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Proactive Acne Treatment Vending Machine, 9/2014, by Mike Mozart of TheToyChannel and JeepersMedia on YouTube.
The United Nations in the Central African Republic proactively took the lead in protecting humanitarian workers during the crisis in Bangui from 27 September. More than 70 humanitarian workers were rescued from life-threatening situations by UN Security teams and were sheltered by the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) until their onward movement could be arranged. 96 workers were flown to safety today in addition to the 126 workers from 1 October. They were transferred to Bangui M'Poko Airport by the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) with the support of Sangaris forces, the United States Embassy, and the coordination expertise of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Humanitarian workers at the Bangui M'Poko Airport.
UN Photo/Nektarios Markogiannis
02 October 2015
Bangui, Central African Republic
Photo # 648190
Leading a prisoner away.
Special constables were out in force on Friday 15 November 2013 to highlight the vital role they play in police operations.
Over 50 special constables from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) assisted throughout the day with various operations across the North Manchester area. They targeted the small groups of people who bring harm to our communities.
There was a large element of proactive work undertaken coupled with high visibility reassurance patrols, especially during the evening.
Special Chief Inspector Michael Walmsley, who coordinated the resources for the day said: "This is a way of highlighting the varied work that special constables undertake within our communities. The additional police resources provided by the special constabulary were utilised for intelligence lead operations and executing warrants.”
The special constabulary are trained volunteers who provide a valuable link between the public and the police, having the same powers, training, uniform and equipment as regular police officers.
Chief Superintendent for North Manchester, Nick Adderley, said: “The commitment and dedication that our specials have to policing is inspirational. Their volunteering provides additional police resources to keep our communities safe.
“Being a special enables individuals to gain hands on experience in dealing with challenging situations, something they may not encounter in any other career.”
There was also a recruitment event at The Arndale Centre running from 10am-6pm where people could find out more information about becoming a special constable in GMP.
Rob Kelly has been a special constable since January 2012. He described his experience: “As a retired Fire-fighter. I needed to keep busy, so what better way than to give something back to the community and serve as a special.
“I really enjoy the variety of jobs we go to, working with great people and good friends and working within a neighbourhood policing team gives you the confidence to go out and help the public."
For more information on becoming a special constable please visit www.gmp.police.uk or email special.constabulary@gmp.police.uk.
To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website.
You should call 101, the new national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.
Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.
You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.
This photo is for a project going on over at tudiabetes.com and the TuDiabetes Flickr Group, for World Diabetes Day [Nov. 14].
The project is, to write a word in your hand describing how you feel about diabetes. [Yes, I have Diabetes]
DI Simon Akker alongside some of the firearms we've recovered since April 2020
A total of 120 firearms were taken off the streets of Greater Manchester in the last year as police continue to tackle the use of lethal weapons by organised crime groups.
Between April 2020 and the end of March this year, scores of firearms were seized as a result of proactive operations and planned raids supported by our Serious and Organised Crime Firearms Investigation Team (SOC FIT), who were launched in 2018 dedicated to tackling the use of illegal firearms in Greater Manchester.
The huge haul includes self-loaded pistols, shotguns and imitation firearms held by criminals to be converted into viable weapons including top-venting imitation guns, which GMP has seized 30 converted replicas of since April 2020.
Working alongside the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU), we continue to tackle the conversion and supply of such legal blank-firing firearms into illegal, lethal ones.
Our response includes a proactive operation - codenamed Lyra - which was formed in July 2020 to investigate the supply and possession of such weapons.
Seven people have been arrested so far, and Scott Robinson, 43, from Oldham, was sentenced to a total of five years for possession of a converted imitation firearm in January.
Two further suspects have been charged as part of the operation and await trial later this year accused of conspiracy to supply firearms.
The crackdown has seen discharges in the county reduced from 85 to 71 during the last 12 months - equating to 16%.
One of the most significant district decreases was in Salford (-40%) after the inception of the Operation Naseby disruption hub over a year ago.
The SOC FIT supported a further six boroughs where shootings at least halved in 2020/21, including Wigan (down from nine to two), Bolton (down from five to one) and Tameside (down from four to one).
In Manchester, an increase in recorded discharges saw 10 in the first three months of 2021 in the north of the city alone, which led to a dedicated response between the SOC Firearms team and detectives from the City of Manchester North division.
It included a three-week blitz on organised crime at the end of March where several warrants were executed and 11 arrests were made, yielding three firearms, ammunition, over £150,000 in cash, and 10 kilos of class A and B drugs.
Twenty arrests have been made in total during the offensive, including Jack Modlinsky, 24, of Cheetham Hill, who was jailed for over five-and-a-half years last month when officers found £134,000 in cash, £8,000's worth of cocaine, and a knife during a warrant at his address as part of the action.
There has been just one discharge in the north of the city during the last 10 weeks since our robust response.
Officers continue to work alongside local partners to continue reducing gun crime in the region by targeting and disrupting organised crime activity across Greater Manchester.
Detective Inspector Simon Akker, head of GMP's Serious and Organised Crime Firearms Investigation Team, said: "We've been working relentlessly in SOC FIT to really drive a wedge between organised crime groups and the possession, supply and use of weapons in Greater Manchester, which is one of GMP's top priorities.
"By seizing more firearms than there have been discharges in the last year or so, it shows that we are proactively taking the fight back to organised criminals to stamp out the use of guns on our streets.
"While we can quantify the amount of weapons we've recovered and the decrease in discharges, what we can't count is the amount of incidents that we have prevented as a result of the action we have taken - but I can confidently say we have stopped people getting shot.
"That said, three men lost their lives on the streets of Greater Manchester due to gun crime last year which is three too many and we know that our work must continue to intensify to reduce these incidents further.
"The vast majority of incidents are targeted and are not a threat to the wider public, but that does not reduce the level of fear and anxiety they feel when acts of gun violence occur in their community and we have a duty to ensure that the public remain safe - each of these guns recovered is another potentially lethal incident stopped.
"Our focus remains on taking strong action against those in society who brazenly involve themselves in the use, trade and criminal conversion of firearms in Greater Manchester and we will ensure that those we suspect of having such involvement will face prosecution and be taken from our streets."
Anyone with concerns or information about suspicious activity should report it to police online, if able, at www.gmp.police.uk or via 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.
Details can be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The foreign policy of a state can be defined as courses of actions that a state usually undertakes in its efforts to carry out national objectives beyond the limits of its own jurisdiction. Every state, regardless of size or sphere of influence, incorporates a foreign policy to advance national interest. In the context of Bangladesh, the dominance of national interest in the formulation of foreign policy is especially prevalent. Traditionally, the main objectives of the foreign policy of Bangladesh have been self-preservation, maintenance of territorial integrity, economic advancement and augmentation of national power. Past history in foreign policy has shown the need for a dynamic and proactive model of diplomacy. The foreign policy of Bangladesh needs to be reflective of the times and energy of the nation’s people in order to improve the quality of their livelihood.
The decision-making process should invariably take into account the changing realities, both in the domestic and international scenes. Bangladesh requires a foreign policy that can actively and promptly respond to the challenges of the 21st century including poverty, terrorism, food and energy security, education, population, health, human rights, social justice, environmental degradation and disaster management. Such expanded activities would serve to broaden the scope for bilateral and multilateral relations of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh occupies a strategic position as a land bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia and a trade corridor for landlocked countries like Nepal and Bhutan and the seven states of India’s northeast. It must therefore be strong enough to dominate its environment or risk becoming the victim of external threats, traditional or non-traditional.
Its security is also linked with the rivers flowing from the Himalayan belt on whose waters its survival depends. Although the geopolitical realities of Bangladesh portend various challenges, its strategic position and the economic rise of India can be utilized to providing transit rights to her South Asian neighbors, with the goal of becoming a regional economic hub.
Ever since achieving independence in 1971, the nature and substance of Bangladesh foreign policy has undergone comprehensive changes. The impact of globalization on Bangladesh, largely resulting from changes in information, communications and transport technologies as well as international laws and practices governing trade, commerce and investment, has had a profound impact on Bangladesh’s foreign relations and the conduct of its foreign policy.
Bangladesh's reform and opening up of the media, cable television, and rapid expansion of the cellular phone networks with a subscriber base of over 79 million and technological improvements constituted significant positive developments, as have developments in the pharmaceutical, textile and readymade garments (RMG) sectors.
Initiatives have been taken to combat corruption, undertake regulatory reforms and improve the business climate in the country. In the past two decades, with its involvement in the readymade garments industry and other export sectors, Bangladesh has become an attractive destination for trade and investment due to its excellent foreign investment opportunities.
Its substantial human resources, large amount of remittances from Bangladesh migrants working abroad, proactive civil society, the many achievements of its widespread human development program, its vast network of NGOs, and a rapidly expanding private sector, make Bangladesh a country with an extremely bright future. This has been the view of Goldman Sachs and many other financial institutions in the West.
However, Bangladesh’s economic and social potential will not be fully utilized unless a number of key foreign policy challenges are effectively addressed.
While some strong steps have been taken to counter terrorism, much needs to be done to stem the rise in religious intolerance and other forms of extremism. A major diplomatic initiative needs to be undertaken to improve cooperation with SAARC, ASEAN, OIC and the Gulf countries. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself has taken a deep interest in combating terrorism.
This was evident in February 2009, when the government enacted the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2009 and Anti-Terrorism Act 2009. However, the government has yet to adopt a comprehensive national counter-terrorism strategy, or join the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units. Therefore, it is very important for the government to seek international cooperation in combating terrorism and terrorist financing at home and in the region.
The maintenance of harmonious relationships between Bangladesh and its neighbors, particularly India, is an imperative component of Bangladesh’s foreign policy. Inequitable distribution of resources, mistrust and misunderstandings have long plagued cooperation on contentious but critical issues. Greater emphasis needs to be placed on Track II and III diplomacy as civil society and people to people contacts may play an important role in creating harmony in India-Bangladesh relationship, which has traditionally been a source of frustration for citizens of both nations.
Some important initiatives need to be taken to improve the business and investment climate in the Bangladesh. In particular, we need to reform the existing foreign exchange regulations, in line with some of our neighbors in the region, most notably India, which could help in doubling our exports within the next two years. It is also important to improve the infrastructure in the country, not simply the supply and availability of gas and power, which of course remains of critical importance, but also the efficiency of Chittagong port, our road and railway systems and solve the ever-expanding traffic problems. Perhaps most important of all, is the need for a highly efficient, private sector- minded bureaucracy.
If domestic responses are not sufficient to effectively mitigate these issues, they may be addressed through foreign policy initiatives. Greater multilateral undertakings to improve the transport infrastructure, particularly with South Asian nations, may provide the impetus to improve the state of road, rail and maritime transport in Bangladesh.
A third major challenge is in the area of finding jobs for Bangladeshis overseas and simultaneously building a healthy and productive relationship with the Bangladeshi Diaspora all over the world.
Sensibly managed, exploitation-free movement of our workers, including in some cases permanent migration, will remain important for Bangladesh in the years ahead, given the important contribution of remittances to the growth and development of Bangladesh.
Recent studies have shown that in the next five years Bangladesh’s remittances can increase to 30 billion US dollars. If this is to be achieved then much more importance has to be given to leveraging the Bangladeshi Diaspora.
Both in the areas of attracting investment, leveraging knowledge and mobilizing the Diaspora to influence positive changes in the countries where they have moved to and also in the case of their country of origin, they can and should be encouraged to be much more proactive.
In order to drastically reduce poverty throughout the country, and become a middle-income country by 2021, Bangladesh must address these three major challenges. It is these three priority areas that must also drive the foreign policy and foreign relations of Bangladesh in the 21st century in general and during the next decade in particular. The country’s foreign relations and foreign policy will have to be seriously revamped, and it is here that the pivotal role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and the missions abroad must be given much greater importance than has been the case during the past four decades.
Despite the existence of major challenges, Bangladesh’s foreign policy portends great opportunities, both in the form of reaping greater benefits from current initiatives and also from undertaking innovative diplomacy in traditionally ignored regions of the world.
The RMG sector is the mainstay of the economy and accounts for more than 75% of Bangladesh’s exports. Thus concerted foreign policy and advocacy initiatives must be undertaken to get a bill through the US Congress to extend duty free access for all Least Developed Countries (LDCs) for their RMG exports. This is especially important since the United States allows duty and quota free access to all LDCs except those in Asia, whereas all other developed countries, as well as some developing countries, have extended duty free benefit to all LDCs without any exception.
Bangladesh’s diplomacy should be effectively geared towards improving Bangladesh’s image in international markets. Its focus should lie in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), particularly for the infrastructure and energy sectors. Since access to reliable power is of prime concern for most manufacturing firms in Bangladesh, a comprehensive effort must be undertaken to accelerate the process of energy cooperation in South Asia, obtaining support for nuclear energy plants and securing foreign assistance to develop efficient and renewable energy technologies.
Despite sharing a common history, culture and ethnic roots, South Asia has been a region plagued by conflicts and remains one of the least integrated regions in the world. Bangladesh, as a non-partisan, non-aligned nation can play a key role in mitigating long-standing conflicts, facilitate confidence building measures and sensitize the notion of common security and conflict avoidance in multinational platforms such as SAARC and BIMSTEC. Elongated peace and stability in the region is the panacea from SAARC becoming a forum of regional discussion rather than an architect of regional economic policy.
As one of the founding members, Bangladesh must once again play a pivotal role in influencing the regional powerhouse India to engender SAARC as a dynamic medium of the globalized economy. As such, Bangladesh’s foreign policy should continue to focus on strengthening SAARC as a platform for peace and prosperity in the region. Apart from SAARC, energy cooperation in the region and realizing the aims of the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) requires a strong and sustained effort on the part of all the member states and also pressure and support from the private sector, civil society and the media throughout the region.
Remittances from economic migrants play a critical role in the Bangladeshi economy. In August 2011 Bangladesh received $1,078.15 million in remittance from migrant workers, which is an 11.85 % increase in remittance from the same period a year ago. MoFA and other relevant ministries should focus on boosting foreign remittances and attracting tangible and intangible investment from the Bangladeshi diaspora. The export of human resources to the Middle East and South East Asia creates a unique opportunity not only of manpower export but also of creating multi-pronged bilateral relations with the labor importing nations. If Bangladesh wants to increase its manpower exports, whether to countries in East Asia or the Middle East, it must think beyond the realm of manpower export and bilateral relations should cover trade and investment where possible, as well as training, orientation and assistance of migrants. Bangladesh currently has diplomatic missions in only around 46 countries. More importantly, Bangladesh does not have any diplomatic missions in South America and only around three missions in the vast and economically dynamic continent of Africa. Although recent initiatives have been undertaken by MoFA to open 19 diplomatic missions in these two continents, these developments must be properly administered, funded and effectively implemented. The rising economic powerhouses in South America, especially Mexico, Brazil and the resource rich countries of Venezuela and Colombia offer opportunities of bilateral cooperation in economic trade and development, which would remain unexplored in the face of an inadequate or non-existent foreign policy. Bangladesh is also lagging behind the regional powerhouses of India and China in establishing strong diplomatic relations in Africa. A young population and a vast array of resources have made Africa the new destination for foreign investment, and Bangladesh should expand its missions in Africa to endorse trade and economic relations. Special attention should also be given to the Nordic countries, and, Central Asia. The Nordic countries have been outstanding proponents of regional cooperation on technology, research and innovation. Nordic cooperation has led to Nokia, a Finnish company, to be one of the foremost mobile technology companies in the world. This shared vision makes Nordic countries an attractive option to establish bilateral relations in the context of technology and innovation. The Nordic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) has been established in Bangladesh to facilitate Nordic investment as well as to raise awareness of Nordic technology solutions in commerce and industry. Such initiatives should not be one way. Bangladesh must incorporate effective programs of technology sharing under its foreign services akin to the Indian Technical and Cooperation Program undertaken by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. Such programs should have a commercial focus with the view of mutually beneficial technological initiatives as well as utilizing the local mobile phone subscriber base of 79 million to attract FDI. Active diplomacy is also required to intensify our relations with key countries and groupings, including the US, UK, France, Germany, the European Union, Russia, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, India, the member states of ASEAN, in particular Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Myanmar, and Australia, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states and Turkey. Bangladesh’s economic, social and political development is heavily dependent on its ability to address challenges and exploit opportunities pertaining to foreign policy. In order for this to be achieved, the country’s foreign relations and foreign policy would have to be fundamentally restructured. For this, the role of MoFA and the overseas diplomatic missions is crucial. Substantial investment must be made in upgrading the selection and training of Foreign Service officers, with special attention given to language, region and subject specialization, information technology, global security and social skills. Greater funding must be allocated to MoFA which should take a rational approach to distributing resources to diplomatic missions abroad. The whole of the Foreign Service should be doubled in size with a cadre of at least 600 professional diplomats. Globalization has rendered all fields, including the field of diplomacy to be extremely competitive. If the above mentioned challenges and opportunities are not accounted for, Bangladesh risks falling behind other nations in the competition of exporting labor, attracting FDI and getting elected to key international bodies. Since the economic development of our nation is contingent upon the effectiveness of our foreign policy, immediate action needs to be taken to revamp our foreign policy and expand and buttress our diplomatic missions. Farooq Sobhan is President of the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) and a former Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh.
The writer is a former secretary to the Government of Bangladesh
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Independent Photos theindependentbd.com/components/com_gk3_photoslide/thumbs...
Workers are sorting out potatoes at a cold storage
Dhaka: Workers are sorting out potatoes at a cold storage at Sirajdikhan in Munshiganj on Thursday. Photo: Nabiulla Nabi See details
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Ban Ki-moon at a Special Convocation
DHAKA: President Md Zillur Rahman presenting a crest to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at a Special Convocation of the university on Tuesday. DU VC AAMS Arefin Siddique is also seen. PHOTO: NAYEM AHMED JULHAS See details
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FERRIES FACING SHOALS
MANIKGANJ: Shoals on Paturia-Daulatdia route in the Padma hampering navigability and for that reason two ferries cannot ply there together. The picture was taken from near Daulatdia ghat. PHOTO: MIZANUR RAHMAN KHAN See details
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BACK TO THE CAPITAL
DHAKA: People are returning to the city after the Eid holidays. PHOTO: NABIULLA NABI See details
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DEFYING RIVERINE DANGERS
DHAKA: Two launches leave Sadarghat launch terminal on Friday with home-going city dwellerseager to celebrate Eid with their relatives. PHOTO: TARIF RAHMAN See details
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Airport Rail Station
DHAKA: People trying to avail a train to go to their village homes to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha there with their dear and near ones. The picture was taken at Airport Rail Station in the city on Friday. PHOTO: NAYEM AHMED JULHAS See details
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Agitated people on Wednesday set fire to a train
NARASINGDI: Agitated people on Wednesday set fire to a train after the killing of the local mayor, Lokman Hossain. Independent photo See details
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The children’s park at English Road
DHAKA: The children’s park at English Road in the city has become a waste dumping place. The picture was taken on Tuesday. Photo: Tarif Rahman See details
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Cattle markets in the city
DHAKA: Cattle markets in the city began to do business as the Eid-ul-Azha is almost knocking at the door. The picture was taken at Gabtali on Tuesday. Photo: Mizanur Rahman Khan See details
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Photos courtesy of Missouri City
A new LED message sign, monument wall and landscaping now grace the entrance of City Hall.
Missouri City’s Successes Shine Bright in 2012
Missouri City continued its march of excellence in 2012 with an array of successful fiscal, civic, business and public safety accomplishments that kept the “Show Me City” on the list of the state’s and the nation’s premier municipalities.
Safe streets, best budgets, thriving companies, dynamic diversity, pristine parks and A-plus amenities remain hallmarks of the City, and have an impact on its infrastructure projects and retail and commercial sectors.
Showcasing the richness of our cultural, educational and economic strengths, a groundbreaking Rice University study this year found Missouri City has surpassed Houston in diversity.
“Our diversity brings different ideas and traditions to the table, and we are united in the direction of our community’s future,” said City Manager Edward Broussard. “With 20 parks, two championship golf courses, first-class amenities and rich historical traditions, we encourage everyone to discover Missouri City.”
City Council continued to provide strong leadership for citizens and staff in 2012. From left are Councilmember Don Smith, District B, Councilmember Bobby Marshall, District A, Mayor Pro Tem Jerry Wyatt, At Large Position 1, Mayor Allen Owen, Councilmember Danny Nguyen, At Large Position 2, Councilmember Floyd Emery, District D, and Councilmember Robin Elackatt, District C.
Additionally, MONEY Magazine and CNNMoney named Missouri City one of 2012’s Top 10 Most Affordable Cities in the nation for homebuyers and “we are steadfast in our commitment to remain a premier location with scenic neighborhoods, low crime, top-rated schools and expanded quality recreational opportunities,” Broussard said.
