text:
The role of the youth in "the Competition State" and the ideological offensive against the youth
By Dorte Grenaa
APK – Communist Workers' Party of Denmark
Unity & Struggle #29
'What about our Future?'
Unity&Struggle #29, 2015
Magazine of The International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organisations – pdf
The future belongs to the youth: So the saying goes. Yes – if not the youth, who else would it be? The question is which youth will hold the future in its hands? Shall it be the youth of the bourgeoisie, of the rich exploiters and speculators, the youth of the imperialist, of the power elite, of fascism, who are all brought up and educated to continue and intensify repression and exploitation? Or will it be the working class youth, the youth of the exploited and oppressed, who shall shape the future?
There is a world of difference. And these are the two prospects for the working youth today.
The bourgeois and imperialist media pay homage to and worship 'Youth' as an entity, defined only by age, but at the same time they curse those groups of young people that do not fit into their glamorous images. The youth is portrayed as devoid of class and history.
Of course it is by far not all young people who grow up or are brought up with a clear understanding and conscious of their class. Children and the very young are defined by the class belonging of their parent. Young people are in a transition phase in their lives and often define themselves according to the class or social strata, where they expect to be placed according to their education, or they may define themselves as a counter culture expelled from the established society.
The program of the Workers' Communist Party – The Manifesto for A Socialist Denmark – adopted by the founding Congress in April 2000 gives the youth a clear-cut class analysis to understand its situation and conditions, and to realize that all these things are not a question of individual failure or success. Not least it offers the working class youth an instrument to understand their own role in shaping af better future and a better society with socialism.
The role of the youth and the working class youth today
The bourgeois have in spite of their deafening 'glam messages' a fixed strategy. The great majority of the young generation must be obedient soldiers in the production of the neoliberal 'competition state' of imperialism and its terror wars for resources, markets and power.
To avoid having their future abused in such a manner, it is the role of the youth of today to throw all its energy and its strong force into the creation of another society, a socialist Denmark, to prevent the scenario of the bourgeoisie and imperialism from becoming their future.
Every new generation must live their own experiences and use other forms and methods according to the concrete conditions of their generation. The decisive thing is what class interests and policies they serve. Will they make the youth join the class struggle on the side of the working class, or will they lead them away from the working class and through illusions to inevitable defeat?
The different struggles of the youth – from the struggle in defense of the SU (Educational Support of the State) to the struggle for youth housing – can neither be seen in isolation or be fought alone. For the struggle against the hostility towards fugitives and immigrants, racism and fascism it is decisive, that it is seen and conducted in relation to the broad struggles for change, against cutbacks, wage cuts and social dumping. Are these two issues separated it means the advance of reaction.
Reformism with its present government lead by the social democrats tries to pose as champions against racism and the chauvinism of the right populist Danish Peoples' Party. But it is their own anti-social and neoliberal politics that creates the background for and incites racism and chauvinism. And in practice they adopt the reactionary positions and policies of this party, that became the largest in votes at the elections for the EU Parliament in May 2014.
The struggles of the youth must link to the decisive questions of the class struggle and be an innovative part of the creation of a broad anti-racist, anti-fascist and anti-imperialist united front and popular front to defend the rights of the working class and the popular majority and to combat the offensive of neoliberal cutbacks and imperialist wars. The struggles of the youth must link to and unite with the struggle of the entire working class for change, for at socialist society.
The youth has always been characterized by revolutionary energy, courage, their dreams and hopes for a better life and a better future, and they have a great fund of previous experiences to consult front the youth struggles through generations.
Some features of the Danish youth today
Denmark is a small imperialist country, deeply integrated in the imperialist and monopolist alliances NATO and the European Union. Since 2001 it has been in the front lines of the successive aggressive wars, launched by the US.
Today's youth has been born and grown up under the pressure of the European Union of the monopolies that is more and more demonstrating its true reactionary face constructing the neoliberal union state.
They were born in a country without self-determination, but simply has turned into one of the lands of the European Union, existing under its dictate, and they have grown up in a nation, that is on a permanent war footing as a part of the aggressive imperialist 'war of terror' alliance of NATO and US around the world.
Young people grow up in a society, where they are told, that you have the right to bomb and kill the populations of other countries, claiming that it is done in the name of 'democracy' and 'progress'.
But this is the same 'democracy', that incarcerates anti-racists and opponents of the wars and secure police protection for Nazis. The same 'democracy' that uses elite soldiers to destroy the youth house in Copenhagen, criminalizes the struggle of the youth and leave the youth without jobs, housing, education and the possibility of providing for itself. They even claim that this is 'free choice'.
The youth is growing up under the weight of a society, where the dominance of the monopolies stretches into every corner of life, and experience a carefully planned militarization of all aspects of society and social life today. War is presented af the normal state of affairs, a chance to make a career, a part of everyday life.
The Military-Industrial-Media-Academic Complex has with military news censorship taken control of the media streaming and poses daily as so called scientific objective experts and researchers.
The new global world order of imperialism in the beginning of this century, that meant wars affecting all continents, has also unleashed a new cold war among the imperialist world powers and increased the danger of a third world war.
The youth today grows up with the consequences of the series of neo-liberal 'reforms' that has changed the Danish (capitalist) welfare society into the 'competition state' of neo-liberalism.
In addition to the effects of the economic and financial world crises of capitalism this has meant that for the first time in many decades there is a generation of youth that has worse living conditions than their parents' generation.
This is the reality framing the lives and consciousness, and where they must conduct their struggles and gain their experiences.
