bedrooms.
Features include original tile and built-in vanities.
The mahogany-paneled library opens to a covered balcony deck.
Exterior features include several balconies, a tree-shaded patio, and heated swimming pool.
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Dissenting from Within the Trump Administration
by Oona A. Hathaway and Sarah Weiner
Inspector General, Trump Administration, Trump Administration's Civil Service, Whistleblowing
After the presidential election, many of those who were already working in government or who were considering joining began to ask questions about the ethics of working for a Trump Administration. One of us argued in a Just Security post that those working in the federal government should stay, even if they oppose the policies articulated by Trump during the campaign, and that students should not automatically write off applying to enter the bureaucracy. The post argued that it is precisely because the situation is so dangerous—and the stakes so high—that we need those committed to the rule of law to work in a Trump Administration.
As we near the inauguration, we write to follow up on that post by offering a catalog of the ways those working in government can respond when asked to participate in actions they believe to be illegal or unethical or when they become aware of such actions taken by others. We break the options down into four categories: (1) working from within; (2) reaching out to allies in other parts of the government; (3) whistleblowing; and (4) last resort measures.
This is a general outline of options that apply to a wide range of federal employees. We recognize, however, that the decisions about how to dissent are deeply contextual. The precise options available will vary by, among other factors, the agency and the individual's position within it. We therefore invite Just Security readers to offer their own suggestions—the more detailed, the better. Have you used these or other techniques to challenge illegal or unethical policies? If so, how did you dissent? What guidance would you offer to someone in the same situation? Send your stories (no classified or otherwise protected information, of course!) to us at dissentingfromwithin@gmail.com. We'll collect and share selected reader input (with any identifying information removed), to provide guidance to others.
I. Working from within
When an action or policy is proposed that a government employee considers to be illegal or unethical, the employee can almost always work with colleagues to try to modify the plan. An employee can, for example:
Explain why the policy is illegal or wrong. Marshal clear, strong, non-ideological arguments about the legal objections or the dangers posed by the proposed policy. Ideally, these objections should be raised as the policy is forming, not after the fact. But even if a decision has been made, an employee can explain why it should be reconsidered. In some cases, the employee may also be able to shape the implementation of the policy so that it is carried out in a way that avoids illegal or unethical action.
Elevate the issue. If colleagues involved in formulating the policy cannot be persuaded, an employee can elevate the issue to his or her superior for advice or assistance.
Draw on internal resources. If a federal employee has a legal concern, he or she can seek advice from the appropriate person in the agency's General Counsel (GC) Office (or equivalent office). If the relevant lawyer has signed off on the problematic policy, the issue can be elevated within the office, and ultimately to the chief legal officer him- or herself.
Create a record. At each step, employees should keep a clear, written, contemporaneous record of meetings and conversations. Keeping records not only allows an employee to later substantiate the steps he or she took to address problems as they arose, but such records can also offer future officials a clearer understanding of the views and information taken into account in making policy decisions. (This is also a time to be extra scrupulous. If your notes themselves may contain classified information, treat them accordingly.)
II. Reaching out to allies in other parts of the government
Seek allies in other agencies. Federal employees can reach out to counterparts at other agencies, consistent with their obligations of confidentiality. If internal efforts have been unsuccessful, external support can be a powerful tool.
The Lawyers' Group. For lawyers in the national security field, the interagency lawyers' group described by Charlie Savage's book Power Wars can serve, if it continues to exist, as a forum for expressing concern about legal matters. Through it, a member of the group (usually a General Council of a national security agency or his or her representative) can bring a legal matter to the broader group of lawyers in the national security community to develop a joint position on the legality or illegality of the proposed action or policy.
Request an OLC Opinion. In cases of agency conflict over a legal policy matter, an agency can request an opinion from the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice. (This is an option available only to those at the highest levels; a line attorney, for example, cannot unilaterally seek an opinion.) The standards applied to evaluating a request are specified here. In brief: "The legal question presented should be focused and concrete; OLC generally avoids providing a general survey of an area of law or issuing broad, abstract legal opinions. There should also be a practical need for the written opinion; OLC should avoid giving unnecessary advice, such as where it appears that policymakers are likely to move in a different direction. A written opinion is most likely to be necessary when the legal question is the subject of a concrete and ongoing dispute between two or more executive agencies."
