text:
Dennis Gowen
Faculty Bios - School of Arts & Sciences
Current Position: Director of Bands and High Brass and Professor in Music, University of Mary, Bismarck, ND.
Dennis became Director of Bands and Brass at the University of Mary in the fall of 1987. A native of Maine, he holds conducting, performance and teaching degrees from Western Michigan University and the University of Southern Maine. His primary teaching areas include conducting, applied trumpet and horn, and brass ensembles, in addition to conducting the Concert Band and other large and chamber ensembles. Dennis's brass students have competed successfully in state and regional MTNA collegiate competitions on trombone, trumpet, and horn over the past two decades, and his conducting students have gone on to receive significant artistic recognition in their postgraduate studies and teaching, conducting, and performing careers. A former student recently received the Award of Distinction for Outstanding Contributions to Band in Manitoba, and in the same year, was the recipient of the National Award for Outstanding Band Director in Canada, given to one wind conductor in Canada each year.
Overseas conducting opportunities for Dennis include tour concerts throughout Italy and in Austria, including a brass performance at St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice. Guest conducting and solo performance engagements have kept Dennis active professionally throughout the Upper Midwest and North Central regions as well as in Canada and Maine. He has served as conductor for the College Band Directors National Association's 10-state North Central Intercollegiate Band, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Honor Band Festival, among others. He also enjoys conducting engagements with the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra and the Missouri Valley Chamber Orchestra. He served as Interim Artistic Director and Conductor for the BMSO during their 2007-'08 season. Gowen is Past State Chair of CBDNA, and has been an Executive Board member and Past President of the North Dakota National Band Association. He implemented, and served as Band Music Reviewer for the North Dakota Music Educators Journal for fifteen years.
As a performer Dennis has worked with various ensembles and orchestras in Canada and the U.S., He serves as principal trumpet with the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony and the Missouri Valley Chamber Orchestra. He has also been a featured soloist with these and other orchestras and wind ensembles in the North Central region. He was recently nominated by students and selected three times as a member of Who's Who Among America's Teachers.
Courses Taught by Dennis Gowen
Conductor, Concert Band
Director, Brass Ensembles
Applied Horn and Applied Trumpet
Conducting I
Conducting II
Secondary Instrumental Methods
Conducting and collaborating with Missouri Valley Chamber Orchestra and Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra
Director of Bands and Brass Studies
Professor of Music


Microsoft's new image processing software smooths out the camera shake inherent in shooting with an action cam.
GoPro videos are cool in theory but sometimes nauseating in practice. That need not be the case, Microsoft says. The company has a new algorithm that can turn lurching, perhaps boring first-person videos into a smooth, sped-up, polished product. The Hyperlapse version plays at ten times the speed of the original and eliminates many of the effects of camera shake.
Ordinarily, speeding up a shaky video only amplifies the shakes. But running the video through Microsoft's algorithm before speeding it up creates a new camera path, one without the wobbles inherent in shots taken by helmet-mounted cameras.
The program also rebuilds the entire scene, which lets it replace some frames with computer-generated ones. For example, it might inject frames with a slightly different viewpoint from the original to create a smoother sequence. The result is a video that looks like it was filmed from a perfectly still professional apparatus.
Microsoft Research announced Hyperlapse at computer-graphics conference Siggraph and says it hopes to make the technology available as a Windows app.


text:
Early Shakespeare, 1588-1594
Loughnane, Rory and Power, Andrew J., eds. (2020) Early Shakespeare, 1588-1594. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 324 pp. ISBN 978-1-108-86174-8. (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:74077)
Early Shakespeare, 1588–1594 draws together leading scholars of text, performance, and theatre history to offer a rigorous re-appraisal of Shakespeare's early career. The contributors offer rich new critical insights into the theatrical and poetic context in which Shakespeare first wrote and his emergence as an author of note, while challenging traditional readings of his beginnings in the burgeoning theatre industry. Shakespeare's earliest works are treated on their own merit and in their own time without looking forward to Shakespeare's later achievements; contributors situate Shakespeare, in his twenties, in a very specific time, place, and cultural moment. The volume features essays about Shakespeare's early style, characterisation, and dramaturgy, together with analysis of his early co-authors, rivals, and influences (including Lyly, Spenser and Marlowe). This collection provides essential entry points to, and original readings of, the poet-dramatist's earliest extant writings and shines new light on his first activities as a professional author.
P Language and Literature > PR English literature
Faculties > Humanities > School of English
Rory Loughnane
Loughnane, Rory:

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Tony Howell is an internationally renowned photographer whose amazing images capture all the ephemeral beauty, color and spirit of flowers.? This large format wall calendar features big daily grids with ample room for jotting appointments, reminders and birthdays.? Also included are four bonus monthding. es of all time.
Orchids are the stars of the plant world! Arguably the largest family of flowering plants, orchids are also among the most successful, having adapted to live in virtually every type of environment on the planet.?The orchid family is one of the most enlightening examples of the strange and amazing woding. es of all time.
Select your favorite 2013 calender from our thousands of choices including our Flower & Garden Calendars assortment. Our calenders include almost every type of Wall Calendar, Daily Boxed Calendar, Desk Calendar, Engaement Calendar and more. We hope you like the selection of Flower & Garden Calendars.


text:
Delos™ and Lendlease Drive Internationalization of WELL Building Standard Through New Core & Shell Certification Program
In Press Releases, Top Picks, General
Delos™ and Lendlease Drive Internationalization of WELL Building Standard Through New Core & Shell Certification Program2016-03-212016-03-21https://delos.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/delos_website_main-logo_white-02.svgDelos®https://delos.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Delos_News_PressRelease_feature3-1.jpg200px200px
International Towers Sydney at Barangaroo to be the first buildings to integrate health and wellness with WELL ready workplaces
NEW YORK, NEW YORK and SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (March 22, 2016) – As the next step in their global alliance to accelerate the integration of human health and wellness in the built environment, Delos™, the pioneer of Wellness Real Estate™, and Lendlease, one of the world's leading integrated infrastructure and real estate groups, today announced their collaboration to advance the WELL Core & Shell Certification and pre-Certification programs as a pathway to WELL ready workplaces for building tenants.
The WELL Core & Shell Certification and pre-Certification programs were developed in response to investor and tenant appetite for workplaces focused on the health and well-being of the people in the buildings.
To kick off efforts to identify pioneering projects to champion the internationalization of WELL, the International Towers Sydney (ITS), Barangaroo, will be the first WELL Core & Shell Certified buildings globally representing over 2.7 million square feet (277,200 square meters). Lendlease has also identified additional buildings and tenancies around the world to undergo certification, covering Australia, Europe and the U.S.
"The engagement of Lendlease to internationalize WELL in key markets has been critical in the formation of the new WELL Core & Shell Certification and pre-Certification programs," said Paul Scialla, Founder and CEO of Delos. "Lendlease's pioneering leadership will help shape the evolution of health and wellness in real estate globally, just as it has helped to set the pace in sustainability, and we look forward to advancing this critically important agenda together."
Lendlease and Delos first announced their alliance in November 2015, making a commitment to bring human health and wellness innovations to Lendlease markets around the world through adoption of the WELL Building Standard™ (WELL).
"Our customers – the people who use the places we create – are increasingly focused on encouraging healthier more active lifestyles and reducing exposure to harmful materials. We're partnering with Delos to help harness the built environment to support human health and well-being through the implementation of the WELL Building Standard," said Geoff Dutaillis, Lendlease's Group Head of Sustainability.
Lendlease's new corporate headquarters within Tower Three of ITS will target Platinum, the highest WELL Certification level, in addition to its commitment to a 6 Star Green Star Fit Out.
Romilly Madew, Chief Executive Officer of the Green Building Council of Australia, says Australia's property industry has a global reputation for delivering world's best practice in green buildings and communities. The partnership between Lendlease and Delos expands on the world-class outcomes promoted by Green Star around health and well-being.
"At its heart, the green building movement has always been about creating healthy and efficient places for people – central in the creation of a sustainable future. Green Star and the WELL Building Standard are complementary. Green Star provides a critical foundation for human health and well-being, which WELL enhances through its dedicated focus on evidence-based medical and scientific research and measurable performance. Lendlease's many 6 Star Green Star ratings represent world leadership in sustainable design and construction, and this partnership to advance WELL buildings will help our industry in its quest to make our cities great places to live by support the productivity and health of our greatest asset – people."
Pioneered by Delos, the WELL Building Standard is the world's first building standard focused exclusively on human health and wellness. It marries best practices in design and construction with evidence-based medical and scientific research – harnessing the built environment as a vehicle to support human health and well-being.
WELL is grounded in evidence-based medical research that demonstrates the connection between the buildings where we spend more than 90 percent of our time and health and wellness impacts on us as occupants. WELL is administered by the International WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI™) and third-party certified by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI).
About Delos
As the pioneer of Wellness Real Estate™, Delos is transforming our homes, offices, schools, and other indoor environments by placing health and wellness at the center of design and construction decisions. Delos helps create spaces that actively contribute to human health, performance and well-being by marrying the best innovations in technology, health, science, and real estate. The Delos platform includes programming, consulting, research, and an array of innovative products and technologies that research suggests may improve occupant well-being. More information on Delos is available at www.delos.com.
About Lendlease
Lendlease is a leading international property and infrastructure group. Listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and with circa 12,600 employees worldwide, Lendlease's capabilities span the property value chain. Lendlease's vision of creating the best places is underpinned by a long and proud history of an approach where environmental and social outcomes are given equal priority to economic. Lendlease operates in four key geographies of Australia, Asia, the United States of America and the UK, with over $20 billion in funds under management via funds and managed investment mandates and an urban regeneration development pipeline of $44.9 billion (AUD).[1] More information on Lendlease is available at www.lendlease.com
[1] As of June 30, 2015
Photo Credit: Lendlease
Callie Stanton, Delos
Nadeena Whitby, Lendlease


