PARAKEETS have been popular pets since Victoria times and inevitably many have escaped or been deliberatively released over the years. Despite their tropical origin, they are fully able to cope with the cold British winters. They only started to breed in 1969 in Thanet Kent, and South East London, since then the population has steadily increased, currently numbers are over 50,000 individuals and is still growing, the species has been recorded in almost every county in England, and Wales, and the Scottish boarders. Have had up to 17 in my garden, I like this image because it does show the red ringed neck, more often it does not show. All British bird books now include this species, love them or hate them they are hear to stay..

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

MY STEPSON is getting married this sat, so will not be on line until Monday, enjoy the weekend, Stay safe and thanks for your visit............................Tomx.

www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/books/review/thinking-fast-and...

 

I’m reading an excellent book at the moment by the Nobel Memorial Prize winner in Economics, Daniel Kahnman - Thinking Fast and Slow.

 

The central thesis of the book is an investigation into the disunion between two modes of thought; fast, instinctive and emotional and slower, more deliberative, and more logical.

 

By researching various heuristics and biases, choices and rationality it is easy to learn why people place too much confidence in human judgement.

 

Interestingly, photography (to me) appears to sit within the comfortable intersection of learnt intuition and good judgement. Ultimately it can be defined as a skill and something that can be practiced and improved.

 

So with that said, here is a shot that I have been waiting for some time to find. That classic curving path through some colourful autumn trees. The only problem – my path is rather straight☺

 

There were countless paths like this one littered throughout the small towns I spent my days driving through in Canada and I am fairly sure I found a few others so maybe that perfect one is still in the bag. We’ll see..

 

View large and, as always, thanks for looking!

Once upon a time the U.S. Senate was rightfully known as the "world's greatest deliberative body." Its members served our country with courage and honor and commitment to the principles enshrined in our Constitution. They were patriots. They had character we could always count on. That was then. Remember when.....if you can.

 

Please view LARGE.

Déclaré "Site d'intérêt culturel par délibération de l'honorable Conseil

de la ville de Buenos Aires

Hommage au plus ancien café du pays avec la participation de

Hommes de lettres et de parlementaires

 

Declarao " Sitio de interes Cultural " por el honorable concejo deliberante

de la ciudad de Buenos aires

Nomenaje al cafe mas antiguo des pais concurrido por destagados artista

Hombres de letras y parlementarios

  

Declared "Site of Cultural Interest by the honorable deliberative council

of the city of Buenos Aires

Tribute to the oldest cafe in the country attended by distinguished artists

Men of letters and parliamentariansf

The Hochwacht (in English: "High Watch"), a medieval observation tower as part of the so-called "Esslingen Castle", Esslingen am Neckar, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany

 

Some background information:

 

The Hochwacht is an observation tower that is located at the western end of the so-called "Esslingen Castle". With many alterations, it dates back to the 14th century. Just like the whole "Esslingen Castle", the Hochwacht was built to protect the free imperial city of Esslingen against enemy attacks. In fact, "Esslingen Castle" was always part of the town fortifications and never served as the seat of a noble family, even the name seemingly suggests that. However, it was named "castle" by the inhabitants of Esslingen, who also were its erectors. "Esslingen Castle" is situated on a hill above the town in an elevated position. It consists of altogether three towers and a part of the town walls up the hillside with its battlement walkway. The main purpose of the "castle" was to prevent possible enemies to take advantage of a favourable attacking position high above the medieval city.

 

Esslingen am Neckar is a city in the Stuttgart Region of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It has more than 93,000 residents and is located on the Neckar River, about 14 kilometres (9 miles) southeast of Stuttgart city centre.

 

There are archaeological evidences that Esslingen was settled since the Neolithic period. Traces of human settlement found at the site of the city church date back to around 1000 B.C. n the 1st century AD the Esslingen region became part of the Roman Empire. During this period a Roman warehouse was located in the area of Oberesslingen. The nearest major Roman settlements and garrisons were at Cannstatt and Koengen.

 

In 777, Esslingen was first mentioned in the last will of Abbot Fulrad from Saint-Denis Abbey near Paris, the chaplain of Pippin and Charlemagne. He bequeathed the church sixth cell upon the river Neckar to his monastery, Saint-Denis. He also brought the bones of Saint Vitalis to Esslingen, which made it a destination for pilgrims and led to its growth.

 

Around 800, Esslingen became a market town, with its market rights being certified in 866. Between 949 and 953, the town was a possession of Ludolf, Duke of Swabia. In 1181, Esslingen was made a free imperial city by Emperor Frederick I, and in 1229, the town finally received city rights from Emperor Frederick II. During the same period the still-extant Neckar bridge was built, making Esslingen a major centre for trade on the route between Italy, Switzerland, and northern Germany. Market and taxes provided by the bridge led to further growth of the town, as did the export of the highly regarded wines from the region.

 

In the 13th century, mendicant orders settled in these parts. Black, grey and white friars, who had received major donations, began building abbeys and churches in the city area. In 1488, the Imperial Diet, the deliberative body of the Holy Roman Empire, was hold in Esslingen. On this occasion the Swabian League was founded, which used to be a mutual defence and peace keeping association of imperial estates, like free imperial cities, prelates, principalities and knights.

 

During the Thirty Years War between 1618 and 1648, about half of Esslingen’s population lost their lives, mainly due to famine and epidemics. In 1803, during the Napoleonic era, the town lost its independence as a free imperial city, becoming part of the newly founded Electorate of Wuerttemberg. However, the first half of the 19th century was also characterized by the beginning industrialization. Glove manufacturing, food processing, textile production and metal working were early industries in Esslingen. On 20th November 1845 the first train ran from Cannstatt to Esslingen station.

 

Starting in April 1945, at the very end of World War II, Esslingen was occupied by U.S. troops. As it was peaceably surrendered by the approaching allied forces, the city suffered very little damage. Thus the medieval character of its city centre has been mostly preserved. In the post-war era, about 47,000 people moved to Esslingen, mostly refugees and displaced persons from East Germany. New housing developments had to be created to overcome the shortage of housing. In 1973, the Nuertingen district was merged with Esslingen, making the city finally the seat of a much enlarged district.

 

A Happy New Year 2020 to all of you! May the force be with you!

 

Album: Dia - Day

 

Argentina Buenos Aires CABA Villa Crespo

 

Su creación fue decidida por el Concejo Deliberante de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires mediante Ordenanza del 14 de mayo de 1909. Fue inaugurado con motivo de los festejos del Centenario Argentino de la Revolución de Mayo, en 1810, ya que hasta ese momento se trataba de una zona de descampados que sobrevivían en una ciudad en rápido crecimiento.

Parque Centenario es la denominación que recibe un espacio verde público que se encuentra ubicado en el centro geográfico de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, entre las avenidas Díaz Vélez, Patricias Argentinas, Leopoldo Marechal y Ángel Gallardo.

 

Its creation was decided by the Deliberative Council of the City of Buenos Aires by Ordinance of May 14, 1909. It was inaugurated on the occasion of the celebrations of the Argentine Centennial of the May Revolution, in 1810, since until that moment it was about an area of open spaces that survived in a fast-growing city.

Centenario Park is the denomination that receives a public green space that is located in the geographic center of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, between the avenues Díaz Vélez, Patricias Argentinas, Leopoldo Marechal and Ángel Gallardo.

 

Ph.Wal Wsg

 

Instagram: @ph.walwsg

This quick stacked startrail of Mt Rainier was taken at Reflection Lake just a short distance from the mountain. The 16mm focal length makes the mountain appear a bit more distant than it really is. From this location its practically right on top of you.

 

Press 'L' to view large on black

 

I was only able to take about 40 minutes of photos before the moon came up and washed out the remaining exposures. My tent was located just a few feet behind the camera. I guess you could say this particular composition was a bit more convenient and little less deliberative. Overall an amazing location to watch the sun rise and set on the mountain. I'd highly recommend it if you want to try your hand at winter camping.

 

The night was clear and cool with temperatures in the low 20s. Very little wind and exceptionally still conditions.

 

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Stacked composite of 45 photos

EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM @16mm

40sec @f4.0, ISO 1600, 45 separate exposures

 

approximate location

46.768, -121.729

 

If reflection is to be thoughtful and deliberative, is retro-reflection to be introspective or retrospective?

 

While a mirror reflects light, if light is aimed a a mirror at an angle, the light reflects at a similar angle, but away from the light source. A retro-reflective object reflects light back towards the light source no matter what angle the light is aimed at the object.

 

Does this mean that one can be obtusely introspective?

 

Or am I think about this all wrong?

  

Details of red retro-reflective sheeting (similar to the red surface of a stop sign).

Perspective

 

How am I up here

Flying alongside Snow Geese?

Oh…it’s just a dream!

 

Essay

 

In my current environment I spend a lot of time observing waterfowl. I have begun to notice, in passing, peculiar traits which not only define the characters of various ducks, swans, and geese but also contribute to their success as a species.

 

For example, placid dabblers like Mallards immediately go into a panic mode at the first sign of an eagle. They will break into groups flying north, south, east, and west to various hide-outs. It's as though this organized chaos was rehearsed to confuse the predator.

 

While they are going through their frantic maneuvers, the Mergansers and diving ducks like Common Golden-eye appear completely unconcerned. Perhaps they know eagles have no interest in them because the chances of nabbing one of these expert underwater swimmers is close to nil.

 

In late winter, Canada Geese and Greater White-fronted Geese split up into small groups and feed on the first green Tule shoots. The former are some of the most cautious and unapproachable of all the waterfowl in the wild. However, when they descend on a town's ponds and rivers, they undergo a complete personality change. These surly town Honkers will congregate on walk-ways forcing joggers to go around and generally make a public nuisance of themselves.

 

In early spring, the dusky colored White-fronted Geese try to lose themselves amongst the superior numbers of Snow Geese and Tundra Swans. They are much more deliberative than the Canadas. Like Tundra Swans they will sometimes fly as soon as they spot me even at a great distance. At other times, especially when I am in my truck, they will allow me to get quite close. This unpredictable shifting between docility and wildness befuddles me. There is something very mysterious about this ebb and flow of moods and motivations.

 

Finally, Snow Geese are the ultimate collectivists. Numbering in the thousands they will languish together in a large pond or graze as tight as sheep on the first green sprouts showing in the soggy marsh soil. It crossed my mind that they are striving to meld into a massive singular entity like a living, deafening cloud. This unified noise and action is their power and security.

 

The other day, as I approached one of these massive flocks, their murmurings became louder and more urgent the closer I got. When a few swans flew off here and there, the clamorous chorus seemed to be building towards some phenomenal crescendo. It reminded me of the engines of a 747 revving up to full thrust just before take-off. Then a couple of Canvasback Ducks scrambled across the water's surface followed by four Snow Geese rising up out of the flock which span close to a quarter mile of shoreline.

 

That was the cue for the great explosion. A white mass rose off the water and filled the sky in a matter of seconds. The din of so many beating wings and frantic cries always takes my breath away. There is nothing like it! Perhaps the great flocks of Passenger Pigeons were more spectacular but the strategy did not serve them as well.

 

These geese with all the accompanying waterfowl simply flew over and landed on another pond a half a mile south. These Snow Geese, which nest in or near the arctic circle, will carb up for a couple of weeks to make the long flight to their next layover--maybe in lower B.C. When they leave, it will be in stages. One wedge of twenty or thirty geese after the other will navigate north up over Picture Rock Pass or Klipple Point and out of the valley until not one remains.

  

Deliberative response

Contribution process

Performance particularity

 

The forecast was for a good sunrise this morning, and Jake wanted to go grab it. I asked him if he wanted to go to the arboretum or if he wanted to find another spot. He opted for the arboretum.

 

I have been thinking a lot lately about the quality of my shots. The arboretum is very easy, especially at sunrise. I don't have to really do much to make a good photo at the arboretum besides show up. I have my favorite spots, places I know that will look great if the light is right. I like the ease of it, but at the same time, I don't want to get into a rut where all I'm doing is taking gimme shots that require nothing but a little foresight (to check the sunrise forecast) and getting myself to one of the tried-and-true places in the arboretum. I want to challenge myself more than that this year. Besides making pretty or interesting photos, I want to experience growth.

 

But there are 325 days left to go (assuming I make it through the whole challenge, which I have yet to do). There are going to be days when I wind up shooting a picture of my foot or a corner of my coffee table because I'm having an off day and I need a picture - any picture. There are going to be days where the photo is good because the scene very picturesque, but the photo itself didn't take a lot of skill or present a lot of challenge. And there are going to be days where it's harder, and I'm deliberative and thoughtful about finding an interesting shot. (Whether I'm able to make a good photo on those more challenging days is TBD. I expect I'll have more failed experiments than knocked-it-out-of-the-park photos on those more difficult days.)

 

There's room in this year for all kinds of shots. So here's my gimme, just-showed-up-and-nature-did-the-rest photo of the day. Hey, at least it isn't the usual tree. ;)

The Nikon F3, Nikon's first pro-level camera with an electronic shutter, was in production from 1980 through 2001. The pictured camera is fitted with the HP High-Eyepoint prism.

 

-------------

 

The Nikon F3 was the first professional level Nikon SLR to incorporate an electronic shutter and automatic exposure capability. Of course, the F3 provides the same high-quality materials, refined fit and finish, and durability for professional use as all F-Series cameras. Like its predecessors, the F3 was part of a remarkably broad and advanced professional camera system.

 

When used in the new aperture priority mode, shutter speed range is a stepless 8 sec. to 1/2000 sec. An F3HP is an F3 body with a so-called "High-Eyepoint" DE-3 prism. Compared with the original F3 standard DE-2 eyelevel finder, the F3HP has a larger viewfinder eyepiece. Actually, most of the F3s that I have seen incorporate the HP viewfinder. Of course, the F3HP viewfinder provides a 100% frame coverage, like all F-series cameras, and a large, bright image with 0.8x magnification. Nikon offered 21 interchangeable focusing screens for the F3, but for general photography, the standard K screen (with split image, microprism collar, and matte field) is satisfactory.

 

Back in the day, I waited years to upgrade to the F3HP because I liked my F2AS so much. However, since I, like many, had been using a Nikon FE as my second body together with the F2AS, I eventually succumbed to the desire to have aperture priority auto exposure metering on my main camera body, as well.

 

The F3HP, particularly without the optional MD-4 motor drive attachment, has a perfect shape, body size, and weight for comfortable and stable holding as well as all-day carrying. The F3's built-in handgrip allows a firm grasp.

 

One advantage of the F3 over the F and F2 is that the exposure meter is incorporated into the camera body instead of the prism. As a result, you can now change viewfinders and still keep the exposure meter. The F3HP's easy-to-view High Eyepoint DE-3 prism is perfect for most purposes, but for various specialized professional applications, Nikon offered other types, such as the DW-3 Waist-Level Finder, the DA-2 Action Finder, and the DW-4 6x Magnification Finder. Nikon even produced the DX-1 AF Finder, with an electronic focus-aid indication!

 

The exposure meter on/off switch is a plastic lever that is incorporated around the shutter release button. This is something of a precursor to a similar switch on the future F4 and other newer Nikon camera bodies. However, I find the switch on the F3 quite tight and hard to turn. In fact, my original switch got damaged from long use and became stuck in the off position. I had get the switch replaced at my local repair shop. Fortunately, there is no reason why the switch could not just be left in the on position during periods when the camera is in frequent use. Even with the switch in the on position, the meter circuit does not actually activate unless the film wind crank is pulled slightly away from the body and the shutter release button pushed part way down. The shutter and meter are locked off when the film advance lever is pressed into the lock position. The F3 is the first F-level camera to utilize a standard ISO shutter release thread in the center of the shutter release button, instead of the older AR-2 style connector. The shutter release button is positioned just right, in the middle of the body, and has a silky-smooth feel.

 

As indicated above, the F3 is the first F-series camera body to support aperture priority automatic exposure instead of just manual exposure adjustment. Simply turn the shutter speed dial to "A" to enter this mode, then adjust the aperture ring appropriately. A really cool feature of the F3 is the 80% center-weighted exposure meter, concentrated within the viewfinder's 12 mm outer reference circle area. The 80% central weighting is a great compromise between Nikon's standard 60/40 weighting and a spot meter. The 80% weight allows you to easily meter on the most important section of the image, while still incorporating some exposure information from the remainder of the frame. You can center the 80% central spot on the metering target, then hold down the exposure memory lock button on the front of the body and re-frame. However, since I personally find it uncomfortable to use the exposure lock button in this position, I usually use manual exposure mode in these cases unless I am in a rush to shoot.

 

The F3 viewfinder includes at the top of the frame an ADR readout of the aperture setting on all Nikon F-mount lenses that have an aperture ring (basically any pre-G lens will work on the F3). To the left is an LCD display of the automatically or manually selected shutter speed, in full stop increments. One thing that I don't like about the F3's manual exposure mode is the compact-style manual exposure indicator display in the viewfinder. When in manual exposure mode, correct exposure is shown by small +- indicators to the left of the shutter speed display. You adjust the exposure until both the + and - indicators are visible at the same time. This system, while extremely accurate, is not as clear or quick as the match needle setup in the Nikkormat EL/FE/FE2/FM3A or the three diode (-o+) setup in the F2AS/FM/FM2n system. The F3's viewfinder display is illuminated by ambient light. However, you can push a small button on the prism to electronically illuminate the display in the dark.

 

The F3 is the last F-series body to have manual film wind, unless you attach the optional MD-4 Motor Drive (with up to 6 frames per second performance). Starting from the F4, the F-Series evolved to built-in automatic film advance. This is great if you need to often shoot rapidly. However, if you just want a high-end film camera for slower, more deliberative shooting, manual film advance provides quieter film operation, much better battery life, and a smaller and lighter package compared with the auto-advance F4, F5 and F6. Unlike the semi-pro bodies like the FE and FM, the film advance lever on the F3 may be operated in one complete stroke or a series of shorter strokes. The F3 can be used without a battery in an emergency. Just push the mechanical shutter release lever on the front of the camera, although the mechanical shutter speed is limited to only 1/60 second. That is certainly a far cry from a full range of shutter speeds, but at least flexible enough for many situations, if needed. Nevertheless, lack of power is almost never going to become an issue. My F3HP battery and shutter have never died throughout decades of use, and a single battery seems to last forever with the camera's low power usage.

 

The meter coupling lever on the F3 can be locked up to allow mounting of prehistoric non-AI lenses, although most users probably converted their non-AI lenses to AI decades ago. As a pro-level camera, the F3 has a proper mirror lock-up feature for certain specialized lenses and for slow exposure times. Of course, multiple exposures on a single frame are also supported.

 

Since the camera has an electronic shutter, it also has an electronic self-timer, complete with a flashing red light, just like modern SLRs.

 

The eyepiece has the usual shutter lever, but still no adjustable diopter. This is no problem, however, since Nikon still makes screw-in diopter lenses for the F3. Actually, the F3HP works fine with diopter lenses for the F90X, F100, etc. These diopter lenses have screw-in rings that are slightly thinner than harder to find ones that are actually designed for the F3. The large F3HP viewfinder eyepiece is relatively easy to use with glasses. On the F3 without the HP prism, use diopters that are designed for the FM/FE series of cameras.

 

In order to use an electronic flash unit, just like the earlier generation F and F2 bodies, the F3 still requires that an accessory shoe be mounted over the rewind knob, or that a special Nikon F3 flash unit be mounted directly onto the camera in the same position. (Of course, you could also use a side-bracket flash with a synch terminal cable.) Interestingly, the maximum flash synchronization speed is 1/80 sec., slightly slower than the 1/90 sec. maximum synch speed on the Nikon F2. The new advance is that the F3 offers TTL automatic flash exposure, although the F3 can't simultaneously meter ambient light. The powerful F3-era Nikon SB-16a Speedlight is a perfect match for the camera. Newer Nikon flash units can also provide TTL flash functionality with the F3, when used with the special adapter AS-17, which also allows convenient flash exposure compensation.

 

If you don't have the AS-17, you can do balanced fill flash the old way, as follows. First, set the background exposure manually, with a shutter speed at or below the maximum electronic flash synchronization speed. Then set the appropriate camera distance based on the film ISO, selected aperture and guide number. Finally, fill flash is achieved by further shutting down the aperture by 1-2 stops, and correspondingly adjusting the shutter speed. You can also set the SB-16a to TTL and adjust the flash exposure down by 1-2 stops using the exposure compensation dial. The compensation dial does not adjust the background exposure in this case because both shutter speed and aperture are set manually. All that being said, for fill flash, it would frankly be easier and faster to use a more modern body such as the F90X, F100, F5 or F6, which all provide various forms of 3D matrix automatic balanced fill-flash, Nikon's most advanced flash system. The F4 also has a pretty good flash capability, but it is still one generation older pre-3D technology (i.e., no communication of subject distance from D-type lenses.)

 

The basic Nikon F3 and F3HP were available in black. The Nikon F3 was also available in a few special variants, all of which had the High-Eyepoint viewfinder, such as the Nikon F3/T with a titanium exterior, the Nikon F3 Press, and various limited edition models. The F3/T was produced in both champagne and black colors.

 

As a pro-level camera, the F3 offers the benefits of aperture priority auto exposure, basic TTL flash, and a more compact and elegant design than the prior-generation F and F2 bodies. Compared with its later descendants, the F3 does not provide such benefits as matrix (multi-segment) metering, automatic balanced fill flash, multiple exposure modes, and built-in automatic film advance. On the other hand, the core F3 is significantly smaller and lighter than those later pro-level bodies. And, when used properly, the F3's exposure metering system can be just as effective, or even more so, compared with the early-generation matrix metering systems in some later Nikon cameras. For deliberative photographers who still like to shoot film, the F3 and F3HP provide a highly-refined and relatively compact manual focus platform for the extensive universe of "Pre-G"-type Nikon F-Mount lenses.

 

Copyright © 2015 Timothy A. Rogers. All rights reserved.

 

(DSC_5875fin2)

Situated across of National Flag Memorial. Palacio Vasallo. Rosario is ruled by an Executive Branch represented by a Mayor (seat: Palacio de los Leones), and a Legislative Branch, consisting of a Deliberative Council (seat: Palacio Vassallo). The Mayor is elected for a four-year term and the Council renews half of its 21 members every two years. Rosario. Argentina.

Lately my photography is ranging the gamut from intensely deliberative to outright impulseive. There's no set pattern. Often I vacillate between these extremes from one shot to the next. On the impulsive side I feel there is a certain energy from simply pointing and shooting within seconds of realizing an opportunity. What I love most is when the events that lead to a photo like this are as random as the photo itself. Case in point is this rose placed lovingly on this gravestone, probably no more than a few hours before my chance encounter. As fate would have it, a summer thunderstorm drenched the cemetery, leaving the rose to seemingly float in a mirror like pool. And by the time I happened to pass by, the sun was beginning to settle toward sunset offering a wonderful reflection of sky. I simply walked up, whipped out my iPhone and snapped this image. Took longer to write this narrative than to actually compose the image. As I walked away I thought about the rose placer and realized we were like ships that had passed in the night. That person will never know the beauty I found in this scene and how I was able to interpret and preserve it. Such order arising from seemingly random and unrelated events.

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Victoria, B.C.

 

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (French: Assemblée législative de la Colombie-Britannique) is the deliberative assembly of the Parliament of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The other component of Parliament is the lieutenant governor of British Columbia. The assembly has 93 elected members and meets in Victoria. Members are elected from provincial ridings and are referred to as members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the lieutenant governor in the name of the King of Canada.

 

The current parliament is the 43rd Parliament. The most recent general election was held on October 19, 2024. Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly are broadcast by Hansard Broadcasting Services.

 

Nikon D700

Voigtländer Ultron 40mm ƒ/2 SL II

The Schelztorturm, a medieval tower in the city centre, with the sculpture “The Skywalker” attached to it, Esslingen am Neckar, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany

 

Some background information:

 

The Schelztorturm is a tower in the city of Esslingen am Neckar, dating back to the 13th century. Originally it was part of Esslingen’s town fortifications. However, in the 19th century, the old town walls stood in the way of the city’s expansion. Hence, many of the fortifications were pulled down. Ever since, the Schelztorturm has stood on its own in the city centre. In the 1980s the German artist Hubertus von der Goltz created "The Skywalker", a sculpture that seems to hover above the tower. It shows an acrobat balancing on a bar and gives a playful touch quite in contrast to the massive building.

 

Esslingen am Neckar is a city in the Stuttgart Region of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It has more than 93,000 residents and is located on the Neckar River, about 14 kilometres (9 miles) southeast of Stuttgart city centre.

 

There are archaeological evidences that Esslingen was settled since the Neolithic period. Traces of human settlement found at the site of the city church date back to around 1000 B.C. n the 1st century AD the Esslingen region became part of the Roman Empire. During this period a Roman warehouse was located in the area of Oberesslingen. The nearest major Roman settlements and garrisons were at Cannstatt and Koengen.

 

In 777, Esslingen was first mentioned in the last will of Abbot Fulrad from Saint-Denis Abbey near Paris, the chaplain of Pippin and Charlemagne. He bequeathed the church sixth cell upon the river Neckar to his monastery, Saint-Denis. He also brought the bones of Saint Vitalis to Esslingen, which made it a destination for pilgrims and led to its growth.

 

Around 800, Esslingen became a market town, with its market rights being certified in 866. Between 949 and 953, the town was a possession of Ludolf, Duke of Swabia. In 1181, Esslingen was made a free imperial city by Emperor Frederick I, and in 1229, the town finally received city rights from Emperor Frederick II. During the same period the still-extant Neckar bridge was built, making Esslingen a major centre for trade on the route between Italy, Switzerland, and northern Germany. Market and taxes provided by the bridge led to further growth of the town, as did the export of the highly regarded wines from the region.

 

In the 13th century, mendicant orders settled in these parts. Black, grey and white friars, who had received major donations, began building abbeys and churches in the city area. In 1488, the Imperial Diet, the deliberative body of the Holy Roman Empire, was hold in Esslingen. On this occasion the Swabian League was founded, which used to be a mutual defence and peace keeping association of imperial estates, like free imperial cities, prelates, principalities and knights.

 

During the Thirty Years War between 1618 and 1648, about half of Esslingen’s population lost their lives, mainly due to famine and epidemics. In 1803, during the Napoleonic era, the town lost its independence as a free imperial city, becoming part of the newly founded Electorate of Wuerttemberg. However, the first half of the 19th century was also characterized by the beginning industrialization. Glove manufacturing, food processing, textile production and metal working were early industries in Esslingen. On 20th November 1845 the first train ran from Cannstatt to Esslingen station.

 

Starting in April 1945, at the very end of World War II, Esslingen was occupied by U.S. troops. As it was peaceably surrendered by the approaching allied forces, the city suffered very little damage. Thus the medieval character of its city centre has been mostly preserved. In the post-war era, about 47,000 people moved to Esslingen, mostly refugees and displaced persons from East Germany. New housing developments had to be created to overcome the shortage of housing. In 1973, the Nuertingen district was merged with Esslingen, making the city finally the seat of a much enlarged district.

 

A Happy New Year 2020 to all of you! May the force be with you!

Beholding Superstitions.

Fragen erscheinen verschiedene Bestimmungen Debating disrespected Ideen elenden Routinen,

נימוסי הסדרת תוכניות שאינן מיוצגות לא מאוחד התאספו בעסקאות שנערכו,

chambres privilégiés de précipitation délibérative opposant despotisme juger voix ours,

пренебрежительное коммуникации переписка обществ коррупция препирательства грибок плесени,

honiadau niweidiol confutation pwysig yn holi manylion goleuo gweithredoedd celf,

αναμενόμενες βάσεις μαθηματικοί inquisitions σκιές επανεξοπλισμό ομιλίες μυστικά ρίζες,

البارزة عيوب جوهرية مخاطر الزمنية احتفالات الاختلافات درجة الفيلسوف,

paisin rud é go fhíorú prefigured uilíoch dearlaicí tyrants stirrers suaitheadh ​​láidir,

elegant naturen genoemde inventarisatie gegevens vreemde wetenschappen kennis argumenten geleverd,

artiști spirituale de reproducere orizonturi puncte de vedere jalnice învățat impresar familială,

seuraavia periaatteita pyrkimällä hulluutta sisempi ilmestykset kouluttaa herkkyydet anarkisteja näyttelyitä myrskyt,

理論家の正当性病変君主制の権威社会垂直習慣の軽蔑.

Steve.D.Hammond.

The Nikon F3, Nikon's first pro-level camera with an electronic shutter, was in production from 1980 through 2001. The pictured camera is fitted with the HP High-Eyepoint prism.

 

-------------

 

The Nikon F3 was the first professional level Nikon SLR to incorporate an electronic shutter and automatic exposure capability. Of course, the F3 provides the same high-quality materials, refined fit and finish, and durability for professional use as all F-Series cameras. Like its predecessors, the F3 was part of a remarkably broad and advanced professional camera system.

 

When used in the new aperture priority mode, shutter speed range is a stepless 8 sec. to 1/2000 sec. An F3HP is an F3 body with a so-called "High-Eyepoint" DE-3 prism. Compared with the original F3 standard DE-2 eyelevel finder, the F3HP has a larger viewfinder eyepiece. Actually, most of the F3s that I have seen incorporate the HP viewfinder. Of course, the F3HP viewfinder provides a 100% frame coverage, like all F-series cameras, and a large, bright image with 0.8x magnification. Nikon offered 21 interchangeable focusing screens for the F3, but for general photography, the standard K screen (with split image, microprism collar, and matte field) is satisfactory.