Congressional oversight. As outlined below, whistleblowing statutes establish formal processes for employees of agencies to bring urgent concerns to Congress. But there may be other opportunities for agency employees to share information about unlawful or unethical agency policies or actions with congressional oversight committees—which are charged with ensuring that agencies comply with the relevant laws and that agency policies serve the public interest. When agency employees participate in hearings, investigations, and reports, they are required to offer truthful information to oversight committees. (In working with congressional oversight committees, employees must, as always, be careful to observe all their relevant legal and other professional obligations.)
III. Whistleblowing
Whistleblowing to the Office of the Inspector General. Seventy-two agencies across the executive branch have "statutory" Inspectors General who enjoy safeguards of independence, including appointment without regard to political affiliation, limited protection against removal, and supervisory autonomy under the Inspector General Act of 1978 and its subsequent amendments. (Although not covered by the IG Act, both the Central Intelligence Agency Office of Inspector General and the Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community have similar statutory authority.)
Inspectors General have the authority to receive employee complaints or information concerning agency misconduct. Such information may concern "a violation of law, rules, or regulations, or mismanagement, gross waste of funds, abuse of authority or a substantial and specific danger to the public health and safety." Whistleblowers enjoy two kinds of protection. First, the Inspectors General must protect the employee's anonymity, unless disclosure becomes "unavoidable" during its investigation. Second, agency employers must not "take or threaten to take any action against any employee as a reprisal" for his or her disclosure to the Inspector General.
In addition, there is a specialized framework for intelligence community whistleblowing. The Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act of 1998 allows employees of certain agencies to bring "urgent concerns" to Congress's attention, either through the appropriate Inspector General or, in some cases, directly to the congressional intelligence committees. Furthermore, Title VI of the Intelligence Authorization Act for FY2014 protects intelligence community employees (but not contractors) against adverse security clearance or information access determinations based on a variety of protected disclosures.
Here's a handy list of statutory Offices of the Inspectors General and a database of contact information from the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.
Whistleblowing to the Office of Special Counsel. The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 creates a separate whistleblowing avenue. It established the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), which receives disclosures related to "violation[s] of law, rule, regulation," "gross mismanagement," "gross waste of funds," "abuse[s] of authority," or "substantial and specific danger[s] to public health or safety." The OSC does not have independent investigative authority, but it can order an agency to conduct its own investigation and can submit a report on the reasonableness of the agency's investigation to relevant congressional committees and to the President. The OSC must keep the whistleblower's identity confidential, and the Merit Systems Protection Board process protects the whistleblower against retaliation. Congress further strengthened these anti-reprisal protections with the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989. (Unfortunately, the CSRA's protection is unavailable to many employees working on national security or foreign affairs. The statute categorically excludes employees of several intelligence agencies as well as any agency whose "principal function . . . is the conduct of foreign intelligence or counterintelligence activities" (as determined by the President). The OSC also lacks authority over disclosures "prohibited by law" or information "specifically required by Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or the conduct of foreign affairs.") For more on the OSC, see this valuable Just Security post by Nick Schwellenbach, OSC's Director of Communications, and Adam Miles, Deputy Special Counsel for Congressional Affairs and Policy.
The State Department Dissent Channel. The Department of State Dissent Channel allows employees "to express dissenting or alternative views on substantive issues of policy, in a manner which ensures serious, high-level review and response." Unlike the whistleblower statutes, the Dissent Channel excludes "complaints relating to violation of law, rules, or regulations; mismanagement; or fraud, waste, or abuse." State Department regulations describe the Dissent Channel as "a serious policy channel" and encourage employees to use regular channels to air alternative views whenever possible. When these front channels fail, however, the Dissent Channel offers employees a route directly to agency leadership, including the Secretary. State Department regulations limit the number of individuals granted access to Dissent Channel memoranda, prohibit retaliation based on an employee's use of the Dissent Channel, and task the OIG with investigating alleged reprisals.