And, when it comes to living healthy lifestyles; citizens are up to the challenge. Residents and staff formed a winning partnership this year to earn a second place honor in the Healthy at H-E-B Challenge, a statewide initiative aimed at getting Texans to become active and stay fit.
Another recreational accolade was earned by the award-winning Quail Valley Golf Course, which has hosted record rounds again this year. Avid Golfer ranked the El Dorado fairway as the No. 1 “Best Value Under $50”, and No. 2 among courses in the category of “Top-5 Intermediate-Priced • $36-$50”. And, the magazine ranked the La Quinta greens No. 2 among courses in the category of “Top-5 Value-Priced • $36-$50”.
QVGC is also now the third location for the First Tee of Greater Houston, a youth development program that teaches life lessons such as the importance of honesty, sportsmanship, perseverance, responsibility and judgment.
“We all know that Missouri City is a special place and these honors reinforce what those of us who live here know,” said Mayor Allen Owen. “As we move forward, our synergistic relationship with our families and business partners will continue to make Missouri City one of the best cities in America.”
Fiscal Fitness
Strong fiscal management earned the city a Double A rating for its general obligation bonds and certificates of obligation, a high rank based on sound budget policies and procedures that give the City a bright financial outlook for the future.
For more than 25 years, the City Budget and the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report have been recognized annually by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for their detail on City services and programs and the City’s financial condition. And, for the second year in a row Missouri City has earned a “Gold Star” award for financial transparency and online reporting from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.
Maintaining fiscal excellence is a top priority for the City, with all departments focused on the effective and efficient management of financial resources.
A police officer, left, shares safety information with a resident. Firefighters, at right, perform a vehicle extrication demonstration.
Protecting the Public
Proactive public safety programs protect, educate and engage citizens, often providing a glimpse into the work of our first responders who put their lives on the line to keep us safe.
In 2012, the Missouri City Police Department hosted a series of safety seminars, including a citywide crime prevention meeting, ensuring citizens are prepared to safeguard their families and property.
And, this year brought a significant first for the Fire & Rescue Services as they hosted their inaugural annual open house. Hundreds visited Fire Station 1 and experienced how to handle a fire hose, learned about life-saving equipment, watched a vehicle extrication demonstration, toured the firehouse and practiced fire exit drills.
Another highlight was the graduation of the 26th Annual Missouri City Police and Fire Academy. This year’s class of 27 is now qualified to join the Police and Fire Auxiliary and Citizen’s Response Team after completing a free six-week training program that took them “behind-the-scenes”. The residents learned about traffic and criminal law, CPR, firearms, and the dangers associated with fighting fires and solving crimes.
The importance of Missouri City’s public safety investment in commercial areas also is demonstrated via the new Police Mini-Station on Texas Parkway. The station serves as a daily reminder to citizens that the City is dedicated to keeping them and their businesses safe.
Business is Booming
Continuing to build a sustainable business base is critical to future growth and development.
This year, Missouri City’s commitment to private-public partnerships was recognized with the prestigious 2012 Community Economic Development Award from the Texas Economic Development Council. The “Show Me City” won the distinction for its successful bid to attract Niagara Bottling Company, the second largest water bottling firm in the United States.
In making its decision, TEDC cited Missouri City’s “team effort” in partnering with the Greater Houston Partnership, the Fort Bend Economic Development Council, Fort Bend County, CenterPoint Energy Economic Development Group and Water Control and Improvement District No. 2 to interest Niagara in opening its doors in Lakeview Business Park, located near Fondren Road and Sam Houston Parkway.
The plant is expected to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2013. When complete, it will encompass more than 356,000 square feet, with water processing, bottle manufacturing, warehousing and a distribution facility.
A few miles away in the Beltway Crossing Complex on South Gessner Road, another major company is preparing to open its doors. Ben E. Keith Foods will complete the first phase of its 500,000-square-foot facility in the first quarter of 2013. When complete, the company, which was honored in 2012 by having Beltway Road renamed Ben E. Keith Way, will be the City’s largest employer.
Other new companies choosing to locate here during the past 12 months include Twin Star Bakery, Southwest Electronic Energy Corp., Fort Bend Brewing Company, Warren Alloy/Allied Fittings, Stream Realty and Bimbo Bakeries USA.
And, to create an ongoing dialogue with the business community, the City has launched Business Briefing Breakfasts. These monthly meetings focus on economic growth and development and are hosted in the City Centre at Quail Valley. For more information on the breakfasts, call 281.403.8530.
Infrastructure Improvements
Infrastructure improvements were a priority citywide. A major accomplishment was the official opening of the City’s new $50 million Regional Water Treatment Plant, the largest capital improvement project ever undertaken by the “Show Me City”. The project was the result of an unprecedented level of cooperation among 40 government and private sector groups.
The facility, which has the capacity to store 100 million gallons of water, was built to meet regulations set by the Fort Bend Subsidence District, which mandates that groundwater withdrawals must be no more than 70 percent of total water demand by Jan. 1, 2014. By January of 2025, withdrawals must be reduced to no more than 40 percent of water demand.
During a grand opening ceremony for the plant in August, partners raised their glasses—filled with water processed at the facility. Plant engineers say the quality of the refined water should exceed that of the groundwater residents currently drink with 33 types of tests conducted each day to ensure the water is safe to use. And, in recognition of its excellence, the RWTP won the Texas Public Works Association’s Project of the Year Award for “Environmental Projects at least $25 million but less than $75 million”.
Other infrastructure upgrades completed citywide include:
*Raised medians constructions on Highway 6 and Texas Parkway. The Texas Department of Transportation managed these mobility projects that improved safety for motorists and pedestrians. The projects included the installation of new traffic signals and six Dynamic Messages Signs along Highway 6, and the installation of new turn lanes along both roadways.
*Implementation of the $2.8 million Intelligent Transportation System to help synchronize traffic signals and manage traffic flow citywide.
*A showcase Missouri City monument wall was added to the entrance of the City Hall Complex, which has been revitalized with the addition of a new LED sign and landscaping. The monument wall is the latest of several new ones that now grace major thoroughfares helping to brand and beautify the area.
*Next year, Lexington Boulevard will be extended. Plans call for a decorative traffic signal at Texas Parkway, a four-lane boulevard roadway with sidewalks from Texas Parkway to Scanlin Road, as well as drainage structures. Fort Bend County has agreed to pay all costs of the $3.3 million project through the Fort Bend Mobility Bond program.
Other key infrastructure improvements include the reconstruction of El Dorado Bridge, the installment of flashing yellow arrows along major roadways and the construction of Fire Station #5, which is being fully funded by the Sienna Plantation Municipal Utility District. The station is expected to open in late 2013.
Another mobility milestone involves the METRO Park & Ride stop located in the Fort Bend Town Center at Fort Bend Parkway and Highway 6. Ridership on the service is steadily increasing, providing convenient, stress-free commutes to and from the Texas Medical Center and Houston’s central business district for hundreds of residents.
Pristine Parks
City Council followed through on its commitment to citizens that construction of the City Centre at Quail Valley and the Recreation and Tennis Center would be completed this year.
Since Missouri City’s new first-class amenities opened their doors, they have received rave reviews.
Missouri City’s premier City Centre at Quail Valley can host all of your special events.
As Fort Bend County’s premier events venue, the City Centre at Quail Valley, located at 2880 La Quinta Dr., has hosted dozens of festive occasions including weddings, business meetings, birthday parties, tournaments like the 2012 Fort Bend Chamber Challenge and an official ribbon-cutting ceremony.
To plan and schedule a function, individuals and businesses can call 281-403-8517.
Missouri City’s first-class Recreation and Tennis Center can help you stay fit with lots of fun activities.
The state-of-the-art Recreation and Tennis Center, located at 2701 Cypress Point Dr., continues to draw new members and has hosted tennis tournaments for local and regional organizations.
The Center, which was featured in the August edition of Athletic Business, has a Kid Zone, a full-size gymnasium, multi-purpose rooms, tennis courts, batting cages, the latest cardio and weight equipment, an outdoor walking trail and tennis clinics. To join, visit the City website: www.missouricitytx.gov or call 281-403-8637.
Many distinctions set Missouri City apart from other municipalities, and the City’s pristine parks are among the area’s best.
The Edible Arbor Trail, which features groves of trees and shrubs that produce edible fruits and nuts, remains a favorite. It was recognized as an innovative project this year by the Texas Recreation and Parks Society and received an Honorable Mention for “On-the-Ground Projects” from the Houston-Galveston Area Council. The trail was also featured on Ch. 13’s Hometown Live Report.
Another parks project that has been popular is the expansion of Oyster Creek Trail. The 2.31 mile pathway, an outdoor haven for residents who enjoy a scenic hike, bike, walk or jog, underwent a revitalization that added a paved bike and pedestrian trail along Oyster Creek Bayou between Dulles Avenue and Cartwright Road.
Improvements made to the Cartwright Road Bridge extended Oyster Creek Trail under the bridge and connected it to the existing trail south of Cartwright Road.
Scenes from the Snowfest Festival, left, and from National Night Out, right. Below, MCJCF founding board members kickoff the group’s golden anniversary at a VIP Reception. Pictured from left, are Michael Mouton, Councilman Don Smith, who is Founder and Chairman, Sonja Thornton, Pamela Poole, Charles Swindell and Derrick Woods.
Treasured Traditions
Annual traditions build lasting bonds citywide and this year, these successful events helped form a strong sense of civic pride:
* The 29th Annual Snowfest Festival drew more than 5,000 to the City Hall Complex and featured a tree-lighting ceremony, colorful fireworks, bicycle raffles, the world’s tallest snowman bounce house, a snow hill, a toy drive and Santa! And, the Snowfest Parade drew hundreds and featured colorful floats, local bands, community groups and trailers decorated in holiday themes.
*The July 4th Festival was a fantastic celebration in Buffalo Run Park full of fun and fireworks. Thousands of families gathered to see the sky light up with color at dusk. Children also enjoyed a moonwalk, a rock wall, and a mechanical bull.
*The Fourth Annual “Operation Thanksgiving—Stuff the Squad Car!” put the unity in community as “Show Me City” citizens, businesses and staff partnered to fill 15 police patrol cars with canned and nonperishable food items to assist area families in need. The Second Mile Mission Center, Bethel Ministry and the Powerhouse of Love Food Bank benefitted from this benevolent event.
*The Missouri City Juneteenth Celebration Foundation commemorated its 10th Anniversary with a focus on families and their core contributions to our communities. At the Community Service Awards Gala tribute, retired NBA star Charlie Ward was the guest speaker. Other special celebrations were the Scholarship Golf Tournament, Family Fun Day in the Park and Night Out, Festival Under the Stars and the One Mile of Smiles Parade.
*And, neighborhoods across Missouri City held National Night Out block parties featuring good food, fellowship and fun on the 29th annual observance of the crime prevention initiative. NNO helps neighbors get to know each other and to partner with police officers, firefighters, City Council and staff to discuss and implement measures that help combat crime.
A Bright Future
In 2012, professionals in all departments honorably represented the City with pride and were recognized by their peers in the region, in the state and across the nation. They include:
*Police Officer of the Year Jessica Berry
*Firefighter of the Year Michael Jaster
*Recreation Superintendent Shane Mize, who won the 2012 National Recreation and Park Association Rising Professional Award
*Director of Municipal Court Services Cathy Haney, who is the Texas Court Clerks Association’s 2012 Gulf Coast Chapter Clerk of the Year
*Street Technician II Lyford “Nickey” Hayes, who was recognized as Operator of the Year—Heavy Equipment by the American Public Works Association
*City Secretary Maria Gonzalez, who became President of the Salt Grass Chapter of the Texas Municipal Clerks Association, Inc.
*The Communications Team won the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers’ Silver Star for Electronic Report, the Texas Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors’ second place award for Best Use of Web, the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors’ third place award for the video “Bob on Biz—LEED Certified Building”, and the group’s honorable mention award for the “Show Me Missouri City TV Website”.
*The Information Technology Team managed the installation of the Tyler Technologies Enterprise Resource Planning suite of software. It includes efficiency programs for accounting, payroll, human resources, document management, mapping, permits, licenses and code enforcement.
In 2013, Missouri City will continue to provide citizens with excellent programs and services. A committed City Council and award-winning staff will progressively move forward into the future, ensuring the “Show Me City’s” ongoing success.
Residents are encouraged to stay informed through the City’s websites: www.missouricitytx.gov and www.missouricityready.com, the “Show Me Missouri City” citizen newsletter, regular and annual homeowner association meetings, Missouri City television (Ch. 16 on Comcast and Ch. 99 on AT&T U-verse) and 1690 AM.
Families and visitors are invited to have breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner at the City Centre and to maintain a focus on fitness at the Recreation and Tennis Center. And, to make those memorable moments in life even more special, citizens should plan to host their celebrations in one of the City Centre’s elegant rooms—the magnificent Magnolia Ballroom, the amazing Azalea Room or the beautiful Bluebonnet Grille.
Schedule your next tee time at the championship Quail Valley Golf Course.
And, golfers can always enjoy a great game at the renowned Quail Valley Golf Course. For greens fees, visit www.golfquailvalley.com or call 281.403.5910.
As the City partners with the community to start a New Year together; high-standards will continue to be set and met in the “Show Me City”.
Yesterday (Monday 8 November) officers from GMP's Bury Neighbourhood Policing Team, alongside Bury community safety partners and other agencies launched Operation Saturn - a multi-agency proactive response aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour and other crimes across the district.
The launch follows a recent increase in anti-social behaviour and crime involving young people across the district, including a series of knife point robberies in Bury town centre and a violent disorder at Radcliffe Metrolink station last month, both of which resulted in arrests.
The high-visibility operation will see neighbourhood and specialist officers working closely alongside partners and community stakeholders including youth services and TFGM staff to target specific hotspot areas of ASB & crime across the district.
The operation launched yesterday on the Central Neighbourhood and focused on Bury town centre, Bury East, Redvales and Moorside areas including the Bury transport interchange.
Chief Superintendent Chris Hill of GMP's Bury District said: "Operation Saturn is about getting back to basics and working with partners and communities in the right place and the right time to really make a difference.
"This is about high visibility and getting officers out onto the streets to listen to what our communities have to say and to help provide that protective and reassuring presence. It's also about sending a message to offenders that GMP is here and we will take action wherever it's needed to bring this type of offending right down.
"Yesterday's launch was a really positive step in our commitment to protecting our community and I very much look forward to seeing how this develops and improves over time."
Chief Inspector Jamie Collins of GMP's Bury district said: "The feedback from the Bury communities is that they don’t see enough neighbourhood officers policing there areas."
"Operation Saturn is about putting high visibility uniformed officers into the areas of concern and is just one of the positive steps forward in our pledge to prevent and reduce crime, harm and ASB.
"This operation goes back to the basics of policing and focuses on the importance of high-visibility patrols on our streets and ensuring we are engaging with members of the community, to both understand their concerns for the area and also offer advice and tips of how best to stay keep safe from harm.
"Our communities expect to see us on foot across the district and in their neighbourhoods and we are committed to making this a normality and making our Borough a safe and welcoming place to live."
Bury Council’s cabinet member for communities Councillor Richard Gold said: "We know there have been increasing concerns from residents about anti-social behaviour and it's important that residents feel safe and secure when they're out and about in their own homes. This initiative is great because will help to target those hot spot locations, and with lots of visible officers, will help in the overall fight against anti-social behaviour.
"Seeing more police out on the streets is definitely the way forward and very much helps with community reassurance and I look forward to seeing regular repeat operations of this kind in the area."
Welcome to another transcript of the very inspiring interview with Matt Humphries, Head of Design at Morgan Motor Company as he shares his journey on how he maximised his potential by becoming one of the most respected automotive design engineers in the industry.
Kevin: Welcome to Maximise Potential the podcast to educate and motivate through a range of original interviews designed to help you maximise your potential.
Welcome to the first Maximise Potential podcast of 2011. Morgan Motor Company is Britain’s sole surviving car manufacturer yet far from just surviving the car is currently experiencing one of its most successful ever commercial periods and is being increasingly seen as one of Britain’s global success stories. I recently recorded this four part interview series at the Morgan Factory in Malvern with key personnel from the company starting off with Morgan’s Head of Design Matthew Humphries. I interviewed Matt because of the way due to his innovative and proactive personality he became Head of Design for Morgan whilst also rapidly becoming one of the most respective automotive design engineers in the industry.
So Matt I have got to start with the main question which is how does someone go from an undergraduate who is doing a work experience project with Morgan to now being Head of Design for the company launching your own car the EvaGT within America just within a few short years? I mean that is a hell of a story to tell so go on please share it.
Matt: Well I mean it all started when I was on work placement. I like all my other peers at Coventry University were asked to send folios off to different companies and I thought well why not send it somewhere different so I sent it to Morgan. Luckily Charles Morgan picked my folio up, he loved the type of, the way I designed and the type of drawings I was doing. I came in a work placement. I designed the Aeromax and then actually went back to University. And then in September I popped back in to see a couple of the chaps who were at the factory, some of the guys and girls that I had met and made friends with and one of the guys said well come round the back of the factory and I have got to show you something. So I went into this little shed out the back of the factory and there was sat my little clay model which I had made and they had started to scale it up in to the full size car. So from that point on I used to come down here in the mornings to Morgan back up to University in the afternoon when my friends were just getting up and just having a cup of coffee and then we launched the first pre production concept car at Geneva 2005.
It was all, it was grasping the opportunity and saying okay yep we can build a car we can do this between us and it was a very small team that did it. So we did that and then I went back to University finished my degree off and ended up starting as the well Chief Designer when I left Uni in the September.
Kevin: I mean what is phenomenal about this story is the fact that you have literally created this department within Morgan. Morgan did not have this before did they?
Matt: No I mean the challenge was, for me was actually to set up a design capability within the company. I was on a KTP scheme with the government and the point of it was to establish design capability to be able to go from a sketch all the way through to a final model that you could take into the engineering department and finish off as a production car. So for me the challenge has been setting up and actually getting an old traditional company to understand that having aesthetics and design can vastly improve the time capability you can come up with something and the end product is 50 times better because the old fashioned way of doing things here was to literally knock something up in one of the sheds bring it out and the Directors standing around and go oh I don’t like this bit, I don’t like that bit. And now we are able to sketch something out in ten minutes, draw it up so it looks like it is semi realistic, give them five different options. From that you do get a more refined and actually an aesthetically pleasing product as well.
Kevin: How do people react to your approach here? I mean obviously you were shifting the boundaries a hell of a long way from what they had been used to for coming up for a hundred years.
Matt: Well I mean it was just a challenge walking through the workshop when I first started. Seeing some short guy with long blonde hair walking through the factory was, I used to get wolf whistled every time I walked through that place. But no I mean it was, I mean here it is one of those places you have to earn the respect of everyone around you to be able to get on. And it was a real challenge for me coming from that student at University all of a sudden I am thrown in here into a factory environment. It was a case of actually going around and making sure I listened to every single person that was involved in those products. To go into the guys in the workshop, go into the tin shop, say to the chaps okay hang on a minute how would you do this if you were doing it what is your suggestion. And as soon as you had that buy in from that, that sort of mutual respect has come because obviously I understand you know how hard their jobs are and the skills that they have that are involved in doing it.
Kevin: Well this is something that I was going to touch on because I have been fortunate enough to have a lovely in depth tour around the Morgan Plant and what I have noticed is and I said this to a couple of the members of your team everybody is a craftsman here. And that’s what I think; I mean it must be very interesting from your perspective that you are actually getting a real craftsman’s view on absolutely everything and all the elements that you are bringing to the table.
Matt: Yeah I mean that is the nice thing so now we have got this, what we see is a really beautiful mixture of craftsmanship, technology and aesthetic design all mixed in there. The nice thing is that in actual fact all Morgan’s are all based around this concept of functionality. And what we can do now is we can have these craftsmanship skills, these wooden you know forms that have been handcrafted by someone but give them an aesthetic twist. By doing that you end up with something that is beautifully functional but it is the functionality which makes it aesthetically pleasing. So within the Aeromax you expose the wooden frame and then you stretch the aluminium over the top. And it is those forms the aluminium naturally lies in is actually probably the best solution to it anyway. And that is how all Morgan design philosophy comes around.
Kevin: I think that is what we are touching on to now which is the influence that you are bringing on to Morgan which probably leads me nicely into my next question which was very much taking a brand perception from a very traditional historical GB brand to something that really is pushing out innovation, design boundaries or that is how it looks from an aesthetic perspective and it will be interesting to get your take on that because I know that you consider the two concepts aren’t actually that far removed although when you look at them cars that you are bringing to the table now look incredibly different in some regards to what they were before.