 

Back in the day, I waited years to upgrade to the F3HP because I liked my F2AS so much. However, since I, like many, had been using a Nikon FE as my second body together with the F2AS, I eventually succumbed to the desire to have aperture priority auto exposure metering on my main camera body, as well.

 

The F3HP, particularly without the optional MD-4 motor drive attachment, has a perfect shape, body size, and weight for comfortable and stable holding as well as all-day carrying. The F3's built-in handgrip allows a firm grasp.

 

One advantage of the F3 over the F and F2 is that the exposure meter is incorporated into the camera body instead of the prism. As a result, you can now change viewfinders and still keep the exposure meter. The F3HP's easy-to-view High Eyepoint DE-3 prism is perfect for most purposes, but for various specialized professional applications, Nikon offered other types, such as the DW-3 Waist-Level Finder, the DA-2 Action Finder, and the DW-4 6x Magnification Finder. Nikon even produced the DX-1 AF Finder, with an electronic focus-aid indication!

 

The exposure meter on/off switch is a plastic lever that is incorporated around the shutter release button. This is something of a precursor to a similar switch on the future F4 and other newer Nikon camera bodies. However, I find the switch on the F3 quite tight and hard to turn. In fact, my original switch got damaged from long use and became stuck in the off position. I had get the switch replaced at my local repair shop. Fortunately, there is no reason why the switch could not just be left in the on position during periods when the camera is in frequent use. Even with the switch in the on position, the meter circuit does not actually activate unless the film wind crank is pulled slightly away from the body and the shutter release button pushed part way down. The shutter and meter are locked off when the film advance lever is pressed into the lock position. The F3 is the first F-level camera to utilize a standard ISO shutter release thread in the center of the shutter release button, instead of the older AR-2 style connector. The shutter release button is positioned just right, in the middle of the body, and has a silky-smooth feel.

 

As indicated above, the F3 is the first F-series camera body to support aperture priority automatic exposure instead of just manual exposure adjustment. Simply turn the shutter speed dial to "A" to enter this mode, then adjust the aperture ring appropriately. A really cool feature of the F3 is the 80% center-weighted exposure meter, concentrated within the viewfinder's 12 mm outer reference circle area. The 80% central weighting is a great compromise between Nikon's standard 60/40 weighting and a spot meter. The 80% weight allows you to easily meter on the most important section of the image, while still incorporating some exposure information from the remainder of the frame. You can center the 80% central spot on the metering target, then hold down the exposure memory lock button on the front of the body and re-frame. However, since I personally find it uncomfortable to use the exposure lock button in this position, I usually use manual exposure mode in these cases unless I am in a rush to shoot.

 

The F3 viewfinder includes at the top of the frame an ADR readout of the aperture setting on all Nikon F-mount lenses that have an aperture ring (basically any pre-G lens will work on the F3). To the left is an LCD display of the automatically or manually selected shutter speed, in full stop increments. One thing that I don't like about the F3's manual exposure mode is the compact-style manual exposure indicator display in the viewfinder. When in manual exposure mode, correct exposure is shown by small +- indicators to the left of the shutter speed display. You adjust the exposure until both the + and - indicators are visible at the same time. This system, while extremely accurate, is not as clear or quick as the match needle setup in the Nikkormat EL/FE/FE2/FM3A or the three diode (-o+) setup in the F2AS/FM/FM2n system. The F3's viewfinder display is illuminated by ambient light. However, you can push a small button on the prism to electronically illuminate the display in the dark.

 

The F3 is the last F-series body to have manual film wind, unless you attach the optional MD-4 Motor Drive (with up to 6 frames per second performance). Starting from the F4, the F-Series evolved to built-in automatic film advance. This is great if you need to often shoot rapidly. However, if you just want a high-end film camera for slower, more deliberative shooting, manual film advance provides quieter film operation, much better battery life, and a smaller and lighter package compared with the auto-advance F4, F5 and F6. Unlike the semi-pro bodies like the FE and FM, the film advance lever on the F3 may be operated in one complete stroke or a series of shorter strokes. The F3 can be used without a battery in an emergency. Just push the mechanical shutter release lever on the front of the camera, although the mechanical shutter speed is limited to only 1/60 second. That is certainly a far cry from a full range of shutter speeds, but at least flexible enough for many situations, if needed. Nevertheless, lack of power is almost never going to become an issue. My F3HP battery and shutter have never died throughout decades of use, and a single battery seems to last forever with the camera's low power usage.

 

The meter coupling lever on the F3 can be locked up to allow mounting of prehistoric non-AI lenses, although most users probably converted their non-AI lenses to AI decades ago. As a pro-level camera, the F3 has a proper mirror lock-up feature for certain specialized lenses and for slow exposure times. Of course, multiple exposures on a single frame are also supported.

 

Since the camera has an electronic shutter, it also has an electronic self-timer, complete with a flashing red light, just like modern SLRs.

 

The eyepiece has the usual shutter lever, but still no adjustable diopter. This is no problem, however, since Nikon still makes screw-in diopter lenses for the F3. Actually, the F3HP works fine with diopter lenses for the F90X, F100, etc. These diopter lenses have screw-in rings that are slightly thinner than harder to find ones that are actually designed for the F3. The large F3HP viewfinder eyepiece is relatively easy to use with glasses. On the F3 without the HP prism, use diopters that are designed for the FM/FE series of cameras.

 

In order to use an electronic flash unit, just like the earlier generation F and F2 bodies, the F3 still requires that an accessory shoe be mounted over the rewind knob, or that a special Nikon F3 flash unit be mounted directly onto the camera in the same position. (Of course, you could also use a side-bracket flash with a synch terminal cable.) Interestingly, the maximum flash synchronization speed is 1/80 sec., slightly slower than the 1/90 sec. maximum synch speed on the Nikon F2. The new advance is that the F3 offers TTL automatic flash exposure, although the F3 can't simultaneously meter ambient light. The powerful F3-era Nikon SB-16a Speedlight is a perfect match for the camera. Newer Nikon flash units can also provide TTL flash functionality with the F3, when used with the special adapter AS-17, which also allows convenient flash exposure compensation.

 

If you don't have the AS-17, you can do balanced fill flash the old way, as follows. First, set the background exposure manually, with a shutter speed at or below the maximum electronic flash synchronization speed. Then set the appropriate camera distance based on the film ISO, selected aperture and guide number. Finally, fill flash is achieved by further shutting down the aperture by 1-2 stops, and correspondingly adjusting the shutter speed. You can also set the SB-16a to TTL and adjust the flash exposure down by 1-2 stops using the exposure compensation dial. The compensation dial does not adjust the background exposure in this case because both shutter speed and aperture are set manually. All that being said, for fill flash, it would frankly be easier and faster to use a more modern body such as the F90X, F100, F5 or F6, which all provide various forms of 3D matrix automatic balanced fill-flash, Nikon's most advanced flash system. The F4 also has a pretty good flash capability, but it is still one generation older pre-3D technology (i.e., no communication of subject distance from D-type lenses.)

 

The basic Nikon F3 and F3HP were available in black. The Nikon F3 was also available in a few special variants, all of which had the High-Eyepoint viewfinder, such as the Nikon F3/T with a titanium exterior, the Nikon F3 Press, and various limited edition models. The F3/T was produced in both champagne and black colors.

 

As a pro-level camera, the F3 offers the benefits of aperture priority auto exposure, basic TTL flash, and a more compact and elegant design than the prior-generation F and F2 bodies. Compared with its later descendants, the F3 does not provide such benefits as matrix (multi-segment) metering, automatic balanced fill flash, multiple exposure modes, and built-in automatic film advance. On the other hand, the core F3 is significantly smaller and lighter than those later pro-level bodies. And, when used properly, the F3's exposure metering system can be just as effective, or even more so, compared with the early-generation matrix metering systems in some later Nikon cameras. For deliberative photographers who still like to shoot film, the F3 and F3HP provide a highly-refined and relatively compact manual focus platform for the extensive universe of "Pre-G"-type Nikon F-Mount lenses.

 

Copyright © 2015 Timothy A. Rogers. All rights reserved.

  

(DSC_3111)

The Nikon F3, Nikon's first pro-level camera with an electronic shutter, was in production from 1980 through 2001. The pictured camera is fitted with the HP High-Eyepoint prism.

 

-------------

 

The Nikon F3 was the first professional level Nikon SLR to incorporate an electronic shutter and automatic exposure capability. Of course, the F3 provides the same high-quality materials, refined fit and finish, and durability for professional use as all F-Series cameras. Like its predecessors, the F3 was part of a remarkably broad and advanced professional camera system.

 

When used in the new aperture priority mode, shutter speed range is a stepless 8 sec. to 1/2000 sec. An F3HP is an F3 body with a so-called "High-Eyepoint" DE-3 prism. Compared with the original F3 standard DE-2 eyelevel finder, the F3HP has a larger viewfinder eyepiece. Actually, most of the F3s that I have seen incorporate the HP viewfinder. Of course, the F3HP viewfinder provides a 100% frame coverage, like all F-series cameras, and a large, bright image with 0.8x magnification. Nikon offered 21 interchangeable focusing screens for the F3, but for general photography, the standard K screen (with split image, microprism collar, and matte field) is satisfactory.

 

Back in the day, I waited years to upgrade to the F3HP because I liked my F2AS so much. However, since I, like many, had been using a Nikon FE as my second body together with the F2AS, I eventually succumbed to the desire to have aperture priority auto exposure metering on my main camera body, as well.

 

The F3HP, particularly without the optional MD-4 motor drive attachment, has a perfect shape, body size, and weight for comfortable and stable holding as well as all-day carrying. The F3's built-in handgrip allows a firm grasp.

 

One advantage of the F3 over the F and F2 is that the exposure meter is incorporated into the camera body instead of the prism. As a result, you can now change viewfinders and still keep the exposure meter. The F3HP's easy-to-view High Eyepoint DE-3 prism is perfect for most purposes, but for various specialized professional applications, Nikon offered other types, such as the DW-3 Waist-Level Finder, the DA-2 Action Finder, and the DW-4 6x Magnification Finder. Nikon even produced the DX-1 AF Finder, with an electronic focus-aid indication!

 

The exposure meter on/off switch is a plastic lever that is incorporated around the shutter release button. This is something of a precursor to a similar switch on the future F4 and other newer Nikon camera bodies. However, I find the switch on the F3 quite tight and hard to turn. In fact, my original switch got damaged from long use and became stuck in the off position. I had get the switch replaced at my local repair shop. Fortunately, there is no reason why the switch could not just be left in the on position during periods when the camera is in frequent use. Even with the switch in the on position, the meter circuit does not actually activate unless the film wind crank is pulled slightly away from the body and the shutter release button pushed part way down. The shutter and meter are locked off when the film advance lever is pressed into the lock position. The F3 is the first F-level camera to utilize a standard ISO shutter release thread in the center of the shutter release button, instead of the older AR-2 style connector. The shutter release button is positioned just right, in the middle of the body, and has a silky-smooth feel.

 

As indicated above, the F3 is the first F-series camera body to support aperture priority automatic exposure instead of just manual exposure adjustment. Simply turn the shutter speed dial to "A" to enter this mode, then adjust the aperture ring appropriately. A really cool feature of the F3 is the 80% center-weighted exposure meter, concentrated within the viewfinder's 12 mm outer reference circle area. The 80% central weighting is a great compromise between Nikon's standard 60/40 weighting and a spot meter. The 80% weight allows you to easily meter on the most important section of the image, while still incorporating some exposure information from the remainder of the frame. You can center the 80% central spot on the metering target, then hold down the exposure memory lock button on the front of the body and re-frame. However, since I personally find it uncomfortable to use the exposure lock button in this position, I usually use manual exposure mode in these cases unless I am in a rush to shoot.

 

The F3 viewfinder includes at the top of the frame an ADR readout of the aperture setting on all Nikon F-mount lenses that have an aperture ring (basically any pre-G lens will work on the F3). To the left is an LCD display of the automatically or manually selected shutter speed, in full stop increments. One thing that I don't like about the F3's manual exposure mode is the compact-style manual exposure indicator display in the viewfinder. When in manual exposure mode, correct exposure is shown by small +- indicators to the left of the shutter speed display. You adjust the exposure until both the + and - indicators are visible at the same time. This system, while extremely accurate, is not as clear or quick as the match needle setup in the Nikkormat EL/FE/FE2/FM3A or the three diode (-o+) setup in the F2AS/FM/FM2n system. The F3's viewfinder display is illuminated by ambient light. However, you can push a small button on the prism to electronically illuminate the display in the dark.

 

The F3 is the last F-series body to have manual film wind, unless you attach the optional MD-4 Motor Drive (with up to 6 frames per second performance). Starting from the F4, the F-Series evolved to built-in automatic film advance. This is great if you need to often shoot rapidly. However, if you just want a high-end film camera for slower, more deliberative shooting, manual film advance provides quieter film operation, much better battery life, and a smaller and lighter package compared with the auto-advance F4, F5 and F6. Unlike the semi-pro bodies like the FE and FM, the film advance lever on the F3 may be operated in one complete stroke or a series of shorter strokes. The F3 can be used without a battery in an emergency. Just push the mechanical shutter release lever on the front of the camera, although the mechanical shutter speed is limited to only 1/60 second. That is certainly a far cry from a full range of shutter speeds, but at least flexible enough for many situations, if needed. Nevertheless, lack of power is almost never going to become an issue. My F3HP battery and shutter have never died throughout decades of use, and a single battery seems to last forever with the camera's low power usage.

 

The meter coupling lever on the F3 can be locked up to allow mounting of prehistoric non-AI lenses, although most users probably converted their non-AI lenses to AI decades ago. As a pro-level camera, the F3 has a proper mirror lock-up feature for certain specialized lenses and for slow exposure times. Of course, multiple exposures on a single frame are also supported.

 

Since the camera has an electronic shutter, it also has an electronic self-timer, complete with a flashing red light, just like modern SLRs.

 

The eyepiece has the usual shutter lever, but still no adjustable diopter. This is no problem, however, since Nikon still makes screw-in diopter lenses for the F3. Actually, the F3HP works fine with diopter lenses for the F90X, F100, etc. These diopter lenses have screw-in rings that are slightly thinner than harder to find ones that are actually designed for the F3. The large F3HP viewfinder eyepiece is relatively easy to use with glasses. On the F3 without the HP prism, use diopters that are designed for the FM/FE series of cameras.

 

In order to use an electronic flash unit, just like the earlier generation F and F2 bodies, the F3 still requires that an accessory shoe be mounted over the rewind knob, or that a special Nikon F3 flash unit be mounted directly onto the camera in the same position. (Of course, you could also use a side-bracket flash with a synch terminal cable.) Interestingly, the maximum flash synchronization speed is 1/80 sec., slightly slower than the 1/90 sec. maximum synch speed on the Nikon F2. The new advance is that the F3 offers TTL automatic flash exposure, although the F3 can't simultaneously meter ambient light. The powerful F3-era Nikon SB-16a Speedlight is a perfect match for the camera. Newer Nikon flash units can also provide TTL flash functionality with the F3, when used with the special adapter AS-17, which also allows convenient flash exposure compensation.

 

If you don't have the AS-17, you can do balanced fill flash the old way, as follows. First, set the background exposure manually, with a shutter speed at or below the maximum electronic flash synchronization speed. Then set the appropriate camera distance based on the film ISO, selected aperture and guide number. Finally, fill flash is achieved by further shutting down the aperture by 1-2 stops, and correspondingly adjusting the shutter speed. You can also set the SB-16a to TTL and adjust the flash exposure down by 1-2 stops using the exposure compensation dial. The compensation dial does not adjust the background exposure in this case because both shutter speed and aperture are set manually. All that being said, for fill flash, it would frankly be easier and faster to use a more modern body such as the F90X, F100, F5 or F6, which all provide various forms of 3D matrix automatic balanced fill-flash, Nikon's most advanced flash system. The F4 also has a pretty good flash capability, but it is still one generation older pre-3D technology (i.e., no communication of subject distance from D-type lenses.)

 

The basic Nikon F3 and F3HP were available in black. The Nikon F3 was also available in a few special variants, all of which had the High-Eyepoint viewfinder, such as the Nikon F3/T with a titanium exterior, the Nikon F3 Press, and various limited edition models. The F3/T was produced in both champagne and black colors.

 

As a pro-level camera, the F3 offers the benefits of aperture priority auto exposure, basic TTL flash, and a more compact and elegant design than the prior-generation F and F2 bodies. Compared with its later descendants, the F3 does not provide such benefits as matrix (multi-segment) metering, automatic balanced fill flash, multiple exposure modes, and built-in automatic film advance. On the other hand, the core F3 is significantly smaller and lighter than those later pro-level bodies. And, when used properly, the F3's exposure metering system can be just as effective, or even more so, compared with the early-generation matrix metering systems in some later Nikon cameras. For deliberative photographers who still like to shoot film, the F3 and F3HP provide a highly-refined and relatively compact manual focus platform for the extensive universe of "Pre-G"-type Nikon F-Mount lenses.

 

Copyright © 2015 Timothy A. Rogers. All rights reserved.

 

(DSC_3091)

Old houses on Guildhall Square during the Esslingen Medieval Market and Christmas Market, Esslingen am Neckar, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany

 

Some background information:

 

The Esslingen Medieval Market and Christmas Market is unique and with more than 200 booths also one of the largest Christmas markets in the Stuttgart region. For almost four weeks at the Medieval Market, merchants in historical garments offer their goods for sale just as they did hundreds of years ago. Craftsmen like pewterers, felt-makers, tinder-makers, blacksmiths, broom-makers or glass-blowers demonstrate their craftsmanship. Furthermore, in the streets and on various stages artists fascinate their audience with juggling, music and nonsense. All around, Esslingen´s medieval half-timbered houses create a unique and spectacular backdrop. It is little wonder that crowds from Germany and all over the world flock to this spectacle, which takes the whole town back in time to the Middle Ages.

 

Esslingen am Neckar is a city in the Stuttgart Region of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It has more than 93,000 residents and is located on the Neckar River, about 14 kilometres (9 miles) southeast of Stuttgart city centre.

 

There are archaeological evidences that Esslingen was settled since the Neolithic period. Traces of human settlement found at the site of the city church date back to around 1000 B.C. n the 1st century AD the Esslingen region became part of the Roman Empire. During this period a Roman warehouse was located in the area of Oberesslingen. The nearest major Roman settlements and garrisons were at Cannstatt and Koengen.

 

In 777, Esslingen was first mentioned in the last will of Abbot Fulrad from Saint-Denis Abbey near Paris, the chaplain of Pippin and Charlemagne. He bequeathed the church sixth cell upon the river Neckar to his monastery, Saint-Denis. He also brought the bones of Saint Vitalis to Esslingen, which made it a destination for pilgrims and led to its growth.

 

Around 800, Esslingen became a market town, with its market rights being certified in 866. Between 949 and 953, the town was a possession of Ludolf, Duke of Swabia. In 1181, Esslingen was made a free imperial city by Emperor Frederick I, and in 1229, the town finally received city rights from Emperor Frederick II. During the same period the still-extant Neckar bridge was built, making Esslingen a major centre for trade on the route between Italy, Switzerland, and northern Germany. Market and taxes provided by the bridge led to further growth of the town, as did the export of the highly regarded wines from the region.

 

In the 13th century, mendicant orders settled in these parts. Black, grey and white friars, who had received major donations, began building abbeys and churches in the city area. In 1488, the Imperial Diet, the deliberative body of the Holy Roman Empire, was hold in Esslingen. On this occasion the Swabian League was founded, which used to be a mutual defence and peace keeping association of imperial estates, like free imperial cities, prelates, principalities and knights.

 

During the Thirty Years War between 1618 and 1648, about half of Esslingen’s population lost their lives, mainly due to famine and epidemics. In 1803, during the Napoleonic era, the town lost its independence as a free imperial city, becoming part of the newly founded Electorate of Wuerttemberg. However, the first half of the 19th century was also characterized by the beginning industrialization. Glove manufacturing, food processing, textile production and metal working were early industries in Esslingen. On 20th November 1845 the first train ran from Cannstatt to Esslingen station.

 

Starting in April 1945, at the very end of World War II, Esslingen was occupied by U.S. troops. As it was peaceably surrendered by the approaching allied forces, the city suffered very little damage. Thus the medieval character of its city centre has been mostly preserved. In the post-war era, about 47,000 people moved to Esslingen, mostly refugees and displaced persons from East Germany. New housing developments had to be created to overcome the shortage of housing. In 1973, the Nuertingen district was merged with Esslingen, making the city finally the seat of a much enlarged district.

 

A Merry Christmas 2019 to all of you! Have a great festive season together with your families and friends!

Manipulating Skills.

 

Leyes eminentes lenguas exquisitas currículo educativo formación de tribunales políticos,

profiad diplomyddol dermau llenyddol cyfreithiol neilltuo urddas i'r afael cwnselydd rheolau gormodol torri,

case ribelli procedimento penale per cui filosofia indipendente contorto procuratori tremenda instaurazione,

απελευθερωμένη κοινοβουλευτικές θέσεις φθορές γραφεία κατηγόρησε ποιητή απεχθανόταν σφάλματα αντιθέσεις αποφθεγματικότητα,

compétences professionnelles exenterate demandes écriture programme analytique appréciant la connaissance intellectuelle haute,

مفاهيم مميزة وظيفية مخصصة فئات البلاغة تشفيرات الفيزياء المنطق الكلام الأصيل ابتسامة,

širenje posljedica točke kombiniraju prijevodi epideictic primjeri suce rasprava religijske rasprave,

deliberative politikk utnyttet publisering komposisjoner oratoriske teater alvorlig kompetanse betraktninger,

卓越性を主張する主権的な結びつきの証拠煙意思決定に直面する基本的なヒューマニズム.

Steve.D.Hammond.

Carabineros de Chile es una institución policial militarizada que integra las Fuerzas de Orden y Seguridad. Creada el 27 de abril de 1927, su nombre deriva de los cuerpos de caballería que portaban un arma denominada carabina. Su lema es «Orden y Patria» y su símbolo son dos carabinas cruzadas.

 

Originalmente llamado Cuerpo de Carabineros, es la institución encargada de dar eficacia al derecho, siendo su finalidad garantizar, mantener el orden público y la seguridad pública interior en todo el territorio de la República y cumplir las demás funciones que le encomiendan la Constitución y la ley. Aunque desde su fundación dependió administrativamente del Ministerio de Defensa Nacional, a partir del 21 de febrero de 2011 debido a una ley, la institución pasó a depender directamente del reformado Ministerio del Interior y Seguridad Pública.

 

Como cuerpo policial armado es esencialmente obediente, no deliberante, profesional, jerarquizado y disciplinado, su personal está sometido a las normas establecidas en su ley orgánica constitucional, su estatuto (código de justicia y reglamentación interna)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carabineros de Chile is a militarized police institution that integrates the Order and Security Forces. Created on April 27, 1927, its name derives from the cavalry corps that carried a weapon called a carbine. Its motto is "Order and Homeland" and its symbol is two crossed carbines.

 

Originally called the Carabineros Corps, it is the institution in charge of giving effectiveness to the law, its purpose being to guarantee, maintain public order and internal public security throughout the territory of the Republic and fulfill the other functions entrusted to it by the Constitution and the law. . Although from its foundation it depended administratively on the Ministry of National Defense, as of February 21, 2011 due to a law, the institution came to depend directly on the reformed Ministry of the Interior and Public Security.

 

As an armed police force, it is essentially obedient, not deliberative, professional, hierarchical and disciplined, its personnel are subject to the norms established in its constitutional organic law, its statute (justice code and internal regulations).

Following up on the panorama of the Old House of Representatives that I posted a couple of days ago, here's a six-frame panorama of the Old Senate.

 

Like the House of Representatives, the chamber is a large internal space, with ceilings considerably higher than that of King's Hall. Both chambers are the same size, despite the requirement of section 24 of the Australian Constitution that the House of Representatives should have, as nearly as practicable, twice the number of members as the Senate.

 

It is lined with timber panelling, again representative of the architect John Smith Murdoch's simplified classical style, with furnishings in a similar style to that of the House of Representatives.

 

The timber used in the wall panelling, the desks, seats and tables is all Australian black bean wood and Tasmanian blackwood. The hand-woven carpets have a pattern of eucalyptus leaves and wattle blossom.

 

The Senate is characterised by the predominance of the colour red, in both the carpet and the red leather of the seating and desks. This reflects its role as the upper house and as a deliberative house like the House of Lords at Westminster.

 

The seating is in a horse-shoe pattern, around a central table. With more room than the House of Reprentatives, each senator had a seat and a desk, including those sitting on the front benches (i.e., ministers). At the end of the table is a desk for the clerks and behind them a large chair for the president. Behind it are two thrones, to be used by the monarch and consort or, in their stead, the Governor-General and spouse, at official occasions such as the State Opening of Parliament. The furnishings conform to Murdoch's simplified classical style.

 

The gallery above the throne was reserved for the press, with others used by the guests of senators, members of the House of Representatives and the general public.

 

The room is in the Old Parliament Building, where Australia's Parliament sat from 1927 to 1988. It is now generally open as a museum for the public to visit.

—an excerpt of a letter from  Benjamin Franklin to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy right after the U.S. Constitution was ratified, 1789.

 

American colonialists had grown deeply dissatisfied with not just Britain's monarch but also with the parliamentary weaknesses of a constitutional monarchy in representing their interests. Instead of living by the dictates and whims of a dictator, king, chief executive, or even a deliberative body, the United States decided to go another route. Americans wrote down on a parchment the laws that established the framework of its government. Where in other countries a personality might represent nationality and governance, here in America a document did so. The American Republic was established through the first written constitution in the world of self governance through rule of law, a pact by its people as adopted by representatives elected by those people. That concept can be seen in the first words of the U.S. Constitution, which begins: "We the people..."

 

In designing its modern Republic, many of America's founding fathers, including Benjamin Franklin, had studied the Roman Republic and its fall. After having a series of abusive kings, Romans decided that kings, even though popular in the ancient world, were not for it. Instead, Rome evolved a complex Republic that lasted nearly 500 years.

 

That is until Gaius Julius Caesar.

 

After his term of governor of Gaul had finished, the conquering general Julius Caesar was recalled to Rome. Caesar feared that without the protections of the office of governorship, he as a civilian would be successfully prosecuted for earlier crimes of corruption. So he defied centuries of tradition and marched his army across the Rubicon river straight into the city of Rome. After leading a Civil War against the Senate, against their champion, General Pompey, and winning, Julius Caesar was declared by the Senate dictator for ten years in order to restore the Republic to its years of former greatness. He was later declared dictator for life.

 

Wildly popular by the people, Caesar, an elite land-owning patrician by birth who leaned Populares or that is to say towards publicly favoring plebeian commoners, managed to thwart Rome's amazing system of checks and balances on power. The veneer of the Senate and the Republic continued but in reality a series of emperors from then on dictated the laws and government of the Roman Empire. (It still wasn't politically feasible among Romans to use the title of REX, king, so emperor would have to do as well as wordsmithing Caesar's family name, which became its own regal title.)

 

—-

The photograph above is a large bronze statue of Mr. Franklin that sits in front of the Louisville Free Main Library, Kentucky.

Large Christmas pyramid during the Esslingen Chistmas Market, with the "new" 17th century guildhall in the background, Esslingen am Neckar, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany

 

Some background information:

 

Christmas pyramids are Christmas decorations that have their roots in the folklore and customs of the Ore Mountain region of Germany, but have become popular internationally. Today large Christmas pyramids can be found on many German Christmas markets. They comprise a decorated pyramidal outer frame with candle holders and a central carousel with a rotor at the top which is driven by warm air from the lit candles. The carousel is decorated with nativity scenes and other Christmas figures such as angels and wise men, as well as worldly motifs such as mining folk and forest scenes.

 

Smaller Christmas pyramids were originally hung from the ceiling of German families' houses. The custom spread across Europe, mainly to Italy and England and was brought to America by German immigrants in the 1700s. The origins of Christmas pyramids date back to the Middle Ages. In this period it was traditional in southern and western Europe to bring evergreen branches, for example boxwood, into the home and hang them in order to ward off moroseness in the dark and cold winter months. In northern and Eastern Europe traditional candles were used to achieve this goal. The German Christmas pyramid eventually unified these two traditions and became a symbol of Christmas celebrations.

 

The Esslingen Medieval Market and Christmas Market is unique and with more than 200 booths also one of the largest Christmas markets in the Stuttgart region. For almost four weeks at the Medieval Market, merchants in historical garments offer their goods for sale just as they did hundreds of years ago. Craftsmen like pewterers, felt-makers, tinder-makers, blacksmiths, broom-makers or glass-blowers demonstrate their craftsmanship. Furthermore, in the streets and on various stages artists fascinate their audience with juggling, music and nonsense. All around, Esslingen´s medieval half-timbered houses create a unique and spectacular backdrop. It is little wonder that crowds from Germany and all over the world flock to this spectacle, which takes the whole town back in time to the Middle Ages.

