View allAll Photos Tagged Commitment
Commitment to fashion: I had a whole new level of respect for this lady after watching her casually dive into the River Aire (Leeds) in order to recapture a Trilby hat that was blown away by the wind!
Do you know what commitment means these days? Getting clarity, then getting rid of distractions. -Brendon Burchard #motivation #commitment
Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. It is the words that speak boldly of your intentions. And the actions which speak louder than the words. It is making the time when there is none. Coming through time after time after time, year after year after year. Commitment is the stuff character is made of; the power to change the face of things. It is the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism.
DRAWSKO POMORSKIE TRAINING AREA, Poland--Paratroopers from 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), U.S. Army Europe conduct joint training with Estonian army partners during Exercise Steadfast Jazz here Nov. 6.
The U.S. Army is supporting Steadfast Jazz 13 with participation from the 173d IBCT(A), one of U.S. Army Europe’s forward-based combat brigades and the 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, the U.S.-based ground force contribution to NATO Response Force 2014. Collectively, these forces represent the reinvigoration of U.S. participation in the NRF and the enduring U.S. commitment to NATO, Europe, and regional stability and prosperity. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Alexander Jansen/54th Engineer Battalion)
Fossil of the Day Award by Climate Action Network, December 9, Monday of the second week of COP25 in Madrid.
#FossiloftheDay - US-3 FOSSILS!
🇺🇸 US for blocking #lossanddamage finance and insisting on playing a role in posing hurdles through a seat in ExCom
🇺🇸🇦🇺US & Australia for not contributing to the GCF on finance day
🇺🇸🇨🇦US & Canada for continued fossil fuel extraction
🏆#RayoftheDay🏆
🇩🇰Denmark for being a real climate champion, issues progressive climate law that's binding in line with #1o5C with a section about global cooperation to play a leading role and engage actively to deliver commitments including #finance
==Official Award citations==
Today we have a special star for Fossil of the Day! The United States (US) managed to get its name on three fossil awards in one day! This country is really making its best effort to be the worst for future generations and vulnerable communities worldwide!
The US is doing great at getting its name down in history as the frontrunner in destroying planet earth. Is it possible that it is hiding a Planet B somewhere for us or is it just enjoying leading the world peeps to mass suicide?!
==Fossil one==
So today we award fossil number one to the US for insisting to stay in the process just to block money while refusing to pay its share for causing all the loss and damage painfully felt by poor and vulnerable people worldwide through droughts, heatwaves, hurricanes, fires and other extreme weather events.
We’re here in the halls of power, and the table is set. Despite leaving the Paris Agreement, the US is inviting itself to have a seat at the table despite making it clear they have no intention of paying the bill. The US is trying to bully other countries into letting them stay on the board of the loss and damage Executive Committee, a core institution in the Paris Accord.
Meanwhile, Southern Africa faces its worst drought in 35 years. Eleven million people are facing climate induced starvation.
But what is the US even doing here at the table, it did boast about leaving the Paris Accord, didn't it? They have been leading a pack of blockers, part of the “rich boys club.” If these countries follow the US example, they’ll be forcing those hardest impacted to foot the bill. To that we say: “If you are going to leave, then you gotta get out of the way...."
==Fossil two:==
The second fossil of the day award goes to the US and Australia for withholding their pledges to the Green Climate Fund (GCF)
Back in November, a handful of countries doubled their contributions to the GCF, but guess what? Most contributor countries were not up to the challenge. Two of them even forgot their responsibility to provide adequate and sufficient funding for poor countries: The US and Australia simply decided to turn their back and withhold their pledges, snubbing all the scientists and people in the streets sounding the alarm on the climate emergency.
Other countries including Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Portugal, Ireland so far have not delivered double the dough and paid for the pollution they created!(we’re looking for countries to at least double their first GCF contribution, in line with their fairshare) So will ministers arrive to the party empty-handed tomorrow? What manners soiled with dirty fossil fuels! Or will they come with the goods, and top-up?
As a reminder, ambitious GCF contributions are key to support vulnerable communities adapting to climate change, and to create the right conditions for enhanced ambition in 2020.
==Fossil three:==
The third fossil of the day goes out to the US and Canada!
Hey Canada! What good is it showing off progressive positions and pushing for human and indigenous rights here in COP25 and violating these same rights back home?!
Yes you, fingers are pointed at you for recklessly approving fossil fuel infrastructure projects that are not in line with the Paris Agreement, such as the TMX pipeline.
US friends of course completely out of tune with science and are moving ahead with dirty projects such as fracking in the Permian Basin. No wonder you were called out as the worst countries in the Production Gap Report.
In the age of climate emergency, the US and Canada need to keep fossil fuels in the ground and respect Indigenous rights and sovereignty. This includes for Canada to reject the Teck Frontier Mine, the largest tar sands surface mine ever proposed.
==Ray of the Day==
Hey Danish parliament wow! Now that´s what we can call climate leadership. They agreed on a Climate Law that is binding for current and future governments and is in line with the 1.5C degrees temperature limit. Basically, Denmark turned science into law!
This law is really cool. It encourages global cooperation and enables Denmark to be a climate leader at the international level and deliver on commitments.
The story is not finished yet. Denmark set the target of reducing GHG emissions by 70% in 2030. Denmark agreed not to play the game of carbon trade to ensure complete environmental integrity.
Each sector is targeted with a strategy, including agriculture, transport and construction. These strategies are set annually in a “Climate Action Plan” based on an independent climate council, which will monitor that targets are being met through action. The Minister of climate has a duty to act on Climate Council recommendations.
Denmark thanks for setting a great example to follow!
About the fossils:
Every day at 18:00 local time you can watch the Fossil ceremony in Hall 4 during COP25.
The Fossil of the Day awards were first presented at the climate talks in 1999, in Bonn, initiated by the German NGO Forum. During United Nations climate change negotiations (www.unfccc.int), members of the Climate Action Network (CAN), vote for countries judged to have done their 'best' to block progress in the negotiations in the last days of talks.
About CAN: The Climate Action Network (CAN) is a global network of over 1,300 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in more than 120 countries working to promote government and individual action to limit human induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels.
Attribution: John Englart/Climate Action Network
The Commitment March - August 28, 2020, Lincoln Memorial, WDC].