The growing fascisation in Denmark and around the countries of the EU is an expression of the fact that the monopoly bourgeoisie of the European Union has a keen awareness that their 'generous offer' to the youth of its present and future is not embraced voluntarily. They are keenly aware that extended struggles take place among the youth in the countries of the EU against the consequences of their policies and 'reforms', and that the confidence in them is vanishing. They do not any longer believe that they can hold on to their power without brutal violence, without a police state, and if necessary, without fascism in government.
Today's fascists appear in both neckties and high heels, but also with swastikas, arsons and racist campaigns against immigrants. In many countries of the EU they have been welcomed to the parliamentary circus both by the bourgeois, liberal and reformist parties, in our country and in our neighboring countries (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Poland) in a housebroken variant, that will make them a part of 'normal' policies, while the police state/ the undisguised terrorist dictatorship is prepared.
The class contradictions have been acutely sharpened among the youth.
The massive and still growing youth unemployment is the largest of many decades and excludes many from a given youth cohort to enter the ordinary labor market. Tens of thousands have been placed in various workfare- and forced labor arrangements where they as state authorized social dumping and cheap labor in order to sustain the social benefit. In small Denmark of five million people all told around 40.000 youths are even outside the labor reserve as 'not ready for the labor market'.
Large groups of children and youth are excluded and discriminated in relation to wok, housing, leisure and amusements because of their class or ethnic background, their name, where they live or how they look. The continuous cutbacks in education and leisure facilities has increased the ghettoisation, where the youth, and foremost the boys, are left to the parking lots and criminal gangs. These groups of excluded youths are not only deprived of the same possibilities as most of the youth has, they also lose more and more democratic and social rights. The sanctions and the punishments from the state increase steadily.
Even having a boyfriend or a girlfriend can be punishable, if you are poor and unemployed. This is due to the new law of mutual dependency, where people who live together are obliged to take financially responsibility for each other instead of social rights.
t a time, when the educational institutions are centralized in a few cities in Denmark, the class and geographic distortion of Denmark leave the youth in rural and coastal areas in an increasing isolation in many fields.
Housing, work and education in imperialist neo-liberalism
The youth has been used to spearhead the implementation of many of the anti-social neo-liberal reforms. In order to weaken the general resistance to a given reform they have been calculated to hit different age groups at different times.
But whether it is about the increase of pension age or reduction or elimination of social benefits as the so-called cash assistance it is the young generation that is hit the hardest.
With the privatization of social policies in the EU, where social benefits are made dependent of how many years you have been on the labor market, exclusion and discrimination have serious economic and social consequences for the rest of the life. They are left in economic, social and cultural poverty.
Imperialist neo-liberalism has in advance excluded one fifth of the youth from work and education.
The youth has become much more dependent on economic and other assistance from their families than the generations before them.
The neo-liberal reforms have not only cut down and reduced the period, where you can obtain social assistance. Many such benefits have been completely abandoned as are many formerly public care tasks. They have been placed as family responsibilities. As a consequence the image of the 'happy core family' is cracking up. The contradictory fact is that you are expected to provide for yourself from you are 18 years old, but in order to get state support for education you are judged by your parents' income until you are 20.
An increasing number of young people today are dependent on their parents and have to continue living with them, not being able to afford their own homes. In Denmark this in a few years as grown to apply to 25 percent between 18 and 30 years, exactly the age where you in the foregoing decades would move to create an independent life.
With the centralization of education in a few towns this means that many young people have to leave their parents' homes and settle in another part of the country. But there is no work, income or cheap housing for the majority of the young people, who cannot get an apartment, bought by mum and dad. Tens thousands of young people in Copenhagen are listed for just a room. The number of homeless youth in the streets from 18-24 has been doubled during the last four years – that is youth whose families have not been able to provide for them.
The labor market confronting the youth today is run by the neo-liberal principles of the EU, where wages, workers' rights and a healthy and safe work environment are considered to be distortionary and anti-competitive. The youth is labor force of the European Union, that shall be moved around across the borders according to the needs of the employers.
Many young people are unaware of the former workers' rights and they are not met with and included in a strong labor unity in the work place, so they may learn about the collective struggle for these rights. To them atypical employments are the typical and normal conditions of the EU labor market – temporary, part time, short time, paid by the hour, day laborer, or internship or contract employee.
In attractive jobs young people often have to work without any pay for a long time to 'deserve' a vacancy job. Many municipalities terminate the education of trainees, if they get pregnant. 14.000 young people, who have gone through a part of their education in vocational schools cannot complete due to lack of internships. Entire industries such as the grocery sector employ only part time youth, preferably under18.
Exactly in these areas many struggles have been fought during some years, making the youth more aware of their situation and the conditions of their struggle.
The entire educational system has been one of the main targets of the bourgeoisie and the European Union – and we have not seen the end of the neoliberal educational reforms – from the learning objectives of nurseries to the PhD's of the universities and lifelong learning and everything in between.
The readjustment of the educational system to entirely serve the needs of Capital has had other effects: Where earlier generations in the labor market all the time were better educated than those who retired, this has now stopped. More young people do get a higher education, but one in every six adults who leave the educational system have not even the same educational level as their parents. One fifth of the young generation, and the coming ones, must according to the EU designs not have any education at all, they are excluded and are left as actual illiterates.
The ideological struggle is a political battleground
Ideological control and aggression consists in organizing the ideas of people and controlling their thoughts and actions. Concepts and ideas are not 'neutral', and they are not eternal or unchangeable. They represent definite classes and definite class interests.
