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Brooklyn Carnegie Libraries: Eastern Parkway Branch
CLIENT: BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY
ARCHITECT: Raymond F. Almiral
STYLE: Classical Revival
BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY Carnegie Libraries
1044 Eastern Parkway
Block: 1396 Lot: 6
Lot Area: 12,000 sq ft (100' x 120')
Building Area: 6,715 sq ft (estimated)
Year(s) Built: 1914
Architect(s): Raymond F. Almiral
Builder(s): Luke A. Burke & Sons
Status: Library, no designation
Architectural Classification:
Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals
Classical Revival
Foundation: not available
Walls: Stone
The Brooklyn Public Library was created through state legislation in 1892 and began functioning five years later. In 1901, Andrew Carnegie signed a contract guaranteeing the erection of new public libraries in Brooklyn. In November of that year, the Sites Committee posited the five areas in Brooklyn with the greatest need for Carnegie branches. The locations were Williamsburg, Fulton, Carroll Park, Bedford, and Stuyvesant (which included Bushwick).
The formerly private Brooklyn Library collection, in addition to several small independent libraries, formed the core of the Brooklyn Public Library by 1902. These independent facilities, including Brownsville, Bedford, Fort Hamilton, Washington Irving, and Flatbush, were soon housed in Carnegie buildings. Although the Brooklyn system was an independent corporation, the New York City mayor, comptroller and borough president were on the board of trustees ex-officio, and its staff was in the civil service. The Brooklyn Public Library's main central building was not completed until 1941.
The New York City Carnegie branch libraries were designed to be distinct structures, a new concept at the turn of the Twentieth Century when most branches were simply located in other buildings. They were intended to be important fixtures in the community and centrally located in a neighborhood. The Carnegie Committee had a policy to locate branches in close proximity to public buildings such as schools, social service centers, public baths, or YM/YWCA's. The Eastern Parkway Branch has played this civic role in Crown Heights for nearly a century.[i]
The building has several characteristics of the suburban Carnegie library type. Located mostly in the less densely populated areas of the Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens, these branches are most often freestanding structures within a larger lot (most often they are surrounded by a lawn). Frequently, the libraries have a symmetrical layout, large windows to allow an abundance of light into the reading rooms, and a prominent, decorative entrance.
Narrative Description:
This one-story, five-bay stone Classical Revival is topped with a stone balustrade on its flat roof. Large arched windows line the façade, including one over the central doorway. The entrance door has been replaced, and the building underwent rehabilitation work in 1950-51, 1969 and 1975.
The interior originally one-story interior has been divided into two floors. It retains details such as the original reading nook with fireplace and mantel of decorative tile, wood paneling and decorative plaster ceilings.
Land from Mary L. Anderson in 1912 (19,000) and 1913 (2,500). No structure cost (yet) (Prendergast, 147)
[i] "The Trustees are of the opinion that in establishing branch libraries it is of great importance to establish them, as far as possible, in conspicuous positions on well frequented streets. In some measure the same principles should be applied that would govern in the selection of a site for a retail store. The fact that a branch library is constantly before the eyes of the neighboring residents so that all are familiar with its location will undoubtedly tend to increase its usefulness." George L. Rives, Secretary of The New York Public Library (1901). From the NYPL Executive Committee Minutes as quoted in Phyllis Dain, The New York Public Library (New York: New York Public Library, 1972), 237, in Mary B. Dierickx, The Architecture of Literacy: The Carnegie Libraries of New York City (New York: The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art and The New York City Department of General Services, 1996), 27.
Eastern Parkway
Nearby + Similar Buildings
Designated Individual Landmark
Brooklyn Carnegie Libraries: DeKalb Branch
Brooklyn Carnegie Libraries: Park Slope Branch
Brooklyn Carnegie Library: Stone Avenue Branch
Brooklyn Carnegie Library: Williamsburgh Branch


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Publication - Progress report
Low carbon behaviours framework: key behaviour areas - data for Scotland
Economic Development Directorate
Report on the uptake of our 10 low carbon key behaviour areas.
Key Behaviour Areas: Food
The Key Behaviour Areas – Home Energy
Key Behaviour Areas: Personal Transport
Key Behaviour Areas: Consumption
Eating a healthy, sustainable diet, high in seasonal food.
Avoiding food waste
Key Behaviour Areas - Food: Healthy, Sustainable Diet - Summary
There is limited data available to track Scotland's food consumption behaviours over time, both generally, and in relation to sustainable food behaviours. However available data shows that:
The overall Scottish diet is both less healthy, and has a higher environmental impact, than the recommended 'Eatwell Guide' diet - updated guidance on a healthy diet which is in use across the UK.
Adult consumption of fruit and vegetables has barely changed in recent years and only one fifth of adults eat the recommended 5 or more portions a day. Many fruit and vegetable will have a low environmental impact compared with other foods, particularly if grown and eaten in season.
Eating a healthy and sustainable diet: Context
Sustainable and Healthy Diet Choices
Food accounts for around 16% of Scottish households' GHG emissions.* Evidence shows that dietary choice can influence the carbon footprint from the food we eat.
The Eatwell Guide was developed by Public Health England to help the UK public eat a healthy, balanced diet.** The Carbon Trust was asked to assess the Guide's environmental impacts compared with the current UK diet. They concluded that it " shows an appreciably lower environmental impact than the current UK diet"***.