To commemorate the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington, NaN and Rev. Al Sharpton held the Commitment March at the iconic Lincoln Memorial. It was hot as usually in August this day, but, the crowd swelled over the course of the day. The all-day event featured various speakers of all ages and from different walks of life. The theme of the event was "Get your foot off my neck!" which was a reference to the murder of George Floyd, which set off a flurry of protests and the activation of the Black Lives Matter movement across the country. However the BLM movement was focused on Washington DC - mainly around the White House where, then, President Trump resided. The event was peaceful but emotional for some.
Entrance Walk to GET YOUR KNEE OFF OUR NECKS Commitment March Rally at Constitution Gardens along 17th Street near Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington DC on Friday morning, 28 August 2020 by Elvert Barnes Photography
GEORGIA KNOW YOUR STATUS COVID-19 TESTING SITE
Visit Commitment March website at nationalactionnetwork.net/commitment-march-on-washington-dc/
Elvert Barnes 57th Anniversary of 1963 March on Washington COMMITMENT MARCH docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/57MOW2020
Misty May-Treanor is one of the greatest players to ever set foot on a volleyball court. She works harder in practice than most people do in a tournament and still listens to her coaches without any Prima donna attitude whatsoever. I am lucky to have been able to see her play and realize just how special she is.
Donald Julian Reaves announced today that he will step down as chancellor of Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) effective December 31, 2014, or thereafter when a successor is in place.
Accompanied by his wife Deborah, Chancellor Reaves made the announcement to a gathering of university faculty, students and staff after having informed the WSSU Board of Trustees at its meeting earlier in the day.
“At the end of December I will be in the middle of the eighth year of my five-year commitment,” Reaves said jokingly. “Seriously though, I am truly thankful to have had the opportunity to serve the University and the community and I want to thank UNC Presidents Tom Ross and Erskine Bowles for giving me the opportunity to lead this institution. I also want to thank the members of the board of trustees with whom I have worked for their strong support, especially Board Chair Debby Miller. I also want to salute the wonderful faculty and committed staffs who serve this institution. For me, it has been an exceptional experience.”
Chancellor Reaves said that he struggled with the decision, but beginning in late 2012 has had conversations with UNC President Ross about his desire to step down as chancellor and return to the classroom, where he began his career in higher education 37 years ago. He will join the WSSU political science faculty as a full professor with tenure.
“Deciding to leave a job that you love is not easy,” Reaves explained. “Deborah and I have given this decision considerable thought and I have consulted widely about it. I also went back and read the speech that I gave at my installation to determine whether I had fulfilled the promises I made then. Though there is always work to be done, I feel that we have accomplished everything that I said and much more. So, having built a much firmer foundation for WSSU, it seems that now is a good time to move on.”
Chancellor Reaves said that his initial goals were incorporated into the University’s strategic plan and that he continues to be excited about the implementation of those efforts and the results. He is particularly proud of the improved outcomes for students, including significantly better retention and graduation results.
“Providing our undergraduate students with a quality education and preparing them for success in their careers and their communities is our primary mission,” Reaves said. “Graduating students is the business that we are in and I’m proud to say that business at WSSU is booming. Current statistics speak directly to what we have been able to accomplish.”
By raising admission standards three times beginning in 2007, the University has attracted better prepared students and that has impacted retention and graduation rates. The retention rate for first-year students climbed from 68 percent in 2006 to more than 80 percent in the 2011-2012 academic year. The graduation rate which stood at 36.5 at the end of the 2007-2008 year has improved to 45.5 percent for the most recent reporting period, and the number of students graduating has risen from 824 in the 2006-07 year to 1,556 for the most recent year, 2012-13, an increase of almost 89 percent.
“It is also important to note that progress was achieved despite major reductions in our state allocations,” Reaves added. “We did that by targeting our scarce resources on a single key objective and that was improved student outcomes.”
The fact that more has been done with less is reflected in data released from the UNC General Administration that shows that over the five-year period, from 2007 through 2012, per student spending at WSSU declined by almost 30 percent while degree production increased by more than 47 percent. Among the 16 UNC campuses, WSSU ranks number one on both of those percentage change measures.
Chancellor Reaves stated his strong belief that the University has benefited tremendously from its strict adherence to the goals and objective set forth in the strategic plan, Achieving Academic Distinction: The Plan for Student Success – 2010-2015, which include academic excellence and student success as the highest priorities. “Virtually every decision we make and every dollar we spend benefits from the guidance provided by the plan” Reaves noted.
Other derivatives of the strategic plan include:
•Reforming and implementing an undergraduate curriculum grounded in the liberal arts tradition and designed to prepare students to compete in the market-based global economy. At the core of the new curriculum is an emphasis on the development of the students’ ability to think critically, participate in rigorous analysis and creative problem solving, communicate effectively, and collaborate to effect results.
•Reducing the size of the student body to improve student preparedness and to align its size with available resources, including the capacity of the physical plant.
•The consolidation of the schools of business and economics, and education with the college of arts and sciences to generate savings, and to align projected spending with expectations about the resources that are likely to be available in an era of flat or declining enrollments.
•Expanding graduate education with the addition of doctoral programs in physical therapy and nursing.
•Raising the standards for tenure and promotion to improve the quality of the faculty.
•Developing a partnership with Forsyth Technical Community College which has led to the creation of the Dual Admission Program that provides students who were not admitted to WSSU with an opportunity to prepare themselves academically prior to matriculating directly to WSSU.
•Maintaining the athletic program at the NCAA Division II level, reducing significantly the resources that were allocated previously to athletics, and making them available to support academic priorities. An added bonus, the program has subsequently won 14 conference championships.
•Managing a $34 million reduction in state funding over five years without reducing fulltime faculty or course offerings.
•Improving the student experience through the development of a campus master plan that included the construction of the new Donald Julian Reaves Student Activities Center, the Martin-Schexnider Residence Halls, the renovation of Hill Hall for use as a Student Success Center, and the nearly complete acquisition of Bowman Gray Stadium and the surrounding 94-acre Civitan Park.
Reaves noted that while the list of accomplishments is impressive, his greatest satisfaction derives from the more subtle, less-quantifiable changes that have taken place, with an emphasis on what has occurred with regard to expectations.
“When I arrived in 2007, I encountered a culture of low expectations that was characterized by a belief that WSSU students could not succeed,” Reaves explained. “That belief prevailed among the faculty, the staff, and the various communities and even among our students and their parents. WSSU was viewed as an institution of last resort. All of that has changed. Today, there is a new spirit on the campus among the students and the faculty, as well as throughout the community. There is once again a genuine belief that a WSSU education can prepare students to compete and be successful in the marketplace. The success that we have enjoyed since changing the culture of the institution is by far the most rewarding aspect of my work and will undoubtedly have the greatest impact on the future of the students and of the institution.”
