New Page Police Chief Drew Sanders talks about priorities at his office at the City of Page Public Safety Facility on March 29. Sanders, a 27-year veteran of the West Jordan Police Department in West Jordan, Utah, began work here on March 25.
PAGE – When Drew C. Sanders was sworn in as the new chief for the Page Police Department, he started work last Monday and then conducted a full department meeting the very next day.
The first thing he did was acknowledge Page Police Lt. Timothy Lange for his five-month service as interim chief and then discussed some changes that need to be carried out within the agency, among a list of others.
"Then I discussed my priorities and what we're going to work on as an agency," said Sanders, who came to Page after spending 27 years with the West Jordan Police Department in West Jordan, Utah. "Things (here) have been running rather well."
Sanders said there's no radical changes underway, but only internally.
One of those changes is hiring new police department staff, said Sanders.
Sanders said the department leadership recently tested three individuals who would make good candidates for police officers. But only one qualified.
As time progresses, he says, there will be some significant changes in the police department's hiring process.
On the internal process side, Sanders said, the agency is going to address the intoxication problem in downtown Page more effectively, though it is a big struggle.
And to do that, the police department needs to get some players involved, said Sanders. In a more significant way.
To solve this issue, the police department staff will have to collaborate with local businesses that provide alcoholic beverages, according to the Page Police.
"We do not want to hamper their business in any way, but it affects them as well," Sanders explained. "And the quality of business, the quality of life–– these are really quality of life issues for our city. But as we progress, we really got to come up with some effective measures.
Editor's note: This is part one of two stories about the new Page Police chief settling in to his new role.
When Drew C. Sanders was sworn in as the new chief for the Page Police Department, he started work last Monday and then conducted a full department meeting the very next day.