The 2 indicators that follow relate to the Eatwell Guide recommendations.
* Scottish Government (2016) Low carbon behaviours framework: method to estimate Scotland's greenhouse gas consumption emissions by theme
This includes the emissions associated with the production and transportation of food, but excludes emissions from food waste.
** Public Health England: 'The Eatwell Guide' (2016). Its development was led by Public Health England ( PHE), in association with the Welsh Government, Food Standards Scotland and the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland.
*** Carbon Trust: 'The Eatwell Guide: a More Sustainable Diet' (2016)
Eating a healthy and sustainable diet: Key Indicator
Scottish Diet compared with the Eatwell Guide
Food Standards Scotland has used the National Diet and Nutrition Survey for Scotland* to compare the current Scottish diet with the Eatwell Guide**. This data shows that actual Scottish consumption is:
lower than recommended for fruit and vegetables and bread/rice/pasta;
higher than recommended for dairy & alternatives, high fat & sugar, and proteins including beans, pulses, fish, eggs and meat.
This indicates that the current Scottish diet is both less healthy, and has a higher environmental impact, than the Eatwell Guide's recommended diet.
Current Scottish Diet (2008/09 - 2011/12) compared with the Eatwell Guide**
* Food Standards Scotland: National Diet and Nutrition Survey for Scotland
** Public Health England: 'The Eatwell Guide' (2016 ).
Eating a healthy and sustainable diet
Eating 5 or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day
'Fruit and vegetables' is one of the food groups where Scottish consumption is lower than recommended by the Eatwell Guide. From a health perspective, Scotland's dietary goals include: " Average intake of a variety of fruit and vegetables to reach at least 5 portions per person per day (400+g per day)".*
Adult consumption of fruit and vegetables has barely changed over the past 15 years. Average daily consumption increased from 259g to 263g between 2001 and 2013, equivalent to just over 3 portions a day.** Self-reported data shows that only around a fifth of people ate the recommended 5 or more portions in 2015, with no statistically significant change compared with 2008***.
Adults consuming 5 or more portions of fruit & vegetables a day: 2008 - 2015***
* Revised Dietary Goals for Scotland, March 2016
** Estimation of food and nutrient intakes from Living Costs and Food Survey data in Scotland 2001-2013
*** Scottish Health Survey, 2015
Key Behaviour Areas - Food: Food Waste - Summary
There is limited data to show trends in Scottish food waste behaviours over time, partly due to methodological changes in data capture. However available data shows that:
Disposal of food waste: there has been a steady increase in the number of people using food waste recycling caddies, rather than throwing food waste out with general waste.
Disposing of uneaten food: just over half of people say they throw away little or no uneaten food. Only 1% say they throw away a lot of uneaten food.
Reusing leftover food: more people say that they reuse leftover food rather than throwing it away. Almost half use leftovers as part of another meal. However 1 in 6 say they throw leftover food away.
Emissions from food waste
An estimated 60% of Scottish household food and drink waste is avoidable.*
Emissions associated with this avoidable waste are estimated to be equivalent to 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 each year. Avoiding these emissions would be equivalent to removing 1 in every 4 cars from Scottish roads.*
In 2016 the Scottish Government set a target to " reduce all food waste arising in Scotland by 33 per cent by 2025". This was described as important in " reducing the environmental impact of food consumption and production (to help) in tackling climate change".**
* Zero Waste Scotland / WRAP Scotland 'The Food We Waste' (updated 2012)
** Scottish Government: 'Making Things Last - A Circular Economy Strategy for Scotland' (2016)
Disposal of Food Waste
Food Waste Disposal Methods in the last week: 2012-2015*
( NB: multiple responses were possible)
Since 2012 the Scottish Household Survey has included a question about methods used to dispose of food waste in the last week. This could include avoidable or unavoidable waste.
The proportion of people who use a food caddy or equivalent has increased from 26% in 2012 to 46% in 2015. There has been a similar decrease in the proportion of people disposing via general waste. These trends are likely to reflect the increasing availability of household food caddies and kerbside food recycling.
* Scotland's People: Results from 2015 Scottish Household Survey
Disposal of Uneaten Food
Uneaten food thrown away by quantity (self-reported): 2011-2016*
NB: there have been methodological changes in data capture over time, so direct comparisons between years are not valid in every case.
55% of people say they throw away little or no uneaten food, and only 1% say they throw away quite a lot*.
However, 2010 data suggested that food and kitchen waste accounted for almost a third (31.5%) of all household waste - by far the biggest share by waste type**. This suggests that people are not always aware of how much food they are throwing out.
* Zero Waste Scotland/ WRAP Consumer Food Waste Prevention Tracker Surveys (annual spring data)
** Zero Waste Scotland (2010) The Composition of Municipal Solid Waste in Scotland
Reusing Leftover Food
More people say they reuse leftover food than say they throw it away.
Almost half of Scots use leftovers as part of another meal, and more than a third use leftovers as a meal in themselves.
Around 1 in 6 people say they throw leftovers away**.
Household usage of leftover food (self-reported): 2011-2016*
Debbie Sagar

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Runnymede is a famous historical site which witnessed, in 1215, King John's sealing of Magna Carta. Set within the beautiful natural landscape are various memorials by Maufe, Jellicoe and Lutyens. The memorials commemorate moments in world history.


