text:
Fox 5 Morning News
Fox Morning News at 4A
Recollections of Lenny Bruce
CSPAN3 (CSPAN)
WCAU (NBC)
garry marshall
ET Entertainment Tonight : KRON : December 30, 2016 7:30pm-8:01pm PST
with director garry marshall. >> i made people laugh and made their day a little better. >> plus gene wilder remembered. we back at the "e.t." vault with snl star gilda radner. >> i know you love me. >> the willy wonka star in his own words. >> love in particular, throws you upside down and throws you around. >>> closed captioning provided by -- ♪ ♪ if you want to view paradise ♪ >>> welcome back to our special look at the stars we lost in 2016. gene wilder passed away at the age of 83 after a battle with alzheimer's disease, but he left behind one of the most endearing characters ever created on film and we were lucky to spend so many priceless moments with the comedy great. ♪ come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination ♪ >> i've had a wonderful career, and i have no complaints. if this is it i have no regrets. >> gene passed away holding hands with his family. by his side was his fourth wife karen whom he introduced to us in 1995. >> we've been married for three years now, three wonderful years and i'm happier than i've ever been in my life. he was lucky enou
with director garry marshall. >> i made people laugh and made their day a little better. >> plus gene wilder remembered. we back at the "e.t." vault with snl star gilda radner. >> i know you love me. >> the willy wonka star in his own words. >> love in particular, throws you upside down and throws you around. >>> closed captioning provided by -- ♪ ♪ if you want to view paradise ♪ >>> welcome back to our special look at the stars...
ET Entertainment Tonight : KYW : December 30, 2016 7:00pm-7:31pm EST
by KYW
weeks after she did. >>> our look back with director garry marshall. >> i made people laugh and made their daa a little better. >> plus gene wilder remembered. we back at the "e.t." vault with his love life with snl star gilda radner. >> i know you love me. >> the willy wonka star in his own words. >> love in particular, throws you upside down and throws you around. >>> closed captioning provided by -- you're so cold, come in! what's wrong? it's dry... your scalp? mine gets dry in the winter too. try head and shoulders' dry scalp care it nourishes the scalp and... ...keeps you up to 100% flake free head and shoulders' dry scalp care zero really can be a hero.ds) get zero down, zero deposit, zero due at signing, and zero first month's payment on select volkswagen models. right now at the volkswagen sign then drive event. ♪ ♪ if you want to view paradise ♪ >>> welcome back to our special look at the stars we lost in 2016. gene wilder passed away at the age of 83 after a battle with alzheimer's disease, but he left behind one of the most endearing characters ever created on film a
weeks after she did. >>> our look back with director garry marshall. >> i made people laugh and made their daa a little better. >> plus gene wilder remembered. we back at the "e.t." vault with his love life with snl star gilda radner. >> i know you love me. >> the willy wonka star in his own words. >> love in particular, throws you upside down and throws you around. >>> closed captioning provided by -- you're so cold, come in! what's...
ET Entertainment Tonight : KYW : December 25, 2016 5:05am-6:00am EST
marshall. garry passed away this summer, and everybody got together to pay tribute. >> you can call me mrs. d. >> actually that's mrs. c from happy days, marion ross. she's one of the many stores from garry's shows, who honored him last month on the new odd couple. >> what does it mean to you now to be doing a tribute to him? >> it makes me want to cry right now because first of all, i can't believe that he's not here. he changed all our lives. >> your father was a very wealthy man. crazy, crazy wealthy. oh, wait. wrong file. >> ron howard, who was richie, showed up as a lawyer, and potsie and ralph mafl, anson williams and don most, gifted as patrons in a bar. >> some of our happiest days were working for that guy. >> is it therapeutic to get back together with everybody again and celebrate him? >> we were more than actors to him. we were his kids. >> garry's played matthew perry's dad on the show. in this special episode, his character passed away, and oscar and felix encountered his old pals. >> i was completely star struck. i watched every episode of happy days that ever was. >>
marshall. garry passed away this summer, and everybody got together to pay tribute. >> you can call me mrs. d. >> actually that's mrs. c from happy days, marion ross. she's one of the many stores from garry's shows, who honored him last month on the new odd couple. >> what does it mean to you now to be doing a tribute to him? >> it makes me want to cry right now because first of all, i can't believe that he's not here. he changed all our lives. >> your father was...
ET Entertainment Tonight : WUSA : December 17, 2016 1:37am-2:07am EST
by WUSA
episode to honor the late garry marshall and so nice to remember him and while i was on set with them i got cindy to reveal secrets about her hit show 40 years after its premiere. >> one, two, three, four -- >> that famous opening was an idea of garry. he said, penny, teach cindy that little dance you did on the way to school with your chums. me said, action! i didn't get it. the up and down, schlameal, shlamazel. and the second take, he said that's good. we're out of here. >> laverne and shirley's very ffrst tv appearance was when they guest starred on the show as fonzi and richie's dates. >> when he first offered the show penny and i were writing together and he called the office and said i've got theso e twcharacters on "happy days" who date the fleet. >> so, shirl, what do you think of this kid? you've been with worst. >> he's nice and a tie, too. >> their ownnseries ran from the two were roommates who worked inna milwaukee brewery, but shirley didn't sound like a midwestern gal in the beginning. >> if you watch the first 13 episodes which i refuse to watch now, i've got this
episode to honor the late garry marshall and so nice to remember him and while i was on set with them i got cindy to reveal secrets about her hit show 40 years after its premiere. >> one, two, three, four -- >> that famous opening was an idea of garry. he said, penny, teach cindy that little dance you did on the way to school with your chums. me said, action! i didn't get it. the up and down, schlameal, shlamazel. and the second take, he said that's good. we're out of here....
Recollections of Lenny Bruce : CSPAN3 : December 24, 2016 3:10pm-4:01pm EST
by CSPAN3
lost a dear friend of 40 years. his name was garry marshall. he was my mentor and manager and he was a comedy icon. he used to say he wanted to be the recess in the school day of comedy. and i look around at all of you and say i am the recess of this conference. the reason i am here is because lenny bruce's mother fixed me up with him when i was in college. i want to go on and say i'm blonde. showbiz we have a term that is a director,/producer. an actor/waiter. when i retired from slope -- from show business i got involved with a lot of things. . was the u.n. observer gary said i was the original sitcom writer/nazi hunter. i guess i do fit in here. i just finished my memoir of being a woman in a man's world, of the beginning of feminism where comedy changes because hopefully as mary tyler moore -- another thing is unlike the link , i have encountered every icon of my generation. i am in politics, and always in the right place at the right time. it all worked out very well. we have to remember the times we are living in. i am much older than i look. where married couples were not
lost a dear friend of 40 years. his name was garry marshall. he was my mentor and manager and he was a comedy icon. he used to say he wanted to be the recess in the school day of comedy. and i look around at all of you and say i am the recess of this conference. the reason i am here is because lenny bruce's mother fixed me up with him when i was in college. i want to go on and say i'm blonde. showbiz we have a term that is a director,/producer. an actor/waiter. when i retired from slope --...
WTXF (FOX)
Fox Morning News at 4A : WTXF : December 29, 2016 4:00am-5:00am EST
by WTXF
, and brady bunch mom, florence henderson. other icons who left us include director garry marshall, 60 minutes correspondent more i safer, author harper lee, first laden and actress nancy reagan, zsa zsa gabor, boxing legend muhammad ali. >> in hill wood, michelle polino, fox news. >> so many great ones, 4:52, boys health battle inspires christmas wish. >> how he's helping out other kids and making their day so much brighter. gah! look at us. we're rapidly losing credibility as handymen. mom washed our clothes. one wash with tide pods and we're right back where we started. we look like catalogue models! who trusts a clean handyman anyway? yeah! turns out it was just dirt left there by our old liquid detergent. that's gross! they had built up a respectable, dingy character over the past couple washes. we earned that dinge! look how good we look! we can't look this good! dinge is the dirt the bargain detergent can't get to. tide pods can. it's got to be tide. honey nut cheerios get their delicious taste from honest ingredients. like real delicious honey... and real oats. ok, that's still
, and brady bunch mom, florence henderson. other icons who left us include director garry marshall, 60 minutes correspondent more i safer, author harper lee, first laden and actress nancy reagan, zsa zsa gabor, boxing legend muhammad ali. >> in hill wood, michelle polino, fox news. >> so many great ones, 4:52, boys health battle inspires christmas wish. >> how he's helping out other kids and making their day so much brighter. gah! look at us. we're rapidly losing credibility...
WTMJ (NBC)
Today : WTMJ : December 12, 2016 10:00am-12:00pm CST
by WTMJ
cannot deny what got you there. garry marshall -- rest his soul -- gave me my professional life. >> wow. you worked hard to maintain it and turn it into other things, including -- which i love -- your series of books that you have really dedicated to helping other kids who may have experienced something you did as a child. >> you know what? we make them laugh first. and then they say, there's somebody else who feels the way i do, who has trouble spelling the way i now comes out in january. this one, "the foggy soggy compound" is out today. >> that's terrific. okay. you got a book -- i love the title of this coming out. "always watch out for the flying potato salad." >> yes. >> what does that mean? >> because little hank, he always get himself into trouble. he has made potato salad at his mother's deli. >> what's also with the foggy? he has to write a poem about nature. his mother said let's go camp out. the father says i'm going to stay in the motel. so they are staying in a tent. his father's at the motel. a storm comes up. blows that tent right off its mooring. hank saves the
cannot deny what got you there. garry marshall -- rest his soul -- gave me my professional life. >> wow. you worked hard to maintain it and turn it into other things, including -- which i love -- your series of books that you have really dedicated to helping other kids who may have experienced something you did as a child. >> you know what? we make them laugh first. and then they say, there's somebody else who feels the way i do, who has trouble spelling the way i now comes out in...
Fox 5 Morning News : WTTG : December 29, 2016 7:00am-9:00am EST
brady bunch momdy florence henderson. other icons who left us include director garry marshall, 60 minutes correspondent morleyy safer, author harper lee, formee first lady and actress nancy reagan, zsa zsa gabore and boxing legend muhammed ali. ♪♪♪ >> reporter: in hollywood, michelle polino, fox news. >> unbelievable.. >> i don't know if it's becauseu people died -- a lot of peoplefo died very young this year or o mayb the year. it just seems like more bigoreig names.s. >> more pronounced this year. >> i'm also shocked david bowied died in january. i thought that was like twoas le months ago. i feel like this year has just been a whirlwind but i also feef like this has -- is this recordr in regards to like how manyan celebrities have passed away. aa >> online people are saying itt happens more frequently but it's just this year for some reasone maybe because they were youngere it feels like it's moreore pronounced as i said. sai i don't know.. >> record is the wrong word.or the number of deaths fromrom celebrity standpoint happened ii year. >> depressing.ress everyone wants
brady bunch momdy florence henderson. other icons who left us include director garry marshall, 60 minutes correspondent morleyy safer, author harper lee, formee first lady and actress nancy reagan, zsa zsa gabore and boxing legend muhammed ali. ♪♪♪ >> reporter: in hollywood, michelle polino, fox news. >> unbelievable.. >> i don't know if it's becauseu people died -- a lot of peoplefo died very young this year or o mayb the year. it just seems like more bigoreig names.s....
WRC (NBC)
Today : WRC : December 12, 2016 7:00am-9:58am EST
by WRC
live my dream now. i'm having the most wonderful got you there. garry marshall, rest his soul, gave me my professional life. >> you worked hard to maintain it and turn it into other things, which i love a series of books to help other kids who may have experienced what you did as a child. >> we make them laugh first and then they say, there's somebody else who feels the way i do, has trouble spelling the way i do. that book on the screen comes out in january and this one, the foggy soggy camp-out is out today. >> you have a book, i love the title, always watch out for the flying potato salad. >> what does that mean? >> little hank, he always gets himself into trouble. he has made potato salad at his mother's delie. >> what about this? >> the foggy soggy camp-out, he has to write a his mother says, let's go camp out. the father says, i will stay in the motel. they are staying in a tent, his father is at the motel. a storm comes up, blows that tent right off its mooring, hank saves the day. >> oh. >> and has to write a poem about purple one of the only words in the english rhyme. >> i
live my dream now. i'm having the most wonderful got you there. garry marshall, rest his soul, gave me my professional life. >> you worked hard to maintain it and turn it into other things, which i love a series of books to help other kids who may have experienced what you did as a child. >> we make them laugh first and then they say, there's somebody else who feels the way i do, has trouble spelling the way i do. that book on the screen comes out in january and this one, the foggy...