text:
Hujia&jinyan's spirit
Support and Information of Hu Jia and Jinyan Zeng
About them
Gao Zhinsheng
Hu Jia's Indictment (CECC Full Translation)
"The Real China and the Olympics" – Letter by Teng Biao & Hu Jia
Zheng Mingfang's open support letter
Olympic Letter Jan 2008
Over 100 former political prisoners call for Suu Kyi's release
Posted on June 16, 2009 by hujiaandjinyan | Leave a comment
New Delhi (mizzima) – More than 100 former political prisoners world wide, have put their signatures on a statement calling for the release of Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and urged the UN Security Council to impose a global arms embargo on Burma.
The former political prisoners from over 20 countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe have signed a special "64 words to Aung San Suu Kyi", a campaign that urges Aung San Suu Kyi's supporters to tweet, write text messages, send videos and photographs to a Website – 64forsuu.org, launched by campaigners on May 27 to mark the Nobel Peace Laureate's 64th birthday on June 19.
The former political prisoners in their 64 words for Aung San Suu Kyi said, "The continued denial of your freedom unacceptably attacks the human rights of all 2,156 political prisoners in Myanmar. As those also incarcerated for our political beliefs, we share the world's outrage. We call on the United Nations Security Council to press the Myanmar Government to immediately release all political prisoners, and to restrict weapons that strengthen its hand through a global arms embargo."
Kim Dae-jung, South Korea's former President and Nobel Peace Laureate in his words said, "Aung San Suu Kyi's continued detention shames Asia."
Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to scrap its policy of non-interference saying, "ASEAN cannot continue its policy of non-intervention. It's time to work together for regional stability and prosperity."
Several signatories are themselves under house arrest including Yuan Weijing and Zeng Jinyan of China. [continues…]
Posted in Press
China : News Last Updated: Apr 25, 2009 – 2:32:31 AM My Visit With My Husband Jailed Rights Activist Hu Jia on Wednesday April 22
Posted on April 29, 2009 by hujiaandjinyan | Leave a comment
By chinafreepress.org (translation)
Apr 25, 2009 – 2:31:06 AM
My Visit With My Husband Jailed Rights Activist Hu Jia on Wednesday April 22
by Zeng Jinyan
I rise early, wash and comb my hair, and get the baby ready to go. I tell her that today we are going to see Papa, and she points to the picture on the wall.
I get on the road to Beijing with Hu Jia's mother, and we are chatting. I take the exit at Tuanhe. This used to be a playground for the Qing Dynasty emperors. Now it is the site of the Beijing Prison.
When we finish registering Hu Jia is already in the meeting room. Hu Jia has gotten much skinnier. In the course of a single month his face seems to have gotten much more gaunt. The speaker doesn't work well and breaks down several times. The glass if filthy, we cannot see each other clearly. He says he has no appetite. I ask if he can eat eggs, he says at most once or twice a week. He doesn't eat with the other prisoners, instead is fed a special vegetarian diet.
I am very worried. In 2006 when he was detained for 41 days, he came back with cirrhosis of the liver and had to be admitted to the hospital. Maybe he is sick again?
The prison has gotten much stricter on us. They will not approve the books I bring, and our letters are heavily censored.
We are not allowed to discuss any current affairs, and it inconvenient to discuss household affairs with so many guards listening.
Suddenly the telephone cuts off. Our half hour is up. We have said little. I regret that I did not just let our child play with her father instead.
When we get home my mother-in-law and I both call the police and the prison, trying to ensure that Hu gets proper medical treatment and that their rules regarding reading material, letters, and daily use items are enforced. But the responsible people are not at work.
http://www.boxun.us/news/publish/chinanews/My_Visit_With_My_Husband_Jailed_Rights_Activist_Hu_Jia_on_Wednesday_April_22.shtml
Full Chinese report at: http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2009/04/200904251044.shtml
Qi Zhiyong Prevent by Police from Visiting Hu Jia
Posted on April 3, 2009 by hujiaandjinyan | Leave a comment
Crippled Tiananmen Crackdown Victim Qi Zhiyong Physically Prevent by Police from Visiting Jailed Rights Activist Hu Jia
Boxun reports that on Friday April 3 crippled Tiananmen crackdown victim and rights activist was physically prevented by police from visiting his jailed friend, rights activist Hu Jia, in prison. April 3 marks one year since Hu Jia was imprisoned for his rights defense work. Qi was with two Agence France Press journalists when police blocked their car and prevented them from accompanying Hu Jia's mother, his wife Zeng Yan, and their infant son to visit Hu in prison.
Posted on March 28, 2009 by hujiaandjinyan | Leave a comment
Jinyan's MySpace contains a number of paintings of her done by a friend like the one below.
Hu Jia currently has access to books and a state newspaper to read and his letters reach his family although they have to be carefully written to pass through censorship.
Jinyan's passport application has been refused : lets hope that changes some how 🙂
SAKHAROV NETWORK MESSAGE
SAKHAROV PRIZE WINNER HU JIA
Completes a third of his jail sentence
Network of Sakharov laureates does not forget one of its own.
Hu Jia, the winner of the European Parliament's 2008 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, complete today a third of his sentence of three and a half years in prison for "inciting subversion of state authority."
The members of the Sakharov Network, which groups past winners of the Sakharov Prize, reiterate their support for their colleague, who is being unjustly held by the Chinese authorities. "We express our concern and sympathy for our Chinese friend, his wife Zeng Jinyan and their young daughter," the network said. "We also express our solidarity with all political prisoners in China and their families." [continues…]
Posted in Part 6: Who support them?, Press
Zeng Jinyan: Short Family Reunion
Posted on February 26, 2009 by hujiaandjinyan | 1 comment
From Just Recently
Zeng Jinyan met Hu Jia in prison yesterday, after more than three months. Her impression is that he looks much older than last time. "Maybe he sees me the same way!", she notes. Hu Jia passed the work security tests and will start working soon, either welding or other heavy-industry kind of work. He had a medical examination on Febr. 4 (but still doesn't know the result).
The supervision mode has been changed from tight (严管) to normal (普管). Ms Zeng explains that theoretically, this means that could make three phone calls or send text messages. On February 26, one third of Hu Jia's prison term will be over.
Ms Zeng had brought their daughter Bao Bao with her, and the family had some happy moments together.
Posted in Part 5: What about Hu Jia and Zeng Jinyan now?, Press
Sakharov Prize Award 08 – Hu Jia -The whole Message from Zeng Jinyan
Posted on December 20, 2008 by hujiaandjinyan | 3 comments
Dear friends, Hello,
I am Hu Jia's wife, Zeng Jinyan. Hu Jia is currently in prison and so is unable to come to the ceremony to receive his Sakharov Prize.
I don't have a passport so I cannot come to Europe either to attend the ceremony for the Sakharov Prize's 20th anniversary. We are deeply sorry about this.
The good news is that Hu Jia was transferred on 10 October 2008 from Chaobai prison in Tianjin to the Beijing municipal prison, and that the conditions in which he is being held have improved. As for his health, he is looking a little better. He seems to be in slightly better shape than he was in Chaobai prison.
However, he had two blood tests in the space of a month and we don't know what the results were. Although we asked for them, the results of the tests have not been given to the family. This behaviour worries us. It makes us fear that his cirrhosis has got worse.
I visited Hu Jia in the Beijing municipal prison on 21 November 2008. Before our meeting, we were both warned separately by the prison authorities that we were forbidden to talk about the fact that he had been awarded the Sakharov Prize.
So, during my visit, neither of us was able to talk about the prize. We weren't able to discuss it by letter either, as all our correspondence is inspected. Even if all we do is express a view about social phenomena or if Hu Jia talks about the prison, when the prison authorities are not happy with it, our letters are confiscated or Hu Jia's letters are returned to him. We very much hope to be able to communicate more normally, but for the time being it is very hard.
At the end of October 2008 or beginning of November, I am not exactly sure which, State Security police officers told Hu Jia he had won the Sakharov Prize.
And when I saw him on 21 November, I could sense that he was very happy about it. I know that Hu Jia spoke to his mother and to the policemen about it. These are more or less his words:
"Perhaps the European Parliament was thinking of the work I did in the areas of AIDS and the environment, because what I did in terms of human rights was very far from sufficient and I will need to redouble my efforts."
He also said this Sakharov Prize was very important for China and he was confident that the future would prove him right. Obviously, from my personal viewpoint, I hope he comes home as soon as possible. Hu Jia said one day that he hoped to be China's last prisoner of conscience but the reality is very different. Since the day of his trial, on 3 April, there have been others such as Huang Qi, Zeng Honglin and Chen Daojun who have been arrested by the authorities because their expressed their views publicly. And some of them have been tried and given prison sentences.
This shows that the situation of freedom of opinion is still absolutely appalling and that there is no reason for optimism.
But even in these circumstances, there are now a great many exceptional people and people of goodwill in Chinese society who are going to great lengths to find ways to make the real situation in China known, and to express deeply-felt views, and the Internet is providing them with a very interesting platform. But unfortunately there is sometimes a very high price to be paid for this.
If the truth be told, sometimes one's courage is not enough. Sometimes the price to be paid is very, very high. There have been cases in which, after human rights activists, writers and others have used their freedom of thought, their relatives have also been harassed by the police, have lost their jobs or have been put under house arrest. And more serious still, some have even been tried and convicted.
Hu Jia had himself been illegally kidnapped several times by the police since 2004, without any form of legal procedure. He was constantly followed and in the end he was given a prison sentence. And I, who am his wife, I am often harassed by the police. 05:49
Others are in the same situation, such as Chen Guangchen and his wife, Guo Feixiong and his wife, and even their child, who has been denied his right to education. Thanks to many appeals from different quarters, Guo Feixiong's children were later able to go back to school although in circumstances that are not very satisfactory.
For all these reasons, I would like to respect the desire that Hu Jia has expressed on many occasions. He has often said he would like to set up a support network to help the families of human rights activists. To provide moral support for the families, to ease their mental and life pressure to which they are subjected. So that they can be strong enough to face the pressure of the authorities in a more active and optimistic manner, and to discourage cruel revenge-taking on families.
I cannot at the moment do very much but I would like to use the 50,000 euros of Hu Jia's Sakharov Prize as start-up money, to establish a foundation to support the families of human rights activists and to finally realise what Hu Jia had always wanted.
Why is the human rights work done by Hu Jia so difficult?
I think this is mainly because China's legal system is not satisfactory. There are laws, there are all sorts of articles and regulations, some are well written, but they are not applied.
In reality, the situation of the rule of law is disastrous. The judicial system has no independence. Until 2004, Hu Jia devoted most of his activity to the problems of AIDS and the environment. He spent a lot of the time in the field, on campaigns, where people needed him to take concrete action.
Then, from 2004 onwards, the police regularly denied him his freedom of movement and he had no other choice but to participate in human rights movements from his home, writing articles and publishing reports from the field.
I think that during all these years, the most important and most interesting thing he did was to have constantly persisted in saying the truth. He never stopped writing about the phenomena he observed. He never stopped describing, one by one, all the realities that the Chinese media cannot say. He never stopped publishing all this on websites so that the public could learn about the reality of China and understand it.