Competition for places is often construed as beneficial when building a squad fighting for promotion. But, with Adam Clayton, Jonny Howson, Mo Besic, George Saville, Grant Leadbitter, Paddy McNair and Lewis Wing all on Boro's books – are there too many central midfielders battling for too few places in the starting line-up?
Each will play a part this season, especially when you take into account injuries, suspensions and squad rotation, but when all are fit who makes it into Tony Pulis' three-man midfield? They all make a convincing argument.
Boro's Mr Consistent throughout the last four seasons. Clayton signed from Huddersfield in 2014 in a swap deal involving Jacob Butterfield. Since then he's racked up 156 appearances for the club scoring his only goal away at his former side in a 2-0 win during Boro's promotion year.
A solid defensive midfielder whose strengths include successful passes and regaining possession, Clayton is one of the first names on Pulis' team sheet. A fan favourite who does the basics well and also enjoys a crunching tackle, Clayton will certainly make it into Boro's midfield three more times than he'll miss out.
Brought in by Monk last summer for £6m, Howson initially struggled to replicate his previous form and was subject to early criticism from the Boro faithful for his performances. However, since Pulis' arrival in December, the former Norwich man has shown his pedigree as one of the best box-to-box players in the division. His ability to hold onto the ball in tight areas, while also being able to play that defence-splitting pass means that now he simply cannot be dropped.
The new arrivals of McNair, Saville and Besic provide healthy competition for Howson but all of them are realistically battling for the final slot in Boro's midfield. Howson's impressive displays in the early part of this season have seen him firmly cement a place in the side and now it's up to the new arrivals to try and take his spot.
Every fan loves a passionate hot-head who wears the shirt with pride and that's exactly what Boro have in the shape of Mo Besic. The Bosnian first joined the club in January on an initial six-month loan deal. After a hugely successful spell, Boro were keen for Besic to join the club permanently, but a deal could not be struck. After a will he won't he saga in the loan window, Besic has finally arrived back on Teesside on a one-year loan from parent club Everton.
A tough-tackling midfielder who can also glide past defenders, a fully fit Mo Besic could be the difference for Boro in achieving promotion this season. After regaining his match fitness towards the end of last season, Besic will be hoping he can push on in this campaign and make an even more of an impact than he made last time out.
The latest recruit in Boro's midfield options is one that we don't know too much about. He was Millwall's joint top scorer with 10 goals last season and he also managed one assist. Therefore, we can infer that he's a midfielder whose clinical in front of goal – an attribute that will no doubt come in handy for Boro at some point in the season.
Millwall scored four times in the opening minute last season, with Saville two of them. If Boro want to accumulate as many points as possible this season they'll need to be at it from the off – Saville may just be the man to help them do that. A midfielder who can score goals is something Boro have lacked in previous seasons, let's just hope we don't ruin another goal scorer as we seem to have done in previous years.
Boro's captain found his playing time restricted towards the end of last season and many thought that he would be off in the summer, probably to boyhood club Sunderland just up the A19. Yet, that was not the case. A key man in the dressing room and an ever-faithful servant to the club, his best years may be behind him, but you can always rely on Leadbitter to give his all every time his puts on the shirt.
The midfield general of Boro's promotion-winning side may have fallen down a few ranks since then, but his ability to perform in the Championship is undeniable. Still capable of playing a 50-yard Hollywood ball, Leadbitter may be used as a bit-part player this season, but his contribution off the pitch will be just as valuable as ever.
Boro's first signing of the summer for £5m seemed a fair price for the former Man United academy graduate. A central midfielder who made a real impression on Wearside, with the Sunderland Echo even wanting McNair to be given the captaincy in order to keep him at the club.
The Northern Ireland international ended last season on fire, scoring four goals in the last six fixtures and the feeling up the road is that if McNair had been fit for the entirety of the season, they wouldn't currently be playing third tier football. A versatile player who is also comfortable at right-back and centre-back, McNair might have to use his adaptability to his advantage if he wants a regular place in Boro's starting 11.
Still the only Boro player to register two assists this season, Lewis Wing has been thrown in at the deep end this season but has never looked out of his depth. With Boro 2-0 down away at Millwall a defeat looked on the cards on the opening day of the season. On came Lewis Wing for his Championship debut and 34 minutes later, Boro had salvaged a draw with the player they'd signed from Shildon only a year ago assisting the equaliser.
He started the following three matches against Sheffield United, Birmingham and Bristol City but found himself unlucky to be dropped for the top of the table clash away at Elland Road. He also didn't feature in the defeat at Carrow Road last weekend. With Boro unable to find the back of the net in his absence, could it be time for Lewis Wing to return to the first-team picture?
Next Post Have Hull City Gone Forwards or Backwards Since This Time Last Year?


Flame Retardants refer to over 175 different chemicals used to inhibit ignition of combustible organic materials. These chemicals are classified into groups including halogenated organic (typically brominated or chlorinated), phosphorus-containing, nitrogen-containing, and inorganic flame retardants. The more than 75 chemicals included in the category of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are commonly used because they are effective and cheap. However, some are also dangerous to human health.