March 22, 2019 Daniel Birdsall 101 Views Cool stuff!
I wrote not too long ago about some recent publications by Fletcher faculty and alumni, and just stumbled upon a unique addendum to that post. With occasional exception, most Fletcher authors tend to focus on policy-related work, or at least lean heavily toward non-fiction. Not so with alumnus Christopher Demos-Brown, whose play American Son recently concluded its Broadway run. Demos-Brown spent a few years in Los Angeles pursuing writing and acting before attending Fletcher and the University of Miami School of Law as a dual degree student, and eventually practicing law in Miami. He continued to write, though, and the production of American Son on Broadway with stars Kerry Washington and Steven Pasquale has given his work a new degree of exposure. The play channels Demos-Brown's own struggles to understand the waves of deadly police shootings of the past several years, and is the first work in a planned trilogy focused on American justice issues. While he continues his law career, Demos-Brown remains active in the development of Miami-area theater, co-founding the company Zoetic Stage to support local talent and productions.


text:
Ophelia (2019) - Review
Claire McCarthy's reveals Ophelia is an attempt to revise and reclaim a canonical and severely undercooked eponymous character from William Shakespeare's Hamlet.
SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL 2019 CAPSULE REVIEW - UNTOUCHABLE (2019)
In case you ever needed reminding of what a fucking deplorable, pig Hollywood mogul turned #MeToo pariah Harvey Weinstein is, then look no further than Untouchable.
SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL 2019 - THE DEAD DON'T DIE (2019)
The repeated use of the word "ghouls" spoken by Adam Driver is worth the price of admission alone in Jim Jarmusch's delightfully bent tale of the zombie apocalypse. The Dead Don't Die is a satire that intends to approach our impending doom with an air of disbelief; like the unimaginably strange coincidence that The Simpsons predicted the Trump Presidency.
Holly McBride
SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL 2019 REVIEW - NEVER LOOK AWAY (2018)
Never Look Away is a return to form for von Donnersmarck, a film that poses serious questions about human existence, morality and artistic expression. Don't be turned off by its three hour length -it's an incredible journey that spans a tragic truth of modern history and one that we should never look away from.
SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL 2019 REVIEW - The Souvenir (2019)
A starkly honest reflection of a privileged film student, lured and derailed by a toxic relationship, is both a coming-of-age story of countless women and an agonising memoir of one of contemporary British cinema's exemplary writer-directors.
SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL 2019 REVIEW - Suburban Wildlife (2019)
Imogen McCluskey's feature debut, Suburban Wildlife, is an enveloping account of millennial despondency. The moment that you realise you're watching something with key generational insight is as Priscilla Doueihy's Alice delivers a despondent thought about travelling the world to be enriched. Alice says, to paraphrase, how could I possibly go anywhere my parents haven't been.
Deadwood: The Movie (2019) Review
We've had our chance to view the resurrection and synthesis of Milch's genius, and once again Al's words are left ringing in our ears. Last time it was don't go, this time it's rest easy.
SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL 2019 REVIEW - Palm Beach (2019)
A group of old friends and former bandmates reunite to celebrate Frank's (Bryan Brown) 60th Birthday, hosted gleefully by the warm Charlotte (Greta Scacchi as a cipher for Rachel Ward), in the visually stunning and isolated postcard town Palm Beach. There's nothing quite like bringing the extended family together, plying them with booze and waiting for the fireworks.
Anotherfilmnerd
GOOD OMENS (2019) - Series Review
The signs were all positive, but is the long-awaited adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's beloved fantasy/horror/comedy Good Omens any… well, good?
Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019) - Review
Pokémon Detective Pikachu has Ryan Reynolds making one of the cutest characters ever conceived say the word "dame" and also "I feel it in my jellies"; that's enough.
"Arctic" (2018) Review
Arctic is a survivalist drama where the ferocity of the experience glacially mounts in the eyes of the phenomenally well-crafted performance of leading and lonely Mads Mikkelsen.
The Old Man and the Gun (2018) Review
One luxuriates into the sensory experience of The Old Man and the Gun. From an all-star cast around Redford like Sissy Spacek, Danny Glover, Tom Waits and Casey Affleck; to cinematographer Joe Anderson creating a vision for this throwback that would make cinematographer Gordon (The 'Prince of Darkness') Willis proud.
Free Solo (2018) Review
Free Solo creates two conflicting feelings that make for one hell of an unmissable movie; awe and terror. Free Solo should come with a rating reserved for the most frightening and disturbing films. It's an unadulterated fly on the wall view of one of the most staggering and unbelievable feats of agility, focus and precision ever attempted.
"Medias Res" (2017) Review
Some filmmakers let budget dictate the story. Others, like no-budget filmmakers Mike Delaney and director Edwin Fernando Gonzalez, just barrel ahead regardless.The results speak for themselves in this smart, slick-looking neo-noir.
THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS (2018) REVIEW
There are two kinds of kids' films; ones made solely with children in mind and ones that adults can get into just as quickly. But which has director Eli Roth delivered?
UNSEEN HOLLYWOOD
Getting Ahead of Henriksen: Behind the Boyhood of 'That Guy' Pictures
Orson Welles had The Other Side of The Wind. Terry Gilliam had The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, and independent filmmaker Michael Worth has Bring Me The Head of Lance Henriksen. After a shoot that lasted for around three years and a protracted round of distribution hassles, the 'Boyhood' of 'That Guy' pictures looks like it'll finally be seeing the light of day.
GETTING GRITTY: LA CONFIDENTIAL REIMAGINED
One novel, five seasons. Writer Jordan Harper lays out his ambitious plans for his television adaptation of James Ellroy's 'LA Confidential'. On the record and not-so hush hush...
THE NEVER MADE NEVERENDING STORY
The indie drama 'Green Street Hooligans' landed writer/director Lexi Alexander on the radar of virtually every studio head in Hollywood. In this edition of 'Unseen Hollywood', Lexi and writing partner Fabian Marquez, talk about how they used the opportunity to mount an epic trilogy of films based on Michael Ende's classic children's book, 'The Neverending Story'.
LAMPOONING SPIELBERG - THE JAWS SEND-UP SEQUEL THAT ALMOST HAPPENED
In this instalment of Unseen Hollywood, producer Matty Simmons reflects on the National Lampoon's Vacation movie that never was, and the now legendary John Hughes-scripted Jaws 3-People 0.
Maria Lewis
Why Josie And The Pussycats Means So Much To The Millennial Generation
Here at Graffiti With Punctuation, we thought we'd give you a break from the usual programming - jerking off Michael Mann – to talk about something deeply awesome, deeply feminine, and deeply important to the millennial generation.
FIVE STAR FILMS: The Whole Bloody List ***UPDATED 2/05/2019***
From the earliest days of Graffiti with Punctuation co-founder Cam Williams and I were extremely passionate about celebrating the films universally considered to be the greatest films of all time. Cam's idea for our 'Five Star Film' exploration initially followed the below mantra: "Welcome to five star films where we shine the spotlight on the greatest films of all time. People have been banging on about these films for years so rather than go over familiar ground we've picked the five reasons why they're worthy of being labelled five star films."
Netflix vs The Sanctity of Cinema (tm)
Has the streaming giant delivered a killer blow in its battle against The Sanctity of The Cinemagoing Experience (tm)?
Using the Internet to break the Curse
Two Australian filmmakers are hoping online support will land them a deal for their new horror-comedy series. Writer/Director Connor Fairclough (Head Above Water) and Producer Tristan Barr (Watch the Sunset) discuss their web series Cursed and their hopes to develop it as a series.
BLAKE @BLAKEISBATMAN HOWARD'S BEST FILMS OF 2018
There is nothing about making a list of your favourite things that is objective. Make no bones about it - this list is mine; the essential films of 2018.
EVERYONE ELSE THINKS YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE
Anotherfilmnerd looks at the history of bad behaviour in film and TV and asks… is it really worth it?
HARTLEY'S SOUL: RESTORING HAL HARTLEY'S LONG ISLAND TRILOGY
AnotherFlimNerd talks to legendary independent filmmaker Hal Hartley about his nearly-30 year career in feature films and his latest Kickstarter venture to bring his critically acclaimed Long Island trilogy to DVD and blu-ray.
Rest In Peace David Grenfell a.k.a @nowshowinghigh
It is with the deepest sadness that I inform readers of Graffiti With Punctuation that David Grenfell, former proprietor of Melbourne's finest independent home movie entertainment store 'Now Showing,' and a contributor to this very site passed away tragically of a heart attack on Sunday, April 1st, 2018 at age 50.
TWIN PEAKS REFLECTIONS PT. 3: Is it future.... Thoughts on 'The Return'
Two key writer/producers from the original run of 'Twin Peaks', Harley Peyton and Bob Engels, reflect on their time working on the ground-breaking show, and the evolution of 'Twin Peaks' from cult series to the feature film 'Fire Walk With Me' and the long-awaited third season, 'The Return'.
TWIN PEAKS REFLECTIONS PT. 2: Between Two Worlds: Creating Fire Walk With Me
Lisa Malouf
Lisa Malouf's favourite films of 2016
As difficult as it's been to narrow down my favourite films of 2016 to a top 20 (and an additional 20 special mentions), it's been a real joy remembering so many special highlights, including some films that I saw more than a year (and countless films) ago.
Blake @BLAKEISBATMAN Howard's Best Films of 2016 (Video)
No games. No explanations needed. Just watch.
"CREED II" (2018) - AUDIO REVIEW
It's been a long time between drinks for the Graffiti With Punctuation podcast, especially POD SAVE OUR SCREEN (which ended on the 88th episode - with a promised double episode scheduled for a yet to be determined time in the future. To keep any long time subscribers sustained here's my latest audio review - "CREED II" (2018).
"YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE" (2017) - AUDIO REVIEW
It's been a long time between drinks for the Graffiti With Punctuation podcast, especially POD SAVE OUR SCREEN (which ended on the 88th episode - with a promised double episode scheduled for a yet to be determined time in the future. To keep any long time subscribers sustained here's my latest audio review - Lynne Ramsay's "YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE" (2017).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Stuck underneath someone? Can't exfiltrate and get back to your feet? It's a miserable, helpless feeling, but one that can be fixed. Learn to escape the dangerous mount position. These tools will help you break out and get to a dominant position.