WSSU Board of Trustees Chair Debra Miller also spoke of Reaves’ leadership and said that because of the work he and his team had completed, the board accepted his decision with great regret.
“As a member of the Board of Trustees and as an alumna of WSSU, I am extremely proud to have had the opportunity to work with Chancellor Reaves,” said Miller. “Through his vision, his leadership, his commitment to academic excellence, his willingness to make difficult decisions such as establishing priorities among competing interests, his commitment to improve student outcomes, his hard work and that of the team that he assembled, this university has been transformed in virtually every respect. It is exciting to see the impact that the past seven years have had on our students and on the campus.”
Donald Reaves assumed his duties as chancellor in August 2007. Chancellor Reaves had previously served five years as Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer at the University of Chicago, and he spent 14 years at Brown University where he held a number of senior positions including Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Brown University in 1988, Chancellor Reaves worked in Massachusetts state government where he held several positions including deputy assistant commissioner for budget and cost control at the Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare. Chancellor Reaves also spent 16 years in the classroom, 13 of which were at Northeastern University as a tenure-track and adjunct member of the political science department
A native of Cleveland, Ohio Chancellor Reaves earned his undergraduate degree from Cleveland State University and his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in political science and public administration from Kent State University.
While in Winston-Salem, Chancellor Reaves has served on numerous boards including the Novant Hospital Health Triad Region, Forsyth Futures, the Piedmont Triad Leadership Council, the Winston-Salem Alliance and the Josh and Marie Reynolds Hospital Guest House Board of Advocates. He also served on the advisory boards of the North Carolina Humanities Council and Wells Fargo Bank.
During the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly a roundtable dialogue organized by the Group of Champions on Women’s Economic Empowerment and UN Women, with the presence of the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, urged action to advance women’s economic empowerment.
At the current pace of change, it will take 170 years to close the economic gender gap, according to a 2016 report by the World Economic Forum. The event was an opportunity to call on world leaders to accelerate progress by taking forward the recommendations made by the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel (HLP) on Women’s Economic Empowerment, with a focus on leaving no one behind.
President of Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Solis Rivera, co-chair of the Group of Champions and a longstanding advocate for gender equality, said: “There’s much left to do regarding gender discrimination and exclusion. I am confident that the Group of Champions will serve the UN as an example that gender equality can no longer be regarded as a horizon, but as a real need for all women who cannot wait to show the world what they are capable of.”
Speaking at the event, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on all partners to implement the commitments included in the HLP report. “Women’s Economic Empowerment is also a human rights issue. It contributes to building resilient economies and peaceful societies, and it is also a condition to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” he said, adding: “Let us deliver on the promises we have made to bring sustainable peace to the world today.”
Read More: www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2017/9/news-event-hlp-wee...
Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown
Reinforcing its commitment to product development and global expansion, Jaguar Land Rover, the UK's leading manufacturer of premium vehicles showcased its breakthrough Land Rover Discovery Sport and Jaguar XE models at the Paris Auto Show.
Vancouver, BC - The Canucks for Kids Fund (CFKF), in partnership with Trevor Linden, is proud to give the Trevor Linden Community Spirit Scholarship to four outstanding secondary school graduates from across British Columbia. The scholarship, consisting of $2,500 dollars, is awarded to students who have demonstrated exceptional leadership through a commitment to affecting positive change in their communities through various initiatives. Since the scholarship was first introduced in 2008, the Trevor Linden Community Spirit Scholarship has awarded $80,000 to 32 graduating students throughout British Columbia.
"Every year we receive applications from students across BC, and every year I am so impressed by the incredible work these youth are doing in their communities," said Linden. "I am honoured that we are able to provide financial support to this year's scholarship winners as they pursue their post-secondary studies and the endless possibilities that lie ahead of them."
2017 Trevor Linden Community Spirit Scholarship Recipients:
Luke Harris is a graduating student from Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in North Vancouver. Luke is known for turning challenges he faces into opportunities for success. Facing his own adversities that began in grade three, Luke received the support he needed to guide him to academic success. Realizing the support he received is not accessible to everyone, Luke began to give back to those in similar positions as he was in. In 2016, Luke founded the Run 4 the Health of It initiative which works in conjunction with BC principals and BC Athletics calling for inclusion of high school para athletes on high school sports teams. Luke's work with his organization has been featured on various news outlets such as BCTV Sports and the North Shore News. In the fall, Luke will be starting in the UBC Engineering program, where he will pursue his degree with the purpose of one day inventing devices which will make life easier for those with special needs.
Myles Mattila is a graduating student from Prince George Secondary School. Myles has dedicated his time to organizations that work to reduce stigmas surrounding mental health. He started doing so after he experienced how difficult it is for teammates and friends to speak up about their own stories. Acknowledging that mental health initiatives are underfunded, he also aims to increase funding for those initiatives surrounding mental health. Myles developed Mindright.info with aims to create an open environment that encourages discussion of mental health issues. Myles is also a public speaker for Northern Balancing our Minds, Prince George Youth Action Team, MindRight.info, Talk Today, Mindcheck.ca and many more and also has recently joined the network team of Foundry BC. In the fall, Myles will be attending Okanagan College University of British Columbia Okanagan where he will pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration, majoring in Law and playing hockey for the Kelowna Chiefs of the KIJHL.
Elly Choi is a graduating student from R.E. Mountain Secondary School in Langley. Witnessing the effects that the poverty cycle has on the youth within her community, Elly instigated a movement that campaigns for a youth only homeless shelter in Langley (the first and only one in Langley). Elly has raised more than $20,000 through fundraisers to give impoverished youth the practical and immediate support they need. Elly received the Global Teen Leader award by the Three Dot Dash Association. She is also now in a mentorship program with mentors such as Chelsea Peters (Chief of Staff at UNICEF), Pamela Bell (Founding partner of Kate Spade) and Maurizio Vecchione (Senior Advisor to Bill Gates) and in an effort to expand the impact of her initiatives. She was also recently chosen as a delegate for the 2017 United Nations Youth Assembly in New York City. In the fall, Elly will be pursuing her Bachelors of Science, majoring in Biology. Elly clearly understands the importance of being a catalyst for change, as well as sharing her same passion for education and activism with other youth.