Both Tris and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) were proven harmful and thought to be phased out decades ago. However, Duke University chemist Heather Stapleton found chlorinated tris to be the most common flame retardant in baby products since pentaBDE, a polybrominated diphenyl ether or PBDE, was pulled from the market, according to the Chicago Tribune. Other BFRs, like PBDEs, are still in use today despite growing evidence of their danger to human health. PBDE production constitutes 25 percent of all flame retardant production. A number of flame retardants have been found in sewage sludge (see #Flame Retardants in Toxic Sewage Sludge below for more).
According to chemist Arlene Blum: "When tested in animals, fire retardant chemicals, even at very low doses, can cause endocrine disruption, thyroid disorders, cancer, and developmental, reproductive, and neurological problems such as learning impairment and attention deficit disorder. Ongoing studies are beginning to show a connection between these chemicals and autism in children."
4 Chemical Industry "Distorting Science"
5 "Decades-Long Campaign of Deception"
"Since 1975, an obscure California agency called the Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation has mandated that the foam inside upholstered furniture be able to withstand exposure to a small flame, like a candle or cigarette lighter, for 12 seconds without igniting. Because foam is highly flammable, the bureau's regulation, Technical Bulletin 117, can be met only by adding large quantities of chemical flame retardants -- usually about 5 to 10 percent of the weight of the foam -- at the point of manufacture. The state's size makes it impractical for furniture makers to keep separate inventories for different markets, so about 80 percent of the home furniture and most of the upholstered office furniture sold in the United States complies with California's regulation. 'We live in a foam-filled world, and a lot of the foam is filled with these chemicals,' Blum says.
"The problem is that flame retardants don't seem to stay in foam. High concentrations have been found in the bodies of creatures as geographically diverse as salmon, peregrine falcons, cats, whales, polar bears and Tasmanian devils. Most disturbingly, a recent study of toddlers in the United States conducted by researchers at Duke University found flame retardants in the blood of every child they tested. The chemicals are associated with an assortment of health concerns, including antisocial behavior, impaired fertility, decreased birth weight, diabetes, memory loss, undescended testicles, lowered levels of male hormones and hyperthyroidism. . . .
"Heather Stapleton, a Duke University chemist who conducted many of the best-known studies of flame retardants, notes that foam is full of air. 'So every time somebody sits on it,' she says, 'all the air that's in the foam gets expelled into the environment.' Studies have found that young children, who often play on the floor and put toys in their mouths, can have three times the levels of flame retardants in their blood as their parents. Flame retardants can also pass from mother to child through the placenta and through breast milk."
Tents, including camping tents, backpacking tents, and children's play tents, are subject to a voluntary industry flammability standard known as CPAI-84. To meet the standard, manufacturers make tents with fabrics treated with flame retardants. A 2014 study found 10 out of 11 tent samples contained flame retardants, including tris(1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCPP), decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209), triphenyl phosphate, and tetrabromobisphenol-A. Additionally, the study found that campers who pitched tents treated with TDCPP had the chemical on their hands afterward.
A 2009 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study called the Targeted National Sewage Sludge Survey (TNSSS) found that "[a]ll of the flame retardants except one (BDE-138) were essentially found in every sample; BDE-138 was found in 54 out of 84 samples." It had tested for 11 flame retardants, all PBDEs ("28, 47, 66, 85, 99, 100, 138, 153, 154, 183, and 209, which include those identified in the method as being of potential environmental or public health significance").
That's because, according to In These Times, "[i]n addition to human excreta, sewage sludge is the byproduct of whatever is put down the drain in hospitals, businesses and factories. Consequently it includes toxic heavy metals, flame retardants, pharmaceutical drugs, hormones, endocrine disruptors, carcinogens and steroids (to name a few possible ingredients)."
An April 2012 study by Duke University analyzed "biosolids" samples (a sewage sludge industry Orwellian euphemism for toxic sewage sludge) for "PBDEs, hexabromobenzene (HBB), 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE), 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (TBB), di(2-ethylhexyl)-2,3,4,5-tetrabromophthalate (TBPH), the chlorinated flame retardant Dechlorane Plus (syn- and anti-isomers), and the antimicrobial agent 5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol (triclosan)." (Triclosan is an antimicrobial compound added to many consumer products.) "PBDEs were detected in every sample analyzed, and ΣPBDE concentrations ranged from 1750 to 6358 ng/g dry weight. Additionally, the PBDE replacement chemicals TBB and TBPH were detected at concentrations ranging from 120 to 3749 ng/g dry weight and from 206 to 1631 ng/g dry weight, respectively. Triclosan concentrations ranged from 490 to 13,866 ng/g dry weight. The detection of these contaminants of emerging concern in biosolids suggests that these chemicals have the potential to migrate out of consumer products and enter the outdoor environment."
A 2008 study by the Swiss College of Agriculture found "two classes of brominated flame retardants: polybrominated diphenyl ethers (BDE28, BDE47, BDE49, BDE66, BDE85, BDE99, BDE100, BDE119, BDE138, BDE153, BDE154, BDE183, BDE209) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) . . . in sewage sludge collected from a monitoring network in Switzerland. . . . DecaBDE, HBCD, penta- and octaBDE showed average specific loads (load per connected inhabitant per year) in sludge of 6.1, 3.3, 2.0 and 0.3mgcap(-1)yr(-1), respectively. . . . Loads from different types of monitoring sites showed that brominated flame retardants ending up in sewage sludge originate mainly from surface runoff, industrial and domestic wastewater."