The CBS 3 Alex Scott: A Stand For Hope Telethon is an annual daylong fundraiser celebrating the life of Alex Scott and all children affected by childhood cancer. It includes an airing of the documentary, "Alex Scott: A Stand For Hope" which tells the heartwarming story of Alex and the Foundation that bears her name.
Hosted by CBS 3 and The CW Philly, on-air personalities interview Liz and Jay Scott, childhood cancer hero families and others to share with viewers the incredible impact that ALSF funding can have on children battling cancer. Tune in to next year's telecast for a full day of inspiration.


Our primary source of light is, of course, the sun. When we look at our closest star, we may see nothing more than a big yellow ball. But for thousands of years, the Hindus have revered the sun, which they call Surya, as both the physical and spiritual heart of our world and the creator of all life itself. That's why one of Surya's many other appellations is Savitri (the Vivifier), who, according to the Rig Veda, "begets and feeds mankind in various manners" (III.55.19). Moreover, since everything that exists originates from the sun, as Alain DaniŽlou wrote in The Myths and Gods of India (Inner Traditions, 1991), it "must contain the potentiality of all that is to be known." For the Hindus, the sun is the "eye of the world" (loka chakshus), seeing and uniting all selves in itself, an image of and a pathway to the divine.
One of the means of honoring the sun is through the dynamic asana sequence Surya Namaskar (better known as Sun Salutation). The Sanskrit word namaskar stems from namas, which means "to bow to" or "to adore." (The familiar phrase we use to close our yoga classes, namaste—te means "you"—also comes from this root.) Each Sun Salutation begins and ends with the joined-hands mudra (gesture) touched to the heart. This placement is no accident; only the heart can know the truth.
The ancient yogis taught that each of us replicates the world at large, embodying "rivers, seas, mountains, fields…stars and planets…the sun and moon" (Shiva Samhita, II.1-3). The outer sun, they asserted, is in reality a token of our own "inner sun," which corresponds to our subtle, or spiritual, heart. Here is the seat of consciousness and higher wisdom (jnana) and, in some traditions, the domicile of the embodied self (jivatman).
It might seem strange to us that the yogis place the seat of wisdom in the heart, which we typically associate with our emotions, and not the brain. But in yoga, the brain is actually symbolized by the moon, which reflects the sun's light but generates none of its own. This kind of knowledge is worthwhile for dealing with mundane affairs, and is even necessary to a certain extent for the lower stages of spiritual practice. But in the end, the brain is inherently limited in what it can know and is prone to what Patanjali calls misconception (viparyaya) or false knowledge of the self.
There's some disagreement among authorities over the origins of Sun Salutation. Traditionalists contend that the sequence is at least 2,500 years old (perhaps even several hundred years older), that it originated during Vedic times as a ritual prostration to the dawn, replete with mantras, offerings of flowers and rice, and libations of water. Skeptics of this dating maintain that Sun Salutation was invented by the raja of Aundh (a former state in India, now part of Maharashtra state) in the early 20th century, then disseminated to the West in the 1920s or 1930s.
However old Sun Salutation is, and whatever it may originally have looked like, many variations have evolved over the years. Janita Stenhouse, in Sun Yoga: The Book of Surya Namaskar (Innerspace Map Studio, 2001), illustrates two dozen or so adaptations (though several are quite similar). Our sequence here consists of 12 "stations" composed of eight different postures, the last four being the same as the first four but performed in reverse order. In this sequence, we'll start and end in Tadasana.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 6th, 2019 at 12:10 am	and is filed under Articles.