Sonya Kung is a graduating student from École Alpha Secondary in Burnaby. Throughout her high school years, Sonya learned that making a positive impact in her community begins with having the courage to take initiate and make use of every opportunity in front of you. Sonya is the co-chair of the social justice club Offence, which raises awareness of humanitarian issues such as poverty. She also implemented the district-wide Do it Green Conference which connects environmental experts with over 300 students through a variety of interactive experiences that explore environmental sustainability. Sonya understand the effects of leadership and its' ability to make a positive impact on people's lives. Furthering her passion for athletics, in the fall Sonya will be pursuing her Bachelors of Sciences, majoring in Biomedical Physiology.
The Trevor Linden Community Spirit Scholarship is one of the numerous Canucks for Kids Fund's educational initiatives that resources are dedicated to. Other education programs that the Canucks for Kids Fund supports include the Canucks Family Education Centre, Fin's Friends, Power PLAY, Future Goals - Hockey Scholar and Seventh Generation Club. The Canucks for Kids Fund also generously supports its signature beneficiaries including the Canucks Autism Network, Canuck Place Children's Hospice and BC Children's Hospital Foundation. Since its establishment over 32 years ago, the Canucks for Kids Fund has granted more than $56 million to these and numerous other charities. For more information, please visit www.canucks.com/cfkf.
Copyright© Heart & Soul Photography. Any use of this image without the permission of the photographer is in violation of the copyright.
Arrival Walk to GET YOUR KNEE OFF OUR NECKS Commitment March Rally at Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool North Pathway, NW, Washington DC on Friday morning, 28 August 2020 by Elvert Barnes Photography
Visit Commitment March website at nationalactionnetwork.net/commitment-march-on-washington-dc/
Elvert Barnes 57th Anniversary of 1963 March on Washington COMMITMENT MARCH docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/57MOW2020
DRAWSKO POMORSKIE TRAINING AREA, Poland--Airborne Engineers from the 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), U.S. Army Europe, prepare for and execute a demolition range during the unit-level training preparation phase of Exercise Steadfast Jazz here Oct. 28. The U.S. Army is supporting Steadfast Jazz 13 with participation from the 173d IBCT(A), one of U.S. Army Europe’s forward-based combat brigades and the 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, the U.S.-based ground force contribution to NATO Response Force 2014. Collectively, these forces represent the reinvigoration of U.S. participation in the NRF and the enduring U.S. commitment to NATO, Europe, and regional stability and prosperity. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Alexander Jansen/54th Engineer Bn)
Aruna Mohanty
Devotion, perseverance and commitment have placed Aruna Mohanty as the finest among Odissi dancers of her generation. Nurtured under the able guidance of Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, Aruna especially excels in the abhinaya aspect of Odissi. She has been a student and Secretary of Orissa Dance Academy. Her unique skill and versatility make her the recipient of many awards and accolades, including the Mahari Award 1997, Sanjukta Panigrahi Memorial National Award 2001, Fellowship by Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India, and an award for her contribution to the field of Odissi Dance, from the Utkal University, orissa. Apart from dance, Aruna has also established herself as an excellent choreographer. Some of the items in her repertoire include the dance ballet “Shrusti O Pralay”, “Varsha Abhisara”, “Shravan Kumar”, “Samrat Kharavela” , “Kanchi Abhijan”, “Krupanidhana” & “Krushna Saranam”, etc. Widely traveled to countries like Canada, USA, South America and some of the European countries, she is the advisor-member of Central Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi. Currently she is conferred for the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for the year -2010 by the Govt. of India. And Govt. of Orissa has appointed her to be the Vice-President of State Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Concept Note
----------------
Gatha Odissi - from the temple to the stage
History is not scripted; it gets created over the ages. It transforms itself according to the tides of life and times. Therefore, from the point of view of the present, how does one view the entire panorama of Odissi Dance, which has traveled through an arduous journey of nearly two thousand years?
After the sunrise, comes the dark hour of the sunset. But the rhythmic foot falls of Odissi dance, however, continue to reverberate from within the dark corridors of history.
Around the middle of Ninteenth century a new resolve paves the way for the resurrection of the flagging traditions of Odissi Dance. The danseuse damsels break out of their stony incarnation from temple-walls and metamorphose into life. In this hour of revival, the great Gurus of our times create a whole new grammar of Odissi. The genesis of Mangalacharan, Pallavi, Sthayi, Abhinaya and Moksha, which form the superstructures of Odissi, spring up from the sub-structures of the allied art forms and folk forms of Odisha such as Mahari, Gotipua, Sakhi Nata, Raasa and Leela.
Through brief narrations and symbolic images Odisha Dance Academy spins the story of transformation and resurgence of Odissi Dance spanning from the Jagannath Temple of Puri right up to the contemporary stage.
Conceptualized by - Guru Aruna Mohanty
Kedar Mishra
Music composition - Guru Bijay Kumar Jena
Rhythm composition - Guru Dhaneswar Swain
Guru Bijay Kumar Barik
Musicians :
Mardala - Guru Ddhaneswar Swain
Guru Bijaya Kumar Bari
Vocal - Harapriya Swain
Nazia Alam
Rupak Kumar Parida
Violin - Ramesh Chandra Das
Flute - Srinibash Satpathy
Sitar - Swapneswar Chakravorty
Dance Choreography- Guru Aruna Mohanty
Dancers :
Odissi Dance : Ramesh Ch. Jena, Madhusmita Mohanty, Yudhisthir Nayak, Pabitra Ku. Pradhan, Sridutta Bhol, Janhabi Behera, Pankaj Ku. Pradhan, Pravat Ku. Swain, Arupa Gayatri Panda , Prashant Ku. Behera, Bijan Ku. Palei , Pragati Das & Rudra Prashad Swain.
Gotipua Dance : Sriram Chahatray, Suryakanta Samantaray,Arupananda Pradhan, Santosh Biswal & Rama Pradhan
Five swimmers that train at the Danny Jones Swimming Complex in North Charleston sign commitments to colleges and universities from throughout the Southeast.