In my view, this has been his greatest contribution.
If you look at China now, you see everyone talking, but lying is very widespread. Nonetheless, there are people who continue their quest for the truth. Because the school textbooks our children study, our newspapers and broadcast media, our libraries and all these documents and files, they all resemble what you find in the novel 1984. They are written in another language to describe a fictitious reality.
What is the real situation, the real China? We do not know.
That is why there is a group of thinking people, like Hu Jia, in China who have never abandoned their quest for the truth. But Hu Jia has paid a very heavy price.
Our child is now just one year old. This is a key period in her life but Hu Jia is not able to be at her side. It is very difficult for me to talk about this, but I think…
And then Hu Jia has also always been very optimistic. He said he thought China was experiencing the most open period of its history, that you had to seize the opportunity to more effectively promote a fairer, freer and more democratic society in China.
We can indeed see this in our daily life, although the government still has very tight control over the media and over freedom of association, and perhaps even tighter control with the use of new technology. But on the other hand, civil society also uses the new technology and the platform that the Internet provides to actively promote a fairer judicial system and a more just society, and to investigate and expose the real China.
And to carry out citizen education, to educate citizens about human rights. It is a real hope: whether the government wants it or not, and whether leading figures inside or outside China recognise it or not, China is moving at great speed towards an open and democratic society.
I would finally like to say that, whatever happens, we must maintain an active and optimist attitude and pursue our efforts to promote the rule of law in China, to promote democracy and freedom in China.
We are full of hope of soon being able to hail the arrival of an open China. We are full of energy for China to become a country at peace.
I would like to thank our European Parliament friends from the bottom of my heart. The European Parliament has from the outset taken an interest in Hu Jia's case and has deployed considerable efforts on behalf of freedom for Hu Jia and other Chinese human rights activists, efforts that demand respect.
It has also never stopped drawing attention to the need for freedom to become a reality for the people of China. Thank you, thank you very much.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those friends who I have never seen. If you had not supported us for so long, if you had not taken an interest in our fate, if you had not constantly encouraged us, I think we would never have found the courage to confront such a difficult social reality.
It helps us to keep hope and to continue our efforts.
I thank you. Thank you for all the efforts you have undertaken for Hu Jia, for me and for our family. Thank you for your efforts on behalf of human rights activists and you contribution to the progress of Chinese society.
Thank you, thank you. And goodbye.
Sakharov Prize Award 08 – Hu Jia – Message from Zeng Jinyan
Uploaded by rsf_internet
Visits to jailed China activist curbed after award
Posted on December 20, 2008 by hujiaandjinyan | 1 comment
By AUDRA ANG – 2 days ago
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese authorities have curbed visits to an imprisoned dissident who was awarded the European Parliament's top human rights award, his wife said.
Zeng Jinyan said she was told of the restriction during a telephone call Thursday from the Beijing Municipal Prison, where her husband, Hu Jia, is being held on a sedition charge.
"State security police told the prison to cancel my visit that had been scheduled for next Monday," Zeng said in an online posting. "No one is allowed to see him."
No reason was given for the change of plans, she said.
A man who answered the telephone at the prison said he was "unclear" about Hu's case and his visiting hours. Like many Chinese officials, he refused to give his name.
The move comes a day after Hu was honored in Strasbourg, France, as the winner of this year's 50,000 euro ($72,000) Sakharov Prize.
Because Hu, 35, is in prison, his name was placed in front of an empty seat. He received a minute-long standing ovation from the parliament.
Initially an advocate for the rights of HIV/AIDS patients, Hu expanded his focus to cover other human rights issues, using the Internet and telephone to publicize the harassment and arrests of other dissidents.
Hu's charge of sedition stems from police accusations that he had planned to work with foreigners to disturb the Olympic Games in August.
The award signals the EU assembly's dismay with what it sees as the authoritarian and repressive nature of the Chinese government. Beijing, however, sees the prize as interference and support for someone it considers a criminal.
Zeng said she hopes to use the prize money to start a foundation to support the families of other activists.
She said the idea had been a longtime wish of Hu, who meticulously chronicled the harassment of activists and their loved ones by authorities in China before being sentenced in April to a 3 1/2-year prison term.
"He has often said he would like to set up a support network … to provide moral support for the families, to ease their mental and life pressures so that they can be strong enough to face the pressure from authorities," Zeng said in a video message played during Wednesday's award ceremony.
It was one of the rare occasions she has been publicly seen since Hu's arrest.
It's not immediately clear how Zeng will go about setting up the support group. She has been under strict surveillance since Hu was whisked away by security agents who swarmed the couple's apartment in the "Freedom City" complex on Dec. 27, 2007.
Her phone is monitored and often disconnected. Plainclothes security agents dog her movements.
Zeng, a waiflike 25-year-old with a heart condition, has herself become a fierce human rights advocate, using her blog to bring attention to abuses. In 2007, she was named by Time magazine as one of the world's 100 most influential people.
On the Net:
* European Parliament's news page: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/default_en.htm
China's Human-Rights Activists Need Support
Posted on December 20, 2008 by hujiaandjinyan | Leave a comment
By VACLAV HAVEL
In January 1977, a group of Czechoslovak citizens, of which I was privileged to be one, released Charter 77. That document was our call for the better protection of basic civil and political rights by the state. It was also the articulation of our belief that, as citizens, we had a certain responsibility to work with the Czechoslovak government to ensure through our vigilance that basic rights would be protected.
With the release of Charter 77, we wanted to create not a membership organization, but instead, as I wrote then, "a free, informal open community of people of different convictions, different faiths, and different professions united by the will to strive, individually and collectively, for the respect of civic and human rights in our own country and throughout the world."
More than three decades later, in December 2008, a group of Chinese citizens has taken our modest effort as their model. They have made a similar call — for human rights, good governance and respect for the responsibility of citizens to keep watch over their government — to ensure that their state plays by the rules of a modern open society.
The document they have issued is an impressive one. In it, the authors of Charter 08 call for protection of basic rights, increased judicial independence, and legislative democracy. But they do not stop there. With the passage of time, we have come to realize that a free and open society means more than the protection of basic rights. To that end, the signatories of Charter 08 also wisely call for better environmental protection, a bridging of the rural-urban divide, better provision of social security, and a serious effort to reconcile with human-rights abuses committed in decades past.
The original signatories, who number more than 300, come from all walks of life, and from across China — a testament to the broad appeal of the ideas put forward in Charter 08. Among the signatories are China's top minds from law, political science, economics, the arts and culture. Their decision to sign onto such a document was surely not taken lightly, and their words should not be so brusquely brushed aside. Since the Charter was released, more than 5,000 men and women have added their names to it.
China in 2008 is not Czechoslovakia in 1977. In many ways, China today is freer and more open than my own country of 30 years ago. And yet, the response of the Chinese authorities to Charter 08 in many ways parallels the Czechoslovak government's response to Charter 77.
more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122964944665820499.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Chinese dissident's wife welcomes international support
Asia-Pacific News
Dec 17, 2008, 9:52 GMT
Beijing – The wife of jailed Chinese dissident Hu Jia welcomed international support for the couple on Wednesday, as the European Parliament prepared to award its top human rights prize to him in absentia.
'It is not only for us, it is also for all Chinese human rights defenders,' Zeng Jinyan told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
'It is important, it makes us feel warm and encouraged,' she said of the international support, in a written interview via internet, which is normally the only way she can communicate with foreign journalists without police interference.
Zeng, 25, said Chinese police had talked to her about Wednesday's award of the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to Hu.
She said police warned her that European officials would not be allowed to visit her suburban Beijing apartment, where she has been under virtual house arrest since Hu's arrest a year ago.
They also questioned her about putting her name to 'Charter '08,' an appeal for democratic reform issued last week by more than 300 dissidents, activists and intellectuals.
Beijing police have formally arrested Liu Xiaobo, a veteran dissident writer who is believed to be accused of organizing the charter, and have questioned or detained many other signatories, according to lawyers and rights groups.
Police asked Zeng if she had considered the consequences of signing the charter for her and Hu, she said.
Hu, 35, began his activism in the late 1990s when the economics graduate volunteered to work on environmental projects.
In 2001, he began helping villagers infected with HIV/AIDS through blood-selling schemes in the central province of Henan, and gained international recognition and several awards.
He spent most of the two years prior to his arrest under some form of detention, but international attention increased as he acted as an information conduit for petitioners and rights activists while confined to his apartment.
Zeng on Wednesday said she thought the international focus on the couple was 'partly because we use blogs and the internet more often than the other (rights) defenders.'
'The other reason is that, I think, because AIDS, environmental protection and human rights in China are urgent issues,' she said.
Despite the jailing of Hu, her own house arrest and the crackdown on the signatories of 'Charter '08,' Zeng said she remained optimistic about the future direction of the rights movement in China.
'There are some difficulties, but ultimately I'm still optimistic,' she said.
Hu and Zeng testified by telephone to a European Parliamentary hearing on China's human rights record in November 2007.
China ignored appeals from the European Union, the United States and rights groups for Hu's release, sentencing him to three and a half years in prison in March for 'inciting subversion of state power.'
The couple are both practicing Tibetan Buddhists and Zeng had a personal audience with the Dalai Lama during a trip to India in 2006.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1448925.php/Chinese_dissidents_wife_welcomes_international_support_
Articles Press
other materials Part 1: who are Hu Jia and Jinyan? Part 2: What's happened to him and her? Part 3: Their efforts and love story Part 4: Why do the police treat them like that? Part 5: What about Hu Jia and Zeng Jinyan now? Part 6: Who support them? Part 7: Is it related to you in the world? Part 8: Give your hand for one dream, one world! Press
China : News Last Updated: Apr 25, 2009 - 2:32:31 AM My Visit With My Husband Jailed Rights Activist Hu Jia on Wednesday April 22
Sakharov Prize Award 08 - Hu Jia -The whole Message from Zeng Jinyan
China's Human-Rights Activists Need Support
Chinese dissident's wife welcomes international support

