8 Rated Books Book Reviews Old School Wednesdays
Old School Wednesdays Dark Tower Reread: Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King
Old School Wednesdays presents Thea's epic reread of The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. May we be well-met, fellow traveler. THIS MONTH ON THE DARK TOWER: Wolves of the Calla sees the return of the main storyline as Roland and his tet make their way through a provincial town in All-World… and face some child thieving wolves.
Old School Wednesdays is a weekly Book Smugglers feature. We came up with the idea towards the end of 2012, when both Ana and Thea were feeling exhausted from the never-ending inundation of New and Shiny (and often over-hyped) books. What better way to snap out of a reading fugue than to take a mini-vacation into the past?
Logo designed by the wonderful KMont
Inspired by the results of our March Old School Wednesdays Idea Poll, starting in March of 2015, Thea is rereading one of her favorite series' of all time: The Dark Tower by Stephen King. Every second Wednesday of the month, the next book in the Dark Tower cycle will be reviewed and discussed here. All readers – those new to the Dark Tower, and those who have traveled the path before – are welcome to join the ka tet!
The long, twisted road to the Dark Tower continues here, through an alternate version of The Magnificent Seven, in a small town called Calla Bryn Sturgis.
The Dark Tower Reviews:
The Gunslinger (Dark Tower 1)
The Drawing of the Three (Dark Tower 2)
The Waste Lands (Dark Tower 3)
Wizard and Glass (Dark Tower 4)
Title: Wolves of the Calla
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Western, Speculative Fiction
Publisher: Plume (this revised edition)
Publication date: First published in 1997 (this edition 2003)
Roland Deschain and his "ka-tet" are bearing southeast through the forests of Mid-World, the almost timeless landscape that seems to stretch from the wreckage of civility that defined Roland's youth to the crimson chaos that seems the future's only promise. Readers of Stephen King's epic series know Roland well, or as well as this enigmatic hero can be known. They also know the companions who have been drawn to his quest for the Dark Tower: Eddie Dean and his wife, Susannah; Jake Chambers, the boy who has come twice through the doorway of death into Roland's world; and Oy, the Billy-Bumbler.In this long-awaited fifth novel in the saga, their path takes them to the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis, a tranquil valley community of farmers and ranchers on Mid-World's borderlands. Beyond the town, the rocky ground rises toward the hulking darkness of Thunderclap, the source of a terrible affliction that is slowly stealing the community's soul. One of the town's residents is Pere Callahan, a ruined priest who, like Susannah, Eddie, and Jake, passed through one of the portals that lead both into and out of Roland's world.
As Father Callahan tells the "ka-tet" the astonishing story of what happened following his shamed departure from Maine in 1977, his connection to the Dark Tower becomes clear, as does the danger facing a single red rose in a vacant lot off Second Avenue in midtown Manhattan. For Calla Bryn Sturgis, danger gathers in the east like a storm cloud. The Wolves of Thunderclap and their unspeakable depredation are coming. To resist them is to risk all, but these are odds the gunslingers are used to, and they can give the "Calla-folken" both courage and cunning. Their guns, however, will not be enough.
Standalone or series: The Dark Tower Book 5
How did I get this book: Bought
Format (e- or p-): Print
WARNING: Spoilers ahoy, baby.
"First come smiles, then lies. Last is gunfire."
Roland Deschain, of the line of Eld, is the world's last true gunslinger – but he has his ka tet of Jake Chambers, Eddie Dean, Susannah Dean, and Oy to travel the long dark road to the Dark Tower with him.
The tet's journey takes them from the alkali deserts of In World, to the seas and forests and ruined cities of Mid Word; from the Waste Lands outside of Lud, to the storybook town of Calla Bryn Sturgis. Together, they have stood against insane monorails, sorcerers and horrible images in glass – but the Calla holds secrets and truths more sinister than anything the tet has ever faced before.
The Calla is a quiet, peaceful town. It is one of many rural, rice-growing farm towns in the fertile valley that borders Thunderclap (that is, the frightening Mordor near the end of the world).
From Thunderclap, come the Wolves.
The Wolves ride gray horses, and come once a generation. With their green cloaks, their silver masks, and their sneetches, the Wolves come a'riding and stealing children. Not just any children, but one of each pair of twins in the Calla – and twins are born in strong number amongst the people of Bryn Sturgis.
The Wolves come riding, and the villagers have no recourse but to let the strange riders take their children… and return them Roont.
Roont, that is: their minds gone, reduced to that of small toddlers; their bones grown and stretching to enormous, giant proportions; their likelihood of survival slim (due to the pain of transformation), and lifespan cut down by decades.
This time, though, things will be different. When Andy, the Calla's messenger robot (who has developed a kind of personality) tells the good village people that the Wolves are aiming to ride once again, a few village men and women decide to stand against the invaders. Tian and his wife Zalia stand firm against the Wolves and rally the rest of the townspeople with the help of the Old Fella, Father Callahan. Truly, though, for the people and children of the Calla, the solution to their problem comes strolling in from the west.
Gunslingers.
"The storybook town has a fairy-tale problem," Eddie was continuing. "And so the storybook people call on a band of movie-show heroes to save them from the fairy tale villains. I know it's real–people are going to die, very likely, and the blood will be real, the screams will be real, the crying afterward will be real – but at the same time there's something about it that feels no more real than stage scenery."
Wolves of the Calla is what I like to think of as "The Western" in the Dark Tower cycle. Sure, there are other books in the series that are true westerns (The Gunslinger and Wizard and Glass immediately come to mind as fitting the bill), but no other book is as straightforward, even formulaic as this fifth installment. Wolves of the Calla is the novel that pays homage to John Sturgis's classic ensemble film, The Magnificent Seven.1 The Magnificent Seven isn't the first iteration of this simple tale of hired muscle, beseeched upon by poor villagers to defend their town – the tale that King borrows from Sturgis came from Kurosawa (Seven Samurai), and has been reimagined in several ways, from Pixar's A Bug's Tale, to the Dark Tower.
Of all the retellings of this tale, however, Wolves of the Calla might just be my favorite adaptation. I know that earlier in my reread of these books, I said that The Waste Lands (book 3) was my favorite installment… but I might be wrong. Wolves of the Calla sure as hell gives that novel a run for its money.
Mister, we deal in lead.
Why? Because this book not only emulates and science fictionalizes my favorite western, but because it also means that we are entering the end game for Roland and his ka tet. Because it reintroduces a character who literally walks out of another of King's books. Because it shows us how much Roland is a slave to tradition, and showcases the type of peacekeepers and knights that Gunslingers once were during their glory days. Because of Doctor Doom, and Harry Potter, and Susannah and other women of the Calla throwing some sharp-as-hell plates, screaming RIZA, and protecting their young.
Wolves of the Calla is… well, it's incredible.
I love the western setting and the familiar setup of the Calla – this is a story that, as I've said before, has been told a number of times, but King does it to perfection in this novel. We have the frightened villagers, the connivers and opportunists, as well as the ones who will stand true against the invaders who threaten their children. I love that the gunslingers need the help of the villagers to stop the Wolves, and that the folken who help are not the men of the town, but the women – those who have passed down over generations the skill to throw a plate do hit their mark, every time.
He gazed up at her seriously from the dust of the dooryard. He knew that however much she might love him, he would always love her more. And as always when he thought these things, the premonition came that ka was not their friend, that it would end badly between them. If it's so, then your job is to make it as good as it can be for as long as it can be. Will you do your job, Eddie?
But beyond the western setup and aesthetic, Wolves of the Calla has a LOT – and I mean A LOT – else going for it in the background. This is the book in which we learn about the ill-fated alcoholic priest who lost his way in 'Salem's Lot. It's the book that introduces us to the possibilities of more doors to open portals and parallel universes. It's the story where the stakes are raised – because Susannah is pregnant, and time runs short to save the tower – and the tet is tried to its limits because the end game is near. Susannah is one of my favorite characters in the whole series, and while I hate the secret keeping and on occasion the way the others treat her, she grapples with her schizophrenia and the monster-child she bears in this fifth book. (And it's pretty frightening stuff, what Susannah goes through – she has visions of eating for her "chap" and feeding his appetite, and it is not pretty.)
Never had he seen a man who looked so lonely, so far from the run of human life with its fellowship and warmth. To see him here, in this place of fiesta (for it was a fiesta, no matter how desperate the business that lay behind it may be, only underlined the truth of him: he was the last. There was no other. If Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and Oy were of his line, they were only a distant shoot, far from the trunk. Afterthoughts, almost. Roland, however… Roland…
Wolves is also a tale that tells us an awful lot more about Roland, too. As a leader, Roland seems almost infallible – he knows how to work the townspeople, how to dance the commala, how to speak and when to stop and listen. In Wolves of the Calla, readers (and Roland's tet) see the old gunslinger in the role of protector and guardian – giving aid and succor to those who need it. It also shows us just how old, how utterly alone Roland is.
Finally, truly, I love Wolves of the Calla because it blends pop culture (like the Fantastic Four and Harry Potter) with the fantasy and horror any travelers have come to expect along the road to the tower. I love this book because it ups the stakes and the tension a hundredfold – we learn about Father Callahan, vampires, and the slick inky eye of Black 13 (the most horrible of the glasses of Maerlyn's Rainbow). We finally start to understand why New York and a certain lot are so important to the quest for the Dark Tower, and what the gunslingers must do to protect all the worlds. We also better understand the low men and creatures who stand against our tet in their quest – the villains, the men with crimson eyes, the vampires who suck on the blood and life force of the healthy.
Oh, and the twisted corporation who seems to sit at the rotten, evil heart of corruption destroying the tower and all the worlds. (Hint: they make robots, and NO robots are good robots in Stephen King's books.)