At the end of Helen Crawford's review of Café Scientifique in Chapel Allerton she asks 'Leeds does seem to be buzzing with debating, parlour and salon groups these days, are we entering a golden era intellectually?' Well, as co-founder of one such forum, I hope so. And what's more, could this be part of the much sort after 'unique identity for Leeds', as discussed recently on The Culture Vulture?
All these fora attract good sized and diverse audiences, and are not the only opportunities for public discussion in Leeds. In fact, they seem to be popping up all the time. There's the innovative Bettakultcha initiative, the recently established Union 105/Chapel Town Salon art gallery and conversation space, and a new Café Philosophique based in Weetwood should be up and running before the end of the year. While at Leeds University there's the Inter-Disciplinary Ethics Applied, the Roundhouse journal group, and Liberty @ Leeds, all of whom hold regular public debates attracting some big names speakers. Although not principally a discussion group, the Leeds-based charity Together for Peace held its Leeds Summat weekend of culture and debate last November at Leeds University Union, which it's planning to repeat in August 2011. And of course there's Culture Vulture's very own Cultural Conversations initiative, aimed at helping to promote and unite all that's happening culturally in Leeds.
For me it seems obvious that all this activity is tapping into a desire for more stimulating debate than is provided by mainstream contemporary political and intellectual culture. But surely you'd think that would apply everywhere. However, while Leeds seems rife with opportunities for debate this doesn't seem to be replicated in other northern UK cities (but please tell me if I'm wrong about this). For example, if we compare Leeds to Manchester (to which it seems most often compared) the only equivalent forum to those in Leeds that I know of is Manchester Salon. And while Leeds has two Café Scientifiques pulling in regular audiences of 40-60 per talk, Cafe Scientifique in Manchester wound-down in 2006 due to lack of interest. But why is this? After all, Leeds is both a smaller city and, as has been argued recently on Culture Vulture, is apparently lagging behind other cities in terms of 'stuff happening' and cultural spaces to do it in.
Perhaps, initially at least, Leeds has been fortunate in having individuals or groups willing to have a go. But in turn this has become a mutually reinforcing dynamic. For example, not only does Leeds have two Café Scientifiques but, as mentioned, the initiative was actually founded in Leeds by Duncan Dallas. In turn, the Café Scientifique inspired a number of other themed cafés, most of which seemed to have disappeared but from which Café Economique is a notable survivor. Likewise, as far as I know Taking Soundings is the only public debating forum of the Soundings journal in the UK. And for Leeds Salon, the nearby Huddersfield and Manchester Salons were major inspirations in us deciding to turn a small book group into a public debating forum. In other words, the existence of a few successful debating groups in and around Leeds has encouraged others to have a go. In turn, this has contributed to the steady build up over time a certain 'culture of debate', which has been important to the subsequent success of groups such ours.
If you think about it, the idea of going out for an evening to sit amongst possible strangers discussing politics, science or culture might seem an odd or daunting prospect, especially in today's more de-politicised culture. But the growth of initiatives both encourages, and normalises them for, the potential newcomer, helping build a broader public intellectual audience within Leeds and beyond used to the concept and format. This in turn has been aided by the development of links and relations amongst many of the above groups which have promoted wider awareness of the opportunities to engage in, or simply sit and listen, to open public debate: whether that's about some of the most important issues of our time, or just anything we think is interesting or worth discussing.
The growth of debating groups isn't unique to Leeds, but Leeds certainly seems uniquely blessed in terms of number and variety. This is an important cultural dynamic that should be made more aware of and that could, in time, see Leeds become a leading city of debate.
Thanks to Duncan Dallas (Café Scientifique – Chapel Allerton), Ann Clark (Café Scientifique – Headingley), Max Farrar (Taking Soundings), and Ann Arblaster (Café Economique) for biographical information.
Is Paul right that Leeds is uniquely blessed amongst cities in terms of a 'culture of debate'? And if this is the case, do you agree with Paul's reasons why or do you have your own explanation as to why this is?
Previous Post:What's on Your radar for September?
I don't know that Leeds is unique in this regard – the City Debate at Manchester's FutureEverything festival illustrated that city's great grassroots communities too.
Leeds is overflowing with clubs, meetups, societies and unconferences – but I think the real challenge is to move all this activity into achievement.
As a city we're ably showing how easy it is to start a community, but we're not demonstrating how to sustain them, deepen their roots and create something enduring and valuable.
I have some ideas – I ran two R&D labs in the last decade and learned a lot about how to weave fleeting ideas, conversations and concepts into enduring institutions…lol, though both are now gone!
In both those contexts, tens of thousands of people appeared to be doing a lot, but actually real progress was obscured by activity.
I'm hungry to try some of this out at city-scale…and maybe even street-scale. We used things like storytelling, concepts & futurism to propogate ideas, but then measured and quantified actual progress on those ideas using mechanisms like futures markets.
Though at this scale, I don't have firm answers – there are some interesting levers like Mike Chitty's "LeedsLAB", a culture of open government data, better local media, a lot of volunteerism.
Ultimately, what I'm sensing is a lack of vision, or visions; though we've all been great at illustrating symptoms, we haven't really succeeded in articulating what we want this city to ultimately be? What are those stories? It doesn't matter how viable they are yet, but they need to be visible.
I'm unfamiliar with most of the techniques you mention, but they sound fascinating. Any further reading would be most welcome!
A phrase from your first comment really struck me – "As a city we're ably showing how easy it is to start a community, but we're not demonstrating how to sustain them, deepen their roots and create something enduring and valuable." At the moment I'm working on ways of supporting activist groups, and this is pretty much the problem I'm working on.
Strengthening groups so that they are more resilient isn't a mystical process, but I have yet to a) speak to someone who can clearly articulate to me the 'how-to' of a really strong group or b) read a comprehensive guide on the subject. This mystifies me. Best practice doesn't solve a problem itself, but bloody hell it helps.
Fascinating stuff, and crucial to the progress of our city. Looking forward to the next Cultural Conversations!
Ultimately, it's *all* activism, as you suggest and I believe great activism is commitment, vision/storytelling and illustrating paths to that…however quixotic.
Well let's have that 'nice chat' and see what we can do…I'll see if I can rustle up a reading list, but it might be kinda disjointed (I've filled the gaps in over the years).
I gots some ideas about the vision thing – gonna have a chat with Mike Chitty on how that can be developed sometime this week.
The wealth of debating networks is a real strength of the city. We should celebrate it.: something Leeds is not great at. And we all – at the Council, businesses, the third sector, the twitterati – should take responsibility to act on what we've learnt and make Leeds uniquely better as a result. I for one commit to participate, to learn and to act.
Thanks for initiating this Paul. I think Leeds might be unusual in having quite so many discussion groups and the historical/sociological nerd in me is interested in debating why this might be the case.
My guess is that it is something to do with the relative weakness of the organised labour movement in Leeds, resulting in softer versions of the communist and labour parties than in 'better organised' cities, and that allowed for a strong Independent Labour Party (always better on debate than the hard left) and quite a flourishing anarchist and (later) libertarian, feminist, lesbian and gay movements.
On the question of how to link, strengthen, sustain these autonomous organisations, thereby hangs the sorry history of the left. Some argue that you have to have a (fairly centralised) political party to achieve this. That's not going to appeal to many of us in these groups (some of us have been there and felt the pain).
It might be that real social change is best promoted by this plethora of ideas and organisational structures, and that they are only forced to come together in periods of crisis. But the strange thing today is that European societies are in crisis, and we still don't seem to come together . . . this paradox actually takes quite a lot of thinking through, which of course is why we need all these groups!
I agree, at least in part, that the popularity of the contemporary debating group is related to the weakness of organised labour movement. Although I would say it's not just the collapse of the old left, but the increasingly irrelevance and disconnectedness of all political movements across the board has given rise to a new desire to re-examine ideas about the world in general and to look for something new and better than what's on offer. This might be evidenced in the growth of book sales over the last decade, fiction and non-fiction alike (until the recent recession); and maybe even the recent renaissance in quality TV documentaries is both feeding and helping to create a desire for knowledge and search out opportunities for discussion.
I also think the nature of the contemporary discussion group is conducive to the development of the broader culture of debate. Unlike in the old days when the only real regular public meetings were organised by competing political groups, this isn't a zero-sum game. It's not the case that someone attracted to one forum is unlikely to attend 'rival' debates; instead they are likely to go to any-and-all depending on their interest. In addition, I think the contemporary forum is also more conducive to the disinterested pursuit of knowledge than both past party debates and than is encouraged by mainstream education today, and many people turn up not actually to debate but simply to listen to the speakers we invite in discussion with the audience.
On your point about how to link, strengthen and sustain all these autonomous organisations, I think we're doing fine at that as it is. My article isn't a call for that to happen but both a result of the gradual development of links between groups – through website links on each others sites, occasionally promotion of others' debates, and occasional joint events – and an encouragement to more, and to the realisation of how our individual endeavours add to the whole. As I argue, this developing culture of debate is a mutually reinforcing dynamic – the existence of so many groups both strengthens and sustains them and encourages new forums to start up.
I certainly wouldn't advocate any kind of 'centralisation'. However, a neutral 'one-stop-shop' would be useful, and this is where the likes of Culture Vulture could come in. There used to be the old Café Nexus website which listed all the various Cafes where you could visit and see debates were coming up. That was replaced last year by a new Nexus site, which unfortunately hasn't taken off. I think something similar that listed the forthcoming events of all those fora that wish to sign up to it would be more than useful. This would inform the public of what's taking place when; help to inform each other when arranging our own events what other groups have coming up to, if at all possible, avoid clashes of dates and/or subject matter; while raising overall awareness of all the opportunities for debate in city.
I think that the cause of social change, which many groups are inspired by in one way or other is, as you say, best promoted by a plethora of groups – and the more the better. But it would help all groups, and maybe help define Leeds as a unique city of debate, if more people knew what was happening, and the likes of Culture Vulture could prove invaluable in this.
I guess Progress School is my best endeavour to deepen roots and catalyse conversation and debate into lasting progress.
Methinx it would be unwise to attempt to build a mass party or unified organisation – certainly now. These things may have had their day or prove superfluous in this more interconnected age.
What we know of the 'left' (as well as the traditional right) is in a mess anyhow – apart from a gut instinct to defend the interests of the mass of society there is a tendency to shoot oneself in the foot by denying growth – more stuff and a better standard of living – and thus running hand-in-hand with mainstream notions of doing with less. The left play a confusing role here and end up justifying austerity – however unintentioned.
NB. There's also The Great Debate in Newcastle, Pecha Kucha in Leeds and Huddersfield, Academic groups in Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield, Manchester Soc of Architects . . .
I was directed to this by Linkedin and I must say I had no idea about any of these groups. Judging from the information given so far it all looks a little bit like self-indulgence. Unless I haven't read it properly it's not clear to me whether there are clear objectives involved here or just an excuse for talking shops.
I'm an objective political observer, I hope, but it seems to me that if you want to achieve social justice by political means you don't start with The Left any more. Too much baggage. Tony Blair, with all his faults, at least saw that, and unfortunately the traditional Left has lost the plot so badly that it needs a really radical re-think. Whatever you think about the Coalition they represent a new scene in politics – a social conscience backed by practical economics.
I don't see the self indulgence involved in setting up public debating groups, unless you think it's self-indulgent to want to stimulate public debate, which is the general objective of groups. Should we not bother to do that? Is it not important? By both the number of groups and the healthy audiences we all get, there's clearly a desire amongst a large minority of people to want to engage in public discussion on all and everything, or just come and listen to it.
My article is in response to a debate on Culture Vulture about what's Leeds got going for it, and what could be its unique identity. I was pointing out the dynamism of debating groups which people seemed unaware of and suggesting this could be part of that unique identity.
I don't see what your second paragraph and comments about 'the left' has to do with the article. But if you think the Coalition represents something new in politics you're as delusional as the left who think every strike represents the re-emergence of the class struggle. I think that amongst the reasons for the rise – not just in Leeds but nationally and internationally – of debating groups is the vacuousness and irrelevance of contemporary political culture, and an educational/intellectual culture that has ceased to value ideas for their own sake.
Although I have been involved in setting up the new Talking Allowed in Leeds group, I must point out that it is Liverpool (and other parts of Merseyside) that seems to be a prime contender for the "city of debates". The Philosophy in Pubs group was founded by Liverpudlians and is growing and spreading, with 10 groups on Merseyside alone. I am interested in Max's point, looking for an explanation of the growth of various groups, and I suppose that a good deal of empirical research (and theoretical considerations) would be needed to provide an explanation. The decline in organised forms of debate would be one factor. Where it will all lead, or should lead, could itself be the focus of philosophical debate.
What's this got to do with anything said above?
I know it's November (almost) and this article is from June. However, as someone from Leeds, I must say I am unaware of any debate forum. Down south there are forums such as the Cogers, whereby anybody may speak about anything. This is a vital forum lacking in Leeds. While it is perfectly okay to have specific societies relating to science, economics etc, there needs to be more of a general forum (to include, dare I say it, politics) for public speaking.
It's also disappointing that the Leeds speakers' corner is only ever used during rallies and protests. I would love to engage in healthy dialogue with people and spout my own opinions on matters I am concerned about; however, as a sole speaker there I would be doomed to fail, be heckled and look like someone who'd lost their marbles by shouting at the top of their voice at nobody.
If anybody has any desire as I do to promote public speaking and debate, I'd be very interested in hearing from you.
My apologies, it's from August 2010, not June (was looking at the most recent post).
Hey Zzz thanks for commenting and taking time to look around the site. We also have another section called Tell me why…which you may enjoy.
Either way we need brave souls happy to lead the way so jump on in!