A 2002 Swedish study published in the same journal analyzed "one hundred and sixteen sewage sludge samples from 22 municipal wastewater treatment plants in Sweden . . . for brominated flame retardants. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were in the range n.d.–450 ng/g wet weight, tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) varied between n.d. and 220 ng/g wet weight, 2,4,6-tribromophenol was in the range n.d.–0.9 ng/g wet weight and polybrominated biphenyls were not detected (except for a possible analytical interference). There was a significant variation in the samples among plants. Influence from industries and other local sources can therefore be assumed. The correlation pattern indicated contribution from three different types of technical products; composed of either low-brominated PBDEs, decaBDE or TBBPA."
"The effects of that exposure may be hard to detect in individual children, but scientists can see them when they look across the population. Researchers from the Center for Children's Environmental Health, at Columbia University, measured a class of flame retardants known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, in the umbilical-cord blood of 210 New York women and then followed their children's neurological development over time. They found that those with the highest levels of prenatal exposure to flame retardants scored an average of five points lower on I.Q. tests than the children with lower exposures, an impact similar to the effect of lead exposure in early life. 'If you're a kid who is at the low end of the I.Q. spectrum, five points can make the difference between being in a special-ed class or being able to graduate from high school,' says Julie Herbstman, the study's author."
"Logic would suggest that any new chemical used in consumer products be demonstrably safer than a compound it replaces, particularly one taken off the market for reasons related to human health. But of the 84,000 industrial chemicals registered for use in the United States, only about 200 have been evaluated for human safety by the Environmental Protection Agency [(EPA)]. That's because industrial chemicals are presumed safe unless proved otherwise, under the 1976 federal Toxic Substances Control Act" (TSCA).
Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) have pointed out that TSCA (pronounced TOSS-ka) is so flawed that it prevents the EPA "from taking even modest steps to collect adequate data on chemical risks or to appropriately manage those risks." In an effort to address these shortcomings, Sen. Lautenberg (and 24 co-sponsors) introduced the "Safe Chemicals Act" (S. 847), which amends TSCA "to ensure that risks from chemicals are adequately understood and managed." Among other things, it would promote the use of safer alternatives to hazardous chemicals and require chemicals currently on the market to meet a risk-based safety standard.
According to the Chicago Tribune in an influential investigation of flame retardants and the chemical industry cover-up of their hazards published in May 2012, "the chemical industry has manipulated scientific findings to promote the widespread use of flame retardants and downplay the health risks . . . The industry has twisted research results, ignored findings that run counter to its aims and passed off biased, industry-funded reports as rigorous science. As a result, the chemical industry successfully distorted the basic knowledge about toxic chemicals that are used in consumer products and linked to serious health problems, including cancer, developmental problems, neurological deficits and impaired fertility. Industry has disseminated misleading research findings so frequently that they essentially have been adopted as fact. They have been cited by consultants, think tanks, regulators and Wikipedia, and have shaped the worldwide debate about the safety of flame retardants."
A study performed in in 1987 by a team of scientists led by Vytenis Babrauskas investigated whether or not large amounts of flame retardants slowed down fires. The government-funded study did find that these large quantities of fire retardant chemicals slowed the fire by about 15 minutes in a room filled with furniture and televisions packed with the chemicals, as compared to a room full of furniture and televisions without the chemicals. These findings, however, were "grossly distorted" by the chemical industry, according to Babrauskas. "Manufacturers of flame retardants would repeatedly point to this government study as key proof that these toxic chemicals -- embedded in many common household items -- prevented residential fires and saved lives," according to the Tribune. But Babrauskas said his study "was not based on real-world conditions" because "[t]he small amounts of flame retardants in typical home furnishings . . . offer little to no fire protection. . . . 'The fire just laughs at it,' Babrauskas said. . . . 'Industry has used this study in ways that are improper and untruthful,' he said. . . . The bottom line: Household furniture often contains enough chemicals to pose health threats but not enough to stem fires — 'the worst of both possible worlds,' he said."
For much, much more, see the May 2012 Tribune article here. Also see the September 2012 New York Times profile of chemist Arlene Blum that discusses Babrauskas' frustrations with the misuse of his findings here.
According to another article in the Chicago Tribune series on flame retardants, there has been "a decades-long campaign of deception that has loaded the furniture and electronics in American homes with pounds of toxic chemicals linked to cancer, neurological deficits, developmental problems and impaired fertility," and it all started with "Big Tobacco." The tobacco industry "wanted to shift focus away from cigarettes as the cause of fire deaths, and continued as chemical companies worked to preserve a lucrative market for their products, according to a Tribune review of thousands of government, scientific and internal industry documents."
"These powerful industries distorted science in ways that overstated the benefits of the chemicals, created a phony consumer watchdog group that stoked the public's fear of fire and helped organize and steer an association of top fire officials that spent more than a decade campaigning for their cause.
"Today, scientists know that some flame retardants escape from household products and settle in dust. That's why toddlers, who play on the floor and put things in their mouths, generally have far higher levels of these chemicals in their bodies than their parents.
"Blood levels of certain widely used flame retardants doubled in adults every two to five years between 1970 and 2004. More recent studies show levels haven't declined in the U.S. even though some of the chemicals have been pulled from the market. A typical American baby is born with the highest recorded concentrations of flame retardants among infants in the world.
"People might be willing to accept the health risks if the flame retardants packed into sofas and easy chairs worked as promised. But they don't."