The ideology of the imperialist bourgeoisie, in control of the US, the EU, NATO and every imperialist state, is reactionary, it serves to retain and strengthen their rule as a class, to prepare aggression and enslave other peoples.
Marxism-Leninism, the ideology of the working class, is revolutionary, and aims at ending the power of the bourgeoisie and imperialism and in its place build a new socialist society where there is no room for oppression and exploitation.
The ideological struggle about which road and what future the youth will choose is a decisive one to both the reactionary forces and the progressive and revolutionary forces. It is a question of life and death.
Different currents and tendencies especially directed towards the youth and among the youth can be observed – from anarchistic and populist socialist ideas to more limited ideologies covering some aspects.
The ideological oppression of the youth is intense, massive and pervasive in all corners and developments of life and society. According to the neoliberal view of man everything is reduced to a commodity to gain a profit, and can be valued quantitatively for its market value. Your friends become 'social capital' to be sold on facebook. You 'invest' in your job, your health, your family and so on. Young people are termed as 'enterprises that must brand themselves in order to optimize their CV and job capital'.
All means are applied to prevent the working class youth from understanding their real situation and true revolutionary role. They must be prevented from perceiving their collective situation and the experience that it can only be altered by collective joint fight and class struggle. The various popular youth segments must be split and each other's opponents.
Imperialism is trying to privatize everything and present it as individualism and even as individual and unique solutions, that are meant to hide the still stronger uniformity, standardization and disciplining.
The more contradictory and confusing and twisted by demagogy the world appears, the more the message is sold that your survival and success depends on getting control of everything, that can be measured and weighed – your body, your motion, the number of your friends, your grades etc. Insecurity is traded, and profits are made from selling individual security solutions. A self-help culture where everything starts and ends with yourself, and your family is flowering as never seen before, and consumes big amounts of time, money and energy.
The growing demands of neo-liberalism in all fields has made stress become almost a normal state, and the entire 'feel good' culture become small breaks offered to curb the feeling that this cannot be the purpose of life.
'Nature' must become trendy , with hunting license, the right gear, equipment and apps, so you can flash yourself and do a selfie on the social media, showing how many animals or kilometers you have done.
Through the live streaming media culture are young people constantly introduced as the great ideal to the false and unattainable image of the happy bourgeois core family where all family members have all their needs fulfilled. It is transformed into a question of a demand on each person to obtain personal success.
The ideological repression of the monopolies in addition to the economic, social and environmental oppression, is steadily negatively affecting the mental health of young people, already before their personal future finds its shape.
A new wave of radical feminism can be observed under such circumstances. In Sweden a feminist party has been founded, that won a seat in the EU-parliament with the slogan 'Racists Out – Feminists In'. During the recent Swedish parliamentary elections on September 2014 every other party declared themselves to be 'non-socialist' feminists.
This is an expression of the objectively worsened situation for the majority of the population in Sweden, Denmark as in other EU countries. The economic and social cutbacks affect the women and their continued double responsibility severely – and roles both as full time workers (as they are today) and as the main responsible for the family and its care.
The capitalist contradictions between the real conditions and what the young girls learn and are brought up to – that is to believe that they have acquired complete equality – has not only become more visible, but also more intolerable.
The neoliberal reforms roll formerly won advances of the women back to a time, when many women lived as housewives , restricted to their homes. Today the old patterns of gender roles right from pink and light blue babies are forcefully reintroduced – but to an everyday life where it makes no sense, or is in accord with the demands and conditions of neo-liberalism either.
This forces both girls and boys into both stereotype and ambiguous roles, where they cannot succeed. 'The Little Princesses' grow up as 'Miss Perfect' and spend years of their childhood and youth on finding out that they are not self induced failures. More and more young people, especially girls, lead a virtually parallel existence in the social media – a life that is perfect, happy and without problems and crisis – and paralyses them in the face of the facts of reality. The dependence on 'likes' is systematized by the marketing of neo-liberalism and the hope of a job as a virtual trend-setter.
The macho Iron man and the elite soldier are equally impossible role models for the boys.
At the same time as a growing gender fright is promoted, even younger children are introduced to pornography as being the same as love and sexual life. Sexual harassment in the social media is a growing problem. One third of the girls of 9th grade (15-16 years old) have been victims of this from strangers. Also the crude violence towards girls and women –physical, mental, sexual, material and economic violence – is a growing social issue, that is treated as a question of private guilt and responsibility.
The insecurity is also used to promote very old reactionary morals and values. Going all the way back to the Christian Old testament is preached the classless concept of 'the struggle of evil against good' – turning it into a strategic idea of war against 'the axis of evil' or doomsday terrorism.
An offshoot of this is the notion that if you have not anything to hide, you cannot be against the permanent surveillance by the police state.
The glorification of power communities of heroes, arms and violence recruits youth from excluded and marginalized groups to criminal, fascist and religious warriors, mercenaries and gangs.
The ideological offensive of the bourgeoisie continues at a furious speed. A flow of new ideas, phenomena and alternatives replaces those of yesterday.
It Is a comprehensive and necessary task for the progressive and revolutionary youth movement to tell the truth to the youth about all this in a way that can liberate its energy, initiative and vitality.
Weaknesses in the organization of the youth
In our country today we don't have a strong communist youth league, that might be the authoritative political center and organizational glue to unleash the initiatives and the anger and create a new youth mass movement and give it the necessary perspectives. A political radicalization is taking place and many young people are searching for ideas of another society, the ideas of revolution and of communism. Very often the young organize where they find other young people, they know, and where things are happening, rather than according to the political programs of the various organizations. Or they organize in various counter cultures without formal membership.