Www.digitalplayspace.com - Lego Batman The Animated Series. This post talks with regards to the change of cartoon and anime, and also the definition of every in several groups. Anime, mainly from Japan, reveals alone being a lot further and effectively thought-out in plot and character improvement than those people of cartoons.
Cartoon is rapidly becoming an extremely popular career choice for all those interested in combining their love for art by using their love for calculating. With movies like Monsters Inc. and Cars holding the interest of kids and adults alike, so it's not surprising that cartoon technicians are becoming popular after.
Relevant to Lego Batman The Animated Series, A cartoon is defined like a visual change in a scene connected to time. The visual shift in the scene is not just associated with the change in the positioning of the thing, but additionally with its shape, color, transparency, structure and texture. An important thing about cartoon is that it usually signifies the hand attracted or drawn sequence of images, which contrasts into the movies where actors performances with real-world scenes are recorded.
When you ended up to check with many people what their favourite productions ended up undoubtedly every would've their very own personal lists. You would probably be surprised in the number of animated ones that will be included. Therefore if who ever claimed that cartoons are for children? They are really something that touches the hearts of the young and old for both gender. This is often related to Lego Batman The Animated Series.
3D Cartoon animation has appear up as considered one of essentially the most endorsed technologies in the present laptop or computer age. This is a kind of graphic imaging which has taken about second or scale design puppets as well as drawings which had been generally often known as stop motion animation. About the yrs, there's been an at any time rising interest in cartoon films also because the usage of 3D cartoon animation while in the media for endorsement of brand name names that has initiated far better plus much more innovative imaging software's out there.


text:
It's been about a month since the release of the anniversary pack, and things got busy quickly over here in Taipei. I took a break from playing during the month of November. I just couldn't stomach grinding and playing the same stuff over and over again. I wanted to do GMs and gild my Conqueror title. I haven't done that yet, but thankfully I'll probably end up doing it before the end of this absurdly long season.
Continue reading "Destiny 2: Season of the Lost, Bungie's 30th Anniversary Pack"
Author rangePosted on January 5, 2022 January 5, 2022 Categories entertainmentTags video game, Halo, destiny, FPS, bungie, destiny 2, shooter, looter, grasp of avarice, dungeonLeave a comment on Destiny 2: Season of the Lost, Bungie's 30th Anniversary Pack
Last week, Festival of the Lost launched. It's different enough to make people play, but there are some elements that I didn't agree with. Swiftly as they could, by Thursday, reset was on Tuesday, Bungo had nerfed the most efficient farming methods to acquire Spectral Pages, which were Wrathborn Hunts, Expunges, and the current nightfall, The Lake of Shadows. That royally sucked, because when I went back to play on the weekend, the best way to acquire Spectral Pages was to do public events in the EDZ. FML.
Continue reading "Nerfing Festival of the Lost Was Stupid"
Author rangePosted on October 26, 2021 Categories entertainmentTags 2021, bungie, destiny, destiny 2, festival of the lost, fotl, FPS, jurassic green, MMOLeave a comment on Nerfing Festival of the Lost Was Stupid
We're less than 2 months into a 6-month D2, the longest so far, and it's about time that I gave my thoughts about it. The Witch Queen was delayed until 2/22/22, meaning that S15 will last a whole six months. D2 seasons usually last 3 months.
Continue reading "Destiny 2: Season of the Lost S15 Review (So Far)"
Author rangePosted on October 8, 2021 October 8, 2021 Categories entertainmentTags Ager's scepter, bungie, destiny, destiny 2, FPS, Lorentz driver, Lost, MMO, s15, vex mythoclastLeave a comment on Destiny 2: Season of the Lost S15 Review (So Far)
With this week's reset, the final part of the exotic quest entitled Tracing the Stars, finally went live. The new exotic trace rifle, Ager's Scepter, is now available. The catalyst will launch at next week's reset and the ornament went live yesterday.
Continue reading "Destiny 2: New Exotic Trace Rifle Ager's Scepter S15"
Author rangePosted on September 16, 2021 Categories entertainmentTags Ager, bungie, destiny, destiny 2, exotic, FPS, looter, Lost, scepter, shooter, trace rifleLeave a comment on Destiny 2: New Exotic Trace Rifle Ager's Scepter S15
This weekend, one of the biggest changes in Destiny 2 PvP went live. Trials of Osiris, and it's predecessor Trials of the Nine have always been a sweaty PvP playlist, made for the ultra sweatlords fighting each other in order to get rewards at the Lighthouse. That is no longer the case.
Continue reading "The Revamped Trials of Osiris in Destiny 2: S15 Season of the Lost"
Author rangePosted on September 15, 2021 Categories entertainmentTags bungie, competitive, destiny, destiny 2, endgame, FPS, lighthouse, looter, MMO, Osiris, PvP, shooter, trialsLeave a comment on The Revamped Trials of Osiris in Destiny 2: S15 Season of the Lost
I totally ripped that title off from a Sir Dimetrious video, but it's more of the same this week. There are 4 pinnacle drops that are easy to get when playing solo, they can be painful to get, especially if you're playing freelance, but still worthwhile, as the Peacebond, a new stasis sidearm, which is really good.
Continue reading "Destiny 2: Iron Pain, the Saga Continues…"
Author rangePosted on September 8, 2021 Categories entertainment, writingTags Beyond Light, bungie, destiny, destiny 2, FPS, iron banner, MMO, PvP, s15, season of the lostLeave a comment on Destiny 2: Iron Pain, the Saga Continues…
Season of the Lost launched on time after a very interesting Witchqueen showcase. Most of what I saw in the showcase excited me. However, the release day was pushed back to 2.22.22, so it's going to be a long wait. It took the usual crazy amount of time to log onto the game. Eventually I did.
Continue reading "Destiny 2: Season of the Lost S15"
Author rangePosted on September 6, 2021 September 8, 2021 Categories entertainment, writingTags bungie, destiny, destiny 2, FPS, looter, Lost, mara sov, MMO, shooter, video gamesLeave a comment on Destiny 2: Season of the Lost S15


Galway Volunteer Centre is calling on the public to help recognise kindness in their communities by nominating a volunteer for the national Volunteer Ireland Awards. The awards were launched by Ireland's Got Mór Talent Presenter James Kavanagh.
Each year Galway Volunteer Centre asks the public to nominate the volunteers in their lives to allow us to shine a light on what goes on behind the scenes in communities across Galway every day. There are eleven different award categories, along with the prestigious Christine Buckley Volunteer of the Year award.
Each volunteer nominated will receive a special thank you card from Volunteer Ireland for their hard work and dedication. The nominations will eventually be whittled down to a shortlist of outstanding volunteers who will be invited with their family and friends to an awards ceremony in Dublin in December where they will be honoured and celebrated. Nominations can be made at www.volunteer.ie and will remain open until Friday October 5.


text:
package boofcv.alg.interpolate.impl;

import boofcv.alg.interpolate.InterpolatePixel;
import boofcv.alg.interpolate.InterpolateRectangle;
import boofcv.factory.interpolate.FactoryInterpolation;
import boofcv.struct.image.ImageFloat32;

/**
 * @author Peter Abeles
 */
public class TestNearestNeighborRectangle_F32 extends GeneralBilinearRectangleChecks<ImageFloat32>{

	public TestNearestNeighborRectangle_F32() {
		super(ImageFloat32.class);
	}

	@Override
	public InterpolatePixel<ImageFloat32> createPixelInterpolate() {
		return FactoryInterpolation.nearestNeighborPixel(imageType);
	}

	@Override
	public InterpolateRectangle<ImageFloat32> createRectangleInterpolate() {
		return FactoryInterpolation.nearestNeighborRectangle(imageType);
	}