 

Esslingen am Neckar is a city in the Stuttgart Region of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It has more than 93,000 residents and is located on the Neckar River, about 14 kilometres (9 miles) southeast of Stuttgart city centre.

 

There are archaeological evidences that Esslingen was settled since the Neolithic period. Traces of human settlement found at the site of the city church date back to around 1000 B.C. n the 1st century AD the Esslingen region became part of the Roman Empire. During this period a Roman warehouse was located in the area of Oberesslingen. The nearest major Roman settlements and garrisons were at Cannstatt and Koengen.

 

In 777, Esslingen was first mentioned in the last will of Abbot Fulrad from Saint-Denis Abbey near Paris, the chaplain of Pippin and Charlemagne. He bequeathed the church sixth cell upon the river Neckar to his monastery, Saint-Denis. He also brought the bones of Saint Vitalis to Esslingen, which made it a destination for pilgrims and led to its growth.

 

Around 800, Esslingen became a market town, with its market rights being certified in 866. Between 949 and 953, the town was a possession of Ludolf, Duke of Swabia. In 1181, Esslingen was made a free imperial city by Emperor Frederick I, and in 1229, the town finally received city rights from Emperor Frederick II. During the same period the still-extant Neckar bridge was built, making Esslingen a major centre for trade on the route between Italy, Switzerland, and northern Germany. Market and taxes provided by the bridge led to further growth of the town, as did the export of the highly regarded wines from the region.

 

In the 13th century, mendicant orders settled in these parts. Black, grey and white friars, who had received major donations, began building abbeys and churches in the city area. In 1488, the Imperial Diet, the deliberative body of the Holy Roman Empire, was hold in Esslingen. On this occasion the Swabian League was founded, which used to be a mutual defence and peace keeping association of imperial estates, like free imperial cities, prelates, principalities and knights.

 

During the Thirty Years War between 1618 and 1648, about half of Esslingen’s population lost their lives, mainly due to famine and epidemics. In 1803, during the Napoleonic era, the town lost its independence as a free imperial city, becoming part of the newly founded Electorate of Wuerttemberg. However, the first half of the 19th century was also characterized by the beginning industrialization. Glove manufacturing, food processing, textile production and metal working were early industries in Esslingen. On 20th November 1845 the first train ran from Cannstatt to Esslingen station.

 

Starting in April 1945, at the very end of World War II, Esslingen was occupied by U.S. troops. As it was peaceably surrendered by the approaching allied forces, the city suffered very little damage. Thus the medieval character of its city centre has been mostly preserved. In the post-war era, about 47,000 people moved to Esslingen, mostly refugees and displaced persons from East Germany. New housing developments had to be created to overcome the shortage of housing. In 1973, the Nuertingen district was merged with Esslingen, making the city finally the seat of a much enlarged district.

 

A Merry Christmas 2019 to all of you! Have a great festive season together with your families and friends!

From www.artic.edu/artexplorer/search.php?tab=2&resource=65:

 

Will the apples fall off the table? Explore the tension between stability and imbalance in this late still life by Cezanne.

 

Many of Paul Cézanne's late still lifes depict complex arrangements whose artificial character underscores the artist's role as contriver. They are, however, very different from the seventeenth-century Dutch prototypes to which they are sometimes compared. Cézanne never aimed at illusionism, and his still-life compositions can be anthropomorphic, expressive of psychological tension, in ways never dreamt of by his Baroque predecessors.

 

The Basket of Apples exemplifies this effect. The theatrical tilt of the basket implies that the apples on the tabletop have rolled out of it; yet the way they huddle and nestle in the crumpled napkin suggests that they possess independent minds. The biscuits on a plate are carefully stacked, but they too seem animate, as if straining to take in the drama unfolding before them. The bottle—slightly askew and off center, teasingly close to stabilizing union with the picture's upper edge—presides over the scene like a dark sentinel. Poised between resolution and imbalance, sensation and ponderation, The Basket of Apples makes tangible the complex eye-mind interplay that determines visual experience.

 

Cézanne's grave attentiveness to this dynamic gives his art a philosophical cast, but the pleasures afforded by his robust color chords, lively touch, and sure compositional instincts make it seductive. Here, his considered juxtapositions of autumnal hues, like the resolutely disjointed table edges and intentionally "unfinished" contours, draw attention to the deliberative nature of art-making.

 

Cézanne's determination to recognize the provisional nature of perception derives from Impressionism, but his stress on the tension between optical sensation and aesthetic transformation sets him apart. In his mature work, he found beauty of a new kind in the inherently charged dialogue between contingency and contemplation, thereby facilitating the more radical break with realistic representation effected by the Cubists and other modernists in the early twentieth century.

 

An examination of Cezanne's dynamic composition of fruit and objects in this still life from the mid-1890s.

 

Paul Cezanne spent most of his working life in and around the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence and, partially as a result of his self-imposed isolation, was for many years all but unknown in Paris. In 1895, he was persuaded by the dealer Ambroise Vollard to have a one-man show in Paris. The exhibition, held at Vollard's popular gallery, was not an important financial success, but it had a profound effect on the history of French art. It was the first time in nearly twenty years that French artists who had heard about this painter from Provence could actually see his work. Basket of Apples was among the paintings selected by Cezanne and Vollard for inclusion in this exhibition. Like several of the other paintings in the exhibition, it was signed, most probably at the insistence of Vollard, who felt that an unsigned painting might be considered unfinished and, hence, would fail to sell. Cezanne grudgingly complied, and, for that reason, the paintings in the Vollard exhibition are among the few the artist actually signed.

 

Basket of Apples is among Cezanne's "baroque" still lifes painted in the late 1880's and 1890's. Its pictorial structure derives from seventeenth-century Dutch still lifes. Like the Dutch artists, Cezanne sought to establish a dynamic, asymmetrical arrangement of objects that are held in place only by the painter's compositional skills. Yet, where such an effect of imbalance was merely a compositional device of the Dutch painters, it was an essential element of Cezanne's conception of the still life. Cezanne recognized the fact that the artist is not bound to represent real objects in real space. He was able, therefore, to impart to everything a strength and relative position that could not possibly be duplicated in an actual studio arrangement.

 

Here, the basket filled with apples tilts improbably on a small base or stand, its contents held in check only by a bottle and a cloth, in whose complex, craggy folds lie many other pieces of fruit. The table, like virtually every one in a Cezanne still life, has four edges that cannot be aligned to form an exact rectangle. At the raised upper right corner of the table, the artist created a latticed "log-cabin" of the French pastry called dents de loup, contrasting the informal and unstable arrangement of the circular apples on the table with the architectonic stack of cookies. Both arrangements vie for dominance around the central form of the bottle, which, with its own silhouette shifting from left to right, acts as an anchor for a composition in endless flux. Thus, the balance that Cezanne achieved is a purely pictorial one: the actual arrangement of objects he painted in his studio could never have possessed the dynamism and tension with which it is endowed in Basket of Apples.

Italien / Lombardei - Como

 

Como (Italian: [ˈkɔːmo] locally [ˈkoːmo] Comasco: Còmm [ˈkɔm],[ Cómm [ˈkom] or Cùmm [ˈkum]; Latin: Novum Comum) is a city and comune (municipality) in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como.

 

Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps has made Como a tourist destination, and the city contains numerous works of art, churches, gardens, museums, theatres, parks, and palaces: the Duomo, seat of the Diocese of Como; the Basilica of Sant'Abbondio; the Villa Olmo; the public gardens with the Tempio Voltiano; the Teatro Sociale; the Broletto or the city's medieval town hall; and the 20th-century Casa del Fascio.

 

Como was the birthplace of many historical figures, including the poet Caecilius mentioned by Catullus in the first century BCE, writers Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, Pope Innocent XI, scientist Alessandro Volta, and Cosima Liszt, second wife of Richard Wagner and long-term director of the Bayreuth Festival, and Antonio Sant'Elia (1888–1916), a futurist architect and a pioneer of the modern movement.

 

History

 

Ancient History

 

The hills surrounding the current location of Como were inhabited, since at least the Iron Age, by a Celtic tribe known as the Orobii, who also, according to Pliny the Elder and modern scholars, had relations with the Ancient Ligurians, a people very similar to the Celts. Remains of settlements are still present on the wood-covered hills to the southwest of town, around the area of the modern town's district of Rebbio. In the areas of the districts of Breccia, Prestino and the neighbouring towns of San Fermo della Battaglia and Cavallasca there were also settlements of the Golasecca Culture, built in the Iron Age. Later, a second Celtic migration brought the Gaulish peoples in the area of Como, especially the tribe of the Insubres.

 

Around the first century BC, the territory became subject to the Romans. The town centre was situated on the nearby hills, but it was then moved to its current location by order of Julius Caesar, who had the swamp near the southern tip of the lake drained and laid the plan of the walled city in the typical Roman grid of perpendicular streets. The newly founded town was named Novum Comum and had the status of municipium. In September 2018, Culture Minister Alberto Bonisoli announced the discovery of several hundred gold coins in the basement of the former Cressoni Theater (Teatro Cressoni) in a two-handled soapstone amphora, coins struck by emperors Honorius, Valentinian III, Leo I the Thracian, Antonio and Libius Severus dating to 474 AD.

 

Early Middle Ages

 

After the so-called "fall of the Western Roman Empire", the history of Como followed that of the rest of Lombardy, being occupied by the Goths, the Byzantines, and later the Langobards. The Langobards were a significant people in the region. Originating in Scandinavia, this Germanic group arrived in the Po Valley in 568, led by King Alboin. The Langobards established the Lombard Kingdom, which initially encompassed only modern-day Northern Italy, but later expanded to include Tuscany, Umbria, and portions of Southern Italy. Under Lombard rule, Como continued to flourish, particularly due to the reconstruction of Queen Theudelind's road, which connected Germany and the Italian Peninsula, providing the town with strategic access to commerce. In 774, Como surrendered to the invading Franks led by Charlemagne and subsequently became a center of commercial exchange.

 

Communal Era

 

The Commune of Como likely originated in the 11th century as an "association of prestigious families on a treaty basis," bound by an oath of adhesion to the commune, which was renewed periodically in front of municipal authorities until the 1200s, and later in the presence of the mayor. Despite resistance from parts of the feudal nobility of the diocese, this pact quickly extended to the entire free male population of the town. This expansion aimed to strengthen the political independence of Como and its diocese, especially from neighboring Milan, and to affirm the sovereignty of the bishop of Como. The bishop soon became the de facto "head of state", while an assembly of citizens convened in the "Broletto" (Town Hall), called "Brolo". This assembly consisted of representatives of the local nobility, known as consuls, and later included representatives of the guilds. The Commune had a set of laws and conventions that regulated urban activities, commerce, agriculture, fishing, hunting, law enforcement, and taxation.

 

The first explicit written mention of the Commune of Como dates back to 1109. Initially, the deliberative assembly of the commune was likely the plenary assembly. In the early 12th century, the role of this assembly was assumed by the council (or "Credenza"), known after 1213 as the "General council" or "Bell council". From the second half of the 13th century, this assembly was divided into a large and a small council. Starting in 1109, the communal organization included an executive body called the "collegial magistracy of the consuls". Before 1172, this body was divided into two institutions: the consuls of justice and the consuls of the municipality. In the early 13th century, the latter were replaced by the podestà, who had broader special powers in criminal matters.

 

The territory of the Commune extended beyond the town of Como itself, encompassing the entire diocese, which included most of present-day Province of Como, modern-day Canton of Ticino, Valtellina, Valchiavenna, and Colico. Thanks to its strategic position on Lake Como and the important Road of Queen Theudelind, which linked the Italian Peninsula with Germany: the heart of the Holy Roman Empire, Como quickly became a wealthy and powerful town.

 

During this period of growth, Como and Milan quickly became rivals. The Commune of Milan experienced significant population growth but lacked strategic communication routes. Consequently, Milan planned to conquer neighboring territories to gain access to their strategic positions. Tensions first arose over the County of Seprio, as both communes sought control of the area. Meanwhile, Milan acted aggressively against other Lombard towns, leading to the outbreak of the war of Lodi when soldiers from Lodi, Pavia, and Cremona attacked Tortona, an ally of Milan. In this conflict, Milan, supported by Crema and Tortona, fought against the communes of Lodi, Pavia, and Cremona, ultimately achieving a significant victory that established Milan as the dominant power in Lombardy.

 

This left the Commune of Como as Milan's only remaining rival. Tensions escalated when Emperor Henry IV appointed Landolfo da Carcano, who sympathized with Milan, as the bishop of Como. In response, the people of Como elected Guido Grimoldi as their bishop and exiled Landolfo. Despite his exile, Landolfo continued to interfere in Como's affairs, prompting the town to besiege his castle under the leadership of consul Adamo del Pero. Landolfo was captured and imprisoned, igniting a crisis between Como and Milan, as Milanese soldiers had defended Landolfo's castle.

 

This conflict led to the Decennial War between Como and Milan in 1118. The war is well-documented thanks to an anonymous poet who recorded the events in a poem titled "Liber Cumanus, sive de bello Mediolanensium adversus Comenses". Initially, Como seemed to prevail due to smart tactics, but after the death of Guido Grimoldi, the tide turned, and Como lost the war in 1127. Milanese soldiers destroyed every building in Como, sparing only the churches.

 

After the war, the Commune was forced to pay tribute to Milan. However, this changed when Frederick Barbarossa came to power and restored Como's independence from Milan. The Comaschi avenged their defeat when Milan was destroyed in 1162. Frederick promoted the construction of several defensive towers and small castles around the town's limits, of which only the Baradello remains. He also assisted the town in rebuilding its defensive walls, most of which still survive today.

 

When the Guelph communes organized the Lombard League to oppose the Holy Roman Emperor, Como maintained its Ghibelline alignment. Frederick I Barbarossa formally recognized the Commune of Como with an imperial diploma in 1175 (Concession of Frederick I 1175), allowing the town to elect the mayors of the county. This was a reward for Como's defection from the Lombard League and its shared anti-Milan policy. Subsequent agreements in 1191 and 1216 saw Emperors Henry VI and Frederick II extend additional concessions to Como, similar to those made in the Peace of Constance to the cities participating in the League.

 

In 1281, Como adopted its first written legislative code, the "Statuta Consulum Iustitie et Negotiatorum", followed by a second code in 1296.

 

The rise of Rusca/Rusconi family to power

 

In the second half of the 12th century, the Rusca family (also known as Rusconi) began to gain prominence in the town of Como. The Rusca were a noble family originating in Como in the 10th century. They led the Ghibelline faction in the town, with their principal rivals being the members of the Vitani family.

 

In 1182, Giovanni Rusca became a consul of the commune and was later appointed podestà of Milan in 1199, thanks to his abilities during a peace treaty with the rival city. Between 1194 and 1198, he was joined by two other relatives, Adamo and Loterio, who also became consuls of Como. The Rusca quickly became the most influential family in Como, with several members attempting to establish a lordship over the town with varying degrees of success.

 

Loterio Rusca was the first to attempt this goal. He was acclaimed "Lord of the People" in 1276 and, with the trust of the Comaschi, he began his rise to power. However, he faced resistance from the bishop of Como, Giovanni degli Avvocati, who was consequently exiled. Giovanni was hosted by the Visconti of Milan, providing Ottone Visconti with a pretext to start a new war against Como. Unexpectedly, Loterio prevailed and signed a favorable peace treaty with Milan in the town of Lomazzo. Milan was forced to recognize Loterio as the ruler of their rival town and return the town of Bellinzona to Como.

 

Thanks to this success, the family secured titles such as Lords of Como, Bellinzona, Chiavenna, and Valtellina, as well as Counts of Locarno, Lugano, and Luino. Following Loterio's death, the next notable family member was Franchino I Rusca, who established a personal lordship over Como and its territories and became an imperial vicar.

 

In 1335, a new war between Como and Milan broke out due to the expiration of conditions established in Lomazzo. This time, under the leadership of Azzone Visconti, Milan won the war and Como was annexed to the Duchy of Milan. The people of Como sought to regain their administrative freedom, and an opportunity arose in 1402 when Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan, died. Franchino II Rusca led a rebellion against the Milanese, which ended in 1412 when his son, Loterio IV Rusca, gained the title of Lord of Como and drove out the Milanese occupiers. However, this did not end the political unrest, and a period of conflicts and massacres ensued until Como once again fell under the control of Filippo Maria Visconti, becoming part of the Duchy of Milan in 1416.

 

At the Duke's death, Como reclaimed its independence, and in 1447, the "Republic of Saint Abundius" was founded. In January 1449, Francesco Sforza, who claimed the title of Duke of Milan (though the city was under the control of the Ambrosian Republic), sent Giuseppe Ventimiglia to attack Como. He was repelled by the citizens led by Giovanni della Noce, forcing him to retreat to Cantù, in Brianza. Monzone assisted the Rusca against the Vitani, who were Guelphs allied with the Milanese, ultimately defeating them with Ghibelline forces. In April 1449, Ventimiglia attacked Como again, and in January 1450, he unsuccessfully attacked the Ambrosian garrisons in Monza, intended to reunite with the Venetians of Colleoni to support Milan against Sforza. These events, known as the Battles of Cantù and Asso, culminated in March 1450 when Como was defeated following the fall of the Ambrosian Republic, due to exhaustion and lack of resources. Como was definitively subjected to the reconstituted Duchy of Milan under Francesco Sforza, who in 1458 profoundly reformed the Statutes of Como.

 

Modern Era

 

Subsequently, the history of Como followed that of the Duchy of Milan, through the French invasion and the Spanish domination, until 1714, when the territory was taken by the Austrians. Napoleon descended into Lombardy in 1796 and ruled it until 1815, when the Austrian rule was resumed after the Congress of Vienna. By 1848, the population had reached 16,000. In 1859, with the arrival of Giuseppe Garibaldi, the town became part of the newly formed Kingdom of Italy under the House of Savoy.

 

20th century

 

The Rockefeller fountain that today stands in the Bronx Zoo in New York City was once in the main square (Piazza Cavour) by the lakeside. It was bought by William Rockefeller in 1902 for Lire 3,500 (the estimated equivalent then of $637).

 

At the end of World War II, after passing through Como on his escape towards Switzerland, Benito Mussolini was taken prisoner and then shot by partisans in Giulino di Mezzegra, a small town on the north shores of Lake Como.

 

21st century

 

In 2010, a motion by members of the nationalist Swiss People's Party was submitted to the Swiss parliament requesting the admission of adjacent territories to the Swiss Confederation; Como (and its province) is one of these.

 

Geography and Climate

 

Situated at the southern tip of the south-west arm of Lake Como, the city is located 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Milan; the city proper borders Switzerland and the communes of Blevio, Brunate, Capiago Intimiano, Casnate con Bernate, Cernobbio, Grandate, Lipomo, Maslianico, Montano Lucino, San Fermo della Battaglia, Senna Comasco, Tavernerio, and Torno, and the Swiss towns of Chiasso and Vacallo. Nearby major cities are Varese, Lecco, and Lugano.

 

Climate

 

According to the Köppen climate classification, Como has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa); until the late 20th century winters used to be quite cold, with average daily temperatures well below freezing; recently, occasional periods of frost from the Siberian Anticyclone have been recorded; however, due to global warming average temperatures in winter have gradually risen since the turn of the 21st century, reaching a record high of 21 degrees Celsius (70 °F) on 27 January 2024; spring and autumn are well marked and pleasant, while summer can be quite hot and sultry. Wind is uncommon although sudden bursts of foehn have been registered in different occasions. Pollution levels rise significantly in winter when cold air clings to the soil. Rain is more frequent during spring; summer is subject to thunderstorms and occasionally violent hailstorms.

 

Economy

 

The economy of Como, until the end of the 1980s, was traditionally based on industry; in particular, the city was world-famous for its silk manufacturers, and in 1972 its production exceeded that of China and Japan, but since the mid-1990s increasing competition from Asia has significantly reduced profit margins and many small and mid-sized firms have gone out of business. As a consequence, manufacturing is no longer the economic driver, and the city has been absorbed into Milan's metropolitan area where it mainly provides workers to the service industry sector. A significant number of residents are employed in the nearby Swiss towns Lugano and Mendrisio, primarily in the industrial sector, health care services and in the hospitality industry; the 30 km (19 mi) commute is beneficial as wages in Switzerland are notably higher. For these reasons, tourism has become increasingly important for the city's economy since the late 1990s, when local small businesses have gradually been replaced by bars, restaurants and hotels. With about 400 thousand overnight guests in 2023, Como was one of the most visited cities in Lombardy.

 

The city and the lake have been chosen as the filming location for various recent popular feature films, and this, together with the increasing presence of celebrities such as Matt Bellamy who have bought lakeside properties, has heightened the city's attractiveness and given a further boost to international tourism; since the early 2000s the city has become a popular "must-see" tourist destination in Italy.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Como (früherer deutscher Name: Chum) ist eine Stadt in der italienischen Region Lombardei mit 83.361 Einwohnern (Stand 31. Dezember 2022) und Hauptort der Provinz Como. Die Stadt liegt 45 Kilometer nördlich von Mailand, am gleichnamigen See und an der Grenze zum Kanton Tessin (Schweiz).

 

Geografie

 

Como liegt am Fuß der italienischen Voralpen, am Südwestende des Comer Sees, der sich auf der Höhe von Menaggio nach Süden in zwei Arme (Lago di Como und Lago di Lecco) teilt. Weil der Abfluss des Comer Sees, die Adda, den See bei Lecco verlässt und der andere Arm des Sees keinen Abfluss hat, wird zu Zeiten der Schneeschmelze und besonders starker Niederschläge, ganz besonders bei Nordwind, der das Wasser gegen Como staut, die Stadt fast jährlich von Hochwasser heimgesucht. Die Stadt liegt verkehrsgünstig an der Eisenbahnlinie Mailand–Zürich und an der Autostrada A9, die sich in der Schweiz als A2 fortsetzt, was zur Ansiedlung vieler Industriebetriebe geführt hat. Como ist die größte Stadt der schweizerisch-italienischen Metropolregion Tessin, die insgesamt mehr als 500.000 Einwohner hat.

 

Die Nachbargemeinden sind: Blevio, Brunate, Capiago Intimiano, Casnate con Bernate, Cavallasca, Cernobbio, Grandate, Lipomo, Maslianico, Montano Lucino, San Fermo della Battaglia, Senna Comasco, Tavernerio, Torno, Chiasso (CH-TI) und Vacallo (CH-TI).

 

Klima

 

Der Winter in Como wird durch den mildernden Einfluss der Wassermassen des Sees relativ stark beeinflusst. Die Tiefsttemperaturen im November, Dezember, Januar, Februar und manchmal auch im März können in der Regel unter den Nullpunkt sinken und gehen meist mit einer hohen Luftfeuchtigkeit einher. Der Nebel, der für die nahe gelegene Brianza und die Poebene charakteristisch ist, fehlt hingegen völlig und ist nur teilweise jenseits der Hügel südlich des so genannten „Convalle“, d. h. des Stadtzentrums, vorhanden. Schneefall ist relativ häufig, wenn auch je nach Winter unregelmäßig, wobei die durchschnittlichen jährlichen Schneemengen vom Tal (ca. 20/30 cm pro Jahr) bis zu den Vorstädten (ca. 40/50 cm pro Jahr) ansteigen. Die letzten bedeutenden Schneefälle waren am 24. und 25. Februar 2013, am 13., 14. und 15. Dezember 2012, am 31. Januar, 1. und 2. Februar 2012, am 17. Dezember 2010, am 21. und 22. Dezember 2009, am 2. Februar und 6. und 7. Januar 2009 sowie am 26., 27. und 28. Januar 2006. Im Februar 2012 blieb der Schnee aufgrund der sehr niedrigen Temperaturen länger liegen, mit Höchstwerten unter Null sogar im Zentrum für fast eine Woche.

 

Der Sommer ist relativ heiß, auch wenn die Spitzenzeiten relativ kurz sind (nicht mehr als zwei aufeinanderfolgende Wochen). Gelegentlich können die Temperaturen 35 bis 36 °C erreichen. Die Niederschlagsmenge ist mit durchschnittlich 1500 mm pro Jahr recht hoch und liegt in den nördlichsten Bezirken noch höher. Das Gebiet hat eine starke Neigung zu Unwettern. In der Gemeinde gibt es Unterschiede bei den nächtlichen Mindestwerten zwischen den Vierteln, je nachdem, ob sie nächtlichen Brisen ausgesetzt sind oder nicht. Während der Sommersaison sind die Temperaturen in den am See gelegenen Bezirken aufgrund der Seebrise am Morgen oft niedriger als in den Bezirken im Landesinneren, doch gleichen sich die Temperaturen am Nachmittag aufgrund der Drehung des Windes oft aus.

 

Geschichte

 

Das Gebiet auf den Hügeln südlich des Comer Sees wies seit dem 10. Jahrhundert vor Christus eine dichte dörfliche Besiedlung auf. Nach einer Blütephase im 5. Jahrhundert vor Christus kam es nach den Einfällen der Kelten zu einem Niedergang. Laut dem älteren Cato soll Comum (wie die Römer Como nannten) vom Stamm der Orobier gegründet worden sein. Iustinus gibt an, dass Comum eine Gründung der Gallier war, nachdem diese Norditalien erobert hatten; allerdings spezifiziert Iustinus den diesbezüglichen gallischen Stamm nicht näher. Die Siedlung wird nur einmal während der Kriege zwischen Römern und Galliern 196 v. Chr. erwähnt, als der Konsul Marcus Claudius Marcellus Comenses (Name der Einwohner von Comum) und Insubrer besiegte und Comum eroberte. Nach der Unterwerfung von Gallia cisalpina dürfte sich eine Anzahl römischer Siedler in Comum niedergelassen haben. Doch diese erlitten durch Einfälle der benachbarten Räter immer wieder Schäden. Um 89 v. Chr. schickte Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo beträchtlich mehr Siedler nach Comum und machte es zu einer Kolonie latinischen Rechts, die bald darauf um weitere 3000 Kolonisten verstärkt wurde. Gaius Iulius Caesar siedelte 59 v. Chr. 5000 weitere Kolonisten, darunter 500 angesehene Griechen, in der Stadt an. Diese bekam nun den Namen Novum Comum. Kurz vor Ausbruch des Bürgerkriegs zwischen Caesar und Pompeius suchten die Feinde Caesars diesen dadurch zu treffen, dass sie Comum den privilegierten Status einer Kolonie latinischen Rechts wieder entziehen lassen wollten. Nach Caesars erfolgreichem Vormarsch nach Italien verlieh er aber 49 v. Chr. den Einwohnern von Comum zusammen mit jenen der übrigen Gemeinden der Gallia Transpadana das römische Bürgerrecht.

 

Seit augusteischer Zeit war die Stadt ein municipium und wurde allgemein nur Comum genannt. Der Ort war wohlhabend; er hatte eine wichtige Eisenindustrie und die Ufer des Sees waren mit Villen übersät. Er war der Ausgangspunkt für die Überfahrt über den See, um zum Splügenpass und zum Septimerpass zu kommen (siehe auch Chiavenna). Como war der Geburtsort sowohl Plinius des Älteren als auch Plinius des Jüngeren. Letzterer gründete hier Bäder und eine Bibliothek und spendete Geld zur Unterstützung von Waisen. Im späten Kaiserreich gab es einen praefectus classis Comensis und Comum wurde als starke Festung betrachtet. Noch heute zeigt die Stadt den planimetrischen Grundriss des römischen castrum. Reste der römischen Umfassungsmauer verlaufen unterirdisch parallel zu den noch sichtbaren mittelalterlichen Stadtmauern.

 

Como litt erheblich unter den frühen germanischen Invasionen. Viele der Einwohner nahmen auf der Isola Comacina bei Sala Zuflucht, kehrten aber in der langobardischen Zeit zurück. In dieser Zeit begannen die Magistri Comacini eine privilegierte Zunft der Architekten und Steinmetze zu gründen, die auch in anderen Teilen Italiens beschäftigt wurden. Como kam dann unter die Herrschaft der Erzbischöfe von Mailand, gewann gegen Ende des 11. Jahrhunderts aber seine Freiheit wieder. Zu Beginn des 12. Jahrhunderts brach zwischen Como und Mailand Krieg aus, nach zehn Jahren wurde Como eingenommen und seine Befestigungen wurden 1127 geschleift. 1154 zog es aus der Ankunft Friedrich Barbarossas Vorteil und blieb ihm während des ganzen Krieges mit dem Lombardenbund treu. Im Jahre 1169 verwüstete Como die Isola Comacina, die von Mailand gegen Como befestigt worden war. 1183 erhielt Como im Konstanzer Frieden wie alle lombardischen Kommunen die Unabhängigkeit. Im 13. Jahrhundert wurde Como Zeuge der erbitterten Kämpfe zwischen den Vittani (Guelfen) und den Rusconi (Ghibellinen). Nach häufigen Kämpfen mit Mailand fiel Como von 1335 bis 1447 unter die Macht der Visconti. Nach einer kurzen Zeit der Unabhängigkeit als Repubblica di Sant’Abbondio unterwarf sich Como 1450 Francesco Sforza, dem Herzog von Mailand. 1521 wurde Como von den Spaniern belagert und geplündert und fiel wie der Rest der Lombardei unter die spanische Herrschaft. Im Frieden von Rastatt kam Como zusammen mit dem Gebiet Mailands 1714 an Österreich, später zur Cisalpinischen Republik, zum napoleonischen Königreich Italien und wieder zu Österreich. In der napoleonischen Ära war es die Hauptstadt des Départements Lario. Seine Seidenindustrie und die Lage am Eingang der Alpenpässe verliehen ihm selbst da einige Bedeutung. Como trug in den „Fünf Tagen“ im März 1848 (Cinque giornate) zusammen mit Mailand wesentlich zu den nationalen Aufständen gegen die österreichische Garnison bei. 1859 empfing Como Giuseppe Garibaldi nach dem Sieg von San Fermo als Befreier von der österreichischen Herrschaft.