The Communist Youth League of Denmark (Danmarks Kommunistiske UngdomsforbundDKU) is the youth organization of our Marxist-Leninist Workers' Communist Party.
But there exist also two other youth groups naming themselves communist. ' The Young Communists' (Ungkommunisterne) of the two old soviet revisionist parties DKP and KPiD, and ' Communist Youth' (Kommunistisk Ungdom) of the new revisionist party Kommunistisk Parti , an amalgamation of a part of KPiD and the now defunct, formerly marxist-leninist DKP/ML. These two organizations are tied up with the revisionist politics of their parties and express the present revisionist splits.
There are also two somewhat larger youth organizations, linked to the two reformist 'left' parties in the Danish parliament besides the old social democratic party of present prime minister Helle Thorning Schmidt. They are SFU of the Socialist People's Party, that was part of the present government, and SUF, the youth organisation of Enhedslisten (Red and Green Alliance) that also supports the social democratic government. The possibilities of a future as 'politicians' cause these organizations to be 'stepping stones' for carreer seekers
The mass organizations of the youth – such as the student organizations or the organizations of the apprentices – are not playing the same progressive role earlier, with a few exception. The leadership has to al large extent been taken over by reformists, claiming that the struggle of the youth is not political, and instead of developing the protests put brakes on them, narrows them and directs them towards the parliamentary mechanisms, to defeat. The real struggle and experiences of these mass organizations have been excluded from their official history and their present identity, so that new young people should not draw lessons from them.
On the role of APK and the communist youth
The Party must assume its leading role in the development of the presently weak communist youth work. Together with other progressive forces it must strengthen and rebuild the mass organizations of the youth. Most importantly it must expand its roots among the working class youth and play its part in giving the various struggles direction and perspective.
The Party must work to find the ways and shapes to give the repressed and progressive youth the tools to address the class struggle by promoting Marxist-Leninist theory and practice, and through participation in and collaboration with the different strata of the youth, developing their solidarity, and not least the international solidarity.
Some might say this is out of reach for a small party like APK. But if the communist party – no matter of what size – should not fight concretely to develop the communist youth work, who should? And if this should not be done now, then when should it?
APK must direct its work towards the working class youth, both in its propaganda, agitation and its practice in the class struggle, and further develop the forms and methods, that we presently apply.
The youth has always travelled and sought around the world for new experiences and ideas. This can be used for both reactionary and revolutionary purposes. It is used and abused in a criminal manner by the imperialist war machine, the EU system and the global business elite. It is our task to show and strengthen the true international solidarity between the oppressed and exploited youth and peoples of the world.
The development of international solidarity is of great importance in the struggle of the youth. It is also of great importance to the struggle of the Danish youth, and especially the young communists, that the knowledge of the struggles and experiences, defeats as well as victories, of the International Marxist-Leninist Communist Movement of today is widened and becomes an integral part of their outlook.
This paper is a part of the material for the discussions for the 6th Congress of APK that will take place in the spring of 2015.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
4 Leyland Trade paint tins to win
Protecting workers health in the construction industry
Date: 6 October, 2020
BOHS urges MPs to take immediate action to prevent deaths and illness caused by exposure to respirable crystalline silica.
The British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS), the Chartered Society for Worker Health Protection and the UK's leading scientific society on workplace health exposures, has written to MPs to urge them to take immediate action to prevent avoidable deaths and illness caused by exposure to respirable crystalline silica. An estimated 2.2 million workers could be at risk of aggressive respiratory diseases, including silicosis, cancer and the risk of tuberculosis, in the construction industry alone.
It is believed 500 UK construction workers die each year just from silicosis, a disease listed by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine as also increasing vulnerability for those infected by COVID-19. Silica is linked to the estimated 4,000 deaths a year from COPD and it is believed 75,000 cases could easily be prevented, if action was taken.
Six months ago, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on respiratory health published the "Silica – the next asbestos" report highlighting the immediate and continuing threat to British workers of poor health protection in the workplace. BOHS contributed to the report and is now seeking action to follow up on recommendations by the Parliamentary Group.
"The Report highlighted a problem that has been known about for many years. It's a hundred years since the Hawk's Nest Disaster in the States where hundreds, if not thousands, died from silica inhalation in building just one tunnel," said Kelvin Williams, President of the Society. "Every year, millions of pounds are spent on treatment and sickness benefits, because people have been exposed to silica dust. Much of this is entirely preventable. Prevention is undoubtably cheaper, easier and better than trying to cure these illnesses."
Respiratory PPE, enclosures for cutting, extraction hoods, local exhaust ventilation (LEV), water suppression and on-tool extraction are all readily available means to prevent exposure. The Health and Safety Executive confirmed earlier this year that, although there is a general legal duty to take such measures, less than a third of firms were compliant. Raising compliance could save a further 700 lives, estimates industry experts at BAM Nuttall.
However, with a shortage and ramped up costs for Respiratory Protection Equipment and pressures to cut costs and an over-stretched HSE, the Society fears the problem is about to get much worse. Heavy discounting on artificial stone surfaces and the difficulty in finding affordable breathing protection because of COVID-19 may mean new kitchens can come at a very heavy cost to the people installing them.
Action is more urgent now and can save countless lives as research over the summer, published in the clinical journal, CHEST, confirms that once exposed, the damage is done. Further scientific findings, published in the European Respiratory Journal in July, went on to show a direct link between COPD, to an increased likelihood of pneumonia and COVID-19 deaths.