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Grant Award: Thanks, Mission VLC!
We're thrilled to announce that Arts For Life has recently been awarded a $10,000 grant from Mission Health's Volunteer Leadership Committee (VLC)! We will use the grant money to support our art table at the Olson Huff Center for Child Development.


Arrows Sent Forth: Florida bound.
Gorgeous beach shots...we are also drawn to the ocean, good thing we always seem to live near the water (thanks to the Navy ;). I especially love the third pic: interesting angle, cute baby and those interesting clouds. Have fun planning your next beach trip.
i love lake michigan - it's an incredibly powerful place. great photos!!
Yes, I see why you're planning another trip! Beautiful photos.
There are a lot of great kid friendly places in Florida!! Have fun!
Jealous! I moved back to NE from Florida, and when I lived there I felt like I was on vacation all the time. *sigh* I lived in South Florida (FTL)...it was awesome! We have family there, so we try to go every year. Now with 5 people, it's a little more pricey - eek!
Those pictures are great! It sounds like a good time to plan a beach trip!
Beautiful! There is something about taking kids to the beach that is just magical. Good luck with your trip planning.


text:
Boleslaw Cybis (1895–1957) was a Polish painter, sculptor, and muralist.

Early life

Boleslaw Cybis was born on July 23, 1895 in Vilnius in Lithuania.  He received various athletic awards for gymnastic excellence during his school days in Warsaw. In 1915, he attended St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts while his father, a noted architect and engineer (said to have designed Peterhoff, the summer palace of the mother of Czarina Maria Feodorovna) was designing and building in Russia.

In 1921, the White Russian cause collapsed and Cybis took refuge in Constantinople where he lived and worked with artists Constantin Alajalov and Pavel Tchelitchev. He supported himself by sketching portraits in cafes, painting sidewalk advertisements for theatres, painting murals in nightclubs and cafes, painting and designing stage backdrops for the ballet, and  fashioning clay pipes in ornate designs from native clays. One of his first "paid jobs" was a gigantic billboard advertising Nestle's chocolate.

By 1923 he had saved enough money for transportation home to Warsaw, where he entered the Academy of Fine Arts. Upon graduation, he was appointed a professor at the Academy and traveled extensively throughout Europe recording his experiences in his art while studying the Old Masters and emulating their techniques. In 1926 he married Marja Tym, a talented fellow artist and student at the Academy. Marja, also spelled Maria (as is shown on the tombstone at the Cybises grave site in the Princeton Cemetery, Princeton, NJ), was born in Poland on October 13, 1904. However the date on the tombstone is 1906.

Painting career

Cybis' paintings, sculptures, and murals won him recognition in Paris, Geneva, Munich, Frankfurt, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Bucharest and Vienna. From 1926-1930 he was fascinated by the peasants of the country side whom he likened to 15th century medieval portraits of the masters. Over the next four years he painted a series of peasant portraits now in various museum collections. During the 1930s his work first appeared by invitation in fine art exhibits and museums in the United States, where Studio Magazine (Contemporary... Masters," April 1934) found his paintings "a striking example... reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci." In 1932 he lived in Tripoli, where some of his finest canvases were painted, and where he painted experimentally with cement. Over the next few years he exhibited paintings at the Brooklyn Museum of Art and at museums in Chicago and Dayton, Ohio as well as in the International Exhibition of Paintings at the Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, NY.  His ceiling mural was awarded the Grand Prix at the International "Art and Technique" in Paris.

In 1939 Cybis and his wife, Marja, an accomplished artist in her own right came to the United States to paint a series of murals commissioned by their government in the "Hall of Honor" at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Here he completed two frescos: "Poles Fighting for American Independence" and "Central Industrial District and Gdynia." Also shown at the fair was a textured tapestry rug, "Walking through a Park", designed by Cybis and his wife. He then toured the U.S., sketching and painting Native American Indians.

Sculpture career

Unable to return to their homeland after the outbreak of World War II, the Cybises chose to become citizens of the United States. Although he had spent many years as a painter, Cybis was also fascinated with three-dimensional porcelain art, and the couple  soon established Cybis Studio at the Steinway Mansion in Astoria, New York, in 1940. Here they created cold cast chalk ware sculptures known as Papka in the fashion of the great European Studios they had known during their youth.

After relocating to Trenton, New Jersey, Cybis turned his attention fully to china and porcelain sculpture using techniques derived from his study of the Old Masters in Europe. "Concept,...training, direction and execution -- Cybis knew that not one of these elements can be neglected in the complex process which ends as  fine porcelain sculpture: for he was not a man to be tolerant of less than perfection. That his instincts were correct was quickly proven: in less than two years, Cybis achieved recognition as a leader in the field of porcelain art."  In 1942 Cybis along with two investors, Harry Wilson and Harvey Greenburg, founded the Cordey China Company  and in 1953 Cybis founded the Cybis Studio.  The studio produced porcelain works at 65 Norman Avenue in Trenton until closing it doors to the public in the early 2000s.  A website was online for several years advertising items for sale by special order but that was removed mid 2019.  The company is now closed.

Cybis porcelains were given as gifts of state and found in the permanent collections of museums, embassies, government buildings and art galleries around the world.

Notes

References
 Cybis Porcelain Records at Syracuse University
 Cybis Porcelain website
  Cybises grave site
  Poles in America by Edward Pinkowski

20th-century Polish painters
20th-century Polish male artists
Polish muralists
1895 births
1957 deaths
Polish emigrants to the United States
20th-century Polish sculptors
Polish male sculptors
Artists from Vilnius
Burials at Princeton Cemetery
Polish male painters

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


except C1 who end improper.
B1 1-2      Lead fwd to meet in middle.
3-4      Retire.                           Meet in the middle.
5-6      Go fwd again, pass opposite R     Retire.
and onto ends of lines            places.
End couples have now changed places; all couples are proper.
9-16    Everyone go back to back with partner and two-hand turn.
MUSIC: Minuet from G. F. Handel's "Water Music", Suite No. 3 in G.