Photo by Ryan Johnson
Aruna Mohanty
Devotion, perseverance and commitment have placed Aruna Mohanty as the finest among Odissi dancers of her generation. Nurtured under the able guidance of Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, Aruna especially excels in the abhinaya aspect of Odissi. She has been a student and Secretary of Orissa Dance Academy. Her unique skill and versatility make her the recipient of many awards and accolades, including the Mahari Award 1997, Sanjukta Panigrahi Memorial National Award 2001, Fellowship by Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India, and an award for her contribution to the field of Odissi Dance, from the Utkal University, orissa. Apart from dance, Aruna has also established herself as an excellent choreographer. Some of the items in her repertoire include the dance ballet “Shrusti O Pralay”, “Varsha Abhisara”, “Shravan Kumar”, “Samrat Kharavela” , “Kanchi Abhijan”, “Krupanidhana” & “Krushna Saranam”, etc. Widely traveled to countries like Canada, USA, South America and some of the European countries, she is the advisor-member of Central Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi. Currently she is conferred for the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for the year -2010 by the Govt. of India. And Govt. of Orissa has appointed her to be the Vice-President of State Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Concept Note
----------------
Gatha Odissi - from the temple to the stage
History is not scripted; it gets created over the ages. It transforms itself according to the tides of life and times. Therefore, from the point of view of the present, how does one view the entire panorama of Odissi Dance, which has traveled through an arduous journey of nearly two thousand years?
After the sunrise, comes the dark hour of the sunset. But the rhythmic foot falls of Odissi dance, however, continue to reverberate from within the dark corridors of history.
Around the middle of Ninteenth century a new resolve paves the way for the resurrection of the flagging traditions of Odissi Dance. The danseuse damsels break out of their stony incarnation from temple-walls and metamorphose into life. In this hour of revival, the great Gurus of our times create a whole new grammar of Odissi. The genesis of Mangalacharan, Pallavi, Sthayi, Abhinaya and Moksha, which form the superstructures of Odissi, spring up from the sub-structures of the allied art forms and folk forms of Odisha such as Mahari, Gotipua, Sakhi Nata, Raasa and Leela.
Through brief narrations and symbolic images Odisha Dance Academy spins the story of transformation and resurgence of Odissi Dance spanning from the Jagannath Temple of Puri right up to the contemporary stage.
Conceptualized by - Guru Aruna Mohanty
Kedar Mishra
Music composition - Guru Bijay Kumar Jena
Rhythm composition - Guru Dhaneswar Swain
Guru Bijay Kumar Barik
Musicians :
Mardala - Guru Ddhaneswar Swain
Guru Bijaya Kumar Bari
Vocal - Harapriya Swain
Nazia Alam
Rupak Kumar Parida
Violin - Ramesh Chandra Das
Flute - Srinibash Satpathy
Sitar - Swapneswar Chakravorty
Dance Choreography- Guru Aruna Mohanty
Dancers :
Odissi Dance : Ramesh Ch. Jena, Madhusmita Mohanty, Yudhisthir Nayak, Pabitra Ku. Pradhan, Sridutta Bhol, Janhabi Behera, Pankaj Ku. Pradhan, Pravat Ku. Swain, Arupa Gayatri Panda , Prashant Ku. Behera, Bijan Ku. Palei , Pragati Das & Rudra Prashad Swain.
Gotipua Dance : Sriram Chahatray, Suryakanta Samantaray,Arupananda Pradhan, Santosh Biswal & Rama Pradhan
Aruna Mohanty
Devotion, perseverance and commitment have placed Aruna Mohanty as the finest among Odissi dancers of her generation. Nurtured under the able guidance of Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, Aruna especially excels in the abhinaya aspect of Odissi. She has been a student and Secretary of Orissa Dance Academy. Her unique skill and versatility make her the recipient of many awards and accolades, including the Mahari Award 1997, Sanjukta Panigrahi Memorial National Award 2001, Fellowship by Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India, and an award for her contribution to the field of Odissi Dance, from the Utkal University, orissa. Apart from dance, Aruna has also established herself as an excellent choreographer. Some of the items in her repertoire include the dance ballet “Shrusti O Pralay”, “Varsha Abhisara”, “Shravan Kumar”, “Samrat Kharavela” , “Kanchi Abhijan”, “Krupanidhana” & “Krushna Saranam”, etc. Widely traveled to countries like Canada, USA, South America and some of the European countries, she is the advisor-member of Central Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi. Currently she is conferred for the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for the year -2010 by the Govt. of India. And Govt. of Orissa has appointed her to be the Vice-President of State Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Concept Note
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Gatha Odissi - from the temple to the stage
History is not scripted; it gets created over the ages. It transforms itself according to the tides of life and times. Therefore, from the point of view of the present, how does one view the entire panorama of Odissi Dance, which has traveled through an arduous journey of nearly two thousand years?
After the sunrise, comes the dark hour of the sunset. But the rhythmic foot falls of Odissi dance, however, continue to reverberate from within the dark corridors of history.
Around the middle of Ninteenth century a new resolve paves the way for the resurrection of the flagging traditions of Odissi Dance. The danseuse damsels break out of their stony incarnation from temple-walls and metamorphose into life. In this hour of revival, the great Gurus of our times create a whole new grammar of Odissi. The genesis of Mangalacharan, Pallavi, Sthayi, Abhinaya and Moksha, which form the superstructures of Odissi, spring up from the sub-structures of the allied art forms and folk forms of Odisha such as Mahari, Gotipua, Sakhi Nata, Raasa and Leela.
Through brief narrations and symbolic images Odisha Dance Academy spins the story of transformation and resurgence of Odissi Dance spanning from the Jagannath Temple of Puri right up to the contemporary stage.
Conceptualized by - Guru Aruna Mohanty
Kedar Mishra
Music composition - Guru Bijay Kumar Jena
Rhythm composition - Guru Dhaneswar Swain
Guru Bijay Kumar Barik
Musicians :
Mardala - Guru Ddhaneswar Swain
Guru Bijaya Kumar Bari
Vocal - Harapriya Swain
Nazia Alam
Rupak Kumar Parida
Violin - Ramesh Chandra Das
Flute - Srinibash Satpathy
Sitar - Swapneswar Chakravorty
Dance Choreography- Guru Aruna Mohanty
Dancers :
Odissi Dance : Ramesh Ch. Jena, Madhusmita Mohanty, Yudhisthir Nayak, Pabitra Ku. Pradhan, Sridutta Bhol, Janhabi Behera, Pankaj Ku. Pradhan, Pravat Ku. Swain, Arupa Gayatri Panda , Prashant Ku. Behera, Bijan Ku. Palei , Pragati Das & Rudra Prashad Swain.