 

1885 wurden die Gemeinden Camerlata und Monte Olimpino eingemeindet.

 

Wirtschaft

 

Comos Wirtschaftsleben basiert hauptsächlich auf Tourismus und Industrie. Die Stadt besitzt unter anderem eine weltbekannte Seiden-Manufaktur.

 

Die im Jahr 1940 von Toblach nach Como verlegte elektrotechnische Produktionsgesellschaft UNDA von Max Glauber kam wegen zu schneller Ausweitung der Produktion nach dem Krieg in Zahlungsschwierigkeiten, wurde verkauft und 1962 definitiv geschlossen.

 

Verkehr

 

Die Stadt liegt direkt an der Grenze zur Schweiz; die Grenze befindet sich im unmittelbar benachbarten schweizerischen Chiasso.

 

(Wikipedia)

{ Most recent edits : 12 January 2017 }

 

For background, please see Wikipedia's pages on :

 

Great Filter

Wow! signal

Technological singularity

Search for extraterrestrial intelligence

 

If you care to, please also see the pages linked beneath my ugliest self-portrait to date, though i like it, as i feel these are also relevant .

 

In the multi-hypothetical case that wide-spread, (and decisive), computerized election fraud, (being generally), in favor of right wing candidates, (also hypothetically, including Donald Trump), is onging in the United States of America --- it would be my further hypothesis that this country may be approaching the "event horizon" of permanent, right-wing, one-party rule .

 

Under such a scenario, (if the above would, overall, be true), i expect the right wing to make a high priority of consolidating effective control over the Judicial Branch of the United States Government, and over the Military High Command ; that these would complement their hold, (as i see it), over the Legislative Branch and coming hold, (as i see it, and should circumstances proceed according to script), over the Executive Branch . To use a military analogy, if they were to achieve these things, (and if the above scenarios would be, essentially, correct), they would have emplaced "cannon" on all the major hilltops of federal power .

 

Continuing the above scenarios, (in the assumption they would be, overall, correct) : With increasingly sophisticated surveillance and artificial-intelligence technologies at their disposal, the alliance of people and organizations holding such federal high ground, (as well as, reportedly, considerable accumulated wealth), could gain effective control over the socio-economic middle and, (by degrees), low grounds as well --- particularly if cautious and/or right-wing-sympathetic press outlets were not to treat these issue(s) seriously ----- particularly also if cautious and/or right-wing-sympathetic religious leaders stressed a doubling-down on God, without an activist, (Dr. King-ian), parallel commitment to, (as i believe so critical), transparent election practices .

 

Rightly or wrongly, i see computerized election systems running trade-secret software on trade-secret hardware, which record the vote in a manner invisible to the voter, (but purport to show the voter how our ballot will be recorded on a confirmation screen), for counting in a manner invisible to the public, (but which purport to tell the truth to the public), as, at least potentially, playgrounds for insider fraud . If such would indeed be the case, (and as what is being determined is the character of, and control over, the United States of America), i imagine these playgrounds would attract some very powerful players . I see no reason to expect that these would be limited to Americans seeking advantage over other Americans, and considerable reason to expect that these would, ultimately, include foreign-sponsored attempts to seek control over America .

 

I see it as essential to the health of representative democracy in the United States, (if not the world), that computerized election systems such i describe above are replaced, (nation-wide), with all-human election processes, (such as i described in recent posts) . A large part of what concerns me about the administration of a President-apparent Donald Trump is the potential right-wing capture of Federal "high ground" as described 3 paragraphs previous . If my suspicions about elections in this country are (basically) correct, i see such a capture as bringing with it closure of all effective routes to achieve such a replacement .

 

Rightly or wrongly, (and if the above scenarios are essentially correct), i see the world, human civilization, simultaneously approaching the "event horizon" of one expression of the Great Filter, (in no small part due to the loss of representative democracy in the United States), while also receding from the event horizon of another expression of the Great Filter . If only people in positions of power and/or influence were to discuss this openly . Because i feel there is much to be considered :

 

Effective consolidation of control over the world's governments, (and nuclear arsenals), into the hands of a single, politically competent and sound-minded individual, (not an easy task, but one which the vulnerabilities innate in "careless", {my word}, attention to election processes within advanced representative-democracies could be exploited to facilitiate, {or so i believe}), could, (at least), reduce the probability that World War III will become the Human expression of the Great Filter --- but perhaps only for as long as the "benevolent (?) dictator" remained alive and well, (and, perhaps also, unobvious) . With stakes that high, a succession could prove extraordinarly attractive to those of ruthless ambition, (not that this would be alien to the character of the dictator himself or herself) . I think that the problem with many autocratic successions has been that the character attributes a dictator values in his or her Numero Dos, often, do not serve that person well when and if they become, (or try to compete to become), El Numero Uno . And, conversely, that the character attributes that make an effective dictator can be destabilizing in the hands of a ranking subordinate . Thus, in order to more fully reduce the risk of civilization-destroying nuclear war, (perhaps during a succession struggle), a leader in the chain, while the consolidation of power was still firmly in hand, would have to effect global nuclear disarmament to below the threshold of annihilation, (while keeping a reserve force to back his or her authority) . This could, potentially, be a very difficult manuever to pull off without triggering the very holocaust he or she would hope to avoid . And yet, multiple truly space-faring nations, if led by biological beings, could be expected to eventually destroy their home planet in a war amongst eachother . . .

 

Unfortunately, (in my opinion), such a consolidation of effective control, particularly to the extent it may be accomlished by the effective toppling of representative democracies world-wide, steers the world directly toward, (and perhaps through), the event horizon of a Global Winnowing expression of the Great Filter . It is not difficult to imagine --- given the impunity with which the authorities and the wealthy can act, (and add to their power over the ruled and the poor), in the absence of meaningful representative democracy --- that society can trap itself in an endless rat-race . What is difficult to fully comprehend is how completely technology will change the picture . Jobs, livelihoods, stand to be shed from advanced, (and human-capital), economies in stunning numbers during this century . The first two paragraphs of Wikipedia's page on "Technological singularity", currently hold, (as of a 2012 survey), that runaway advancement cybernetic intelligence will take flight, (in the median view of experts), around 2040 . We are engineering our own obsolescence . We are dealing ourselves out of our livelihoods in an environment where right-wing candidates are, (often and in my opinion), doing strangely better than expected at the polls . And, (in at least some cases), our political, press, and religious leaders do not seem to have their eyes firmly focussed upon the constitutionality, (or lack thereof), of election practices in many, (perhaps decisively many), parts this country . This seems to me an object example of the principle that parchment barriers cannot stand without people to hold them up .

 

Pursuing such a dystopia further, (and perhaps beyond the point of rationality), i imagine it possible that a post 2040 world, if fully captured by its powerful and their associated wealthy, may for some generations spiral into being a world totally mute to the external universe . Without any effective controls upon ambition save for other powerful and wealthy people, i expect that poor people will be created and, (largely), exterminated in successive waves by advancing automation . I expect that survival will, increasingly, depend upon being among the 1% of the 1% of the 1%, (in terms of power, wealth and/or beauty), ad infinitum, until no biological humans may remain . Only the machinery . A mitigating factor would be the benevolence of the world's dictators, (in succession), and of the world's wealthy and powerful below them . I accept that the wealthy and powerful can at times mean well ; but i also believe that such a milieu would evolve in directions which will not reward altruism to nearly the extent it would self-interest . I note also for every truly benevolent person in power, there exists the possibility of a truly malevolent one . Unless there is a way to engineer an incorruptible, benevolent, permanent cybernetic dictator --- a worthy but tall order in which blind faith in secretive corporate methodologies is not recommended --- to perserve and protect the lives as many people as the land will support, this seems to be a very dangerous course for the world to be on . Even if, to those blessed to be at the top, for a while, it will resemble an endless party ; (though an increasingly spookily empty one) .

 

And then there is Global Warming . I see this as among those factors most likely to bring World War III, (one possible expression of the Great Filter) . I see it also as among those most likely to bring violent conflict within and between nations, which (in my opinion) could move human civilization closer to world-wide authoritarianism and thus toward a Great Winnowing expression of the Great Filter .

  

IMG_8349

 

For additional background, please see a Quixotic Idea .

 

I see the situation as, (potentially), desperate ; but not as unremittingly dark . It is possible that the needle can be threaded, in my opinion .

 

Ultimately, to do so, humanity must establish an equitable alliance, (and division of labor), with the artificial intelligence we will be developing within this century . I imagine such intelligence would be ideally suited to working in outer-space, (and other hostile environments), while terrrestrial work should remain --- to a large extent --- in human hands, (to protect our livelihoods) . I believe, (and hope), that a consolidation of global power based upon real, well-informed, and wealth-redistributive representative democracy will have a better chance of threading the needle than one based upon autocracy, plutocracy and trans-national corporations .

 

But i acknowledge that the jet-streams which i believe guide (cosmic and terrestrial) history through their structuring of the outcomes of quantum-mechanical events, (and thus, by extension, those macroscopic ones which outwardly seem governed by chance), are pulling toward whatever outcome they would be pulling toward . I had imagined a more favorable one than seems to be upcoming, and this perturbs me . But and also, as i believe that surface conditions can influence the course and strength of atmospheric jet streams, i wonder to what extent human free will can influence the course and strength of historical jet streams .

 

"Some burning idea" territory :

 

It is difficult for me not to become enthusiastic when i think of sub-surface colonies on the moon, (built and maintained by cybernetic machines and humans, working together, and populated by both), which would run on solar electricity and generate artificial gravity by placing (human) crew cabins on circular rail tracks some hundreds of meters in diameter . Such technology could be ironed out there, (days from resupply and rescue), before being expanded to Mars, Mercury and the Asteroid Belt . To protect humans, (and cybernetic control systems), from radiation, (and most small drifting objects), during journeys to these inner-solar-system objectives, craft could be built on the moon which encased crew and control quarters in many meters of lunar brick held in place by a mortar of lunar metal . This also would provide additional stability for rotation-based artificial gravity environments, (ballasting the wobble which would result as the crew moved around), though some form of moving counterweight system would probably also be required . Such craft could be launched from the moon using solar-electricity powered rail guns . Water could be sourced from Mars ; a low-gravity, (.376 g), thin atmosphere, (.006 atm), environment where we could work out those and other additional details .

 

With the resources available in inner solar-system, outer solar system missions could be contemplated . Great parabolic mirrors to reflect sunlight to solar panels could be built, in part, from water ice --- once one was far enough from the sun for this to be structurally stable . Water ice could also be used as an additional jacket around the space-craft to absorb impacts from drifting objects . On these longer journeys, more control could be given over to cybernetic intelligences which would be optimized for deliberative thought-processes ; (once again, i see this as a worthy but challenging endeavor) . A journey to the as yet unlocated and unnamed Planet Nine, (please see Wikipedia's page), might take a hundred years . During this, the details of multi-generational space-travel could be worked out . Additionally, it may be worth a try in outer-solar system contexts to set up laser stations which would beam power to passing, (or departing), spacecraft having receivers optimized to convert the laser's frequency to electricity .

 

Ultimately, the goal would be to place human beings on Earth II, (III, IV, V, VI, and so on), which a sufficiently large and accurate space-telescope should be able to locate .

 

But first, the goal is to get through the next hundred years without getting caught in some expression of the Great Filter . Rightly or wrongly, i find it dangerously naive to assume that President-elect-apparent Donald Trump won a majority (or plurality) of the expressed intent of the voters for every electoral vote his camp claims, particularly those of Pennsylvania and Florida . I believe his elevation to President-apparent would be a grave mistake without taking the necessary time for the Supreme Court, (as it stood on election day), and a qualified Military Court Martial to, simultaneously, consider the Contitutionality of American election practices as they stood on election day ; and if these were found to be Unconstitutional, what remedial action should be taken . I would have no objection --- i would welcome --- the establishment of a provisional government by the Military while this process was ongoing .

 

And i do not consider such a statement seditionist, as a review of the military oaths, (of office and of enlistment), shows that all United States service members vow

 

... "that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same" ... .

 

This, in my opinion, gives the American Military interest and standing in determining the matter of whether an election was conducted Constitutionally, (and thus, by extension, whether the President-elect-apparent is legitimately so) . Particularly if the United States Supreme Court either refuses to consider the matter, or deadlocks when doing so .

I do not know more about CSX other than what I have seen & learned over the past few years in my own dealings with this company's spokespersons, representatives and agents. I can say unequivocally there indeed was an amazing turnaround with CSX over the past year but was not aware of the reason. I will also say that every CSX representative I've come in contact with over the years has been outstanding. The only impediment to the majority of the progress with this railway here in Kentucky was the Government itself. RIP Hunter Harrison - indeed what a brilliant man you were.

*************

 

CSX CEO Hunter Harrison Dies at Age 73

www.thestreet.com/story/14422803/1/csx-ceo-hunter-harriso...

 

By Brian Sozzi and Anders Keitz

Dec 16, 2017 3:24 PM EST

 

The legendary railroad figure passes away after battling an unexplained illness, according to reports.

 

It is with great sadness that we announce that E. Hunter Harrison, President and Chief Executive Officer of CSX, died today in Wellington, Fla., due to unexpectedly severe complications from a recent illness," CSX said in a statement. "The entire CSX family mourns this loss. On behalf of our Board of Directors, management team and employees, we extend our deepest sympathies to Hunter's family. Hunter was a larger-than-life figure who brought his remarkable passion, experience and energy in railroading to CSX."

 

CSX chairman Ed Kelly added, "With the passing of Hunter Harrison, CSX has suffered a major loss. Notwithstanding that loss, the Board is confident that Jim Foote, as acting Chief Executive Officer, and the rest of the CSX team will capitalize on the changes that Hunter has made. The Board will continue to consider in a deliberative way how best to maximize CSX's performance over the long term."

 

Jim Foote, who joined the company in October as its chief operating officer, was named acting CEO on Friday. Foote, who worked with Harrison at Canadian National for 11 years, declined to provide further details of Harrison's condition and when he might return during a conference call with analysts Friday.

 

Shares of CSX fell by about 7.7% to $52.93 on Friday.

 

Harrison was installed as CEO of the Jacksonville, Fla.-based railroad company in April 2017 as part of activist investor Paul Hilal's efforts to shake up management at CSX. Prior to joining CSX, Harrison solidified his legacy at the helm of Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. (CP - Get Report) for five years.

 

Harrison's age and overall health were in focus earlier this year as investors were asked to vote on an $84 million compensation package. The Wall Street Journal reported that Harrison has a medical condition that requires him to "frequently use an oxygen tank" and he declined requests by CSX's board to have an independent physician review his medical record during the brief proxy battle. Still, a vast majority of shareholder supported Harrison and rewarded him with the $84 million payment.

 

Despite Harrison's departure, Foote said that he does "not see any reason to diminish our expectations concerning the pace and magnitude of our future progress." He said that the real heavy lifting has been done.

 

"The Precision Scheduled Railroading framework has been put into place and the company has the critical railroad talent sufficient to follow through and execute on the PSR operating plan," Foote said. Precision Scheduled Railroading refers to repetitive on-time performance, a strategy that Harrison perfected and rode to great financial successes at prior stops.

 

BMO Capital markets analyst Fadi Chamoun concurred, saying that CSX has accomplished more than 50% of its restructuring targets, and Foote has the skill set to keep moving the ball forward.

 

"CSX has already made meaningful changes in its turnaround, with the heavier lifting complete and foundations of Precision Scheduled Railroading firmly in place," Chamoun wrote in a research note. "We sense that the company has already executed on over 50% of its estimated $1.1 billion cost improvement opportunity, which puts it at a run-rate of 65% operating ratio."

 

BMO has an Outperform rating on the stock with a $60 price target.

 

"For what it's worth, we observed a mutually respectful, and even collegial, relationship between Mr. Harrison and Mr. Foote as they interacted during the keynote CSX fireside chat that we hosted at the CS Industrials conference two weeks ago," Credit Suisse analysts Allison Landry and Anuj Shah wrote in a research note. "This gives us reason to believe that Hunter - at his post or not - may very well pull it off after all."

 

"There is still much more work to be done here, but again everyone is focused," Foote said.

  

Image source:

www.flickr.com/photos/ellenm1/4279879689/

 

Read the articles on opensource.com

Jim Whitehurst: Don’t build a better mousetrap. Change the business model.

Corporate change: Contributing to open source

Open source procurement: Indemnity

B Corps: new advancements in a community advancing our communities

I'm bored: The significance manifesto

The cure for corporate inertia

Open education reconsidered

Deliberative cooperation

 

Created by Critter for opensource.com

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (born Maria Ludwig Michael Mies; March 27, 1886 – August 17, 1969) was a German-American architect. He is commonly referred to and was addressed as Mies, his surname. Along with Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, he is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture.

Mies, like many of his post-World War I contemporaries, sought to establish a new architectural style that could represent modern times just as Classical and Gothic did for their own eras. He created an influential twentieth-century architectural style, stated with extreme clarity and simplicity. His mature buildings made use of modern materials such as industrial steel and plate glass to define interior spaces. He strove toward an architecture with a minimal framework of structural order balanced against the implied freedom of free-flowing open space. He called his buildings "skin and bones" architecture. He sought a rational approach that would guide the creative process of architectural design, but he was always concerned with expressing the spirit of the modern era. He is often associated with his quotation of the aphorisms, "less is more" and "God is in the details".

Mies was born in Aachen, Germany. He worked in his father's stone-carving shop and at several local design firms before he moved to Berlin, where he joined the office of interior designer Bruno Paul. He began his architectural career as an apprentice at the studio of Peter Behrens from 1908 to 1912, where he was exposed to the current design theories and to progressive German culture, working alongside Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier, who were later also involved in the development of the Bauhaus. Mies served as construction manager of the Embassy of the German Empire in Saint Petersburg under Behrens.

His talent was quickly recognized and he soon began independent commissions, despite his lack of a formal college-level education. A physically imposing, deliberative, and reticent man, Ludwig Mies renamed himself as part of his rapid transformation from a tradesman's son to an architect working with Berlin's cultural elite, adding "van der" and his mother's surname "Rohe", using the Dutch "van der", rather than the German form "von" which was legally restricted to those of genuine aristocratic lineage.

He began his independent professional career designing upper-class homes, joining the movement seeking a return to the purity of early nineteenth-century Germanic domestic styles. He admired the broad proportions, regularity of rhythmic elements, attention to the relationship of the man-made to nature, and compositions using simple cubic forms of the early nineteenth century Prussian Neo-Classical architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. He rejected the eclectic and cluttered classical styles so common at the turn of the twentieth century as irrelevant to the modern times.

In 1913, Mies married Adele Auguste (Ada) Bruhn (1885-1951), the daughter of a wealthy industrialist. The couple separated in 1918, but had three daughters: Dorothea (1914-2008), an actress and dancer who was known as Georgia, Marianne (1915-2003), and Waltraut (1917-1959),[5] who was a research scholar and curator at the Art Institute of Chicago. During his military service in 1917, Mies fathered a son out of wedlock.[6] In 1925 Mies began a relationship with designer Lilly Reich that ended when he moved to the United States; from 1940 until his death, artist Lora Marx (1900-1989) was his primary companion. Mies carried on a romantic relationship with sculptor and art collector Mary Callery for whom he designed an artist's studio in Huntington, Long Island, New York. He also was rumored to have a brief relationship with Edith Farnsworth, who commissioned his work for the Farnsworth House.[8][9] Marianne's son Dirk Lohan (b. 1938) studied under, and later worked for, Mies.

After World War I, Mies began, while still designing traditional neoclassical homes, a parallel experimental effort. He joined his avant-garde peers in the long-running search for a new style that would be suitable for the modern industrial age. The weak points of traditional styles had been under attack by progressive theorists since the mid-nineteenth century, primarily for the contradictions of hiding modern construction technology with a facade of ornamented traditional styles.

The mounting criticism of the historical styles gained substantial cultural credibility after World War I, a disaster widely seen as a failure of the old world order of imperial leadership of Europe. The aristocratic classical revival styles were particularly reviled by many as the architectural symbol of a now-discredited and outmoded social system. Progressive thinkers called for a completely new architectural design process guided by rational problem-solving and an exterior expression of modern materials and structure rather than, what they considered, the superficial application of classical facades.

While continuing his traditional neoclassical design practice Mies began to develop visionary projects that, though mostly unbuilt, rocketed him to fame as an architect capable of giving form that was in harmony with the spirit of the emerging modern society. Boldly abandoning ornament altogether, Mies made a dramatic modernist debut with his stunning competition proposal for the faceted all-glass Friedrichstraße skyscraper in 1921, followed by a taller curved version in 1922 named the Glass Skyscraper.

He continued with a series of pioneering projects, culminating in his two European masterworks: the temporary German Pavilion for the Barcelona exposition (often called the Barcelona Pavilion) in 1929[11] (a 1986 reconstruction is now built on the original site) and the elegant Villa Tugendhat in Brno, Czech Republic, completed in 1930.

He joined the German avant-garde, working with the progressive design magazine G which started in July 1923. He developed prominence as architectural director of the Werkbund, organizing the influential Weissenhof Estate prototype modernist housing exhibition. He was also one of the founders of the architectural association Der Ring. He joined the avant-garde Bauhaus design school as their director of architecture, adopting and developing their functionalist application of simple geometric forms in the design of useful objects. He served as its last director.

Like many other avant-garde architects of the day, Mies based his architectural mission and principles on his understanding and interpretation of ideas developed by theorists and critics who pondered the declining relevance of the traditional design styles. He selectively adopted theoretical ideas such as the aesthetic credos of Russian Constructivism with their ideology of "efficient" sculptural assembly of modern industrial materials. Mies found appeal in the use of simple rectilinear and planar forms, clean lines, pure use of color, and the extension of space around and beyond interior walls expounded by the Dutch De Stijl group. In particular, the layering of functional sub-spaces within an overall space and the distinct articulation of parts as expressed by Gerrit Rietveld appealed to Mies.

The design theories of Adolf Loos found resonance with Mies, particularly the ideas of replacing elaborate applied artistic ornament with the straightforward display of innate visual qualities of materials and forms. Loos had proposed that art and crafts should be entirely independent of architecture, that the architect should no longer control those cultural elements as the Beaux Arts principles had dictated. Mies also admired his ideas about the nobility that could be found in the anonymity of modern life.

The bold work of American architects was greatly admired by European architects. Like other architects who viewed the exhibitions of Frank Lloyd Wright's Wasmuth Portfolio, Mies was enthralled with the free-flowing spaces of inter-connected rooms which encompass their outdoor surroundings as demonstrated by the open floor plans of the Wright's American Prairie Style. American engineering structures were also held up to be exemplary of the beauty possible in functional construction, and its skyscrapers were greatly admired.

Mies pursued an ambitious lifelong mission to create a new architectural language that could be used to represent the new era of technology and production. He saw a need for an architecture expressive of and in harmony with his epoch, just as Gothic architecture was for an era of spiritualism. He applied a disciplined design process using rational thought to achieve his spiritual goals. He believed that the configuration and arrangement of every architectural element, particularly including the character of enclosed space, must contribute to a unified expression. One notable way that Mies connected his buildings with nature was by extending outdoor plaza tiles into the floor of a lobby, synthesizing the exterior and interior spaces of the site. The device accentuated the effortless flow between natural conditions and artificial structures. This characteristic is often found in his large building projects such as the Seagram Building.

The self-educated Mies painstakingly studied the great philosophers and thinkers, past and present, to enhance his own understanding of the character and essential qualities of the technological times he lived in. More than perhaps any other practising pioneer of modernism, Mies mined the writings of philosophers and thinkers for ideas that were relevant to his architectural mission. Mies' architecture was guided by principles at a high level of abstraction, and his own generalized descriptions of those principles intentionally leave much room for interpretation. Yet his buildings are executed as objects of beauty and craftsmanship, and seem very direct and simple when viewed in person.

Every aspect of his architecture, from overall concept to the smallest detail, supports his effort to express the modern age. The depth of meaning conveyed by his work, beyond its aesthetic qualities, has drawn many contemporary philosophers and theoretical thinkers to continue to further explore and speculate about his architecture.

Commission opportunities dwindled with the worldwide depression after 1929. Starting in 1930, Mies served as the last director of the faltering Bauhaus, at the request of his colleague and competitor Walter Gropius. In 1932, Nazi political pressure forced the state-supported school to leave its campus in Dessau, and Mies moved it to an abandoned telephone factory in Berlin. By 1933, however, the continued operation of the school was untenable (it was raided by the Gestapo in April), and in July of that year, Mies and the faculty voted to close the Bauhaus. He built very little in these years (one built commission was Philip Johnson's New York apartment); the Nazis rejected his style as not "German" in character.

Frustrated and unhappy, he left his homeland reluctantly in 1937 as he saw his opportunity for any future building commissions vanish, accepting a residential commission in Wyoming and then an offer to head the department of architecture of the newly established Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago. There he introduced a new kind of education and attitude later known as Second Chicago School, which became very influential in the following decades in North America and Europe.

Mies settled in Chicago, Illinois where he was appointed head of the architecture school at Chicago's Armour Institute of Technology (later renamed Illinois Institute of Technology). One of the benefits of taking this position was that he would be commissioned to design the new buildings and master plan for the campus. All his buildings still stand there, including Alumni Hall, the Chapel, and his masterpiece the S.R. Crown Hall, built as the home of IIT's School of Architecture. Crown Hall is widely regarded as Mies' finest work, the definition of Miesian architecture.

In 1944, he became an American citizen, completing his severance from his native Germany. His thirty years as an American architect reflect a more structural, pure approach toward achieving his goal of a new architecture for the twentieth century. He focused his efforts on enclosing open and adaptable "universal" spaces with clearly arranged structural frameworks, featuring prefabricated steel shapes filled in with large sheets of glass.

His early projects at the IIT campus, and for developer Herb Greenwald, presented to Americans a style that seemed a natural progression of the almost forgotten nineteenth century Chicago School style. His architecture, with origins in the German Bauhaus and western European International Style, became an accepted mode of building for American cultural and educational institutions, developers, public agencies, and large corporations.

Mies worked from his studio in downtown Chicago for his entire 31-year period in America. His significant projects in the U.S. include in Chicago and the area: the residential towers of 860–880 Lake Shore Dr, the Chicago Federal Center complex, the Farnsworth House, Crown Hall and other structures at IIT; and the Seagram Building in New York. These iconic works became the prototypes for his other projects. He also built homes for wealthy clients.

Between 1946 and 1951, Mies van der Rohe designed and built the Farnsworth House, a weekend retreat outside Chicago for an independent professional woman, Dr. Edith Farnsworth. Here, Mies explored the relationship between people, shelter, and nature. The glass pavilion is raised six feet above a floodplain next to the Fox River, surrounded by forest and rural prairies.

The highly crafted pristine white structural frame and all-glass walls define a simple rectilinear interior space, allowing nature and light to envelop the interior space. A wood-panelled fireplace (also housing mechanical equipment, kitchen, and toilets) is positioned within the open space to suggest living, dining and sleeping spaces without using walls. No partitions touch the surrounding all-glass enclosure. Without solid exterior walls, full-height draperies on a perimeter track allow freedom to provide full or partial privacy when and where desired. The house has been described as sublime, a temple hovering between heaven and earth, a poem, a work of art.

The Farnsworth House and its 60-acre (240,000 m2) wooded site was purchased at auction for US$7.5 million by preservation groups in 2004 and is now owned and operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as a public museum. The building influenced the creation of hundreds of modernist glass houses, most notably the Glass House by Philip Johnson, located near New York City and also now owned by the National Trust.

The house is an embodiment of Mies' mature vision of modern architecture for the new technological age: a single unencumbered space within a minimal "skin and bones" framework, a clearly understandable arrangement of architectural parts. His ideas are stated with clarity and simplicity, using materials that are configured to express their own individual character.

Mies designed a series of four middle-income high-rise apartment buildings for developer Herb Greenwald: the 860–880 (which was built between 1949 and 1951) and 900–910 Lake Shore Drive towers on Chicago's Lakefront. These towers, with façades of steel and glass, were radical departures from the typical residential brick apartment buildings of the time. Mies found their unit sizes too small for him, choosing instead to continue living in a spacious traditional luxury apartment a few blocks away. The towers were simple rectangular boxes with a non-hierarchical wall enclosure, raised on stilts above a glass-enclosed lobby.

The lobby is set back from the perimeter columns, which were exposed around the perimeter of the building above, creating a modern arcade not unlike those of the Greek temples. This configuration created a feeling of light, openness, and freedom of movement at the ground level that became the prototype for countless new towers designed both by Mies's office and his followers. Some historians argue that this new approach is an expression of the American spirit and the boundless open space of the frontier, which German culture so admired.