text:
Roundup: Alternative Advent, Fuller Studio videos, Desmond Tutu and Jeff Chu interviews, Psalm 121 in Arabic
January 15, 2022 Victoria Emily Jones1 Comment
"Lift Up Your Eyes" (Advent 2021): Kezia M'Clelland's annual "Alternative Advent" video is here—a compilation of news photos from the year, from various photojournalists, matched with promises/declarations from scripture and a song. (I've described this project in years past; see here.) Migrant caravans, refugee camps, hospitals overwhelmed with COVID patients, a protest against a military coup, wildfires, volcanic aftermath . . . the global suffering we hear about in headlines and statistics is made personal in these intimate photographs of people who are experiencing it firsthand. M'Clelland bears tender witness to this suffering, but she also takes care to include signs of hope. Alongside images of devastation and misery are images of love, joy, and fortitude. The overall tone is one of somberness but not despair. As I do with each year's "Alternative Advent," I spent an afternoon interceding with God for each person in the photos and for others enduring the same harrowing journeys or disasters. I realize how my privilege as a white, middle-class US American insulates me from a lot of these realities, and I know that prayer must be accompanied by action.
Find out more context for the photos and their sources on Instagram @alternative_advent.
VIDEO ROUNDUP FROM FULLER STUDIO: The Arts for the Life of the Church: In these six, five-minute videos shot by Fuller Studio, artists and creatives (most of them participants in the Brehm Residency) reflect on the diverse ways that the arts enliven, shape, and define their faith, their theology, and their work. Here's one from the series, in which interdisciplinary artist Dea Jenkins discusses the ways the Spirit's leading can be intertwined with the process of art-making, and how art has the capacity to be both prophetic and healing.
The other videos feature . . .
Young-Ly Hong Chandra on how she sees her creative work participating in God's work of creation
Michelle Lang-Raymond on how theater and the arts can create opportunities for us to safely yet deeply engage with today's polarizing issues
Rachel Morris on how incorporating the arts into worship services and pastoral care can contribute to the church's healing work in the lives of its members
Jin Cho on the holistic, social, and communal dimensions of preaching and the liturgy
John Van Deusen on the significance of creating art in community and on the ways we are shaped by inviting both God and others into our creative processes
ON BEING INTERVIEWS:
>> "Remembering Desmond Tutu": The South African Anglican bishop, theologian, and human rights activist Desmond Tutu died December 26, 2021, and the On Being podcast re-released this 2010 interview Krista Tippett conducted with him. It's a great introduction to his story, which includes especially his faith. He discusses the Bible as "dynamite," our identity as "God-carriers," the interfaith makeup of the anti-apartheid movement, God's sense of humor, reconciliation as a process, his experience voting for the first time at age sixty-three (after decades of disenfranchisement), how entrenched racism had become in his own thinking, the beating heart of love at the center of existence, and more. And oh, his laughter is so sweet!
>> "A Life of Holy Curiosity: In Friendship with Rachel Held Evans" with Jeff Chu: Jeff Chu is a journalist, preacher, and co-leader of the Evolving Faith community. When his friend Rachel Held Evans, the famous Christian writer, died unexpectedly in 2019, he took it upon himself to bring to fruition the unfinished book she was working on, Wholehearted Faith (HarperOne, 2021). I enjoyed learning more about Evans through this conversation, and about Chu. They read several excerpts from the book and discuss Chu's Chinese Baptist upbringing, the recent phenomenon of "religious-but-in-exile," the enormity of God's love, the Incarnation, the Psalms, doubt, grief, and the lesson of the compost pile.
(As a side note: I recently came across Evans's other posthumously published book, for children, titled What Is God Like?, in Target and bought it on a whim. It's fabulous.)
SONG: "I Lift My Eyes" by Christopher Tin: A setting of Psalm 121 in Arabic, performed by Abeer Nehme with Christopher Tin and the Angel City Chorale. Nehme is a Lebanese singer and musicologist, one of whose specializations is sacred music from the Syriac Maronite, Syriac Orthodox, and Byzantine traditions. [HT: Joy Clarkson]
An Epiphany Blessing
January 6, 2022 Victoria Emily Jones12 Comments
Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the LORD will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.
LOOK: Comet by Antonello Silverini
Comet, a digital collage by Antonello Silverini (Italian, 1966–). Used with permission.
LISTEN: "May It Be" | Words by Roma Ryan, 2001 | Music by Enya, 2001 | Performed by Voces8, 2018
May it be an evening star
Shines down upon you
May it be when darkness falls
Your heart will be true
You walk a lonely road
Oh, how far you are from home
Mornië utúlië
Believe and you will find your way
Mornië alantië
A promise lives within you now
May it be the shadow's call
Will fly away
May it be you journey on
To light the day
When the night is overcome
You may rise to find the sun
At the behest of composer Howard Shore, film director Peter Jackson approached Enya to write a song for his 2001 epic fantasy adventure The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the first in a trilogy. Enya brought her lyricist Roma Ryan on board, and together they wrote "May It Be." The song, which plays during the movie's end credits, contains two lines in the fictional Elvish language Quenya that J. R. R. Tolkien invented: "Mornië utúlië" and "Mornië alantië," which translate to "Darkness has come" and "Darkness has fallen."
The original recording by Enya, the London Voices, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra is gorgeous, but I'm partial to the 2018 rendition by the British vocal ensemble Voces8, arranged by Matthew Sheeran. It's absolutely stunning. I must have listened to it at least a hundred times!
Why am I sharing this "secular" song (inspired by a tale of hobbits, elves, and wizards) on today's feast of Epiphany, the grand finale of the Christmas season? I could have chosen one of the church's many beautiful works of music written explicitly for this day (and I have in previous years, such as here, here, and here, not to mention yesterday's festive feature)—perhaps something louder, brighter, more triumphant—but instead I wanted to cap off the Twelve Days of Christmas with a benediction. It's from an unlikely source, sure, but it speaks well, I think, to where we're at in the liturgical year.
According to Christianity, darkness entered the world with humanity's rebellion against their Creator in the garden of Eden. Sin and death became a reality that, millennia later, we still grapple with. But a promise was spoken in the beginning, was born in a manger at Christmas, walked the dusty streets of Israel-Palestine teaching the Way and performing wonders, was nailed to a cross and buried but then rose from the grave and now lives in the hearts of millions. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of God's promise of salvation and holistic restoration—shalom, the world set right again.
The light of Christ shone on the small Jewish town of Bethlehem at the Nativity and on the wider Gentile world at Epiphany (when the magi traveled from afar to receive personal revelation, an experience they brought back with them to their homelands), and it continues to shine, often in unexpected places.
Advent is a journey through the dark into the light that breaks at Christmas/Epiphany. Although in one sense morning has broken, in another sense this earth is still very much in darkness. Even the "children of light" (1 Thess. 5:5), those who have been reborn in Christ, experience (and sometimes, sadly, inflict) ache and horror as much as anyone else.
But hope has come. The Word has been spoken, redemption won, even if it's not yet been consummated. We walk in the valley of shadows, but eventually the night will be vanquished, as Enya's song says, and we will rise and greet the sun—or, to put a Christian inflection on it, the Son!
May we walk forward into 2022 true to our calling as sons and daughters of God. May we welcome God's light and bear it to others, and trust the Promise that indwells us.
This is the final post in the 2021–22 Advent/Christmas series. Thanks for following! You can find a collation here (Advent) and here (Christmas). I will now return to my regular publication schedule of roughly one post a week.
Christmas, Day 12
January 5, 2022 January 7, 2022 Victoria Emily Jones5 Comments
LOOK: 3 Kings by Helen Siegl
Helen Siegl (Austrian American, 1924–2009), 3 Kings, n.d. Etching and collagraph, 3 × 5 in. (7.6 × 12.7 cm).
Ah, such whimsy!
LISTEN: "We Three Cool Kings" | Words and music by John H. Hopkins, 1857 | Arranged by Eugene Gwozdz, 2015 | Sung by Alan H. Green, Mykal Kilgore, Dennis Stowe, Nili Bassman, Josh Davis, Kevin Smith Kirkwood, Linda Mugleston, Brian O'Brien, Mary Michael Patterson, Mike Schwitter, and Rashidra Scoti on Broadway's Carols for a Cure, vol. 17, 2015
We three kings of Orient are;
bearing gifts, we traverse afar,
field and fountain, moor and mountain,
following yonder star.
O star of wonder, star of light,
star with royal beauty bright,
westward leading, still proceeding,
guide us to thy perfect light.
Born a king on Bethlehem's plain,
gold I bring to crown him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
over us all to reign.
Frankincense to offer have I;
incense owns a Deity nigh;
prayer and praising, voices raising,
worshipping God most high.
Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume
breathes a life of gathering gloom;
sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
sealed in the stone-cold tomb.
Glorious now behold him arise,
King and God and Sacrifice:
Alleluia, Alleluia,
sounds through the earth and skies.
This jazzified version of the Christmas classic "We Three Kings" is performed by the Broadway cast of At This Performance… Written in the voices of the magi (whose traditional names are Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar), it propounds the symbolic significance of the three gifts they give to the Christ child. I love how the arranger has layered those middle three verses!
Launched in 1999, Carols for a Cure is an annual collection of seasonal songs sung by members of the Broadway and Off-Broadway theater community to raise money for the charity Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS. Its latest volume, number 21, was released in 2019.
January 4, 2022 January 12, 2022 Victoria Emily Jones2 Comments
LOOK: Dominican Nativity by Valentine Reyre
Valentine Reyre (French, 1889–1943), Nativité aux dominicaines (Dominican Nativity), 1918. Oil on canvas. Private collection. Photo: Michel Guérin.
Valentine Reyre was a French artist who participated in the revival of religious art in the first half of the twentieth century. She was the cofounder, with Maurice Storez and Henri Charlier, of L'Arche, a group of Catholic artists and architects active from 1919 to 1934. She also participated in the Ateliers d'art sacré, a movement that sought to reconcile tradition and modernity, art and craft, in the decoration of church interiors, especially those devastated by World War I. Members of the Ateliers—the most famous of which were Maurice Denis and George Desvallières—rejected academism on the one hand and the avant-garde (e.g., futurism, cubism) on the other, seeking a third way forward for religious art.
Reyre's Dominican Nativity is set outside a Dominican convent in the hills of France. The focal point is the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus, clothed in white and seated under a small, open, roofed structure. It's deliberately ambiguous as to whether these figures are meant to be present in the flesh in this space or are a statue; in other words, is this the holy birth transplanted to another time and place, occurring as if for the first time, or is it the birth memorialized? Either way, a procession of nuns winds through the tree-studded landscape to offer their worship and devotion to Christ, their shaping mirrored by the ribbon of angels that unfurls from distant sky to the foregrounded rooftop. The adult male figure at the right is probably Saint Dominic, the medieval Castilian priest who founded the Dominican order, as he is tonsured and wears a habit.
I love the intersection of time and eternity in this image—heaven breaking into the everyday. A community of sisters bows in prayer and re-members Christ's Nativity.
LISTEN: Hymns and Sacred Songs, FS 83: No. 1. Förunderligt at sige | Words by Nikolai F. S. Grundtvig, 1845 (reworked from "Mit hierte altid vanker" ["My Heart Always Wanders"] by Hans Adolph Brorson, 1732) | Music by Carl Nielsen, 1919 | Performed by the Svanholm Singers, dir. Sofia Söderberg Eberhard, on December, 2010
Forunderligt at sige,
Og sært at tænke paa,
At Kongen til Guds Rige
I Stalden fødes maa,
At Himlens Lys og Ære,
Det levende Guds Ord,
Skal huusvild blandt os være,
Som Armods Søn paa Jord!
Selv Spurven har sin Rede,
Kan bygge der og boe;
En Svale ei tør lede
Om Nattely og Ro;
De vilde Dyr i Hule
Har hver sin egen Vraa:
Skal sig min Frelser skjule
I fremmed Stald paa Straa?
Nei, kom! jeg vil oplukke
Mit Hjerte, Sjæl og Sind,
Ja, bede, synge, sukke:
Kom, Jesus, kom herind!
Det er ei fremmed Bolig,
Du den har dyrekiøbt!
Her skal du hvile rolig,
I Kiærligheden svøbt!
English translation by Jenny Rebecca Rytting, 2012:
How wonderful to sing of,
And strange to think at all,
The sovereign of God's kingdom
Is born within a stall,
All heaven's light and honour,
God's living word, e'en he,
On earth shall homeless wander,
The son of poverty.
The sparrow, with her nesting,
Can build herself a home;
We find the swallow resting,
At night she needn't roam.
The wild beasts abide in
The burrows where they stay.
Shall then my Saviour hide in
An unknown stall on hay?
No, come, I'll open to thee
My heart, my soul, my mind.
I'll pray and sing and sue thee,
"Come, Jesus, come inside!"
For here thou art no stranger;
This home thou dearly bought.
Rest now within this manger
In swaddling love has wrought.
Jenny Rebecca Rytting describes this Danish carol's complex textual history, starting with its origins in an eighteenth-century carol by the Danish bishop and hymn-writer Hans Adolph Brorson. Brorson's text has eleven verses; Nikolai F. S. Grundtvig cut it down to six in 1837, adapting these verses but following Brorson's wording fairly closely. In 1845 Grundtvig made "extensive changes" to his initial reworking of the carol and published it in a booklet of his hymns. Much later, in 1939, the editors of Højskolesangbogen (The Folk High School Songbook) published Grundtvig's text with only three verses (verses 1, 5, and 6 of his 1845 version). That's the version that's most often used today. Rytting has produced an English translation, posted above. For a translation of all six verses, albeit one that's a bit clumsy, see here (scroll down to #50, "How wonderful to ponder").
Carl Nielson, widely recognized as Denmark's most prominent composer, wrote a musical setting for "Förunderligt at sige" in 1914 (in a letter to his wife at the time, he described it as "the most beautiful I have yet composed"), and it was first published in 1919. Cataloged as CNW 165, it is now considered the standard tune for the carol.
The text is inspired in part by Jesus's words in Matthew 8:20: "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." He was born in an out-of-town stable, lived as a stranger in Egypt, and spent years as an itinerant preacher, never staying for too long in any one place. The speaker invites the wandering Christ to take up permanent residence within her, as he has already bought her (Gal. 3:13; 1 Cor. 6:20). Her love, she says, will provide the swaddling, a cozy warmth.
January 3, 2022 Victoria Emily JonesLeave a comment
LOOK: The Passion of Mary by Katherine Kenny Bayly
Katherine Kenny Bayly (American, 1945–), The Passion of Mary, before 2006. Collage on paper, 8 × 12 in.