In sum: Wolves of the Calla is really, really awesome. It's the book after which everything changes; it's the book that starts the accelerated end to our tet's journey. It is also, if I'm recalling my Dark Tower correctly, the last really great book before all the sadness and handwaving begins.
It is, at this point in time, my favorite of all of the Dark Tower books. I love this fifth volume very dearly… and I'm a little afraid to continue onward because I know what awaits.
But continue I must – and I hope to see you join me next month.
Next: Song of Susannah on August 12.
The name of the town itself, Calla Bryn Sturgis, borrows from both the film's director and its star gunslinger (Chris, played by Yul Brynner). ↩
Dark TowerDark Tower RereadDark Tower SeriesFantasyHorrorOld School WednesdaysSpeculative FictionStephen King
Nikki Egerton
I know what's coming next :'(


in: Standards and interfaces
A standard for signal interconnections, widely used in synthesizers and particularly modular synthesizers. The phone jack standard was, as the name suggests, originally developed for use in telephone switchboards. The male jack is cylindrical with a pointed tip and a grooved band near the tip; it has an insulator that separates the tip area from the barrel of the cylinder (referred to as the "sleeve"). In use, interconnection cords or patch cords always have male connectors at both ends, and the equipment being connected always has female connectors.
There are actually three sizes of standard phone jacks, but only two are used in synths. The largest size has the male plug with a barrel diameter of 1/4" (6.35 mm) and is always referred to as the "quarter inch" jack. This size is commonly used for audio inputs and outputs on synthesizers and other musical equipment, and is the standard size for patch interconnection jacks in the Dotcom and MOTM modular synth formats. The next smallest size has the male plug with a barrel diameter of 3.5mm (it is sometimes referred to incorrectly as the "1/8 inch" jack). In synthesizers, this size is used mainly as the standard for patch interconnect in the Eurorack and Frac modular synth formats. (A third size with a male plug barrel diameter of 2.5mm is rarely seen in any musical gear.)
Phone plugs have the advantages of being inexpensive and fairly reliable for analog signal connections, and quick to connect and disconnect. The 1/4" size is known for being very sturdy and tolerating a lot of abuse; the main disadvantage is that the jacks take up a lot of space on a panel. The 3.5mm size takes up less space but tolerates less abuse. A feature of all types is that the female jacks can be arranged so that they have internal normalled connections, which is a "default" connection that is in effect when no plug is inserted in the jack.
Phone plugs and jacks may have two, three, or four separate contact surfaces. The two-contact type is known as "TS" (tip-sleeve) and is what is most commonly used with synths. The three-contact type is known as "TRS" (tip-ring-sleeve); it is commonly used in studios to support "balanced line" connections. Some synths have balanced-line outputs and have jacks that will provide a balanced line when a cord with a TRS plug is used, or a conventional unbalanced line when a cord with a TS plug is used. The four-contact "TRRS" type is seldom used in musical equipment.
Standards and interfaces
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1 Goreshit


President in on-the-job-training, as North Korea threatens "war"
Red China can target American cities
Communist China has America by the throat. North Korea is making new warlike noises. And the Obama White House seems clueless.
One obvious reason our enemies are stepping up pressure and possibly preparing for eventual attack on America is that our new president's missteps in his on-the-job training at the White House expose weakness in a dangerous world.
What else can other nations believe when President Obama seems to think he can charm the Taliban? (What? Without his teleprompter at the negotiating table?) No wonder our adversaries see an Achilles' heel when the White House hints at scrapping our missile shield plans for Eastern Europe if only Vladimir Putin (no friend of the U.S.) can somehow persuade Iran (whose regime despises us) to back off its hostile nuclear ambitions.
The Asian threat
Again, the Chinese seem to have us right where they want us. In one hand, the People's Republic of China (PRC) holds a huge chunk of America's debt. With the other hand, she builds a military machine far beyond what would be required for her defensive needs. China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) sees the U.S. as "the main enemy," believes war with the U.S. is "inevitable," and is building a machine that can target U.S. cities.
And let us not even imagine that China sees us as anything but a pushover, when the president appoints as Chairman of the National Intelligence Council Chas Freeman, who has said China's brutal crackdown on dissenters at Tiananmen Square in 1989 was "overly-cautious." The fact that negative publicity led Freeman to withdraw offers little assurance. With Obama's mindset on foreign policy, future appointees to sensitive positions are likely to hold similar views, albeit without the paper trail. That Obama terrorist pal Bill Ayers or his wife Bernadine Dohrn didn't end up as Homeland Security Secretary may simply mean we barely dodged the bullet.
On top of that, North Korea's Stalinist government threatens a war if anyone attempts to shoot down what appears (as of this writing) to be the planned test-firing of a long range missile. The outlaw Red regime once threatened to reduce free South Korea to debris unless it stopped civic groups from dropping anti-Pyongyang leaflets offering moral support to the starving millions in the dictator Kim Jong-Il's slave state.
We have been warned
Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.) has long warned that China remains America's number one threat.
Going back many years and almost forgotten by the general public — but very much on the radar at the Pentagon and our Space agency — China blew up her own satellite, whose estimated (by specialists on Inhofe's staff) 150,000 pieces of debris in space are traveling at such a speed that if we put a shuttle up, one of those pieces could cut through our shuttle or the international space station.
Not old hat
Even after all these years, Senator Inhofe says, China knows that outer space debris reminds us that they can shoot down a U.S. satellite, as well.
"What happens in America if they shoot down our satellites?" the senator continues, "That's the power that China has." Not only to bring our civilian communications to a halt, but then to leave us in a highly compromised position if we need to defend ourselves.
"Every tank that we have, every piece of artillery that is fired from an airplane is tied into this system," the Oklahoman — a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee — tells this column in an interview. Considering the threats to America, "you can argue that [this] is the worst possible time to have an Obama in the White House. Right now, the only thing [Obama is] cutting is the military."
All programs aimed at shielding America from her enemies "are in jeopardy," the senator says.
Alas, it gets worse
China can shoot down our communications satellite, our overhead imagery satellite. The Communist giant can take "anything out of the sky," according to an Inhofe aide, who did not disagree when I suggested that an enemy — by blowing up a U.S. satellite — can take us back to the late 18th century. So much of our infrastructure and also our way of life is wired to satellite technology.
We take for granted that we can forecast the weather, but if we don't know if or when a hurricane is coming, we would be unable to prepare for that. And then consider that hospitals would not be able to communicate with each other. You can let your imagination run wild in positing the life-threatening scenarios here on earth in these United States.
Airlines are able to use the Global Positioning System. Take out the GPS — which is now used to land aircraft, our ability commercially to fly air travelers. Potentially, "you could run aircraft together or not be able to land at certain locations," according to an aide to Senator Inhofe. (The senator himself is licensed to fly commercial aircraft).
Militarily, they could "shut our eyes" and take out our ability to verify and monitor what it is going on. The Chinese are very secretive. If the U.S. suddenly is without ability — through satellite technology — to listen and watch, even a partial advantage would elude us.
So where does that leave us?
China has been stealing us blind through espionage at our weapons production and lab facilities. Her latest announced military budget is pegged by the Chinese themselves at $70 billion. That's the official figure. But Senator Inhofe's office estimates the actual figure to be about three times that, or more like $200 billion.
Hillary no help
With all that staring us in the face, America's top diplomat boldly confronts the Chinese with what amounts to a feather, and intones the diplomatic equivalent of, "Now, you be nice boys, and don't dirty the air."
Not a word about missing prisoners in China, possibly including Americans. No serious discussion about China's outright mandated butchering abortion practices (No "pro-choice" there, right?). Nothing said about the outright hostility inherent in China's security threats to the United States. No, what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed with the Chinese was the question of "realigning" our relationship on issues such as "climate change," and energy.
If that is the Obama administration's idea of the actual extent of our problems with China, then we are in bigger trouble than we imagined. Climate change? That's our "China problem?"
Senator Inhofe shakes his head is despair. "The argument," he says, "is that if you believe that man-made gasses...are causing global warming — if you really believe that in your heart, and some nice people do — then why could you say that we would [counteract it] unilaterally in the United States? Because all this will do is chase our jobs [to] where the energy was — and that would be China, or Mexico or elsewhere, where they have no concern about their [climate] initiatives [and were not pressured to sign the Kyoto global warming treaty]."
So Hillary tried to convince the Chinese that they need to be worried about CO-2 emissions.
"China is laughing at her," the senator opines, "because that's how they [the Chinese] get jobs right now. They're getting all the American jobs [as they are building] — the last I heard — a coal-fired plant every week."
Right, and back here in the USA, we have a president who has threatened to shut down our own coal industry, and admits his "cap and trade" global warming legislation will cost consumers, as Americans anxiously eye the daily plunge of their retirement portfolios or nest eggs for a hoped-for "worry-free" retirement.
Thankful for crumbs of reality?
At least Secretary Clinton did not appear to be as naive on North Korea as she is on China. At a news conference with the Japanese foreign minister, she said North Korea's possible missile launch "would be very unhelpful in moving our relationship forward."
Normally we could cherish the small favor of Mrs. Clinton's brief awareness of danger — however guarded her expression. But then one remembers how her husband's administration greased the skids for this mess in the first place. The Clinton regime in the nineties, after meetings in Pyongyang, simply pulled a copout by suddenly endorsing (without any agreement on verification) North Korea's solemn word that it would not make dangerous nukes. That was "unhelpful" too.
But it fit the Clinton era of "See no evil"
Senator Inhofe recalls that in the Clinton era, security badges were eliminated at the Department of Energy under Secretary Hazel O'Leary. And of course, Clinton campaign contributor Barnard Schwartz (of the Loral Corp.) got the green light — through a waiver granted by President Clinton — to improve the precision and reliability of Chinese satellites and nuclear missiles. Thus the then-president undermined 50 years of technological export restrictions. It is believed the Chinese are capable of targeting between 13 and 18 U.S. cities. No inside knowledge as to whether they actually have targeted the cities, but the capability is there.