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Journal Economics A Values Approach to Advancing Women in Leadership
2014 Volume 17 Issue 3
A Values Approach to Advancing Women in Leadership
Using Talent Management to Change the Equation
By Bernice Ledbetter, EdD
Women make up half the workforce in nearly every country around the world, even still, labor shortages call for increased participation of women workers at all levels of the organizational hierarchy. The urgency for managing the talent for that half of the workforce suggests it is time to change the equation, to bring more women into positions of influence and leadership. Recent findings from research conducted on women, their leadership and values offers new insight on strategies to advance women in leadership and why this is necessary if organizations hope to create and sustain economic competitive advantage.
Economics, Global Business, Leadership, Management
Women in Leadership Globally
A review of the global perspective on women in the workforce, and women in leadership, reveals discriminatory practices in some parts of the world. A Catalyst study found that women face challenges simply getting through obstacles embedded in the hiring process; 50 percent of 143 countries evaluated do not have laws prohibiting gender discriminatory hiring practices, and only 11 percent have laws prohibiting interview questions related to family status.[1] For many women around the world entering the workforce can be monumental. Moreover, among the G7 Countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, and USA) women comprise only 21 percent of senior roles. That number inches up to 24 percent when all countries around the world are factored into the equation. In 1996 there was one woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company, today there are 24, at the current rate of increase by 2030 there will be 50 women CEOs in the Fortune 500. However, the number of women on corporate boards in the United States has stalled at 12. Indeed, progress toward gender equality is moving very slowly and may even be at a standstill.[2]
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a global think tank, recognizes the economic engine women create when they work and lead, stating "Women are the most underutilized economic asset in the world's economy."[3] Figure 1 depicts an assessment of the economic impact women's work and leadership could have on various countries by the year 2020, these figures suggest a ripple effect: women's contribution raises the GDP significantly around the globe.[4] [5] [6] [7]
Figure 1: Percent increase in GDP by 2020 when women enter the workforce
This impact means there is an immense opportunity to manage the talent of women worldwide in order to realize global economic improvement. In fact, Japan is addressing this issue head on.[8] Because of cultural and role expectations, 70 percent of Japanese women quit the workforce to raise their children and take care of their families, and most do not return. Japan's economy slowed considerably in the recent economic downturn and is not rebounding as quickly as hoped. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has issued a directive, it has been referred to as "Abenomics," his plan is to increase the number of women in the workforce and specifically the percentage of women in executive level positions by 30 percent by 2020; he is calling for one woman executive per public company.[9] [10] [11] This is an example of the positive ripple effects resulting from an economic decision: more women in the workforce and more women in senior level positions create stronger, more profitable companies. Women help the economic engine run better.[12]
Talent Management of Women
Let's consider talent management at the global level by looking at three countries at very different stages along the continuum of women in leadership: China, Saudi Arabia and the United States. Talented young women in these regions are asking important questions, "How can I as a woman lead in my country, and how can I help other women like me realize their dreams of being in leadership?" Talent management involves maximizing the full potential of individuals' competence, commitment, and contribution;[13] the next generation of women leaders are very eager to bring their competence, commitment, and unique leadership style to organizations across the globe where they will contribute much needed diversity and balance amid the changing nature of work. Managing this talent pool is a global concern for CEOs, human resource officers, and managers who will be tasked with developing their employees.
Right now Saudi women are breaking new ground, for the first time in history women are more educated, they are working more, and starting their own businesses. There are two female CEOs, both in the financial sector, one made the Fortune list of the Global 50 Most Powerful Women.[14] Policies and practices are changing, but for some women the pace is far too slow. Research suggests the preferred style of leading in Saudi Arabia is laissez-faire.[15] Leaders in this cultural context trust followers to carry out their job responsibilities without a great deal of intervention or oversight. Enacting a more directive style of leadership is perceived as lacking trust. Saudi women align with this general perception and lead with a great deal of trust in others.
In China, women hold 25 percent of top seats as senior leaders of corporations, in fact seven Chinese women CEOs made the Fortune 50 Most Powerful list.[16] Even still, Chinese women who have made it to the C-level suite express frustration at having to constantly prove themselves, they feel their work is overly scrutinized and that any hint of failing to meet expectations is fatal to their long-term career progress. In the context of a traditional culture that values hierarchy and male domination, Chinese women leaders have adopted a more transformational approach that is highly interactive in order to promote team building and harmony.[17]
In the United States women continue to be underrepresented in the top ranks of leadership across Fortune 500 Companies, with less than two- percent of women reaching positions of CEO and only 16 percent in the C-suite. There are 23 women CEOs in the Fortune 500 and nearly all of those 23 companies have significant operations outside the U.S. In the United States women lead through collaboration using a transformational approach.[18]
One aspect of leadership that transcends culture is values.[19] While women leaders around the globe may differ in the exact values they hold, they do share a common desire to achieve goals and to make the way a bit easier for aspiring women who will come behind them to assume leadership roles in the future. Holding a set of highly prioritized values is an essential element of leadership. Values also play a role in creating a talent management strategy to advance women in leadership.
Women's Leadership Values
At the heart of talent management are values.[20] Hiring and developing talented women requires tapping into intrinsic values that inform competence, drive commitment, and sustain meaning and purpose in work. Values can be thought of as an enduring set of beliefs that are shaped by one's life experiences, culture and even gender.[21] [22] Recognizing the values of women leaders is the beginning of talent management.
To better understand value priorities that drive women in leadership, the author conducted a study with women CEO's from the east and west coasts of the U.S. Participants from a variety of industries including technology, manufacturing, financial services companies were asked to rank order a set of values from most to least important using the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS). The participants' combined rank ordering was then mapped to the circular structure model developed by Schwartz that captures the conflicts and compatibility among ten value domains that have been found to be consistent across cultures (see Figure 2 Achievement, Benevolence, Conformity, Hedonism, Power, Security, Self-Direction, Stimulation, Tradition, Universalism).[23] Results from the assessment reveal a particular pattern suggesting women leaders hold a preference for benevolence and achievement values. Achievement refers to personal success through the demonstration of competence according to social standards, and benevolence is a concern for the welfare of close others in everyday interaction.[24] Perhaps this is an optimal value combination for women leaders.
Leadership demands both benevolence and achievement values in order to be effective. Benevolence values support the relational side of leadership. An organization at its most basic level is simply a set of relationships. Leaders who are accomplished at managing relationships create successful organizations. The number one reason people leave organizations is because of fractured relationships with bosses or co-workers.[25] Leaders who are adept at building strong and positive relationships create a firm foundation for organizational success. Benevolence values form the basis for leadership skills such as empathy and encouragement. These values preserve and enhance relationships between people and support motivation and inspiration. Leaders who demonstrate benevolence motivate followers to increase ethical sensitivity and positive engagement.[26] Benevolence values remind the leader she is a member of a community and therefore accountable to many for her actions and decisions. However, benevolence by itself is not all that is needed for effective leadership.
Figure 2. Schwartz value domains; study results in bold
Achievement values are required to create the personal drive to establish and achieve organizational goals using influence, intelligence, and capability.[27] Organizational success depends on the leader's ambition to accomplish something important. Achievement values motivate the leader to develop and hone her business competence and compel her to be a continuous learner. In many ways the leader stands as the primary symbol of the organization; achievement values provide the fuel to take on this role with competence and enthusiasm. But all this drive to success requires an anchor; benevolence values are needed to anchor achievement values, without this anchor leadership runs the risk of becoming power wielding coercion. Both benevolence and achievement values are needed, one without the other will not enable effective leading.
Change the Equation for Women
Women in leadership across the globe may hold similar values and research has demonstrated that despite cultural differences women experience three persistent barriers to advancement: social, organizational, and individual. Women face social constraints in terms of gender role expectations; the restrictions of socially accepted behavior of men and women can inhibit the advancement of women in leadership. Organizational culture that is gender specific creates perceptions of role congruence regarding leadership. Individual career aspirations informed by women's perceptions of the barriers to advancement and opportunities available to them impact the willingness to step into positions of leadership.
We have an opportunity to change the equation, to bring more women into positions of leadership globally. Because the business case to do so is urgent, we must confront the persistent barriers to women's advancement, both at the organizational and individual level. This begins by recognizing existing cultural expectations and what it means for women to hold positions of influence. Obviously different cultures dictate different norms and around the globe restrictive norms are shifting in the direction of greater openness to women holding positions of leadership. The economic driver is a compelling force for change and offers a window of opportunity for capable women to step up and step into positions of leadership as demonstrated by the opportunities available to women in Japan. This same scenario is being played out in other regions including the Gulf nations of the Middle East.[28] Emerging and beleaguered economies realize the necessity to manage the talent of a stronger, smarter, more diverse workforce as the means to increasing national and even global economic stability.
An examination of counter-productive norms that impact social dimensions in organizations should be undertaken if companies hope to attract and retain competent women leaders. A Stanford research initiative noted the nature of work has changed significantly but the structure of how work is accomplished remains stuck in the 1950s.[29] Today dual career couples work 400 hours more per year as compared to 40 years ago; the pressure to put in long hours has led to a kind of heroism where the ideal worker displays extreme availability, being always "on" and available. Flexible work options are perceived as too risky because of the a real or perceived penalty for being not available, thus workers accommodate their lives to the powerful culture of the organization, setting aside personal and family care for the sake of work. Women, who still tend to take on the majority of child and family care responsibilities, are especially vulnerable in organizational cultures that expect heroic availability.
Young career women especially hold themselves to extremely high standards of perfection; if a role or job cannot be performed at a very high level of excellence, then better to opt out until one is certain she can lead with near flawless execution.[30] This millennial generation of women would do well to seek mentors who can coach and instruct on effective ways to opt in to leadership opportunities, rather than remain on the sidelines. Moreover, the author's study on values found that early career opportunities that allow for failure were especially important developmentally in the formation of leadership values. If women try to leap-frog over the learning that failure offers, they do themselves a great disservice.
Organizations can address barriers to women's leadership progress by understanding the range of individual needs of women, one size does not fit all, creating a range of opportunities to attract, develop and retain talented women is needed. The Stanford initiative found that giving workers choices helps individuals tailor work to meet individual preferences and needs.[31] Creating career path options, leadership development programs, and a culture of rewards and recognition for leadership styles that align with both women and men help mitigate individual and organizational barriers to women in leadership. Moreover, tap into the values of benevolence and achievement to empower women to lead and contribute from the intrinsic motivation to build strong relationships and accomplish aspirational goals.
Changing the equation to bring more women into positions of leadership around the globe requires lowering the social, organizational and individual barriers that inhibit women's participation. Organizations can influence change in these three areas and especially internally through effective talent management. A key factor to managing talent is understanding the values that drive women in leadership. The author's study suggests women lead to achieve and do so with benevolence toward others. The economic urgency to engage women in the workforce is a powerful motivator for both individual women and forward thinking organizations to tap into an underutilized resource. The time for women to opt into leadership opportunity is now, and by doing so we can change the equation.
[1] "The Ripple Effect: What's Good for Women is Good for the World." Catalyst, New York (2014). Accessed April 17, 2014, http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/ripple-effect-women-world.
[2] Warner, J. "Fact Sheet: The Women's Leadership Gap: Women's Leadership by the Numbers." Center for American Progress (March 17, 2014). Accessed August 28, 2014,
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/report/2014/03/07/85457/fact-sheet-the-womens-leadership-gap/.
[3] "Gender and Sustainable Development: Maximizing the Economic, Social and Environmental Role of Women." OECD (2008). Accessed March 17, 2014, http://www.oecd.org/social/40881538.pdf.
[4] The Ripple Effect.
[5] "Gender Diversity in Japan." Catalyst, New York (2014). Accessed July 1, 2014,
http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/gender-diversity-japan.
[6] Elborgh-Woytek, K., Newiak, M., Kochhar, K., Fabrizio, S., Kpodar, K., Wingender, P., Clements, B., and Schwartz, G. "Women, Work and the Economy: Macroeconomic Gains From Gender Equity," International Monetary Fund, Staff Discussion Note, September (2013). Accessed March 17, 2014, http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/sdn/2013/sdn1310.pdf.
[7] Aguirre, D., Hoteit, L., Rupp, C., and Sabbagh, K. "Empowering the Third Billion: Women and the World of Work in 2012." Booz & Company (October 15, 2012). Accessed on December 1, 2014, http://www.strategyand.pwc.com/global/home/what-we-think/third_billion.
[8] Daimon, S. "New Group of Female Executives Hopes to Boost Ranks in Japan Inc.," Japan Times (May, 9, 2013). Accessed June 16, 2014, http://japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/05/09/national/new-group-of-female-executives-hopes-to-boost-ranks-in-japan-inc/#.VAAFfPldWSo.
[9] Brasor, P. "Attitude Change Needed to Shake Up the Workforce." Japan Times (November 25, 2012). Accessed August 28, 2014, http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/11/25/national/attitude-change-needed-to-shake-up-the-workforce/#.VAAA-vldWSp.
[10] Covert, B. "Abenomics Will Boost Japan's Economy By Helping Its Women Workers," (April, 22, 2013). Accessed on June 16, 2014, http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/04/22/1902671/abenomics-will-boost-japans-economy-by-helping-its-women-workers/.
[11] Covert, B, "Japan set ambitious goals for increasing women in executive suites," (January 2, 2014). Accessed on June 16, 2014, http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/01/02/3111731/japan-women-boards-goal/.
[12] The Ripple Effect.
[13] Ulrich, D. "The Talent Trifecta," Workforce Management, September, 17(10) (2007).
[14] "The International Power 50: Fortune's Most Powerful Women," Fortune (October, 10, 2013).
http://fortune.com/2013/10/10/most-powerful-women-the-international-power-50/?iid=MPW13_sp_lead2.
[15] Marmenout, K., and Lirio, P. "Local Female Talent Retention In The Gulf: Emirati Women Bending With The Wind." International Journal of Human Resource Management, 25(2) (2014).
[16] Most Powerful Women.
[17] Chin, C. O., Gu, J., and Tubbs, S. L. "Developing Global Leadership Competencies," Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 7(4) (2001).
[18] Carli, Linda L., and Eagly, Alice H., "Overcoming Resistance to Women Leaders: The Importance of Leadership Style" in B. Kellerman and D. I. Rhode. Women & Leadership: The State of Play and Strategies for Change, (San Francisco, John Wiley & Sons, 2007).
[19] "Embedding the Organizational Culture Profile into Schwartz's Theory of Universal Values." Journal of Personnel Psychology, 10(1) (2011).
[20] Ulrich, D. "The Talent Trifecta." Workforce Management, September, 17 (10) (2007).
[21] Rokeach, M. The Nature of Human Values, (New York: Free Press, 1973).
[22] Giddens, A. Sociology, (Polity Press, UK, 1989).
[23] Schwartz, S.H. "Universals In The Content And Structure of Values: Theoretical Advances And Empirical Tests in 20 Countries," in M.P. Zanna (Ed.) Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Vol. 25, (San Diego, CA: Academic Press. 1992).
[24] Schwartz, S. H., and Bilsky, W. "Toward a Universal Psychological Structure of Human Values," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53 (1987).
[25] Buckingham, M., and Coffman, C. First Break All the Rules, (New York, Simon & Schuster, 1999).
[26] Karakas, F., and Sarigollu, E. "Benevolent Leadership: Conceptualization and Construct Development." Journal of Business Ethics, (108) 4 (2012).
[27] Schwartz.
[28] Marmenout, K., and Lirio, P. "Local Female Talent Retention In The Gulf: Emirati Women Bending With The Wind," International Journal of Human Resource Management, 25(2) (2014).
[29] Redesigning and Redefining Work Initiative: Why Work Doesn't Work. Stanford University, Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research, Voice and Influence Program. Accessed on August 26, 2014, http://gender.stanford.edu/why-doesnt-work-work.
[30] "Why Millenial Women do not Want to Lead " Forbes (July 16, 2012). Accessed on September 1, 2013, http://www.forbes.com/sites/deniserestauri/2012/07/16/why-millennial-women-do-not-want-to-lead/.
[31] Redesigning and Redefining Work Initiative.
Author of the article
Bernice Ledbetter, EdD
Bernice Ledbetter, EdD, is Academic Director, Master of Science in Management and Leadership degree program at the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University; Director, Pepperdine Center for Women in Leadership. She has authored several articles and book chapters and co-authored the book, Reviewing Leadership: A Christian Evaluation of Current Approaches, her article "A Values Approach to Advancing Women in Leadership: Using Talent Management to Change the Equation" appeared in the Graziadio Business Review; her recent article, "Business Leadership for Peace" appears in the International Journal of Public Leadership, her book chapter in Women in Leadership and Work-Family Integration, Volume Three: A Global Perspective, Edited by Margaret J. Weber and Kerri Cissna-Heath with Cambridge Scholars Publishing on "Women in Uganda" is forthcoming, and her article "Women in Oman: Leadership Style Preferences in the Context of Peace" is under review. She regularly presents research at academic conferences and is a recognized expert on the topic of women in leadership, and is frequently quoted in news outlets and is a regular contributor on the Huffington post Blog, she is a frequent keynote speaker on advancing women in leadership to international audiences, industry groups and large organizations including Fortune 500.
Graziadio Business School | Copyright © 2014 Pepperdine University
More articles from 2014 Volume 17 Issue 3
Women make up half the workforce in nearly every country, still, labor shortages call for increased participation of women workers at all levels of the organization.
Is "Go Away in May" a Good Portfolio Play?
The Halloween effect seems particularly compelling because of its seemingly large potential payoffs and the endless attention it receives in the media.
By Steven R. Ferraro, CFA, PhD and Richard Powell, JD, PhD, CPA
Accounting / Finance / Investing, Economics
Trends in Employee Turnover and Retention
After decades of globalization and intensifying competition, the market for talent has replaced loyalty as the factor shaping the relationship of employers/employees.
By Joel Goldberg, PhD
Economics, Human Resources, Management, Organizational Behavior
Is Warren Buffett Unpatriotic?
A tax inversion happens when a firm relocates its headquarters to another country and declares that country as its domicile for the foreign country's lower tax rate.
By Robert Lee, PhD and Abraham Park, PhD
Accounting / Finance / Investing, Economics, Global Business, Management, Operations Management, Strategy
High Performance Work Systems
While foolish for companies to spend money unwisely in managing human capital, growing research confirms that "high performance work systems" are worth the investment.
By Cam Caldwell, PhD and Larry Floyd
Economics, Human Resources, Information Management/Technology (IT), Leadership, Management, Organizational Behavior
Infusing Traditional Business Systems with Spiritual Wisdom
Spiritual wisdom like mindfulness coexists in unconventional ways with traditional business models resulting in positive outcomes for the organization.
By RuthAnn Ritter
Leadership, Management, Operations Management, Organizational Behavior, Work-Life Balance
Editorial: How AI Can Help Developing Countries Post COVID-19
The COVID-19 crisis is one event that has intensified the need for urgent action by developing countries to utilize technologies like AI to drive economic growth.
By Owen P. Hall, Jr., PE, PhD and Enekole Atabo, MSc
Decision Sciences, Economics, Editorials, Global Business, Information Management/Technology (IT), Strategy
Pandemic Demonstrates the Necessity of Intuitive Decision-Making Skills
The pandemic has clearly proven that the rational decision-making model, business schools' ideal and its theoretical definition of how decisions should be made, is not valid under conditions of VUCA.
By Jeff Cohu, EdD, MBA
Decision Sciences, Entrepreneurship / Innovation, Leadership, Management, Strategy
Moral Identity and the Leader's Response
The focus of this article is on the importance of leaders understanding their own moral identities and using that knowledge to increase followers' commitment to their organizations.
By Cam Caldwell, PhD
Ethics, Human Resources, Leadership, Management, Organizational Behavior