This collage by Katherine Bayly is from the 2006 CIVA traveling exhibition Highly Favored: Contemporary Images of the Virgin Mary. In seven alternating vertical bands, it combines Michelangelo's Pietà from St. Peter's Basilica with a Virgin and Child painting by Laurent de La Hyre, showing Christ's birth and death as two sides of the Incarnation coin. One can hear echoes of Simeon's prophecy to Mary, that "a sword will pierce your own soul too" (Luke 2:35)—a veiled reference to the Crucifixion.
Since the Middle Ages artists have often embedded symbolic or other visual references to Christ's passion in Nativity paintings—a goldfinch, a coral rosary, a bunch of grapes, a cave that recalls the tomb, swaddling bands that look like burial wrappings, a manger that looks like a sarcophagus or altar, or, more explicitly, angels holding the arma Christi (instruments of the passion). Sometimes artists would use a diptych format to juxtapose images of Mary holding Jesus as a vibrant young infant with her holding him as a pale adult corpse deposed from the cross, a pairing that strikes an emotional tenor, as there's perhaps no deeper grief than a mother's loss of a child. Bayly draws on this tradition in The Passion of Mary, foreshadowing a future sorrow and reminding us that Christ came to earth not only to live but also to die.
LISTEN: "Baby Boy" by Rhiannon Giddens, on Freedom Highway (2017)
Baby boy, baby boy, don't you weep
You will be our savior
But until then, go to sleep
Young man, young man, I'll watch over you
While you lead our people to the promised land
I will shelter you
Baby boy (Young man)
Don't you weep (I will watch over you)
You will be (You will be)
Our savior
Beloved, beloved, I will stand by you
When you leave this place to do what you must
Baby boy (Young man) (Beloved)
Don't you weep (I will watch over you) (I will stand by you)
Poignantly performed by Rhiannon Giddens [previously], Lalenja Harrington, and Leyla McCalla, "Baby Boy" is a lullaby written in the voice of a mother to her son, her salvation, whom she sings to sleep. She pledges to always watch over, shelter, and support him to the best of her ability.
The subject of the song could be Moses and the speaker his birth mother, Jochebed, as there's mention of him leading his people to the promised land. This boy will grow up to shepherd a nation into its rest.
Or it could be Jesus, the New Moses, who liberated humanity at large, breaking their bondage to the powers of evil. Remembering the angel's promise, Mary whispers her grand hopes to this cuddly little bundle she holds who will be their fulfillment, even as she shushes his cries.
Note, though, how there are three voices singing—a trio of women, a sisterhood united in their love of this child and their eager expectation of deliverance. Think of the women who, against all odds, ensured Moses's protection as a young one and those who later walked alongside him in his difficult calling. Think, too, of all the women who supported Christ throughout his ministry, materially and spiritually, standing by him until the end, mourning his death, and spreading the news of his resurrection. One might imagine this song being sung by the three Marys, for example. They have a faint sense of the danger ahead and know the hero Jesus will become, but for now, they simply wish him sound slumber and sweet dreams. "Until then . . ."
Christmas, Day 9
January 2, 2022 January 3, 2022 Victoria Emily Jones1 Comment
LOOK: Holy Family in Saffron by Frank Wesley
Frank Wesley (Indian, 1923–2002), Holy Family in Saffron, ca. 1950. Watercolor, 21 × 16 cm. Gould Collection. Photo courtesy of the Asian Christian Art Association.
Frank Wesley [previously] was a fifth-generation Christian from North India who began painting biblical subjects in 1947 when the Christian Home Committee of the National Christian Council of India began licensing original images from him for their magazine, a relationship that lasted for decades. His initial training had been in commercial art, but from 1950 to 1952 he studied as a postgraduate at the School of Art in Lucknow under the Hindu artist Bireshwar Sen, kickstarting his fine-art career. The Lucknow school of watercolor painting, developed during the Bengal Renaissance in the first half of the twentieth century, is the style with which he is most associated, and which the above painting is representative of, with its graceful, calligraphic lines.
With the aid of an American patron, Wesley continued his art education at Kyoto Art University from 1954 to 1958, where he learned traditional and modern Japanese painting techniques, lacquer work, textile design, woodblock printing, and ink drawing, and in Chicago from 1958 to 1960, which included coursework at the Art Institute, where he learned about modern abstraction and how to work with oil paint.
Wesley returned to India in 1960 and, after a four-year courtship, married Athalie Brown, an Australian nurse working in a mission hospital in Azamgarh. They had two children. Seeking better opportunities, he emigrated to Australia with his family in 1973 and lived there until his death in 2002. Even in his new adopted country, he continued painting biblical scenes in an Indian style.
You can view thumbnails of other paintings by Frank Wesley at www.frankwesleyart.com. For better-quality reproductions along with more detailed biographical information, there's the book Frank Wesley: Exploring Faith with a Brush by Naomi Wray (Auckland: Pace Publishing, 1993), but it's out of print and difficult to find.
LISTEN: "Joseph Dearest, Joseph Mine" (original: "Josef lieber, Josef mein") | Traditional German carol, 14th century (tune: RESONET IN LAUDIBUS) | English translation of verses by Percy Dearmer,* 1928; refrain translated by Edward T. Horn III, 1958 (from the carol "Long Ago and Far Away") | Arranged and performed by Blue Water Highway on Christmastide, 2014
"Joseph dearest, Joseph mine,
Help me cradle the Child divine.
God reward thee and all that's thine,
In paradise," so prays the mother Mary.
He came among us at Christmastide,
At Christmastide, in Bethlehem;
Men shall bring him from far and wide
Love's diadem: Jesus, Jesus,
Lo, he comes, and loves, and saves, and frees us!
"Gladly, dear one, Lady mine,
Help I cradle this Child of thine."
"God's own light on us both shall shine,
In paradise," as prays the mother Mary.
All shall come and bow the knee;
Wise and happy their souls shall be,
Loving such a divinity as all may see
In Jesus, son of Mary.
Sweet and lovely, little one,
Princely, beautiful, God's own Son,
Without thee all of us were undone;
Our love is won by thine, O son of Mary.
* Some sources cite Neville S. Talbot as the translator; I'm going with The Oxford Book of Carols, whose original 1928 edition, and subsequent ones, name Dearmer.
RESONET IN LAUDIBUS (Let the voice of praise resound) is a fourteenth-century German carol tune associated with a carol text of the same name as well as with "Josef lieber, Joseph mein." The latter carol is from a medieval mystery play from Leipzig that survives in multiple manuscripts. It spotlights Joseph's faithful presence and loving support during Christ's infancy.
The original carol did not have a refrain; an unknown editor spliced that in from a different fourteenth-century German carol at some point, but it still often circulated with the verses only, including in the earliest English translations. In 1958, however, the American pastor Edward Traill Horn III (1909–1994) translated the refrain from German into English for incorporation into a new Christmas carol he wrote, "Long Ago and Far Away." Blue Water Highway uses verses and refrain for their recording "Joseph Dearest, Joseph Mine."
Find free sheet music here.
If you prefer choral music, I really like Kirke Mechem's arrangement of the carol, from his Seven Joys of Christmas suite, as performed by the Stanford University Chamber Chorale and Orchestra under the direction of Stephen M. Sano.
January 1, 2022 Victoria Emily Jones2 Comments
LOOK: Presence by Ventzislav Piriankov
Ventzislav Piriankov (Bulgarian, 1971–), Presence, 2000. Mixed media on canvas, 100 × 70 cm.
LISTEN: "Incarnation Hymn" by Carl-Eric Tangen, on Incarnation Hymns (2008)
Love comes down
Love tears the shroud
Love becomes a man
And Love takes my hand
Love bears the scars of time
Love has dirty hands
Love, Love will understand
Love makes me a man
For another devotion featuring a song from this album, see "Now I've Seen It All," centered on Simeon's encounter with the Christ child. And for one featuring a different painting by Piriankov, see "Radiant."
December 31, 2021 December 31, 2021 Victoria Emily JonesLeave a comment
LOOK: Babe in a Manger by Janpeter Muilwijk
Janpeter Muilwijk (Dutch, 1960–), Kind in Bakje (Babe in a Manger), 1999. Watercolor and pencil on paper, 58 × 38 cm. Private collection, Netherlands.
LISTEN: "Dona Nobis Pacem (Give Us Peace) / Auld Lang Syne" | Arranged and performed by Yo-Yo Ma (cello) and Chris Botti (trumpet), on Songs of Joy & Peace (2008)
The three-word Latin prayer "Dona nobis pacem," which translates to "Grant us peace," is part of the Agnus Dei section of the Catholic mass. The traditional melody associated with it likely originated in the sixteenth century.
"Auld Lang Syne" (Old Long Since) uses a traditional Scots folk melody.
In this final track on Yo-Yo Ma and friends' 2008 holiday album, Ma plays the "Dona Nobis Pacem" theme alone on cello and then is joined by trumpeter Chris Botti playing "Auld Lang Syne" as a countermelody. The two are cozily layered together in an expression of warm wishes for the new year.
December 30, 2021 Victoria Emily Jones1 Comment
LOOK: Adoration of the Shepherds by Hugo van der Goes
Hugo van der Goes (Flemish, ca. 1440–1482), Adoration of the Shepherds, ca. 1480. Oil on oak wood, 99.9 × 248.6 cm. Gemäldegalerie, Berlin.
After the angel of the Lord announced the birth of the Messiah to a band of shepherds, "they went with haste" to the place where he lay (Luke 2:16). The Flemish artist Hugo van der Goes shows the shepherds' hurried arrival at the manger. One of them gallops through the door panting, having run from the scene in the upper right corner, and another removes his hat and kneels. Two more stand behind them just outside the shed—one playing a recorder, the other in midclap.
In the center of the composition, the Christ child squirms in his makeshift bed, surrounded by his parents, an ox and ass, and a coterie of angels. At the foot of the manger is a sheaf of wheat, an allusion to Jesus as "the living bread that came down from heaven" (John 6:51) and, by extension, to the Eucharist. This painting, after all, was originally made, most likely, to hang over an altar.
In the foreground two men draw open a set of curtains, revealing God made flesh. An actual wooden rod is attached to the panel and painted with rings, enhancing the illusion. Most scholars agree that the men represent Isaiah (left) and Jeremiah (right), Old Testament prophets who foretold Christ (see, e.g., Isa. 7:14; Jer. 23:5–6)—though John Moffitt suggests they are the apostles Mark and Paul, two New Testament personages who specifically associate themselves with a veil as a sign of divine manifestation. Either way, these figures act as intermediaries between the viewer and the depicted narrative, inviting us, like the shepherds, to bear witness to the wondrous mystery of the Incarnation and to respond in adoration.
This Adoration, sometimes referred to as van der Goes's Berlin Nativity, is not the artist's most famous painting on the subject. That would be the central panel of the Portinari Altarpiece, painted a few years earlier.
LISTEN: "Where Shepherds Lately Knelt" | Words by Jaroslav J. Vadja, 1987, © Concordia Publishing House | Music by Carl F. Schalk, 1987, © GIA Publications, Inc. | Performed by Koiné on Emmanuel Lux, 2012
Where shepherds lately knelt and kept the angel's word,
I come in half-belief, a pilgrim strangely stirred;
but there is room and welcome there for me,
but there is room and welcome there for me.
In that unlikely place I find him as they said:
sweet newborn babe, how frail! and in a manger bed,
a still small voice to cry one day for me,
a still small voice to cry one day for me.
How should I not have known Isaiah would be there,
his prophecies fulfilled? With pounding heart I stare:
a child, a son, the Prince of Peace for me,
a child, a son, the Prince of Peace for me.
Can I, will I forget how Love was born, and burned
its way into my heart, unasked, unforced, unearned,
to die, to live, and not alone for me,
to die, to live, and not alone for me?
December 29, 2021 December 30, 2021 Victoria Emily Jones1 Comment
LOOK: Tibetan Nativity thangka
Nativity Thangka, 1998. Painting on silk, 17 × 12 cm. Presented by H.H. the Dalai Lama to the World Community for Christian Meditation and housed at the Bonnevaux Centre for Peace, Marçay, France. Photo: Fr. Laurence Freeman, OSB. https://wccm.org/
A traditional Tibetan art form, a thangka (roughly pronounced tonka; literally "recorded message") is a painting on a portable fabric scroll of silk or cotton. Traditionally they depict Tibetan Buddhist deities or influential leaders and are used for personal meditation or instruction of monastic students.
This thangka, however, portrays a Christian narrative: the birth of Jesus Christ. He lies on a leafy bed on the ground, surrounded by Mary, Joseph, two yaks, two horses, and an angel who is seated much like a bodhisattva and who plays the dramnyen (a Himalayan six-stringed lute, roughly pronounced dra-nyen). The stylization of the clouds and mountains is clearly Tibetan, whereas the angels seated on the clouds bear Western influence, as does Mary's gesture of hands crossed reverently over the chest.
The Nativity Thangka was presented by the Dalai Lama in 1998 to the World Community for Christian Meditation, "a global spiritual community united in the practice of meditation in the Christian tradition . . . shar[ing] the fruits of this practice widely and inclusively . . . and building understanding between faiths and cultures." It is on display at WCCM's Bonnevaux outside Poitiers, France, a retreat center that is home to a residential community living in the spirit of Saint Benedict.
LISTEN: "Gawala! Gibala!" (O what joy! O what happiness!), a Tibetan Christmas carol | Composer and lyricist unknown | Performed by the WEC UK Resonance band, 2020 [HT: Global Christian Worship]
Téring Gyamgön trungsong
Gawala!
Gyamgön Yeshu trungsong
Gibala!
Gawala! Gibala!
The Savior's born on this day
The Savior Jesus is born
He was born in Bethlehem
He was in a stable
Shepherds saw the angels
Bringing news of great joy
From the East a star rose
Showing where the road lay
From the fields came shepherds
Shepherds sang their praise songs
From the East came wise men
Offering gold and silver
Angels filled the heavens
Singing songs of gladness
The day of joy has risen
Songs of beauty sounding
Gibä nyima sharsong
Nyenbä luyang langsong
Ian Collinge, the man leading this song in the video above, is an ethnomusicologist who trains people in cross-cultural and multicultural music at All Nations Christian College and London School of Theology. In addition, he and his wife, Helen, lead Arts Release, a ministry of WEC International that they founded in 2008. One of its initiatives is Resonance [previously], a multicultural collective of Christian musicians formed in the UK in 2011 with the aim of integrating songs from the global church into the Western worship repertoire. The Resonance band raises awareness of the beautifully rich diversity of musical expressions that exist around the world to praise the Triune God of the Bible.
Collinge learned "Gawala! Gibala!" while living in Nepal in the 1990s doing music research, which is also when he learned to play the dramnyen. Besides the dramnyen, the recording also uses a Tibetan instrument called the erkha, small pellet-bells that are sometimes attached to the legs and used in dancing or are otherwise played unattached to clothing, as here.
"I can easily imagine this song being done as a dance song, especially as a circle dance," Collinge tells me. "I am playing it in the Southern Tibetan dramnyen style, distinguished by this tuning and introduction/ending and links patterns, and I have arranged it in the typical slow then fast section format."
Addendum, 12/30/21: After reading this post, a friend of mine sent me a video of one of her friends, Migmar Dondup Sherpa, playing the same song on the dramnyen! I post it here with his permission. Sherpa is a worship leader at his church in Nepal, and he also writes his own worship songs in Nepali and Tibetan.