Inhofe: on China's case for years
Senator Inhofe in 2005 delivered a series of speeches on the floor of the Senate wherein he sounded the warning: "Some experts believe that China's economic policy is a purposeful attempt to undermine the U.S. industrial base, and likewise the defense industrial base."
During the post-Cold War 90s, Inhofe told me, the Clinton administration was content in essence to let the good times roll and sharply cut back on spending for the military. At the same time, the senator adds, the Chinese "increased their military procurement 1000%."
The more things change, the more they...
More Obama Clintonian déjà-vu : The president's choice for Commerce Secretary is former Washington State Governor Gary Locke. Governor Locke has been tied to the Chinagate scandal that steered money to the Clinton-Gore campaign in the nineties.
"No, he [Locke] should not be Commerce Secretary," Senator Inhofe replies to our question. In fact, the Oklahoma senator lacks confidence in any of the other Obama cabinet picks, with the exception of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
Again — China the biggest threat
Some people say the biggest threat comes from North Korea or Iran. While they are not to be underestimated — as we noted above with North Korea — "I've always said it's China," Inhofe says, "because they have the [military] capability and they have the money." Some enemies have one or the other. China has both.
China is also making inroads around the world — arming or in other ways assisting Iran in her nuclear ambitions, but also adding lesser-known rogue states such as Sudan (where China is the biggest arms supplier) and Zimbabwe, whose bloodthirsty dictator Mugabe is destroying his country. China has sold him $240 million in fighter jets. Zimbabwe does not need fighter jets. China is Zimbabwe's largest investor and second largest trading partner. Bolstering these bad guys is an act that is overtly hostile to the United States.
On-the-job training costly to the U.S.
As our green-behind-the-ears president repeats errors of the past in dealing with threats to America (and then adds a few of his own), he may be learning the hard way that there are some problems no president of the United States can hope to solve with a simple reading of the teleprompter.


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Finnish Lapland - Swedish Lapland
Journey deep within the Arctic Circle for a chance to see the Northern Lights
One to tick off your bucket list
Witness the captivating Northern Lights on a holiday deep within the magnificent Arctic Circle
One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, the Northern Lights are a stunning display of swirling, other-worldly lights. It's no surprise seeing this spectacle features high on many travellers' wish-lists: the incredible hues of blues and greens dancing across the night sky certainly make for a memorable holiday. Most people head for Finnish or Swedish Lapland, steering clear of large towns or cities (the more light pollution there is, the harder it is to see them). Essentially, the closer you are to the magnetic north pole, the more chance you have of the lights appearing.
Transun, along with our local experts, have selected destinations in the region's far north with little or no light pollution to ensure your chances of spotting the Aurora Borealis are high. Sightings are never guaranteed, however, you can time your trip to coincide with monthly cycles and clear weather periods. We have years of experience arranging holidays to see the Northern Lights and use our expert knowledge to book a tour to suit you.
Our 3 or 4-night Northern Lights tour is incredibly popular, but we also offer 3 or 4-night Festive Lights tours in December or week-long Aurora Hunter holidays from January to March.
Northern Lights: The science
A natural phenomenon that has left us mere mortals stunned for centuries, the Northern Lights are a wonder both to look at and understand. Here's the science behind them.
The colours swaying across the sky are caused by solar particles colliding with gases in the Earth's atmosphere. The sun's flares generate these particles. The result is a mish-mash of red, green, yellow and purple shades dancing in the night. Pale green and pink are the most commonly seen. Different types of gas particles colliding cause the range of colours.
For example, the pale green colours are caused by oxygen molecules around 60 miles above the Earth's surface. All-red auroras, however, are a result of high-altitude oxygen floating up to 200 miles high.
Activity peaks every 11 years (often referred to as the solar maximum), with the next peak forecast for 2024. However, they are visible annually above the Arctic Circle from November through to March.
An ideal location to see the Northern Lights
Dr Stuart Clark explains why
Seeing the Northern Lights from the magnificent Arctic landscape of Karesuando only ampifies their beauty. this village is just home to 300 people and is found in Lapland, straddling the border between Finland and Sweden. The frozen river that cuts the village serves as the border between the two countries, and the settlement is surrounded by a rolling landscape of frozen lakes and plains that provide excellent sites from which to view the Northern Lights.
This experience can be enjoyed as part of these tours
Aurora Hunter
Search for the fabled Aurora Borealis on this week-long break deep inside the Arctic Circle
7 nights from £1199 per adult
Festive Lights
Combine nature's most extraordinary Northern Lights show with the jollity of the festive period
3 or 4 nights from £899 per adult
Search for the spectacular Northern Lights in Lapland and enjoy a host of winter activities
Simply Arctic
A simple Arctic break including just the essentials - add excursions to create your own trip
3, 4 or 7 nights from £599 per adult
Husky Sled Adventurer
A short break for those who can't get enough of mushing their own team of eager husky dogs
Snowmobile Voyager
A short break for those who can't get enough of snowmobiling through Lapland
Finnish Lapland
Visit Santa in his secret log cabin in the forest on this pre-Christmas short holiday
Wonderful Christmas Time
Enjoy a white Christmas like you've never seen before!
3 or 4 nights from £1109 per adult
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Simply Arctic 3, 4 or 7 nights from £599
Winter Wonderland Daybreak from £559
Snow is Falling 2, 3 or 4 nights from £999
Dashing Through the Snow 3 or 4 nights from £1204
Wonderful Christmas Time 3 or 4 nights from £1109
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Home » News » Taiwanese artist Wu Chang-Jung on raising pigs for the art market – K11 video interview
Taiwanese artist Wu Chang-Jung on raising pigs for the art market – K11 video interview
by joseph on Jul 4, 2014 News | Comments Off on Taiwanese artist Wu Chang-Jung on raising pigs for the art market – K11 video interview
Learn how a crash course in animal husbandry inspired Taiwanese new media artist Wu Chang-Jung to discuss themes of life and the world economy in her art.
In a short video interview produced by Hong Kong-based K11 Art Foundation, Wu discusses the influences behind the first documentary she ever filmed, Documentary 1 – Pig Five Flower.
This article was written by a participant in our art writing diploma programme. Do you want to write for Art Radar, too? Click here to find out more about our Diploma in Art Journalism & Writing.
In 2008, a dramatic increase in the price of raw ingredients, a result of the Asian economic crisis, forced Wu Chang-Jung's parents to rethink their family feed business. Their solution was to raise their own pigs to eat the feed they could no longer sell. Wu moved back to the farm and, with no other help, she and her parents began raising 2000 piglets.
Over time, she began to notice a relationship between her parent's happiness and healthy pigs. How could she help them to recognise which pigs in the herd were healthy? Wu noticed that the healthy pigs moved around their feeder in a way that reminded her of gazing through a kaleidoscope. As she states in the video interview, inspired by this perspective, the artist decided "to record the various activities that the pigs engaged in and turn this into a moving kaleidoscope documentary." Sick pigs could then be easily recognised and, once identified, they would be covered in a plastic sheet to preserve their body heat. The pig's level of health was then determined largely by listening to the animal's breathing and bodily sounds.
East Lobby, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. Wu Chang-Jung, 'Documentary XIII – The Kaleidoscopig Farm Cuckoo Clock', 2012, video installation, colour, sound. Image by Art Radar.
City chic disguise
In the video interview, Wu's cool, global city style makes it difficult to imagine that the same person cleaned and fed two thousand pigs in a farm in Taiwan. As she tells this story of family survival, the camera cuts from her artwork to her elegant hands gesturing and flipping through a magazine. It follows her as she walks through the studios of the K11 Art Foundation in Hong Kong.
In an artist statement on a wiki managed by AVAT (Association of the Visual Arts in Taiwan), Wu provides some insight into the transformation. "As a cost-cutting measure, we laid off all of the employees at the pig farm and my mom and dad took on the work of caring for the two thousand pigs on the farm," she explains. "I took off my nail extensions, put on my Wellington boots and pitched in to help out at the pigsty."
From pigsty to metropolis
Today, Wu has traded the farm for Taiwan's capital city, Taipei, where she lives and works. Her most recent solo exhibition, "Current Sounds Uncovered" at Project Fulfill Art Space in Taiwan in December 2013, was an audio visual installation that also sprang from her farm experience.
In "Current Sounds Uncovered", Wu has, according to the gallery statement on the artwork, attempted to extract "the truth from sounds." She used the acute listening skills needed to monitor the breathing and digestion of a sick pig to eavesdrop on the lives of Taiwan's city dwellers. As noted in the gallery statement, "Each audio-visual work stems from the experience of listening to and contemplating on life, world economy, the real and the imaginary as well as the intangible and indescribable relationships between people."
Wu Chang-Jung, 'Lost Taipei', 2013, single-channel video, colour, sound, 4 min. 30 sec., in "Sounds Uncovered", Project Fulfill Art Space. Image courtesy the artist and Project Fulfill Art Space.
More on Wu Chang-Jung
Wu graduated as an ink artist from the Graduate Institute of Plastic Arts, Tainan National University of the Arts in 2008, after which she worked with her parents on their pig farm. Since 2009, Wu has held six solo exhibitions and shown in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, United States, Germany, Britain and Japan. She has exhibited her new media documentaries as well as traditional Chinese ink and oil paintings, sound and video art, and photography.