Matt: I think that is partly brand perception. I think the point of every single Morgan is that you can sit a classic car next to a EvaGT, you can open the doors and you will see a wooden frame in there. You will see true real materials. You will see leather, wood, aluminium. It is those DNA qualities that mean that you can sit both cars together and they are truly Morgan and they could only be Morgan. The classic car has had this bad perception of, well I would say it is bad, but of this you know pipe smoking old man for many years. But actually I think Morgan’s are, you know the classic ones are fantastically interesting and very individual and if you take them as a bespoke individual product and think of it more like a tailored suit, think about tailoring it never goes out of fashion. Okay you get someone like Oswald Botang come in and he will storm his way into a very traditional Saville Row, he will bring new designs and new elements of design to it but at the end of the day he is still tailoring, still making a crafted product there and I think it is all to do with brand perception. So we take a Morgan with all the glitz and all the chrome bits on it strip it right down, make it a pure simple sports car again, put it in some interesting colours and natural leathers and you have a very cool simple but British tailored product. And that is the Morgan DNA. The Morgan DNA is about real materials. It is about mixing craftsmanship, technology and aesthetically pleasing design all together to give this functional real sports car.
Kevin: And how far do you think you can keep pushing this grand perception and keep broadening it and keep if you like introducing new touches, new ideas and a new audience to the Morgan brand. How far could you go with this?
Matt: Well a good example of how far we are pushing it is this weekend we are going to, we are doing the Lord Mayor’s Parade and we have got quite a controversial artist he is going to hand paint a Morgan as he drives through London. It is pushing the boundaries; he is actually calling it ‘The Sacrifice of the Morgan’. This thing is opening up to a completely new marketplace and making Morgan something to look at and watch out for instead of just going ah that is Morgan they have always made those things. Now we are stamping the ground and going now we are doing some bold new things here come on everyone wake up and watch us.
Kevin: I think what is lovely to hear and I know for a fact that this is going to come over on the audio as well is the passion enthusiasm and the energy that you are speaking about this. I mean you are absolutely loving it. It is like speaking to you know someone who has come down on Christmas Day and opening up their presents. But I mean how much fun is this for you?
Matt: It is a great challenge, it is brilliant. I mean that is part of the point that is that if you can’t challenge things like that all the time and constantly change people’s opinions then I don’t think you are designing properly. So I think it is not just about, it is not for me just about sketching new cars out it is also about the whole brand behind it and it is about building something and changing people’s opinions all the time by one changing the design and secondly putting it in different places, exposing it to new people.
Kevin: I love that line that you have just used about changing people’s perceptions. Is that what drives you all the time?
Matt: My drive is that I am never content. I constantly have to change things. You know a vintage sports car that I have always dreamed after within six months I became oh this bit isn’t quite right; oh that bit isn’t quite right. Even when we did the Aeromax you know or the EvaGT I am constantly changing things I am never happy with what that final piece is. You get to the point in the design process you have to swipe the pen down and go that is it we are going with that one. But I know within six months I will be back and I will be changing my mind and I won’t be happy with this but I think that is good because I am constantly challenged to strive forward and keep on moving things in a new direction.
Kevin: Absolutely and speaking of driving things in a new direction whereabouts do you get your ideas from I mean because it is a big wide world out there but you are bringing some lovely creative flare into the Morgan’s you are designing where does that come from?
Matt: I think you just have to keep your eyes, as a designer you have to keep them as open as possible. I mean I look at everything from fashion, music; I go on countless blogs and different things on the internet, constantly hunting down new trends across the world. I have been to some crazy car trends that are happening out in San Francisco and California at the moment that okay that is a car trend but then also I will relate that back to fashion. I will look at advertising that is going on within the world. If you can just pick different things from different elements that actually just the bits that you like put those in a big pile, keep them in the back of your head, and then when you are coming down to designing a new product or thinking up a new marketing campaign something will pop out and you will go that’s what I am saying that is what I remembered it for that is where I it is going next.
Kevin: It is funny that is what I noticed from your office because on your office you have literally got just swatches of all sorts of stuff just pinned up on walls and it looks like a real scrapbook.
Matt: It is a bit like a cave yeah. I mean we just anything that is exciting or interesting pin it on the wall and keep it there. I mean I am not a hoarder and I cant stand things like that normally I like big clean white walls but I think everyone has to have somewhere where you just throw all the idea out and like I said when you are sketching if they up on the wall you go ah that’s why I remembered that for.
Kevin: Do you think that is one of the keys for anybody who is looking to constantly drive themselves forward which is thinking outside the box constantly looking for stuff from left field that could inspire them?
Matt: Definitely it doesn’t have to be designer I mean it could be anything. Why be the norm? Why constantly tread that route. It might sound slightly cheesy but you just have to just you know wind your own route through I suppose.
Kevin: And that brings me on nicely to a lovely phrase that you used in an interview which I found particularly interesting and it is how you say Morgan’s have to be automotive theatre.
Matt: I mean all Morgan’s have to have this concept of what we call automotive theatre because if you imagine seeing in the 1930s a coach built Lamborghini Falaschi body which is one of my favourite coach builders from the period car go down Hollywood Boulevard people would have literally been, their jaws would have been dropping and they would have been going oh wow what is that thing I want to know what it is. Now that sort of theatrical side of the design every Morgan has got it. You drive a classic Morgan down high street in any single city people go wow what is that thing, what is it, how do I get to know what it is. It is that theatrical element to it. It is not actually designed into it either I mean the actual theatre is something that comes around from aesthetics and functionality. But it is just that concept of exciting people and having it different on the road it is not just your normal Astra or something that people as just a fridge this is an piece of automotive theatre that is exciting and different.
Kevin: I am going to pull you just a bit down to earth now just um pull you away from the design ideas and I am going to bring you back from where you have come from which is undergraduate putting yourself out there. There is huge competition for graduate jobs right now. What would your advice be to graduates, regardless not just design graduates but people in any discipline to help them set themselves apart and find that job of their dreams just the way you have managed to do that?
Matt: I think it is actually about not closing your barriers down as much. People who went on my design course when I instantly said that I was going off to Morgan some of them put their noses up because they thought well that is a traditional company you are not going to be designing modern cars there. But why do that because five days down the line we are doing modern cars here. I have established a design community within the company so what I would say is don’t close your boundaries down. Think okay where could you go that may give me a different opportunity and in actual fact I think when people do that they find their own little niche and their little market that is more them. I will always be designing you know high end luxury products. If it is watches, cars, houses it will still be within that high end network and that is my niche now. You know I have found my little area. When I was at University I didn’t know that was me you know I was designing a Fiesta Van one day and the next day it would be this and you are constantly hunting for which area to go into so just keep completely open mind and if there may be an opportunity that arises that you question then go for it and grasp it.
Kevin: I think you have summed it up there which is just go for opportunities don’t wait for them to come to you.
Matt: No go and get those opportunities. If I hadn’t sent my folio to Morgan and hadn’t said to Charles look I will come here just let me sit down at a desk and come up with some ideas for you I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing today.
Kevin: No nor equally then juggling an actual job with your studies.
Matt: Why not push it. You know you are only here once so give it a go.
Kevin: Yeah and that is a lovely attitude to take. So keeping on the personal questions I am going to put you on the spot a bit now and we love to ask people actually what drives them.
Matt: I think it is the thing that I said earlier on about never being content. I am never going to be content with anything I do and it is a good thing, and also just being positive about everything. You know some people go oh I am never going to be content and then get in a big dull about it. Turn it around be positive about the fact that I am never going to be content and go brilliant okay well it pushes me. It makes sure that every single morning when I get up if I am not happy with something I change it. That is the attitude to have about things.
Kevin: Who has been the greatest influence in your life so far?
Matt: Probably in a very corny fashion it is my father. He was someone that came up and built quite a large company, an architects practice from nothing and he, I always seemed growing up, I didn’t actually see my father much growing up but that was because he was constantly pushing the boundaries all the time in architecture and design. He is the one who has actually said to me push, push, push keep on going without even telling me to do it because I have seen him going for it. And he has given me the passion to still drive and I think in actual fact there is something in me that says I have to try and achieve more than my father did. I don’t know why and he says, he is not like this in any fashion he would never tell me to do that, but I feel for myself I have to achieve that.
Kevin: And I am just going to finish off for people out there who still think of Morgan as being this classic sports car company how would you summarise what Morgan is now and what they might be missing out on?
Matt: Well from my point of view I would say that Morgan is now a design lead company. It is something that is taking influences from all around the world but it is also you could say that in actual fact Morgan has stayed where it is but now we are exposing the true qualities of Morgan. In actual fact the whole world has come completely in a circle and now all the qualities that Morgan’s have always had are very of the moment and we are a modern forward thinking company these days that is challenging different boundaries, painting cars in the streets, pushing things forward every single day.
Kevin: Matt Humphries thank you very much for your time today.
Matt: Thanks very much.
Transcript: Matt Humphries – Morgan Motor Company, Head of Design (Max#21)
By Jenna AffleckPublished: January 13, 2011
Posted in: Articles & Resources
...and the belief in hope always with you.
Thanks again, Christine, for the opportunity to host the beautiful Hope, the Forty Winks Doll Studio Custom, for a friend who needed a message of love and hope. This project is one of such love and hopefulness, and the message of being more aware of breast cancer, being proactive about it, and remembering friends and family who have dealt with or are dealing with it now, has been such an important reminder to all of us. I believe in Love, and I believe in Hope, and I am so very grateful to have such amazing friends! The girls and I will always cherish our Little Ditzies Gnome Hat, made by Andie, with the beautiful pink yarn and the button of Hope. I cannot wait for Mandy to finally receive her girl. I just know that she will feel the love and prayers that have gone into her special girl.
...sorry for taking so long to finish this description...I had leave the house after I posted this. In so many ways, I feel inadequate to fully express what the girl Hope means to me and the beauty of this caring community. XOX
The Tongue persuaded by the Ego
روی نفس مطمئنه در جسد
زخم ناخنهای فکرت میکشد
Like nails, evil thoughts scratch the face of the Naf e Mutmainna, your soul.
فکرت بد ناخن پر زهر دان
میخراشد در تعمق روی جان
Know that your wicked thoughts are as if dipped in poison.
Delving into them deeper only damages the face of the soul more.
Maulana Rum (ra)
After Karachi, Lahore felt good. It was cool. There were days of rain. Those were spectacular. Then I met people and everyone seemed sad. For the first time, that mood didn’t permeate into mine. Otherwise it was pure osmosis and within days, I would be feeling tired myself. I don’t know why that didn’t happen. Maybe because I had returned from a stellar trip and my tank of energy was at “full.”
I had videos to make but Ustad was nowhere to be found so I was just taking in the mildness of the weather. On a random day I found a lecture of Uzair’s on Tasawuff; spirituality in Islam. I have never known the technical definition of spirituality so I put it on as I stretched for my daily game of table tennis. Unsurprisingly, it turned out to be fantastic.
Many Muslims and certainly non-Muslims, especially in the West, think erroneously that spirituality in Islam lies outside the faith. Maulana Rum (ra) becomes a staple for any person from any background exploring a path of self-knowing.
Celebrities like Tilda Swinton, Chris Martin, Drake and Madonna, Beyonce recently named her daughter after him, are enamored by him. But when it comes to his writing, Western translators have always excluded Islam from his identity. So much so that two academics had to start an online campaign naming it “Rumi is Muslim.” I didn’t realize people didn’t even know that much about him.
6th June 2020: “Sharghzadeh, a Detroit-based graduate of The University of Michigan and co-founder of ‘Rumi Was Muslim’ told The New Arab that "many of Rumi's most famous works have been translated from Western scholars to remove any mention of Islam, and often embedded with orientalist tropes." Context and history surrounding the poet's work, which are both linked closely with his identity as a Muslim, are often absent entirely, and add to further misinterpretation.
‘Mowlana is universal, but he didn't emerge in a vacuum, he was Muslim, and his universality should be understood within the context of the Islamic tradition. It's a form of cultural theft and Islamophobic erasure to downplay his Islamic identity,’ explains Sharghzadeh.
The New Yorker, Jan 5th, 2017; “Fatemeh Keshavarz, a professor of Persian studies at the University of Maryland, said that Rumi probably had the Koran memorized, given how often he drew from it in his poetry. Rumi himself described the “Masnavi” as “the roots of the roots of the roots of religion”—meaning Islam—“and the explainer of the Koran.” And yet little trace of the religion exists in the translations that sell so well in the United States…For those in the West, Rumi and Islam were separated.”
I had been asking myself over the last decade how the birth of any certain sentence repeated by most in the West had come about. People who explored or wished to explore mindfulness loved saying; “I am spiritual but I am not religious.” I heard the line so often I wondered if people even knew what they were saying. Were they just repeating it rote to find belonging in some community they had come to believe as admirable?
“The Foundations of Tasawuff” was the title of Uzair’s lecture and this was his preface;
“There is no such thing as non-Islamic Tasawuff, spirituality. Spirituality in Islam only comes from the Quran. The religion itself is a source of benefit only for a human being as well as society as a whole, sent by God and through His Prophet (peace be upon him).
There are two kinds of Tasawuff, reactive and proactive. Reactive Tasawuff is when that benefit decreed by Allah is obstructed by something and someone. This makes the Sufi, be they a scholar, or a Faqih, irritated. Whatever becomes a veil in the connection between God and a person, they will always react to that. In contrast to that, proactive Tasawuff is that they will want you to engage with your Lord, your Creator.”
Uzair then started with the definition of deen – faith/religion with the verse;
الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي
وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا
فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ فِي مَخْمَصَةٍ غَيْرَ مُتَجَانِفٍ لِّإِثْمٍ
فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيم
This day I have perfected for you your religion and I have completed upon you My Favor and I have willed for you Islam, self-surrender, your religion.
As for him whoever is driven to what is forbidden by dire necessity and not the inclining to sin, then indeed, Allah (is) Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Surah Al-Maida’, Verse 3
“So we see that the completion of the faith, Islam, obedience and surrender, is announced in the Quran. The Book provides the theory for a Muslim. What is missing then is the application. Theory on its own, by itself, is incomplete. In fact, it is useless. Hence, along with the Quran is sent a Rasool, a Messenger, so one can ask him, ‘Why have you come? To do what?’”
Uzair answered the question with a hadith.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَعَثَنِي بِتَمَامِ مكارمِ الأَخْلاقِ وَكَمَالِ مَحَاسِنِ الأَفْعَالِ
"Indeed, Allah has sent me for the perfection of noble morals and the completion of good deeds.”
“The building of character that 124,000 Prophets contributed to, our Nabi (saw) says he has been sent, to render it complete, make it perfect.
You then start to notice that nowhere in the Quran does Allah say ‘Follow Me.’ Instead He makes it clear who it is that has to be surrendered to in order to surrender to Him and His Will.
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ
وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيم
Say (O Beloved), "If you love Allah, then follow me and Allah will love you
and He will forgive for you your sins. And Allah (is) Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Surah Aal e Imran, Verse 31
Huzoor (peace be upon him) is the application of the theory. The one who follows him, is obedient to him, automatically becomes obedient to Allah.
مَّن يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ وَمَن تَوَلَّىٰ فَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظً
He who obeys the Messenger, then surely he obeyed Allah, and whoever turns away - then We have not sent you over them as a guardian.
Surah An-Nisa, Verse 80
Thus obedience of Allah directly is not possible for any human being. It comes only through obedience of His Prophet (peace be upon him). Allah makes it conditional. ‘If you are obedient to him, you are obedient to Me.’ This, then, is the theory and application of the deen, the religion.
What is deen, religion? It has three aspects; Imaneeyat is the first. Imaneeyat is witnessing that which is outside the realm of our five senses. It has not been witnessed by us but there is someone who has been the witness to it. We, in turn, bear witness to that witness and this becomes imaneeyat. It forms belief.
For example, we have not seen God but our Rasool (peace be upon him) has seen Him. So we are indirect witnesses. We have not seen angels and Heaven and Hell. They are unobservable for us. The details of what they are, how they look, what is inside them, only comes from him. Our beliefs then become a function of our aql, reason, ability to reflect. Be it through trust or logic or whatever.”
I recalled a hadith from Mairaj, the Night of Ascension, when Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him) asked Allah, “When they ask me what you are like, what will I say to them?”
Allah Azzo Jal told him, “Say, ‘The one who has seen me has seen the Truth.’”
Uzair: “The second aspect of deen is amaal salih, righteous deeds. They are a function of my body, the jism. How I interact with people, how do I interact with God. This comes under Fiqh, Islamic Jurisprudence.
The third aspect is ahwaal o kaifiyat, the states. The Quran gives weight to all three facets. Imanyeeat is the proof of one’s beliefs (aqeeda). It lies in the deeds and is reflected by them.”
It was exactly how Maulana (ra) describes Hazrat Ali (ratu) behaviour when he forgave the man who spat on him in battle;
شیرِ حقم ، نیستم شیر ھوا
فعل من بر دین من باشد گوا
“I am the Lion of Allah, I do not cave to the desires of the self.
And my deeds will bear witness to my faith.”
When we were studying Surah Yaseen in our Quran class, one of the verses that I have never forgotten in the tafseer was;
هُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُهُمْ فِي ظِلَالٍ عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ مُتَّكِئُون
They and their spouses lie in shades, reclining on couches.
Surah Yaseen, Verse 56
Qari Sahib was explaining the Surah over several weeks from the Tafseer e Jilani. It was one of those verses that I would have otherwise probably not paid much attention to. I am single, there are no spouses I imagine sitting with anywhere, here or there.
But then he said, “The azwaaj, always translated as ‘the spouse,’ Ghaus Pak (ra) says these are rewards of your good deeds.”
To this day every time I read the Surah, which is quite frequently since I heard that it is one of three that Allah will himself recite to us on the Day of Judgement, the verse makes me happy. Me and my deeds hanging on a couch! Regardless of what they end up being, the fact that his explanation of the line was so inclusive was magnificent.
Imaneeyat means imaan, the faith one possesses. The thing not known or even possible to determine by one’s own self. Which lay in the heart. Only Allah knew whether it was there or not. How it changed, deepened. I already knew that. I write about it constantly and vie for it day in and day out, wondering all the while; is it there, will it ever be there, will it stay or just make a cameo appearance?
Iman is entirely different from Islam. Which was simply the utterance of the Shahada, (La Ilaha Illallah, Muhammad Ar Rasool Allah). Every time I have read the following verse of the Quran it has made me ponder the difference between those two states for my own self.
Once some Bedouins who embraced Islam came to see Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him). They said to him,
قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّا
“We have attained to faith.”
They were trying to imply that by doing so they had done a favour upon the Prophet (peace be upon him). Allah disliked their attitude and the verse was revealed.
قُل لَّمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَٰكِن قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ
Say unto them, “You have not attained to faith.
But rather you say, ‘We have embraced Islam and have thus (outwardly) surrendered.’
For true faith has not entered your hearts.”
Then after the reprimand and exposure of the state of their hearts to them, Allah once again opens the door of hope and possibility, which lies only in obedience to Rasool-hu, His Messenger (peace be upon him).
وَإِن تُطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَا يَلِتْكُم مِّنْ أَعْمَالِكُمْ شَيْئًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيم
But if you pay heed to God and His Apostle (peace be upon him),
He will not let the least of your deeds go to waste. For Allah is Much Forgiving,
Surah Al-Hujuraat, Verse 14
Subhan Allah!
Uzair; “But it is the deed which creates the state of a heart. The heart relies on the deed for its haal, its kaifiyat. When the Quran talks about tawakkul (reliance on God), shukr (gratitude), sabr (patience), inkisar (humility), tawazu’ (submission), ehsan (favour), muhabbat (love), ikhlas (sincerity), these are all kaifiyaat. They are states and the Quran gives them equal weight to imaan and amal, faith and deed.
Often what the scholar and jurisprudist avoids is ehsaan. Only the Sufis, the Fuqura, address this topic. And it is not the ehsan of Urdu. It is from the root hasana, to beautify something.
On this note, the verse where Allah summarizes the entire moral philosophy of a human being, how to personify beauty in one’s existence using the word ‘ehsaan,’ is this;
وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ لَا تَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ
وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا وَذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْيَتَامَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ
وَقُولُوا لِلنَّاسِ حُسْنًا وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ
ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِّنكُمْ وَأَنتُم مُّعْرِضُونَ
And We accepted this solemn pledge from (you), the children of Israel, "You shall worship none but God `and you shall do good unto your parents and kinsfolk and the orphans and the poor. And you shall speak with all people in a kindly way and you shall be constant in prayer and you shall spend in charity. And yet, save for a few of you, you turned away, for you are obstinate folk!”
Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 83
I smiled. The verse was a favourite of mine. I had learnt many a new dimension of behaviour from it the first time I had read it with my teacher in Fes. Then he was making a different point than Uzair. He was teaching me about the order of significance in the Quran.
Begin excerpt “The Softest Heart”
“In the longer verses of the Quran,” he had said, “Where there are many commands being given, the order of what is being revealed is also the ranking of its importance before Allah.”