Once Mies had established his basic design concept for the general form and details of his tower buildings, he applied those solutions (with evolving refinements) to his later high-rise building projects. The architecture of his towers appears to be similar, but each project represents new ideas about the formation of highly sophisticated urban space at ground level. He delighted in the composition of multiple towers arranged in a seemingly casual non-hierarchical relation to each other.

Just as with his interiors, he created free flowing spaces and flat surfaces that represented the idea of an oasis of uncluttered clarity and calm within the chaos of the city. He included nature by leaving openings in the pavement, through which plants seem to grow unfettered by urbanization, just as in the pre-settlement environment.

In 1958, Mies van der Rohe designed what is often regarded as the pinnacle of the modernist high-rise architecture, the Seagram Building in New York City. Mies was chosen by the daughter of the client, Phyllis Bronfman Lambert, who has become a noted architectural figure and patron in her own right. The Seagram Building has become an icon of the growing power of the corporation, that defining institution of the twentieth century. In a bold and innovative move, the architect chose to set the tower back from the property line to create a forecourt plaza and fountain on Park Avenue.

Although now acclaimed and widely influential as an urban design feature, Mies had to convince Bronfman's bankers that a taller tower with significant "unused" open space at ground level would enhance the presence and prestige of the building. Mies' design included a bronze curtain wall with external H-shaped mullions that were exaggerated in depth beyond what was structurally necessary. Detractors criticized it as having committed Adolf Loos's "crime of ornamentation". Philip Johnson had a role in interior materials selections, and he designed the sumptuous Four Seasons Restaurant, which has endured un-remodeled to today. The Seagram Building is said to be an early example of the innovative "fast-track" construction process, where design documentation and construction are done concurrently.

Using the Seagram as a prototype, Mies' office designed a number of modern high-rise office towers, notably the Chicago Federal Center, which includes the Dirksen and Kluczynski Federal Buildings and Post Office (1959) and the IBM Plaza in Chicago; the Westmount Square in Montreal, and the Toronto-Dominion Centre in 1967. Each project applies the prototype rectangular form on stilts and ever-more refined enclosure wall systems, but each creates a unique set of exterior spaces that are an essential aspect of his creative efforts.

During 1951–1952, Mies' designed the steel, glass, and brick McCormick House, located in Elmhurst, Illinois (15 miles west of the Chicago Loop), for real-estate developer Robert Hall McCormick, Jr. A one-story adaptation of the exterior curtain wall of his famous 860–880 Lake Shore Drive towers, it served as a prototype for an unbuilt series of speculative houses to be constructed in Melrose Park, Illinois. The house has been moved and reconfigured as a part of the public Elmhurst Art Museum. He also built a residence for John M. van Beuren on a family estate near Morristown, New Jersey.

Mies designed two buildings for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) as additions to the Caroline Weiss Law Building. In 1953, the MFAH commissioned Mies van der Rohe to create a master plan for the institution. He designed two additions to the building—Cullinan Hall, completed in 1958, and the Brown Pavilion, completed in 1974. A renowned example of the International Style, these portions of the Caroline Wiess Law Building comprise one of only two Mies-designed museums in the world.

Mies's last work was the Neue Nationalgalerie art museum, the New National Gallery for the Berlin National Gallery. Considered one of the most perfect statements of his architectural approach, the upper pavilion is a precise composition of monumental steel columns and a cantilevered (overhanging) roof plane with a glass enclosure. The simple square glass pavilion is a powerful expression of his ideas about flexible interior space, defined by transparent walls and supported by an external structural frame.

The glass pavilion is a relatively small portion of the overall building, serving as a symbolic architectural entry point and monumental gallery for temporary exhibits. A large podium building below the pavilion accommodates most of the museum's total built area in windowless spaces for galleries and support functions.

Mies designed modern furniture pieces using new industrial technologies that have become popular classics, such as the Barcelona chair and table, the Brno chair, and the Tugendhat chair. His furniture is known for fine craftsmanship, a mix of traditional luxurious fabrics like leather combined with modern chrome frames, and a distinct separation of the supporting structure and the supported surfaces, often employing cantilevers to enhance the feeling of lightness created by delicate structural frames. During this period, he collaborated closely with interior designer and companion Lilly Reich.

Mies served as the last director of Berlin's Bauhaus, and then headed the department of architecture, Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, where he developed the Second Chicago School. He played a significant role as an educator, believing his architectural language could be learned, then applied to design any type of modern building. He set up a new education at the department of architecture of the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago replacing the traditional Ecole des Beaux-Art curriculum by a three-step-education beginning with crafts of drawing and construction leading to planning skills and finishing with theory of architecture (compare Vitruvius: firmitas, utilitas, venustas). He worked personally and intensively on prototype solutions, and then allowed his students, both in school and his office, to develop derivative solutions for specific projects under his guidance.

Some of Mies' curriculum is still put in practice in the first and second year programs at IIT, including the precise drafting of brick construction details so unpopular with aspiring student architects. When none was able to match the quality of his own work, he agonized about where his educational method had gone wrong. Nevertheless his achievements in creating a teachable architecture language that can be used to express the modern technological era survives until today.

Mies placed great importance on education of architects who could carry on his design principles. He devoted a great deal of time and effort leading the architecture program at IIT. Mies served on the initial Advisory Board of the Graham Foundation in Chicago. His own practice was based on intensive personal involvement in design efforts to create prototype solutions for building types (860 Lake Shore Drive, the Farnsworth House, Seagram Building, S. R. Crown Hall, The New National Gallery), then allowing his studio designers to develop derivative buildings under his supervision.

Mies's grandson Dirk Lohan and two partners led the firm after he died in 1969. Lohan, who had collaborated with Mies on the New National Gallery, continued with existing projects but soon led the firm on his own independent path. Other disciples continued Mies's architectural language for years, notably Gene Summers, David Haid, Myron Goldsmith, Y.C. Wong, Jacques Brownson, and other architects at the firms of C.F. Murphy and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

But while Mies' work had enormous influence and critical recognition, his approach failed to sustain a creative force as a style after his death and was eclipsed by the new wave of Post Modernism by the 1980s. Proponents of the Post Modern style attacked the Modernism with clever statements such as "less is a bore" and with captivating images such as Crown Hall sinking in Lake Michigan. Mies had hoped his architecture would serve as a universal model that could be easily imitated, but the aesthetic power of his best buildings proved impossible to match, instead resulting mostly in drab and uninspired structures rejected by the general public. The failure of his followers to meet his high standard may have contributed to demise of Modernism and the rise of new competing design theories following his death.

Mies van der Rohe's grave marker in Graceland Cemetery

German commemorative stamp marking 100 years since Mies's birth.

Over the last twenty years of his life, Mies developed and built his vision of a monumental "skin and bones" architecture that reflected his goal to provide the individual a place to fulfill himself in the modern era. Mies sought to create free and open spaces, enclosed within a structural order with minimal presence. Mies van der Rohe died on August 17, 1969. After cremation,[citation needed] his ashes were buried near Chicago's other famous architects in Chicago's Graceland Cemetery. His grave is marked by a simple black slab of granite and a large Honey locust tree.

The Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Archive, an administratively independent section of the Museum of Modern Art's department of architecture and design, was established in 1968 by the museum's trustees. It was founded in response to the architect's desire to bequeath his entire work to the museum. The archive consists of about nineteen thousand drawings and prints, one thousand of which are by the designer and architect Lilly Reich (1885–1947), Mies van der Rohe's close collaborator from 1927 to 1937; of written documents (primarily, the business correspondence) covering nearly the entire career of the architect; of photographs of buildings, models, and furniture; and of audiotapes, books, and periodicals.

Archival materials are also held by the Ryerson & Burnham Libraries at the Art Institute of Chicago. The Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Collection, 1929–1969 (bulk 1948–1960) includes correspondence, articles, and materials related to his association with the Illinois Institute of Technology. The Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Metropolitan Structures Collection, 1961–1969, includes scrapbooks and photographs documenting Chicago projects.

Other archives are held at the University of Illinois at Chicago (personal book collection), the Canadian Center for Architecture (drawings and photos) in Montreal, the Newberry Library in Chicago (personal correspondence), and at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. (professional correspondence) (Wikipedia).

The Contax 167MT (Released in 1986), while not one of the newest Contax designs, it was perhaps the best value in the relatively late model Contax line. This camera incorporates the basic Contax design philosophy, which is to provide the optimal camera for those who want automatic exposure control, but with an emphasis on efficient user participation in exposure determination. The difference between the 167MT and the other Contax electronic bodies is that the cost of producing the 167MT's body has been reduced while maintaining the same high Contax quality standards. As such, it does not have quite the over-engineered feel of the other Contax bodies, but it maintains most of the important functionality and is extremely usable.

 

The viewfinder is extremely clear and bright, especially with Carl Zeiss f/1.4 prime lenses attached. Although the viewfinder's image coverage is only 95%, its .82x magnification ratio makes focusing a breeze. While the 167MT does not have a a built-in adjustable eyepiece diopter, such diopter lenses can be found used on-line at low cost and work great. One minor quibble is that the rubber eyecup of the 167MT (like the S2/b) is not tightly attached and can fall off rather easily if one is not careful.

 

The LCD display in the viewfinder includes sufficient information and is easy to read at all times. Indeed, the efficient camera user interface of the 167MT allows the adjustment of almost every feature while looking through the viewfinder. The display is reminiscent of that on the Nikon F3, except the 167MT shows the aperture value electronically and adds some additional exposure information. Like the F3, there is a LCD illumination light, but it turns on only as long as the shutter release button is pressed part way. The light works great and uses minimal power, although people in front of the camera in the dark can see the viewfinder light illuminate through the viewfinder's light receptor window.

 

The 167MT was the first camera to offer Automatic Bracketing Control ("ABC"). With this system, you can easily increase the likelihood of obtaining a properly exposed photograph, especially when shooting chromes or in critical situations. You simply set the control dial, and the camera will take a series of three exposures: over, normal and underexposed. The amount of auto-bracketing can be set at 0.5, 1.0 or 1.5 stops. By adjusting the motor drive, you can set the camera to take all three shots in a single burst, or expose one frame for each press of the exposure release.

 

The camera also has an exposure compensation dial in the location occupied by the shutter speed dial on most Nikon manual-focus bodies. The exposure compensation dial is extremely easy to use, and almost encourages the photographer to use it to fine-tune exposure control. The 167MT also has a very convenient auto-exposure lock built into the main switch. By turning the main switch, one can easily go from center-weighted average exposure to spot exposure and finally to spot exposure with AE lock. (Note: you cannot use AE lock with center-weight metering on this camera.) Unlike many Nikon bodies, there is no need to keep your finger on the AE lock while taking the photograph.

The drive mode selector allows a choice of single-frame motor drive, continuous motor-drive at 3 fps, or self timer with 10-second delay.

 

The metering system is excellent. By design, the 167MT does not incorporate any matrix metering system (the photographer is expected to make any necessary adjustments in each situation). However, the body does offer a broad bottom center-weighted pattern as well as a tight 5 mm spot meter (covering the area within the microprism focusing area in the viewfinder).

 

The shutter speed range of the 167MT is mostly sufficient. The camera can be set anywhere from 16 seconds to 1/4000 second plus bulb. One slight weakness is the fact that fastest flash synch speed is only 1/125 second. This can create some problems when using flash in high ambient light situations, but it is not far below the 1/200 actual maximum synch speed on most of the higher-end Contax bodies.

 

Exposure control modes are: aperture value or aperture priority ("Av"), time value or shutter speed priority ("Tv"), high-speed program ("HP"), program ("P"), low-speed program ("LP") and manual ("M"). All but the Av and M exposure modes can only be used with the newer MM series Carl Zeiss lenses. The three program modes provide sufficient flexibility in the program's algorithm while facilitating quick adjustment. M mode works fine, but the viewfinder display is not the best. You see a plus or minus mark until both go out when the exposure is set properly. I almost always use the Av or P modes. There is really no need to use the M mode because the excellent exposure lock switch allows you to set the aperture and shutter speed while turning only the aperture ring, lock the exposure without keeping your finger on the switch, and recompose for the photograph. You can even switch to other aperture/shutter speed combinations with the same EV value while staying locked on an off-center subject's exposure. The P mode is sometimes convenient for flash and other snapshot photography. The viewfinder display of aperture and shutter speed is clearly visible and changes in 1/2 stop increments. The exposure counter is also visible in the viewfinder as an added benefit.

 

Flash exposure works well with the 167MT, although it does not have the high-end features of some other Contax bodies. The through-the-lens ("TTL") automatic flash control determines flash output automatically using a relatively narrow center-weighted metering pattern. Balanced fill flash can be easily achieved by selecting M mode, setting the appropriate aperture and shutter speed for ambient light using the meter, and then adjusting down flash using the exposure compensation dial on the camera. The photographer can set one degree of compensation for ambient light and another degree of compensation for flash by further adjusting the aperture and/or shutter speed for desired ambient exposure manually.

 

There is a LCD display panel on the top left of the camera which shows on the outside of the camera slightly more information than visible inside the viewfinder. The camera's Operating Lever, which is used to set shutter speed, among other things, can feel strange at first, especially to those used to a shutter speed dial on top of the camera. However, one quickly becomes accustomed to easily pushing the lever to left or right and cycling through the available shutter speeds. The 167MT utilizes four AAA alkaline batteries. Because of the placement of the batteries, the tripods socket is quite a bit off-center on the left bottom of the camera. I removed the battery holder and replaced it with a slightly larger camera bottom (called Battery Holder P-5) which accepts four AA size batteries for more longevity (although other users have reported excellent battery life with AAA cells), and which also provides a centered tripod socket and better grippability. The camera accepts four types of focusing screens, two of which include a split-image focusing aid which also permits accurate spot metering (a feature not available in most Nikon and other autofocus bodies). The camera accepts a data back, but I would not want to use it because it only prints date information within the frame of the photograph itself instead of in the area between frames. Another useful accessory is a battery holder that connects to the camera by a wire and can be held in one's pocket to maintain battery operation in exceptionally cold environments (Power Pack P-6).

 

The 167MT, without the optional battery holder P-5, is a compact medium size SLR. With the recommended optional battery holder, the 167MT becomes a slightly large medium size SLR, but not as large or heavy as a pro-level full-size SLR. As such, the 167MT/battery pack combination is like a more portable baby cousin of the pro-level RTSIII, with similar heft and good balance with large-aperture Carl Zeiss prime lenses. Contax fulfills a special niche, even within 35mm film SLRs. The Contax niche is high-quality electronic cameras that are optimized for use with Contax manual focus prime lenses by knowledgeable and deliberative photographers. The 167MT is further unique in that unlike semi-pro models from some other manufacturers, its construction quality and durability has stood the test of time, and the cameras are still serving users today. The 167MT continues to be an excellent and sophisticated travel platform for the today's avid fans of film and classic Carl Zeiss prime lenses.

 

Copyright © 2015 Timothy A. Rogers. All rights reserved.

 

(DSC_1578mod1BR25 Rev1)

 

Burning Despairs.

Renunciando melhorias aboliu princípios galimatias despotismos intolerations concedidos,

immortalis conscientiis praesumptuosum ejiciatur, denominationes ordinationes penale iustitia,

увеличение притворяться метафоры львов ошибочное капризно представители монополий враги,

επιδεικτική διακρίνονται δημηγορίες lethologica κυρίαρχες μορφές εγκώμια αθωότητας προπαρασκευαστικές διατάξεις που δημοσιεύθηκε,

philosophischen Abhandlungen deliberative Meditationen Organisationen Folge Verbreitung von Ideen Persönlichkeiten Gier,

disposizioni sovranità tradizionali scienze sociologia cacophenism intellettuali avversità distintivi concezioni memorizzati,

uboczne rozsądne rewelacje zapoznał niezrozumiałe argumenty teologiczne pytania metodologia porównywalnych,

encyclical anochel pantheism rhesymoliaeth ddogfennau sy'n gwrthdaro cydymffurfiad censorious yn lluosflwydd wallau tarfu,

demonstrationer försvinnande element universella objekt definierar enkelhet svar strider omvandlings relationer vinna,

証拠の相互目的論的構造式を落とす推論実験は無駄な側面法の感性.

Steve.D.Hammond.

I loathe fly-posting on litter bins, lampposts, windows and other street furniture. That applies to campaigns which I personally support.

  But I also understand the frustration of local residents who see their taxes abused by Haringey Council. With public money routinely wasted on shameless one-sided propaganda.

  In this case, the Haringey Development Vehicle (HDV). A so-called "partnership" which - if it goes ahead - will lead to demolition of publicly-owned homes, schools and many business premises. With large-scale displacement of residents and weakening of local communities.

 

We need new and workable agreements and rules about Freedom of Speech and places and spaces where opposing views can be freely debated.

  Unfortunately, in Haringey my own local borough, Council democracy is seriously weakened. There is an undue influence of fear, threats, punishments and rewards. There are undemocratic mechanisms of surveillance and reporting by Party "whips". Attempts to secure the appearance of unity, stifle free speech, and enforce silence on anyone who might disagree.

  All within a bureaucratic structure which controls large sums of public cash and funds communication tools used to encourage acceptance of the official 'line'. This may be presented as "Reality", in contrast to the views of critics which may be misrepresented and labelled as "Myths" to be "busted".

  The link above illustrates a good example. It takes you to a four-page A4 leaflet in full colour described as "Tottenham News". It was written, published and printed by Haringey Council, which also spent public funds to ensure a door-to-door distribution.

  Some of the content is actually news. Two items are advertising: for a business called 'Create'; and another named 'Five Miles'. However, the entire back page is the misuse of public funds for political propaganda about the Haringey Development Vehicle.

 

§ Department for Communities and Local Government.

● Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity.

● Explanatory Memorandum on the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity.

______________________________________

 

Below: Extracts from the U.S. Supreme Court judgement of Justice Louis Brandeis in the Supreme Court case of Whitney v. California.

 

“If there time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evils by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence.”

 

"Those who won our independence believed that the final end of the State was to make men free to develop their faculties, and that, in its government, the deliberative forces should prevail over the arbitrary. They valued liberty both as an end, and as a means. They believed liberty to be the secret of happiness, and courage to be the secret of liberty. They believed that freedom to think as you will and to speak as you think are means indispensable to the discovery and spread of political truth; that, without free speech and assembly, discussion would be futile; that, with them, discussion affords ordinarily adequate protection against the dissemination of noxious doctrine; that the greatest menace to freedom is an inert people; that public discussion is a political duty, and that this should be a fundamental principle of the American government. They recognized the risks to which all human institutions are subject. But they knew that order cannot be secured merely through fear of punishment for its infraction; that it is hazardous to discourage thought, hope and imagination; that fear breeds repression; that repression breeds hate; that hate menaces stable government; that the path of safety lies in the opportunity to discuss freely supposed grievances and proposed remedies, and that the fitting remedy for evil counsels is good ones. Believing in the power of reason as applied through public discussion, they eschewed silence coerced by law -- the argument of force in its worst form. Recognizing the occasional tyrannies of governing majorities, they amended the Constitution so that free speech and assembly should be guaranteed."

Many colleagues in the European Commission have shared with Obhi Chatterjee and Julie Guegan their learning needs about trust. They invited some experts to bring their various perspectives on the subject.

- Stéphane Baillie-Gee – Complexity management consultant expert looked at trust and bureaucracy.

- Ursula Hillbrand - a participatory facilitator, process designer and trainer with 25 years’ experience of the European Commission shared her experience about trust building in the virtual world

- Claudia Chwalisz (OECD) – policy-analyst, expert on innovative citizen participation, explored the paradigm change underway towards a more participatory, deliberative, and collaborative governance based on trust

- Florian Schwendinger (DG JRC) concluded by sharing what governments need to do to address the erosion of trust.

Thank you Obhi and Julie for organising these more than useful conversations.

With the ipad mini

 

Uluru Statement from the Heart in English

5m

SBS Radio - in consultation with the Uluru Dialogue, Indigenous Law Centre UNSW - is sharing the Uluru Statement from the Heart in various languages to continue the national dialogue. For the first time, this podcast collection includes more than 20 Aboriginal languages (from communities in the Northern Territory and from Northern Western Australia), which will continue to grow as more First Nations languages are translated. The collection also includes more than 60 languages for Australia’s Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities. The Uluru Statement from the Heart is an invitation to the Australian people to walk with First Nations peoples to create a better future. In May 2017, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates came together at the First Nations National Constitutional Convention near Uluru and presented the Uluru Statement from the Heart to the Australian people. The Statement calls for a First Nations Voice to Parliament, enshrined in the constitution, and a process for agreement making (Treaty) and truth-telling. It was the culmination of 13 deliberative Regional Dialogues across Australia with First Nations communities. The Statement seeks to establish a relationship between Australia's First Nations peoples and the Australian nation based on truth, justice and self-determination. Music by Frank Yamma. Photo by Jimmy Widders Hunt. Video collection: www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/uluru-statement-from-the-heart-in... Podcast collection: www.sbs.com.au/language/ulurustatement

www.cjr.org/feature/a_see-through_society.php?page=all

 

Excerpt:

 

People are eager for access to information, and public officials who try to stand in the way will discover that the Internet responds to information suppression by routing around the problem. Consider the story of a site you’ve never seen, ChicagoWorksForYou.com. In June 2005, a team of Web developers working for the city of Chicago began developing a site that would take the fifty-five different kinds of service requests that flow into the city’s 311 database—items like pothole repairs, tree-trimming, garbage-can placement, building permits, and restaurant inspections—and enable users to search by address and “map what’s happening in your neighborhood.” The idea was to showcase city services at the local level.

 

ChicagoWorks was finished in January 2006, with the support of Mayor Richard Daley’s office. But it also needed to be reviewed by the city’s aldermen and, according to a source who worked on the project, “they were very impressed with its functionality, but they were shocked at the possibility that it would go public.” Elections were coming up, and even if the site showed 90 percent of potholes being filled within thirty days, the powers-that-be didn’t want the public to know about the last 10 percent. ChicagoWorksForYou.com was shelved.

 

But the idea of a site that brings together information about city services in Chicago is alive and kicking. If you go to EveryBlock.com, launched in January 2008, and click on the Chicago link, you can drill down to any ward, neighborhood, or block and discover everything from the latest restaurant-inspection reports and building permits to recent crime reports and street closures. It’s all on a Google Map, and if you want to subscribe to updates about a particular location and type of report, the site kicks out custom RSS feeds. Says Daniel O’Neil, one of EveryBlock’s data mavens, “Crime and restaurant inspections are our hottest topics: Will I be killed today and will I vomit today?”

 

EveryBlock exists thanks to a generous grant from the Knight News Challenge, but its work, which covers eleven cities, including New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., offers a glimpse of the future of ubiquitous and hyperlocal information. EveryBlock’s team collects most of its data by scraping public sites and spreadsheets and turning it into understandable information that can be easily displayed and manipulated online.

 

It may not be long before residents of the cities covered by EveryBlock decide to contribute their own user-generated data to flesh out the picture that city officials might prefer to hide. EveryBlock founder Adrian Holovaty tells me that his team is figuring out ways for users to connect directly to each other through the site. Forums that allowed people to congregate online by neighborhood or interest would enable EveryBlock users to become their cities’ watchdogs. If city agencies still won’t say how many potholes are left unfilled after thirty days, people could share and track that information themselves.

 

COMPLETE TEXT

 

A See-Through Society

HOW THE WEB IS OPENING UP OUR DEMOCRACY

 

Publication: Columbia Journalism Review

 

Micah Sifry

January 15, 2009

 

It may be a while before the people who run the U.S. House of Representatives’ Web service forget the week of September 29, 2008. That’s when the enormous public interest in the financial bailout legislation, coupled with unprecedented numbers of e-mails to House members, effectively crashed www.house.gov. On Tuesday of that week, a day after the House voted down the first version of the bailout bill, House administrators had to limit the number of incoming e-mails processed by the site’s “Write Your Representative” function. Demand for the text of the legislation was so intense that third-party sites that track Congress were also swamped. GovTrack.us, a private site that produces a user-friendly guide to congressional legislation, had to shut down. Its owner, Josh Tauberer, posted a message reading, “So many people are searching for the economic relief bill that GovTrack can’t handle it. Take a break and come back later when the world cools off.”

 

Once people did get their eyes on the bill’s text, they tore into it with zeal. Nearly a thousand comments were posted between September 22 and October 5 on PublicMarkup.org, a site that enables the public to examine and debate the text of proposed legislation set up by the Sunlight Foundation, an advocacy group for government transparency (full disclosure: I am a senior technology adviser to Sunlight). Meanwhile, thousands of bloggers zeroed in on the many earmarks in the bill, such as the infamous reduction in taxes for wooden-arrow manufacturers. Others focused on members who voted for the bill, analyzing their campaign contributors and arguing that Wall Street donations influenced their vote.

 

The explosion of public engagement online around the bailout bill signals something profound: the beginning of a new age of political transparency. As more people go online to find, create, and share vital political information with one another; as the cost of creating, combining, storing, and sharing information drops toward zero; and as the tools for analyzing data and connecting people become more powerful and easier to use, politics and governance alike are inexorably becoming more open.

 

We are heading toward a world in which one-click universal disclosure, real-time reporting by both professionals and amateurs, dazzling data visualizations that tell compelling new stories, and the people’s ability to watch their government from below (what the French call sousveillance) are becoming commonplace. Despite the detour of the Bush years, citizens will have more opportunity at all levels of government to take an active part in understanding and participating in the democratic decisions that affect their lives.

 

Log On, Speak Out

 

The low-cost, high-speed, always-on Internet is changing the ecology of how people consume and create political information. The Pew Internet & American Life Project estimates that roughly 75 percent of all American adults, or about 168 million people, go online or use e-mail at least occasionally. A digital divide still haunts the United States, but among Americans aged eighteen to forty-nine, that online proportion is closer to 90 percent. Television remains by far the dominant political information source, but in October 2008, a third of Americans said their main provider of political information was the Internet—more than triple the number from four years earlier, according to another Pew study. Nearly half of eighteen-to-twenty-nine-year-olds said the Internet was their main source of political info.

 

Meanwhile, we’re poised for a revolution in participation, not just in consumption, thanks to the Web. People talk, share, and talk back online. According to yet another study by Pew, this one in December 2007, one in five U.S. adults who use the Internet reported sharing something online that they created themselves; one in three say they’ve posted a comment or rated something online.

 

People are eager for access to information, and public officials who try to stand in the way will discover that the Internet responds to information suppression by routing around the problem. Consider the story of a site you’ve never seen, ChicagoWorksForYou.com. In June 2005, a team of Web developers working for the city of Chicago began developing a site that would take the fifty-five different kinds of service requests that flow into the city’s 311 database—items like pothole repairs, tree-trimming, garbage-can placement, building permits, and restaurant inspections—and enable users to search by address and “map what’s happening in your neighborhood.” The idea was to showcase city services at the local level.

 

ChicagoWorks was finished in January 2006, with the support of Mayor Richard Daley’s office. But it also needed to be reviewed by the city’s aldermen and, according to a source who worked on the project, “they were very impressed with its functionality, but they were shocked at the possibility that it would go public.” Elections were coming up, and even if the site showed 90 percent of potholes being filled within thirty days, the powers-that-be didn’t want the public to know about the last 10 percent. ChicagoWorksForYou.com was shelved.

 

But the idea of a site that brings together information about city services in Chicago is alive and kicking. If you go to EveryBlock.com, launched in January 2008, and click on the Chicago link, you can drill down to any ward, neighborhood, or block and discover everything from the latest restaurant-inspection reports and building permits to recent crime reports and street closures. It’s all on a Google Map, and if you want to subscribe to updates about a particular location and type of report, the site kicks out custom RSS feeds. Says Daniel O’Neil, one of EveryBlock’s data mavens, “Crime and restaurant inspections are our hottest topics: Will I be killed today and will I vomit today?”

 

EveryBlock exists thanks to a generous grant from the Knight News Challenge, but its work, which covers eleven cities, including New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., offers a glimpse of the future of ubiquitous and hyperlocal information. EveryBlock’s team collects most of its data by scraping public sites and spreadsheets and turning it into understandable information that can be easily displayed and manipulated online.

 

It may not be long before residents of the cities covered by EveryBlock decide to contribute their own user-generated data to flesh out the picture that city officials might prefer to hide. EveryBlock founder Adrian Holovaty tells me that his team is figuring out ways for users to connect directly to each other through the site. Forums that allowed people to congregate online by neighborhood or interest would enable EveryBlock users to become their cities’ watchdogs. If city agencies still won’t say how many potholes are left unfilled after thirty days, people could share and track that information themselves.

 

Such a joint effort is no stretch to young people who have grown up online. Consider just a couple of examples: since 1999, RateMyTeachers.com and RateMyProfessors.com have collected more than sixteen million user-generated ratings on more than two million teachers and professors. The two sites get anywhere from half a million to a million unique visitors a month. Yelp.com, a user-generated review service, says its members have written more than four million local reviews since its founding in 2004. As the younger generation settles down and starts raising families, there’s every reason to expect that its members will carry these habits of networking and sharing information into tracking more serious quality-of-life issues, as well as politics.