"We don't know the true scale of the problem. The Society is concerned that COVID-19 is accelerating the rate of death for those exposed to harmful substances, like silica, in the workplace. It is reasonable to believe that the higher COVID-19 mortality rates in older males has an association with inhaling dust in the workplace. However, without the changes recommended in the report, we will not be able to make that connection," explained Mr Williams.
The Parliamentary Group recommended making silicosis a reportable illness for employers under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (2013) for those who are still at work and exposed, and called on Government to similarly amend the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010 to make silicosis notifiable through the soon-to-be defunct, Public Health England,
In their letter to MPs, the Society has urged member of the Parliamentary group to follow the example of their counterparts in the Australian legislature, who have prompted the government by putting forward legislation in their own right.
"Brexit is likely to dominate the Parliamentary agenda, but this is literally life and death," said Kevin Bampton, the Chief Executive of BOHS and a former of Public Law. "Parliamentarians have recognized the urgency of this issue; we are now asking them to follow through on this. Action now can prevent COVID-19 deaths, but also long-term illness and disability."
Tags:BOHScoronavirushealth and safety
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Mountain Dew's Bizarre Gingerbread Flavor Has Finally Arrived
By Boshika Gupta/Nov. 2, 2021 10:41 am EST
As a company, Mountain Dew has come up with many surprises for its fans over the years. According to Thrillist, Mountain Dew has come with special flavors in the past that are specifically meant for gamers. Some of the options included Frost Bite, Sweet Lightning, Voltage, and White Out.
A Redditor expressed their love for Voltage by writing, "this was the flavor that made me love Dew. People have beer, I have Voltage." Another Reddit user was also full of praise for the product and commented, "PepsiCo captures the essence of electricity in this blue freezie inspired masterpiece." They added that the drink somehow always tends to make them feel a lot more energetic.
Per an Instagram post from the brand, Mountain Dew is back with a special new flavor for the holidays. In case you've been wondering, it's a rather unconventional gingerbread flavor that is generating strong reactions from fans.
Say hi to the Mountain Dew Gingerbread Snap'd
Well, Mountain Dew seems to be willing to experiment with flavors during the holiday season. An Instagram post from the brand mentioned that the start of the holiday season is the perfect time for the launch of their newest flavor inspired by the festivities: Gingerbread Snap'd.
"Who the hell flavor tested this one and said. 'yup this the one boys,'" a disgusted commentator wrote on Instagram. Meanwhile, someone else wondered whether the brand was simply trying out a strange combination of ingredients to see which one would work for fans.
It's not all bad news, though. According to a reviewer, the drink is surprisingly yummy and works as a holiday special (via The Impulsive Buy). It's hard to miss out on the taste of gingerbread when you sip on the drink, by the way. Consumers will also be able to spot Mountain Dew's distinctive citrus flavor coupled with gingerbread that will remind many of a cola drink.
Per the official Mountain Dew website, Gingerbread Snap'd will only be in stores across the U.S. for a limited-time. To check where you can find it, take a look at the brand's store locator.


Mike Tokach, Kansas State University (KSU) Extension specialist and professor in swine nutrition, is to be given the 2012 American Society of Animal Science Extension award at the society's annual meeting July 16 in Phoenix, AZ.
Tokach and his swine research team provide practical solutions to improve production efficiency and reduce cost to improve the economic competitiveness of pork producers. His team has pioneered methods to accurately feed gestating sows using weight and backfat measurements. Their nursery nutrition programmes serve as the standard for the swine industry in several countries.
Tokach also serves as state leader for Extension in the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry.
Tokach is a winner of the Outstanding Young Extension Special Award from the Midwest Section of the American Society of Animal Science. He has led the KSU Swine Team to numerous team awards, including two of the first National Pork Board awards for innovative Extension programs and the KSU Research and Extension Team Award.
In 2005, Tokach was named "One of the 50 Most Influential People in the US swine industry in the Last 50 Years" by National Hog Farmer magazine. He was also honored as one of the Masters of the Pork Industry by that publication in 2010.


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HomeArtsWhat movies coming out this Oscar season are college students most excited for?
What movies coming out this Oscar season are college students most excited for?
2019-09-26 Ross Cadranel Arts 1
Oscar season is just around the corner, which means some of the most highly anticipated movies of the year are coming out. Some of these movies have been hyped since the beginning of the year, and some have already been dubbed "Oscar bait."
History has proven that movies released in the latter quarter of the year receive the most recognition from the Academy, which results in the most Oscar awards. Movie studios know this and capitalize on it. This makes the next few months very exciting for movie goers.
So what movies are college students most excited for this Oscar season? Here are the picks of some Sheridan students:
Most movie fans are familiar with the Joker character. He's appeared in several movies in the last decade and is a fan favourite. However, this is the first time we've seen a live-action Joker origin story.
The story is set in 1981 and follows Arthur Fleck (Joker), who turns to a life of crime after a failed career as a stand-up comedian.
Despite mixed reviews from those who saw it at TIFF, many people are still excited to see this movie next month.
In an article written after TIFF, movie reviewer Peter Howell put Todd Phillips on his list of potential directors to win the "best director" award at the Oscars.
Director: Todd Phillips (The Hangover trilogy, Due Date, Borat)
Joaquin Phoenix (Her, Gladiator, Walk the Line)
Robert De Niro (Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Raging Bull)
Release date – October 4
Zombieland: Double Tap
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Coming out ten years later – the sequel to Zombieland (2009) is finally arriving.