Barbara Eadie
Related Topics: Taiwanese artists, new media art, art about animals
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Taiwan's 'Schizophrenia' goes global – in pictures – March 2014 – an exhibition of young and emerging new media artists from Taiwan tours the world
Asia market perfect for digital art? [s]edition takes on Chinese artists – December 2012 – [s]edition, a revolutionary platform selling digital art, now represents Chinese artists
New Zealand artist Kerry Ann Lee digs into Taiwan through image and ruin – July 2012 – in her Taipei Artist Village residency, Lee questions how images can serve as an entry point into local culture
Chin Chih Yang's roving projections challenge Art Taipei audience: video and interview – September 2011 – Taiwan-born, US-based artist Chin Chih Yang was invited by the ICFAC to perform his interactive work Broken Mind at Art Taipei 2011
Subscribe to Art Radar for more on Taiwanese contemporary art


April 1, 2020 March 29, 2020 Cypress Lake Wire
Cecilia Man Awards $135,000 in Scholarships Over 20 Years
Marina Prestenbach
@tmarinalee
Joseph Ivy Jarreau could only afford to attend college by working after high school and paying for his tuition himself. Now, he's worked to provide $135,000 in scholarships to 148 Cecilia Jr. High students.
Jarreau, 72, described his poor childhood in Glynn, Louisiana. Jarreau explained that his family were sharecroppers and understood his family would not be able to afford college. Instead, he worked after high school to save for school himself.
Jarreau took his savings and attended the University of Southwester Louisiana, now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. At the university, he and his wife earned their degrees in education, which they used after moving to Cecilia.
Eventually, Jarreau became principal of Cecilia Jr. High. As principal, he wanted to reward hard working students.
In 2000, Jarreau and former Cecilia Jr. High Principal Cleveland Dupuis organized the Cecilia Scholarship Fund Association and awarded the Mona Halphen Dupuis Memorial Scholarship. In 2007, Dupuis died, and the scholarship was renamed the Cleveland and Mona Halpen Dupuis Memorial Scholarship.
"Our goal was to provide a scholarship to a Cecilia Jr. High eighth grader that could carry over to where he or she could get a cash scholarship upon graduating high school," said Jarreau.
Their first recipient was opera star André Courville, who appeared at Carnegie Hall. Courville, now 34, still remembers how he used his scholarship award.
"I used that money to buy myself a laptop for college. Of course, it was a big help. College is expensive. It's encouraging to win an award like that in eighth grade because I think it motivates people to do well," said Courville.
But the scholarship isn't the only motivation for Cecilia students, Jarreau also serves as motivation for the students.
"Mr. Jarreau is a very inspiring person. And his motto in junior high I remember was 'If it is to be, it is up to me.' He encouraged and empowered everybody to really be in charge of their own future and their own destiny and their own success," said Courville.
As the years have passed, the number of students awarded the scholarship has increased tremendously. Since 2000, the Cecilia Scholarship Fund Association has awarded 148 scholarships totaling $135,000.
Since the scholarship's first recipient roamed its halls, Cecilia Jr. High grew by a little over 100 students. Jarreau doesn't believe the student growth will ever outweigh the scholarship's abilities.
"It really doesn't concern me that much. As long as the parents and community are active in raising money, we could award 25 scholarships in one year. Last year we did 12, the year before 13. As we generate more funds, we can give more scholarships," said Jarreau.
According to Jarreau, more scholarships are a possibility in the future.
Current Cecilia Jr. High Principal Charee Theriot explained the population of students' growth in Cecilia, "In the nine years that I have been here, we have added over 100 students." But according to Theriot, as the population has increased some, the number of students qualifying for the scholarship "has been pretty consistent."
Eligible students must have at least a 3.67 grade-point average, receive a teacher recommendation, and complete community service.
Theriot said, "The children who qualify for the scholarship are the top of the top."
Although the scholarship creates competition amongst the students, Theriot believes that it is purely beneficial.
"For them it's something they want to achieve. They want their name on that wall outside of my office. When we do present the scholarship at the end of the year, the children are generally excited for each other, regardless of who's on top," said Theriot.
Though now retired, Jarreau is still known as a significant role model in his community and serves as a prime example of the rewards that dedication and hard work can give. Even with his success, Jarreau remains the man he always was.
"When I was five or 6 years old, I was picking pecans to make a little extra money and last year I picked 1900 pounds of pecans. I haven't quit," Jarreau said as he laughed. "I've been picking pecans for almost seventy years."
"Just as I continue to pick pecans, I will also continue to raise funds to offer scholarships to CJH students," said Jarreau.
Cecilia Jr. High School
Joseph Ivy Jarreau
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Melissa Arnaud says:
Thank you so much for honoring my father with this article! He has taught us so many life lessons and continues to share his love of education with the students of Cecilia.


Medical clearance of the psychiatric patient in the emergency department
Bruce David Janiak, Suzanne Atteberry
Emergency Medicine and Hospitalist Services
Background: As part of the emergency department (ED) evaluation of patients with psychiatric complaints, emergency physicians are often asked to perform screening laboratory tests prior to admitting psychiatric patients, the value of which is questionable. Study Objective: To determine if routine screening laboratory studies performed in the ED on patients with a psychiatric chief complaint would alter ED medical clearance (evaluation, management or disposition) of such patients. Methods: In this retrospective chart review, the patient charts were reviewed for triage notes, history and physical examination, laboratory study results, and patient disposition. The study investigators subjectively determined if any of the laboratory abnormalities identified after admission would have changed ED management or disposition of the patient had they been identified in the ED. Results: Subjects were 519 consecutive adult patients (18 years of age and older) admitted to the Medical College of Georgia's inpatient psychiatric ward through the ED. There were 502 patients who met inclusion criteria, and 50 of them had completely normal laboratory studies. Laboratory studies were performed in the ED for 148 patients. The most common abnormalities identified were positive urine drug screen (n = 221), anemia (n = 136), and hyperglycemia (n = 139). There was one case (0.19%) identified in which an abnormal laboratory value would have changed ED management or disposition of the patient had it been found during the patient's ED visit. Conclusions: Patients presenting to the ED with a psychiatric chief complaint can be medically cleared for admission to a psychiatric facility by qualified emergency physicians using an appropriate history and physical examination. There is no need for routine medical screening laboratory tests.
Journal of Emergency Medicine
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2009.10.026
Surgical Clearance
Emergency department (ED)
Psychiatric patients
Janiak, B. D., & Atteberry, S. (2012). Medical clearance of the psychiatric patient in the emergency department. Journal of Emergency Medicine, 43(5), 866-870. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2009.10.026
Medical clearance of the psychiatric patient in the emergency department. / Janiak, Bruce David; Atteberry, Suzanne.
In: Journal of Emergency Medicine, Vol. 43, No. 5, 01.11.2012, p. 866-870.
Janiak, BD & Atteberry, S 2012, 'Medical clearance of the psychiatric patient in the emergency department', Journal of Emergency Medicine, vol. 43, no. 5, pp. 866-870. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2009.10.026
Janiak BD, Atteberry S. Medical clearance of the psychiatric patient in the emergency department. Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2012 Nov 1;43(5):866-870. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2009.10.026
Janiak, Bruce David ; Atteberry, Suzanne. / Medical clearance of the psychiatric patient in the emergency department. In: Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2012 ; Vol. 43, No. 5. pp. 866-870.
@article{6e605def5b0f4690a02ecdc19bde5068,
title = "Medical clearance of the psychiatric patient in the emergency department",
abstract = "Background: As part of the emergency department (ED) evaluation of patients with psychiatric complaints, emergency physicians are often asked to perform screening laboratory tests prior to admitting psychiatric patients, the value of which is questionable. Study Objective: To determine if routine screening laboratory studies performed in the ED on patients with a psychiatric chief complaint would alter ED medical clearance (evaluation, management or disposition) of such patients. Methods: In this retrospective chart review, the patient charts were reviewed for triage notes, history and physical examination, laboratory study results, and patient disposition. The study investigators subjectively determined if any of the laboratory abnormalities identified after admission would have changed ED management or disposition of the patient had they been identified in the ED. Results: Subjects were 519 consecutive adult patients (18 years of age and older) admitted to the Medical College of Georgia's inpatient psychiatric ward through the ED. There were 502 patients who met inclusion criteria, and 50 of them had completely normal laboratory studies. Laboratory studies were performed in the ED for 148 patients. The most common abnormalities identified were positive urine drug screen (n = 221), anemia (n = 136), and hyperglycemia (n = 139). There was one case (0.19{\%}) identified in which an abnormal laboratory value would have changed ED management or disposition of the patient had it been found during the patient's ED visit. Conclusions: Patients presenting to the ED with a psychiatric chief complaint can be medically cleared for admission to a psychiatric facility by qualified emergency physicians using an appropriate history and physical examination. There is no need for routine medical screening laboratory tests.",
keywords = "Emergency department (ED), Medical clearance, Psychiatric patients, Screening tests",
author = "Janiak, {Bruce David} and Suzanne Atteberry",
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AU - Atteberry, Suzanne
N2 - Background: As part of the emergency department (ED) evaluation of patients with psychiatric complaints, emergency physicians are often asked to perform screening laboratory tests prior to admitting psychiatric patients, the value of which is questionable. Study Objective: To determine if routine screening laboratory studies performed in the ED on patients with a psychiatric chief complaint would alter ED medical clearance (evaluation, management or disposition) of such patients. Methods: In this retrospective chart review, the patient charts were reviewed for triage notes, history and physical examination, laboratory study results, and patient disposition. The study investigators subjectively determined if any of the laboratory abnormalities identified after admission would have changed ED management or disposition of the patient had they been identified in the ED. Results: Subjects were 519 consecutive adult patients (18 years of age and older) admitted to the Medical College of Georgia's inpatient psychiatric ward through the ED. There were 502 patients who met inclusion criteria, and 50 of them had completely normal laboratory studies. Laboratory studies were performed in the ED for 148 patients. The most common abnormalities identified were positive urine drug screen (n = 221), anemia (n = 136), and hyperglycemia (n = 139). There was one case (0.19%) identified in which an abnormal laboratory value would have changed ED management or disposition of the patient had it been found during the patient's ED visit. Conclusions: Patients presenting to the ED with a psychiatric chief complaint can be medically cleared for admission to a psychiatric facility by qualified emergency physicians using an appropriate history and physical examination. There is no need for routine medical screening laboratory tests.