	@Override
	protected ImageFloat32 createImage(int width, int height) {
		return new ImageFloat32(width,height);
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Find which movies on The Rewind featured Jeff Goldblum during the 70s.
Jeff Goldblum appeared in the following 1 70's movies on the 70s Rewind.
End of results. 7 results out of 609 70's and 80s pages searched.
Learn more about Jeff Goldblum at the Internet Movie Database.
Are you interested in 70s Movies? Well fate sent you to the right place! We have the most comprehensive information on 70s movies of any site on the web and we're a non-commercial site too --free of pop-ups and other distractions. We have reviews, trivia, pictures, filming locations and so much more for many of your favorite 70's movies.
Click here to go to our 70's homepage and thank you for visiting us.
<< Choose Another Movie ?
PageBuild Version 2.7 is Copyright �1999, 2005 Fast-Rewind. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Home › Amandla › Turkey's new regime and its neoliberal foundations
Turkey's new regime and its neoliberal foundations
Posted on October 9, 2018 by Greg — No Comments ↓
by Yonca Özdemir | Amandla Magazine Issue 59 | 9 October 2018
Recent political and economic developments in Turkey have been worrying for Western governments for some time. However, busy with their own political crises, they have been either slow or reluctant to react to these developments effectively. Turkey is still tolerated by the Western governments as a partner, however problematic it may be. It has a predominantly Muslim population with a leadership potential in the Middle East as a whole. And it plays an important role as a barrier for Europe against refugee flows. It seems as if Western Governments are just watching as Turkey slides further into a strange kind of electoral authoritarianism.
A very important turning point for Turkey came with the June 24, 2018 elections. These brought a complete change in the Turkish political system. Turkey had gone through a referendum on April 16, 2017 to change its parliamentary system into a "superpresidential" system, which resulted in a small majority (51.4/48.6%) in favour of the change. Later, the government called early elections in June 2018 to put these constitutional changes into effect. Erdoğan again prevailed over his rivals and officially changed the Turkish regime into a despotic one-man rule.
A failure of neoliberal globalisation
There may be some people who see this regression in Turkey as due to the Republic's persistent democratic deficiencies since its inception. Or it can be seen as simply an ordinary example of eastern despotism. However, I would argue that the Turkish case should be examined rather in the context of the global rise of right-wing populism, which is itself a consequence of failing neoliberal globalisation.
Neoliberal economic governance and the right-wing populist, and authoritarian currents it has generated, are posing serious threats to democracies all around the world. Although this regressive trend was already in place, it intensified after the 2007-2008 global financial crisis. The countries with weak institutions and immature democracies, like Turkey, have been most severely affected by it. The origins of this trend should be sought in the late 1970s and early 1980s when the neoliberal form of capitalism began to emerge and destroy the balance established between the state and the market after the Second World War.
Turkey has never been a perfect democracy. Three military coups have occurred in modern Turkish history (1960, 1971 and 1980). Democratisation in the 1980s and 1990s was limited. Although there was some progress in terms of curbing the excesses of authoritarianism, the rights of citizens were not substantially extended so they could play an active role in the political process. Rather, since the neoliberal reforms started under military rule in 1980, the political regime was based on the de-politicisation of society, weakening of civil society and reduction of democracy to mere participation in free elections.
AKP reforms
After its 2001 economic crisis, Turkey implemented deeper neoliberal reforms which subsequently brought the Justice and Development Party (AKP) to power. Since 2002, Turkey has been governed by AKP's neoliberal regime which has acquired hegemonic characteristics. Although the party brought an end to the military's tutelage in politics, Turkey radically shifted away from democracy over time. The society was already depoliticised and the organised sections of civil society were effectively neutralised, so it was not difficult for AKP to construct an authoritarian regime. In fact, with the accumulated negative effects of the neoliberal policies, Turkey was already a fertile ground for authoritarian populism. Therefore, AKP and Erdoğan should be seen both as products and promoters of neoliberalism.
AKP was established mainly by pious provincial SME capitalists and the newly emerged religious-conservative professional middle classes. However, in terms of votes, it mostly relies on the unorganised, informal and peripheral sectors of the urban and rural working classes. AKP appealed to these people by depoliticising their class identities. These people, who had been mostly neglected by the previous governments, were subject to new kinds of poverty caused by the neoliberal policies.
With a booming economy, it was easy for AKP to maintain its political alliances during 2002-2007. The party's financially stable and consumption-oriented neoliberal economic model not only satisfied capitalist groups but also provided benefits to the poor and marginalised sections of society. AKP's neoliberal and anti-labour policies were successfully masked via new poverty alleviation programs and social protection measures blended with an Islamic notion of social justice. Indeed, the poor looked like relative winners from AKP and had a stake in its survival, no matter how authoritarian it turned out to be.
This has not only weakened the organisational capacity and autonomy of the working classes, but also created political patronage. Thus, AKP has been quite successful in co-opting, assimilating and taking over any potential resistance to neoliberal policies. Under these conditions, it was impossible for more progressive counter-movements to emerge.
Impact of global crisis
Especially from 2010 onwards, when the effects of the global crisis started to affect Turkey more deeply, the country began to show signs of approaching the limits of consumption-fuelled and deficit-driven economic growth. Hence, AKP's so-called "social neoliberalism" became increasingly exhausted and its authoritarian tendencies grew. First, there was violent suppression of the June 2013 Gezi revolt, and then a failed military coup attempt occurred on July 15, 2016.
The Gezi Revolt
In the early morning of May 28, 2013, a group of activists gathered for a sit-in protest at Gezi Park in central Istanbul. The green space, a rarity in the city, is located right next to Istanbul's famous Taksim Square. The protesters were angry at government plans to cut down trees to create space for a new shopping mall. The activists erected tents and launched their own version of the Occupy movement – reminiscent of the global anti-Wall-Street-protests.
A raid by the riot police attracted heavy media attention. The police set the tents on fire, triggering Turkey's largest anti-government demonstrations. More than 8,000 people were injured and 11 killed.
After the coup attempt, under the continuing "state of emergency" rule, more than 100,000 people have been dismissed from their jobs and more than 50,000 put in prison, including many journalists as well as politicians from the opposition Kurdish party HDP. Thousands of academics have been suspended. Many news outlets and civil society organisations have been closed down. The media is predominantly controlled by pro-government power bases. According to Freedom House (a US watchdog organisation on "freedom and democracy"), Turkey is now rated as "not free" in terms of civil liberties.
With this latest election, not only is the parliamentary system replaced by a presidential one, but Erdoğan has also acquired sweeping new powers. These include powers to appoint and fire ministers, name 12 out of the 15 members of the country's constitutional court, dissolve the parliament and call new elections, and possibly stay in power for another 12 years.
Without any checks and balances from an independent legislature, judiciary, civil society or free media, Turkey has now become an electoral dictatorship.
At the same time, annual inflation has risen to 15.39% (June 2018), the highest level since 2014. The Turkish Lira has lost more than 20% of its value so far this year. The current account deficit has reached record levels (annual $57.6 billion in May 2018, corresponding to 5.6% of GNP). Without Central Bank independence and with Erdoğan's son-in-law appointed as the Finance Minister, foreign investors are fleeing the Turkish market. The economy is overheated; it's no longer possible to sustain growth through credit pumping. It seems the Turkish economy is on the verge of another crisis. Once praised as a model to other developing countries for its political and economic development, Turkey is now an example of democratic breakdown facilitated by neoliberalism.
This is an edited version of an article first published on "Social Europe" website https://www.socialeurope.eu.
‹ Community Statement on the IRP 2018
3rd Session of the People's Permanent Tribunal ›


We strive to provide an environment that enhances our students' academic success and reflects the values of integrity, mutual respect and responsibility. We are committed to promoting a living/learning experience in the halls through positive staff interactions, educational opportunities, and developmental programming.
Current students can access additional Residence Life resources (Damage Billing, Guest Registration, Roommate Resources, Housing Selection, and RA Selection) on the MyPC Portal.


text:
Have you entered into the treasures of the snow? or have you seen the treasures of the hail,
Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow, Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,
Have you come into the secret place of snow, or have you seen the store-houses of the ice-drops,
Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,
Have you entered the treasuries of the snow, or have you seen the treasures of the hail,
Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow, or hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail,
Definitions for Job 38:22
Hail - A greeting of joy and peace.
Bible > Job > Job 38 > Job 38:22
Clarke's Job 38:22 Bible Commentary
The treasures of the snow - The places where snow is formed, and the cause of that formation. See on Job 37:6 (note).
Treasures of the hail - It is more easy to account for the formation of snow than of hail. Hail, however, is generally supposed to be drops of rain frozen in their passage through cold regions of the air; and the hail is always in proportion to the size of the raindrop from which it was formed. But this meteor does not appear to be formed from a single drop of water, as it is found to be composed of many small spherules frozen together, the center sometimes soft like snow, and at other times formed of a hard nucleus, which in some cases has been of a brown color, capable of ignition and explosion. In the description given of snow, Job 37:6, it has been stated that both snow and hail owe their formation to electricity; the hail being formed in the higher regions of the air, where the cold is intense, and the electric matter abundant. By this agency it is supposed that a great number of aqueous particles are brought together and frozen, and in their descent collect other particles, so that the density of the substance of the hailstone grows less and less from the center, this being formed first in the higher regions, and the surface being collected in the lower. This theory is not in all cases supported by fact, as in some instances the center has been found soft and snow-like, when the surface has been hard. Hail is the only meteor of this kind, from which no apparent good is derived. Rain and dew invigorate and give life to the whole vegetable world; frost, by expanding the water contained in the earth, pulverizes and renders the soil fertile; snow covers and defends vegetables from being destroyed by too severe a frost; but hail does none of these. It not only does no good, but often much harm - always some. It has a chilling, blasting effect in spring and summer, and cuts the tender plants so as to injure or totally destroy them. In short, the treasures of hail are not well known; and its use in the creation has not yet been ascertained. But frost is God's universal plough, by which he cultivates the whole earth.
Barnes's Job 38:22 Bible Commentary
Hast thou entered into the treasures of snow? - Snow is here represented as something which is laid up like treasure, and kept in reserve for use when God shall require it. Silver and gold were thus laid up for occasions when they would be wanted, and the figurative sentiment here is, that snow and hail were thus preserved for the use to which the Almighty might devote them, or for those great occasions when it would be proper to bring them forth to execute his purposes. Of course, it was to be expected that God would speak in the language which people commonly used when speaking of his works, and would not go into a philosophical or scientific explanation of the phenomena of nature. His object was not to teach science, but to produce a solemn impression of his greatness, and that is secured by such an appeal whether the laws of nature are understood or not. The simple appeal to Job here is, whether he could explain the phenomena of snow and hail?
Could he tell how they were formed? Whence they came? Where they were preserved, and how they were sent forth to execute the purposes of God? The idea is, that all that pertained to the snow was distinctly understood by God, and that these were facts which Job did not know of, and which he could not explain. The effect of time and of scientific investigation, in this as in other cases to which reference is made in this book, has been only to increase the force of this question. The effect of the discoveries which are made in the works of God is not to diminish our sense of his wisdom and majesty, but to change mere wonder to praise; to transform blind amazement to intelligent adoration. Every new discovery of a law of nature is fitted more to impress the mind with awe, and at the same time it becomes the basis of a new act of intelligent confidence in God. This is true of snow as of other things.
In the time and country of Job it came doubtless from the north. Vast quantities seemed to be poured forth from those regions at certain seasons of the year, as if it were reserved there in vast store-houses, or treasuries. Science has, however, told us that it is congealed vapor formed in the air, by the vapor being frozen there before it is collected into drops large enough to form hail. In the descent of the vapor to the earth it is frozen and descends in the numerous variety of crystallized forms in which the flakes appear. Perhaps there is nothing more fitted to excite pleasing conceptions of the wisdom of God - not even the variety of beauty in flowers - than the various forms of crystals in which snow appears. Those crystals present an almost endless variety of forms, Descartes and Dr. Hook were among the first whose minds seem to have been drawn to the figures of the crystals in snow, and since their investigations the suhject has excited great interest in others.
Captain Scoresby, who gave much attention to this subject and to other arctic phenomena, has given a delineation of 96 of these crystals. He adds, "The extreme beauty and the endless variety of the microsopic objects perceived in the animal and vegetable kingdoms, are perhaps fully equalled, if not surpassed, in both particulars of beauty and variety, by the crystals of snow. The principal configurations are the stelliform and the hexagonal; though almost every variety of shape of which the generating angle of 60 degrees and 120 degrees are susceptible, may, in the course of a few years' observation, be discovered. Some of the general varieties in the figures of the crystals may be referred to the temperature of the air; but the particular and endless modifications of the same classes of crystals can only be referred to the will and pleasure of the First Great Cause, whose works, even the most minute and evanescent, and in regions the most remote from human observation, are altogether admirable." See the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, "Snow."
Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail - As if the hail were reserved in storehouses, like the weapons of war, to be called forth when God should please, in order to execute his purposes. Hail - so well known in its nature and form - consists of masses of ice or frozen vapor, falling from the clouds in showers or storms. These masses consist of little spherules united, but not all of the same consistence; some being as hard and solid as perfect ice, others soft like frozen snow. Hail-stones assume various figures; some are round, others angular, others pyramidal, others flat, and sometimes they are stellated, with six radii, like crystals of snow - Encylopedia as quoted in Webster's Dictionary. Snow and hail are formed in the clouds when they are at an elevation where the temperature is below 32 degrees. The particles of moisture become congealed and fall to the earth. When the temperature below the clouds is more than 32 degrees, the flakes of snow often melt, and descend in the form of rain.
But hailstones, from their greater solidity and more rapid descent, often reach the earth even when the temperature is much higher; and hence, we have storms of hail in the summer. The difference in the formation of snow and hail is, that in the former case the vapor in the clouds is congealed before it is collected into drops; in the case of hail, the vapor is collected into drops or masses, and then frozen. "If we examine," says Mr. Leslie, "the structure of a hailstone, we shall perceive a snowy kernel encased by a harder crust. It has very nearly the appearance of a drop of water suddenly frozen, the particles of air being driven from the surface toward the center, where they form a spongy texture. This circumstance suggests the probable origin of hail, which is perhaps occasioned by rain falling through a dry and very cold stratum of air" - Edinburgh Encyclopedia, "Meteorology."
All the facts about the formation of hail were unknown in the time of Job, and hence, God appeals to them as evidence of his superior wisdom and greatness, and in proof of the duty of man to submit to him. These phenomena, which were constantly occurring, man could not explain; and how much less qualified, therefore, was he to sit in judgment on the secret counsels of the Almighty! The same observation may be made now, for though science has done something to explain the laws by which snow and hail are formed, yet those discoveries have tended to enlarge our conceptions of the wisdom of God, and have shown us, to an extent which was not then suspected, how much is still unknown. We see a few of the laws by which God does these things, but who is prepared to explain these laws themselves, or to tell why and how the particles of vapor arrange themselves into such beautiful crystallized forms?
Job 38:22-23.So also the same image is used in Psalm 18:13;
"The Lord also thundered in the heaven,
And the Most High gave forth his voice,
Wesley's Job 38:22 Bible Commentary
38:22 Treasures - Dost thou know where I have laid up those vast quantities of snow and hail which I draw forth when I see fit?