He then gave me the following example:
وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ لَا تَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ
وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا وَذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْيَتَامَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ
وَقُولُوا لِلنَّاسِ حُسْنًا وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ
ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِّنكُمْ وَأَنتُم مُّعْرِضُونَ
And We accepted this solemn pledge from (you), the children of Israel, "You shall worship none but God and you shall do good unto your parents and kinsfolk and the orphans and the poor. And you shall speak with all people in a kindly way and you shall be constant in prayer and you shall spend in charity. And yet, save for a few of you, you turned away, for you are obstinate folk!
When I had studied the verse, it was all about people, other human beings, the known and the strangers; parents, relatives, orphans, the poor. Then it was about manners again, speaking kindly to them. Seventh on the list was prayer. Eighth was zaka’t. Worship dutied was trumped by behavior, by regard, by adab. This is when I realized that my quest to please God would never be fulfilled by my meager worship, distracted at best.
It was through this ayat that I had realized something else extraordinary. That Allah Al-Wajid, The Pointing One, ranks sadqa (alms given voluntarily) way above zaka’t, that which is obligatory. For most people don’t give their time to the orphans and the poor. They give them money. When I first pointed this out to Qari Sahib, he was taken aback.
“But look Sir,” I said, pointing at the sequence of the verse written out on a board. “It has to be higher because zaka’t is last on the list.”
I had spent that whole day thinking about why it was so till it came to me. Sadqa was voluntary and an act of one’s volition was an act of love. It was chosen. Unlike zaka’t it was not compulsory. One had to be mindful to consider it. Or be fortunate and just imitate the behaviour of the Friends of God who practiced it continually.
End excerpt “The Softest Heart”
Uzair; …The verse summarizes the entire moral philosophy of a human being. Then for the ‘don’ts’ Allah says when you do these things, all eight of them, don’t become prideful and don’t be arrogant.
لِّكَيْلَا تَأْسَوْا عَلَىٰ مَا فَاتَكُمْ وَلَا تَفْرَحُوا بِمَا آتَاكُمْ
وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُور
So that you may not grieve over what has escaped you,
and do not exult at what He has given you. And Allah does not like the vain and the arrogant.
Surah Al-Hadid, Verse 23
Then in another place where He uses the word ehsaan:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ
وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُون
Indeed, Allah orders justice and goodness, and giving to the relatives,
and forbids all that is shameful, that runs counter to reason and oppression.
He warns you so that you may take heed.
Surah An-Nahl, Verse 90
So ehsaan becomes an amr, an Order, a Command.
What is the layering of ehsan? How does one beautify one’s relationship with others, become a source of goodness for them? This is where Tasawuff comes in for it is about what is happening inside one’s heart. Hence the Sufi becomes the one who speaks to the state of your inner being, your batin. Just like the one who speaks to the overt state is the Alim, the scholar. The one who speaks to the aqaid, beliefs, is the Mutakallam.
So when the Faqih says ‘Pray five times.’ The Sufi then says, ‘Praying is not enough. Bring yourself into the state of feeling the Presence of God, the consciousness of a living God.’
The Faqih will say, “Face the Ka’ba.’ The Sufi will then say, “Make your heart face it as well, not just your countenance.’
The Faqih will say, ‘Without ablution there is no prayer.’ The Sufi will say, ‘There is also no prayer without your heart being attentive.’
The Alim will say, ‘Fast.’ The Sufi will say, ‘Deprive your nafs of its desires, its hate and discord. Starving your stomach will do nothing.’
The Alim will say, ‘Give zakat.’ The Sufi will say, ‘Give the alms of your heart.’ What is that? Forgive someone. Stop hating someone. Be kind to someone.
The area of expertise of each person in service to the faith is entirely different. Tasawuff is amal, deed. It is not an intellectual exercise. It is an attitude that is practical. My being, my essence, in every interaction should exude khair, haq, husn, goodness, truth, beauty. It is not theory. It is being muhasib, accountable and muraqib, watchful on your inner states. The root of imaan is tasawuff. Not one terminology of it is outside the Quran or the hadith.
Then he gave an example.
“What are the main departments of Tasawuff; rija (hope), khauf (fear), taqwa (God-consciousness through restraint and not transgressing boundaries), muhabbat (love), ikhlas (sincerity). Where are the Sufis getting all of it from? Take Muraqaba for instance, what is Muraqaba?
الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَٰذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّار
Those who remember Allah standing, and sitting and on their sides and they reflect on (the) creation (of) the heavens and the earth, "Our Lord, not You have created this (in) vain. Glory be to You, so save us (from the) punishment (of) the Fire.
Surah Aal e Imran, Verse 191
This is the beginning of a Muraqaba. That at no point is my essence outside the Presence of God.”
Muraqaba is the practice of meditation in Tasawuff. I know for a fact it is a daily practice prescribed for those disciples in the Naqshbandi silsila. And it’s not five minutes although perhaps whatever is possible is accepted. They do a silent meditation. I have sat in one them a couple of times in my life. The first effect of it for a newbie is the drowsiness that one becomes enveloped in fairly quickly. As the practice continues, the states change and become elevated but I don’t know what they are. I imagine it’s a visual experience of unveiling.
Uzair then gave the definition of Tasawuff by a number of Sufi giants.
“Let me take you through the definition of Tasawuff by those who are the reflection of its practice;
Hazrat Junaid Baghdadi was asked. “How is the path of Tasawuff traveled?” He replied, “Only the one who holds the Quran in the right hand and the Sunnat e Rasool (saw) in the left will travel this path. Without even one of these guiding lights the path will close upon you.”
Hazrat Abdullah Hirwai (ra); Not letting your nafs go against that which is the truth, that which is right, that is Tasawuff.
Hazrat Abul Hasan Noori (ra);
لیس التصوف رسوما ولا علوما ولکنه اخلاق۔
Tasawuff is not custom or tradition and it is not knowledge but it is morals and behaviour.
In Kashf ul Mahjoob, Daata Sahib (ra) gives a explanation of the verse;
" تصوف رسوم و علم نہیں ہے لیکن یہ ایک خاص خصلت ہے۔"
یعنی اگر تصوف رسمی چیز ہوتی تو مجاہدہ و ریاضت سے حاصل ہوجاتا اور اگر علم ہوتا تو محض تعلیم سے حاصل ہو جاتا، تو ثابت ہوا کہ تصوف ایک خصلتِ خاص کا نام ہے اور جب تک یہ خود اپنے اندر نہ پیدا کرے اس وقت تک وہ حاصل نہیں ہوتا۔
“If Tasawuff was a tradition, then it could have been attained through practice and struggle. If it were knowledge, then it could have been achieved through education. Hence it is proven that it is a special nature, a specific state. Until it comes from one’s own striving (as has been ordered and is required), till that time it cannot be reached.
I asked Qari Sahib what the first line meant. I thought in Islam everything could be attained through practice and struggle.
“Sometimes people isolate themselves or do things that Allah has not asked them to do. It is not part of the Islamic practice and methodology. That which is not prescribed will not yield results. In any case, there is no proof without another human being to see if anything sticks, takes effect. Abul Hasan Noori (ra) is saying that Tasawuff cannot come from that route of self-isolation. It has to come from obedience of God and being in the service of humanity.”
When I used to be in Fes for months at time, reading and learning new ideas, imbibing them with the truest of intentions, I thought everything had seeped into my nature and transformed me. I felt good all the time, light and happy. I was also by myself. I studied Arabic and delved into ahadith. I read New Yorkers and listened to music. I walked around in the undulating alleys of the Medina at all times of the day taking photos and eating delicious foods. There weren’t even any cars. It was like living in another century. I met no one except my teachers. I hardly spoke.
Then I would come to Lahore and within a day of being there I would realize that I hadn’t quite absorbed everything the way I had imagined. The only way to tell if there was change was in my reaction to others. When it didn’t appear the way I had read it and thought also absorbed it, the disappointment was crushing. If and when that reaction did change, it wasn’t even my doing. The desire for it was the only thing my own.
Something happened recently that helped me understand exactly what was making the difference in all my spiritual quests. The answer lay in exactly two words;
Ghaus Pak (ra).
His birthday is on the first of Ramadan. I was working on a video for it. Finding the right kalam was integral. I had asked Qari Sahib to suggest some options. Composing it would be Ustad’s department mostly. I was working on this piece, the narration and the verse of the Quran in the beginning. I had to translate Arabic and Farsi into both Urdu and English. That was work enough. I had decided to make the video different from all my other ones.
First, I was going to translate the tafseer of the verse from the Tasfeer e Jilani, not use the translation. I was also not picking a story from Ghaus Pak’s (ra) life. I had been reading passages from Al-Fath Ar-Rabbani in Karachi that had stirred, not stirred, literally shifted something inside me. I wanted to use those lines, share them with everyone.
Working on anything related to Ghaus Pak (ra) makes me nervous. I didn’t want to make any mistake. It wasn’t fear of consequence. My heart is in the right place, so to speak. It is that if I disappoint him, I feel like I will cry forever. I even did an istakhara for the kalam. I had randomly chosen it so I was worried it was not the right one. And I rarely do an istakhara (asking the Quran for the answer when making a decision).
Once you do it, you have to abide by the answer. In the past, I have chosen not to and suffered.
When Qari Sahib read the verse he looked at me seriously.
“What was your question?”
“I was asking if the kalam was the correct one for the video sir,” I said meekly. I knew what was coming. The verse had words in it like azabun shadeed, severe punishment.
He shook his head firmly from side to side. “The answer is ‘No.’ Find something else.”
That’s when I just passed the baton to him. Clearly my nafs was in a whole other state of its own madness. I focused on the first excerpt from his sermon instead, reading the darood shareef in the beginning with inordinate focus.
Al-Fath Ar-Rabbani: Hazrat Ghaus Pak (ra) says; “The sirr, which is more sublime than the soul, is the place of witnessing Allah’s Appearance, is the king.
The qalb, the seat of recognition of Allah in the heart, is its advisor.
The nafs, the self, the tongue and all the other parts (of the body), they stand in service before them.
The sirr draws from the Ocean of Godliness.
The qalb derives from the sirr.
The nafs e mutmainna, the contented self, takes its strength from the qalb.
The tongue gets its persuasion from the nafs, the ego, while the rest of the parts are subservient to the tongue.
If the tongue is respectful, the qalb becomes pious and when the tongue is misbehaving, the qalb becomes ruined.
Your tongue needs be harnessed by being conscious of Allah and repentant for meaningless speech and hypocrisy.
Thus, once it becomes steadfast on this state, the speech of the tongue will merge into the cleansing of the qalb.
When the qalb attains this level, it becomes lit
and nur, light, radiates from it towards the tongue and the rest of the body.
End of Translation!
I could easily write a short piece of each of the lines. The thought made me smile. Like Uzair does a tafseer of a word from the Quran for an hour. Except this would not be imparting knowledge; facts, history, structure, theology and everything else his lectures encompass. It would be a personal history piece. 10 of them! This is how the first one would start;
Laziness is the king.
Justification is its advisor.
The backdrop as to why the lines shifted a gear for me was that while in Karachi, a friend of mine sent me a text. In it she said something which was, at the time I thought, of extreme importance to me, very casually. Then she never mentioned it again. For a couple of hours I thought about it but I was busy, distracted. I was on a holiday.
When I returned to Lahore, as soon as we met, I started waiting for her to bring up the text she had written. Ask me how it made me feel or what I wanted her to do about it. She never did. All the while that I waited, Iblis stood next to her, (or was it me?), and paranoia and doubts entered my heart the entire time. I thought she was a whole range of evil; insensitive, selfish, indifferent, jealous, miserly. The list went on and on in my head.
But in those days I was also working on the piece, translating it for my video, and the part about the tongue was echoing in my head.
“The tongue gets its persuasion from the nafs, the ego.”
Then the line about the other parts of the body taking their cue from the tongue was taking up the remainder of my attention;
“The rest of the parts are subservient to the tongue.”
I didn’t even know what that meant then. I had to ask Qari Sahib about it. He told me a story;
‘Hazrat Luqman (as) was asked by his father to bring a piece of meat from the market.
“Bring a good piece of meat,” he directed him.
Hazrat Luqman (as) brought back tongue.
Then his father asked him to bring a bad piece of meat.
Hazrat Luqman (as) again brought tongue.
His father inquired, “What is the wisdom behind this?”
He answered, “If one’s speech is good, there is no part better than the tongue in the body. And if one’s speech is poor, there is no part worse than it.”’
“The rest of the parts are subservient to the tongue.”
For the first time in my life, I bit my tongue day after day. Iblis came at me from my left and my right and front and back, just as he himself promises to in the Quran;
ثُمَّ لَآتِيَنَّهُم مِّن بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ وَعَنْ أَيْمَانِهِمْ وَعَن شَمَائِلِهِمْ
وَلَا تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَاكِرِين
Then surely, I (Iblis) will come to them from their front and from behind them and from their right and from their left,
and You will find most of them are ungrateful."
Surah Al-Ahraf, Verse 17
But in all honesty it wasn’t even him. It was my nafs yelling, “Are you crazy? You have to ask her!” I made the words of Ghaus Pak (ra) my shield to ward them both off. I had decided, I would not bring up the subject no matter what. For two weeks, the ordeal continued. I never stopped seeing her. I didn’t alter my behaviour with her in the least. Then I saw my striving’s effect unveil before me.
Nature, khaslat, how does it change? An example landed in my lap as a windfall. To write this piece I had decided to make a trip to my village. On the way there we had to get a lot of directions. The roads was being repaired so an alternate route had to be found. I had given my driver Pathani’s husband’s number. His name is Nasir. He was directing us. My driver was new. Otherwise my staff is old as in they’ve been with my family for decades. The house runs like clockwork. I don’t interfere in anything so I had not needed to train anyone in a while.
The driver was young. He was also from the area around my village but didn’t know it in terms of driving directions. I could overhear both sides of the conversation between him and Nasir as they spoke every 15 minutes. I sensed the frustration in Nasir’s voice as my driver gave unclear answers as to where we were and how far from where we had to meet him but it was mild.
I waited to see in which one of those calls he would lose it. When his voice would be angry or at least irritated and if none of those, just become raised. It never happened. I knew why too. Nasir is gentle. He has a thousand other faults but his speech is soft and he speaks to others kindly.
# 6 of 8: “And you shall speak with all people in a kindly way.”
It gave me a new appreciation of someone for whom the word most often people use is “loser.” Mostly I saw how much better he was than me. Which Babu ji (ra) always says to remind oneself that everybody is. I just keep forgetting.
In complete contrast to him, on the way out of the city, in asking my driver about certain tasks I had assigned to him, receiving answers that were the opposite of what I was expecting, basically nothing done, I had not only raised my voice, I was irritated and angry. On top of that I thought my manner was justified.
Living in the States, working there for the first time in my life after undergrad, I had learnt a certain work ethic, a professionalism that seems absent in Pakistan for the most part. At least in my experience. I find myself in a constant mode of transmitting that standard to others who are in a perpetual mode of repelling it. It is a lost battle but like a fool, I still wage it. Then on top of that I’m self-righteous about my unwanted effort.
In the car that day, for the first time in my life, I physically felt the consequences of my tongue. On my other parts. I felt tired even though I had left my house feeling fresh as a daisy. I was in a rotten mood which was the opposite of where I needed to be to write. The drive was a gorgeous one and I usually used it to write because I was alone. I would sit with my feet stretched on the back seat so that each time I lifted my eyes from my laptop, I would see fields of gorgeous greens. It was a high upon a high.
Thanks to my manner of berating him for his lack of efficiency and inability to execute simple instructions, I felt this unpleasantness looming upon me. I tried to make myself feel better by justifying my behaviour. Not in my head but in another speech to him. I gave him some long spiel about how I was trying to train him and unless he received feedback he would not improve, blah blah blah. He too was like Nasir, gentle, so he just kept nodding his head and saying “Yes.”
After that lame attempt to expunge my feelings, I did what Hazrat Bibi Fatima (ratu) taught me. I closed my eyes and bowed my head, holding my hands together as if about to utter a plea and asked for forgiveness of my Lord. But the calm only entered my heart when I asked Nabi Pak (peace be upon him) to pray for me. “For only when you pray for me, does Allah accept my repentance and forgives me my sins.”
وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُوا اللَّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا
and if the Noble Messenger (peace be upon him) asked Allah for forgiveness for them,
they will certainly find Allah as the Acceptor Of Repentance, the Most Merciful.
I wonder sometimes if the line, in my experience of using it umpteen times a day sometimes, works the magic because it is a promise of Allah’s in the Quran that when he prays for one, the forgiveness is granted, literally immediately. Or is it the tears that usually accompany the address to my Prophet (peace be upon him). The frequency with which I utter it always makes me feel ashamed. My inability to change makes me sad and I always wonder if he thinks what I thought; would I ever become different?
Qari Sahib had recently taught us a prayer in our Quran class which I had just started.
“Ask of Allah that which his Rasool (saw) asked of him. And ask of Allah to be saved, seek refuge, from that which he sought refuge from. The specifics don’t matter. Invoking his ask is enough.” The other thing he had mentioned that day was to use the word “Afia” as the best ask. It encompassed all goodness.
Within days of the practice of silence with my friend, my heart changed. I felt a softness for her which was outside the realm of possibility in this scenario. I knew that to be a certainty because it wasn’t the first time I wanted something simple from her which she would not be able to deliver. Usually I would just wait, then become dejected and disappointed and finally distant.
But this time I exercised patience exactly the way Ghaus Pak (ra) says it must be exercised;
معنی الصبر انک لا تشکو الی احد،
و لا تتعلق بسبب،
و لا تکرہ وجود البلیۃ،
ولا تحب زوالھا
“The meaning of sabr, patience, is that you do not complain before anyone about it, and you do not think the trial has come from what appears to be the source of the trial (because it comes from God), and do not think of the trial as burdensome, and do not wish it to go away.”
I even stopped wanting what I thought I wanted. That was remarkable. That was part of the reward of my effort. It was a desire of my nafs so my nafs was trying to persuade my tongue. After what Ghaus Pak (ra) had said I really appreciated that the most and felt grateful. I even appreciated my friend’s forgetfulness which was all it was. She was always deeply caught up in her own life.
کہ تصوف ایک خصلتِ خاص کا نام ہے
اور جب تک یہ خود اپنے اندر نہ پیدا کرے اس وقت تک وہ حاصل نہیں ہوتا۔
“Hence it is proven that Taswuff, spirituality, is a special nature, a specific state. Until it comes from one’s own striving (as has been ordered and is required), till that time it cannot be reached.”
Hazrat Ali (ratu) says that when you make a decision, see the destination first then chose the path. The motivation to control the tongue lies in seeing the consequences of its lashing. Which in my case are always guilt and regret. These days. In early times, there was no aftermath for me. I just forgot about it. Once the effect of the action is seen in the future, then the impulse can be controlled. Not an easy task for a human being whose nature has haste woven in it.
وَكَانَ الْإِنسَانُ عَجُولً
And Man is prone to be hasty.
Surah Al-Isra’, Verse 17
The problem becomes compounded when the power dynamic favours one. Then there is little impetus to exercise that control. Case in point; it was easier for me to exercise restraint with my friend where there was little imbalance of power. It was hard as hell with my driver. Another reminder why Hazrat Sahil Tustari (ra) says that power has to be relinquished, weakness chosen. From a position of weakness comes gentleness or humility, and the jewel that accompanies them, silence, comes naturally.
Hazrat Anas Bin Malik (ratu) served Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him) for 10 years. When I asked Qari Sahib what word he used to describe that experience for this piece, he said, “Read the whole tashreeh, explanation Hazrat Anas (ratu) gives. After I read the hadith my first instinct was to say I didn’t need any more but he insisted. Thank heavens for teachers!
حَدَّثَنَا أَنَسٌ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ ، قَالَ :
خَدَمْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَشْرَ سِنِينَ ، فَمَا قَالَ لِي أُفٍّ وَلَا لِمَ صَنَعْتَ وَلَا أَلَّا صَنَعْتَ .
“I was in the service of the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) for 10 years. Not once did he say to me “Ufff,” (the sound of irritation and frustration with someone), nor did he say, “Why did you do that?” nor “Why didn’t you do that?”
Basically the exact opposite of what I do! The tashreeh was even more potent.
Hazrat Anas Bin Malik (ra): “I was young and I was immature. I used to do things incorrectly and sometimes I would cause damage by breaking something etc. Never did the one who was mercy personified from head to foot use an accusing tone with me and say, “Why did you not do something or why did you do that?”
I should have felt deep shame but I felt extreme delight. Like my heart soared. The words changed my approach to reprimand forever. At least in my head. I could foresee my prayers of repentance and forgiveness multiplying a thousand fold on the horizon but I felt happy. The challenge was to teach without blame and accusation. They cause fear and need. I have written about that endlessly. I was very good at applying it with friends and family but not subordinates when they erred. The level of difficulty of the challenge was sky high. But the fruit was also nur radiating from my qalb.