AB - Background: As part of the emergency department (ED) evaluation of patients with psychiatric complaints, emergency physicians are often asked to perform screening laboratory tests prior to admitting psychiatric patients, the value of which is questionable. Study Objective: To determine if routine screening laboratory studies performed in the ED on patients with a psychiatric chief complaint would alter ED medical clearance (evaluation, management or disposition) of such patients. Methods: In this retrospective chart review, the patient charts were reviewed for triage notes, history and physical examination, laboratory study results, and patient disposition. The study investigators subjectively determined if any of the laboratory abnormalities identified after admission would have changed ED management or disposition of the patient had they been identified in the ED. Results: Subjects were 519 consecutive adult patients (18 years of age and older) admitted to the Medical College of Georgia's inpatient psychiatric ward through the ED. There were 502 patients who met inclusion criteria, and 50 of them had completely normal laboratory studies. Laboratory studies were performed in the ED for 148 patients. The most common abnormalities identified were positive urine drug screen (n = 221), anemia (n = 136), and hyperglycemia (n = 139). There was one case (0.19%) identified in which an abnormal laboratory value would have changed ED management or disposition of the patient had it been found during the patient's ED visit. Conclusions: Patients presenting to the ED with a psychiatric chief complaint can be medically cleared for admission to a psychiatric facility by qualified emergency physicians using an appropriate history and physical examination. There is no need for routine medical screening laboratory tests.
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KW - Medical clearance
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10.1016/j.jemermed.2009.10.026


Jerome Boger & Crew
These are penalties called by referee crews when Jerome Boger was the head official.
View Jerome Boger Penalties By:
Penalties By Week
Note: Offsetting and Declined penalties are ignored, except where specified.
Penalty Yards
Home Count
Home Yards
Away Count
Away Yards
09/07/14 1 Houston Washington 13 115 6 45 7 70 3 2
09/14/14 2 Carolina Detroit 9 78 4 45 5 33 2 2
09/22/14 3 N.Y. Jets Chicago 15 173 6 78 9 95 0 0
09/28/14 4 Indianapolis Tennessee 17 156 11 88 6 68 4 0
10/05/14 5 New England Cincinnati 16 151 12 114 4 37 1 0
10/12/14 6 Tampa Bay Baltimore 13 113 5 43 8 70 1 0
10/19/14 7 Dallas N.Y. Giants 12 86 6 46 6 40 2 0
10/26/14 8 Jacksonville Miami 13 89 6 37 7 52 4 2
11/02/14 9 San Francisco St. Louis 18 127 9 44 9 83 2 2
11/16/14 11 Arizona Detroit 13 115 4 35 9 80 3 0
11/23/14 12 Philadelphia Tennessee 16 125 9 69 7 56 2 2
11/30/14 13 Buffalo Cleveland 16 121 6 45 10 76 5 0
12/07/14 14 Minnesota N.Y. Jets 10 110 6 70 4 40 5 0
12/14/14 15 Kansas City Oakland 21 159 11 84 10 75 3 2
12/28/14 17 Washington Dallas 16 149 9 101 7 48 0 0
Totals 218 1867 110 944 108 923 37 12


A sandwiched denitrifying biocathode in a microbial fuel cell for electricity generation and waste minimization
A. Al-Mamun*, O. Lefebvre, M. S. Baawain, H. Y. Ng
Civil and Architectural Engineering
A denitrifying biocathode in a microbial fuel cell was developed to investigate the replacement of the costly Pt-coated abiotic cathodes for electricity generation. The denitrifying biocathode was sandwiched between the dual-anode systems. The study investigated the performance for simultaneous treatment of wastewater on the anode, biological denitrification on the cathode and the potential recovery of electrical energy. Autotrophic biofilms performed denitrification on the cathode using supplied electrons by the biodegradation of organics on the anode. Graphite granules were used as electrodes for biofilm attachment, and nafion membranes were used as separators between electrodes. The system achieved a volumetric power of 7 ± 0.4 W m−3 net cathodic compartment (NCC) with the simultaneous removal of 229.5 ± 18 mg L−1 COD on anode and 88.9 g m−3 NCC day−1 nitrogen on cathode, respectively. The columbic efficiency for cathodic and anodic reactions was 98.9 ± 0.57 and 23.54 ± 0.87 %, respectively. This is a combined study for domestic wastewater treatment and biological denitrification in a compact MFC reactor. Further optimization of the system is desired to improve its performance and applicability.
International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology
Autotrophic biofilms
Biocathode
Bioelectricity production
Biological denitrification
Microbial electrochemistry
Microbial fuel cell
Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
Dive into the research topics of 'A sandwiched denitrifying biocathode in a microbial fuel cell for electricity generation and waste minimization'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Anodic Reaction Engineering 100%
Cathodic Reaction Engineering 100%
Graphite Earth and Planetary Sciences 100%
Nitrogen Chemical Engineering 100%
Al-Mamun, A., Lefebvre, O., Baawain, M. S., & Ng, H. Y. (2016). A sandwiched denitrifying biocathode in a microbial fuel cell for electricity generation and waste minimization. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 13(4), 1055-1064. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-016-0943-1
A sandwiched denitrifying biocathode in a microbial fuel cell for electricity generation and waste minimization. / Al-Mamun, A.; Lefebvre, O.; Baawain, M. S. et al.
In: International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 13, No. 4, 01.04.2016, p. 1055-1064.
Al-Mamun, A, Lefebvre, O, Baawain, MS & Ng, HY 2016, 'A sandwiched denitrifying biocathode in a microbial fuel cell for electricity generation and waste minimization', International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 1055-1064. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-016-0943-1
Al-Mamun A, Lefebvre O, Baawain MS, Ng HY. A sandwiched denitrifying biocathode in a microbial fuel cell for electricity generation and waste minimization. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology. 2016 Apr 1;13(4):1055-1064. doi: 10.1007/s13762-016-0943-1
Al-Mamun, A. ; Lefebvre, O. ; Baawain, M. S. et al. / A sandwiched denitrifying biocathode in a microbial fuel cell for electricity generation and waste minimization. In: International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology. 2016 ; Vol. 13, No. 4. pp. 1055-1064.
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title = "A sandwiched denitrifying biocathode in a microbial fuel cell for electricity generation and waste minimization",
abstract = "A denitrifying biocathode in a microbial fuel cell was developed to investigate the replacement of the costly Pt-coated abiotic cathodes for electricity generation. The denitrifying biocathode was sandwiched between the dual-anode systems. The study investigated the performance for simultaneous treatment of wastewater on the anode, biological denitrification on the cathode and the potential recovery of electrical energy. Autotrophic biofilms performed denitrification on the cathode using supplied electrons by the biodegradation of organics on the anode. Graphite granules were used as electrodes for biofilm attachment, and nafion membranes were used as separators between electrodes. The system achieved a volumetric power of 7 ± 0.4 W m−3 net cathodic compartment (NCC) with the simultaneous removal of 229.5 ± 18 mg L−1 COD on anode and 88.9 g m−3 NCC day−1 nitrogen on cathode, respectively. The columbic efficiency for cathodic and anodic reactions was 98.9 ± 0.57 and 23.54 ± 0.87 %, respectively. This is a combined study for domestic wastewater treatment and biological denitrification in a compact MFC reactor. Further optimization of the system is desired to improve its performance and applicability.",
keywords = "Autotrophic biofilms, Biocathode, Bioelectricity production, Biological denitrification, Microbial electrochemistry, Microbial fuel cell",
author = "A. Al-Mamun and O. Lefebvre and Baawain, {M. S.} and Ng, {H. Y.}",
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AU - Baawain, M. S.
AU - Ng, H. Y.
N2 - A denitrifying biocathode in a microbial fuel cell was developed to investigate the replacement of the costly Pt-coated abiotic cathodes for electricity generation. The denitrifying biocathode was sandwiched between the dual-anode systems. The study investigated the performance for simultaneous treatment of wastewater on the anode, biological denitrification on the cathode and the potential recovery of electrical energy. Autotrophic biofilms performed denitrification on the cathode using supplied electrons by the biodegradation of organics on the anode. Graphite granules were used as electrodes for biofilm attachment, and nafion membranes were used as separators between electrodes. The system achieved a volumetric power of 7 ± 0.4 W m−3 net cathodic compartment (NCC) with the simultaneous removal of 229.5 ± 18 mg L−1 COD on anode and 88.9 g m−3 NCC day−1 nitrogen on cathode, respectively. The columbic efficiency for cathodic and anodic reactions was 98.9 ± 0.57 and 23.54 ± 0.87 %, respectively. This is a combined study for domestic wastewater treatment and biological denitrification in a compact MFC reactor. Further optimization of the system is desired to improve its performance and applicability.