IV. Last resort measures
Speaking to NGOs or the Press. David Pozen's work has documented the ways in which government officials can and have used leaks to express dissent, as well as to shape discourse about government policies. A variety of groups have arisen to assist federal employees who are considering both internal and public whistleblowing, including Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Government Accountability Project, and the Project on Government Oversight, which together created this white paper on "the Art of Anonymous Activism." But most disclosures outside the formal framework outlined above are at least a violation of contractual duty, if not criminal law, and they put those who leak at legal risk—sometimes significant legal risk. In particular, if the information is classified, then the employee could be fired or (in some cases) criminally prosecuted, among other sanctions. A disclosure of classified information may, moreover, put national security at risk. For government lawyers, federal ethics rules and rules of professional responsibility may prohibit disclosure of a client's information and attorney/client communications—leaving those who disclose vulnerable to disbarment, among other penalties. Many have noted that the Justice Department has recently increased prosecutions of leaks, and some have expressed concern that this trend will continue, now that investigators have more powerful tools to trace communications with the press. Anyone considering taking such a step should ensure all other avenues have been exhausted and consult a lawyer.
Last, but not least, government employees are always able to resign, if they are unable to change a policy they consider illegal or unethical. Resignation can be such a powerful tool that sometimes simply threatening to resign is enough to have the desired effect (especially for high level officials), though the threat will only be effective if the threat is real. Resignation not only ends the employee's participation in the objectionable policies, but "noisy resignations" can sometimes bring fresh attention to such policies, occasionally prompting a change even when other efforts have failed. (Former government employees—especially those who had access to privileged or classified information—should remember that resignation does not absolve them of their legal obligations to prevent the disclosure of privileged or classified information.) The advice often given to new government employees—that they should write a resignation letter on their first day on the job and keep it in the desk drawer—is undoubtedly right. The difficulty, of course, is to know when to hand in that letter. It is not uncommon for government employees to deeply disagree with policy decisions or even, in some cases, to believe it is contrary to law. (That's true, for instance, when government lawyers disagree on a hard legal question.) In most such cases, resignation would be a gross overreaction. Figuring out which disagreements warrant resignation and which do not can be difficult. Resignation is typically reserved for cases where the employee concludes that the agency is either acting unethically or in conscious disregard or disdain for the law.
In a powerful Just Security post written shortly after election day, David Luban counseled against serving in the new Trump Administration, in part on the grounds that even decent people are likely to be corrupted. He argued, "Don't tell yourself you can tame the beast, because the beast will tame you." Once you are inside, he argued, "your frame of reference changes." There's undoubtedly some truth to this point. But if all thoughtful, principled people take the position that it is impossible to serve in government without becoming incapable of moral judgment, who will be left to run the government? Instead of avoiding the challenge by opting out, those working for the federal government—or about to join the federal government—should take time to consider in advance where they draw the line. And as their work proceeds, they should remind themselves to step back on occasion and assess whether the decisions they are making match the standards they set for themselves at the outset. Even then, the decision of whether and when to take extraordinary steps, including resignation, will not be easy—but unthinking, reflexive complicity will be less likely.
Thoughtful government employees can serve as a powerful check on government abuse and, indeed, help their colleagues, their superiors, and their clients avoid legal and ethical trouble. The outline we have provided here shows that there is a robust array of options available to every single executive branch employee to challenge illegal and unethical actions. That is a source of immense strength—one that we all are going to count on as the next four years unfold.
Image: Aerial view of Constitution Avenue, Washington DC – Getty/Hisham Ibrahim
Oona A. Hathaway
Oona A. Hathaway (@oonahathaway) (@oonahathaway@mstdn.social) is Executive Editor at Just Security. She is also the Gerard C. and Bernice Latrobe Smith Professor of International Law at Yale Law School, Professor of International Law and Area Studies at the Yale University MacMillan Center, Professor of the Yale University Department of Political Science, Director of the Yale Law School Center for Global Legal Challenges, and Counselor to the Dean at Yale Law School.
Sarah Weiner
Third-Year Student at Yale Law School and Herbert J. Hansell Student Fellow at the Center for Global Legal Challenges
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