text:
Home News Economy Saudi Arabia Blocks Waterways, Airspace as Iran's Regional Presence Continues to Grow
Saudi Arabia Blocks Waterways, Airspace as Iran's Regional Presence Continues to Grow
This is the latest indication of a deepening economic conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia as the former works to regain market share lost during the era of economic sanctions imposed on the Iranian nuclear program. The influx of Iranian oil threatens to further depress global oil prices that have eaten into the profits of oil exporting countries for many months. Saudi Arabia is leading efforts to finalize an agreement among OPEC and some non-OPEC countries including Russia to freeze or cut output in order to stabilize prices.
This plan will be further discusses in a meeting scheduled to take place on April 17 in Doha. But it is already threatened by Saudi insistence that all parties, including Iran, sign onto the freeze. This is something that the Iranians have indicated they will not do; and indeed Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh has declared that his country will produce oil at the highest possible level.
The Iranian-Saudi discord over this issue presumably has its roots in the longstanding and much more general conflict between the two leading Middle Eastern powers. Consequently, the deteriorating prospects for economic cooperation may point the way to similarly diminished prospects for reconciliation in other areas.
Already, the National Council of Resistance of Iran has reported that Saudi Arabia also barred Iran's commercial airline Mahan Air from passing through Saudi airspace.
Riyadh justified the ban with vague reference to airline safety violations. But it is just as likely that it is at least in part a punitive measure, following upon the severing of diplomatic relations between the two countries after Iranian mobs burned the Saudi embassy and consulate in January.
Furthermore, the ban effectively mirrors persistent American-led sanctions on Mahan Air stemming from accusations that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has used it to secretly transfer weapons and personnel to foreign militias and terrorist groups like those fighting on behalf of Syrian dictator and Iran ally Bashar al-Assad.
Saudi Arabia and its allies have been notably concerned about the increase in Iranian power and influence in the broader region in the aftermath of the July 14 nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers. This was emphasized once again on Monday in an editorial that appeared in the Wall Street Journal, written by Yousef al-Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates' ambassador to the United States. In it he stated that despite a year's worth of Western efforts at outreach, "the Iran we have long known—hostile, expansionist, violent—is alive and well, and as dangerous as ever."
The architects of the Iran nuclear deal – chiefly the Obama administration – have variously made efforts to paint a different picture, portraying the deal as a success not just by virtue of its constraints on the Iranian nuclear program but also by virtue of its encouragement of moderation and a globally cooperative mindset with the regime.
On Monday, the Associated Press reported upon one of the latest efforts at such an optimistic portrayal. That is, the White House now claims that in the wake of international negotiations and a tentative ceasefire among non-ISIL combatants in the Syrian Civil War, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is scaling back its presence in the conflict, thereby putting pressure on the Assad regime to decrease his dependence on foreign patrons.
But the AP emphasizes that a number of other commentators on the situation disagree, including several Iranian officials who have declared that IRGC deployments are ongoing, or even increasing. Global security analysts have tended to conclude that Iran has always had designs for a permanent foothold on the shores of the Mediterranean, and that it is unlikely to scale back its direct presence or its control over Shiite militias in Syria unless it is compelled to do so.
Given how much the Obama administration has apparently been contradicted on this latest claim, the White House's critics are sure to find more fuel for their accusations that the administration is maintaining a policy of "appeasement." This concern was newly expressed on Monday in an editorial in the Al Arabiya, which made the case that by giving more concessions to Iran or withdrawing scrutiny of its activities in Syria and elsewhere, the West would only encourage Tehran to perceive weakness and demand more.
But notwithstanding the Gulf Arab nations' concerns about ascendant Iranian power, the West has certainly not yet ceased to confront at least some Iranian provocations and illicit activities. This fact was highlighted, for instance, by Fox News when it reported on Monday that a cache of weapons had been seized which was believed to be in transit from Iran to the Houthi rebels fighting in Yemen.
The US Navy seized the shipment, which consisted of thousands of weapons including AK-47 assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades. US military officials noted that this seizure in the Arabian Sea was the third of its kind in less than two months, a fact that seems to point both to the continued expansion of Iranian influence and to the confrontation of that influence.
Meanwhile, although the Obama administration has come under fire for apparently moving to grant Iran limited access to the US dollar, it is also the case that the US government continues to enforce non-nuclear economic sanctions and take legal action against persons known to have been responsible for prior illicit dealings with the Islamic Republic.
The Associated Press reported on Monday that a Singapore man was scheduled to appear in court in the US that day after having been extradited for his provision of components that were used in Iranian-made improvised explosive devices, which were used by Iraqi militants.
Previous articleFundamental Incompatiblities Complicate Iran-Europe State Visits
Next articleIran's Halalnet and the Crackdown on Alternative Politics, Religion, and Lifestyle
Iran's Regime Is a Mafia of Smugglers
Foulad Scandal, Latest Instance of Systematic Corruption in Iran
Under the Mullahs' Rule, Iran Has Become an Unsavable Country
Iran: Food Staple Prices Soar Again
Iran: More Housing Costs, More Homelessness