AB - A denitrifying biocathode in a microbial fuel cell was developed to investigate the replacement of the costly Pt-coated abiotic cathodes for electricity generation. The denitrifying biocathode was sandwiched between the dual-anode systems. The study investigated the performance for simultaneous treatment of wastewater on the anode, biological denitrification on the cathode and the potential recovery of electrical energy. Autotrophic biofilms performed denitrification on the cathode using supplied electrons by the biodegradation of organics on the anode. Graphite granules were used as electrodes for biofilm attachment, and nafion membranes were used as separators between electrodes. The system achieved a volumetric power of 7 ± 0.4 W m−3 net cathodic compartment (NCC) with the simultaneous removal of 229.5 ± 18 mg L−1 COD on anode and 88.9 g m−3 NCC day−1 nitrogen on cathode, respectively. The columbic efficiency for cathodic and anodic reactions was 98.9 ± 0.57 and 23.54 ± 0.87 %, respectively. This is a combined study for domestic wastewater treatment and biological denitrification in a compact MFC reactor. Further optimization of the system is desired to improve its performance and applicability.
KW - Autotrophic biofilms
KW - Biocathode
KW - Bioelectricity production
KW - Biological denitrification
KW - Microbial electrochemistry
KW - Microbial fuel cell
JO - International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology
JF - International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology


Workstyle Co-working Suites Launch at 3030 Warrenville Road
Workstyle Flexible Spaces, an entity of Boxer Property, is excited to announce the 4th addition to their signature Workstyle suites to Chicago.
Lisle Executive Center is conveniently located at 3030 Warrenville Road Suite 450, near the four-way interchange of I-88 and Naperville Road within the East/West Tollway submarket.
The newly constructed flexible and collaborative space brings 10,000 sq. ft. of Workstyle's signature private offices as well as attractive common areas including huddle rooms, lounges, coffee bars, and modern tenant conference facilities with contemporary high-end finishes. Customers can opt for furnished or unfurnished offices all of which include complimentary Wi-Fi as one of the many amenities provided to Workstyle customers.
Since covid-19, there is a greater emphasis on health, hygiene, and a positive work-life balance, with the demand for flexible offices continuing to surge, playing a crucial role in the gradual 'new normal'. Shared office space has not only gained momentum because of its cost-effectiveness and flexibility, but also for its impact on employee productivity.
Marc el-Khouri, Director of Workstyle at Boxer Property, is very optimistic about the renovations. He said, "With our local Workstyle occupancy at 80% and rising, it's necessary to expand our footprint in municipalities on the outskirts of Chicago like Schaumburg and Lisle Naperville. Flexibility of space has been an emphasis at this Workstyle location. The newly created spaces are arranged in pods that can be easily reconfigured from almost 40 individual offices to 3 larger suites of about 3,400 sq. ft. each. This flexibility will allow our customers to prosper and grow in place." In Q4 2021 an addition of 18,000 sq. ft. of Workstyle flexible space will be completed in the Chicago metropolitan area.
Workstyle flexible and collaborative spaces are Boxer Property's signature hybrid of co- working and private offices that provide startups and small business owners the opportunity to rent individual spaces at a fraction of the cost of traditional office space.
Boxer Property is celebrating over 29 years as an innovative commercial real estate investment and management company. Boxer Property Management Corporation is a privately held firm based in Houston that manages, leases, and administers retail, medical, hospitality and office properties with over 15 million square feet across more than 140 locations, nationwide. For more information, visit BoxerProperty.com


Voucher Code Printable Codes April 2020 For Smile Direct Club
In June, the thin, transparent plastic trays that fit over her leading and bottom teeth came in the mail. McKinney is resolving the series slowly, switching the first set for the next, and the next, as her teeth move. It'll take about nine months in all. However after 3 months of using these trays nearly every day and night, McKinney is excited about flaunting her brand-new smile (Voucher Code Printable Codes April 2020 For Smile Direct Club).
Danny Menendez/ BuzzFeed News Inside one of SmileDirectClub's New York City locations. SmileDirectClub's business design seems working. Align Innovation– the business that makes Invisalign, SmileDirect's main rival– invested $46.7 million to end up being SmileDirect's unique supplier in 2015, and this year invested another $12.8 million, to own a total of 19% of the company.
Meanwhile, lookalikes have actually launched with similar services: Orthly, launched by 2 University of Pennsylvania trainees, now offers services to consumers in Philadelphia, and Honest Co. released in New york city this summer season. A SmileDirect customer can be matched with among 225 associated dental experts or orthodontists in all 50 states. These dental experts from another location evaluate patient cases and after that develop the aligners that SmileDirect sends in the mail.
The business decreased to name any of the doctor within its network, and would not provide information about its monetary relationships with them. "Essentially they are collecting payments and paying us marketing costs," Fenkell said."I think that claim is rather phony," AAO's general counsel Dillard said. "The customers do not even see a dental practitioner.
(SmileDirectClub has a two-star ranking on Yelp.) And many expert dentists are alarmed that customers never see a certified physician prior to or throughout their treatment."It blew my mind," Casi Stubbs, a Florida orthodontist and member of the American Association of Orthodontists, informed BuzzFeed News. Like common orthodontists, SmileDirect's dental practitioners base their prescriptions on computer system simulations of mouth scans.
"The teeth don't move biologically like they do on the computer system," Stubbs said. Among her clients, 60-year-old Charlene Burnham, is a SmileDirect client whose too-tight aligners cut her gums, exposing part of her tooth near the root. Burnham told BuzzFeed News she spent a week trying– and failing– to speak with a SmileDirect dentist on the phone, then went to Stubbs for help."They were bleeding, they were cut to the root," Burnham said.
"I was appalled."A SmileDirect representative told BuzzFeed News by e-mail that company-affiliated dentists "track the client's progress throughout treatment at routine periods."The company "assists in the communications" of clients and oral suppliers, the representative said. "Oral service providers interact directly with patients through the customer portal and via SMS or phone when proper or indicated."In a YouTube video that's been viewed over 21,000 times given that June, Baltimore orthodontist Jeffrey Miller warned people away from the service, stating that no orthodontist would ever prescribe aligners without first taking the X-rays that SmileDirect avoids.
(The video was eliminated after this story published.)Grant Olson, a dental professional in Springfield, Missouri, told BuzzFeed News that the business's item marketing, which compares itself with orthodontist-fitted Invisalign, is misleading. Unlike Invisalign trays, which orthodontists can optimize by sticking unique accessories on a tooth, SmileDirect's product is limited to very small corrections: The aligners can remedy a tilt, however can't move a tooth's orientation or position along with its root.
He explained that SmileDirect-affiliated orthodontists only approve cases that are suitable for a remote assessment and do not require follow-up dental visits (Voucher Code Printable Codes April 2020 For Smile Direct Club). Laws for dental practitioners differ throughout states, but there are some common themes in the 36 complaints sent out by the AAO: Some states think about making impressions and providing retainers to be the function of a certified medical professional, but SmileDirectClub normally provides those services.
AAO general counsel Dillard also told BuzzFeed News that the business's business model incentivizes dentists associated with SmileDirect to recommend the trays even if they aren't required. Danny Menendez/ BuzzFeed News Although the company hasn't attracted the attention of regulators yet, customer problems abound online. TL; DR: Prepare for a rough ride.
The vast majority of clients in these groups resign themselves to handling the snags since there are just no other choices (Voucher Code Printable Codes April 2020 For Smile Direct Club)."If you can be patient, want a cost effective plan, SDC IS the right way to go! Having a favorable attitude and being patient goes a LONG way," Melanie Masso composed to BuzzFeed News.
For lots of other clients, the ride is a bust. Seattle resident Melissa Gulick told BuzzFeed News that at the end of almost a year of treatment, the aligners have actually destroyed her bite: Her front teeth touch prior to her molars can make contact (Voucher Code Printable Codes April 2020 For Smile Direct Club). "I'm quite irritated– food is tough to chew now and they won't fix it!"Gulick stated that after grievances to the business, SmileDirectClub concurred to continue treatment for free.
When asked about grievances that the trays messed up customers' bites, a SmileDirect agent informed BuzzFeed News: "Over 95% of our consumers total treatment and sign off on their finished new smile. It is essential to keep in mind that with any orthodontic procedure, bites will continue to shift up until the treatment is ended up."Another client, 24-year-old Drexel University student Kacie Durham, told BuzzFeed News that SmileDirectClub sent her a simulated treatment plan that made her teeth look worse."It really made my teeth appear more uneven at the bottom," she stated.
Durham returned her trays and gotten a refund. Later on, an orthodontist not associated with the business told her that her teeth would have to be submitted and shaped before they could be aligned. Durham felt fooled: SmileDirect had approved her for a treatment that would never ever have actually worked."If a potential customer is unhappy with the 3d preview of his/her smile, there is no commitment to purchase aligners," the SmileDirectClub agent stated (Voucher Code Printable Codes April 2020 For Smile Direct Club).
Minelle Tendler, a Boca Raton orthodontist, joined one of the most significant Facebook groups, the 11,800-member SmileDirectClub Assistance, after 2 of her patients asked about the item. In browsing the posts that appear in her Facebook feed, Tendler stated that she's not seen anybody state they've been able to talk to a dentist at the business.
"You're asking somebody who has no dental background, 'Is this going to work?'"More than when, Tendler has actually stopped short of responding to threads on the forum. She rests on her hands because the patients are not hers. "I'm taking a look at the pictures and thinking, Oh my god, you need to get teeth taken out, don't do it."Primarily, she is stressed that individuals who are wooed by SmileDirectClub's low price aren't fully knowledgeable about the disadvantages of skipping a dental check out.
A previous version of this short article misidentified him as an orthodontist. Align Innovation owns 19% of SmileDirectClub. A previous variation of this story stated it was 17%. Also, SmileDirectClub started running in North Carolina in early October. A previous version of this story, based on an August interview with cofounder Alex Fenkell, said that the business was not operating in North Carolina.
Mail-in aligners may appear like a great choice for a slight fix. But keep in mind you're not the professional on how very little a fix your teeth need. "It's challenging to go from something that's 90% good to make it 100% best; in my experience, I discover that these are the harder cases," Dr.