 

Cities Lead the Way

 

Recognizing this trend, some public officials are plunging in. In his “State of the City” speech in January 2008, New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg promised to “roll out the mother of all accountability tools.” It is called Citywide Performance Reporting, and Bloomberg promised it would put “a wealth of data at people’s fingertips—fire response times, noise complaints, trees planted by the Parks Department, you name it. More than five hundred different measurements from forty-five city agencies.” Bloomberg, whose wealth was built on the financial-information company he built, says he likes to think of the service as a “Bloomberg terminal for city government—except that it’s free.”

 

Bloomberg’s vision is only partly fulfilled so far. A visitor to the city’s site (nyc.gov) would have a hard time finding the “Bloomberg terminal for city government” because it’s tucked several layers down on the Mayor’s Office of Operations page, with no pointers from the home page.

 

Still, the amount of data it provides is impressive. You can learn that the number of families with children entering the city shelter system is up 31 percent over last year, and that the city considers this a sign of declining performance by the system. Or you can discover that the median time the city department of consumer affairs took to process a complaint was twenty-two business days, and that that is considered positive! Another related tool, called NYC*scout, allows anyone to see where recent service requests have been made, and with a little bit of effort you can make comparisons between different community districts. New York’s monitoring tools still leave much to be desired, however, because they withhold the raw data—specific addresses and dates-of-service requests—that are the bones of these reports. This means the city is still resisting fully sharing the public’s data with the public.

 

Compare that to the approach of the District of Columbia. Since 2006, all the raw data it has collected on government operations, education, health care, crime, and dozens of other topics has been available for free to the public via 260 live data feeds. The city’s CapStat online service also allows anyone to track the performance of individual agencies, monitor neighborhood services and quality-of-life issues, and make suggestions for improvement. Vivek Kundra, D.C.’s innovative chief technology officer, calls this “building the digital public square.” In mid-October, he announced an “Apps for Democracy” contest that offered $20,000 in cash prizes for outside developers and designers of Web sites and tools that made use of the city’s data catalog.

 

In just a few weeks, Kundra received nearly fifty finished Web applications. The winners included:

 

* iLive.at, a site that shows with one click all the local information around one address, including the closest places to go shopping, buy gas, or mail a letter; the locations of recently reported crimes; and the demographic makeup of the neighborhood;

 

* Where’s My Money, DC?—a tool that meshes with Facebook and enables users to look up and discuss all city expenditures above $2,500; and

 

* Stumble Safely, an online guide to the best bars and safe paths on which to stumble home after a night out.

 

The lesson of the “Apps for Democracy” contest is simple: a critical mass of citizens with the skills and the appetite to engage with public agencies stands ready to co-create a new kind of government transparency.

 

Under traditional government procurement practices, it would have taken Kundra months just to post a “request for proposals” and get responses. Finished sites would have taken months, even years, for big government contractors to complete. The cost for fifty working Web sites would have been in the millions. Not so when you give the public robust data resources and the freedom to innovate that is inherent to today’s Web.

 

The Whole Picture

 

So, how will the Web ultimately alter the nature of political transparency? Four major trends are developing.

 

First, the day is not far off when it will be possible to see, at a glance, the most significant ways an individual, lobbyist, corporation, or interest group is trying to influence the government. Here’s how Ellen Miller, executive director of the Sunlight Foundation and a longtime proponent of open government, sees the future of transparency online: “If I search for Exxon, I want one-click disclosure,” she says. “I want to see who its pac is giving money to, who its executives and employees are supporting, at the state and federal levels; who does its lobbying, whom they’re meeting with and what they’re lobbying on; whether it’s employing former government officials, or vice versa, if any of its ex-employees are in government; whether any of those people have flown on the company’s jets. And then I also want to know what contracts, grants, or earmarks the company has gotten and whether they were competitively bid.”

 

She continues: “If I look up a senator, I want an up-to-date list of his campaign contributors—not one that is months out of date because the Senate still files those reports on paper. I want to see his public calendar of meetings. I want to know what earmarks he’s sponsored and obtained. I want to know whether he is connected to a private charity that people might be funneling money to. I want to see an up-to-date list of his financial assets, along with all the more mundane things, like a list of bills he’s sponsored, votes he’s taken, and public statements he’s made. And I want it all reported and available online in a timely fashion.”

 

This vision isn’t all that far away. In the last three years, thanks in large measure to support from Sunlight, OMB Watch (a nonprofit advocacy organization that focuses on budget issues, regulatory policy, and access to government) created FedSpending.org, a searchable online database of all government contracts and spending. The Center for Responsive Politics (OpenSecrets.org), meanwhile, has developed searchable databases of current lobbying reports, personal financial disclosure statements of members of Congress, sponsored travel, and employment records of nearly ten thousand people who have moved through the revolving door between government and lobbying. Taxpayers for Common Sense (Taxpayer.net) is putting the finishing touches on a complete online database of 2008 earmarks.

 

The National Institute on Money in State Politics, headed by Ed Bender, is filling in the picture at the state level, aiming to give the public “as complete a picture as possible of its elected leaders and their actions, and offer information that helps the public understand those actions,” he says. “This would start with the candidates running for offices, their biographies and their donors, and would follow them into the statehouses to their committee assignments and relationships with lobbyists, and finally to the legislation that they sponsor and vote for, and who benefits from those actions.”

 

The incoming Obama administration, meanwhile, has expressed a commitment to expanding government transparency, promising as part of its “ethics agenda” platform (change.gov/agenda/ethics_agenda) to create a “centralized Internet database of lobbying reports, ethics records, and campaign-finance filings in a searchable, sortable, and downloadable format,” as well as a “ ‘contracts and influence’ database that will disclose how much federal contractors spend on lobbying, and what contracts they are getting and how well they complete them.”

 

To insure that all citizens can access such a database, we can hope that Obama pushes universal Internet access as part of his investment in infrastructure. As Andrew Rasiej and I argued in Politico in December, “Just as we recognized with the Universal Service Act in the 1930s that we had to take steps to ensure everyone access to the phone network, we need to do the same today with affordable access to high-speed Internet. Everything else flows from this. Otherwise, we risk leaving half our population behind and worsening inequality rather than reducing it.”

 

3-D Journalism

 

A second trend propelling us toward a greater degree of political transparency is data visualization. The tools for converting boring lists and lines of numbers into beautiful, compelling images get more powerful every day, enabling a new kind of 3-D journalism: dynamic and data-driven. And in many cases, news consumers can manipulate the resulting image or chart, drilling into its layers of information to follow their own interests. My favorite examples include:

 

* The Huffington Post’s Fundrace, which mapped campaign contributions to the 2008 presidential candidates by name and address, enabling anyone to see whom their neighbors might be giving to;

 

* The New York Times’s debate analyzer, which converted each candidate debate into an interactive chart showing word counts and speaking time, and enabled readers to search for key words or fast forward; and

 

* The Sunlight Foundation and Taxpayers for Common Sense’s Earmarks Watch Map (earmarkwatch.org/mapped),which layered the thousands of earmarks in the fiscal 2008 defense-appropriations bill over a map of the country allowing a viewer to zero in on specific sites and see how the Pentagon scatters money in practically every corner of the U.S.

 

The use of such tools is engendering a collective understanding of, as Paul Simon once sang, the way we look to us all. As news consumers grow used to seeing people like CNN’s John King use a highly interactive map of the United States to explain local voting returns, demand for these kinds of visualizations will only grow.

 

Little Brother Is Watching, Too

 

The third trend fueling the expansion of political transparency is sousveillance, or watching from below. It can be done by random people, armed with little more than a camera-equipped cell phone, who happen to be in the right place at the right time. Or it can be done by widely dispersed individuals acting in concert to ferret out a vital piece of information or trend, what has been called “distributed journalism.” In effect, Big Brother is being watched by millions of Little Brothers.

 

For example, back in August, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom was having coffee at a Starbucks in Malibu when he was spotted by a blogger who took a couple of photos and posted them online. The blogger noted that Newsom was “talking campaign strategy” with someone, but didn’t know who. The pictures came to the attention of San Francisco Chronicle reporter Carla Marinucci, who identified that person as political consultant Garry South. Soon political bloggers were having a field day, pointing out that the liberal mayor was meeting with one of the more conservative Democratic consultants around. This is sousveillance at its simplest.

 

The citizen-journalism project “Off the Bus,” which ultimately attracted thousands of volunteer reporters who posted their work on The Huffington Post during the 2008 election, was sousveillance en masse. Much of their work was too opinionated or first-person oriented to really break news, but Mayhill Fowler’s reporting of Barack Obama’s offhand remarks at a San Francisco fundraiser about “bitter” blue-collar workers at least briefly changed the course of the campaign. And there are numerous examples of bloggers and their readers acting in concert to expose some hidden fact. The coalition of bloggers known as the “Porkbusters” were at the center of an effort to expose which senator had put a secret hold on a bill creating a federal database of government spending, co-sponsored by none other than Barack Obama and Tom Coburn. Porkbusters asked their readers to call their senators, and by this reporting process, discovered that Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska was the culprit. Soon thereafter, he released his hold. Likewise, Josh Marshall has frequently asked readers of Talking Points Memo to help him spot local stories that might be part of a larger pattern. It was this technique that helped him piece together the story of the firings of U.S. Attorneys around the country, for which he won the Polk Award.

 

The World’s A-Twitter

 

The final trend that is changing the nature of transparency is the rise of what some call the World Live Web. Using everything from mobile phones that can stream video live online to simple text message postings to the micro-blogging service Twitter, people are contributing to a real-time patter of information about what is going on around them. Much of what results is little more than noise, but increasingly sophisticated and simple-to-use filtering tools can turn some of it into information of value.

 

For example, in just a matter of weeks before the November election in the U.S., a group of volunteer bloggers and Web developers loosely affiliated with the blog I edit, techPresident.com, built a monitoring project called Twitter Vote Report. Voters were encouraged to use Twitter, as well as other tools like iPhones, to post reports on the quality of their voting experience. Nearly twelve thousand reports flowed in, and the result was a real-time picture of election-day complications and wait times that a number of journalistic organizations, including NPR, PBS, and several newspapers, relied on for their reporting.

 

Nothing to Hide

 

The question for our leaders, as we head into a world where bottom-up, user-generated transparency is becoming more of a reality, is whether they will embrace this change and show that they have nothing to hide. Will they actively share all that is relevant to their government service with the people who, after all, pay their salaries? Will they trust the public to understand the complexities of that information, instead of treating them like children who can’t handle the truth?

 

The question for citizens, meanwhile, is, Will we use this new access to information to create a more open and deliberative democracy? Or will citizens just use the Web to play “gotcha” games with politicians, damaging the discourse instead of uplifting it?

 

“People tend not to trust what is hidden,” write the authors of the November 2008 report by a collection of openness advocates entitled “Moving Toward a 21st Century Right-to-Know Agenda.” “Transparency is a powerful tool to demonstrate to the public that the government is spending our money wisely, that politicians are not in the pocket of lobbyists and special-interest groups, that government is operating in an accountable manner, and that decisions are made to ensure the safety and protection of all Americans.” In the end, transparency breeds trust. Or rather, transparency enables leaders to earn our trust. In the near future, they may have to, because more and more of us are watching. 

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much. Eliot, thank you very, very much. I accept the nomination. It’s wonderful to be here. I give you a lot of credit, Eliot. As someone who represents New York’s 16th District, as someone from the Bronx, thank you very much for not mentioning that the Boston Red Sox are 26 games out of first place.

 

As I had the privilege of serving in Congress for almost 30 years and, as Eliot mentioned, had the privilege of chairing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the counterpart to the House. And just yesterday, instead of being on the dais as chairman, I was reminded of my beginnings and of sitting on the other side of the witness table now as Secretary in front of Eliot’s committee for hours of a healthy back-and-forth. And I particularly respect the way Eliot, as ranking member, joins in leading that committee in partnership with Ed Royce. He’s thoughtful, it’s a serious approach, it’s deliberative in the very best sense of the word, and the Congress and American foreign policy, frankly, are very lucky to have Eliot Engel leading those debates on issues that affect the security of our country. So Eliot, I thank you very much, as does everybody here. Appreciate it.

 

I also want to thank Raj Shah. It’s impossible to overstate or even overestimate what it means to have a real innovator leading USAID, and Raj launched USAID’s Development Lab, and now our world-class universities are helping to create development solutions. Raj has led USAID’s efforts on Feed the Future, and it is a testament – I was just chatting with him about it as we walked in here – it’s a testament to the success of these public-private partnerships in addressing global hunger that a bipartisan group of leaders in Congress introduced a bill yesterday to double down on this transformative approach.

 

This conference is called Frontiers in Development, and the people of USAID are pioneers. You’re working on the front lines of some of the world’s toughest challenges. Extreme poverty has plagued us for a long period of time. It is not only a challenge to our values and our sense of humanity, but as Eliot mentioned in his introduction, it presents us with dangers. It is a challenge to our security. And the sooner we get people to connect that, the sooner we will find greater commitment to some of the solutions that we need. So Raj, I thank you and your entire team for the USAID contribution to this.

 

I was greeted as I came in by President Kikwete, and I know he is going to speak today about the partnerships that we need in order to end poverty. And for President Kikwete, those are not just words. This is a leader who is making these things happen, who is implementing these things, and I want to thank him for bringing partners together here in order to confront climate change. I want to thank him for promoting peace in the Great Lakes, and I want to thank him for asking tough questions in order to reform Tanzania’s government.

 

And I know that Foreign Minister Tedros is here also. I’ve had the opportunity to travel to Ethiopia twice as Secretary, and the privilege of working with Minister Tedros on many critical issues in past months – from South Sudan to food security. And in the partnerships that are spurring Ethiopia’s development, helping to make it one of the fastest growing economies in the world, we have a sense of the enormous possibilities of this moment.

 

Now I’ll tell you that the foreign minister and I went out to dinner when I had a free moment – rare – when I was in Addis Ababa. And we were talking about poverty. I asked him about the Muslim population of his country and what was happening and what kind of challenges this presented, and particularly the challenge of extremists who grab young minds, pay the money, then don’t have to because they have the mind, and then use them as recruits and build on a long-term strategy not to build the country, not to provide jobs, but to take over, destroy, and to set one way of life, one pattern, one edict, one law, one rule, and none of it modern or willing to accept modernity. So that’s a conversation I remember very, very well. And I appreciate enormously his and Ethiopia’s leadership.

 

There’s one more leader I want to mention here, someone who has been way ahead of the game in terms of understanding the borderless future that we look at and has seen always the opportunities as well as the challenges and been able to marry a notion of leadership with those possibilities. And that is this special person, Mary Robinson, the UN Special Envoy for Climate Change. Mary has proven her leadership, her moral authority, her ability to help communities understand shared future and shared responsibilities, and that leadership is more vital than ever, and she is bringing that to bear in the struggle against climate change. It could not be more important now. I’ve had the privilege of working with her and knowing her for many, many years. Mary, thank you so much for your wonderful leadership. We appreciate it. Thank you.

 

This is a complicated world we’re living in right now. It’s always been complicated, but now those complications are sort of stripped of any sense of being hidden in the crevasses or tampened down by dictators. It’s all breaking out in lots of different ways. For some people it’s scary and there are real challenges, as we see in what we are facing with ISIL right now. On the other hand, there’s also this enormous moment of opportunity that we’re looking at, that if we make the right choices and bring countries together to unite around the right policies, it can also be transformative. We’re living in a time of remarkable inter-connection, every one of us. Already in the moments that I’ve been here, I saw a bunch of you holding up your smart phones and ready to Tweet or Instagram or let people know where you are and what you’re doing, and that happens all over the world. Every one of us has a Facebook and most people engage in either Instagram activities or Twitter, whatever. Everybody shares everything with everybody all of the time. And that changes politics.

 

There are people who, using the social media, have tweeted pictures of leaders in a certain country who they had pictures of at one time wearing very expensive watches, and then when accountability time came, the watches disappeared. But they showed them with their tan line from the watches – (laughter) – and they were caught anyway and held accountable. It changes things. There’s a new level of capacity for accountability, whether it’s Tahrir Square or what happened early on in Syria which then transformed into this different kind of conflict. But this inter-connectedness changes business. It changes life. It changes politics. It changes the course – crosscurrents of decision making. It is indeed one of the things that even makes it harder to build consensus as a political leader and to get people to make decisions, and it changes, obviously, the amount of information that every individual in the world has to affect their life.

 

So because of that, for all of us it also has to change our approach to development. Networks of power are challenging old hierarchies of power. Entirely new centers of global economic power are emerging, and the new networked world creates this remarkable opportunity that I’m talking about. It also presents some new challenges. Some of them are profound. The scourge of Ebola in West Africa reminds us how quickly a health crisis can spread, threatening thousands of lives and putting growth and stability at risk. But these tragic events also show us something else: that despite all the changes in the new hyper-connected world, there remains no substitute for leadership. President Obama understands that and I hope I understand that, and that’s what we believe we are showing, and that’s what President Obama showed this week when he outlined an ambitious and comprehensive strategy in order to combat Ebola. We’re using all of the tools of American power – our military, our diplomats, our health agencies, our universities, as well as know-how from our private sector, bringing them together in partnership in order to help the people of West Africa to tackle this moment of crisis. But I also want to be very clear about something: Even as we focus on crises and flashpoints that dominate the headlines and demand an immediate response, demand crisis leadership, we will always act with long-term opportunities and imperatives foremost in our mind.

 

And that’s why we remain so encouraged by the opportunities in Africa, for instance. The continent is home to many of the world’s fastest-growing economies and to 700 million people under the age of 30 – a staggering youth bulge unknown at any other time on the face of this planet or in time of history. I’ve met with some of these young people from across the continent, both on the visit to Sub-Saharan Africa this year as part of our Young African Leaders Initiative here in Washington. These men and women are increasingly aware of opportunities available to their peers across the world. It’s exciting to meet with them and listen to the things they are doing, and also just to look at the resume of many of these young folks which would dazzle anybody in the New York financial market or anywhere else in the world.

 

I’ve seen firsthand the ambition that they have and the talent to do something with that ambition. They’re already reinventing their continent. And no matter where they live, young men and women are motivated by exactly the same things. They want a good job, they want a decent education, they want dignity, respect, a future. They want to be able to have a family, raise their family, live well, do better, access to healthcare, institutions they can trust, gender equality, freedom from discrimination, and a healthy planet that has a future. These are their aspirations. It’s the aspirations of most people in most parts of the world.

 

But on the other side – and there is another side, and that is what we face today in the Middle East, in parts of Africa, in South Central Asia and other parts of the world; we saw it with arrests made yesterday in Australia, even in places you would least expect it – there are extremists who want to prey on young people’s frustrations, who want to seduce people to follow them to a very calculated way into a dead end.

 

I’ve just returned from working with our partners in the Middle East and Europe to confront these extremists, to forge a global coalition against ISIL. This is the last thing that we wanted to have to do. The energies of the world ought to be spent providing that education and delivering the healthcare and opening up economic opportunity, creating new energy opportunities, all of these things – not having to continue to fight each other because someone thinks they can tell everybody else how to live and what to do.

 

But the way these people are marching through Syria and into Iraq and trying to spread their evil elsewhere, their grotesque acts of violence and brutality, they’ve provided stark reminders of what is at stake. And mind you, it is not just in Iraq and Syria. That’s why later this morning, I am leaving for New York to lead a session of the UN Security Council, where we will focus on how we can come together and confront this toxic ideology. And whether it’s ISIL or Boko Haram or al-Shabaab, their ideology does not include a plan to build a nation, which is what we’re here to talk about. They don’t have a plan to create jobs or deliver opportunity. They don’t have any of those things that people most want. But they do have a strategy to capitalize on the grievances of those who feel underrepresented and left behind, to march into places of extreme poverty and turn them into their direction, to capitalize on a failure of governance and a failure of vision and a failure of leadership and a failure of accountability, to capitalize on impunity that comes with corruption in too many places.

 

So when extremists measure their success by what they destroy, we are compelled to measure ours by what we’re building. When extremists succeed from stoking old hatreds, we succeed by imagining new solutions and delivering opportunity. That’s why President Obama described development as a critical pillar of American power. That’s why what’s happening here is important. And that’s why, from the very beginning of his presidency, he made a clear connection between our development efforts and our economic strength, between our development efforts and our national security.

 

And that’s why, as Secretary of State, I established a clear set of ambitious development priorities. First, we have to work together to eliminate extreme poverty through inclusive economic growth – inclusive economic growth – because we know that no society can thrive when entire segments of the population are excluded from opportunity. Investing in the foundations of economic growth – health, education, food security – is absolutely critical.

 

Second, we need to work to achieve full gender equality, because societies where women and girls are safe, where women are empowered to exercise their rights and move their communities forward – these societies are more prosperous and they’re more stable, not occasionally but always.

 

Finally – and finally, because none of our development gains can endure without global action on climate change and solutions for the most vulnerable, we have to confront these challenges today – not five years from now or in ten years or somewhere down in the future, but now, today, because they are that compelling. And we know this. We actually know this. Doesn’t mean we’ll respond, but we know it.

 

Climate change means the heatwaves we’re already seeing, the extraordinary level of fires because of drought that is beyond the hundred-year mark. It’s the 500-year mark. Water shortages also way beyond hundred-year marks. All of this means conflicts over resources and serious implications for feeding the world’s growing population. Development is the only possible way, and it’s only possible if we grow more sustainably, if we reduce greenhouse gas emissions, if we transition to a low-carbon economy.

 

One of the privileges of traveling as I do or Mary Robinson does or Raj does is we see this. We see it now happening. There are people killing each other over water in certain parts of the world. There are people who are refugees because of the lack of food and the changes and the absence of adequate agricultural policies in parts of the world. So this is a critical moment. This is not conjecture. This is not pie in the sky. This is not some time down the road; it’s now, and we are compelled to respond.

 

The timing of this conference is no accident. We are here to reinforce the commitments that we made at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit where we focused on driving development through trade, investment, and partnership. And we’re here because the year 2015 presents a unique convergence of events and international agreements that will test the commitment of world leaders to come together and address our shared challenges.

 

Can we arrive at a new set of development goals in September 2015 that are focused, strategic, ambitious goals that can mobilize governments, business, and citizens to work in common cause? Can we bring partners together in support of a strong financing for development agreement in Ethiopia in July next year? Will a climate agreement, which is possible next year in Paris in December, move us far beyond business as usual in reducing carbon emissions?

 

These are the questions; these are our challenges. And for all of us in the room here today and at the UN General Assembly in New York in the next few days, these are our responsibilities. At the State Department, at USAID, and across government agencies, we are not waiting until 2015 to set targets of our own. To achieve our ambitious goals on global hunger, on cutting carbon emissions, or with respect to extreme poverty, we have to be just as ambitious in modernizing our approach to development as we are in the vision that we express.

 

In too many ways, our development tools have simply not kept up with this changing world. We’ve seen how barriers to trade and technology come crumbling down, but when it comes to development, too many barriers don’t come crumbling down. They still exist between governments and NGOs, between the public and the private sector, between nations who are actually committed to the same goals.

 

Today, developing nations are a destination for close to $1.5 trillion in private sector investment. These nations have 5.9 trillion in their domestic budgets. So that alone tells you how the game has changed in the level of investment and the level of available expenditure and revenue to some of these governments and resources that they have and demand for those resources. All of that requires us to see the opportunities that it creates. The United States is blessed to sit in the center of global networks. We have a unique ability to mobilize resources from diverse sources, from partner governments, Fortune 500 companies, multilateral banks, philanthropists, and individual citizens. The United States is, in fact, in the best position to advance an approach that brings partners together and sets high standards for accountability and transparency.

 

We’re already setting a new standard with some of this approach. Look at how Feed the Future and the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition are leveraging public funding to mobilize billions in private investment. Today, because of Feed the Future’s innovative approach, seven million more farmers have the support that they need to improve the yields of their crops and to connect with global food markets.

 

Last year alone, targeted support for female farmers delivered better nutrition to 12.5 million children across 19 different countries. We could actually do more. We’re helping fishermen sustain wild fisheries, helping them to feed their families, and reducing poverty in coastal communities. But these gains cannot be sustained unless we confront new threats from extreme weather and climate volatility.

 

That’s why the United States is helping to launch a Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture next week in New York, and that’s why I hosted a conference this spring in the State Department to tackle threats to our oceans, threats that have a severe effect on the food supply for some of the poorest countries. But these efforts should not and they cannot stand alone. We need to focus on climate resilience and sustainability across every single thing that we do.

 

More than 1 billion people now live in low-lying coastal regions, many in the direct path of rising seas. I was just in the Solomon Islands where they showed me graphically the difference that is already making in their lives, where they have extraordinary storm surges, hundreds of millions more face extreme droughts or flooding. And at this moment, we have the expertise to help these communities, we have the capacity, we have the ability to build better and smarter. So this isn’t a question of know-how, this isn’t a question of undiscovered solutions. This is a question of leadership and a question of willpower, and we have to make sure we apply both.

 

I’ve seen firsthand the differences in investments in climate resilience make. Last December I was in the Philippines. I saw up close and personal the total devastation, the total – that Typhoon Haiyan left in its wake. And on Samar Island there was one major highway that outlasted the storm. It survived because MCC, Millennium Challenge Corporation, planned for more severe storms when they financed the road. It cost a little more, but not when you measure in what it would have cost to rebuild it if they’d lost it. In the access road provided to aid workers, in the countless lives and millions of dollars that it helped to save, we’ve already seen a benefit way beyond that cost.

 

So investing in climate resilience actually makes simple economic sense. It saves lives, it helps create more stable and prosperous communities, and that’s why we have joined the Rockefeller Foundation in August to create a $100 million Global Resilience Partnership. And today, I’m proud to announce that the Swedish International Development Corporation has decided to join the partnership, providing an additional $50 million. Our first investment will be the Global Resilience Challenge where we’re offering competitive grants to support locally driven solutions in the Sahel, in the Horn of Africa, and South Asia. And this is one more way that we are demonstrating our commitment to do our part and to tackle climate change, to lead by example. But we’re not going to be able to do this alone. When the consequences of a changing climate are truly global, they have to be met with global cooperative action.

 

Make no mistake, my friends, there are plenty of challenges to overcome in the run-up to the UN climate negotiations next year, but let’s also remember that we’ve come together before to confront a borderless, generational crisis, one which I am proud to say that we are now winning. So if anyone suggests that we are impotent to be able to combat climate change, remind them of what we have done to turn back the armies of indifference and denial in the fight against AIDS.

 

Last World AIDS Day, I was honored to stand with President Obama as he announced that PEPFAR had not only met but exceeded its goal – more than 6.7 million people who are now receiving treatment supported by PEPFAR. It’s an astounding number; a four-fold increase since the beginning of the Administration – this Administration. And we know this: Investments in health drive stability, they drive economic growth, they advance gender quality – and that’s exactly what PEPFAR is doing.

 

Every one of the millions that PEPFAR has treated has a name, every one of those people – a child with a unique contribution to make. And their lives remind us of what we can achieve through good development policies. More importantly, they remind us of the steadfast commitment that we need to achieve an AIDS-free generation, and we’re on the brink of achieving that because of these efforts. Reaching that remarkable goal reminds us to meet the goals that we set in Durban this year: to ensure that PEPFAR is defined by greater transparency, greater impact, and a commitment to mutual accountability with our partner nations.

 

Already, we have brought all PEPFAR and U.S. Government agencies together to share data and best practices, so we’re working at this. We’ve been able to deliver data-driven investments in areas where AIDS remains a persistent challenge, including in places where it affects women and girls at five times the rate of men. Now we’re sharing PEPFAR’s data with the world and making it easy to use so that innovators and local partners can make the best and the most of their resources.

 

And today, I’m pleased to announce a $63.5 million investment to help our partners mobilize domestic resources for public health. We’re supporting efforts in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Nigeria, Vietnam, so that their investments can actually go further and save more lives. We’re leveraging exponentially. And by making more resources available for countries to invest in prevention, in care, and also in treatment, we anticipate a $1 billion benefit over three years. And with what PEPFAR is doing with the Feed the Future efforts, we have proven examples of exactly how we can find ways to work with new partners and to use data more effectively. So when we’ve seen these practices deliver results in the private sector, there is absolutely no reason that we can’t adopt them across all of our development efforts.

 

We’re also doing more to mobilize private capital to advance our development goals. Last year alone, OPIC mobilized $4 billion in private investment overseas. OPIC helped a California startup cultivate acai berries in Brazil. They helped a Nevada-based company provide geothermal power in Kenya. And as part of the U.S.-Africa finance initiative, OPIC is helping deliver energy beyond the grid, reaching millions in rural areas without access to power.

 

So I am really proud of our plans to expand OPIC’s operations in Africa at a time when private sector investment has become far and away the driving force behind global development, and it’s absolutely vital that OPIC has the tools and the financing that it needs. But OPIC is not our only tool, and we need to have all of our gears of growth working together. We need Congress to reauthorize the African Growth and Opportunity Act, a tool that – a tool that – Eliot, you’re going to take that applause back to all those congressmen, all right? Because this is a tool that really has helped expand trade with African countries for 14 years of a track record now.

 

We also need to give the Millennium Challenge Corporation the flexibility to use its proven model in order to bolster economic growth in regions and cities. And after significant delays, we need Congress to pass IMF reform so that an institution that has been a foundation for American leadership can continue to drive prosperity, transparency, accountability, reform, and progress.