text:
Audit Audit of the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority
This audit of the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority examines the maintenance of its fleet vehicles and the use of non-revenue-producing vehicles. The audit examined the period of July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2017.
Binder organization:
In accordance with Section 12 of Chapter 11 of the Massachusetts General Laws, the Office of the State Auditor has conducted a performance audit of the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) for the period July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2017. In this performance audit, we assessed certain aspects of CCRTA's preventive maintenance activities related to its fleet of vehicles, including equipment and vehicles for transporting passengers with disabilities under the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. We also examined CCRTA's use of its non-revenue-producing vehicles, as well as its compliance with the General Laws regarding providing its financial records to the Secretary of Administration and Finance for public disclosure.
Below is a summary of our findings and recommendations, with links to each page listed.
CCRTA did not submit required financial information to the Commonwealth to be made available to the public on a searchable website.
CCRTA should develop formal policies and procedures for submitting this required information to the Executive Office for Administration and Finance.
CCRTA should establish monitoring controls to ensure that the staff members assigned to this task adhere to these policies and procedures.
CCRTA did not properly document the use of its non-revenue-producing vehicles by its employees.
CCRTA should establish policies and procedures, consistent with those established by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation for its non-revenue-producing vehicles, that require a log that documents the following:
a. the name and driver's license expiration date of the employee who used the vehicle
b. the date and time the vehicle was picked up
c. the date and time the vehicle was returned
d. the vehicle's license plate number
e. the vehicle description
f. the intended destination and purpose
g. the beginning odometer reading
h. the condition of the vehicle before and after use
i. any damage
j. any maintenance issues identified during use
CCRTA should ensure that these policies and procedures include monitoring controls to ensure that they are adhered to.
A PDF copy of the audit of the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority is available here
CCRTA
Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority
EOAF
Executive Office for Administration and Finance
Federal Transit Administration
MassDOT
Massachusetts Department of Transportation
regional transit authority
Rail and Transit Division
Overview of Audited Entity
Audit Objectives, Scope, and Methodology
Detailed Audit Findings with Auditee's Response
The Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority Did Not Submit Required Financial Infor…
CCRTA Did Not Properly Document the Use of Its Non-Revenue-Producing Vehicles b…
Office of State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump
Auditor@sao.state.ma.us
Request that Auditor Bump Speak to Your Group or Event
Massachusetts State House
Thanks, your message has been sent to Office of the State Auditor!