The outcomes of utilizing undetectable aligners can be incredibly unforeseeable, since some individuals react well to them and others won't. "It's very hard to monitor this by yourself, because– like whatever in medicine– not everybody responds the exact same," he states. The real problem includes determining how to fix your smile if you're not reacting properly to the retainers, he says.


Interact Conference Updates
Session Submissions are Open!
Trudy Melzer Pavlik
Your Experience is the Heart of Interact!
HIUG is a true peer-to-peer platform. That means the light shines brightly on YOU! Members want to hear from others that walk in their shoes, not a sales pitch. That's where you come in...we want to hear about your trials, tribulations and successes that you've faced over the last year. Remember, we have members from all experience levels, so if you discovered something new, likely there's others that can benefit as well.
We are proud to be back in person! So come share your knowledge, learn from others, network and have fun in the sun. :)
Released: November 15, 2021 11:03 AM | Updated: November 15, 2021 11:03 AM
Keywords: Conference
Join us at Interact 2023
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Interact 2023 - Save the Date!
Please Save the Date for Interact 2023! The Interact 2023 conference will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Autograph Collection.
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A New Member's Experience Attending the HIUG Interact 2022 Conference
Updated 11:46AM EDT, Thu Jul 28th, 2022
A New Member's Experience Attending the HIUG Interact 2022 Conference By Erin Festerman SCM Systems Support Analyst, UPMC
I joined UPMC, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, in 20...


WB v W District Council [2018] EWCA Civ 928
Homelessness "This appeal is about when a person who is homeless and suffers from mental illness may apply for housing under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996. ... The difficulty for the appellant in this case, WB, is that it has been held she does not have capacity to make the decisions necessary to complete the process of applying for accommodation as a homeless person. In 1993, the House of Lords held that a homeless person with mental disabilities, who could not understand the choices she had to make when offered accommodation, could not be treated as a person in priority need..."
ICLR
The ICLR have kindly agreed for their WLR (D) case report to be reproduced below.
The WLR Daily case summaries
[2018] WLR(D) 256!
WB v W District Council (Equality and Human Rights Commission intervening)
[2018] EWCA Civ 928!
2018 Jan 24; April 26
Arden, Lewison, Asplin LJJ
Local government— Homeless persons— Mental disorder— Homeless housing applicant found to be incapable of managing her affairs— House of Lords' authority providing homeless person lacking mental capacity not treated as priority need for purposes of housing legislation— Whether exclusion of persons lacking mental capacity an obsolete statutory provision— Whether current housing legislation to be given Convention-compliant interpretation so as to place applicants for priority housing with mental disability on same footing as those without disability— Housing Act 1985 (c 68), s 59(1)— Housing Act 1996 (c 52), s 189(1) — Human Rights Act 1998 (c 42), s 3 — Mental Capacity Act 2005 (c 9), s 19(6)
The defendant local housing authority refused the applicant's application for assistance as a homeless person under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 on the basis that while she was in priority need under section 189(1) of the Act she had become homeless intentionally. The applicant's appeal was adjourned part heard as the judge determined that she lacked capacity to conduct litigation and appointed the Official Solicitor on her behalf. In subsequent Court of Protection proceedings declarations were made that the applicant lacked capacity to conduct proceedings and to make final decisions as to where she should live and therefore was without capacity to apply for assistance under Part VII. The housing appeal was resumed and the judge found that the applicant was incapable of managing her affairs and that he was bound by House of Lords' authority, that a homeless person with mental disabilities, who could not understand the choices she had to make when offered accommodation, could not be treated as a person in priority need for the purposes of section 59(1)(c) of the Housing Act 1985 and therefore was not eligible for housing assistance as a homeless person. Section 189(1)(c) of the 1996 Act and section 59(1)(c) of the 1985 Act were in the same terms. On her appeal the applicant contended that: (i) the exclusion of persons lacking mental capacity was an obsolete statutory provision; or (ii) section 189(1) could be interpreted, using section 3 of the Human Rights Act 1998, in a way that put applicants for priority housing with mental disability on the same footing as those with no such disability; or (iii) the effect of the House of Lords' authority was simply to prevent a person from signing a tenancy agreement but allowed them to make an application for housing assistance.
On the applicant's appeal—
Held, appeal dismissed. (1) The exclusion of a person with a disability from Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 was not obsolete. Parliament had chosen to retain the concept of priority need in the 1996 Act and, since the Human Rights Act 1998, had built on the legislative scheme for housing homeless persons and had not taken any steps to reverse the House of Lords' authority. Where the courts had interpreted a term in an enactment and Parliament made further legislative provision using the same term, it was presumed to have chosen that the same meaning should apply in legislation re-enacting the previous legislation or similar legislation. In the instant case it was clear that Parliament had successively built on the relevant provisions of the 1985 Act, the same meaning should be presumed to apply and there was nothing to rebut that presumption. Moreover, neither the 1998 Act nor the Equality Act 2010 in terms amended the relevant provisions of the 1996 Act (paras 22, 23, 26, 27, 30, 41, 42, 52, 71, 72).
Barras v Aberdeen Steam Trawling and Fishing Co Ltd [1933] AC 402!, HL(Sc) and R v Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, Ex p Garlick [1993] AC 509Not on Bailii!, HL(E) applied.
Ghaidan v Godin-Mendoza [2004] 2 AC 557!, HL(E) and R (N) v Lewisham London Borough Council [2015] AC 1259!, SC(E) considered.
(2) Section 189(1)(c) of the 1996 Act could not be interpreted, using section 3 of the 1998 Act, so as to place applicants for priority housing with mental disability on the same footing as those with no such disability. To interpret Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 afresh would not be to interpret those provisions but to give them a meaning that it was clear from legislative history was contrary to that which Parliament intended. While the absence of a Parliamentary intention to attach a Convention-compliant interpretation to legislation was not a bar to the courts adopting such an interpretation under section 3 of the 1998 Act, a distinction should be drawn between that situation and one in which the Convention-compliant interpretation had been rejected by Parliament by express words or other inconsistent legislative action (paras 30, 64, 71, 72, 73).
(3) Pursuant to section 19(6) of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 a deputy appointed to make decisions about the personal welfare or property and affairs of a person who lacked capacity could be given the power to make an application under Part VII of the 1996 Act, including power to make the various choices that an applicant might be required to make, with the deputy being regarded as agent of the person without capacity when acting within his agency. The House of Lords' authority, which considered only contractual agency, was not a bar to the statutory agency under section 19(6) of the 2005 Act (para 34).
Martin Westgate QC and Michael Marsh-Hyde (instructed by Shelter Legal Services) for the applicant.
Wayne Beglan (instructed by W District Council) for the local housing authority.
Helen Mountfield QC (instructed directly) filed written submissions for the intervener.
Reported by: Nicola Berridge, Solicitor
CASES DATABASE
Full judgment: BAILII!
Other capacity cases🔍
Date: 26/4/18🔍
Court: Court of Appeal (Civil Division)🔍
Judge(s):
Arden🔍
Lewison🔍
Asplin🔍
WB🔍
W District Council🔍
Equality and Human Rights Commission🔍
Citation number(s):
[2018] 3 WLR 2035!
What links here:
April 2018 chronology
Published: 27/4/18
Cached: 2020-01-18 07:26:31
Retrieved from "http://www.mentalhealthlaw.co.uk/index.php?title=WB_v_W_District_Council_(2018)_EWCA_Civ_928&oldid=37954"
The following categories (in blue boxes) can be clicked to view a list of other pages in the same category:
ICLR summary
Other capacity cases
Judgment available on Bailii


Home » Celebrity » Juno Awards 50th Anniversary Show Rescheduled For May 2021
Juno Awards 50th Anniversary Show Rescheduled For May 2021
2020-12-02 Celebrity
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences has announced that The JUNO Awards 50th anniversary will be moved to May 2021.
Originally scheduled to be held in Toronto in March, the annual event was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The JUNO Awards will be broadcast in Canada on May 16, 2021 on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music and globally on CBCMusic.ca/junos.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary next year, a gold version of the JUNO Award statuettes will be awarded to the winners, a silver version for Special Award recipients and a gold and silver version for Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees.
"It's been a decade since the JUNOS returned to Toronto and while this 50th-anniversary celebration is certainly going to be different, we still intend on celebrating all of the artists who unite our country through their music," said Allan Reid, President & CEO, CARAS/The JUNO Awards and MusiCounts.
To help celebrate the JUNO Awards 50th anniversary, MusiCounts, Canada's music education charity, will be awarding $1.5 million dollars worth of instruments and equipment to schools and community organizations across Canada through the MusiCounts Band Aid Program and TD Community Music Program.
Teachers in search of support for a school music program can apply before December 11 to musicounts.ca. Applications for the TD Community Music Program will open this spring.
No host has been announced for next year's show. The JUNO Awards have been hosted in the past decade by the likes of Drake, William Shatner, Michael Bublé, Bryan Adams and Sarah McLachlan.
50t, Juno Awards, rescheduled
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TruthDig: Opinion- Scott Tucker: David McReynolds- Pacifist and Socialist, 1929-2018
Source: TruthDig- Democratic Socialist activist David McReynolds, speaking at The Left Forum in 2009
Source:The New Democrat
People talk about Democratic Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders, ( still but not for long the only self-described Socialist member of Congress ) as far as where his politics come from and the people and movements that he looked up and how he got his Socialist politics. A lot of that can be from his upbringing being born in 1940s New York City to a Jewish immigrant family where socialism is very popular with Jewish New Yorkers especially, but with New Yorkers in general. Or coming of age in the 1960s and going to college in the early and mid 1960s when a lot of young people especially in the early days of the hippie movement were open to socialism and perhaps becoming a Socialist them self.