text:
John Sculley: Apple will 'revolutionise' TV market
Apple's ex-chief executive has high hopes for Apple's much-rumoured forthcoming TV set, saying it will change the televisual landscape.
Joe Svetlik
Jan. 16, 2012 12:55 a.m. PT
Steve Jobs coaxed John Sculley to join Apple from Pepsi by saying: "Do you want to sell sugared water for the rest of your life? Or do you want to come with me and change the world?"
Jobs and the ex-chief executive are said to have had a few run-ins in the past, but Sculley was keen to dispel the 'myths' surrounding his and Jobs' relationship when the BBC caught up with him at CES. And he thinks Apple's TV will be a true game changer.
"I think that Apple has revolutionised every other consumer industry, why not television?" he said. According to him, it's the simplicity Apple brings to devices that will really appeal to telly addicts. "I think that televisions are unnecessarily complex. The irony is that as the pictures get better and the choice of content gets broader, that the complexity of the experience of using the television gets more and more complicated.
"So it seems exactly the sort of problem that if anyone is going to change the experience of what the first principles are, it is going to be Apple."
Sculley revealed he hasn't read Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs, but that he'd heard it confirmed his version of events -- "that I never really did fire Steve Jobs and that Apple was actually a very profitable company."
He says he and Jobs disagreed about the price of the Macintosh -- Jobs wanted to reduce it, he wanted to focus on the Apple II -- and the board "agreed that my position was the one they wanted to support."
And he credits Jobs with being ahead of his time with Mac Office and Desktop Publishing. "It wasn't my idea," he said, "it was all Steve's stuff, but he was just a year-and-a-half too early."
Apple's TV set is rumoured to launch at the end of this year or beginning of next, and pack Siri for voice control, as well as Kinect-style gesture controls.
Will Apple shake up the world of TVs? Let us know below, or on our Facebook page.
Discuss: John Sculley: Apple will 'revolutionise' TV market


text:
Epic Mountain Hike Leads to Discovery of New Microbes
Our volunteers at Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation are exploring the farthest reaches of the globe, and sometimes, they accomplish amazing things. After years of sampling from high mountain lakes in the Pacific Northwest, the work of our hikers and climbers gathering water from alpine lakes has paid off. Their samples provided the basis for ASC partner scientist Dr. Loren Bahls...
Our volunteers at Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation are exploring the farthest reaches of the globe, and sometimes, they accomplish amazing things. After years of sampling from high mountain lakes in the Pacific Northwest, the work of our hikers and climbers gathering water from alpine lakes has paid off.
Their samples provided the basis for ASC partner scientist Dr. Loren Bahls to discover a new genus of diatom.
This means that during a solo weekend backpacking trip in the Olympic Mountains, Washington, ASC adventurer Craig Weiland not only climbed Mount Deception, he was able to give back to conservation. Craig and others did this around the northwest, on trips to places including Crater Lake, Oregon, Montana's Beartooth Mountains, and Yellowstone National Park.
Diatoms are essential to the health of the planet. These single-celled photosynthetic organisms form the base of nearly all aquatic food chains, and they account for around 40 percent of carbon fixation and oxygen production worldwide, according Dr. Bahls, who curates the Montana Diatom Collection.
The black line serves as a 10-micron (0.01mm) scale in this microscopic photo of Kurtkrammeria weilandii. (Photo courtesy Loren Bahls)
"Diatoms appeared sometime during the Cretaceous, about the same time as flowering plants and when dinosaurs ruled the land," explains Dr. Bahls. "When you slip on the rocks in a mountain stream, you are slipping on a thin layer of diatoms and the mucilage they produce."
He named the new genus Kurtkrammeria after the German diatom researcher Kurt Krammer, and the new type species Kurtkrammeria weilandii (pictured at left) for Craig Weiland one of the most active volunteers on the project. Craig's photos from his sampling adventures in the Cascades are featured in the slide show above.
K. weilandii, Dr. Bahls explained, exhibits all the physical features that distinguish the new genus from other genera, and is endemic to the Pacific Northwest.
This new genus will help taxonomists better classify diatoms and recognize relationships among and differences between similar taxa. ASC volunteers contributed samples for the study from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, California, Alberta and British Columbia.
"Most of the samples that I used to describe the new genus were collected by ASC volunteers from small lakes and ponds in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest," Dr. Bahls said. "The new genus is found only in remote bodies of water with difficult access. I couldn't have done it without their help."
In the big picture, we can learn more about water quality, ecology and climate by studying diatoms.
Different diatom species have distinct tolerances and ranges for environmental variables including pH, salinity, nutrient concentration, suspended sediment, elevation and human disturbance, so scientists use them extensively in environmental assessment and monitoring, according to Diatoms of the United States. In addition, because diatom cell walls are made of either silicon dioxide—essentially glass—or opal, they don't decompose, they can be used to study historic climates.
After 49 years of studying diatoms, the discovery is a first for Dr. Bahls.
"Diatoms are the charismatic microflora," he says. "They are to microscopic organisms as grizzly bears are to mammals. They are beautiful for their intricate designs and symmetry, and amazing for their incredible variety. Once you've seen a diatom, any diatom, under a quality microscope, you're hooked!"
Learn more about ASC on our website, the Field Notes blog, and by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+.
Read More by Gregg Treinish and His Correspondents
Gregg Treinish
Gregg Treinish founded Adventure Scientists in 2011 with a strong passion for both scientific discovery and exploration. National Geographic named Gregg Adventurer of the Year in 2008 when he and a friend completed a 7,800-mile trek along the spine of the Andes Mountain Range. He was included on the Christian Science Monitor's 30 under 30 list in 2012, and the following year became a National Geographic Emerging Explorer for his work with Adventure Scientists. In 2013, he was named a Backpacker Magazine "hero", in 2015, a Draper Richards Kaplan Entrepreneur and one of Men's Journal's "50 Most Adventurous Men." In 2017, he was named an Ashoka Fellow and in 2018 one of the Grist 50 "Fixers." Gregg holds a biology degree from Montana State University and a sociology degree from CU-Boulder. He thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2004. Read more updates from Gregg and others on the Adventure Scientists team at adventurescientists.org/field-notes. Follow Adventure Scientists on Instagram @adventurescientists, on Facebook @adventurescientists, and on Twitter @AdvScientists.