text:
620 F. 2d 569 - United States v. Renfro
620 F2d 569 United States v. Renfro
Andrew RENFRO, Defendant-Appellant.
Sixth Circuit.
Argued Feb. 12, 1980.
Decided April 14, 1980.
Rehearing and Rehearing En Ranc Denied June 13, 1980.
Andrew Renfro, pro se, and James R. Willis, Cleveland, Ohio, for defendant-appellant.
James K. Robinson, U. S. Atty., Richard L. Delonis, Asst. U. S. Atty., Detroit, Mich., for plaintiff-appellee.
Before WEICK, Circuit Judge and PHILLIPS and PECK, Senior Circuit Judges.
WEICK, Circuit Judge.
Andrew Renfro was convicted in the United States District Court for the Eastern Division of Michigan of conspiracy, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, and distribution of heroin, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2 and 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846. Prior to the federal proceedings, Renfro and three alleged co-conspirators, James Griffin, Andrea Payne and Tandee Leslie, were charged with the same offenses in the Recorder's Court for the City of Detroit. The charges against Renfro were dismissed after the Recorder's Court ordered the suppression of critical prosecution evidence. The other defendants were convicted in the state court.
In his appeal, Renfro contends that federal prosecution was barred by the Department of Justice's Petite policy, which limits dual state and federal prosecutions for the same offenses under certain specified circumstances, none of which existed in the present case. He further contends that the District Court erred in refusing to suppress evidence, in permitting co-conspirator statements to be admitted into evidence, and in determining that there was sufficient evidence to support the conviction for conspiracy. Finally, the appellant contends that the District Court erred in permitting an alleged unqualified woman juror to remain on the jury, although he and his counsel in open court had expressly agreed that she could remain. We find appellant's arguments to be without merit and affirm the convictions.
* Renfro was implicated in the crime as a result of an undercover operation by the Wayne County Sheriff's Department, Metropolitan Narcotics Squad. The undercover officer, Mary Brown, and two of Renfro's co-conspirators, James Griffin and Andrea Payne, testified at the trial as to the events occurring on October 14, 1976, when the crime was committed. This testimony was supplemented by the testimony of surveillance officers, expert witnesses, and physical evidence seized at the appellant's residence. The defendant rested his case without offering any evidence.
The evidence shows that on October 14, 1976, undercover Officer Mary Brown, a deputy narcotics investigator for the Wayne County Sheriff's Department, called James Griffin and sought to purchase from him $5,500 worth of heroin. James Griffin indicated that he could arrange such a transaction. Brown met Griffin at his house and proceeded with him to a house located at 18272 Santa Rosa, in Northwest Detroit. Brown was introduced to Andrea Payne who lived at this address. Payne was informed by Griffin that Mary Brown desired to purchase $5,500 of heroin. Payne then placed a call and spoke with a person named "Cherry." Following this phone call, Andrea Payne took Griffin and Brown to a bungalow on Cruse Street where Brown met James Cherry and an unidentified black man and woman. A small sample of heroin was produced by Cherry. The sample was tested by Griffin, who found it to be of poor quality. Griffin recommended that Brown not purchase that particular batch of heroin.
At this point, Brown testified that Cherry and Andrea Payne went into the bedroom. Shortly thereafter, Brown was called into the room. Andrea Payne was holding a telephone receiver and she informed Brown that a friend of hers had just got in ten to twelve pounds of heroin and could sell five ounces of heroin for $5,500. Andrea Payne told Brown that they would be going to a 25-room mansion on West McNichols and LaSalle. Griffin, Payne and Brown proceeded to 2460 West McNichols. Griffin handed Payne $50 (previously given to Griffin by Brown) to purchase a sample of the heroin. Griffin and Brown waited in the car while Andrea Payne went into Renfro's house. Payne testified at the trial that, once in the house, she met Andrew Renfro who told her to wait a moment. Payne sat down and waited. A short time later, Renfro came back and told Payne that there was a piece of aluminum foil on the table that was hers. According to Payne, no money changed hands at this point and Payne kept the $50. Brown testified that when Payne returned to the car she told her that, while she was inside, she helped weigh and package part of the ten to twelve pounds of heroin. Inside the foil package which Payne had taken from Renfro's table was about $50 worth of heroin. Griffin tested this heroin and found that the quality was very good. Brown said that she was willing to buy heroin from this batch.
Upon returning to Payne's house, Payne made a phone call. Brown testified that the name Andrew was mentioned, but Payne testified that she had called Cherry. Payne told the other party to the phone call that Brown and Griffin were pleased with the sample and that the deal for the rest of the heroin could be consummated. Brown was informed that delivery of the heroin would be made to Payne's house and that it would take about an hour before the delivery could be made. Payne left the room and went downstairs. Griffin used the rest of the heroin and then fell asleep. Brown was able to use the phone to inform her fellow officers that the heroin would be delivered to Payne's address in about an hour. After a long wait, Brown mentioned to Payne that the delivery was taking a long time. Payne then placed another phone call. After the phone call, Payne informed Brown that the heroin would be delivered by her source's girlfriend and that she would be driving a new Cadillac. Then Payne and Brown counted out the money which was to be paid for the heroin and wrapped it with a rubber band. Payne went back downstairs again and Brown was able to use the phone to update the other officers involved in the case.
A surveillance team had followed Brown, Griffin and Payne when they went to Renfro's house to obtain the sample. From that point until the arrests were made, the house was constantly under surveillance. Officers observed Tandee Leslie leave Renfro's house driving a new Cadillac and proceed to Payne's house. When Leslie arrived at Payne's house, Brown came downstairs and Brown, Payne and Leslie went into a back room on the first floor. Leslie produced a clear packet of brown powder, later identified by the experts as heroin, and exchanged the packet for $5,500 of marked money. As Leslie was leaving, Brown went back upstairs and made another phone call to relay to the surveillance crew that the transaction had taken place and giving a description of Leslie. Leslie was followed by surveillance officers back to Renfro's address.
Brown awakened Griffin and left the house. Payne had to move her car from the driveway so that Brown and Griffin could get out. Brown started at that time to give the prearranged signal (combing her hair) that would indicate for the other police officers to move in to make the arrest, however, because it was so dark outside, the signal went unobserved. Brown and Griffin left in Griffin's car. Payne pulled her car back into the driveway, went back into the house, and came back outside while in the process of putting on her coat. She drove along the same route that Griffin and Brown had taken just shortly before. After the surveillance on Payne's car had begun, the other officers realized that, by mistake, no one had followed Griffin's car. Sergeant Turner, the officer in charge of the undercover activities, and several other officers, immediately left the area of Payne's house to try to catch up with Griffin's car. These officers were in unmarked vehicles and using their portable, blue flashing lights when they passed Payne's car. Shortly after the unmarked cars passed Payne's car, she turned off and proceeded directly, but without any increase in speed, to Renfro's house.
The officers caught up with Griffin's car after Payne had made the turn-off. (By this time they had turned off their flashing lights.) They observed Brown combing her hair in the passenger seat of the car and proceeded to stop the car and arrest both Griffin and Brown. (Brown was arrested just to preserve her identity.) Fearing that Andrea Payne had observed their pursuit of Griffin's car and that she had gone to warn Renfro, the officers had a brief meeting at a University of Detroit parking lot. The officers donned bullet-proof vests with their badges pinned to the front. Then they proceeded directly to Renfro's house. Sergeant Turner pulled his car into Renfro's driveway. A regular Detroit police car pulled in behind him. Other officers moved to surround the house. Although there is conflicting testimony about what happened next, the District Court found:
When they arrived at the West McNichols address, the officers immediately approached the front door. Through a window they observed Payne, Leslie, a black male subsequently identified as Andrew Renfro, and an unidentified black female seated in the living room. The officers, unobserved to that point, knocked at the front, identified themselves and stated that they had come to make an arrest. At that point, Leslie and Renfro hurriedly exited the living room. The officers then saw Renfro through a second story window, moving back and forth; they also heard a toilet flushing. None of the occupants would open the front door.
The officers tried futilely to force the front door and subsequently gained entry through a side door. . . .
Other officers were able to gain entry through a back door.
Once inside, several officers proceeded upstairs where they found Renfro in a bedroom near the only entrance to one of the upstairs bathrooms. The toilet in the bathroom was running. One of the officers went into the bathroom and was able to retrieve a plastic bag containing traces of an unidentified white powder from the toilet bowl before the flush cycle was completed. Samples of a residue wiped from the surface of the toilet revealed the presence of heroin. Near Renfro's feet, the officers found a heat-sealed plastic bag containing heroin. In the same bedroom, in plain view, the officers found a blender containing heroin traces and a triple-beam scale. Sergeant Turner testified that a blender is commonly used to break the heroin down from a caked form to a powder form and to mix in a diluting substance. The scales would then be used to weigh smaller quantities for purposes of resale. He testified that they were tools of a narcotics distributor rather than of a typical user.
Leslie was found in another upstairs bedroom stuffing the marked purchase money into her underwear. Another upstairs bathroom the one in which Renfro had been seen prior to the forced entry was laden with dust. The toilet in this bathroom contained a murky brown liquid which, when tested, revealed the presence of heroin. Renfro, Payne, Leslie, and the other black woman were arrested. Based on the evidence which he had seen in plain view in Renfro's house, Sergeant Turner felt that a general search of the house would be necessary. At this time, Sergeant Turner sent Officers Borders and Lang to secure a search warrant for the house.1 No further action was taken until the search warrant arrived and was presented to Mr. Renfro.
Appellant's first contention is that his constitutional rights were violated when the Justice Department proceeded to bring federal charges against him after identical State charges arising out of the same transaction had been dismissed. The appellant concedes that under the dual sovereign theory enunciated by the Supreme Court in Abbate v. United States, 359 U.S. 187, 79 S.Ct. 666, 3 L.Ed.2d 729 (1959) and recently reaffirmed in United States v. Wheeler, 435 U.S. 313, 98 S.Ct. 1079, 55 L.Ed.2d 303 (1978), state and federal prosecutions for the same offense do not violate the provisions of the Double Jeopardy Clause. However, the appellant claims that the government's violation of its own Petite policy2 is a violation of due process or alternatively that the arbitrary selective enforcement of the policy violates the equal protection principles inherent in the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
The government's position is that the Petite policy gives no rights to a criminal defendant and that the Petite policy was in fact never meant to apply except where the State case was resolved on its merits. In support of their latter position, the government cites a statement made by Attorney General Benjamin R. Civiletti while he was still a Deputy Attorney General:(T)he Petite policy is applicable whenever a prior state prosecution has ended in a determination on the merits of the case, whether the defendant has been acquitted or convicted. It is not usually applied when the state prosecution has ended without a determination of the defendant's guilt or innocence as, for example, where the case is dismissed in trial order suppressing evidence.3
This Circuit has recently determined that the Petite policy "is not constitutionally mandated and confers no rights upon the accused." United States v. Frederick, 583 F.2d 273 (6th Cir. 1978), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 100 S.Ct. 124, 62 L.Ed.2d 80 (1979). The government is the only party with standing to assert the applicability of the Petite policy in seeking the dismissal of an indictment. See Rinaldi v. United States, 434 U.S. 22, 98 S.Ct. 81, 54 L.Ed.2d 207 (1977). Thompson v. United States, --- U.S. ----, 100 S.Ct. 512, 62 L.Ed.2d 457 (1980). The decision of whether or not to prosecute, like the decision of whether or not to grant immunity from prosecution, is a decision firmly committed by the constitution to the executive branch of the government. We agree with the District Court that "intervention by the court in the internal affairs of the Justice Department would clearly constitute a violation of the Separation of Powers Doctrine."
Appellant next urges that the District Court erred in denying his motion to suppress the evidence which was seized after the forcible entry into his residence. While the Recorder's Court for the City of Detroit suppressed this evidence, the decision of a state court is not binding on a federal court on questions of admissibility of evidence in a federal prosecution. In Elkins v. United States, 364 U.S. 206, 80 S.Ct. 1437, 4 L.Ed.2d 1669 (1959), the Supreme Court said:
In determining whether there has been an unreasonable search and seizure by state officers, a federal court must make an independent inquiry, whether or not there has been such an inquiry by a state court, and irrespective of how any such inquiry may have turned out. The test is one of federal law, neither enlarged by what one state court may have countenanced, nor diminished by what another may have colorably suppressed.4
The law in this Circuit requires the presence of exigent circumstances before a warrantless, forcible entry may be made into a private residence for purposes of making a search or making a felony arrest. United States v. Korman, 614 F.2d 541 (6th Cir. 1980, cert. filed March 3, 1980, No. 79-1345). United States v. Shye, 492 F.2d 886 (6th Cir. 1974); United States v. Killebrew, 560 F.2d 729 (6th Cir. 1977); United States v. Sumlin, 567 F.2d 684, 686 n. 1 (6th Cir. 1977), cert. denied, 435 U.S. 932, 98 S.Ct. 1507, 55 L.Ed.2d 529 (1978); United States v. Scott, 578 F.2d 1186 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 439 U.S. 870, 99 S.Ct. 201, 58 L.Ed.2d 182 (1978). See also, United States v. Houle, 603 F.2d 1297 (8th Cir. 1979); United States v. Reed, 572 F.2d 412 (2nd Cir.), cert. denied, sub nom., Goldsmith v. United States, 439 U.S. 913, 99 S.Ct. 283, 58 L.Ed.2d 259 (1978); Dorman v. United States, 435 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. en banc, 1970). We are satisfied that such exigent circumstances as would justify the warrantless entry existed in this case.
The existence of probable cause to make the arrests of Andrea Payne and Leslie for serious felonies is not disputed. The police had certain knowledge that both of these individuals were inside Renfro's house. There was a reasonable possibility that the suspects' suspicions had been aroused. Under these circumstances, it is clear that the police could, at least, go to the door, knock, and attempt to make a peaceable entry for the purposes of making the arrests. The police did not at that time intend to arrest Renfro or to search his residence. When the police knocked on the door and announced their presence, instead of coming to the door, Renfro and Leslie ran upstairs and appeared to the officers to be in the process of destroying evidence. It was not until this happened that the officers made a forcible entry into the residence for the purpose of making the arrests and preventing the further destruction of evidence which the officers had reason to believe was on the premises.
Renfro contends that the actions of the police in making a forcible entry into his home cannot be condoned because the officers created their own exigent circumstances by announcing their presence. We do not agree that the officers created their own exigent circumstances in this case. The government is not relying on the defendant's knowledge of the police presence alone as creating the exigent circumstances justifying the warrantless entry. Renfro's and Leslie's actions in attempting to destroy evidence were a sudden intervening development which changed the complexion of the entire incident and necessitated immediate action. United States v. Scott, 578 F.2d 1186, 1190 (6th Cir. 1978); United States v. Shye, 492 F.2d 886 (6th Cir. 1974). Once properly within the residence, the officers were entitled to prevent further destruction of evidence, seize evidence in plain view, and effectuate the arrests. See, United States v. Korman, supra.
Once the admissibility of the evidence seized in Renfro's house is upheld, there can be no doubt that there is sufficient evidence that Renfro was an active participant in the conspiracy to sell heroin to Brown.5 Alternatively, Renfro claims that Griffin's and Payne's statements should not be admitted against him because they were not members of the conspiracy rather they were agents for the buyer, Mary Brown. While it seems true that Griffin's and Payne's interests in consummating the transaction were different from those of Renfro, this fact alone does not preclude them from being co-conspirators. Griffin and Payne knowingly and intentionally participated in the violation of the laws of the United States. Their acts furthered the joint purpose of violating those laws and consummating an illegal transaction. This is enough to hold them to be conspirators with Renfro and to make their statements admissible against him under Federal Rules of Evidence, rule 801(d) (2)(E).6
Finally, appellant argues that the District Court erred in allowing an alleged unqualified woman juror to remain on the jury. In making this argument, defense counsel has radically altered its position from the stance taken prior to the return of the guilty verdict. We hold that the defendant waived any error which might have occurred.
The jury, consisting of twelve regular jurors and one alternate, was selected on Tuesday, October 10, 1978. After the jury had been selected, the government made its opening statement and the first witness began to testify. At the end of the day, the trial was adjourned until Thursday, October 12, 1978. Prior to the commencement of the morning session on Thursday, the alternate juror informed the Court that when he returned to work on Wednesday he had been told that he would not be paid for the time spent on jury duty. This, said the alternate juror, would be a financial hardship for him. He asked to be excused. Although the record is not entirely clear at this point, it appears that the District Court consulted with counsel and then told the alternate juror, that when the Court convened, he would be excused. Later, when the Court finally did convene, the alternate was excused without objection of counsel for either side.7
That same morning, one of the regular jurors was an hour late in arriving at the courthouse. When she did arrive, the Court questioned her in the presence of counsel as to why she was late. During this questioning it became apparent that the juror had some mental problems. She seemed extremely nervous, she was unable to understand and answer simple questions and she seemed to have a poor memory. No one suggested, however, that she should be examined by a physician in order to determine her mental competency.
While both the Judge and the government attorney felt that the juror was not qualified to sit, defense counsel specifically objected to a mistrial or proceeding without the juror. When asked by the Court why he did not want a mistrial declared, defense counsel stated:
MR. WILLIAMS: Because we put it on the record that we don't feel the mentation of this juror is so bad that she could not understand or comprehend what's being said to her, and I think that she's excitable, frightened because she was late and this made her somewhat defensive, but I don't think that she's so crazy that she can't understand what's going on here.
THE COURT: All right.
MR. WILLIAMS: We've put that on the record, and since we're willing to accept this juror and proceed with this juror, and we also put that on the record, then I think that's our position, and that's where we stand at this point in time.
The District Judge offered the defendant three choices: a mistrial could be declared by agreement of the parties and a whole new panel of jurors selected, the woman juror could be excused and the trial could proceed with eleven jurors, or the defendant could proceed with the original panel of jurors including the woman juror. The District Court recommended to the defendant that a mistrial be declared, however, after consulting together, the defendant and his counsel both indicated to the Court that they desired to proceed with the original panel of jurors including the juror which the Court felt was not qualified to sit.8 After this discussion took place, the morning session commenced and the alternate juror was formally dismissed without objection. The alternate juror then left the courtroom. At the end of the day's testimony, the Court again asked on the record whether the defendant had reconsidered his position and desired a mistrial. Both the defendant and his counsel again indicated that they wished to continue with the same jury.9 Now, after the incompetent juror voted to convict, the appellant argues that the District Court should have retained the alternate juror and substituted him for the incompetent juror. He also objects to the fact that this was not one of the alternatives offered to him by the Court.
A defendant can waive his right to trial by twelve jurors. United States v. Lane, 479 F.2d 1134 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 414 U.S. 861, 94 S.Ct. 78, 38 L.Ed.2d 112 (1973); Fed.Rules Cr.Proc., rule 23(b). We believe that a defendant may also waive his right to challenge the competency of a juror. United States v. Witt, 215 F.2d 580, 584-85 (2nd Cir.), cert. denied, sub nom., Talanker v. United States, 348 U.S. 877, 75 S.Ct. 207, 99 L.Ed. 697 (1954). Nor was it incumbent upon the Court to suggest all of the available alternatives. In a similar case the Ninth Circuit in Delgado v. United States, 403 F.2d 208, 209 (1968), cert. denied, 394 U.S. 966, 89 S.Ct. 1320, 22 L.Ed.2d 568 (1969), held:
Appellant asserts that the venireman in question was aware that appellant's counsel intended to challenge him peremptorily, and his retention on the panel was therefore prejudicial to appellant. He argues that in stating the possible course of action which might be taken after the error was discovered the court failed to include the replacement of this juror with the alternate juror. It is not at all clear from the record that the venireman was aware that appellant intended to challenge him peremptorily, as appellant asserts. But if it were, we think the burden rested upon the appellant to suggest the alternative which he now proposes if he preferred it to those suggested by the court. There is nothing to indicate that appellant's solution would not have been acceptable to the court.
We think the initial error was one which appellant could waive, and that waiver is established on the face of the record.
The judgment of conviction is affirmed.
The entry took place at about 9:30 p. m. A search warrant was obtained and served upon Mr. Renfro at about 11:45 p. m. The warrant, however, incorrectly listed the address of the house to be searched as 2480 West McNichols (instead of 2460 West McNichols). The government did not rely on the warrant to give any authority for making the initial entry or for seizure of any of the evidence. Only evidence which was in plain view when the officers entered the house was admitted into evidence at the trial
The Petite policy derives its name from Petite v. United States, 361 U.S. 529, 80 S.Ct. 450, 4 L.Ed.2d 490 (1960) in which the Supreme Court reversed a District Court order denying the government's motion to dismiss an indictment where the defendant had been convicted for the same offense in a state court. The Petite policy was established by Attorney General William Rogers in 1959 and has been followed with some minor changes ever since. Briefly stated the policy provides:
No Federal case should be tried when there has been a State prosecution for substantially the same act or acts without a recommendation having been made (to and approved by) the Assistant Attorney General demonstrating compelling Federal interests for such prosecution.
This statement appeared in a speech made at the University of Virginia School of Law on April 12, 1978
364 U.S. at 223-24, 80 S.Ct. at 1447. See also, United States v. Dudek, 530 F.2d 684 (6th Cir. 1976)
Appellant contends that a conspiracy cannot be proven by a single transaction between buyer and seller. This rule has only been applied in two situations, neither of which are present in this case. The first situation is where the buyer and seller are the only participants in the conspiracy. "Wharton's Rule" states that "an agreement by two persons to commit a particular crime cannot be prosecuted as a conspiracy when the crime is of such a nature as to necessarily require the participation of two persons for its commission." 1 R. Anderson, Wharton's Criminal Law & Procedure 191 (1957). This rule does not apply where there is more than one seller or more than one buyer. United States v. Rueter, 536 F.2d 296 (9th Cir. 1976); Gebardi v. United States, 287 U.S. 112, 122 n.6, 53 S.Ct. 35, 38 n.6, 77 L.Ed. 206 (1932). The second and more frequent application of the single transaction rule occurs when courts are compelled to grapple with the difficult problem of whether, in a particular case, it is fair to hold the buyer or a minor participant to be a part of a larger conspiracy consisting often of smugglers, distributors, middlemen, and other buyers. In those cases the question is whether the buyer or minor participant had knowledge of the scope of the conspiracy. We see no fairness issues presented where the defendant is a seller who naturally knows that he is dealing with a buyer even if he does not know the name of the party who is making the purchase
See generally, United States v. Vinson, 606 F.2d 149 (6th Cir. 1978)
We held in United States v. Gay, 522 F.2d 429, 435 (6th Cir. 1975) that the trial court has discretion to "dismiss a juror and replace him with an alternate, or dismiss an alternate for illness, hardship or other cause" without the consent of the parties, but that the Court must allow the defendant an opportunity to object and to make a record of the proceedings for purposes of preserving his right to appeal the decision. Absent an objection to the dismissal of a juror, any error which might have occurred is waived. United States v. Davis, 608 F.2d 698, 699 (6th Cir. 1979)
THE COURT: I would recommend it, yes, I wanted to declare a mistrial in this case and then pick another jury, or, as far as I'm you can't very well proceed with a part of this jury because we've taken some testimony in this case and every juror has to hear all of the testimony
Now, you're entitled to a jury of twelve; I have no objection to that, of course, but it was suggested that we proceed with eleven jurors, and we could discharge this woman and proceed with the remaining jurors if you would want to, if you elect to do it that way.
DEFENDANT RENFRO: I would prefer
THE COURT: (Interposing) What?
DEFENDANT RENFRO: I would prefer twelve.
THE COURT: In my opinion you have one juror here who is not qualified to be a juror, but if you insist on it we'll go right ahead and decide this case with twelve jurors.
DEFENDANT RENFRO: No, I would not insist on the competency, if you want to call a mistrial and pick another jury it's O.K.
THE COURT: That is? All right, then you're agreeable that we declare a mistrial then?
MR. WILLIAMS: All right. Just a minute, your Honor, let me understand if he understands what he's doing.
MR. WILLIAMS: Did I discuss with you what the Judge and I discussed in chambers prior to coming back in the courtroom and us going on the record?
DEFENDANT RENFRO: Yes, you did.
MR. WILLIAMS: No, the Judge in open court on the record has indicated to you that if you desire, not the Judge's desire, it's your desire, that he will declare a mistrial and pick a new jury because he feels there should be twelve competent jurors? Now, do you understand that?
DEFENDANT RENFRO: Yes.
MR. WILLIAMS: Now, nobody can force you to do this. I have informed and guided you with my counsel as your attorney of record. The Judge has indicated on the record what he will do. Now, do you want this jury of your own free will, or do you want a mistrial declared and pick another jury?
DEFENDANT RENFRO: No, we'll go with the same jury.
MR. WILLIAMS: You want to go with the same jury.
THE COURT: All right, bring in the jury. Now, wait just a second. I want to be absolutely sure, Mr. Williams and Mr. Renfro, that you do not want the Court to declare a mistrial. Is that right?
MR. WILLIAMS: That is correct, your Honor.
THE COURT: Is that correct
MR. WILLIAMS: (Interposing) Is that correct, Mr. Renfro?
DEFENDANT RENFRO: That's correct.
THE COURT: Shut the jury room door. I'd like to inquire once more now about this Juror No. 1. I made a record of what has occurred here in court and in my chambers with respect to Juror No. 1, the reason for her being tardy this morning, and I had stated my opinion that I think that this juror is not competent to be a juror in this case or any other case, and yet I think on the record as it now stands I have no right to excuse her as a juror or no right to declare a mistrial on my own motion, and I think, however, it would be better in the interest of justice for both the Government and the defendant to have a mistrial but, of course, I can't declare a mistrial, I don't feel I can, I don't think I have the right on the record as it now stands without some medical testimony about this juror, to declare a mistrial, so I just want to be absolutely sure that this defendant desires does not desire to have the Court declare a mistrial and desires to have this case proceed with jury
MR. WILLIAMS: He wishes to continue, your Honor.
THE COURT: I want to hear that from the defendant also. Is that right, Mr. Renfro?
DEFENDANT RENFRO: Yes, sir.
THE COURT: What?
THE COURT: All right, we'll continue. We'll adjourn then until tomorrow morning at 9:30.