According to the Tribune, the EPA "has allowed generation after generation of flame retardants onto the market and into American homes without thoroughly assessing the health risks. The EPA even promoted one chemical mixture as a safe, eco-friendly flame retardant despite grave concerns from its own scientists about potential hazards to humans and wildlife."
According to award-winning environmental journalist Valerie J. Brown, "In a 2005 report on flame-retardant alternatives the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicated that the unidentified proprietary components of Firemaster 550 have 'low' or 'moderate' hazard for human health effects and low hazard for persistence and bioaccumulation. However, the supporting documentation behind these determinations reveals a dearth of hard data. For instance, the sections on "proprietary F" and "proprietary H" (each identified only as a "halogenated aryl ester") contain no data at all regarding chronic or subchronic toxicity, carcinogenicity, neuro-toxicity, immuno-toxicity, genotoxicity, or effects on reproduction or development; the determinations instead were based on expert judgment. The EPA also estimated the degradation products to be high for persistence, as is now being seen." Please see the article for much more information.
According to a third Tribune article, several decades ago "[s]moldering cigarettes were sparking fires and killing people. . . . The industry insisted it couldn't make a fire-safe cigarette that would still appeal to smokers and instead promoted flame retardant furniture -- shifting attention to the couches and chairs that were going up in flames. But executives realized they lacked credibility, especially when burn victims and firefighters were pushing for changes to cigarettes. So Big Tobacco launched an aggressive and cunning campaign to 'neutralize' firefighting organizations and persuade these far more trusted groups to adopt tobacco's cause as their own. The industry poured millions of dollars into the effort, doling out grants to fire groups and hiring consultants to court them."
"The tobacco industry's biggest prize? The National Association of State Fire Marshals, which represented the No. 1 fire officials in each state.
"A former tobacco executive, Peter Sparber, helped organize the group, then steered its national agenda. He shaped its requests for federal rules requiring flame retardant furniture and fed the marshals tobacco's arguments for why altering furniture was a more effective way to prevent fires than altering cigarettes.
"For years, the tobacco industry paid Sparber for what the marshals mistakenly thought was volunteer work. . . .
"This clever manipulation set the stage for a similar campaign of distortion and misdirection by the chemical industry that continues to this day."
Citizens for Fire Safety was founded in 2007 by Albemarle Corporation, Chemtura Corporation, and ICL Industrial Products.
The group has only three members: Albemarle, ICL Industrial Products and Chemtura, according to records the organization filed with California lobbying regulators. Those three companies are the largest manufacturers of flame retardants and together control 40 percent of the world market for these chemicals, according to The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based research firm. . . .
Citizens for Fire Safety has portrayed its opposition as misguided, wealthy environmentalists. But its opponents include a diverse group of public health advocates as well as firefighters who are alarmed by studies showing some flame retardants can make smoke from fires even more toxic.
Particularly offensive to Vinci were letters Citizens for Fire Safety sent to Vermont fire chiefs saying the ban would "present an additional hazard for those of us in the fire safety profession." But the letter's author wasn't a firefighter; he was a California public relations consultant. . . .
Chemtura also still funds the National Association of State Fire Marshals, according to the Tribune.
Chicago Tribune series on flame retardants, "Playing with Fire," May 2012.
Dashka Slater, "How Dangerous Is Your Couch?," New York Times, September 6, 2012.
Valerie J. Brown, "Why is it So Difficult to Choose Safer Alternatives for Hazardous Chemicals?," Environmental Health Perspective (Volume 120), July 2, 2012, pp. 280-283.
Arlene Blum, "Flame retardants, policy, and public health: past and present," 4th International Conference on the History of Occupational and Environmental Health, June 2010.
Arlene Blum and Linda Birnbaum, "Halogenated Flame Retardants in Consumer Products: Do the Fire Safety Benefits Justify the Health and Environmental Risks?," 5th International Symposium on Brominated Flame Retardants, April 2010.
Arlene Blum, "Killer Couch Chemicals," Huffington Post, August 16, 2007.
Arlene Blum, "Chemical Burns," New York Times, November 19, 2006.
Linda S. Birnbaum and Daniele F. Staskal, "Brominated Flame Retardants: Cause for Concern?", Environmental Health Perspectives, January 1, 2004.
Heather M. Stapleton, Susan Klosterhaus, Sarah Eagle, Jennifer Fuh, John D. Meeker, Arlene Blum, and Thomas F. Webster, "Detection of Organophosphate Flame Retardants in Furniture Foam and U.S. House Dust," Environmental Science & Technology, August 13, 2009.
↑ Alexander S. Keller, Nikhilesh P. Raju, Thomas F. Webster, and Heather M. Stapleton, "Flame Retardant Applications in Camping Tents and Potential Exposure," Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett., 2014, 1 (2), pp 152–155 DOI: 10.1021/ez400185y, January 7, 2014.


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Members of the Parmalim community in North Sumatra (Photo: ahupamarlim.kampunghalaman.org)
'Religion' and 'belief' in Indonesia: what's the difference?
Azis Anwar Fachrudin - 20 Dec, 2017
On 7 November 2017, the Indonesian Constitutional Court (Mahkamah Konstitusi/MK) ruled favourably on a judicial review of articles of the Civil Administration Law related to how religion is recorded on the identity documentation of followers of indigenous faiths (aliran kepercayaan). These citizens will now be able to list their religion as pengyahat kepercayaan (followers of indigenous faithrs) on their national ID cards (KTP/Kartu Tanda Penduduk). Previously, they were either forced to nominally identify with one of the six official religions, or leave the religion column on their cards blank.