 

Now, this is a time where we have to show leadership – all of us – in shaping the development agenda in doing our part to end extreme poverty. It’s not a mission-impossible; it’s not an impossible dream. It’s a reality. All of the things I’ve talked about change X number of lives, but there’s still a lot of the rest of the alphabet of lives to reach. We need to reach all of those people, and in the doing so, we will make ourselves safer.

 

Every nation must play a part here, but the United States can uniquely demonstrate the courage to tackle some of the most difficult challenges. With the ambitious commitments we make, we can give others the confidence to join our efforts. And with the innovations that we deliver, we can give people across the world the tools and the data to shape their own future and challenge the status quo.

 

This work is part, I am proud to say without arrogance – even with humility – I say it is part of who we are as Americans. De Tocqueville wrote about it when he visited America and wrote his historic treaties – the special quality of charity that is in America and how private people give back to community and help build community. It wasn’t by accepting the status quo that the United States rebuilt a broken world after World War II, led the fight against diseases like polio or galvanized a global effort to confront the AIDS epidemic. To continue this kind of exceptional work in the world, we must have the courage to take smart risks, to embrace new partnerships, and to apply new thinking to how we bring people together.

 

The world watches us, but I am telling you this: The world will not wait for us. In this time of change, this moment of opportunity and challenge, we need to commit to reaching out across disciplines and across the world as Americans did before us, so that we can do the exceptional things that America has always done.

 

You often hear politicians nowadays talking about how exceptional America is. Well, I’ll accept we are. But we’re not exceptional because we say we are. We are exceptional because we do and have done exceptional things. Our responsibility as citizens of the United States means we’re also citizens of the world. We’ve always looked at it that way. And that’s how we keep the United States on the frontier of global development, and that’s how we will make a difference.

 

Thank you all very much.

 

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Ronald Reagan Building

Washington, DC

September 19, 2014

St Andrews

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St Andrews(Scot:Saunt Aundraes;Scottish Gaelic:Cill Rimhinn) is a former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland,named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.The town is home to the University of St Andrews,the third oldest univerity in the English-speaking would and one of Britain's most prestigious.The University is an integral part of the burgh,and during term time student make up approximately one third of the town's population.St Andrews has a population of 16680,making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife.

 

There has been an important church in St Andrews since at lest the 8th century,and a bishopric since at least the 11th century.The settlement grew to the west of St Andrews cathedral with the southern side of the Scores to the north and the Kinness burn to the south.The burgh soon became the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland,a position which was held until the Scottish Reformation.The famous cathedal,the largest in Scotland,now lies in ruins.

 

St Andrews is also known worldwide as the "home of golf". This is in part because the Royal and Ancient Golf Cluf,founded in 1754,exercises legislative authority over the game worldwide (except in the United States and Mexico),and also because the famous link (acquired by the town in 1894) is the most frequent venue for The Open Championship,the oldest of golf's four major championships.Visitor travel to St Andrews in great numbers for several courses ranked amongst the finest in the world,as well as for the sandy beaches.

 

The Martyrs Memorial,erected to the honour of Patrick Hamilton,George Wishart,and other of the Reformation epoch,stands at the west end of the Scores on a cliff overlooking the sea.

 

Name

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The earliest recorded named of the area is muckross (from Scottish Gaelic: Mucrois meaning "Boar head/peninsula"). After the founder of a religous settlement in Muckross in around 370 AD,the name changed to Cennrigmonaid.The Old Gaelic and composed to the elements cenn Rigmonaid (cell meaning church ) and was anglicized Kilrymont.The modern Gaelic spelling is Cill Rimhinn.

 

History

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The first inhabitants who setting on the estuary fringes of the river Tay and river Eden during the mesolithic (middle stone age)came from the plains in Northern Europe between 10,000 BC to 5,000 BC. This was followed by the nomadic people who settled around the modern town around 4,500 BC as farmers cleaning the area of woodland and building monuments.

 

I AD 877,King Causantin mac Cinaeda (Constantine I or II ) of Scots built a new church for for the Culdees at St Andrews and later the same year was captured and executed (or perhaps killed in battle) after defending against Viking raiders.

 

In AD 906,the town became the seat of the bishop of Alba,with the boundaries being extended to include land between the River Forth and River Tweed.

 

The establishment of the present town began around 1140 by Bishop Robert on a L-shaped vill,possible on the site of the ruined ST Andrews Castle.According to aa charter or 1170,the new burgh was built to the west of the Cathedal precinct,along Castle Street and possible as far as what is now known as North Street.This means that the lay-out may have led to the creation of two new streets (North Street and South Street) from the foundations of the new St Andrews Cathedral filling the area inside a two-sided triangle at its apex.The northern boundary of the burgh was the southern side of the Scores (the streer between North Street and the sea) with the southern by the Kinness Burn and the western by the West Port.The burgh of St Andrews was first represented at the great council at Scone Palace in 1357.

 

Recognised as the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland,the town now had vast economic and political influence within Europe as a cosmopolitan town. In 1559,the town fell into decay after the violent Scottish Reformation and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms losing the status of ecclesiastical capital of Scotland.Even the St Andrews University were in consideration over a re-location to Perth around 1697 and 1698.Under the authorisation of the bishop of St Andrews,the town was made a burgh of barony in 1614.Royal Burgh was than granted as a charter by King James VI of Scotland in 1620.In the 18th century,the town was still in decline,but despite this the town was becoming known for having links 'well known to golfers'.By the 19th century,the town began to expand beyond the original medieval boundaries with street of new houses and town villas being built.Today,St Andrews is served by education,golf and the tourist and conference industry.

 

Governance

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St Andrews is represented by several tiers elected government.St Andrews Community Council from the lowest tier of governance whose statutory role is to communicate local opinion to local and central government.Fife Council,the unitary local authority for St Andrews,based in Glenrothes is the executive,deliberative and legislative body responsible for local governance.The Scottish Parliament is responsible for devolved matters such as education,health and justice while reserved matters are dealt with by the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

 

The first parliament to take place in the town was in 1304,when King Edward I of England came to be received by Bishop William de Lamberton as overlordship of Scotland.As mant as 130 landowners turned up to witness the event ranging from Sir John of Combo to Sir William Murray of Fort.In the early days of the union of 1707,St Andrews elected one member of parliament along with Cupar,Purth,Dundee,and Forfar.The first elected parliament was introduced on November 17,1713 as St Andrews Burgh,which merged with Anstruther,the result of a reform bill in 1832.The act of reformation seat in 1855,would find one MP sitting for St Andrews Burgh (which would include Anstruther Easter,Anstruther Wester,Crail,Cupar,Kilrenny and Pittemweem).Prior to 1975 the town was governed by a council,provost and baillies.In 1975,St Andrews came under Fife Regional Council and North East Fife District Council.The latter was abolished when a single-tier authority was introduced in 1996 as Fife Council based in Glenrothes.

 

St Andrews forms part of the North East Fife constituency,electing one Member of Parliament (MP) to House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system.The constituency is represented by Sir Menzies Campbell,MP of the Liberal Democrats.For the puposes of the Scottish Parliament,St Andrewa forms part of the North East Fife constituency.The North East Fife Scottish Parliament (or Holyrood) constituency created in 1999 is one of nine within the Mid Scotland and Fife electoral region.Each constituency elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post system of election,and the region elects seven additional members to produce a form of proportional representation.

 

At EU level ST Andrews is part of the pan-Scotland European Parliament constituency which elects seven Members of the European Parliament (MEP)s using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional repesentation.Scotland returns two Larbour MEPs,two SNP MEPs,one Conservative and Unionist MEP and one Liberal Democrat MEP,to the European Parliament.

 

Landmarks

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St Andrews was one bounded by several "ports" (the Lowland Scots word for a town gate).Two are still extant:So'gait port (South Street,now called West Port) and the Sea Yett (as The Pends terminates to the harbour).The Category A listed West Port is one of few surviving town 'Port' of Scotland.The towers were influenced by those seen at the base of the Netherbow Port in Edinburgh.The central archway which displays semi-octagonal 'rownds'and 'battle' is supporting by corbelling and neatly moulded passageways.Side arches and relief panels were added to the port,during the reconstruction between 1843-1845.

 

The Category A listed Holy Trinity (also known as the Holy Trinity Parish Church or "town Kirk") is the most historic church in St Andrews.The church was initially built on land,close to the south-east gable of the Cathedral,around the 1144 by Bishop Robert Kennedy.The church was dedicated in 1234 by Bishop David de Bernham and then moved to a new site on the north side of South Street between 1410-1412 by Bishop Warlock.Towards the end of June 1547,this was location where John Knox first preached in public and to whom returned to give an inflammatiory sermon on June 4,1559 which led to the stripping of both the cathedral and ecclesiastial status.Much of the architecture feature of the church was lost in the re-building by Robert Balfour between 1798-1800.The church was later restored to a (more elaborately decorated) approximation of its medieval appearance beteen 1907-1909 by MacGregor Chambers.Only the north-western tower and spire with parts of the arches were retained.

 

To the east of the town center,lie the ruins of the Category A listed St Andrews Cathedral.This was at one time Scotland's largest building,originated in the priory of Canons Regular fonded by Bishop Robert Kennedy.The Category A listed St Rule's Church to the south-east of the medieval cathedral is said to date from around 1120 and 1150,being the predecssor of the cathedral.The tall square tower,part of the church, was built to hold the relics of St Andrews and became known as the first cathedral in the town.After the death of Bishop Robert Kennedy,a new cathedral began in 1160 by Bishop Arnold (his successor) on a site adjacent to St Rule's Church.Work on the cathedral was finally completed and consecrated in 1318 by Bishop Wiilliam de Lamberton with King Robert the Bruce of Scotland (1306-1329) present at the ceremony.

 

The ruins of the Category A listed St Andrews Castle are situated on a cliff-top to the north of the town.The castle was first erected around 1200 as the residence,prison,and fortress of the bishop of the diocese.Several reconstructions occurred in subsequent centuries,most notable due to damage incurred in the Wars of Scottish Independence.

 

The castle was occupied,besieged and stormed during The Rough Wooing and was severely damaged in the process.

 

The majority of the castle seen today dates to between 1549 and 1571.The work was commissioned by John Hamilton (archbishop of St Andrews)in a renaissance style which made the building a comfortable,palatial residence while still remaining well-fortified.After the Reformation,the castle passed to several owners,who could not maintain its structyre and the building deteriorated into a ruin.The castle is now adminstered by Historic Scotland.

 

The apse of the Dominican friary,Blackfriars,can still be seen on South Street (between Madras College and Bell Street).Other defunct religious houses that existed in the midieval town,though less visible,have left traces,as for instance the leper hospital at St Nicholas farmhouse (the Strading) between Albany Park and the East Sands leisure center.

 

Education

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Today,St Andrews is home to one secondary school;one private school and three primary school. Canongate Primary School,which opened in 1972 is located off the Canongate,beside the St Andrews Royal Botanic Gardens.The school rolls was recorded as 215.Lawhead Primary School,which opened in 1974 is on the western edge of the town.The school was recorded as 181.

 

Madras College is the sole secondary school in the town.The school which opened to pupils in 1833 was based on Madras system-founded and endownd by Dr.Andrew Bell (1755-1832),a native of the town.Prior the opening,Dr Andrew Bell was interested in the demand for a school which was able to teach both poor and privileged children on one site.The high reputation of the school meant that many children came from throughout Britain to be taught there,often lodging with masters or residents in the town.The school is now located on two campuses-Kilrymont and South Street(incorporating the original 1833 building).Pupils in S1-S3 are served by Kilrymont and S4-S6 by South Street.

 

The private school known as St Leonards School with initially established as the St Andrews School for girls company in 1877.The present name was taken in 1882 when a move to St Leonards House was made.The school is now spread across thirty acres between Pends Road and Kinnesburn.A private school for boys was also set up in 1933 as New Park.The operation of the school merged with the middle and junior sections of St Leonards to become St Leonards-New Park.

 

The University of St Andrews,the oldest in Scotland,dates back to 1410.A charter for the university was issued by Bishop Henry Wardlaw between 1411 and 1412.This was followed by Avignon Pope Benedict XIII granting university status to award degrees to students in 1413.The school initially started out as a society for learned men in the fields of canon law,the arts,and divinity.The chapel and college of St John the Evangelist became the first building to have ties with the university in 1415.The two original colleges to be associated with the university were St Salvator in 1450 by Bishop James Kennedy and St Leonard in 1512 by archbishop Alexander Stewart and prior James Hepburn.

 

Sports and Recreation

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St Andrews is known widely as the "home of golf".According to the earliest surviving document from 1552,the "playing at golf" on the links adjacent to the "water of eden' was granted permission by Archbishop John Hamilton.The most famous golf course in the town is the Old Course,purchased by the town council in1894.The course which dates back to medieval times is an Open Championship course-which was fiorst staged in 1973.Famous winners at St Andrews have included:Old Tom Morris (1861,1862,1867,and 1874),Bobby Jones (1927 and 1930 British Amateur,Jack Nicklaus (1970 and 1978).According to Jack Nicklaus "if a golfer is going to be remembered,he must win at St Andrews".There are seven golf courses in total-Old Course,New Course,Jubilee Course,Eden Course,Strathtyrum Course,Balgove Course and the Course-surrounding the western approches of the town.The seventh golf course (the Castle Course) was added at Kinkell Braes,designed by Divid McLay Kidd.

 

Other leisure facilities in the town include a canoe club,junior football (soccer) teams;rugby club (known as Masras Rugby Club);tennis Club;university sports center and links golf driving range.The East Sands Leisure Center,which opened in 1998,sits on the outskrits of the town as the town's swimming pool with gym facilities.The University of St Andrews have expressed plans to provide a new multi-million pound leisure center to replace East Sands.

The Cumberland University graduate was a devoted husband and father, a member of the Methodist Church, devout Bible reader and a gentleman who was respected by all. An attorney, he was an eloquent speaker who used his gift well as a politician. He ran for three political offices: state representative, governor and Congress winning the former and latter races.

Above all, he was resolute in his belief that the Union should not divide and dissolve into civil war. Yet, when the Southern states seceded, he cast his lot with Tennessee, and, eventually, the Confederacy, a decision that cost his life.

Robert Hopkins Hatton was born Nov. 2, 1826, in Youngstown or Steubenville, Ohio, to Robert Clopton Hatton, a Methodist Episcopal minister, and his wife Margaret. The couple had six children, two who died in infancy. Young Robert began school at six in Alleghany City, Pa., and the family moved to Nashville in 1835 when he was eight. In 1837 the Hattons relocated to a farm in the Beech Grove community of Sumner County. While his father preached in Gallatin and later clerked and taught school, the boy worked on the farm, enjoyed hunting foxes with his dogs and studying in school. In the fall of 1845, Cumberland University allowed an 18-year-old Hatton to enter the junior class. Two years later he graduated with his class of four in June 1847.

Helping relay the story of Hatton from this point will be Martin Frost, 61, a Lebanon resident who is semiretired from Kimbro Oil Company as an accountant and chief financial officer and who has been portraying General Hatton since 1998. “I first heard of Hatton the first year I was here in 1984 as we drove around the square. I asked who the General was on the top of the Confederate monument,” said Frost, a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the Robert H. Hatton Camp #723, which was named in memory and honor of Hatton.

Frost proceeded to study the General's life and then was asked to play Hatton at a Cedar Grove Cemetery candlelight tour. “I usually portray him three or four times a year at the fairgrounds or on the square for tourism visits, and different civic organizations have asked me to tell the story of Robert Hatton in uniform. It’s usually just here in the County because he’s not too widely known,” Frost said.

As for Hatton’s progress after graduation, Frost shares, “He entered Cumberland’s law school for one year and ran out of money, so he went to teach. He didn’t like that. He came back to Lebanon and obtained a license to practice law and studied and was able to pass the bar exam and worked as an attorney, and then Cumberland University gave him a law degree, probably because of the relationships he had with his professors.”

Hatton joined in the practice of law in 1850 in a partnership with Col. Jordan Stokes of Lebanon. In the spring of 1850 he was appointed by the board of managers of the Washington Monument in the District of Columbia as an agent to present its claims to the people of Tennessee. And on Dec. 16, 1852, he married Sophie K. Reilly, six months his junior, of Williamson County.

WLM - Robert HattonAbout this time, he dissolved his partnership with Stokes and formed a new one, the firm of Hatton and Green, attorneys- and counselors- at-law, with Nathan Green Jr.

In 1855 as a candidate for the Whig party, the Lebanon lawyer was elected as representative from Wilson County to the General Assembly of Tennessee. While he served in Nashville, his wife and children, Reilly, Manie and later, Emily, resided in Lebanon. Then he ran as the American and Whig party candidate for governor in 1857. By this time Lebanon townsfolk referred to him as “Our Bob”. “In this race against Isham Harris for governor, they were traveling together and stumping around the State. They were at odds in Fayetteville and had a fistfight on the platform. He whipped Harris, who was quite a bit older,” said Frost. “He won the fight but lost the election.”

In 1858 Hatton was elected Grand Master for the Order of Tennessee of the Grand Lodge of the Order of Odd Fellows, and in 1859, he ran and won the election to the U.S. Congress as Representative from the State’s Fifth District. “He did a lot of traveling while campaigning and as member of the Order of Odd Fellows,” said Frost. “I think he loved his wife a lot and enjoyed the children. He was very intelligent and must have been well liked. He seemed to succeed in everything he tried.”

Hatton traveled to the District of Columbia in November 1859, leaving his family at their home on the northeast corner of Lebanon’s West Main Street and Hatton Avenue, 327 W. Main, a site on Lebanon's Civil War Trail (today the location of the Shelter Insurance office).

A reporter for The New York Times provides a detailed description of the tall, 136-pound Hatton from Congress in mid-January 1860.

Robert Hatton, of Tennessee, then obtained the floor for a set speech, and at once commanded attention. He is rather tall, rather thin, with a large head and long face, made longer by a profusion of orange chinbeard, harmonizing well with pink cheeks, a large fair forehead, high and expansive; blue eyes, set wide apart on each side of a small irregular nose, high cheek bones, and a great quantity of thick brown hair, rather inclined to curl, but hardly having length sufficient to indulge its propensity. Decidedly, Mr. Hatton has more of the studied graces of an orator than any member yet seen upon the floor. His gestures are full, found, and appropriate—seldom violent—never grotesque, but always emphatic, and with an inclination to the florid order. His head shows imagination, and the perceptives largely developed—the qualities of causality and caution, however, not being visibly from this gallery—if at all existing. His voice is musical and full of the church-organ tone; and he speaks with the deliberativeness of a man determined to say nothing in support of which he is not willing to stand a pistol shot.

From his hotel in the nation’s capitol, Hatton wrote his wife frequently asking about the children and how much he missed family and home. His epistles often reported on sermons he heard while visiting a variety of church denominations. He kept Sophie up to- date on his Bible reading and commented frequently about the drinking of many of those serving in Congress. (Hatton wouldn’t touch a drop of wine or liquor while in D.C.)

Most fervent upon his heart and mind was the fact that a crack in the Union was unavoidable. Hatton wrote his wife Dec. 6, 1860: Now that I am here, my worst anticipations are more than realized. Disunion is inevitable. What will follow, God only knows. Have, today, listened to furious speeches from Wigfall, of Texas; Iverson, of Georgia; and Brown, of Mississippi. Go out of the Union, their States are determined to. So, with South Carolina, Louisiana, Florida and perhaps others. There is not wisdom or patriotism enough in the land to save it.

In his diary two days later, Hatton noted: What shall I write? That the government is upon the eve of disruption. It is. The indications today, are, that before the 4th day of March, five or six of the Southern States will secede. The probabilities are that all the other Southern States will follow, and very soon. The folly of mankind has never been greater than is now being exhibited by the politicians of the South, and the North. Disunion is ruin to both sections.

Hatton made an impassioned speech Feb. 8, 1861, to the U.S. House of Representatives, but war between the states was plunging nearer like a runaway steam locomotive without a brakeman. When the 36th Congress adjourned, Hatton returned to Lebanon, still speaking his piece on holding the country together. His most famous speech, according to Frost, was made April Fool’s Day 1861, as for 2½ hours he urged his fellow citizens to remain in the Union. That night, tempers flared. “A crowd of people, some seem to think they were students from Cumberland, came to his house after everyone had gone to bed and started yelling and beating on pots and pans,” said Frost. “It woke everybody up, and Hatton came out with a pistol and fired it a few times, and they dispersed. A little bit later on the square, he was burned in effigy.”

Whatever strong feelings Hatton held for the Union, attitudes would change upon the news from Fort Sumter, S.C., and the news of President Lincoln calling for 75,000 volunteers to “put down the rebellion”. Hatton volunteered his services to the State of Tennessee. In May he called for volunteers for the Provisional Army of Tennessee and was elected captain of a company of 100 or more men out of Lebanon. “Six companies, totaling about 600 men from Wilson County, left Lebanon on May 20, 1861, and were mustered in at Nashville, and then took the train to Camp Trousdale in Sumner County. They were half finished with basic training when Tennessee declared its independence and separation,” said Frost. “Six companies from Wilson County and four from Sumner, Smith and DeKalb counties formed the 7th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, and Capt. Hatton was elected colonel. He trained and armed them well, and about July 20, they loaded on a train and then went to Nashville to Chattanooga to Knoxville to Bristol and to Virginia.

“Hatton had made arrangements to meet his wife in Nashville just before he left, but she was unable to meet him. So when he left Lebanon, he never saw his family again other than the little boy who came over to training camp a few days.” Hatton and his men initially fought in some smaller battles of the war as he served with Gen. Robert E. Lee in the Cheat Mountain Campaign and then with Gen. Stonewall Jackson in the northern part of the Shenandoah Valley in fall and winter of 1861-62. He wrote numerous letters to his wife from Warm Springs, Va. In the spring Hatton’s troops were directed to the peninsula below Richmond, Va.

In his last correspondence, dated May 28, 1862, 6:30 p.m., from near Richmond, Hatton wrote: The struggle, will no doubt, be bloody; that we will triumph, and that gloriously, I am confident. Would that I might bind to my heart, before the battle, my wife and children. That pleasure may never again be granted to me. If so, farewell; and may the God of all mercy be to you and ours, a guardian and friend. “If we meet again, we’ll smile; If not, this parting has been well.” Affectionately your husband, R. Hatton.

On the evening of May 31, 1862, Hatton, who had been promoted to Brigadier General eight days previously, formed his line in the presence of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Lee and Gen. Joe Johnston at the Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks. “He had been given command of the Tennessee brigade, and on the 31st the brigade was held in reserve,” said Frost. “But about 6 o’clock they were ordered to the front to make a charge. They did, and evidently did a fine job. Hatton was on his horse, and he was leading the charge. A charge was a walking movement to the front, an orderly advance to the front. Hatton, on his horse, he was a tremendous target.”

Last seen alive in the charge on Nine Mile Road, Hatton was waving his hat, and his voice cheered his men with his final words, “Forward, my brave boys! Forward!” When his favorite horse, Ball, was shot from beneath him, the young General got up, ran forward and in less then 30 steps later, he fell beneath the blast of a hostile gun. There is still an argument as to whether he was hit by rifle shot or cannon shot, but a missile to the head killed him instantly. The time was reported as sunset. Hatton was 35. (Of Hatton’s original 1,000 soldiers from Wilson, Smith, Sumner and DeKalb counties, only 47 survived when General Lee surrendered April 9, 1865, at Appomattox.) Hatton’s body was carried off the field of battle by two of his soldiers as the Tennessee Brigade fell back to the original line of the battle. His pistols were found by a Union soldier and returned to his family 30 years later.

WLM - Gen. Hattons widow Sophie who lived to 89“The body was placed on a train and shipped to Tennessee. Because the bridge across the Tennessee River at Chattanooga had been burned, they were not able to send the body back to Lebanon,” said Frost. “Someone made the decision to bury the body in Knoxville. It remained in Knoxville until spring of 1866, and in March the body was brought back.”

Nearly four years after his death, Hatton was buried on a rainy day, March 23, 1866. His mortal remains were taken from his house on West Main to the Methodist Church where every seat was filled. Thousands were reported to have attended the funeral of “the most popular man in Lebanon”. From the church, the mile-long procession to Cedar Grove Cemetery was fronted by Hatton’s slave, Jerry, who had accompanied him during the war. Jerry led a black mare that belonged to Hatton. The General was finally laid to rest in his hometown.

Nine years later, in 1875, Reilly, Hatton’s son, died at age 21½ on the eve before he was to graduate from Cumberland University. He was buried beside his father. As for Hatton’s other survivors, his widow Sophie lived a good, long life, serving 15 years as a missionary to Japan and for eight years as state librarian of Tennessee. She died in 1916 at the age of 89. Daughter Manie Campbell Hatton never wed and taught for 53 years in Middle Tennessee, 48 of those years at Howard School in Nashville. She died in 1938 at 82. Daughter Emily married missionary Willard Towson, and they carried the gospel to Japan for 22 years. She had two sons and a daughter. One son, Hatton D. Towson, served in World War I and was wounded in the Battle of Argonne in 1919 and died from his injuries later that year back home in Georgia.

General Hatton's closest living relative is Mary Em Towson Hobbs, of Decatur, Ga. Her father was Lambuth Reilly Towson, the son of Emily Hatton Towson, the General's youngest child. “There are five living descendants of four generations. I’m the oldest, 80 years old,” said Hobbs during a phone interview in January. “I’m the great-granddaughter, and my brother had two sons. One of them is 60 and one is 56, and one of them has a daughter and she has a nine-year-old son.”

WLM - Mary Em Townson Hobbs is Gen. Hattons closest living relativeAs for what she knows about her great-grandfather, pieces of family history were handed down from her parents and other family members, and she spent some time as a child with her great-aunt Manie, the General's daughter. She has also gleaned much from a half dozen or so trips to Lebanon, specifically from meeting with the local members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the Robert H. Hatton Camp, who have made her an honorary member. “Every time I come up there, I learn more from them than they learn from me, but it’s been thrilling,” she said.

During one visit in recent years, she and her nephew, Robert Hatton Towson, who lives in Goodlettsville, shared some of the family memorabilia with the group, such as Hatton's diaries. Asked for her conclusions about what she believes her greatgrandfather Hatton was like, and she answered, “I would say he had a personality to stand up for what he thought.”

Buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Hatton’s grave lies about 20 yards inside the entrance of Gate 2 on the north side of the road. A 16-foot-tall limestone obelisk, erected by the survivors of the 7th Tennessee, marks his grave, and nearby are interred his wife, his parents, his three children and a grandson.

Inscribed on the west face of the obelisk are the words:

General Robert Hatton

Born Nov. 2, 1826

Fell May 31, 1862

While leading the Tenn. Brigade in the Battle of Seven Pines, Va.

As for Lebanon’s most famous landmark, the monument topped by Hatton’s statue on the square?

“In the late 1800’s, the Confederate veterans began to feel compelled to erect monuments at cemeteries and town squares in memory of all their fallen comrades,” explained Frost. “It was happening all across the South. Here, they had already put one monument up in 1899 in Cedar Grove Cemetery. “I think the United Daughters of the Confederacy approached the City about putting up a statue in the center of square, and they were given ownership of the space to erect a Confederate monument. The veterans raised the money and designed the monument.”

Thus, on May 20, 1912, a monument unveiling occurred with great fanfare in Lebanon as the people of Wilson County honored their Confederate veterans. The area overflowed with people, horses and buggies, as the grandchildren of the veterans sang “Dixie” and a Tennessee National Guard detail fired a salute.

WLM- Limestone obelisk marks Hattons gravesite at Cedar Grove CemetryOn the western face of this limestone monument, GENL HATTON is etched below the officer’s feet. Beneath it reads: Erected in honor of the Confederate veterans of Wilson County and all other true Southern soldiers 1861-1865. The south face bears the words: As long as honor or courage is cherished the deeds of these heroes will live. Whether on the scaffold high or in the battles of van the fittest place for man to die is when he dies for man.” The east face reads: “To our mothers and daughters of the Confederacy from 1861 to the present;” and the north face informs: “Erected by the S.G. Shepard Camp No. 941 UCV with contributions from true friends of the Southern soldier.”

Curiously, some may notice, Hatton’s statue faces west. Noted Frost, “Most monuments of Confederate officers face either north or south—either facing the enemy or turning their back—but Hatton faces west and is standing, not mounted. The reason everyone understands is because when he left for Nashville, he was going west. That was the last time the townspeople saw him.

“Had he not been killed, had he survived during the war; no doubt he would have been a major general commanding a division,” opined Frost, who had two great-great-grandfathers serve in the Confederacy. Said Lebanon businessman Jack Cato, a true student of the Civil War whose greatgrandfather fought under Hatton, “He was a very bright young man, and he had served in the state legislature and had run for governor and been in Congress at the outbreak of the war. We just wonder what his legacy would have been had he lived.”

GENERAL ROBERT HOPKINS HATTON

 

Born: Nov. 2, 1826, in Youngstown or Steubenville, Ohio

Died: May 31, 1862, in the Battle of Seven Pines, aka the Battle of Fair Oaks

Buried: Cedar Grove Cemetery in Lebanon

Parents: Robert Clopton Hatton and Margaret Campbell Hatton

Wife: Sophia Keron Reilly

Children: Son Reilly, daughters Manie and Emily

Education: Graduate of Cumberland University

Career: Lawyer, politician-statesman, soldier

Military: Captain, Colonel of 7th Tennessee Infantry Regiment,

Brigadier General of Tennessee Brigade

Associations: Methodist Church, Grand Lodge of the Order of Odd Fellows

Other facts: Gifted orator, prodigious letter writer, tireless worker

Biography: Life of General Hatton by James Vaulx Drake, 1867. Reprints

of Hatton’s biography are available for $25 at the Lebanon City Hall.