Does your tween or teen have emotional out bursts? It's rare to hear of one who doesn't so you are not alone! Have you ever felt completely inept as to how to handle the situation? I know I did may times. But then I discovered a secret that totally changed my relationship with meltdowns. Today I am going to let you in on this little known secret. It will become a game changer between you and your relationship with your tween/teen.
Say NOTHING! Your words will more likely escalate the situation.
Use understanding sounds gestures like a nod or an occasional "hmmm" to let your tween/teen know that you are listening.
especially when accusations were being made or inappropriate names were yelled.
Make sure your body language is open. Don't cross your arms, tense up or shrink.
Put on your patient understanding face.
When your tween/teen's emotions seem totally dispelled, gently ask, "Is there anything else?" You might be thinking, "Why would I want to open myself to more of this tirade?" The purpose is for your tween/teen to completely empty them-self of all charged emotions.
Here's the good news, I found that if I was able to "be there" for my tween/teen, when the surge was over, she frequently either apologized for her behavior or was able to come to resolution for what was bothering her. However, don't expect this or demand this to happen.
You may be wondering what do I do about the foul language used, the disrespect or worse yet the hole punched in the wall? AFTER your teen/tween has calmed down and has had time to regroup, ask your tween/teen what they could have done differently. Talk about what set them off. Help them to identify their triggers i.e. lack of sleep, being hungry, too much stimulation, difficult teachers, classmates to name a few. Help them develop strategies for how they can handle these situations in the future.
If they have been rude to you, ask for a make-up. Perhaps they could do one of your chores, babysit siblings or give you a foot rub (my favorite). Teaching your child repair is a vital life skill that they will continue to utilize as they learn to navigate through relationships.
If your child has broken something, have them either repair it or replace it. This teaches your tween/teen accountability and that their actions have consequences. There were many times that I was so grateful that the episode was over that I wanted to skip this step. DON'T! Being a patient and understanding parent is not enough. Boundaries need to be set and adhered to after their emotional surge.
This takes practice. You may fail the first few times. However, once you have mastered this skill, emotional charged situations will feel less out of control and overwhelming.
This week, help your tween/teen deescalate from their emotional surges.
changing services or share the article on your social media accounts.
seminars, Home Course DVD's, etc., you may call or visit my website.
This Special expires February 28, 2018.