This sequel was discussed right after the first movie came out but had many setbacks and scheduling conflicts.
After waiting for years, fans rejoiced when it was announced in July of last year, and the filming took place earlier this year.
Fans of this zombie comedy are excited to see the return of the original cast, and the original director.
Set in the post apocalyptic world, where zombies are everywhere, the movie follows a ragtag team of misfits trying to survive amidst hoards of the undead and even other survivors.
Director: Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland, Venom, 30 Minutes or Less)
Woody Harrelson (Venom, Natural Born Killers, Now You See Me)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Batman V. Superman, American Ultra)
Emma Stone (La La Land, Easy A, Superbad)
Release date – October 18
Speaking of long-awaited sequels – Doctor Sleep is a sequel to the hugely successful Stanley Kubrick movie The Shining (1980).
The movie follows character Danny Torrance several decades after the events of the first movie. He is a man with psychic powers, trying to reconcile with the trauma he went through as a child.
In Doctor Sleep, Danny is found by teenager Abra who has the same abilities as him. The movie follows these two characters as they evade others who are trying to hunt them down for their powers.
The announcement of this movie had fans of the original excited but also a little hesitant that it won't live up to the 1980 classic. Sheridan student Nate Wood said, "I'm a film student, so I have to see it, even if it's bad. I love the original, so I'm excited for this one."
Director: Mike Flanagan (Ouija: Origin of Evil, Oculus, Hush)
Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting, The Island, Moulin Rouge!)
Rebecca Ferguson (The Greatest Showman, Life, Men in Black: International)
Taking place in 1963, the movie follows a team of American engineers and designers who build a new Ford racing car to compete against the dominant Ferrarri cars.
Opening at TIFF the movie received mostly positive reviews. In Todd McCarthy's review for Hollywood Reporter he said the movie is "A full-bodied and exciting true-life story in which the men behind the wheels are just as dynamic as the machines they drive."
Director: James Mangold (Logan, The Wolverine, Walk the Line)
Christian Bale (The Dark Knight, Vice, American Psycho)
Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, The Martian, Jason Bourne)
Release date – November 15
Based on the true story of journalist Tom Junod reluctantly taking on an assignment in 1998 to write a profile on the TV personality Fred Rogers, this movie follows the friendship between the two.
Premiering at TIFF this year, many reviewers enjoyed the sentiment of the movie.
In a review for VOX, writer Alissa Wilkinson says, "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood sneaks around the barriers we throw up in adulthood, finding the kid inside of us who just wants to know we are loved."
Director: Marielle Stiles Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Tom Hanks (Cast Away, Forrest Gump, The Green Mile)
Matthew Rhys (The Post, Burnt, The Scapegoat)
This over the top musical-film is based on the live musical of the same name. The lineup of actors from this movie is a big reason why it's been on everyone's minds for the past couple months. Another could be the odd animation style used by the CGI-artists that many critics of the movie can't get past.
When asked why she is excited to see the movie, Sheridan student Madison Nicol said, "I just like cats."
Director: Tom Hooper (The Danish Girl, Les Misérables, The King's Speech)
Judi Dench (Skyfall, Shakespear in Love, Mrs Brown)
Idris Elba (Thor, The Mountain Between Us, The Dark Tower)
Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, X-Men, Macbeth)
Release date – December 20
The timing of the release of these movies is not just a coincidence or a tradition, the reason these movies come out around this time of year comes down to money and statistics. More buzz around a film's release mean more tickets sold. Nothing creates buzz quite like a prestigious Academy Award. Movie studios know college aged viewers are the biggest majority, and they use that to their advantage.
In a study done in 2016, the Theatrical Market Statistics Report found that the most frequent moviegoers (going to a theatre at least once a month) are 25-39 year-olds, and the second most are 18-24 year olds. These ages line up with the age distribution of college students in Canada.
Stats by Theatrical Market Statistics Report
Stats by Statistics Canada
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Crack cocaine and injectable drugs like heroin are so addictive that one single dose may be enough to start a vicious cycle of addiction. Quality rehabilitation facilities are found throughout the United States, but California is a trend-setter in respects. Whether is it is the field of medicine or high-tech, California always seems to set the trends. It is no different when it comes to finding a reputable and reliable drug rehab center. Some of the best known and most successful programs are in California.
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TV Review: TEEN WOLF – Season 1 – "Pack Mentality"
©2011 MTV
Crystal Bryant in TEEN WOLF - Season 1
Good plot, not so good werewolf fight
By RACHEL REITSLEFF / Contributing Writer
Posted: June 14th, 2011 / 11:56 AM
Stars: Tyler Posey, Crystal Reed, Dylan O'Brien, Tyler Hoechlin, Holland Roden, Colton Haynes, Linden Ashby, JR Bourne
Writer: Jeff Flaming
Director: Russell Mulcahy
Network: MTV, Mondays @ 10 PM
Airdate: June 13, 2011
The TEEN WOLF episode "Pack Mentality" has a good enough plot for us to forgive some of its shortcomings. The tension and romance is good, the makeup effects are less so, and there is a werewolf-on-werewolf fight that indicates a serious lack of imagination, albeit broadcast standards may have created some issues.
The episode kicks off with Scott (Tyler Posey) having a terrifyingly vivid dream in which he transforms and attacks his girlfriend Allison (Crystal Reed) in a school bus. The next day, Allison is just fine – but the school bus is wrecked and its driver has been mauled. Scott has a respite from his worries on a double-date with Allison and frenemies Lydia (Holland Roden), who flirts with Scott, and Jackson (Colton Haynes), who privately confronts Scott and says he's sure Scott is hiding some kind of secret.