Gotipua Dance : Sriram Chahatray, Suryakanta Samantaray,Arupananda Pradhan, Santosh Biswal & Rama Pradhan
Today is Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. It is both a memorial to the 14 women murdered in cold blood at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal on December 6, 1989, and a day of action and commitment to the cause of ending violence against women.
This violent attack was a dark day in Canada’s history, and we will not forget its victims, innocent women who were targeted solely for their gender. It took the lives of 14 promising young women, destroyed families and wounded the proud province of Quebec.
Moreover, it brought to light a dark hatred of women felt by some in our society. Though we have worked hard over the years to recognize and bring an end to acts of violence such as this one, women and girls in Canada and around the world continue to face abuse.
This fight has never been more important, and this is why Canada’s Conservatives have never hesitated to take the lead. We have defended the rights of Yazidi women and girls, who face a dire threat to their lives at the hands of terrorists in Iraq and Syria, and we have championed the rights of sexual assault victims at home by supporting the JUST Act, which will make the judiciary more accountable for their training in sexual assault law. These important initiatives will make a real difference in the lives of some of the more vulnerable women at home and abroad.
As we mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women today, we recognize that there is so much more to be done, but we all commit to doing our part in the fight to rid our world of violence against women.
Aujourd’hui est la Journée nationale de commémoration et d’action contre la violence faite aux femmes. C’est à la fois une commémoration des 14 femmes tuées de sang-froid à l’École Polytechnique de Montréal le 6 décembre 1989 et une journée d’action et d’engagement envers la cause de la fin de la violence faite aux femmes.
Cette attaque violente a été un jour sombre de l’histoire du Canada. Nous n’oublierons jamais ses victimes, d’innocentes femmes ciblées uniquement en raison de leur sexe. 14 jeunes femmes prometteuses nous ont quittés ce jour-là, détruisant des familles et blessant la fière province de Québec.
Cette tragédie a fait la lumière sur la haine sordide que certains membres de notre société éprouvent pour les femmes. Bien que nous travaillions fort pour reconnaître et stopper les actes de violence de ce genre, des femmes et des filles, au Canada et dans le monde entier, continuent à être victimes de violence.
Cette bataille n’a jamais été plus importante. C’est pourquoi les conservateurs du Canada n’ont jamais hésité à faire preuve de leadership. Nous défendons les droits des femmes et des filles yézidies, qui font face à une grave menace pour leur vie aux mains des terroristes en Irak et en Syrie. Nous défendons les droits des victimes d’agression sexuelle ici au pays en soutenant la Loi juste, qui rendra la magistrature plus responsable en matière de formation sur le droit sur les agressions sexuelles. Ces importantes initiatives feront une vraie différence dans la vie de certaines des femmes les plus vulnérables, au pays et à l’étranger.
Alors que nous soulignons la Journée nationale de commémoration et d’action contre la violence faite aux femmes aujourd’hui, nous reconnaissons qu’il y a beaucoup à faire, mais nous nous engageons tous à contribuer à la lutte pour débarrasser notre monde de la violence contre les femmes.
Photo Credit Cutty McGill
Jay Heritage Center (JHC) Founder Catherine "Kitty" Aresty and New York Preservation Advocate, Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel were recipients of the 1st Annual "John Jay Medal for Service" awarded at JHC's 20th Anniversary Gala on Saturday, October 13, 2012. In keeping with the legacy of one of America's greatest Founding Fathers, the John Jay Medal recognizes individuals who demonstrate a selfless spirit of commitment and engagement with their community.
As an early member of the Jay Coalition, Catherine "Kitty" Aresty helped harness the energy of thousands of volunteers and citizens to save the Jay Property when it was threatened by commercial development in the early 1980s. She was one of 5 dynamic women who formed the vanguard for preservation of the site, finally securing a victory in 1992 but her total commitment to seeing the property restored for public use extends more than 30 years including 22 consecutive years on the JHC Board.
Similarly, Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel's career spans more than 40 years. She has been a pioneering champion of preservation and the arts, credited with bringing the first public art to Bryant Park and the first public performance to Central Park. The first Director of Cultural Affairs for New York City, she was the longest term Landmarks Commissioner in the city’s history, spanning four mayoral administrations from 1972 to 1987. Her expertise and advocacy of historic preservation has garnered her countless honors and prestigious appointments from nor fewer than 4 US Presidents. Dr. Diamonstein-Spielvogel is the current Vice Chair of the New York State Council on the Arts.
Congresswoman Nita Lowey and Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino served as Honorary Co-Chairs of the evening which drew over 170 people from Manhattan, Westchester and Greenwich to the National Historic Landmark site. While the event also marked an important 2 decade milestone for the organization, adding to the festive feeling was the recent announcement of a public private partnership between JHC, New York State Parks and Westchester County to manage and restore the entire 23 acre Jay estate as a historic park and educational resource.
See the announcement here:
www3.westchestergov.com/news/all-press-releases/4358-asto...
The site has been a member of Westchester County's African American Heritage Trail since 2004 and was added to the prestigious Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area following its nomination in 2008 by County Legislator Judy Myers.
JHC President Suzanne Clary commended the men, women and coalition of non-profits that first saved Jay's home but also emphasized the "new coalition" they are forming with other museums and preservation groups like the NY Preservation League, The Landmarks Conservancy, Audubon NY, the World Monuments Fund and more. Congresswoman Lowey recognized the power of bi-partisan support that continues to guide JHC's success. Ken Jenkins, Chairman of the Westchester County Board of Legislators presented a proclamation to both honorees and added his strong words of support for the Jay Heritage Center's mission to revitalize one of Westchester's premiere heritage destinations. Steve Otis, former Mayor of Rye brought accolades from Sen. Suzi Oppenhiemer and personally congratulated the two medal awardees on their vision and tenacity; he reminded the audience how dilapidated the Jay site was when first acquired and how miraculous its transformation had been under JHC's trusted stewardship. Both honorees gave moving remarks and thanks and underscored the continued need to stay "passionate" about preservation.
The theme of the night was Roaring 20s - guests dressed in everything from raccoon coats and spats to flapper dresses and boas made for an evening that was simply "the bees knees!" Proceeds benefit JHC educational programs.