I seek and occasionally gain wisdom but only through imitation. Confucius taught me that it is the easiest way to acquire it. The hadith made likelihood of change a pleasant possibility in my own behaviour, a tug between me and my ego instead of a struggle with someone else. The former was so much easier. If I won I won and if I lost, I only hurt myself. That itself would make the impetus for change accelerate to warp speed.
I spent 5 days in the village. Every day before Maghrib I went for a walk in the fields. Roaming around my mother’s ancestral home accompanied by Pathani, I realized how some daughters of feudals must have felt like princesses. I heard after she died that my mother was like one. Not in the way the term is used colloquially for the daughter of every rich person in the city every time she wears a pink dress.
The children take a heavy dose of their cues of the do’s and don’ts from the staff who work for their families for generations. That creates an intense bond of love and respect. In my 20’s when my brother and I were the only ones who lived alone, our friends would come to our house to do the crazy stuff. I was constantly hiding it from Pathani. They never understood why I needed to do that with someone who was on my payroll.
The woman who came to see me every time in the village, Ghulam Bibi, is in her late 60s although she looks older. She is deaf and has a beautiful singing voice. I have only known her a few years but she loves me so deeply, it surprised me. From a distance she croons whenever she sees me, her hand raised to the heavens as if thanking God I appeared, as if just for her; “Tenu takdi na rajaan…” “I can’t get enough of looking at you.” The intensity of her lyrics always makes me laugh and I have to immediately note them down.
My mother’s best friend growing up was a village kid, Talo. It was way before she had one in the city. “She is wise,” she would always say, the ultimate compliment amongst folk from a rural background. I guess that spoke volumes. Not rich or beautiful or powerful or even self-made, the ultimate compliment in an urban environment that I have found to arouse the most regard. It always evoked mine. It was how one gave leeway to the one who went from rags to riches and then lost their mind.
The word echoes in my readings of the Quran and in the malfuzaat of the Auliya, hikmat. In the tafseer of Surah Luqman, I had read; “Allah granted his Prophet Luqman (as) wisdom for a singular purpose: So that he could be the vessel that receives his Kindness (lutf) and Generosity (karam), His Bounty (faiz) and becomes of the Grateful, the Shakireen.”
The connection was direct. Wisdom was granted so that one could become grateful. The process between the two was an exquisite imbibing of Divine Kindness, Generosity and Bounty. And wisdom came only through interaction and the bettering of that interaction with human beings, the practice of Tasawuff. At least 90% of it, as said Maula e Kayinaat, Hazrat Ali (ratu).
In her last trip to Lahore knowing she would soon die, my mother asked Talo to come to see her and stay with her the whole while she was there. Two months. They spent the hours after Fajr together every day. I think she saw her more than I did. My mother was 53 then, three years older than I am now. I befriended death the day she died. It’s not unusual. Witnessing a death of someone significant early in life makes one unafraid of it. Of everything really. Less to lose remains. The transience of all things becomes undeniable.
Death! The word draws fascinating reactions from people mostly because of their wonderings related to what happens to them after. Some people talk about Heaven like it’s a club they want to gain admission to and they’re not hip enough. They just want to somehow sneak in past the velvet rope and melt into the crowd. Like crashing a party and never meeting the host. I have my own fantasy.
First, I meet all the Friends of God I am attached to. Then the Prophets I have come to know. I want to hear them, their sound, their voices, their words, intonation, style, tonality. I learnt that last word from a musician friend of mine. “I like the tonality of your voice,” she would say and I never knew what she meant. When I write it like this I see the familiarity for my dying wish with the Mairaj, the Night of Ascension and I smile at how unoriginal I am.
Everything can be converted to love. If I had to choose one sentence that is the essence of my learning, it would be that. I learnt recently in my Quran class from Dannoo that it is also possible in worship; a prayer could become a Namaz e Ishq, a prayer of love, if one read the Surah Ikhlas 10 times, instead of once. It was divine moment the first time I brought that into practice. I was already claiming love in my prayer of nafal for someone most special to God. Suddenly there was the opportunity to guarantee its reality.
Shab e Baraat was approaching and Qari Sahib w
as giving us instruction for our worship for the night which determines all the happenings of the next year. I discovered then that Allah likes length in qayam, the standing position in the namaz. Hence there are different kinds of nawafil, the voluntary prayers, that are entirely about creating that duration; the salat tasbeeh, then the prayer of Imam Ali (ratu) where he read the Surah Ikhlas a 100 times in each ruku’. There is even the prayer where one reads a certain darood a 1,000 times in each ruku’. That likely requires standing for hours.
Length in prayer is the sign for love for Allah. It made sense. Who ever got enough of time spent with the beloved. I claim a lot of love for God but my worship of long qayam is less frequent than it should be.
Laziness is the king.
Justification is its advisor.
I meant to ask Qari Sahib, when one’s utterance of the namaz becomes silent, is the seat of utterance still the tongue or does it change? Then I realized it doesn’t matter.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدً
O ye who attained to faith, Remain conscious of God and speak what is right.
Surah Al-Ahzab, Verse 70
I looked up the verse wanting Ghaus Pak’s (ra) meaning for sadeedan translated as “right.” But of course, he unveiled a lot more.
Tafseer e Jilani: “O ye who believe in Allah and His Rasool (peace be upon him)! Be fearful of Allah who is Al-Muntaqim, The Avenging One and do not bring any kind of pain or suffering upon His Prophet (peace be upon him), either physically or spiritually.”
That was the tafseer of taqwa, one of the most important words in the Quran. Almost always translated as either “piety” or “fear.” But what it means is being conscious/mindful of God. In the verse, Allah was saying that being conscious of Him was in fact being mindful of His Beloved (peace be upon him).
“And be careful about how you speak about his majesty and honour. Let your words be sadeeda; saheeh, accurate in the selection of your words, saalim, not lacking in regard, baeed, as far away as possible from causing him distress, blaming him or accusing him.”
Subhan Allah! The whole verse was about the Prophet (peace be upon him). I extrapolated from that for everyone else as well; Choose your words carefully, make sure they are respectful and avoid causing pain, avoid blame and accusation.
When I control my tongue, my tank of energy remains ‘full.’ I am like the sun. The state of another doesn’t affect me. They can take whatever they want from me without making me feel depleted. What wears me down is my own speech when unkind, disrespectful, harsh, judgmental. Tiring the other parts of my body including my brain.
“If the tongue is respectful, the qalb becomes conscious of God and when the tongue is misbehaving, the qalb becomes ruined.
Your tongue should be harnessed by God-consciousness and repentance from meaningless speech, negativity and hypocrisy.”
Maulana (ra) sheds light on the idea going into it deeper; the damage thoughts can create even when the tongue is silent.
روی نفس مطمئنه در جسد
زخم ناخنهای فکرت میکشد
Like nails, evil thoughts scratch the face of the Naf e Mutmainna.
فکرت بد ناخن پر زهر دان
میخراشد در تعمق روی جان
Know that your wicked thoughts are as if dipped in poison,
Delving into them deeper only damages the face of the soul more.
When I blame the ones who cause me to speak like that I’m mistaken. I cause it because I have a choice. I can be silent. Ultimately they don’t even notice me that much. They are at least steady in their haal (state) whatever it is. I could attempt to be steady on mine.
“Thus once it becomes steadfast on this, the just and true speech of the tongue will lead to the goodness of the qalb.
When the qalb attains this level, it becomes lit and nur radiates from it towards the tongue and the rest of the body.”
Ghaus Pak (ra) closes each and every one of his sermons with one prayer. It was a prayer I found on my first Umra on the ground but I did not know this about him then.
Begin excerpt “The Softest Heart”
By the time I reached the Ka’ba the rain had stopped and the sun was warm again. While I was circumambulating slowly, I saw a very small piece of paper on the ground. I picked it up and in someone’s handwriting was the following ayat:
وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَقُولُ رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً
وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
But among them are they who say, "Our Lord! Give us in this world (that which is) good and in the Hereafter (that which is) good and protect us from the punishment of the Fire."
Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 201
I picked up the paper, kissed it, placed it lightly on my eyes, kissed it again and read it again and again as I kept walking. It is a verse I had heard many times, one that many people recite daily as a tasbeeh. Immediately my mind went to the story of Hazrat Bishr Haafi (ra).
Hazrat Bishr Haafi (ra) spent most of his life drinking alcohol and roaming the streets in a state of intoxication. One day he came upon a piece of paper which had the words Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim written on it, lying on the road. Although inebriated, he picked up the paper, kissed it, put some itar (perfume) on it and placed it on a high spot. That night he heard the voice of Allah Al-Afuww, The Supreme Pardoner, asking him if he was not tired of being so distant from Him. And just like that he became a wali (saint). His title was Haafi because he always walked barefoot. While he was alive, no animal defecated in the streets where he walked out of respect for him.
I still have that piece of paper in one of my books that I read from every day. It was quite the keepsake. One day while I was sitting with Qari Sahib going over some references for this book, I told him I had found it. His eyes widened.
“You didn’t tell me about this before,” he said.
“I forgot, Sir.”
“So do you read the prayer?” he asked.
“No,” I replied. “I keep it in a special book after I kissed it and put scent on it.”
“And what did you think?” he smiled. “You were going to get wilayat (that which forms qurb, closeness with God) overnight?”
I grinned back.
“You were given a pearl as a gift in the House of God and you put it in a book?” Qari Sahib said. “Wear it!”
And thus I started saying the prayer.
End excerpt “The Softest Heart”
The same prayer that Ghaus Pak (ra) ends each of his sermons with! Luck appears in all forms. Connections are made in all kinds of way. No one is alone. There are as many wings of hope as the seeker desires. The Friends of God are countless. It’s just that there are those who say or perhaps just think of the life here;
فَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا
For there are people who (merely) pray, "Our Lord! Grant us in the world."
But then apparently they have no share in the Hereafter. I guess because they never consider it.
وَمَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلَاق
They will have no share in the Afterlife.
Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 83
Ghaus Pak (ra) gives the tafseer of his favourite verse in a way where the focus is always singular; pleasing Allah!
وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَقُولُ رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً
وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
Amongst them are the ones who have union in his overt and inner being, (zahir and batin)
and who keep this world and the Afterlife together,
who say, “O our Lord, Grant us goodness which makes you pleased with us in this life
and grant us goodness in the Hereafter, which connects us with Your One-ness (Tauheed),
and by Your Favour and Mercy upon us,
save us from the possibilities that cause paranoia and doubt.
Tafseer e Jilani
Paranoia and doubt are always the translation of “fire” and “Hell” in the Quran by those in the know. Their utmost concern is how a life can be made peaceful here in the world. Not exist with the soul set aflame, awaiting some paradise long after death.
In my video for the Urs of Ghaus Pak (ra) a few months ago I had chosen the verse;
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَكُونُوا۟ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ
O ye who believed!
Be conscious of God and be with those who are truthful.
Surah At-Tauba, Verse 119
Uzair gave a lecture on it recently; “The verse is giving the essentials in a clear manner. The first two states are together; if you are of the right belief and possess imaan, make your deeds good, acquire taqwa by being conscious of God, practicing restraint. Then comes the third Command; be with the truthful.
So what the Quran is saying is that even if your beliefs are absolutely perfect and your deeds are absolutely perfect, you still need the truthful. Those who believe, we only need the Quran, or even those who say, we only need the hadith, Allah is countering that. You also need the truthful. You will always need the truthful. When you look for them, the blessings of God will come upon you. Not otherwise!”
In understanding a single organ of my body, the tongue, I gained a new perspective of what I have perceived as “negative and toxic,” words thrown around constantly to identify those who are really just sad. Undeniably they are all of those things as well but then so am I as I travel the arc from furiously hot to serenely warm.
Everything is a choice. These days I especially regret mine from my past when I left when I should have loved. For even the humiliation was enwrapped in love because love preceded it. Whether it was from my side or the other. It had already blunted the blow. There remains a memory connected to that feeling of joy which exists for me even today with everyone I felt it for. Perhaps for some nostalgia reigns!
But I guess things have to come in their own time. Then I was a slave to the desires of my ego which flew into a rage every five minutes. The desires have lessened. The ego is weak. I remain a slave to it but an unwillingly one. Moreover, in my regrets I have tasted the lazzat, the fruits, of the acceptance of repentance. That has been my impetus to change more.
Maulana Rum (ra): “You don’t refrain from wrongfulness because you haven’t tasted the fruits of the acceptance of repentance.”
Qari Sahib: “What are the fruits of repentance?”
I knew what they were for me; the peace and calm I felt when I did know my repentance was accepted which was only when my Rau’f and Rahim Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed for me.
Qari Sahib quoted the following verse;
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًا عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُكَفِّرَ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ
وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ
O you who attained to faith! Turn to Allah in repentance sincere!
Perhaps your Lord will erase from you your wrongful deeds
and admit you into Gardens flow from underneath it the rivers, on The Day.
Surah At-Tahrim, Verse 8
Perhaps!
My haal, my kaifiyat, the state of my inner being, my batin, the serenity of my mind, really only comes from one source; “the truthful.” The ones who never turn away, abandon or forget me. Ghaus Pak (ra) is their king. As Sultan ul Hind, Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti Ajmeri (ra) writes in his honour;
در بزم نبی عالی شانی، ستار عیوب مریدانی
در ملک ولایت سلطانی اے منبع فضل و جود و سخا
Amongst the company of the Prophet (saw) you hold an exalted rank,
O one who hides, of his disciples, their flaws!
In the world of nearness to God, you are the king,
O source of favour, bounty and generosity!
In celebrating my connection to him, I don’t have much to offer. So to express my gratitude for the single greatest boon of my life simply in a few words, all of them borrowed, I have waited for the 1st of Ramadan with bated breath to smilingly say; “Happy Birthday Ya Ghaus e Muzzam!”
Ghaus Pak in Al-Fath Ar-Rabbani (ra): “O you who increased in years and aged but in your nature remain like a child, how long will you run after this wicked world because of your immaturity?
You have made it your destiny and the be-all and end-all of your existence. It is this same striving which will not let you have any peace in your life.
Do you not know that you become the servant of that which you have surrendered to?
If you have given your charge to the world then you are its servant.
And if the charge it given to the Afterlife, then you are its servant.
If you surrender yourself to Allah, then you are His Servant.
If you let your ego control you, then you are its servant.
And if you give yourself up to your desires, then you are their servant.
And if you have put yourself in the hands of any other creation, then you are its servant.
So be mindful of who you have given your charge to.
Most of you are those who desire the world and few are they who want the Afterlife.
Extremely rare are the ones who are only seekers of Allah, the One who created both the world and the Afterlife.
So be in the company of these people with the best of manners. Don’t disagree with them, don’t dispute them or you will bring harm upon yourself. And don’t disrespect them or you will become destroyed.
Being silent about that which you don’t know is knowledge and surrendering yourself to that which you don’t know is Islam.
Proactive Acne Treatment Vending Machine, 9/2014, by Mike Mozart of TheToyChannel and JeepersMedia on YouTube.
Graffiti (plural; singular graffiti or graffito, the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire (see also mural).
Graffiti is a controversial subject. In most countries, marking or painting property without permission is considered by property owners and civic authorities as defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime, citing the use of graffiti by street gangs to mark territory or to serve as an indicator of gang-related activities. Graffiti has become visualized as a growing urban "problem" for many cities in industrialized nations, spreading from the New York City subway system and Philadelphia in the early 1970s to the rest of the United States and Europe and other world regions
"Graffiti" (usually both singular and plural) and the rare singular form "graffito" are from the Italian word graffiato ("scratched"). The term "graffiti" is used in art history for works of art produced by scratching a design into a surface. A related term is "sgraffito", which involves scratching through one layer of pigment to reveal another beneath it. This technique was primarily used by potters who would glaze their wares and then scratch a design into them. In ancient times graffiti were carved on walls with a sharp object, although sometimes chalk or coal were used. The word originates from Greek γράφειν—graphein—meaning "to write".
The term graffiti originally referred to the inscriptions, figure drawings, and such, found on the walls of ancient sepulchres or ruins, as in the Catacombs of Rome or at Pompeii. Historically, these writings were not considered vanadlism, which today is considered part of the definition of graffiti.
The only known source of the Safaitic language, an ancient form of Arabic, is from graffiti: inscriptions scratched on to the surface of rocks and boulders in the predominantly basalt desert of southern Syria, eastern Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia. Safaitic dates from the first century BC to the fourth century AD.
Some of the oldest cave paintings in the world are 40,000 year old ones found in Australia. The oldest written graffiti was found in ancient Rome around 2500 years ago. Most graffiti from the time was boasts about sexual experiences Graffiti in Ancient Rome was a form of communication, and was not considered vandalism.
Ancient tourists visiting the 5th-century citadel at Sigiriya in Sri Lanka write their names and commentary over the "mirror wall", adding up to over 1800 individual graffiti produced there between the 6th and 18th centuries. Most of the graffiti refer to the frescoes of semi-nude females found there. One reads:
Wet with cool dew drops
fragrant with perfume from the flowers
came the gentle breeze
jasmine and water lily
dance in the spring sunshine
side-long glances
of the golden-hued ladies
stab into my thoughts
heaven itself cannot take my mind
as it has been captivated by one lass
among the five hundred I have seen here.
Among the ancient political graffiti examples were Arab satirist poems. Yazid al-Himyari, an Umayyad Arab and Persian poet, was most known for writing his political poetry on the walls between Sajistan and Basra, manifesting a strong hatred towards the Umayyad regime and its walis, and people used to read and circulate them very widely.
Graffiti, known as Tacherons, were frequently scratched on Romanesque Scandinavian church walls. When Renaissance artists such as Pinturicchio, Raphael, Michelangelo, Ghirlandaio, or Filippino Lippi descended into the ruins of Nero's Domus Aurea, they carved or painted their names and returned to initiate the grottesche style of decoration.
There are also examples of graffiti occurring in American history, such as Independence Rock, a national landmark along the Oregon Trail.
Later, French soldiers carved their names on monuments during the Napoleonic campaign of Egypt in the 1790s. Lord Byron's survives on one of the columns of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion in Attica, Greece.
The oldest known example of graffiti "monikers" found on traincars created by hobos and railworkers since the late 1800s. The Bozo Texino monikers were documented by filmmaker Bill Daniel in his 2005 film, Who is Bozo Texino?.
In World War II, an inscription on a wall at the fortress of Verdun was seen as an illustration of the US response twice in a generation to the wrongs of the Old World:
During World War II and for decades after, the phrase "Kilroy was here" with an accompanying illustration was widespread throughout the world, due to its use by American troops and ultimately filtering into American popular culture. Shortly after the death of Charlie Parker (nicknamed "Yardbird" or "Bird"), graffiti began appearing around New York with the words "Bird Lives".
Modern graffiti art has its origins with young people in 1960s and 70s in New York City and Philadelphia. Tags were the first form of stylised contemporary graffiti. Eventually, throw-ups and pieces evolved with the desire to create larger art. Writers used spray paint and other kind of materials to leave tags or to create images on the sides subway trains. and eventually moved into the city after the NYC metro began to buy new trains and paint over graffiti.
While the art had many advocates and appreciators—including the cultural critic Norman Mailer—others, including New York City mayor Ed Koch, considered it to be defacement of public property, and saw it as a form of public blight. The ‘taggers’ called what they did ‘writing’—though an important 1974 essay by Mailer referred to it using the term ‘graffiti.’
Contemporary graffiti style has been heavily influenced by hip hop culture and the myriad international styles derived from Philadelphia and New York City Subway graffiti; however, there are many other traditions of notable graffiti in the twentieth century. Graffiti have long appeared on building walls, in latrines, railroad boxcars, subways, and bridges.
An early graffito outside of New York or Philadelphia was the inscription in London reading "Clapton is God" in reference to the guitarist Eric Clapton. Creating the cult of the guitar hero, the phrase was spray-painted by an admirer on a wall in an Islington, north London in the autumn of 1967. The graffito was captured in a photograph, in which a dog is urinating on the wall.
Films like Style Wars in the 80s depicting famous writers such as Skeme, Dondi, MinOne, and ZEPHYR reinforced graffiti's role within New York's emerging hip-hop culture. Although many officers of the New York City Police Department found this film to be controversial, Style Wars is still recognized as the most prolific film representation of what was going on within the young hip hop culture of the early 1980s. Fab 5 Freddy and Futura 2000 took hip hop graffiti to Paris and London as part of the New York City Rap Tour in 1983
Commercialization and entrance into mainstream pop culture
Main article: Commercial graffiti
With the popularity and legitimization of graffiti has come a level of commercialization. In 2001, computer giant IBM launched an advertising campaign in Chicago and San Francisco which involved people spray painting on sidewalks a peace symbol, a heart, and a penguin (Linux mascot), to represent "Peace, Love, and Linux." IBM paid Chicago and San Francisco collectively US$120,000 for punitive damages and clean-up costs.