Several prominent Muslim leaders have reacted negatively to the MK's ruling. Among them were Kyai Ma'ruf Amin, who is both general chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and supreme leader (rais 'amm syuriah) of Indonesia's largest Islamic organisation, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU); Yunahar Ilyas, a member of the central leadership board of Indonesia's second largest Islamic organisation, Muhammadiyah; and Din Syamsudin, former both MUI and Muhammadiyah chairman.
All these Muslim leaders have basically said that aliran kepercayaan is not religion, but rather a cultural practice, and therefore should not have equal status as religion in Indonesian law. In particular, Din Syamsudin said that the category of "religion" implies specific criteria, namely a concept of God, a scripture, and a prophet-like figure. According to this view, since indigenous faiths lack at least one of these criteria they are not religions.
These Muslim leaders seem to hold a monotheist-biased paradigm of what constitutes religion. Within the Indonesian context, there are three ways to refute it.
The first is with reference to Indonesian law, as highlighted in the MK decision itself. One of the two fundamental parts of the MK's decision was that the religion column in citizens' ID cards as mandated by Articles 61(1) and 64(1) of the Civil Administration Law is unconstitutional because the word "religion"—as understood for the purposes of administrative law—does not include indigenous faiths. The main legal basis of this decision is Article 29(2) of Indonesia's 1945 Constitution, which declares that "The State guarantees all persons the freedom of worship, each according to his/her own religion and belief/faith (kepercayaan)."
The Court acknowledged that this article may imply that religion and kepercayaan are two different things, since between the two words there is the conjunction "and". However, the Court based its argument on their reading of how Indonesia's founding fathers formulated Article 29 of the constitution, both Paragraphs 1 and 2, in the lead up to independence in 1945. The initial draft of Article 29(1) read: "the State shall be based upon Islam with the obligation to abide by sharia for Muslims." This Islamic clause was deleted and replaced with "based upon Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa" in the last minutes before the official promulgation of the constitution on 18 August 1945.
Despite being erased, in the court's view the "Islamic clause" remained relevant because of its connection with Article 29(2). The MK said that, given the context that Article 29(1) was initially meant for Muslims only, Article 29(2) was meant to guarantee freedom of worship for all non-Muslims. Therefore, the two words agama and kepercayaan were not meant to be distinct from each other; in the Court's view, the founding fathers implied that the word kepercayaan was part of religion, despite the conjunction "and".
A noteworthy fact was that the word kepercayaan in Article 29(2) was originally proposed by Wongsonegoro, a member of the constitutional drafting committee who later became Minister of Education and Culture, deputy prime minister, and founder of Badan Kongres Kebatinan Indonesia (Indonesian Spiritualism Congressional Assembly). The word kebatinan was used as a synonym for kepercayaan in the 1965 decree on defamation of religion, which later became the Blasphemy Law. It is an obvious, but unfortunately overlooked, fact of history that a past leader of aliran kepercayaan/kebatinan communities contributed to the formulation of Indonesia's constitution.
This understanding on the part of the Court led to the other major element of its decision: that discriminating in practice between religion and indigenous faiths, such as by requiring followers of indigenous faiths to leave their ID cards' religion column blank, contravenes the constitution.
The second response to critics of the ruling is from an academic viewpoint. Scholars of religion have long considered that defining religion by the kinds of criteria as stated by Din Syamsudin is biased in favour of monotheism. Sadly, while most scholars remain critical of the use of the degrading word "animism" to denote indigenous faiths, this term is still prevalent in both Indonesian academia and popular discourse.
The uncritical use of such terms in Indonesia is ironic, given the fact that the idea of "animism" was a western construct to refer to "primitive", "heathen" cultural entities yet to be modernised. A paradigm that constructs a separation—and in turn a stratification—between religion and culture was also in part a modern western invention, one which then spread all over the world thanks to western colonisation.
Indeed, if we consistently apply that narrow understanding of religion, several major faiths recognised by the Indonesian state could not be among the officially recognised religions. Theravada Buddhism and Confucianism, for example, do not have a concept of a personal God comparable and parallel to that of monotheists. It was only after such a monotheist-biased paradigm was imposed upon them (thanks to the first principle of Pancasila: Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa) that they were forced to adjust themselves to Indonesian political discourse by "inventing" a God—Dhamma in the case of Indonesian Buddhism, and Tian in the case of Indonesian Confucianism.
It has become common today to use the term "indigenous religions" in English-speaking academic discourse. Seen from this global development, the usage of the word kepercayaan, let alone "animism", in Indonesia is outdated. What is largely underdeveloped in Indonesian academic studies of religion (of course with a few exceptions) is an understanding of religion that is critical of the political discourse described above, and is aware of its historical development. Such a critical approach can be exercised, for example, in the way we understand the meaning of the Indonesian word for religion, agama, itself.
The word agama did not mean "religion" in its original Sanskrit; rather, it referred to a range of literatures or scripture. In fact, there is no word that is equivalent to the English "religion" in Sanskrit—the closest is the word dharma, but this is too is not exactly equivalent to religion. What happened during the colonial era in Indonesia was that the Dutch picked the word agama to denote religion, and then Indonesians instilled into its meaning a monotheist-biased understanding. In light of this, we can understand agama as it is currently understood in Indonesia as an invention, and a modern one at that.