Meanwhile, Allison's father, werewolf hunter Argent (JR Bourne) confronts Derek Hale (Tyler Hoechlin) at a gas station and taunts him, apparently trying to get him to change, but Derek doesn't lose control. Scott goes to Derek for answers. The two transform, fight, go back to human form – and Derek finally tells Scott that neither of them killed the bus driver, nor was Derek the werewolf who bit Scott. This was an Alpha, a more powerful and animalistic werewolf, who has claimed Scott as a member of his pack. The Alpha is in fact in the woods, listening in on the conversation from a great distance.
We're right with Scott, wondering whether he'll lose control at a terrible moment, endangering himself by transforming in public and/or doing harm to another. Posey plays this concern very effectively and he and Reed are charming in their characters' mutual attraction and appreciation. The banter in this episode is a lot of fun, too, and once again, director Russell Mulcahy brings suspense to the stalking sequences.
But please forget everything this reviewer said earlier in praise of the werewolf transformation. This was based on what has turned out to be fleeting glimpses of the Alpha, and the mistaken belief that we were seeing Scott only partially transformed. If what we see of Scott's and Derek's transformation when they fight is as far as it goes, it frankly looks almost more like vampires from BUFFY and ANGEL than anything lycanthropic. It's understandable that the production team simply doesn't have time or budget to do full facial hair on the transformations, but surely something could have been done in the design to make the creatures look more wolf-like.
This leads to an episode-specific complaint. We're watching two werewolves go at it and they attack each other by … picking up and throwing each other and using weapons? Maybe it's time for the show's chief research character Stiles (Dylan O'Brien) to say, "Good news, Scott, you're just turning into some kind of supernatural being with short fangs and yellow eyes, but you're not a werewolf, because wolves bite and scratch when they attack, and you're still pretty much fighting like a human – and hey, so is Derek." Again, there are production constraints and perhaps censorship issues (this is basic cable, not the anything-goes premium kind), so toning things down is understandable, but this is so counter to the idea that Scott and Derek are turning into anything actually animalistic, as opposed to just essentially hulking out, that it feels like the core concept isn't what is being advertised.
The characters are good, the banter is fun, the stakes are high and we're invested. Now if only TEEN WOLF had werewolves that were recognizable as werewolves.
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TV Review: SUPERNATURAL - Season 13 - "Wayward Sisters"
Tags: Angel, Buffy, Colton Haynes, Crystal Reed, Dylan O'Brien, Holland Roden, Jeff Davis, Jeff Flaming, JR Bourne, lacrosse, Linden Ashby, MTV, Pack Mentality, Russell Mulcahy, Teen Wolf, Tyler Hoechlin, Tyler Posey, werewolf
Well first of all, the Teen Wolf series is a spine off of the 1985′ film's werewolf. That is a two legged wolf-but still human (just less hairy & ridiculous looking) not so much a four-legged "more wolf-like" because if that were the case then Scott wouldn't be able to stand upright to play lacrosse/basketball. U obviously been watching too much Van Helsing to figure that out and are not open to people's different interpretations.
Besides haven't u stopped and think that maybe the Betas, which Derek and Scott are, would look different to Alpha wolves?
Dugh
True, but i still love this show. Yes a liitle more could have been done with the make up and fight but i love the suspense and Tyler and Crystal are soo adorable to watch i cant't help it so far it's a great show.
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Arts & Entertainment, Community & Culture, FEATURES, Summer 2016
Morton Theatre: the soul of a community
Posted by Editor on June 18, 2016
Strolling up Washington Street in downtown Athens, past the 40 Watt and a sprinkling of popular bars and restaurants, one comes to Hull Street and the historic African-American business district known locally as the "Hot Corner." Aside from a vibrant yearly festival celebrating the district's history as a haven for black business and culture, the Hot Corner is rather quiet most days. Barbers clip hair at Brown's Barber Shop and Wilson Styling and in the evenings, music wafts over from Little Kings Shuffle Club or the Georgia Theatre Rooftop. Quiet though it may now be, one Hot Corner landmark stands tall and majestic among the downtown landscape: the historic Morton Theatre.
In early 1910, the son of a former slave mother and a white father decided to develop what he envisioned as the heart of the African-American business district in Athens. Monroe Bowers Morton, known among friends and associates as "Pink" due to the fair complexion brought on by his mixed parentage, was as savvy of a developer and entrepreneur as one could find. Starting out as a hotel worker, Morton became a contractor, property investor, and newspaper owner, and was at one point possibly the wealthiest African-American businessman in America at the time.
Morton's drive and force of character brought him not only into business but into politics as well. He was a Republican Party leader under President William McKinley, who later appointed Morton the second black Postmaster General of Athens. As was often the case in those days, this resulted in controversy among the local white establishment, a fact that seemed to leave Morton undeterred.
Pink Morton designed the Morton Theatre to serve a dual purpose: To provide new space and new opportunities for black business owners downtown as well as to create a new platform for black entertainment. To that end, the Morton Theatre opened in May of 1910 as a performance space for local, regional, and national Vaudeville performers while its street level became available for a variety of small businesses, including a mortuary and the office of Dr. Ida Mae Johnson Hiram, Georgia's first black female dentist.