In 2005, a similar ad campaign was launched by Sony and executed by its advertising agency in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Miami, to market its handheld PSP gaming system. In this campaign, taking notice of the legal problems of the IBM campaign, Sony paid building owners for the rights to paint on their buildings "a collection of dizzy-eyed urban kids playing with the PSP as if it were a skateboard, a paddle, or a rocking horse".
Tristan Manco wrote that Brazil "boasts a unique and particularly rich, graffiti scene ... [earning] it an international reputation as the place to go for artistic inspiration". Graffiti "flourishes in every conceivable space in Brazil's cities". Artistic parallels "are often drawn between the energy of São Paulo today and 1970s New York". The "sprawling metropolis", of São Paulo has "become the new shrine to graffiti"; Manco alludes to "poverty and unemployment ... [and] the epic struggles and conditions of the country's marginalised peoples", and to "Brazil's chronic poverty", as the main engines that "have fuelled a vibrant graffiti culture". In world terms, Brazil has "one of the most uneven distributions of income. Laws and taxes change frequently". Such factors, Manco argues, contribute to a very fluid society, riven with those economic divisions and social tensions that underpin and feed the "folkloric vandalism and an urban sport for the disenfranchised", that is South American graffiti art.
Prominent Brazilian writers include Os Gêmeos, Boleta, Nunca, Nina, Speto, Tikka, and T.Freak. Their artistic success and involvement in commercial design ventures has highlighted divisions within the Brazilian graffiti community between adherents of the cruder transgressive form of pichação and the more conventionally artistic values of the practitioners of grafite.
Graffiti in the Middle East has emerged slowly, with taggers operating in Egypt, Lebanon, the Gulf countries like Bahrain or the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and in Iran. The major Iranian newspaper Hamshahri has published two articles on illegal writers in the city with photographic coverage of Iranian artist A1one's works on Tehran walls. Tokyo-based design magazine, PingMag, has interviewed A1one and featured photographs of his work. The Israeli West Bank barrier has become a site for graffiti, reminiscent in this sense of the Berlin Wall. Many writers in Israel come from other places around the globe, such as JUIF from Los Angeles and DEVIONE from London. The religious reference "נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן" ("Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman") is commonly seen in graffiti around Israel.
Graffiti has played an important role within the street art scene in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), especially following the events of the Arab Spring of 2011 or the Sudanese Revolution of 2018/19. Graffiti is a tool of expression in the context of conflict in the region, allowing people to raise their voices politically and socially. Famous street artist Banksy has had an important effect in the street art scene in the MENA area, especially in Palestine where some of his works are located in the West Bank barrier and Bethlehem.
There are also a large number of graffiti influences in Southeast Asian countries that mostly come from modern Western culture, such as Malaysia, where graffiti have long been a common sight in Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Since 2010, the country has begun hosting a street festival to encourage all generations and people from all walks of life to enjoy and encourage Malaysian street culture.
The modern-day graffitists can be found with an arsenal of various materials that allow for a successful production of a piece. This includes such techniques as scribing. However, spray paint in aerosol cans is the number one medium for graffiti. From this commodity comes different styles, technique, and abilities to form master works of graffiti. Spray paint can be found at hardware and art stores and comes in virtually every color.
Stencil graffiti is created by cutting out shapes and designs in a stiff material (such as cardboard or subject folders) to form an overall design or image. The stencil is then placed on the "canvas" gently and with quick, easy strokes of the aerosol can, the image begins to appear on the intended surface.
Some of the first examples were created in 1981 by artists Blek le Rat in Paris, in 1982 by Jef Aerosol in Tours (France); by 1985 stencils had appeared in other cities including New York City, Sydney, and Melbourne, where they were documented by American photographer Charles Gatewood and Australian photographer Rennie Ellis
Tagging is the practice of someone spray-painting "their name, initial or logo onto a public surface" in a handstyle unique to the writer. Tags were the first form of modern graffiti.
Modern graffiti art often incorporates additional arts and technologies. For example, Graffiti Research Lab has encouraged the use of projected images and magnetic light-emitting diodes (throwies) as new media for graffitists. yarnbombing is another recent form of graffiti. Yarnbombers occasionally target previous graffiti for modification, which had been avoided among the majority of graffitists.
Theories on the use of graffiti by avant-garde artists have a history dating back at least to the Asger Jorn, who in 1962 painting declared in a graffiti-like gesture "the avant-garde won't give up"
Many contemporary analysts and even art critics have begun to see artistic value in some graffiti and to recognize it as a form of public art. According to many art researchers, particularly in the Netherlands and in Los Angeles, that type of public art is, in fact an effective tool of social emancipation or, in the achievement of a political goal
In times of conflict, such murals have offered a means of communication and self-expression for members of these socially, ethnically, or racially divided communities, and have proven themselves as effective tools in establishing dialog and thus, of addressing cleavages in the long run. The Berlin Wall was also extensively covered by graffiti reflecting social pressures relating to the oppressive Soviet rule over the GDR.
Many artists involved with graffiti are also concerned with the similar activity of stenciling. Essentially, this entails stenciling a print of one or more colors using spray-paint. Recognized while exhibiting and publishing several of her coloured stencils and paintings portraying the Sri Lankan Civil War and urban Britain in the early 2000s, graffitists Mathangi Arulpragasam, aka M.I.A., has also become known for integrating her imagery of political violence into her music videos for singles "Galang" and "Bucky Done Gun", and her cover art. Stickers of her artwork also often appear around places such as London in Brick Lane, stuck to lamp posts and street signs, she having become a muse for other graffitists and painters worldwide in cities including Seville.
Graffitist believes that art should be on display for everyone in the public eye or in plain sight, not hidden away in a museum or a gallery. Art should color the streets, not the inside of some building. Graffiti is a form of art that cannot be owned or bought. It does not last forever, it is temporary, yet one of a kind. It is a form of self promotion for the artist that can be displayed anywhere form sidewalks, roofs, subways, building wall, etc. Art to them is for everyone and should be showed to everyone for free.
Graffiti is a way of communicating and a way of expressing what one feels in the moment. It is both art and a functional thing that can warn people of something or inform people of something. However, graffiti is to some people a form of art, but to some a form of vandalism. And many graffitists choose to protect their identities and remain anonymous or to hinder prosecution.
With the commercialization of graffiti (and hip hop in general), in most cases, even with legally painted "graffiti" art, graffitists tend to choose anonymity. This may be attributed to various reasons or a combination of reasons. Graffiti still remains the one of four hip hop elements that is not considered "performance art" despite the image of the "singing and dancing star" that sells hip hop culture to the mainstream. Being a graphic form of art, it might also be said that many graffitists still fall in the category of the introverted archetypal artist.
Banksy is one of the world's most notorious and popular street artists who continues to remain faceless in today's society. He is known for his political, anti-war stencil art mainly in Bristol, England, but his work may be seen anywhere from Los Angeles to Palestine. In the UK, Banksy is the most recognizable icon for this cultural artistic movement and keeps his identity a secret to avoid arrest. Much of Banksy's artwork may be seen around the streets of London and surrounding suburbs, although he has painted pictures throughout the world, including the Middle East, where he has painted on Israel's controversial West Bank barrier with satirical images of life on the other side. One depicted a hole in the wall with an idyllic beach, while another shows a mountain landscape on the other side. A number of exhibitions also have taken place since 2000, and recent works of art have fetched vast sums of money. Banksy's art is a prime example of the classic controversy: vandalism vs. art. Art supporters endorse his work distributed in urban areas as pieces of art and some councils, such as Bristol and Islington, have officially protected them, while officials of other areas have deemed his work to be vandalism and have removed it.
Pixnit is another artist who chooses to keep her identity from the general public. Her work focuses on beauty and design aspects of graffiti as opposed to Banksy's anti-government shock value. Her paintings are often of flower designs above shops and stores in her local urban area of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Some store owners endorse her work and encourage others to do similar work as well. "One of the pieces was left up above Steve's Kitchen, because it looks pretty awesome"- Erin Scott, the manager of New England Comics in Allston, Massachusetts.
Graffiti artists may become offended if photographs of their art are published in a commercial context without their permission. In March 2020, the Finnish graffiti artist Psyke expressed his displeasure at the newspaper Ilta-Sanomat publishing a photograph of a Peugeot 208 in an article about new cars, with his graffiti prominently shown on the background. The artist claims he does not want his art being used in commercial context, not even if he were to receive compensation.
Territorial graffiti marks urban neighborhoods with tags and logos to differentiate certain groups from others. These images are meant to show outsiders a stern look at whose turf is whose. The subject matter of gang-related graffiti consists of cryptic symbols and initials strictly fashioned with unique calligraphies. Gang members use graffiti to designate membership throughout the gang, to differentiate rivals and associates and, most commonly, to mark borders which are both territorial and ideological.
Graffiti has been used as a means of advertising both legally and illegally. Bronx-based TATS CRU has made a name for themselves doing legal advertising campaigns for companies such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Toyota, and MTV. In the UK, Covent Garden's Boxfresh used stencil images of a Zapatista revolutionary in the hopes that cross referencing would promote their store.
Smirnoff hired artists to use reverse graffiti (the use of high pressure hoses to clean dirty surfaces to leave a clean image in the surrounding dirt) to increase awareness of their product.
Graffiti often has a reputation as part of a subculture that rebels against authority, although the considerations of the practitioners often diverge and can relate to a wide range of attitudes. It can express a political practice and can form just one tool in an array of resistance techniques. One early example includes the anarcho-punk band Crass, who conducted a campaign of stenciling anti-war, anarchist, feminist, and anti-consumerist messages throughout the London Underground system during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In Amsterdam graffiti was a major part of the punk scene. The city was covered with names such as "De Zoot", "Vendex", and "Dr Rat". To document the graffiti a punk magazine was started that was called Gallery Anus. So when hip hop came to Europe in the early 1980s there was already a vibrant graffiti culture.
The student protests and general strike of May 1968 saw Paris bedecked in revolutionary, anarchistic, and situationist slogans such as L'ennui est contre-révolutionnaire ("Boredom is counterrevolutionary") and Lisez moins, vivez plus ("Read less, live more"). While not exhaustive, the graffiti gave a sense of the 'millenarian' and rebellious spirit, tempered with a good deal of verbal wit, of the strikers.
I think graffiti writing is a way of defining what our generation is like. Excuse the French, we're not a bunch of p---- artists. Traditionally artists have been considered soft and mellow people, a little bit kooky. Maybe we're a little bit more like pirates that way. We defend our territory, whatever space we steal to paint on, we defend it fiercely.
The developments of graffiti art which took place in art galleries and colleges as well as "on the street" or "underground", contributed to the resurfacing in the 1990s of a far more overtly politicized art form in the subvertising, culture jamming, or tactical media movements. These movements or styles tend to classify the artists by their relationship to their social and economic contexts, since, in most countries, graffiti art remains illegal in many forms except when using non-permanent paint. Since the 1990s with the rise of Street Art, a growing number of artists are switching to non-permanent paints and non-traditional forms of painting.
Contemporary practitioners, accordingly, have varied and often conflicting practices. Some individuals, such as Alexander Brener, have used the medium to politicize other art forms, and have used the prison sentences enforced on them as a means of further protest. The practices of anonymous groups and individuals also vary widely, and practitioners by no means always agree with each other's practices. For example, the anti-capitalist art group the Space Hijackers did a piece in 2004 about the contradiction between the capitalistic elements of Banksy and his use of political imagery.
Berlin human rights activist Irmela Mensah-Schramm has received global media attention and numerous awards for her 35-year campaign of effacing neo-Nazi and other right-wing extremist graffiti throughout Germany, often by altering hate speech in humorous ways.
In Serbian capital, Belgrade, the graffiti depicting a uniformed former general of Serb army and war criminal, convicted at ICTY for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide and ethnic cleansing in Bosnian War, Ratko Mladić, appeared in a military salute alongside the words "General, thank to your mother". Aleks Eror, Berlin-based journalist, explains how "veneration of historical and wartime figures" through street art is not a new phenomenon in the region of former Yugoslavia, and that "in most cases is firmly focused on the future, rather than retelling the past". Eror is not only analyst pointing to danger of such an expressions for the region's future. In a long expose on the subject of Bosnian genocide denial, at Balkan Diskurs magazine and multimedia platform website, Kristina Gadže and Taylor Whitsell referred to these experiences as a young generations' "cultural heritage", in which young are being exposed to celebration and affirmation of war-criminals as part of their "formal education" and "inheritance".
There are numerous examples of genocide denial through celebration and affirmation of war criminals throughout the region of Western Balkans inhabited by Serbs using this form of artistic expression. Several more of these graffiti are found in Serbian capital, and many more across Serbia and Bosnian and Herzegovinian administrative entity, Republika Srpska, which is the ethnic Serbian majority enclave. Critics point that Serbia as a state, is willing to defend the mural of convicted war criminal, and have no intention to react on cases of genocide denial, noting that Interior Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vulin decision to ban any gathering with an intent to remove the mural, with the deployment of riot police, sends the message of "tacit endorsement". Consequently, on 9 November 2021, Serbian heavy police in riot gear, with graffiti creators and their supporters, blocked the access to the mural to prevent human rights groups and other activists to paint over it and mark the International Day Against Fascism and Antisemitism in that way, and even arrested two civic activist for throwing eggs at the graffiti.
Graffiti may also be used as an offensive expression. This form of graffiti may be difficult to identify, as it is mostly removed by the local authority (as councils which have adopted strategies of criminalization also strive to remove graffiti quickly). Therefore, existing racist graffiti is mostly more subtle and at first sight, not easily recognized as "racist". It can then be understood only if one knows the relevant "local code" (social, historical, political, temporal, and spatial), which is seen as heteroglot and thus a 'unique set of conditions' in a cultural context.
A spatial code for example, could be that there is a certain youth group in an area that is engaging heavily in racist activities. So, for residents (knowing the local code), a graffiti containing only the name or abbreviation of this gang already is a racist expression, reminding the offended people of their gang activities. Also a graffiti is in most cases, the herald of more serious criminal activity to come. A person who does not know these gang activities would not be able to recognize the meaning of this graffiti. Also if a tag of this youth group or gang is placed on a building occupied by asylum seekers, for example, its racist character is even stronger.
By making the graffiti less explicit (as adapted to social and legal constraints), these drawings are less likely to be removed, but do not lose their threatening and offensive character.
Elsewhere, activists in Russia have used painted caricatures of local officials with their mouths as potholes, to show their anger about the poor state of the roads. In Manchester, England, a graffitists painted obscene images around potholes, which often resulted in them being repaired within 48 hours.
In the early 1980s, the first art galleries to show graffitists to the public were Fashion Moda in the Bronx, Now Gallery and Fun Gallery, both in the East Village, Manhattan.
A 2006 exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum displayed graffiti as an art form that began in New York's outer boroughs and reached great heights in the early 1980s with the work of Crash, Lee, Daze, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. It displayed 22 works by New York graffitists, including Crash, Daze, and Lady Pink. In an article about the exhibition in the magazine Time Out, curator Charlotta Kotik said that she hoped the exhibition would cause viewers to rethink their assumptions about graffiti.
From the 1970s onwards, Burhan Doğançay photographed urban walls all over the world; these he then archived for use as sources of inspiration for his painterly works. The project today known as "Walls of the World" grew beyond even his own expectations and comprises about 30,000 individual images. It spans a period of 40 years across five continents and 114 countries. In 1982, photographs from this project comprised a one-man exhibition titled "Les murs murmurent, ils crient, ils chantent ..." (The walls whisper, shout and sing ...) at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.
In Australia, art historians have judged some local graffiti of sufficient creative merit to rank them firmly within the arts. Oxford University Press's art history text Australian Painting 1788–2000 concludes with a long discussion of graffiti's key place within contemporary visual culture, including the work of several Australian practitioners.
Between March and April 2009, 150 artists exhibited 300 pieces of graffiti at the Grand Palais in Paris.
Spray paint has many negative environmental effects. The paint contains toxic chemicals, and the can uses volatile hydrocarbon gases to spray the paint onto a surface.
Volatile organic compound (VOC) leads to ground level ozone formation and most of graffiti related emissions are VOCs. A 2010 paper estimates 4,862 tons of VOCs were released in the United States in activities related to graffiti.
In China, Mao Zedong in the 1920s used revolutionary slogans and paintings in public places to galvanize the country's communist movement.
Based on different national conditions, many people believe that China's attitude towards Graffiti is fierce, but in fact, according to Lance Crayon in his film Spray Paint Beijing: Graffiti in the Capital of China, Graffiti is generally accepted in Beijing, with artists not seeing much police interference. Political and religiously sensitive graffiti, however, is not allowed.
In Hong Kong, Tsang Tsou Choi was known as the King of Kowloon for his calligraphy graffiti over many years, in which he claimed ownership of the area. Now some of his work is preserved officially.
In Taiwan, the government has made some concessions to graffitists. Since 2005 they have been allowed to freely display their work along some sections of riverside retaining walls in designated "Graffiti Zones". From 2007, Taipei's department of cultural affairs also began permitting graffiti on fences around major public construction sites. Department head Yong-ping Lee (李永萍) stated, "We will promote graffiti starting with the public sector, and then later in the private sector too. It's our goal to beautify the city with graffiti". The government later helped organize a graffiti contest in Ximending, a popular shopping district. graffitists caught working outside of these designated areas still face fines up to NT$6,000 under a department of environmental protection regulation. However, Taiwanese authorities can be relatively lenient, one veteran police officer stating anonymously, "Unless someone complains about vandalism, we won't get involved. We don't go after it proactively."
In 1993, after several expensive cars in Singapore were spray-painted, the police arrested a student from the Singapore American School, Michael P. Fay, questioned him, and subsequently charged him with vandalism. Fay pleaded guilty to vandalizing a car in addition to stealing road signs. Under the 1966 Vandalism Act of Singapore, originally passed to curb the spread of communist graffiti in Singapore, the court sentenced him to four months in jail, a fine of S$3,500 (US$2,233), and a caning. The New York Times ran several editorials and op-eds that condemned the punishment and called on the American public to flood the Singaporean embassy with protests. Although the Singapore government received many calls for clemency, Fay's caning took place in Singapore on 5 May 1994. Fay had originally received a sentence of six strokes of the cane, but the presiding president of Singapore, Ong Teng Cheong, agreed to reduce his caning sentence to four lashes.
In South Korea, Park Jung-soo was fined two million South Korean won by the Seoul Central District Court for spray-painting a rat on posters of the G-20 Summit a few days before the event in November 2011. Park alleged that the initial in "G-20" sounds like the Korean word for "rat", but Korean government prosecutors alleged that Park was making a derogatory statement about the president of South Korea, Lee Myung-bak, the host of the summit. This case led to public outcry and debate on the lack of government tolerance and in support of freedom of expression. The court ruled that the painting, "an ominous creature like a rat" amounts to "an organized criminal activity" and upheld the fine while denying the prosecution's request for imprisonment for Park.
In Europe, community cleaning squads have responded to graffiti, in some cases with reckless abandon, as when in 1992 in France a local Scout group, attempting to remove modern graffiti, damaged two prehistoric paintings of bison in the Cave of Mayrière supérieure near the French village of Bruniquel in Tarn-et-Garonne, earning them the 1992 Ig Nobel Prize in archeology.
In September 2006, the European Parliament directed the European Commission to create urban environment policies to prevent and eliminate dirt, litter, graffiti, animal excrement, and excessive noise from domestic and vehicular music systems in European cities, along with other concerns over urban life.
In Budapest, Hungary, both a city-backed movement called I Love Budapest and a special police division tackle the problem, including the provision of approved areas.
The Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 became Britain's latest anti-graffiti legislation. In August 2004, the Keep Britain Tidy campaign issued a press release calling for zero tolerance of graffiti and supporting proposals such as issuing "on the spot" fines to graffiti offenders and banning the sale of aerosol paint to anyone under the age of 16. The press release also condemned the use of graffiti images in advertising and in music videos, arguing that real-world experience of graffiti stood far removed from its often-portrayed "cool" or "edgy'" image.
To back the campaign, 123 Members of Parliament (MPs) (including then Prime Minister Tony Blair), signed a charter which stated: "Graffiti is not art, it's crime. On behalf of my constituents, I will do all I can to rid our community of this problem."
In the UK, city councils have the power to take action against the owner of any property that has been defaced under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 (as amended by the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005) or, in certain cases, the Highways Act. This is often used against owners of property that are complacent in allowing protective boards to be defaced so long as the property is not damaged.
In July 2008, a conspiracy charge was used to convict graffitists for the first time. After a three-month police surveillance operation, nine members of the DPM crew were convicted of conspiracy to commit criminal damage costing at least £1 million. Five of them received prison sentences, ranging from eighteen months to two years. The unprecedented scale of the investigation and the severity of the sentences rekindled public debate over whether graffiti should be considered art or crime.