This invention not only impinged upon agama as understood in its original Sanskrit meaning, but on many if not all of the institutionalised religions we know today. "Hinduism", to take the best example, existed only after the name was invented not by the Hindus themselves but by Persians, then taken by a Muslim historian (Abu ar-Rayhan al-Biruni [d. 1048], in his work Kitab al-Hind), and was eventually adopted by the British in India. "Hinduism" was initially a simplified term to denote highly diverse traditional beliefs and practices that existed beyond the Indus River. As summarised by Wilfred C Smith in his classic The Meaning and End of Religion, "There are Hindus, but there is no Hinduism." So, besides being an invention, Hinduism—and for Smith this also applies to all major religions, including Islam—has experienced a "reification", an evolution from a fluid traditional practice with no clear boundary between the religious and the secular/cultural into a perceived concrete unity of an institutionalised belief and practice.
Finally, there is a Quranic viewpoint on the status of indigenous faiths—and this argument is specifically for Muslims. A very popular verse in the Quran reads, "For you is your din, and for me is my din" (Q 109:6). Who were the addressees of this verse? The Meccan pagans! The Quran identifies Meccan pagan practices and categorically refers to them as "din", the Arabic word commonly translated as "religion". The Meccan pagans at that time did not have a scripture or a prophet-like figure. Yet the Quran uses the same categorical term to refer to both pagan practices and the religion of Islam. Coincidentally, or rather ironically, the Indonesian Muslim leader who said that a religion must have a scripture and a prophet-like figure is himself named Din.
More Indonesia at New Mandala
Is Indonesia's mosque-building boom a myth?
A spike in mosque construction is an oft-cited symbol of Indonesia's "Islamisation". But data suggest it's not actually happening.
Nick Kuipers 11 Sep, 2017
Distinguishing piety and fundamentalism in Indonesian Muslims
Survey data show no evidence of a link between piety and intolerance, let alone violence.
Alif Satria 17 Aug, 2017
Class dismissed? Economic fairness and identity politics in Indonesia
Exit polls from Jakarta election are a good starting point for thinking about the nexus between identity politics and inequality.
Eve Warburton & Liam Gammon 05 May, 2017
Azis Anwar Fachrudin
Azis Anwar Fachrudin is a researcher at the Centre for Religious and Crosscultural Studies (CRCS) at Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta. After finishing his bachelor's degree in Arabic literature at Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University in 2013, he obtained his MA degree in religious studies at CRCS in 2016. As a New Mandala Indonesia Correspondent Fellow, Azis will be writing about Islam and social change and its effects on public policy during the 2019 elections.


Hit HBO show "Game of Thrones" prequel will reportedly start filming in Northern Ireland in October. The World famous TV series wrapped up the filming of their eighth and final season. Since the wrap, actors of the show have been bidding farewell to their beloved characters portrayed in the series, but fans are excited about the prequels that are coming.
According to a recent report by the Belfast Telegraph, filming for the new show will take place at Paint Hall studios in Belfast, where the original "Game of Thrones" series was shot.
"This is fantastic news for everyone at the studio - from the cast and the crew, right down to the riggers and the catering staff," a Paint Hall Studio source told the newspaper.
"Game of Thrones" author George RR Martin wrote about HBO and their pilot order in a June 11 blog post.
"To clarify, what we have here is a pilot order, not as yet a series order," he wrote.
Moreover, "Game of Thrones" fans will still have to say goodbye to their favorite characters. Martin said no one from the original cast will reappear in the new show as the story predates their world by thousands of years.


I didn't see anything in my RJ settings.
Maybe work is blocking it?
Can you see the last line below?
that's a great test steve.
here's a different one ... can you see the tweet below?
I just got Canadian Sarcasmed!!!
i found this video one day when i was investigating instances where people appear to have group auditory hallucinations. for example first responders all hear a woman call for help in a car crash but then it turns out she is unconscious. or sometimes there is an accident or disaster and a person or mysterious figure will show up and help and then leave. and there are incidents where it's explained later. i was investigating angels. this video is more a coincidence. still a little extraordinary.
Nope. But the Reply with quote is on the left side where the others are on the right side.
The numbers are so big I am sure we will find nightlife in one of them.
Damn it, Gregg. Now, onejay will be coming over here.
I hope so. I like the little feller.


text:
David Koma is a London-based fashion designer who has become synonymous with the ultra body-contouring silhouette, creating sculptural statement dresses inspired by the feminine form. Alongside the cocktail dresses that propelled the designer onto an international stage, the David Koma offering has expanded to include a full range of options from precise daywear separates to beautifully tailored outerwear and show-stopping red carpet gowns.
Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, David Koma discovered his penchant for dress design at the young age of eight. David studied Fine Art in St. Petersburg, showing his first collection at the age of 15. In 2003, David moved to London to take up a place at the prestigious Central Saint Martins, graduating with a distinction in MA Fashion in April 2009 under the mentorship of the late Professor Louise Wilson, OBE.
Straight after graduation David Koma launched his eponymous ready-to-wear brand and has been a participant of London Fashion Week ever since.


text:
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