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Posts Tagged 'deaf actress'
A QUIET PLACE, Film Review with a Slight Spoiler
Science fiction pops up in the darndest places, some of those places are quiet places. Okay, okay…so that's a bit of a spoiler, but why the heck did it take me so long to hear from someone/anyone that this film was about people surviving an alien invasion. I think some of why is because of the code of mystery that surrounded this film when it came out. Everyone seemed reluctant to tell…
I assumed A QUIET PLACE was horror/suspense. Most of the trailers indicated that this was so. I did not get the chance to see this film in the theater, but I might have tried a lot harder had I known about the scifi underpinnings. At some point, both my kids saw the film and told me with a wink and a nod that I should definitely view it. "It's really good," they said, "and not gory like a horror flick."
That comment from them made me think it was for sure a horror flick, a well done horror flick, but still, horror all the way.
So…I didn't get it. In fact, I might have missed the film altogether had it not been for a friend spilling the beans recently.
"You've seen A QUIET PLACE, haven't you? There are aliens in this film."
Okay, so now I know and now you know and it's not a huge spoiler. The first view of the alien comes by the end of the beginning sequence, about 7 minutes into the film.
However, this story is not alien-centric. It's family-centric in a really great way. The premise of an alien who hears its prey and only then comes to destroy, but leaves survivors alone if they are silent, now that is a fun and new angle on the alien invasion story.
Five reasons I recommend A QUIET PLACE, directed by the lead actor, John Krasinski
Superior storytelling, lots of tension and heart. The idea of watching a silent film has been lost to the modern audience. In this creepy portrayal, there are powerful swaths of storytelling in which the visual completely dominates the viewing experience. That feels new and vibrant, in part because the visual story telling in A QUIET PLACE is well done.
The family unit (not one individual) is the protagonist and each of the members are smartly drawn. A deaf character adds depth to the unfolding drama. We root for all of them. (Dad played by John Krasinski. Mom played by Emily Blunt. Daughter played by Millicent Simmonds, a deaf actress.)
Powerful and brutal villain(s). Ugly too.
Inspiring examples of the will to survive and the costs we incur, AKA the suffering we endure, to love one another.
Juxtaposition of idyllic scenery/cinematography and the unknown, the mystery of that which is not seen, the horror that is waiting to besiege.
The story unfolds in a post-alien invasion rural US (the locale is possibly somewhere East of the Mississippi, maybe Vermont). The aliens, rarely present, including their spaceships are not seen in the film, have come to Earth and have destroyed all living creatures who make noise (even animals that sniff about and snarl). It seems the aliens have no visual acuity, but can hear from very very far away and once they hear, they come to kill almost immediately. Those who survive the invasion are attempting a life in silence, including the protagonist family. The audience meets them initially as they tiptoe through a drug store (they are all barefoot) and scavenge for medicine and goods. The audience deduces, this is one town of millions of towns and this is one family among thousands of surviving groups? One other survivor is seen in the film…Let's just say, he doesn't last long.
Imagine your family trying not to make any noise. Imagine trying to communicate, trying to thrive without vocalizing. Imagine feeling pain without crying and playing monopoly without table chatter. Imagine that your life depended on staying silent. Herein lies the tension of the film. Also, there are discoveries to be made about the villain and how to defeat it/them. Might something be unearthed by our protagonists? Perhaps, but at what cost? You'll have to watch the film to find out. $5.99 to rent on iTunes.
Tagged A QUIET PLACE, alien invasion, aliens, apocalypse, deaf actress, deaf character, dystopian fiction, Emily Blunt, end of the world, fiction, film, film review, iTunes, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, sci fi, sciencefiction, scifi, survival tale, susi pritchett jensen