In the early days of its performance history, Morton Theatre saw use by traveling black Vaudeville acts. Many of these performers traveled between cities year-round, often sleeping in train cars as they moved from stage to stage. Though Pink Morton invited black entertainers from far and wide, he was said to only allow "clean entertainment" to be performed on his stage, and maintained a high standard of quality when seeking out acts.
The medium that would provide Morton Theatre with perhaps its biggest claim to fame, however, was music. During its heyday, Morton saw a procession of some of the world's most influential jazz and blues artists.
Bessie Smith, nicknamed "The Empress of Blues" performed at Morton, as did her mentor, Georgia native Ma Rainey, one of the earliest blues performers recorded. Jazz luminaries Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and a young Cab Calloway came to Morton and in doing so invigorated and legitimized Athens as a vibrant scene for black entertainment right alongside its neighbors in Atlanta and Chattanooga.
Pink Morton died in 1919 at the age of 63. At this point in time, Vaudeville had begun falling out of favor and a public craving for newer forms of entertainment took its place. Pink's son, Charlie Morton, took up management of the Morton Theatre and in the 1930s – after a brief and controversial stint as a burlesque house – decided to convert the upper floors of the building into a movie palace. Charlie had grown up playing small roles within the theater productions on his father's stage, and now saw a need to adapt the building's performance space to the needs of a new era. The Morton Building's status as one of the first buildings in Athens to be wired for electricity made this task easier.
African-American-owned businesses continued to thrive within the lower floors of the Morton Building and the Hot Corner remained a central location among the black community. In addition to movies, the upper floors were used for commencements and other community gatherings throughout the 30s and 40s.
That all changed in 1954, when a small fire broke out in the theater's projection room. The fire left little damage and was easily contained, but the incident nevertheless prompted a visit from the local fire marshal. The marshal took note of the single wooden stairway used to both enter and exit the theater. Taking this into account along with the theater's 500-person capacity, the marshal gave Charlie Morton an ultimatum: install a proper fire exit or close the theater.
The Morton family chose the latter, and the Morton Theatre closed its doors for the first time since they were originally opened in 1910. Businesses remained in the lower floors, but the once proud hub of entertainment at the corner of Hull and Washington was no more.
Businesses on the Hot Corner and within the Morton Building came and went over the years. What once was an entirely African-American business district saw white-owned businesses open there as well. The El Dorado opened in the Morton Building in the 1970s, bringing Athens its first vegetarian restaurant. The El Dorado, along with its successor in the space, The Bluebird Cafe became a popular hangout among local students and musicians.
It didn't take long for some of these musicians to rediscover the then long-abandoned theater space in the upper floors of the Morton. During their early days, the space was used by members of both R.E.M. and The B-52's for rehearsal. Local musicians came to care for the space and helped ignite a renewed public interest in the theater.
In 1978, a collection of civic, education, and government leaders formed the Morton Theatre Corporation, a non-profit organization that aimed to restore the building's performance space to its former function and glory; as well as honor its place in the African-American history of the south. The building was purchased by the corporation in 1981 with the support of grants such as the National Endowment for the Arts, and so began a nearly decade-long effort to restore the Morton Theatre.
Fundraising efforts continued throughout the following years, including Vaudeville-inspired performances at local high schools. In 1987, the citizens of Athens voted to fund the Morton renovation through the Special Projects Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) referendum.
The Morton Theatre's renovation became not only a matter of restoring the building, but also of locating and preserving its records and memorabilia. Records had unfortunately been scattered throughout the years. "I found one set of blueprints hidden in the walls," says former Athens Cultural Director Jill Jayne Read, a chief member of the restoration project.
Many records documenting the Morton's history, as well as playbills covering its acts were lost or scattered over the years. One stroke of luck came when Read was able to track down records held at The Douglass Theatre in Macon. The Douglass was an African-American-owned Vaudeville theatre with a similar history to the Morton, and in keeping records of their own acts inadvertently shed light on the theater troupes and musicians coming to Macon after shows in Athens.
Businesses within the lower floors, including the Bluebird Cafe were relocated during this time as the restoration project became a renovation and conversion of the Morton Building as a whole. For the first time, the entirety of the building would be used in service of its performance space. A new fire tower was added to the building during this time, addressing the safety concerns brought up by the fire marshal over 30 years prior.
In 1991, ownership of the building was signed from the Morton Theatre Corporation over to the Athens-Clarke County Government under a new management agreement. The ACC government would provide staffing and operating support while the Morton Theatre Corporation would develop programming, policy, and procedures. Following this arrangement, the Morton Theatre was re-opened in the fall of 1993.
Today the Morton Theatre serves as a rental facility housing a variety of social and entertainment events. Church services are held there, as are graduations and memorials. Musical theater and dance are frequently found on the Morton Theatre stage from acts both local and national. The popular Flagpole Music Awards are held there as are the Athens Hip Hop Awards.
"Most people assume the building is the Morton Theatre and that's all that ever went on there," says Morton's Facility Supervisor Lynn Battle Green. "More than 100 years ago, this Morton Building was an anchor of a thriving, successful African-American business district providing jobs, services, and entertainment, and a gathering place for an entire black community."
Over a century has now passed since Monroe Bowers "Pink" Morton realized his ambition and threw the doors of his theatre open wide to the community. Though the years have brought ups and downs since those impactful early days, today the Morton Theatre stands tall once again as a beloved Athens landmark and an enduring testament to the will of its people.
*Author's note – Since much of the history of the Morton Theatre is understood through incomplete records and anecdotal, sometimes contradictory evidence, dates referenced in this story are approximate.
Written by Rob White
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