Jay Heritage Center
210 Boston Post Road
Rye, NY 10580
(914) 698-9275
Email: jayheritagecenter@gmail.com
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A National Historic Landmark since 1993
Member of the African American Heritage Trail of Westchester County since 2004
Member of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area since 2009
On NY State's Path Through History (2013)
Why waste time finding a date when you could find your soulmate?
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:: commitment ::
Happy New Years everyone!! Hope 2011 finds everyone safe and well =)
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Raja Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan, Director, Division of Nuclear Security, Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, met with the Cuban delegation at the International Conference on Nuclear Security: Commitments and Actions. IAEA Vienna, Austria. 9 December 2016
Photo Credit: Dean Calma / IAEA
Commitment - Sacrifice - Inspiration
It starts with a signature and an oath — a pledge to serve our country and protect our freedom at any cost. For some, that commitment leads to the ultimate sacrifice. On Memorial Day,
we remember the men and women who have given everything
in their service, honoring their lives and their inspiring legacies.
SPENCE, FRANCIS STEPHENS, teacher, journalist, prohibitionist, and politician; b. 29 March 1850 in Donegal (Republic of Ireland), third son of Jacob Spence, a Methodist minister, and Elizabeth Stephens; m. 1 July 1879 Sara Violet Norris in Eglinton (Toronto), and they had two daughters; d. 8 March 1917 in Toronto.
One of 12 children, Frank Spence came to Upper Canada with his parents in 1861 and the family settled in Toronto. Jacob Spence, who had been involved in Ireland in the abstinence movement led by Father Theobald Mathew, immediately took up temperance work in Toronto and would become secretary of the Ontario Temperance and Prohibitory League. An ardent crusader, he spoke from platforms across Ontario, towing his children in his wake to rouse temperance sentiment. He also operated a printing-press in his home to turn out pamphlets, a task for which the children were conscripted as printers and writers. The message of these temperance pamphlets – that material and moral progress were two sides of the same coin – would become a guiding principle for both Frank and his younger brother Benjamin H.
After attending Toronto Normal School, Spence taught near Lundy’s Lane (Niagara Falls), in Prescott, and in Toronto, where he rose to become a headmaster. But his childhood commitment to reform and his experience in publishing led him to leave teaching in 1883 to take on the editorship of the Canada Citizen and Temperance Herald, a task he performed for six years. As well, between 1884 and 1889 he managed its parent firm, the Citizen Publishing Company of Toronto Limited. Spence later edited other prohibition journals, including the Camp Fire, the Vanguard, and the Ontario Good Templar, and in 1902 he founded the Pioneer, which would become the official organ of the temperance movement in Ontario in 1904.
Having identified himself as a reformer, Spence was attracted to the Liberal party, in which he played an active role both federally and provincially. However, it was only in the city politics of Toronto that he campaigned for office. A member of the public school board in 1887–88 and a vigorous opponent of Sunday streetcars as early as 1893, he first ran for an aldermanic seat in 1894. He served as an alderman in 1896–97, 1899–1900, 1902–5, and 1914; as acting mayor in 1911; as a controller in 1904–5, 1908, 1910–11, and 1915; and as chairman of the Toronto Harbour Trust in 1904–11 and a board member in 1911–14 of the Toronto Harbour Commissioners, which he had been instrumental in creating. He ran for mayor twice, in 1905 and 1911, but lost both times, in part because of his announced determination to reduce liquor licences in Toronto, even in defiance of public opinion. Spence also held executive positions in both the Ontario Municipal Association – he was a vice-president in 1910–11 – and the Union of American Municipalities.
As a municipal politician and administrator, Spence was in the reformist mainstream. He favoured female suffrage (his mother had been a prominent suffragist) and was sympathetic to unions and public ownership of hydroelectric power. Indeed, he has been credited with being one of five key figures in the founding of Ontario Hydro [see Sir Adam Beck*]. He also supported the playground movement, and was an advocate of city planning, especially in the development of Toronto Harbour. All of these reforms were, in his view, bound together as elements of a compound of material and moral or spiritual progress. Spence had the twin faiths characteristic of many reformers of his day, faith in reason and faith in God. Their union was reflected in his writings and speeches, which were marked by evangelical righteousness – enemies would call it self-righteousness – hammered home with the reason of efficiency backed by statistics. Speaking to the Canadian Club in 1908 on the subject of Toronto’s street railways, he linked public ownership, efficient operation, the prevention of graft, and moral development. “The city highways ought to be controlled by the city council,” he maintained. “There is a social cohesiveness in the co-operation of a community . . . for the common good. When the man is working for the community he is working for himself. It is thus we attain the ideal. Ours becomes a better city. Ours is a truer Christianity.” The crucial requirement for both material and moral progress, however, was the destruction of the liquor traffic, and it was to this requirement that Spence devoted most of his life.
The Dominion Alliance for the Total Suppression of the Liquor Traffic, with branches in every province, and the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union [see Letitia Creighton*] were the major voices of temperance sentiment in Canada. Spence had become secretary (and sole full-time worker) of the Alliance’s Ontario branch in 1884 and, by 1891, of the national body as well. In these positions, from which he would dominate the Alliance until 1907, Spence was the chief organizer and strategist for the prohibition campaign. Yet his political affiliations, to the Ontario Liberals in particular, caused difficulty for both him and the movement. Though publicly more sympathetic to prohibition than the Conservatives, the Liberal government of Oliver Mowat* was slow to produce legislation. When in 1893 Conservative mla George Frederick Marter* introduced a bill to bar the retail sale of liquor in Ontario, a bill which Spence and other prohibitionists supported, the government substituted for it a measure requiring a court ruling on provincial jurisdiction in the matter. Spence, a gradualist in reform, was prepared to accept piecemeal legislation and to work within the Liberal party to achieve it. Less patient activists, the so-called Advanced Prohibitionists, wanted full prohibition immediately and were increasingly distrustful of the Liberals’ plodding pace. Their distrust was heightened by the provincial plebiscite on prohibition held by Mowat’s government in 1894; they had wanted a prohibition law without such a referendum. Spence, however, persuaded the Ontario branch of the Dominion Alliance to participate in the plebiscite and he was named secretary-general of its campaign. Prohibitionists won the vote, but the hostility of the Advanced Prohibitionists proved justified when Mowat deferred legislation, again pleading uncertainty over his constitutional powers.