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Sam the man Sunderland want
VG TIPS > Football > Sam the man Sunderland want
Racing Selections Friday October 9th
Time to stop the guessing game
Posted by Vern on 8th October 2015 in Football
Sam Allardyce. Can he kick it at Sunderland?
I feel for Sunderland fans, writes Vernon Grant. The manner in which owner Ellis Short has turned that club into one bordering on becoming a laughing stock is a disgrace. The superb supporters deserve better.
They've had the nonsense that was Paolo Di Canio. The undermining of the equally temperamental Gus Poyet. No manager since Steve Bruce has lasted a full season.
More recently Dick Advocaat saved the club from relegation last season, before ignoring the advice of his wife and making the mistake of staying on for this season. He did so on the understanding there would be further funds for new players. But Advocaat, who displayed how much he cared when he cried on keeping the club up last May, was being used.
Ellis Short hoped Advocaat would repeat that miracle one more time. Next season every Premier League club will receive huge sums of money courtesy of the new £5.136 billion television deal. That would boost the Sunderland coffers somewhat. The club placed as low as 20th in the Premier League at the end of the 2016/17 season will receive £92 million. But you have to be in it to win it!
At Sunderland today you have the nonsense of a man who wants to leave the club being in charge of recruiting the next team manager.
George Caulkin of The Times
George Caulkin, North-East football correspondent of The Times newspaper says: "They are in this faintly ridiculous position where Sporting Director Lee Congerton, who has expressed a desire to leave the club, has been told to lead the search for a new manager. It's total systematic failure. It feels like dysfunction. They've been chasing bad decisions for years. Now they have identified Sam Allardyce as their first choice but they have a job to persuade him to take the job.
"Sam is said to be reluctant. Would he work with a sporting director? Would he agree to be part of a system that has clearly failed, repeatedly. They are stuck in a cycle of underachievement. They've had a really poor approach to bringing in players."
On leaving West Ham, Sam Allardyce said he would not even consider another job until the new year, at the earliest. He wanted a Christmas holiday away from football. It's true Allardyce has a way of working that could keep them up but, as George Caulkin says: "It's not about the systems you have, it's the personnel you have and the personnel have been wrong from top to bottom.
"People say Sam can keep Sunderland up, but to what end? Just so they can go through this whole process again. What I want is Sunderland to stand for is something other than this annual struggle, this gruelling football. They haven't won a single game in the league this season. What do they stand for? They don't stand for anything. Only failure."
Sunderland won only four home games last season, and five in the two seasons before that. So this is not a new problem.
George Caulkin says: "Martin O'Neill is the one that should have worked. He fell out with the people above him. Ellis Short decided he wanted someone to take recruitment decisions out of the hands of the manager and he appointed a Director of Football.
"The long term problem is they are not left with saleable assets. The best they can hope for is gradual, minimal improvement. I don't understand how it gets better for Sunderland."
Nigel Pearson has been said to have met with the powers that be at Sunderland, writes Vernon Grant. However, if he thinks he is second or third choice, he'll not be flattered by that. Pearson is a motivator of men, but only those willing to be motivated. The chief problem at Sunderland is a lack of quality on the pitch. There is none.
Sunderland have paid too much for average foreign footballers. In that regard they are far from alone. It's money they will never be able to recoup. They have signed younger home grown players who have flattered to deceive but are anonymous when the going gets tough. And they've signed older players whose careers are past their best before date. They are players who have performed at a higher level and who now give every appearance of not caring what happens between now and retirement. Just so long as they get paid.
Lee Congerton (left) and Ellis Short.
Why would any half decent manager want the job? Sunderland look destined for the Championship. Newcastle could yet join them there. The future for football in the North-East of England looks bleak. Who is to blame?
Of Sunderland Chairman Ellis Short, George Caulkin of The Times says: "There's only been once this season when the fans turned on Ellis Short. The assumption has been that his heart is in the right place but that he's just made bad decisions."
But what football correspondent Caulkin is most amazed by is how the owners of the two Premier League clubs in the North-East have operated.
Caulkin concludes: "It's the same with Mike Ashley at Newcastle, it's staggering how these incredibly successful, ruthless businessman who would take no messing in their business lives surround themselves with people who aren't good enough."
Too true. At clubs up and down the country we've seen once great clubs ruined by owners who are clueless when it comes to what is required to build a successful football club. Owners who time and time again appoint the wrong managers or undermine a manager by having acquisition decisions made by someone who has never played professional football. Or owners who don't care. Or owners who are using the club as a vehicle to launder money.
Too often it's the manager that gets the blame for a football club failing. In my opinion the blame more often than not belongs upstairs. In the corridors of power.
Running a football club is not the same as running shops, a building company, hotels or a private equity firm.
In 2003 author Tom Bower wrote the award winning book called Broken Dreams. In it he said this: "Football is a shambolically run business, run by greedy and vain people who seem only to act in self-interest. And none of them seem to realise that if they carry on the way they are going, they will destroy the business."
As true today as it was twelve years ago.
Tags:allardyce, caulkin, ellis, football, george, sam, short, sunderland
Racing Tips November 21-22 19th November 2020
Racing Tips November 20 19th November 2020