text:
Q: Cannot rebuild ISO according to Ubuntu Documentation (11/2020) Earlier this year (around April) I could:

*

*Download a Ubuntu iso (in my case Ubuntu 18.04)

*Extract its contents to a folder

*Make changes (if needed, specifically preseed some basic commands, no deep changes)

*Run the mkisofs commands with the required options to create an iso

*Run isohybrid on the iso (this was apparently a crucial step)

*Make a bootable USB with startup disk creator and the created iso

The mkisofs command and options are the same as those found here:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallCDCustomization
Namely:
mkisofs -r -V UBUNTU_V -cache-inodes -J -l -b isolinux/isolinux.bin -c isolinux/boot.cat -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table -o myiso.iso UBUNTU_V
sudo isohybrid myiso.iso
(I store the files in a folder called UBUNTU_V where V stands for "Vanilla")
This used to work just fine. Now it does not work anymore, even when all I am trying to do is rebuild an iso from unmodified files (step 3. skipped, hence "Vanilla")
Now the startup disk creator won't acknowledge the existence of my iso when selecting it in the browser menu, and trying to dd the iso onto the USB stick (after dd if=/dev/zero to really cleanse it) results in the USB boot working (Ubuntu logo greeting) but then an ash terminal saying no live system could be found.
Did something change since April ? Why isn't it working as it used to ?
Thank you very much.

A: The issue was how I extracted the files from the original iso.
I used to just open the USB and copy paste with my mouse and keyboard.
Or, I would run
mount -o loop original.iso temporary/
sudo cp -r temporary/* UBUNTU_V/
But that somehow corrupts things.
I found:
https://gist.github.com/AkdM/2cd3766236582ed0263920d42c359e0f
And these commands:
mount -t iso9660 -o loop ~/original.iso /mnt/
cd /mnt
tar cf - . | (cd /tmp/custom_iso; tar xfp -)
allow to extract the files cleanly and rebuild the iso with the commands from Ubuntu documentation.
It didn't use to be so complex though.
Thank you.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Hey everyone, hope you're having a great weekend. I can't believe it's already September! I'm not going to lie, I'm excited for the Fall, mainly because that means we're getting closer to Christmas 🙂 And I am a Christmas crazy person.
Not too much planned for this weekend. We're hoping to do some things around the house. I really want to sand down our dining room table and paint it another color. We're either thinking a dark brown or maybe just all white and go for a clean and bright look in the dining room. Haven't decided yet!
Should you get an Internship?


Between Blakes 7 Season C's penultimate and final episodes there is a change in tone that is often remarked upon by fans. Considerable time passes between these two episodes – in Terminal, Servalan tells Avon that it took months to recreate Blake in her computers - but something also seems to have happened to effect a change in the dynamic between the crew members.
Into this breach steps Big Finish, providing not just a missing episode but a 12-episode audio season-within-a-season! Crossfire Part One is the first box set in this series and comprises four full-length episodes, together with an hour of behind-the-scenes interviews.
When Elana Winterhaven, former Federation employee turned rebel, contacts the Liberator with information on Servalan's whereabouts and asks for their help in putting an end to her, they agree. By now, most of the Liberator crew have reasons of their own to want Servalan dead.
Kicking off the new series, Paradise Lost is a well written and performed ensemble story. The characters and canon timeline are re-established, together with newer elements that Big Finish have introduced in their previous series. The dialogue sparkles with the sardonic humour typical of B7, and there's plenty of action, danger, plot twists, loyalties, treacheries, personal vendettas and galaxy-wide power struggles. Orac's explanation of the origins of the planet's name Erewhon sent me a-Googling to look up the source. Never let it be said that Big Finish audios aren't educational!
The regular cast slip back easily into their respective roles. Yasmin Bannerman makes a convincing Dayna and I'm now so used to Alistair Lock as Zen/Orac that it almost seems odd hearing Peter Tuddenham's voice on the TV episodes. Clare Vousden is great as the ruthless Winterhaven and I cheered the return of the President, played with silky-smooth menace by the wonderful Hugh Fraser.
Summoned by a mysterious voice to the planet Nephre, Cally finds the last surviving city facing the twin perils of famine and Verenki - savage creatures hellbent on killing and destruction. Nephre's people are divided between those who worship the goddess Electra and those who do not believe, each convinced they have the better chance of survival. But why has Cally been summoned – has she really heard the voice of the goddess?
After setting up the series arc in Paradise Lost, Crossfire does what we often saw in Season C - takes time out for a standalone story that focuses on one character.
There's an old saying that one should never discuss religion and politics at dinner parties. That's partially true for B7, because although at its heart a political series, it has on the whole shied away from religion. It's established that churches were destroyed by the Federation (Pressure Point), gods are portrayed as false and manipulative (Cygnus Alpha, Dawn of the Gods) and religious adherents as misguided (Deliverance). The field was wide open for Big Finish to examine how faith and belief may still manifest under Federation rule, and these are the themes of True Believers. It's an intelligent story that gives equal weight to the views of believers and non-believers and examines the ways in which faith - and lack of faith - can have far reaching consequences.
At 71 minutes, this is the longest episode in this collection, and I did feel that some of it was repetitious, especially the descriptions of the marauding Verenki. There also seemed to be more than the usual amount of running around, which together with the monsters, gave it a bit of a Doctor Who vibe.
As the only regular cast member, Jan Chappell carries the episode brilliantly, in the company of strong supporting actors. Their characters are complex and multi-layered and all the performances are excellent. Special mention should go to Becky Wright, who in relatively short scenes provides three very different voices (and accents) for the Goddess, the Distributor and the Curator, making each of them distinct and memorable.
If that sounds familiar, it's because the original owners of the Liberator aren't quite as destroyed as the events in Redemption would have had us believe.
After Cally's solo adventure, we're back on the Liberator for a Season C story that ties in well with the Season B original. One of the many lovely things about Big Finish is the way they connect new stories to previously established canon. In this episode, Tarrant and Dayna learn about the System, Vila and Tarrant encounter the Liberator's defence systems and Dayna discovers what Jenna experienced in Cygnus Alpha.
This episode shares the action evenly amongst the Liberator crew, but the scenes with Avon and Dayna are particularly good, building on their relationship that began in Aftermath but never seemed to be properly developed in the TV series.
Resurgence feels like a proper sequel to Redemption and provides the potential for further stories featuring the System. Something tells me we haven't yet heard the last of it!
Zeera Vos, an old acquaintance of Vila, is selling Federation pursuit ships to the highest bidder. Vila and Cally go to the base where they're being sold, but discover that they are not the only ones who are interested.
Michael Keating is always brilliant as Vila, but his performance in this episode is exceptional, as Vila lurches between fearlessness and abject terror. It's a wonderfully different version of the little thief.
Overall, the production of Crossfire Part One is of the highest quality, with great performances by the regular cast and an excellent range of guest actors who provide a variety of different accents and distinct voices that bring their characters to life. The sound design and music are outstanding - there are 'wide screen' evocative atmospheres, alien creatures and space battles, plus meticulous attention to the details of footsteps, body moves, clothes rustling and the handling of objects. The actors' voices are treated to sound as though they are in different locations - talking indoors, outdoors, near and distant, through hoods, over comms or via telepathy. All those layers of sound build up to a vivid listening experience, proving again that 'pictures can be better on audio'. It's extraordinary to think that these soundscapes started out as clean dialogue recorded in a studio.
Crossfire Part Two is released in January, and I can't wait to hear it!
Crossfire Part Two is available now for pre-order.