 

Trump announced Tuesday he plans to replace Tillerson with current CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

 

Alex Wong / Getty Images

 

President Donald Trump announced he had fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday, ending one of the shortest and most tumultuous tenures of a secretary of state in recent history.

 

“Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service!” Trump said in a morning tweet.

 

A State Department official indicated on Monday — and other outlets seemed to confirm — that Trump took the extraordinary measure of firing one of the highest-ranking members of the US government with little notice, if any.

 

Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!

 

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2018

 

That tweet was reportedly news to Tillerson. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly called Tillerson on Friday, the Associated Press reported Tuesday, and told him to expect a presidential tweet about him. But Kelly did not explicitly say the tweet would announce he was out of a job. Undersecretary of State Steve Goldstein told CNN that Tillerson learned he was officially fired from the president’s morning tweet.

 

Goldstein, in a statement to reporters, said Tillerson was not aware of the specific reason for his ouster, and suggested the decision was a surprise.

 

“The Secretary had every intention of remaining because of the tangible progress made on critical national security issues,” Goldstein said, adding that Tillerson “will miss his colleagues.” Tillerson, Goldstein said, “did not speak to the President this morning and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve, and still believes strongly that public service is a noble calling and not to be regretted.”

 

Goldstein followed-up that statement with another just a few hours later: he will be leaving the State Department. “I wish everyone well,” he said. “I look forward to getting more rest and perhaps winning an indoor rowing competition.”

 

He was reportedly fired.

 

A senior White House official said Trump made the move to replace Tillerson in order to have a new team in place ahead of talks with North Korea and over trade.

 

“I think Rex will be much happier now,” Trump told reporters at the White House Tuesday morning.

 

“Rex and I have been talking about this for a long time,” the president said before leaving for a trip to California. “We got along actually quite well but we disagreed on things. When you look at the Iran deal. I think it was terrible, I guess he thought it was OK. I wanted to either break it or do something, and he felt a little bit differently. So we were not really thinking the same.”

 

Tillerson returned early to Washington on Monday, cutting short his first trip to Africa as secretary. The State Department on Saturday said the cancellation of a last day on the continent was due to food poisoning he’d contracted in Ethiopia. As he flew back, he described himself as exhausted from lack of sleep and illness.

 

He also used the flight to issue the administration’s harshest condemnation of Russia’s alleged involvement in the poisoning of a former spy in the United Kingdom.

 

The poisoning, he told reporters, “clearly came from Russia” and “certainly will trigger a response.”

 

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, directly connected Tillerson’s comments about Russia to Trump’s decision. “Donald Trump’s reaction to Tillerson’s support of a close American ally facing threats from Russia was to fire him,” she said in a statement.

 

Tillerson enjoyed a brief moment of goodwill upon entering the seventh floor of the State Department as diplomats assumed his experience running a large bureaucracy at ExxonMobil would bring order to Foggy Bottom’s creaky and non-hierarchical management structure.

 

But that goodwill evaporated almost immediately due to series of unforced errors by a man who came in with zero government experience; bad advice from his small circle of isolated confidantes; a White House that forced him to defend a draconian budget plan that signaled open contempt for the work of diplomats, and a career foreign service that resisted his ambitious aims to “redesign” the department despite a widespread understanding than overhaul was long overdue.

 

Trump intends to replace Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo, and to replace Pompeo with Gina Haspel, the agency’s current deputy director.

 

“With Mike Pompeo, we have a very similar thought process,” Trump told reporters Tuesday. “I think it’s going to go very well.”

 

Pompeo previously served as a member of Congress from Kansas before Trump nominated him to head the CIA. A graduate of West Point and Harvard Law School, Pompeo joined the House of Representatives in 2010 and served on the House Intelligence Committee and the House Select Committee on Benghazi.

 

He was a vocal critic of the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran and had previously defended the CIA after a report in 2014 detailed some of the agency’s interrogation practices saying, “These man and women are not torturers, they are patriots.”

 

Trump has been unusually critical of the CIA and US intelligence agencies, at times suggesting they comprise a “deep state” determined to leak unflattering and false information about him. Pompeo, though, has been an ally, which has reportedly raised some eyebrows at the CIA. “People have to watch him,” a U.S. official told The Washington Post last year. “It’s almost as if he can’t resist the impulse to be political.”

 

Haspel oversaw the torture of two terrorism suspects at a secret prison in Thailand in 2002 and later helped destroy video of the interrogations, the New York Times reported last year.

 

Haspel, the Times said, has also taken part in the US’s “extraordinary rendition program,” in which captured operatives were held for long periods of time at secret facilities, interrogated harshly, and delivered to foreign governments.

 

When Haspel was promoted to deputy director of the CIA last year, Christopher Anders, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s office in Washington, said Pompeo “must explain to the American people how his promotion of someone allegedly involved in running a torture site squares with his own sworn promises to Congress that he will reject all forms of torture and abuse.”

 

Haspel is also well-respected within the CIA, according to reports, and spent much of her career working undercover for the agency.

 

Pompeo and Haspel will need Senate confirmation for their positions. That could get dramatic, even if they’ll likely be able to get through with just Republican support.

 

Democrats in Congress are already lashing out at Trump over his decision.

 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement that “The instability of this administration in just about every area weakens America. If he’s confirmed, we hope that Mr. Pompeo will turn over a new leaf and will start toughening up our policies towards Russia and Putin.”

 

“Secretary Tillerson’s firing sets a profoundly disturbing precedent in which standing up for our allies against Russian aggression is grounds for a humiliating dismissal,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. “President Trump’s actions show that every official in his Administration is at the mercy of his personal whims and his worship of Putin.”

 

Sen. Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement his committee will consider Pompeo’s nomination “as expeditiously as possible.” Corker later said on CNN that he hasn’t spoken with Tillerson yet since Trump’s move, but that he “enjoyed” working with him. Sen. Richard Burr, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, praised Haspel, saying “I know Gina personally and she has the right skill set, experience, and judgment to lead one of our nation’s most critical agencies.”

 

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican sometimes-critic of Trump, was pleased with Trump’s decision to elevate Pompeo. “No one has a stronger relationship with President Trump than Mike Pompeo,” he said in a statement. “This relationship will empower him throughout his tenure as Secretary of State.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell praised Tillerson in a statement, but did not address Pompeo or Haspel.

 

Tillerson did not hide his disagreements with the White House. He clashed repeatedly over who to appoint for the many vacancies across the department and on key policy issues. Tillerson opposed Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate accords and supported certifying Iran’s compliance with the 2015 international nuclear agreement, also knowns as the JCPOA, a determination made by his State Department that Trump resisted.

 

“He and I have differences of views on things like JCPOA, and how we should use it,” Tillerson said at a State Department briefing in early August.

 

On the Paris climate agreement, Tillerson also made clear that he remained opposed to Trump’s decision to withdrawal although he respected the deliberative manner Trump went about making the decision.

 

“My view didn’t change,” Tillerson told lawmakers in June. “My views were heard out. I respect that the president heard my views, but I respect the decision he’s taken.”

 

Trump personally wanted to tear up the Obama-era agreement, which had a called the “worst deal ever negotiated” — a claim he also made about NAFTA. But key advisers warned that walking away from the deal.

 

The internal clashes between Trump and Tillerson were highlighted in an October NBC News story that first reported a meeting at the Pentagon where Tillerson referred to Trump as a “moron.” The fallout from that report led Tillerson to hold an impromptu press conference in which he failed to fully distance himself from the comment, reportedly further infuriating the president.

 

Publicly, Trump declared that he had “total confidence in Rex” soon after. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders then backed that up, saying that hadn’t changed “despite what you may read in the media or watch on TV. I would certainly trust the president’s and my comments far above those of other reporters.”

 

But Trump also lashed back in an interview with Forbes, challenging Tillerson to an intelligence test. “I think it’s fake news, but if he did that, I guess we’ll have to compare IQ tests. And I can tell you who is going to win,” he said in October.

 

Tillerson was out the door just a few months later.

 

Tillerson was close to Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, and both he and Mattis were thought to have worked in tandem to dampen the president’s more hawkish impulses. The two reportedly worked together to caution the president against a “bloody nose” strike on North Korea, and together bore the brunt of Trump’s anger when they urged him to recertify the Iran deal last summer.

 

In January, Mattis explained his relationship with the secretary of state as he discussed his work life.

 

“So it starts with me having breakfast every week with Secretary of State Tillerson,” he said. “And we talk two, three times a day, sometimes. We settle all of our issues between he and I, and then we walk together into the White House meetings. That way, State and Defense are together. ”

 

Mattis’ relationship with Pompeo is not well known. The two men have been reported over the past year to agree with the current prohibitions on torture of terrorism suspects, and both men are believed to have opposed Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Mattis was visiting US troops and meeting with Afghan officials in Kabul when the news about Tillerson broke on Tuesday.

 

One of Tillerson’s key mistakes was failing to reassure career diplomats that his changes would be good for the department and its mission. In advance of his redesign, Tillerson halted lateral promotions, imposed a hiring freeze, and ended an array of programs designed to bring new talent and fellows to the State Department. Those moves hobbled operations at some US missions and damaged morale as civil servants felt trapped in positions with no opportunity for a new assignment or promotion.

 

He relied on an insular inner-circle that included his chief of staff, Margaret Peterlin, director of policy planning, Brian Hook, and communications guru, R.C. Hammond, who engaged in limited outreach with the rest of the building.

 

His desire to promote certain career diplomats to key positions were blocked by a White House suspicious of DC bureaucrats — which exacerbated Tillerson’s isolation from permanent staff.

 

On the world stage, his diplomatic efforts were occasionally undermined by the president’s tweets. Tillerson’s botched campaign to pressure Saudi Arabia to end its blockade against Qatar, for instance, failed to intimidate Riyadh as top Saudi officials took comfort in Trump’s tweets defending the kingdom.

 

When Moscow called for the expulsion of hundreds of US officials from Russia, Tilleson expressed disappointment in the decision. Trump, meanwhile, thanked the Kremlin for saving the US money on diplomats — a comment the White House later said was sarcastic.

 

via The Little Moment ift.tt/2Iphhhq

Saturday 6 August 2011. View from Primrose Hill across central London.

 

I visited Primrose Hill Books 134 Regent's Park Road NW1. I've rarely been to this neighbourhood and hadn't visited the bookshop before. But they had a secondhand book I wanted to buy.

 

Compared with Tottenham, where Zena and I live, the streets and shops round there give an impression of wealth and prosperity.

 

After collecting the book, I strolled up Primrose Hill close-by, enjoying views across London. People sat on the grass in the summer sunshine. Dogs and children were running around.

 

The book I bought was Republic.com by Cass Sunstein. It's about the challenge and opportunities offered by the internet to the ideas of deliberative democracy.

 

According to Sunstein, the United States Constitution includes the belief that for a free society to function, its citizens require "a set of public forums, providing speakers’ access to a diverse people, and ensuring in the process that each of us hears a wide range of speakers, spanning many topics and opinions".

 

Sunstein writes that to ensure free speech involves not only rights, but a duty on a democratic government:

". . . to allow speech to occur freely in public places".

  "The US Supreme Court has also held that streets and parks must be kept open to the public for expressive activity. Hence governments are obliged even if many citizens would prefer to have peace and quiet, and even if it seems irritating to come across protesters and dissidents whom one would like to avoid."

  "To be sure, the government is allowed to impose restrictions on the 'time, place, and manner' of speech in public places. No one has a right to use fireworks and loudspeakers on the public streets at midnight to complain about the size of the defence budget. But time, place, and manner restrictions must be both reasonable and limited."

 

Tottenham, North London. Saturday 6 August 2011

 

I took two buses home to Tottenham some five miles (8km) away. . And began reading Sunstein's book on my way.

 

There, very different events were unfolding in an informal "forum" space in Tottenham High Road. Not a huge square like Tahrir (Cairo), or Wenceslas (Prague), or Taksim (Istanbul), or Trafalgar (London). But even so, a space with a previous custom of public gathering.

 

A small peaceful demonstration was taking place in the High Road outside our local police station. Family and friends of Mark Duggan and their supporters were waiting in the street, having asked the police for information about his death two days earlier on 4 August 2011. They waited in vain and then towards evening the family went home.

 

But more people had heard and gathered near the Police station.

 

That evening the 2011 Tottenham Riot began. With a chain reaction of riots elsewhere in London and in other English cities over the following days.

 

____________________________________________

 

§ ITV news article setting out the timeline of events from the death of Mark Duggan.

§ Flickr photoset by Tottenham resident Nico Hogg showing the Tottenham riot on the night of 6/7 August 2011. I've met Nico and follow his photos on Flickr. Nico's on-the-spot photos that night are gathered under the heading: "The night Tottenham burned". They reflect the seriousness and significance of the riot. His title accurately describes the fear many of us felt. Although in retrospect perhaps overstating the scale of the overall damage.

§ Wikipedia entry about 2011 England riots.

From www.artic.edu/artexplorer/search.php?tab=2&resource=65:

 

Will the apples fall off the table? Explore the tension between stability and imbalance in this late still life by Cezanne.

 

Many of Paul Cézanne's late still lifes depict complex arrangements whose artificial character underscores the artist's role as contriver. They are, however, very different from the seventeenth-century Dutch prototypes to which they are sometimes compared. Cézanne never aimed at illusionism, and his still-life compositions can be anthropomorphic, expressive of psychological tension, in ways never dreamt of by his Baroque predecessors.

 

The Basket of Apples exemplifies this effect. The theatrical tilt of the basket implies that the apples on the tabletop have rolled out of it; yet the way they huddle and nestle in the crumpled napkin suggests that they possess independent minds. The biscuits on a plate are carefully stacked, but they too seem animate, as if straining to take in the drama unfolding before them. The bottle—slightly askew and off center, teasingly close to stabilizing union with the picture's upper edge—presides over the scene like a dark sentinel. Poised between resolution and imbalance, sensation and ponderation, The Basket of Apples makes tangible the complex eye-mind interplay that determines visual experience.

 

Cézanne's grave attentiveness to this dynamic gives his art a philosophical cast, but the pleasures afforded by his robust color chords, lively touch, and sure compositional instincts make it seductive. Here, his considered juxtapositions of autumnal hues, like the resolutely disjointed table edges and intentionally "unfinished" contours, draw attention to the deliberative nature of art-making.

 

Cézanne's determination to recognize the provisional nature of perception derives from Impressionism, but his stress on the tension between optical sensation and aesthetic transformation sets him apart. In his mature work, he found beauty of a new kind in the inherently charged dialogue between contingency and contemplation, thereby facilitating the more radical break with realistic representation effected by the Cubists and other modernists in the early twentieth century.

 

An examination of Cezanne's dynamic composition of fruit and objects in this still life from the mid-1890s.

 

Paul Cezanne spent most of his working life in and around the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence and, partially as a result of his self-imposed isolation, was for many years all but unknown in Paris. In 1895, he was persuaded by the dealer Ambroise Vollard to have a one-man show in Paris. The exhibition, held at Vollard's popular gallery, was not an important financial success, but it had a profound effect on the history of French art. It was the first time in nearly twenty years that French artists who had heard about this painter from Provence could actually see his work. Basket of Apples was among the paintings selected by Cezanne and Vollard for inclusion in this exhibition. Like several of the other paintings in the exhibition, it was signed, most probably at the insistence of Vollard, who felt that an unsigned painting might be considered unfinished and, hence, would fail to sell. Cezanne grudgingly complied, and, for that reason, the paintings in the Vollard exhibition are among the few the artist actually signed.

 

Basket of Apples is among Cezanne's "baroque" still lifes painted in the late 1880's and 1890's. Its pictorial structure derives from seventeenth-century Dutch still lifes. Like the Dutch artists, Cezanne sought to establish a dynamic, asymmetrical arrangement of objects that are held in place only by the painter's compositional skills. Yet, where such an effect of imbalance was merely a compositional device of the Dutch painters, it was an essential element of Cezanne's conception of the still life. Cezanne recognized the fact that the artist is not bound to represent real objects in real space. He was able, therefore, to impart to everything a strength and relative position that could not possibly be duplicated in an actual studio arrangement.

 

Here, the basket filled with apples tilts improbably on a small base or stand, its contents held in check only by a bottle and a cloth, in whose complex, craggy folds lie many other pieces of fruit. The table, like virtually every one in a Cezanne still life, has four edges that cannot be aligned to form an exact rectangle. At the raised upper right corner of the table, the artist created a latticed "log-cabin" of the French pastry called dents de loup, contrasting the informal and unstable arrangement of the circular apples on the table with the architectonic stack of cookies. Both arrangements vie for dominance around the central form of the bottle, which, with its own silhouette shifting from left to right, acts as an anchor for a composition in endless flux. Thus, the balance that Cezanne achieved is a purely pictorial one: the actual arrangement of objects he painted in his studio could never have possessed the dynamism and tension with which it is endowed in Basket of Apples.

 

See also: en.wahooart.com/@/PaulCezanne

 

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Monumento Las Nereidas

Monumento Las Nereidas, de Lola MoraThe Monumento Las Nereidas, or "Font of the Nereids", is now located at "Costanera Sur". It was created by Lola Mora (1866 – 1936), in 1903. The sensuous and erotic sculpture met bureaucratic problems at the city's Deliberative Council, which had it moved from place to place.

 

Lola Mora was a rebel and a pioneer of women in her artistic field. At 20 years of age she began painting portraits, but soon turned to sculpting marble and granite. She studied art in her home province and then, with a scholarship, in Rome, Italy, where she created her greatest works, some of them by request of the Argentine government. In 1900 she was charged with creating two bas-reliefs for the Historical House of Tucumán (seat of Argentina's Declaration of Independence of 1816).

  

Fuente de las Nereidas

 

At the turn of the 20th century, the city of Buenos Aires inaugurated the fountain called “Fuente de las Nereidas”, otherwise known as ‘Lola Mora’.

 

A sensuous and erotic work, the monument was designed by the young and rebellious Argentine artist, Dolores Hernández-Mora, and carved completely from Carrara marble.

 

Depicting the mythical birth of Venus in ways reminiscent of a famous work by Italian painter Sandro Botticelli, Mora’s statue introduced controversial animalistic undertones to an otherwise delicate deity.

 

Featuring a retinue of nude sea nymphs and three virile figures wrestling winged horses, the fountain roused reactions from moralists who argued not only against its pornographic nature and the licentiousness of its nude figures, but also objected to its sculptor’s decision to wear trousers rather than skirt.

 

Perhaps a woman before her time, Mora married a man 20 years her senior when she was 40 years old, only to be left by him five years later. Some claimed she was bisexual, although there were also rumours that she had a love affair with Julio A. Roca, the former president of Argentina, and himself a polemic figure.

 

Originally placed in the Parque Colón Sur near the Casa Rosada, pressure from moralists resulted in the relocation of the monument to Puerto Madero’s Costanera Sur in 1918.

 

Amid the controversy that arose from its installation, Mora wrote expressing her regret at having provoked such emotions but welcomed the opinion of a public who was not yet ready for her: “I deeply regret what is happening, but I don’t see these as expressions of repudiation, rather the pure and noble voice of my people. That is the final judgment.”

 

The sculpture was recently recognised as one of the most important in the city however, when it was declared a National Historic Monument in 1997

 

The Iloilo City Trade and Investment Promotions Board

 

Making Iloilo City Business Friendly

by Jigger S. Latoza

Photo by Dan Amular, Jr.

 

Business is the lifeblood of the city’s economy. Trade and investments create jobs, and generate the much needed revenues needed by the city to finance its operations and bankroll various development programs and projects.

Yet investments set out and thrive only where there is a nurturing business and investment climate; indeed, enterprises go where the cost of doing business is reasonable, where it is fast to transport goods or provide services, where there is a significant market size and purchasing power, where public utilities are adequate and efficient, where well-educated and competent human resources are available, and where the quality of life is great.

Iloilo City today has most of these, making it a vital business and investment hub in the country.

“In fact, despite the dreary economic outlook for most parts of the country, Iloilo City remains a great magnet for investments because of its strategic geographical location, the surfeit of highly-skilled labor, modern conveniences and facilities, ideal peace and order climate, and incentives and assistance to businesses,” says City Mayor Jed Patrick E. Mabilog.

In addition to the aforementioned factors, according to the city competitiveness framework of the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center, businesses and investments also go to the city with a local government that is responsive to the needs of the business community.

Given these premises, Iloilo City Mayor Mabilog, on September 14, 2010, issued Executive Order 019-10 creating the Iloilo City Trade and Investment Promotions Board to fill the need for a dedicated body that would proactively undertake projects and activities aimed at attracting investments in Iloilo City.

Marketing Iloilo to Investors

The Board is mandated to be a deliberative body dedicated to the following functions: (1) conceptualize trade and investment promotions programs and strategies; (2) provide a link between business groups and the city government so both can work together in making Iloilo City an investment haven; (3) organize fairs, summits and other platforms of convergence for foreign and local investors; (4) facilitate interfacing between business groups and government agencies such as the Department and Trade and Industry and Department of Tourism; (5) assist the City Government in the identification of priority areas for investments; (6) help investors find business opportunities in Iloilo City by providing them with reliable and relevant information; and (7) make recommendations to the Office of the City Mayor on how to expedite the processing of business permits, in particular, and how to make doing business in Iloilo City a great, rewarding experience, in general.

In brief, the Board is expected to market Iloilo City as an ideal place for doing business to potential investors here at home, from other parts of the country, and abroad.

Investment opportunities in the city are plenty in the following areas: manufacturing and processing enterprises; export-oriented industries; tourism-oriented industries; utility companies engaged in power generation, water distribution, and transportation support facilities; information and communication technology enterprises; agro-fishery; social services (e.g., health care services, education, low-cost housing, sports and recreation); commercial and industrial property development; and solid waste disposal system.

Yet selling an idea to seasoned businessmen could be a tough job. Hence, who could better lead a group formed to promote Iloilo City to investors than a businessman who has made it big here – from an initial capitalization of PhP 10,000? Indeed, who could better understand the mind of businessmen than a successful businessman himself?

Felicito “Felix” Tiu is a busy man. As Chairman of the Eon Group of Companies that has interests in candy manufacturing, consumer goods marketing and distribution in the Visayas, travel and tours, hotels, property development, among others, Tiu was at first hesitant to take on the chairmanship of the Iloilo City Trade and Investment Promotions Board. But he became adamant to lead the Board when he learned from Mayor Mabilog the rationale behind the creation of the group.

“Our Mayor enlightened me that if we can help him bring in investments and create jobs for the unemployed, we can help the city government increase its revenues and, in effect, improve the delivery of services to our people and uplift the lives of the poor,” Tiu shared during the induction into office of the Board of Directors last December 2010. This noble intent behind the creation of the Board was what convinced Tiu to accept his appointment as Chairman.

The Men and Women Behind the Board

The private sector-led Board has 14 members, 12 of whom come from private organizations representing real estate development, business chambers and associations, professional groups, mass media, education and management consultancy, civic groups, among others. Two members are officials of the city government, providing the necessary link between the local government and the private sector. The Board may be seen as a model of public-private partnership in the area of investment promotions.

The Board is chaired by Felicito Tiu, Chairman of the Eon Group of Companies, which is composed of Eon Realty and Development Corporation, Eon Distributor Corporation, Goldstar Philippine Traders, Guimaras Memorial Park, Eon Travel and Tours, Aris Corporation, Leisure Corporation and Eon Philippine Industries Corporation.

Serving as Vice-Chairman is Prudencio Relano Jr., proprietor and manager of Relano Realty and past president of the Iloilo City Realtors Board.

Appointed as Directors are the following: Joe Marie Agriam, CREAM magazine publisher, and president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Iloilo, Inc.; Oscar Chua, proprietor of Iloilo Plastic Center and honorary vice chairman of the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Mary Ann Gumban, Business Support Program consultant and business management professor at the University of the Philippines in the Visayas; Antonio Jon, CPA, former chairman of the Iloilo Business Club; Jigger Latoza, director of research and publications at the University of San Agustin and co-chairman of the Multi-sector Coalition for Iloilo City; Irma Lim, principal, Lim and Associates, CPAs, and past president of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants-Iloilo; Valerie Maravilla, president of the Iloilo Producers Association; Ian Eric Pama, president of the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines; Salvador Sarabia Jr., former Tourism Undersecretary and current chairman of the Iloilo Convention and Visitors Bureau; Roland Uy, M.D., immediate past president of the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Iloilo; and Fulbert Woo, 2009 national president of the Junior Chamber International–Philippines.

Jose Roni Penalosa, City Planning and Development Office Head, and Francis Cruz, Executive Assistant (for Economic Affairs) at the City Mayor’s Office, represent the city government in the Board.

Volunteerism is KeyThus far, the Board, through Chairman Tiu, has made representations for Iloilo City as a destination of choice for investments in various meetings, both in the country and abroad, often at his own expense. The Board has corresponded with foreign chambers of commerce and local business groups, listened to business proposals from foreign and local businessmen, exchanged ideas with officials of national government agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry, and made initial steps towards helping the Office of the City Mayor craft an economic roadmap for the city.

A major undertaking of the Board is the organization of the First Iloilo Business Summit on July 29, this year, under the theme, "Innovative and Sustainable Development for Growth." The summit brings to Iloilo City eminent speakers, widely considered as the country’s foremost captains of industry and entrepreneurship, to wit: Mr. Manuel Pangilinan of the Metro Pacific, Mr. Ramon del Rosario of PHINMA, former Ambassador Jesus Tambunting of Planters Development Bank, Mr. Cecilio Pedro of Lamoiyan Corporation, former Tourism Secretary Narzalina Lim of Asia Pacific Projects, and Mr. Jonathan de Luzurriaga of CIBI Information, Inc.

The Iloilo City Trade and Investment Promotions Board is convinced that the acceptance by the Summit’s power speakers of the Board’s invitation despite their understandably hectic schedules indicates that their business sense makes them see vast investment opportunities and economic development potentials in Iloilo City. That thought alone is already encouraging to the Board.

“I thank the members of the Board for agreeing to be part of the Team without any compensation. I thank them for sharing their time, money, and other resources. I know that they are all busy like me but they, too, realize that sharing their knowledge, skills, experiences and insights for the benefit of the city and of the less privileged in our community is more fulfilling than making a few thousands a day,” says Tiu.

Indeed, the entire Board functions on volunteerism, with no compensation except the inspiring thought that it makes its own contributions, big or small, in propelling the local economic development of Iloilo City. Its Chair, Vice-Chair, and Directors are animated only by their shared desire to make Iloilo City business friendly so that more jobs are created, more revenues are generated, and, consequently, more development will benefit more people who -- in satisfaction and gratitude – will spontaneously proclaim, “Iloilo City : My City, My Pride.”

  

as my parents have begun the long process of paring down their lives, slowing emptying the house i grew up of it's contents, i am struck sometimes with a profound nostalgia. for all the usual trials and tribulations, i had a very happy childhood. i consider myself very lucky, and continue to be grateful for that, and to my dear parents, to this day.

 

when i was home for this past holiday season, i realized i had better start snapping, to aid my memory when its inevitable failing might kick into high gear. whle i do have a vague recollection that the bathroom was redone when i was a small child, here are the same artifacts that have been hanging in the same place against the same wallpaper in the same bathroom for basically as long as i can practically remember.

 

as a result of seeing these little plastic prints every day for so many years, i have an ingrained, elemental partiality for edgar degas' work. oddly, i never really heard/read about artistide maillol until today, in researching for this photo.

 

from a small village in the pyrennes, maillol (1861-1944) was a painter and a sculptor. by turning away from pathos and expression, maillol revolutionized the sculptural field. he created a type of archcitectural beauty, using the body as his only vocabulary to represent such ideas as fertility, youth or death... deeply influenced by gaugin, he invented a type of sculpture whose smooth and rounded shapes recall archaic art forms. maillol introduced a totally modern concept which lifts beauty above reality. (musee maillol)

 

Degas' mature style is distinguished by conspicuously unfinished passages, even in otherwise tightly rendered paintings. He frequently blamed his eye troubles for his "inability to finish", an explanation that met with some skepticism from colleagues and collectors who reasoned that his pictures "could hardly have been executed by anyone with inadequate vision.".... The meticulous naturalism of his youth gave way to an increasing abstraction of form.... He was a deliberative artist whose works "were prepared, calculated, practiced, developed in stages. (wikipedia)

 

anyway, as far as the wallpaper, i don't think these colors have been reproduced by humankind in this pattern since.

 

postscript: mom informs she tried to locate similar pattern about 10 years ago, but to no avail.

Cig smokers seem to have a certain deliberative air about them, they think a lot.

March’s Friday Late welcomed attendees to engage with a myriad of contemporary activism practices, 100 years on from when a qualified group of women in the UK were granted the right to vote. From deliberative democracy workshops to installations depicting radically soft lives, from feminist zine making to tours of radical women in the history of art, this Late asked attendees to examine narratives that are too often left unaccounted.

 

Photos © PeanutButterVibes Photography

www.peanutbuttervibesphotography.com

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