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2012 Annual Conference >
David Read Johnson, Ph.D, RDT-BCT
2012 Conference Keynote Speaker: Witnesses to the Dark: the Absence, Emergence and Performance of Trauma
David Read Johnson, Ph.D. was hired right out of college as a drama therapist at the Yale Psychiatric Institute in 1973, where he fell in love with drama therapy, being part of a collaborative team, working with psychiatric patients, and operating against impossible odds. After receiving his doctorate in clinical psychology, he began work at the West Haven VA Medical Center and spent 17 years involved in inpatient psychiatry, geropsychology, and the creative arts therapies. In 1987, he had the honor of becoming the first non-physician Unit Chief of a training site at the Yale Medical School and then became the Assistant Clinical Director of the entire 175 bed Psychiatry Department.
In 1989, he was chosen to lead the new Specialized Inpatient PTSD Unit funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, where he collaborated with many influential and prolific leaders in the field of trauma treatment. Meanwhile, after helping to found the National Association for Drama Therapy, he served as the Chairperson of the National Coalition of Arts Therapy Associations through its culminating Joint National Conference in Washington, D.C. in 1990.
In 1997, Dr. Johnson and his colleague Hadar Lubin, MD left the VA and formed the Post Traumatic Stress Center in New Haven, CT., a full-service specialty clinic serving clients exposed to traumatic experiences. The clinic has grown to serve hundreds of clients and their families and is known as a center of expertise in trauma-related treatment, employing drama therapists, psychologists and medical professionals.
Alongside serving six years as Editor-in-Chief of the Arts in Psychotherapy journal, Dr. Johnson has authored numerous articles, chapters, and the books: Waiting at the Gate: Creativity and Hope in the Nursing Home (with Susan Sandel); Essays in the Creative Arts Therapies: Imaging the Birth of a Profession; Current Approaches in Drama Therapy (first edition with Penny Lewis, second edition with Renee Emunah); Trauma-Centered Group Therapy with Women (with Hadar Lubin), and Assessment in Drama Therapy (with Susana Pendzik and Stephen Snow).
Along the way, David has created Developmental Transformations (DvT), a drama therapy practice based in improvisational play that helps people adapt to the instabilities in life and the constantly changing nature of experience, which is ironic, because David has never left New Haven, nor drama therapy, nor being part of a collaborative team, nor working with distressed clients, nor operating against impossible odds. He is most proud of being the father to two wonderful children, and the mentor to many amazing and talented drama therapists.


Evanthia Reboutsika's music for the theatre.
14 MP3 Songs in this album (29:50) !
People who are interested in Edith Piaf Loreena Mc Cennitt Nino Rota should consider this download.
13 instrumentals and 1 song for the play "Autumn Story" by Arbouzof.


Dre and his coworkers discuss the important of having a plan laying out your wishes when you die. For instance, Josh has a plan. It's not a good one, and no one intends on carrying it out, but he has a plan. From 'Good Grief,' Season 5, Episode 5 of black-ish. Watch black-ish full episodes online on ABC.com and in the ABC app.


© Tulsa County Jail via AP This undated image provided by the Tulsa County Jail shows Stanley Majors. Police say Khalid Jabara was killed at his Tulsa, Okla., home Friday, Aug. 12, 2016, and 61-year-old Stanley Majors is being held without bail on a first-degree murder complaint.
WASHINGTON — They just wanted to make it to October.
The Jabaras had set their sights on a trial date – Oct. 3 – and believed they would finally prevail in their five-year legal battle to protect themselves from their neighbor, Vernon Stanley Majors, a convicted felon who police and court records say relentlessly harassed the family.
Instead, the family will hold a funeral this week for Khalid Jabara, the quiet, quirky brother who was shot and killed on his own porch last Friday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Majors faces a murder charge in connection with the slaying, which has drawn national attention because of the harassment he is said to have levied at the Jabaras based on their Lebanese roots, leading to calls for the prosecution of the case as a hate crime.
In an interview, members of the Jabara family – Khalid's brother, Rami, sister, Vicky, and sister-in-law, Jenna – described in detail how an annoying next-door neighbor became a presence so terrifying that the family installed a security camera and bought a barrier to fortify the front door.
Tulsa police and court records back up key points of the family's account, which portrays Khalid Jabara as an introverted, naive man who lived with his parents and was devoted to helping them with their health needs and catering business. He had few friends, so he cherished the kinship he found in a next-door neighbor, a man in his 70s who uses a cane, a fellow devotee of what the family called "nerdy" pursuits – tinkering with radios and electronics.
The friendship was interrupted when the elderly man's romantic partner – it's unclear whether the men ever married – arrived from California in about 2011. Not long after moving in, Majors started harassing Jabara and made it clear that he was persona non grata. Majors' hostility soon spread to the rest of the family.
He invoked their Arab identity so many times over the years they say they can't recall the first time it happened. He bombarded them with crudely written letters, threatening emails from an "anonymous" sender and creepy phone calls. When the family discovered that Majors, 61, was a fugitive from California – wanted at the time in connection with violation of his parole – they turned him in.
In 2013, the mother, Haifa, obtained a protective order against Majors, detailing his stalker-like behavior and describing his racism toward foreigners and black people. Majors tried to take out a restraining order against her and failed, but succeeded in getting a protective order against Khalid Jabara. His siblings said it was awarded by default because he'd failed to show up for court.
© Victoria Jabara Williams via facebook Khalid Jabara Majors has a trial pending on a misdemeanor violation of his restraining order stemming from last Easter, when he was accused of drinking on the lawn while yelling at and photographing guests as they arrived for the Jabaras' holiday gathering.
The second alleged violation of that protective order was much worse. On Sept. 12, 2015, Haifa was struck by a car and left with severe injuries. The police report shows that when Majors was arrested in that incident, he was drunk and gave several different versions of what had occurred.
The judge in that case ordered Majors held with no bond, given the likelihood of another attack on the Jabaras. But then Majors found a new defense attorney who successfully argued for reinstating bond. He made bail and was released at the end of May. He moved back in next door.
For the first time in the Jabara family's memory, Majors mostly left them alone, and the family looked forward to October and the prospect of seeing Majors locked up, finally.
Then came the news of Khalid Jabara's death Friday. Some of the details are still sketchy but, according to the family and the authorities, Majors' elderly partner alerted Khalid Jabara and Tulsa Police that Majors was attacking him and was armed.
By the time the police arrived, the elderly man had left the home, so the officers didn't stick around much longer. Tulsa Police Sgt. Dave Walker said the police officers left the scene at 6:40 p.m. and that the first reports of shots fired came in at 6:48 – just eight minutes later.
The Jabara family said they're outraged at what they called they've called the "negligence" of a system that allowed a serial harasser with a violent criminal record to continue living next door to his victims. For all their years working through Tulsa's criminal and civil courts, they were unable to win protection from Majors.