The New-Left ( Socialists and Communists ) emerges in the late 1960s with a lot of Baby Boomers who were coming of age getting involved with that new movement and why it was called the New-Left, because pre-1965 or so to be on the Left in America meant you supported things like the New Deal, Great Society, the civil rights movement, free speech and personal freedom, but were somewhat hawkish on foreign policy and national security and not just anti-Communist, but anti-authoritarian in general. Which is what it meant to be a Progressive and Liberal back then and still does, at least factually.
Which changed in the late 1960s with millions of young Americans now open and even supporting of socialism, but even communism as well. And as a result the Democratic Party moves to the Far-Left in 1968 and through 1972 and they get their nominee for President in Senator George McGovern, who was the Democratic Socialist of his time, the Bernie Sanders of the 1960s and 70s.
But if I had to point to one man even though I don't personally know Senator Sanders myself, I would point to David McReynolds, who was a Democratic Socialist activist from the 1950s when he was in college really till his death this year. Someone who believed in both democracy including a free press, free speech, freedom of religion, civil liberties, and personal freedom.
But to go along with a democratic socialist economic system where the Federal Government would literally be in charge of distributing the financial resources of the country to the people based on what everyone needs to live well. A national welfare state designed to make sure that everyone's economic needs are met so we don't have a wealthy people and a lot of poor people or any poor people. That's what a socialist welfare state is designed to do for the country.
Not saying that David McReynolds and Bernie Sanders are ideological twin brothers. Senator Sanders, is not a pacifist and has voted for and supported he use of force in Congress multiple times both in the House and Senate and even though Senator Sanders is somewhat isolationist and dovish when it comes to foreign policy and national security, he's certainly not a pacifist. But economically and as it relates to social issues and personal freedom, you can easily argue that David McReynolds and Bernie Sanders have a lot in common politically.
Source: Democracy Now: Friends Remember War Register League Activist & Socialist David McReynolds - Democratic Socialist activist David McReynolds, on Democracy Now
Labels: New Left
Marmar: The South Bank Show- Elizabeth Taylor: 1981 Interview
Source: Marmar- Hollywood Goddess Dame Elizabeth Taylor in 1981
Source: The Daily Review
The term genius gets thrown out a lot and generally thrown badly and for a lot of incomplete passes ( to use a football analogy ) and gets thrown around by a lot of people who certainly aren't geniuses and if anything are lazy mentally. And they use it to talk about people who impress them and these people tend to get impressed easily. The word is misused a lot similar to how the word awesome is misused today and done for pop culture reasons. But Elizabeth Taylor's case, I believe genius fits her perfectly and not just because she's a great actress, but because of every other characteristic that comes with being a genius.
According to Cambridge Dictionary
a genius is someone who is very great and possesses rare natural ability or skill especially in a particular area such as science or art. That's a paraphrase but it's pretty close. But we all know or know of people that could be accurately labeled as geniuses who are different and standout in other areas and perhaps not as well as they do with their craft.
Anyone who is familiar with the filmmaker and aviator Howard Hughes knows that he was great at his business, but struggled to get close to anyone emotionally and preferred to be left alone. Richard Nixon, in a lot of ways was a brilliant man when it came to public policy especially as it related to foreign affairs and national security, but struggled to socialize with people and didn't like even shaking hands with other people.
Liz Taylor, was a genius in another way as an actress. Someone who was great at playing her parts so well that she made you believe that she was exactly the person that she was playing, but struggled in other areas of her personal life and could even come off as an idiot as far as how she lived her personal life. All the marriages and the different men in her life, the obesity, followed by alcoholism.
Liz, was great at doing the things that made her famous in life which was her ability to act and had a very sharp intelligent wit and could sum up things very well and accurately and do it in a humorous way, but struggled to make deep connections with people and relate to them positively and keep relationships with people she cared about and loved. Things that normal people, ( not to be insulting ) but people who aren't geniuses, but otherwise intelligent and talented do well in their everyday lives everyday.
Labels: Dame Liz
Angela Mary: Dallas- E True Hollywood Story
Source: Angela Mary- The women of Dallas; Victoria Principal, Linda Gray & Charlene Tilton
There have been a lot of great soap operas both in the movies and on TV. The big ones of course today are The Young And The Restless, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, but back in the day you had great prime time soap operas like Melrose Place, Dynasty, One Life To Live, Guiding Light, and movies that were soaps like Where Love Has Gone with Susan Hayward and Mike Connors, Love Has Many Faces with Lana Turner and Cliff Robertson, Strangers When We Meet with Kirk Douglas and Kim Novak. But if I had to choose one over every other I have to choose Dallas because it represents soap opera at it's best, which is what I'm going to explain.
When I think of great soaps I think of dramatic comedy at it's best where you have really serious scenes and situations, but people and characters who are exactly that who do crazy things and seem somewhat out of control and yet always seem to know what they're doing. Like the JR Ewing character ( played by Larry Hagman ) on Dallas. Where you have serious situations with serious people, but doing crazy funny things. Like two adult women getting into cat fights and throwing pillows at each other. Happened multiple times between Linda Evans and Joan Collins on Dynasty.
Or two grown men getting into a fist fight at a restaurant because they're interested in the same woman, with one of them saying, "look, we're both adults here no need to fight for her." Even though that's exactly what happens two guys getting into a fist fight over a girl the kind of thing that happens in high school, but on Dallas or on another great soap opera it happens between two middle age men in public at a popular restaurant. Dallas, wasn't a drama or a comedy, it was both because it was a soap opera. You had a lot of serious situations and serious people, but with crazy immature people doing a lot and saying a lot of funny crazy things. Like with Larry Hagman on the show, who was like an evil bastard, except he was so good at it and funny at it you almost had to like him or at least respect him because he was so good at being a bastard.
The 1980s was a decade of excess where Americans had a lot of money and seemed to be in a hurry to spend as much of it as they possibly could as if they're was a national money going out of business sale and you have to spend all of your money before it becomes worthless. And Dallas perfectly represented the 1980s with the actors and characters that they had, as well as the writers. Similar to how Easy Rider perfectly represented the 1960s. It also represented a time when network TV was not only great, but relevant as well and where people wanted to watch CBS, ABC, and NBC every night and not just for sports and movies, but for programs as well. And almost 30 years later after Dallas finally went off the air after 13 seasons Dallas is still the best soap opera ever.
Angela Mary: Dallas- True Hollywood Story
Labels: Dallas
Salon: Timothy Denevi- Hunter S. Thompson in Chicago, 1968: 'The Battle For The Democratic Party's Soul'
Source: Salon Magazine- Hunter Thompson at the 1968 Democratic National Convention
Source: The New Democrat
If 1967 was the summer of love, then 1968 was the summer of discontentment, revolution, upheaval, whatever other big words that you prefer to voice a national unhappiness with the country and how things were going. It was the summer where once again millions of Baby Boomers were coming of age and pissed off at society, but especially the Vietnam War and feeling the need not just to speak out against the war, but to make their feelings known and to demand real change or face real consequences. The people would face those consequences being the government at three levels, local state and federal.
If you were a Baby Boomer in 1968, ( an American born in the 1940s and 50s ) life for you was pretty swell ( to use a word from the 1950s ) before you deiced to become a rebel and take on the man and the establishment that was created to give you a life where you could live freely and not have to worry about crime, poverty, being able to get a good education including college. Especially if you were of Anglo-Saxon background, ( people of English ethnicity ) just as long as toed the party line ( so to speak ) and weren't a disrupter. You weren't a woman who had some wild idea that you were going to become a lawyer. Or an African-American who had the nerve to enter a quality high school or go to college.
I have mixed feelings about the 1960s especially the late 1960s as someone who wasn't born until about ten years after the summer of 1968 where the only protests and the closest things I got to see to rioting in highs school, were students complaining about the low quality of food at lunch or students getting into fights at the nearby McDonald's because someone believed someone took one of their fries. I love the individualism and the personal freedom of that decade as a Liberal. This feeling that being an American was about being yourself and not having to follow in your parents footsteps, especially your father's just because that's what they decided to do with their lives.
But on the other side I hate the violence of that decade especially 1968. The rioting, the high crime rates, law enforcement going to far in how they responded to the young protesters. Young Boomers, who were given all the opportunities in the world to make great lives for themselves and instead of feeling grateful that instead of growing up in some authoritarian state where the government decides what kind of lives everyone in the country is going to have, they grew up in America where they had that freedom to make those decisions for themselves and instead of feeling grateful, they become political terrorists in many cases. Deciding to rob banks as a political statement because they claimed to hate our capitalist economic system. Far-Left socialist groups like The Weather Underground and others.
I get the opposition to the Vietnam War and if was a young man back then I would've hated that war and just what I've read, seen, and heard about it I hate that war myself. And I get this feeling that it's time for the Democratic Party to change and not just oppose the Vietnam War outright but create a new politics by abandoning the right-wing Dixiecrats and moving the Democratic Party in a more leftist direction. Socialist to be more accurate, with groups like Students For a Democratic Society supporting people like Senator George McGovern and others.
But that's what liberal democracy is for. You don't like the direction that the country is going in, you're more than free to speak out and campaign against it, and even offer an alternative vision for where you believe the country should go. But when you don't win and get your way, the answer is to not turn to violence to try to force your views and policies which is what The Weather Underground and other Socialist groups did back then. But instead take your losses and regroup and get ready for the next elections.
Source: E.P. James MacAdams: Hunter S. Thompson on Richard Nixon - Hunter Thompson's eyes on 1968
TruthDig: Opinion- Scott Tucker: David McReynolds-...
Marmar: The South Bank Show- Elizabeth Taylor: 198...
Salon: Timothy Denevi- Hunter S. Thompson in Chica...