Some councils, like those of Stroud and Loerrach, provide approved areas in the town where graffitists can showcase their talents, including underpasses, car parks, and walls that might otherwise prove a target for the "spray and run".
Graffiti Tunnel, University of Sydney at Camperdown (2009)
In an effort to reduce vandalism, many cities in Australia have designated walls or areas exclusively for use by graffitists. One early example is the "Graffiti Tunnel" located at the Camperdown Campus of the University of Sydney, which is available for use by any student at the university to tag, advertise, poster, and paint. Advocates of this idea suggest that this discourages petty vandalism yet encourages artists to take their time and produce great art, without worry of being caught or arrested for vandalism or trespassing.[108][109] Others disagree with this approach, arguing that the presence of legal graffiti walls does not demonstrably reduce illegal graffiti elsewhere. Some local government areas throughout Australia have introduced "anti-graffiti squads", who clean graffiti in the area, and such crews as BCW (Buffers Can't Win) have taken steps to keep one step ahead of local graffiti cleaners.
Many state governments have banned the sale or possession of spray paint to those under the age of 18 (age of majority). However, a number of local governments in Victoria have taken steps to recognize the cultural heritage value of some examples of graffiti, such as prominent political graffiti. Tough new graffiti laws have been introduced in Australia with fines of up to A$26,000 and two years in prison.
Melbourne is a prominent graffiti city of Australia with many of its lanes being tourist attractions, such as Hosier Lane in particular, a popular destination for photographers, wedding photography, and backdrops for corporate print advertising. The Lonely Planet travel guide cites Melbourne's street as a major attraction. All forms of graffiti, including sticker art, poster, stencil art, and wheatpasting, can be found in many places throughout the city. Prominent street art precincts include; Fitzroy, Collingwood, Northcote, Brunswick, St. Kilda, and the CBD, where stencil and sticker art is prominent. As one moves farther away from the city, mostly along suburban train lines, graffiti tags become more prominent. Many international artists such as Banksy have left their work in Melbourne and in early 2008 a perspex screen was installed to prevent a Banksy stencil art piece from being destroyed, it has survived since 2003 through the respect of local street artists avoiding posting over it, although it has recently had paint tipped over it.
In February 2008 Helen Clark, the New Zealand prime minister at that time, announced a government crackdown on tagging and other forms of graffiti vandalism, describing it as a destructive crime representing an invasion of public and private property. New legislation subsequently adopted included a ban on the sale of paint spray cans to persons under 18 and increases in maximum fines for the offence from NZ$200 to NZ$2,000 or extended community service. The issue of tagging become a widely debated one following an incident in Auckland during January 2008 in which a middle-aged property owner stabbed one of two teenage taggers to death and was subsequently convicted of manslaughter.
Graffiti databases have increased in the past decade because they allow vandalism incidents to be fully documented against an offender and help the police and prosecution charge and prosecute offenders for multiple counts of vandalism. They also provide law enforcement the ability to rapidly search for an offender's moniker or tag in a simple, effective, and comprehensive way. These systems can also help track costs of damage to a city to help allocate an anti-graffiti budget. The theory is that when an offender is caught putting up graffiti, they are not just charged with one count of vandalism; they can be held accountable for all the other damage for which they are responsible. This has two main benefits for law enforcement. One, it sends a signal to the offenders that their vandalism is being tracked. Two, a city can seek restitution from offenders for all the damage that they have committed, not merely a single incident. These systems give law enforcement personnel real-time, street-level intelligence that allows them not only to focus on the worst graffiti offenders and their damage, but also to monitor potential gang violence that is associated with the graffiti.
Many restrictions of civil gang injunctions are designed to help address and protect the physical environment and limit graffiti. Provisions of gang injunctions include things such as restricting the possession of marker pens, spray paint cans, or other sharp objects capable of defacing private or public property; spray painting, or marking with marker pens, scratching, applying stickers, or otherwise applying graffiti on any public or private property, including, but not limited to the street, alley, residences, block walls, and fences, vehicles or any other real or personal property. Some injunctions contain wording that restricts damaging or vandalizing both public and private property, including but not limited to any vehicle, light fixture, door, fence, wall, gate, window, building, street sign, utility box, telephone box, tree, or power pole.
To help address many of these issues, many local jurisdictions have set up graffiti abatement hotlines, where citizens can call in and report vandalism and have it removed. San Diego's hotline receives more than 5,000 calls per year, in addition to reporting the graffiti, callers can learn more about prevention. One of the complaints about these hotlines is the response time; there is often a lag time between a property owner calling about the graffiti and its removal. The length of delay should be a consideration for any jurisdiction planning on operating a hotline. Local jurisdictions must convince the callers that their complaint of vandalism will be a priority and cleaned off right away. If the jurisdiction does not have the resources to respond to complaints in a timely manner, the value of the hotline diminishes. Crews must be able to respond to individual service calls made to the graffiti hotline as well as focus on cleanup near schools, parks, and major intersections and transit routes to have the biggest impact. Some cities offer a reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of suspects for tagging or graffiti related vandalism. The amount of the reward is based on the information provided, and the action taken.
When police obtain search warrants in connection with a vandalism investigation, they are often seeking judicial approval to look for items such as cans of spray paint and nozzles from other kinds of aerosol sprays; etching tools, or other sharp or pointed objects, which could be used to etch or scratch glass and other hard surfaces; permanent marking pens, markers, or paint sticks; evidence of membership or affiliation with any gang or tagging crew; paraphernalia including any reference to "(tagger's name)"; any drawings, writing, objects, or graffiti depicting taggers' names, initials, logos, monikers, slogans, or any mention of tagging crew membership; and any newspaper clippings relating to graffiti crime.
Proactive Acne Treatment Vending Machine, 9/2014, by Mike Mozart of TheToyChannel and JeepersMedia on YouTube.
Proactive Acne Treatment Vending Machine, 9/2014, by Mike Mozart of TheToyChannel and JeepersMedia on YouTube.
Officers tackling serious and organised crime in North Manchester have launched a dedicated multi-agency disruption hub in the district to crackdown on criminal activity in the area.
The hub was launched last month, in partnership with Manchester City Council, as part of ongoing Operation Haemus – formed in November 2019 following an increase in firearm discharges stemming from two main local criminal groups in CheethamHill.
As part of the Haemus hub, a team totalling 17 officers has been formed, consisting of experienced detectives, dedicated safeguarding officers, intelligence officers, and a team of proactive officers who are dedicated to the area in both plain and uniformed patrols.
The team will engage in a range of proactive activities to continue to reduce the prevalence of organised crime in the north of Manchester.
Today (Wednesday 16 December) a team of officers from the Op Haemus team were joined by GMPs Tactical Aid Unit & Tactical Dog Unit in performing an intelligence-led weapon sweep of the area of Mandley Park - on the Salford border.
Any discarded or hidden weapons, firearms or ammunition found in the area during the sweep will be recovered and examined potentially as evidence as part of the 12 ongoing investigations within Op Haemus.
In the first six weeks since the inception of the disruption hub, Op Haemus officers have made a total of 25 arrests, conducted 122 stop searches and have searched 15 houses.
During the same short period, the hub has already seized two viable firearms, large quantities of class A and class B drugs, and seized 13 vehicles.
In conjunction with Manchester City Council, the hub works closely with housing providers, social services, adult services and a number of other agencies in a multi-agency approach to tackle organised crime in North Manchester.
This includes working closely with partners in local authority to provide a range of safeguarding measures and care packages to protect and support vulnerable adults and children at risk of being targeted, coerced and victimised by criminal activity.
Superintendent Rebecca Boyce, of GMP’s North Manchester division, said: “The launch of the disruption hub as part of Operation Haemus is a very welcome introduction for the people of North Manchester, as it’s the latest in a series of proactive measures we’ve employed in recent months to tackle the blight of serious and organised crime in our community.
“It is important that we maximise the resources we have available to us, and we have ensured that we have a dedicated and skilful team working around the clock to disrupt the activity of criminal groups, while protecting the public that we serve.
“We have always been honest and open about the challenges that have presented themselves due to the complexities and developments during this operation, but we are confident that we are making a tangible difference on our streets which can be seen by the recent decrease in firearms activity.
“While disputes between local crime groups generally pose little wider risk to the general public, it is understandable that such incidents cause unease and distress in our communities and we hope that the innocent, honest, and decent people we serve feel reassured by this targeted and increased action we are taking in the district.
“As ever, we continue to urge members of the public to contact police with any information or concerns, knowing that it will be treated with the strictest confidence – we have high-visibility patrols that can be approached, or a dedicated phone number that can be contacted – and Crimestoppers is always available for those who wish to pass on information anonymously.”
Any information relating to Operation Haemus should be passed to police on 0161 8563548 or the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.
Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.
You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.
You can access many of our services online at www.gmp.police.uk
Department store Brown Thomas have been very proactive with their window displays since the lock down, between messages of hope during the closure & now, as the shop gets ready to re open this coming week, some positive messages have appeared on the windows in the form of Irish proverbs.
Full kudos to them for their efforts & updates.
A Heartfelt Thank You
We are very pleased to announce that in line with the Irish Government Reopening Plan we will reopen our Dublin store on Wednesday 10th June ( 2020 ) and our Cork, Limerick and Galway stores on Thursday 11th June. ( 2020 )
On behalf of the Brown Thomas family we wish to express our utmost gratitude to our customers, partners and team members whose kindness, loyalty and support has made this day possible.
Evelyn goes to Asia, Part 7:
At the end of her trip, Evelyn was very satisfied with removing Constance out of the equation and proactive thinking. After all, she is the most popular American - Asian model!
November and December of 2018 saw ASDA get quite proactive in getting in new Matchbox cases though yet again its an anxious wait to see what 2019 batches they start on! I was very happy when Case L appeared and meant grabbing a cheeky few of their new 2009 International eStar electric van.
More of a novelty than anything else as it can hardly be described as a looker, I do rather like its self congratulatory full on MATCHBOX logo and the fact they have actually modelled this very short-lived exercise in future transportation of goods. Quite a simple casting really but its metal content is pretty high and I do like its chrome disc wheels.
Bought back in November. Mint and boxed.
Dr Katre Premix Lab Pvt Ltd. is engaged proactively for supporting human and animal wellbeing. Feed and feed supplement is an essential part of food chain responsible for human and animal health. Therefore attempting to supply safe and quality feed premixes to cattle / Poultry/ Aqua Farms and feed manufacturing units.
***UPDATE*** Ian and Julie are getting ready for baby, so doing some proactive planning before the big day. Thanks again guys!
Cubbie space.. an interior drawer...its roomy in there.
A month and a half after Operation Peak first hit the streets of Luton to proactively target known offenders, ANPR Intercept officers have arrested more than 70 individuals for a range of offences including burglary, going equipped to burgle, money laundering, assault and numerous drug related offences.
The team has also recovered seven stolen vehicles with a combined value of over £120,000, seized 59 vehicles which were either not insured or the driver did not have a licence – this included a £60,000 Audi A7 – and taken hold of four vehicles that were used during crimes.
One of the busiest days for the team came on Tuesday December 11 when seven individuals were arrested for going equipped to and conspiracy to commit burglary. The previous Tuesday (December 4), four individuals were suspected of committing an aggravated burglary in Cutenhoe Road, Luton. The offenders fled the location in a silver hatchback car but this was stopped by the ANPR Intercept Team in Dallow Road. All four occupants were arrested on suspicion of burglary, assault and possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply.
Speaking about the impact that the ANPR Intercept team has had on Operation Peak, Sergeant Chris Leah said: “The statistics really do emphasise the important role that the ANPR Intercept Team plays in operations such as Peak. It has been an extremely busy month and a half for everyone but by targeting criminals through their use of the roads we have been able to make some significant arrests.”
Local Policing Chief Inspector Rob McCaffray added: “These are fantastic results which have come about by proactively policing Luton. Everyone involved in Operation Peak deserves praise for the positive impact that they are having on the communities within Luton.
“We’ve said from the start that we want Bedfordshire to become a hostile environment in which to commit burglaries and I think that these results help to cement that message.”
Known offenders will continue to be the key target of Operation Peak and suspects can expect an increase in daily interaction with police officers over the coming months. Known offenders and suspects found to be in particular hotspot areas can also expect an increase in the use of stop-and-search as Bedfordshire Police sends out a clear message that burglary will not be tolerated.
Local Policing Teams will also be distributing prevention advice in areas identified a burglary hotspots as well as executing a number of search warrants.
If you have information relating to burglaries contact Bedfordshire Police, in confidence, on the non-emergency number 101, or text information to 07786 200011.
Alternatively contact independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.
Officers tackling serious and organised crime in North Manchester have launched a dedicated multi-agency disruption hub in the district to crackdown on criminal activity in the area.
The hub was launched last month, in partnership with Manchester City Council, as part of ongoing Operation Haemus – formed in November 2019 following an increase in firearm discharges stemming from two main local criminal groups in CheethamHill.
As part of the Haemus hub, a team totalling 17 officers has been formed, consisting of experienced detectives, dedicated safeguarding officers, intelligence officers, and a team of proactive officers who are dedicated to the area in both plain and uniformed patrols.
The team will engage in a range of proactive activities to continue to reduce the prevalence of organised crime in the north of Manchester.
Today (Wednesday 16 December) a team of officers from the Op Haemus team were joined by GMPs Tactical Aid Unit & Tactical Dog Unit in performing an intelligence-led weapon sweep of the area of Mandley Park - on the Salford border.
Any discarded or hidden weapons, firearms or ammunition found in the area during the sweep will be recovered and examined potentially as evidence as part of the 12 ongoing investigations within Op Haemus.
In the first six weeks since the inception of the disruption hub, Op Haemus officers have made a total of 25 arrests, conducted 122 stop searches and have searched 15 houses.
During the same short period, the hub has already seized two viable firearms, large quantities of class A and class B drugs, and seized 13 vehicles.
In conjunction with Manchester City Council, the hub works closely with housing providers, social services, adult services and a number of other agencies in a multi-agency approach to tackle organised crime in North Manchester.
This includes working closely with partners in local authority to provide a range of safeguarding measures and care packages to protect and support vulnerable adults and children at risk of being targeted, coerced and victimised by criminal activity.
Superintendent Rebecca Boyce, of GMP’s North Manchester division, said: “The launch of the disruption hub as part of Operation Haemus is a very welcome introduction for the people of North Manchester, as it’s the latest in a series of proactive measures we’ve employed in recent months to tackle the blight of serious and organised crime in our community.
“It is important that we maximise the resources we have available to us, and we have ensured that we have a dedicated and skilful team working around the clock to disrupt the activity of criminal groups, while protecting the public that we serve.
“We have always been honest and open about the challenges that have presented themselves due to the complexities and developments during this operation, but we are confident that we are making a tangible difference on our streets which can be seen by the recent decrease in firearms activity.
“While disputes between local crime groups generally pose little wider risk to the general public, it is understandable that such incidents cause unease and distress in our communities and we hope that the innocent, honest, and decent people we serve feel reassured by this targeted and increased action we are taking in the district.
“As ever, we continue to urge members of the public to contact police with any information or concerns, knowing that it will be treated with the strictest confidence – we have high-visibility patrols that can be approached, or a dedicated phone number that can be contacted – and Crimestoppers is always available for those who wish to pass on information anonymously.”
Any information relating to Operation Haemus should be passed to police on 0161 8563548 or the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.
Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.
You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.
You can access many of our services online at www.gmp.police.uk
MOBILE, Ala. – The U.S. Marshals Service Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force conducted a multi-agency violent crime reduction initiative called Operation Triple Beam. Beginning in June and continuing throughout the summer, Operation Triple Beam partnered federal, state, and local law enforcement who were focused and determined to reduce violent crime and take dangerous offenders off the streets of Mobile County.
This initiative targeted hyper-violent criminal elements through proactive investigations that resulted in substantial results. Authorities seized 83 illegal firearms, $24,000 in U.S. currency, and more than $79,000 worth of illegal substances such as crack cocaine, marijuana, spice, methamphetamine, illegal prescription medications, and codeine. In total, 163 persons were charged with felony offenses that resulted from Operation Triple Beam. It is expected that a number of these cases will result in federal indictment by the United States Attorney.
Photo by (Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals)
MEDIA RELEASES:
FWC approves comprehensive bear management rules
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) continued its long-standing, proactive approach to bear management at its meeting in Sarasota on June 24. FWC Commissioners approved several bear-related rules that address a wide variety of tools to manage bears.
In summary, Commissioners approved changes to strengthen the wildlife feeding rule. Commissioners also approved changes to the bear conservation rule, which include a permit program to authorize landowners to remove a bear causing property damage under certain circumstances. These changes also allow the public and trained security personnel to scare bears with less-than-lethal methods in appropriate situations without a permit. As a small part of FWC’s management of bears, Commissioners also approved a very limited bear hunting season in limited locations.
The Commissioners asked staff to continue focusing on educating people about the repercussions of feeding bears and how to co-exist with bears to minimize conflicts.
“Education is key. We know that bear feeding is an issue, so we need to continue to be proactive and responsive with our efforts,” said FWC Chairman Richard Corbett. “Properly securing garbage and other attractants is the single most important action for reducing conflict situations with bears.”
The Commissioners signed a Waste Management Resolution and approved a policy paper, explaining the need for comprehensive waste management to address human-bear conflicts and improve public safety.
“The FWC will continue to perform its role to educate the public, provide technical assistance, remove conflict bears, manage bear populations and enforce feeding prohibitions,” said Dr. Thomas Eason, director of the Division of Habitat and Species Conservation. “The problem of unsecured waste needs to be addressed by bringing together local officials, along with waste service companies, to work together with FWC to resolve this problem in a cost-effective manner.”
The Commission also passed final rules to establish a bear hunting season in late October within four of the state’s seven Bear Management Units (BMUs). The units that will have a hunting season contain the largest bear populations and include all three national forests as well as southern Florida.
The purpose of reinstating a hunting season is to help control the growth of expanding bear populations, as one part of FWC’s overall approach to managing bears. Bear conservation in recent decades has been a success story, and now FWC’s approach must include a means for managing bear population size. As other states have shown, hunting is the most effective and responsible method for managing the growth of bear populations.
This year, Florida’s bear hunting season will open Oct. 24 and will last at least through Oct. 25, but could run as long as seven days ending on Oct. 30, depending on if and when a BMU’s bear harvest objective is met.
Bear hunting permits will cost $100 for residents and $300 for nonresidents. Hunters will be limited to buying only one permit, which will allow the harvest of one bear per permit.
The same methods of take and shooting hours for deer will also apply to bears, but hunting bears with dogs or over bait is not allowed. On private property, game feeding stations may continue to be used as long as the feed is what is typically used for deer or hogs. To harvest a bear on private land, both the hunter and bear must be more than 100 yards away from any game feeding station.
Hunters will be required to take harvested bears to an FWC check station within 12 hours. Information will be collected at the check stations from each bear that will be used to inform the FWC about the local bear population .The new rule also makes it illegal to sell any parts of a bear or its hide.
MyFWC.com/Bear provides information about Florida black bears and how to avoid conflicts with them. Please report any threatening bear behavior to the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).
Gulf of Mexico greater amberjack size limit change approved by FWC
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) today approved changing the minimum size limit for greater amberjack caught in Gulf of Mexico state waters from 30 inches fork length to 34 inches fork length. Fork length is measured from the tip of the lower jaw to the center of the fork in the tail.
This change will make state-water regulations in the Gulf consistent with pending federal regulation changes and will go into effect after federal regulations are approved.
Recent stock assessments have indicated that greater amberjack in the Gulf of Mexico are overfished, which means there are not enough greater amberjack for the population to remain sustainable. They are also undergoing overfishing, which means more greater amberjack are being removed than is sustainable. Changing the minimum size limit will help ensure more greater amberjack are left in the water and have a chance to reproduce before being harvested.
For more information, visit MyFWC.com/Commission and select “Commission Meetings” then the “Agenda.” For information about recreational greater amberjack, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater Fishing,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Amberjack.”
FWC approves new manatee zones for western Pinellas
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved a final rule establishing new manatee zones in portions of the inshore waters of western Pinellas County at its June 24 meeting in Sarasota.
The proposed rule was opened for comment in December 2014 and included two public hearings in Pinellas County in January 2015. Written comments also were accepted by mail or email.
To develop the proposed manatee zones, the FWC worked closely with Pinellas County, local municipalities, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a local rule review committee. The measures will provide important protection for manatees while having limited impacts on local businesses and boaters.
“The zones address a portion of the state not previously evaluated for manatee zones and help implement a level of conservation statewide that will maintain the manatee population for the long term,” said Carol Knox, leader of the FWC’s Imperiled Species Management Section.
The new zones will slow speeds in seagrass areas where manatees feed and will have limited effect on travel time for boaters because only a small portion of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) channel is included.
The new zones will not be in effect until signs are installed marking the zones’ boundaries. Sign posting is not expected to occur until sometime in 2016.