Prohibitionists had also been active at the federal level. Spence met frequently with government leaders to demand national prohibition. The Conservative government responded in 1892 by appointing a royal commission to investigate the liquor traffic. Though Spence regarded it, correctly, as a delaying tactic, he agreed to act for the Dominion Alliance as its representative during the hearings. Most of the commissioners were opposed to prohibition, a sentiment reflected in their report, which was presented in 1895. It argued against prohibition, advocating instead more stringent controls on the sale of alcohol. Spence, feeling that the report ignored substantial testimony in favour of prohibition, published a response to it in The facts of the case: a summary of the most important evidence and argument used in the report of the royal commission on the liquor traffic (Toronto, 1896).
In 1893 Spence had been a delegate to the convention of the federal Liberal party, where he pressed for the adoption of prohibition in its platform. However, he grudgingly accepted a motion calling for a national plebiscite on the question, reasoning, again from his gradualist position, that a plebiscite was better than nothing. The Dominion Alliance supported him in this decision and named him its secretary-general for the national campaign. Held in 1898, the plebiscite resulted in another victory for prohibition. Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier nevertheless declined to act on it since prohibitionists, though holding a majority among those voting, had only a minority of the full electorate and had suffered a defeat in Quebec. Disappointed and bitter over Quebec’s response, but not yet disenchanted with the Liberal party, Spence turned his attention once again to the provincial scene.
In 1899 George William Ross, a member of the Sons of Temperance and a vice-president of the Alliance’s Ontario branch, became Liberal premier of Ontario. In what seemed a vindication of Spence’s faith in the Liberals, a bill was passed in March 1902 that provided for prohibition. However, conditions were added: the bill had to be ratified in a referendum and ratification would require 214,000 votes in favour (representing a majority of the votes cast in the provincial general election of 1898).
Advanced Prohibitionists in the Ontario branch, led by the Reverend Samuel Dwight Chown*, staged a revolt over this requirement. They organized the Union Prohibition Committee (later the Temperance Legislation League) to run candidates in opposition to the Liberals in the provincial election of May 1902, before the referendum. Spence and the Alliance were able to defuse this revolt by permitting the prohibitionists in each riding to determine which candidate deserved their support and “whether or not it is desirable to bring out an independent candidate.” In the event, six such candidates ran but all were defeated. Third party movements would never again be a serious problem for Spence.
Prohibitionists carried the referendum in December, but they fell some 14,000 votes short of meeting Ross’s requirement, a shortfall Ross used to excuse his government from further action. The convention of the Ontario branch in 1903 stripped him of his vice-presidency, and Spence, at last, abandoned partisan politics to concentrate on winning prohibition gradually by fighting campaigns against the retail sale of liquor within municipal jurisdictions. These campaigns for local option gave the Ontario branch considerable political experience, but the financial cost was high. To meet it Spence induced Protestant clergymen to surrender their pulpits to branch speakers for at least one Sunday each year, with the collection to go to the branch. By 1911 proceeds from these “Field Days” had enabled it to build up a head-office staff of as many as 10 organizers and 30 clerical workers.
This local-option policy brought considerable success to the Ontario branch, with much of the province, especially the rural areas, voting to prohibit retail sales. An added gain was that the Conservatives, who defeated Ross in 1905, enforced liquor laws more effectively than had the Liberals and were cooperative in gradually restricting the issue of liquor licences [see Sir James Pliny Whitney].
In January 1907 Spence stepped down as secretary of the Ontario branch to be succeeded by his brother the Reverend Ben Spence. He was made honorary president of the branch, though his energies were far from being drained. He retained the managing editorship of the Pioneer and continued, in city council, to fight for a reduced number of liquor licences. In 1912 the Alliance’s Dominion Council elected him president and asked him to visit all the provinces “to strengthen the cause,” a job that would necessitate much travel.
When Spence had resigned in 1907, his gradualist strategy was making progress, with the prohibition movement seemingly freed from the Liberal party and the Ontario branch well staffed and funded. This situation, however, soon changed dramatically. By 1910 it was clear that most of those districts which had not adopted local option never would. Any further advance would have to come about through a provincial prohibition law. The Conservatives refused to act but the opposition Liberals, led by Newton Wesley Rowell* from 1911, came close with a policy of abolishing bars. By the provincial election of 1914, a combination of prohibitionist need and Liberal promise had effectively brought the Ontario branch back into the Liberal camp. Spence had taken the branch far in organization and funding, but, in terms of strategy, 1914 found it back at the impasse of 1894.
The stalemate was broken in 1915 when the campaign for prohibition gained enormous momentum as part of the war effort in Ontario. The movement of the Conservative government of William Howard Hearst* towards the enactment of prohibition in 1916 was strengthened in 1915 by a resolution of the Ontario branch, presented by Spence in March, and by the formation in October of the bipartisan Citizens’ Committee of One Hundred. Spence was not a member of this committee, possibly because of his resumption of work as a city controller and perhaps because his years of strong partisanship made him a liability. He was active, however, at the federal level, where a similar bipartisan approach was initiated in the form of the Dominion Prohibition Committee, organized in Ottawa in December 1916. Its “guiding spirit,” Spence prepared its manifesto and was part of the deputation that met with Prime Minister Sir Robert Laird Borden* in January.
Frank Spence died suddenly of pneumonia at his Toronto home in March 1917, just as his life’s-work was about to be completed. All provinces but Quebec had adopted provincial prohibition, and federal prohibition was imminent, thanks in part to prohibitionist support for the Union government formed later in 1917. Though the movement departed from Spence’s strategy, in its focus on bipartisan committees, the organizational base from which it worked had been built largely by Spence. Luckily, he was spared knowing that most of his achievement would soon vanish as one province after another opted for government control and sale of liquor.
2020-02-08: Portrait of Lesego Makgothi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Kingdom of Lesotho during African Leaders for Nutrition - Leveraging commitments towards Tokyo 2020.
The gold and diamonds for these rings were recycled from a ring that had been one friend's father's ring. The process was very labor-intensive. The diamonds had to be removed then the ring melted down into an ingot. This was then hammered out flat in several cycles of hammering and annealing (softening by heating-- the gold hardens significantly with a little hammering) and finally run though my rolling mill until I had a strip slightly less than 1/16" thick. I then sawed this into thin strips lengthwise and pulled them through a drawplate to make round wire out of it. This again involved several cycles of annealing and of filing the corners down on all the thin strips to help the process of basically turning a strip with a square cross-section into a piece of round wire.
The diamonds were reset into the band first and the gold added later, shaped by hand, and soldered in piece by piece.