text:
Low-Slope RoofsPitched RoofsWaterproofing
Roofing In America? He Wrote The Book
Roof consultant Mark Kelly has more than 30 years of experience in the design, construction, restoration and preservation of buildings, and his experiences inspired him to write an in-depth look at the U.S.
Roof consultant Mark Kelly estimates that in the United States alone there are more than 250 billion square feet of residential roofing and over 750 billion square feet of commercial roofing. Kelly has more than 30 years of experience in the design, construction, restoration and preservation of buildings, and his experiences inspired him to write an in-depth look at the U.S. roofing industry.
The result is American Roofing: Roofing in America, in which Kelly shares stories about the roofing industry and ponders the question, "What goes into making a good roof?"
In his book, American Roofing: Roofing in America, Mark Kelly shares stories about the roofing industry and examines roofing projects in each of the 50 states.
According to Kelly, the book explores the history, development, design, and technology of American roofing. Kelly examines roofing projects throughout each of the 50 states, including historic buildings such as the Flat Iron Building in New York, the Georgia Dome in Atlanta and the Wrigley Building in Chicago.
Kelly, who resides in Resides in Dedham, Mass., was born in Boston in 1956. After graduating from Northeastern University, Kelly was hired by UPS as a Regional Project Engineer and became the company's expert on roofs. After a stint at a large engineering and architectural firm, he opened his own business, Kelly and Stewart Roofing, based in Boston. He became licensed in roofing, buildings for general construction and asbestos removal. Kelly moved back into consulting in 1991 as a building envelope designer. He has been an expert witness in a number of roof-related class action lawsuits, including numerous cases in Florida after hurricanes Wilma and Katrina.
Holy Name Church in West Roxbury, Mass., is one of Kelly's favorite restoration projects. A rubber roof was installed over the whole surface and covered with concrete tiles and copper flashing.
Kelly began work on the book in 2007. He described the genesis of the book this way: "Coming into the fall, I could see we were headed for a period of an economic slump. There's a lot of negativity and criticism that comes up during these periods. But we have time to reflect on the positives. Roofing has improved so much in the last few decades it was time to celebrate those achievements. And, because I had travelled across the country, I wanted to cover the local differences. So that's how the book evolved."
The book pays tribute to the excellence of the American roofing industry. Kelly said the overall theme of his book is "quality, service and pride in the industry." "When I ran my company, we had quality, service and pride in every product we produced," he said.
Kelly expressed gratitude for those who had helped him throughout his career, and said his book was his way of saying thank you. "There are so many people I've worked with throughout my career - mentors. I couldn't thank them all."
Kelly pointed to projects at Prince-ton, Harvard and Holy Name Church in Boston as some of the favorite roofs he's worked on as a contractor. Now he brings his experience to bear as a roof consultant.
"The role of the consultant is to prevent problems and solve problems," he said. "In that regard, you need to be a team player. When it comes to the cases that were evolving with the new systems, it was important to put in your mind that you were representing the people to get it perfect - the right roof every time. And now we are about as close to perfect as we can be. We want to be the country with the greatest roofs in the world."
Kelly has worked with clients with specialized facilities including Waring Labs, Digital, Polaroid, and food processors and retail stores with large coolers and freezers. The right roof is crucial to preserving the goods that drive the world economy, he pointed out.
"Without specialized roofing applications, the availability of health and life are greatly diminished," he said. "When you look at Malinowski's hierarchy of needs, you realize just how important roofs are."
However, not all roofs last as long as expected. Diagnosing and correcting roof problems is another task of the roof consultant. Leaks can be hard to find, and sometimes what looks like a roof leak can be something else.
"Mechanical units on a roof have often been missed when a building owner is troubleshooting roof leaks with a roofing contractor or maintenance personnel," Kelly said. "The percentage of leaks caused by mechanical contractors is very high. Roofers are generally as close to perfect as can be. Quite often there can be a leak in other parts of the building that looks like a roof leak."
Kelly used a leaky roof at West Point, which he details in his book, as one example. In this case, a new building at the military academy was leaking, and no one could diagnose the problem. Kelly was called in and spotted the problem right away: a gap between the concrete chimney cap and the stone walls of the chimney that wasn't caulked. "The gap was easy to miss," said Kelly. "Unless you were right on top of it, you wouldn't notice it."
Kelly believes LEED-certified environmentally friendly roof systems like this EPDM sloped roof with skylights are the future of roofing.
A Group Effort
Kelly maintains the key to a great roof is determining the right type of roof for the individual structure. "Each building needs a specific kind of roof," he said. "You need to know the environment inside that building. You have to do your homework, do your design - and then you have to work with several key people including the manufacturer, distributor, and roofing contractor. Within the roofing contractor you have everyone from the estimator, foreman, the person who manages safety within each company. There are roles for consultants on some projects - not always. It always adds value to have a consultant on the team during construction."
He noted how many people beyond the designer and contractor are involved in roofing, from production and testing of products to the education and training of installers. "I'm always amazed by the human part of putting up a roof - the talent displayed. Even the distribution and manufacturing is amazing - it works so well."
Kelly recalled a 1 million-square-foot warehouse re-roofing project in Edison, N.J. "There were 30-odd people with tankers, pump kettles, repairing the deck, removing debris," he said. "It went on for an entire season. To watch a BUR roof go down, it could have been set to music. It was a beautiful thing. The coordination was impressive."
One of his goals in writing the book was to improve the image of roofing contractors. "We've come a long way, he said. "NRCA and RCI have helped out, but it's the people who make it happen."
Kelly said roofers have to live by the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared. "You can't run away from a leak," he said. "You have to respond to problems - even if they aren't your problems. You can't leave them hanging. If you look at the qualities of the Boy Scouts - trustworthy, loyal, helpful, brave, thrifty, reverent - it's true of the vast majority of people who work on roofs. They're all there. I'm very impressed with the people I've worked with and the products they manufacture."
To order American Roofing: Roofing in America, visit www.roofinginamerica.com.
KEYWORDS: Commercial Roofing Residential roofing Roof Leaks
Content Is King: Nominations Are Rolling in for Roofing Contractor of the Year
Tune in For Roofing Contractor's State of the Industry Webinar Feb. 12
Technical Details: It's All in the Sauce


The young sanyasi from Bengal showed the world that India was not dead but only sleeping, he burst upon the Indian society like a bombshell to see it awakened. Born in 1863, Narendranath Datta had a sharp intellect with a rational approach which made him doubt any belief that was in practice. He questioned the very existence of God and was in search of a person who had actually seen God. The search ended in Ramakrishna Paramahamsa who quenched his spiritual thirst.
After Sri Ramakrishna, he traveled extensively across India and went to the World Parliament of Religions in USA. His first words, "brothers and sisters of America…."held the audience speechless. He taught the world the Universal outlook.


A teachable moment is defined as a point in time when learning becomes possible and easiest. My husband and I had a teachable moment in real estate that lasted about seven months from the time we put in our offer till we finally closed on the purchase of our first apartment--a junior-4 Hamilton Heights one-bedroom--sans broker.
Between the holidays, the banking crisis, and a mortgage officer who checked out (as in, mentally) in the middle of it all I'm not sure there was anything we — or a broker — could have done differently.
Besides, I'm a control freak who sets her own working hours -- I had the time and disposition for the job -- and I also have a great loathing of unnecessary papers cluttering my life (which turned out to be a good thing to have in light of the avalanche of paper transactions involved in buying real estate).
There were other factors too that disposed us toward moving ahead without a broker.
Though it wasn't our foremost consideration, we thought we might be more attractive as buyers to sellers and their brokers (no split broker fee!), and we knew there would be plenty other free-agent (agent-free?) buyers out there.
Also, we wanted to stay in Harlem where we had been living for the past few years, either a few blocks south in Morningside Heights, or north towards the Hamilton Heights area, and we were confident we could find a two-bedroom apartment or a generously sized one bedroom within our price range and with cash to spare for renovations on our own.
In retrospect, it wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world to have had the benefit of a good broker's experience, advice, and assurance on our journey to the $196,000 fixer-upper we eventually bought.
On the other hand, we actually had a lot of fun "self-agent-ing" our way up the learning curve.
1. Know the market. Be the market. All that time I spent pretend-buying wasn't a waste of time after all. The open houses I attended "just for fun," the property searches online -- these, it turned out, were research and practice. I felt confident I could find us an apartment as well as any broker out there because I knew really well what the market in our chosen neighborhoods had to offer.
By game time, we knew enough to make a quick decision (as in, we walked into the space in and knew there was nothing better for us out there).
2. Pushiness is key. I learned to be pushy. Okay, even more pushy. A broker is worth their pushiness in gold, so push away.
Push for appointments to see the apartment, push for answers from sellers and lenders. Push your deal through. It's exhausting, all that pushing, but good for toning those muscles you'll need when you're dealing with contractors for your remodel.
3. Be true to yourself and not to the Joneses. You know what I mean. Parents will want a room for a nursery, friends will want you closer to them. Go check out any renovation thread on Streeteasy, and see if you don't come away a Pre-war Purist, thinking anything less than 9 ½ foot ceilings is totally gauche.
Then there's the hype around certain neighborhoods, and the prejudice against others, the horror of income restrictions, etc. At some point I learned to tune it all out and focus on what we needed and could afford.
4. Learn to let go. I almost bankrupted us by nearly jumping on a 4th floor walk-up co-op with less than stellar financials. It was the perfect location, glorious light and views and it barely needed a ton of work.
It was a great apartment, but it needed a cash buyer — which it got after we lost in the bidding war. Thank god. And don't let anybody tell you a walk-up saves you a gym membership. That's just bull.
5. You can't compete with cash. Unless you, too, have it. See above.
6. Go for organic, locally grown lenders. There's nothing quite like being asked by a banker in Cleveland if the unit you're buying is wired for electricity.
Us: "Sir, I think that question is meant for a new-build, pseudo-loft space in Ohio?"
I'll tell you who was ticked off: the appraiser who had to go back in with his camera and Ikea desk lamp. The bank asked for one picture of a lightbulb lit by the apartment's very own electric wiring. That afternoon, our appraiser sent us 20 photos of a lit lamp from various angles and locations within the apartment.
7. Get the best lawyer you can barely afford. A recommendation from somebody you trust is priceless, of course. But we didn't have any of those, so I got a-Googling.
I spoke with a lawyers but only one was willing to give a first-time buyer the time of day. He anticipated my questions and corrected some of my expectations. He gave me his fee structure ($1,200: $250 at contract signing, the rest at closing) and told me not to be scared of what was coming. He knew the drill. And that's all it was: a drill.
He did only the thing I was paying him for: he got involved when necessary, and he saw the deal through. He was not my broker, nor my friend, nor punching bag. I wanted a war- time consigliere, but that kind of service costs extra. On the other hand, find the cheapest lawyer in New York City and you may just have found a waste of money.
8. Study up and it'll come easily.
I did a ton of studying online, and surprisingly, by the time the paperwork really started, I had become so familiar with all aspects of the transaction, that I found things easy to organize, mentally and actually.
9. Be patient and let people do their jobs.
I learned my limits and that "tear my hair out" is, and should remain, only an expression. I've never experienced a wait as frustrating and as long as it took to finish the appraisal, approval, and finally get a closing date.
I'm not saying it took that long (after the five months leading up to it, it only took two months with all the holidays smack in the middle). I'm saying that's how I experienced it. At some point, I had to let people do their jobs and trust I had done all I could.
When it comes to real estate, New Yorkers are savvy and sincere and online. And many of them are real estate brokers. You can Google anything from police blotters to the apartment's previous owners, from What Does "Pre-War" Mean Anyway, to How to Fix Plaster Walls, to Questions Asked at a Co-op Board Interview.