For more information about manatee protection zones, visit MyFWC.com/Manatee and click on “Protection Zones.”
Plan to conserve dozens of imperiled species updated
Florida’s Imperiled Species Management Plan (ISMP), a combination of species-specific actions and broader conservation strategies, is being updated to reflect both new scientific knowledge and significant input from the public.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at its meeting June 24 in Sarasota heard about changes to the draft ISMP, which is the FWC’s first comprehensive approach to managing multiple listed species. The newly drafted ISMP can be viewed at MyFWC.com by clicking on “Wildlife and Habitats,” then “Imperiled Species” and looking for “Read, Review, and Comment” in the right-hand column.
“This work goes back more than a decade and focuses on safeguarding Florida’s state listed species,” said FWC Vice Chairman Brian Yablonski.
Earlier this year, the FWC received over 500 comments on the original draft of the Imperiled Species Management Plan.
“That level of interest and expertise from our partners, stakeholders and the public has been invaluable,” said Laura Barrett, the FWC’s Imperiled Species Management Plan coordinator. “The latest draft of the ISMP reflects their thoughtful input, as well as changing conditions for wildlife out in the natural world.”
While a full presentation of the ISMP will occur at a later Commission meeting, FWC staff today presented the following key changes to the plan:
•Three species federally listed since the ISMP was first developed were removed from the plan: Atlantic sturgeon, Florida bonneted bat and pillar coral.
•New information led to re-evaluation of the status of two species: the Eastern chipmunk and alligator snapping turtle. Eastern chipmunk was preliminarily recommended for removal from the list, pending peer review. Staff also recommended maintaining Species of Special Concern status for the alligator snapping turtle until a Biological Review Group can assess new studies indicating there may be three species of alligator snapping turtle in Florida and determine if they warrant listing.
•Species guidelines are being prepared for all 57 species in the ISMP and will include conservation measures and permitting standards when applicable.
Gore Lawyers provide proactive strategic advice to protect and promote your intellectual property rights. Contact us to be your Melbourne corporate IP and outsource IT lawyers.
Proactive Acne Treatment Vending Machine, 9/2014, by Mike Mozart of TheToyChannel and JeepersMedia on YouTube.
Proactive Acne Treatment Vending Machine, 9/2014, by Mike Mozart of TheToyChannel and JeepersMedia on YouTube.
A Tameside policing operation has cracked down on ASB with proactive patrols tackling everything from drug use to problematic street drinking.
A proactive policing operation was launched in June, with funding providing extra patrols across Ashton-under-Lyne and surrounding areas identified as having repeat offences, including local transport hubs and shopping spots.
Officers target these areas at peak times and further undertake disruption visits to pre-emptively stop incidents.
The operation has seen a crackdown and multiple actions and positive outcomes. July, August, and September saw a range of results in Ashton town centre, including 12 arrests, 28 stop-searches, 33 public space protection order warnings issued, and 30 logs responded to.
As an example of the reduction in quarter three of this year, August reported 30 incidents of ASB, while September recorded 10 – showing the positive effects of the ongoing work.
The operation has meant more patrols have been targeting the issues that the public care about and ensuring that criminals and anti-social behaviour are stopped in their tracks.
Tameside work.
As part of anti-social behaviour week, on Wednesday, neighbourhood officers in Ashton town centre secured two arrests on suspicion of possession of a Class B drug, which resulted in street cautions.
Further cautions were issued for someone smoking cannabis in public, while other people were provided with words of advice.
Sergeant Rob Froggatt, from GMP’s Tameside district, said: “People want to see officers out and about in the community, engaging with the public, and locking up those who disrupt their lives. Our operation is delivering exactly that.
“We know and appreciate just how much anti-social behaviour can disrupt people’s lives – whether it’s people taking drugs in public or intimidating people in town centres – and our work is designed to crack down on exactly those sort of offences.
“In addition to our own work, we liaise closely with partners in the community, including local charities and services, to ensure we stop ASB from progressing into more serious offences. Likewise, by conducting preventative engagement work, we can stop the offences from ever happening.
“If you are having issues with ASB, I would urge you to get in touch with your local team, who will be best-placed to offer advice and support on the issues you are having.”
You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.
Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.
You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.
You can access many of our services online at www.gmp.police.uk
The graduation of four officers of the 19th Mounted Patrol Academy ceremony took place on Friday, April 29, 2016 at the Mounted Patrol facility located at 2089 Indian River Road.
During the ten-week Basic Riding Academy, officers learned equitation and sensory riding skills along with how to enforce and apprehend criminals while mounted on their horse. Each officer and horse is carefully matched according to his or her personalities and temperaments to form a good partner relationship.
The Virginia Beach Mounted Patrol Unit operates year round and performs many valuable functions for the department and the citizens of Virginia Beach. Throughout the tourist season, you will see the officers on horseback patrolling the oceanfront and resort areas on proactive, high visibility patrol. They assist with crowd management, finding lost children and providing enhanced public relations. Throughout the rest of the year, Mounted Patrol officers are active in patrolling many other areas of the city as possible such as town center, major shopping districts during the holiday season and neighborhoods where necessary due to crime concerns and citizen requests.
Photography - Craig McClure
16155
© 2016
ALL Rights reserved by City of Virginia Beach.
Contact photo[at]vbgov.com for permission to use. Commercial use not allowed.
Philippine ground orchid, Malayan orchid
Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
**NOTE**
While I enjoy orchids, as an environmentally conscious orchid grower in Hawaiʻi, I am proactive when it comes to removing and properly destroying any and all seed pods from the plants so as not to encourage their spreading into our fragile native Hawaiian forests.
(Phal. Tokyo Bridal x Phal. Silky Moon)
Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, USA (Cultivated)
Floral display
www.flickr.com/photos/dweickhoff/23896553803/in/photostream/
**NOTE**
While I enjoy orchids, as an environmentally conscious orchid grower in Hawaiʻi, I am proactive when it comes to removing and properly destroying any and all seed pods from the plants so as not to encourage their spreading into our fragile native Hawaiian forests.
via
Relocating into a new apartment building at school can be a very hectic time. It’s a big change that can be mind-boggling. Combine that with getting off to a good academic start and making new friends, and you’re pretty much setting yourself up for a nervous breakdown! So, how do you get ready for the move? Pretty simple. A moving checklist.
The stress of relocating can mold your mind into a pretzel, and cause you to overlook some things. Trying to recall everything you need to get done, from furniture shipping to setting up the Wi-Fi, can be almost unmanageable, which is why it’s vital to be proactive. With a complete, printable student moving checklist your move will be simple and stress-free. If you’re looking for a more standard checklist, check out our moving home checklist.
Important Documents
The following credentials will be very important for your move to college, particularly during your first few weeks. Make duplicates of all of them and stash them together in a secure file to make sure none of them goes missing.
Passport photos
Your bank card and bank details
Driver’s license/passport or some form of ID
Accommodation documents
Passport photos
Your course acceptance letter
All official college documents, together with your acceptance letter
All your Student Finance documents
National Insurance card
Entertainment/Electrical Items
It really goes without saying that you will want to bring entertainment with you to college, for example your personal computer. You might even want to bring your own television, however you should check with the administration before packing it.
Headphones
Cable adapters
Camera
Computer/laptop and charger
Extension leads
Hair styling tools and hair dryer
Speakers
Phone and charger
HDMI cable, Ethernet cable
External hard drive
Clothing
Clothing usually is a no-brainer; you will most probably know what you want to take with you to college. Here is a list of the basic essentials, including a few extras that you might have forgotten about, to make sure you’ve got everything you need for all occasions.
Formal shoes
Smart-casual clothing
Formal clothing
Nightwear
Comfortable clothing
Everyday clothing
Everyday shoes
Raincoat
Backpack
Gym Bag
Seasonal clothing (sunglasses, gloves, scarves, hats)
Costume clothing (for themed parties!)
Winter boots
Slippers
Swimwear
Clothes hangers
Dressing gown
Academic Items
Academic supplies like notepads and books can take up a lot of space and weight in your bags. So, don’t freak out, you can always stock up on everything you need when you get to college. Most colleges will have a shop providing all the important stationery items. However, there are some basic essentials you might want to take with you just to get started.
Sticky notes
Paper clips
Sell tape
Planner, diary or journal
Stapler and staples
Highlighters
Pencils and pens
Your college will probably send you a ‘recommended reading list’ before your arrival at college, and purchasing all of these textbooks can seem like the sensible, organized thing to do. But, it’s best to wait until you have actually started your course and assessed the situation before you decide which books you really need to buy. As not only do they consume a lot of space and weight in your luggage – they’re costly! You’ll quickly learn that you can find many of them in the library at no cost, or you could even share or borrow them from your course-mates.
Kitchen Supplies
You have to eat while you’re at school, so start by gathering the necessary kitchen supplies so that you can cook and store food that you don’t eat. You also need to have something to eat on and eat it with. Consider the following supplies:
Pot
Plates
Cups
Mug
Dish soap and scrub brush
Bowls
Fork, knife, spoon
Tupperware
Can opener
Pan
Room Needs
While many college rooms come furnished, it is with the bare necessities, and you will still need some things to make the room usable, especially for studying and other uses. The following are some of the basic items that you won’t want to go to college without:
Alarm
Pillowcases
Mattress protector
Mini sewing kit
Mini iron and ironing board
Trashcan
Storage
Duvet
Bed sheets
Pillows
Clothes hangers
Hangers
Bulletin board/dry eras
Clothes horse
Doorstop
Lamp
Earplugs
Hot water bottle
Wastebasket
Toiletries
The first time you get sick, you are going to feel really crappy about not having a bottle of Tylenol, Excedrin or Aspirin. So, get it before you get sick. Don’t forget the following:
Razors, clippers, tweezers
Floss and toothpaste
Lotion
Medicine
Shower stuff
Hair styling products
Bandages
Soaps
Miscellaneous
These items may slip your mind when boxing up your personal effects, but you’ll be surprised at how handy some of them can be in your time of need.
Umbrella
Change for washing machines and bus fares
Beach towel
Playing cards
Alarm clock
A torch
Swiss army knife
Batteries
Books
Handheld hoover
Toolkit
Sports equipment
Essential non-essentials
The following items aren’t precisely essentials, but we can almost guarantee that you’ll need to have them in your new room, to give it that touch of home.
Pictures of friends and family
Fake plants for decoration
Bulletin board
Cushions/Throw blankets for decoration
Full-length mirror/wall mirror
Other stuff
There are also some things that you might not think about, that would be good to take to college with you.
Cleaning supplies
Storage containers
Household products (Ziploc bags, trash bags, light bulbs)
Let’s face it- When you go off to college, you are moving out of your house, and thus you need some basic personal effects to function. So, if you fear bringing your stuff with you over the summer break or you simply don’t have enough room in your apartment, finding a self-storage unit near you may benefit you.
The post The Ultimate Student Moving Checklist appeared first on WhatStorage?.
Talking to potential recruits.
Special constables were out in force on Friday 15 November 2013 to highlight the vital role they play in police operations.
Over 50 special constables from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) assisted throughout the day with various operations across the North Manchester area. They targeted the small groups of people who bring harm to our communities.
There was a large element of proactive work undertaken coupled with high visibility reassurance patrols, especially during the evening.
Special Chief Inspector Michael Walmsley, who coordinated the resources for the day said: "This is a way of highlighting the varied work that special constables undertake within our communities. The additional police resources provided by the special constabulary were utilised for intelligence lead operations and executing warrants.”
The special constabulary are trained volunteers who provide a valuable link between the public and the police, having the same powers, training, uniform and equipment as regular police officers.
Chief Superintendent for North Manchester, Nick Adderley, said: “The commitment and dedication that our specials have to policing is inspirational. Their volunteering provides additional police resources to keep our communities safe.
“Being a special enables individuals to gain hands on experience in dealing with challenging situations, something they may not encounter in any other career.”
There was also a recruitment event at The Arndale Centre running from 10am-6pm where people could find out more information about becoming a special constable in GMP.
Rob Kelly has been a special constable since January 2012. He described his experience: “As a retired Fire-fighter. I needed to keep busy, so what better way than to give something back to the community and serve as a special.
“I really enjoy the variety of jobs we go to, working with great people and good friends and working within a neighbourhood policing team gives you the confidence to go out and help the public."
For more information on becoming a special constable please visit www.gmp.police.uk or email special.constabulary@gmp.police.uk.
To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website.
You should call 101, the new national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.
Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.
You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.
Pentax MX-1
I have two climbing roses that pretty much did nothing last year because of "powdery mildew". I was a bad rose mother and didn't take care of it. This year I'm being just the slightest bit more proactive, and it looks like my minimal efforts are actually paying off! Guess I shouldn't be so quick to give up. ;-)
They're not fully recovered, but at least their blooms look good. <3
At the end of December, a team of officers from Greater Manchester Police’s (GMP) City of Manchester Division, were on duty patrolling the Cheetham Hill and Strangeways area, as part of a high visibility, proactive operation to disrupt the sale of counterfeit goods.
At the end of December, a team of officers from Greater Manchester Police’s (GMP) City of Manchester division, were on duty patrolling the Cheetham Hill and Strangeways area, as part of a high visibility, proactive operation to disrupt the sale of counterfeit goods.
Officers were on the streets providing a visible presence in order to deter those who sell counterfeit items from approaching potential customers, they were also engaging with members of the public in the area – handing out leaflets with information on how the sale of counterfeit goods is often associated with organised criminal gangs, as well as educating them on what the dangers can be when you buy these untested and unregulated items.
During the operation, one man was arrested and charged for possession of an offensive weapon and a breach of a court order and another was charged for failing to appear at court.
Inspector William Jennings-Wharton, of GMP’s City of Manchester division, said: “I understand that the low prices of counterfeit goods can lure members of the public into buying them, so part of our tactic in disrupting the sale of fake goods, is to educate the public on what the risks and consequences behind those low prices can be.
“Counterfeit goods can not only have a negative impact on communities as a whole, with their sale linked to funding organised criminal activity as well as attracting more criminality to the area – as our action today demonstrates, but it can also have a personal impact on those who have brought it as these items are often not safety tested and not in-line with industry standards which can have dangerous consequences. That is why this operation marks the start of our ‘#WhatsItReallyWorth?’ initiative which aims to shed light on the risks posed by this type of criminality. We will be continuing to work with partners as part of the initiative, to take action against those involved in the sale of counterfeit goods, as well as working with the community and engaging with those who visit the area.
“If any members of the public have information that may assist us, I urge you to report it online or by using the LiveChat facility at www.gmp.police.uk or by calling 101. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."
In Toronto this weekend :)
the turn-out was preatty impressive, but a lot of people left when it started to pour rain. Luckily we (Cam, Owen and I) made friends with a proactive girl who had a tarp ready incase it rained so we chilled under it untill we had to go. Then again just by luck we found a group of people that helped us find the go station and even gave us subway tickets.
To See More Visit:
Apparel Color: Organic Black
Ink Color: Red and Yellow
Sustainably hand printed on 100% Organic Cotton: Made from 100% organic cotton, grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the earth.
Chickens are so funny. Little chicks, adult chickens, roosters... all hanging out. Drew this for my spring 2010 collection of geometric animals. Wanted to use this concept of shapes and silhouettes.
Artwork by Karl Addison
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-Choose Your Size-
X Small --- (Chest: 16 inches - Length: 25 inches - Top Sleeve: 6.5 inches)
Small --- (Chest: 17.5 inches - Length: 26 inches - Top Sleeve: 7 inches)
Medium --- (Chest: 19 inches - Length: 27 inches - Top Sleeve: 7.5 inches)
Large --- (Chest: 20.5 inches - Length: 28 inches - Top Sleeve: 8 inches)
X Large --- (Chest: 22.5 inches - Length: 29 inches - Top Sleeve: 8.5 inches)
XX Large --- (Chest: 24 inches - Length: 30 inches - Top Sleeve: 9 inches)
More Info On Sizing: www.partybots.org/FAQ.html
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-Donation, Giving Back-
We donated to Mercy For Animals to help assist in their efforts for animal compassion, education, investigations, grassroots activism and more.
What Is “Mercy For Animals”?
Mercy For Animals is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit animal advocacy organization. Founded in 1999 and over 25,000 members strong, MFA works to create a society where animals are treated with the respect and compassion they so rightly deserve.
MFA believes non-human animals are irreplaceable individuals with morally significant interests and hence rights. This includes the right to live free from unnecessary suffering and exploitation.
MFA is dedicated to establishing and defending the rights of all animals. Over 99% of cruelty to animals in the United States occurs at the hands of the meat, dairy, and egg industries - which confine, mutilate, and slaughter over 9 billion animals each year. As such, MFA primarily focuses on farmed animal advocacy and promoting cruelty-free food choices.
MFA works to be a voice for animals through powerful consumer education programs, proactive advertising campaigns, groundbreaking undercover investigations, working with news media, and grassroots activism.
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-Testimonials-
“Thanks so much, the reprinted tee is PERFECT, fits him to a t! Perfect placement and size, thanks for helping to get it right, I really appreciate it, hope to shop with you in the future!” - Bonnie F.
“yahooo!!! I love my new partybots shirt! good customer service, fast shipping, and cool packaging! even gave me a free sticker! (that's now on my computer), two thumbs up!” - Amber Y.
“awesome shirt! i get so many compliments!” - Addie H.
“Wonderful! They bent over backwards to accommodate my procrastination and got the shirt to me in time to give the gift at the party! The print is amazing, service amazing! Thank you!” - Michael D.
“The shirt is light and design is amazing. I always catch people looking at it!” - Kristin K.
“Super cute shirt, great communication. Love all the drawings, I will definitely be back to shop again!” - Joni F.
“I wore this shirt today actually, and it was neat because it was really hot outside and me and my sister were riding our bikes to the beach. So over all I like it, I did think it was going to be a little smaller then it was, but im not sure why i thought that because there was a guy whereing it in the photo. Next time i buy a shirt from you however it will be a small not a medium....I like the stretchyness of the fabric!” - Michelle B.
"I saw karl's partybots probably about 2 years ago. Though his designs are funny at first glace, a deeper looks shows that he is full of talent with a unique imagination." -justin (justinwhitesel.com)
"Karl Addison brings an unmatched fire and vision to his art. Always two steps ahead of contempories, his fanciful designs bring a knowing smile to those who know him." - The Lebanon Robotics Team (Tina Casagrand, Katie Stoll, etc.)
"My family is stoked on your heart, it makes all of us so happy." - Penny C.
"ethereal, realistic, bizarre --- everything I love in artwork! Partybots has not only unique and one-of-a-kind stuff, they are mindbenders. Wear them or hang them and be weird! And cool. And nice to the earth!" - Marci F. ("f" is for freaking awesome)
"I had one of my best days ever...wearing my Partybots." – 33
Shootings in Salford have reduced by over 70% since the introduction of a dedicated anti-gang taskforce disrupting the activity of the city's organised criminals two years ago.
The Operation Naseby disruption hub was formed in April 2020 to get under the skin of local gangs after 25 firearms discharges had been recorded in the previous 12 months.
Now - after 279 arrests, 297 vehicle seizures, 118 house searches, and the recovery of nearly 50kilos of drugs - shootings are down 72% with seven recorded in the last year and 15 in the year before.
Originally intended to be a standalone six-week blitz on organised crime, the team has successfully tackled criminal groups for the last two years thanks to the work of over 30 officers tasked with proactively targeting and tackling suspects -with funding expected to continue to the foreseeable future.
The affront on the city's OCGs has been spearheaded by experienced detectives, complex safeguarding officers, neighbourhood patrols, and pursuit-trained officers, as well as partners from Salford City Council in a multi-agency response.
Thanks to our offensive on criminals, weapons taken off the streets include a loaded handgun, a shotgun, two loaded crossbows, a number of machetes and dozens of other knives and bladed articles.
D/Supt Chris Packer (front L) and DCI Rick Thompson have led the prolific Op Naseby disruption team.
Offenders have been sentenced to over 66 years' worth of custodial sentences, with many others being recalled to prison or receiving criminal behaviour orders requiring them to continue abiding by strict conditions following their release from custody.
Most recently, drug dealer Zach Trott (26), of Ellesmere Street, was jailed on Wednesday 6 April for two years and four months after our anti-gang cops caught him last summer just months after pursuing him in another chase where we detained him and found £3k's worth of cannabis.
A Bolton man was also put behind bars earlier this month after being stopped by covert Naseby officers patrolling just outside the Salford border when they spotted a suspicious vehicle in July 2020.
Myles Hindley (31), of New Street, Blackrod, was sentenced to two years in prison after he was found to be driving a £30,000 Range Rover that had been stolen from Bury less than six weeks earlier - despite him claiming that it was a hire car.
As the operation continues to drive a wedge between offenders and criminality, detectives at Swinton CID are keen to enhance their proactive approach by intervening at an earlier stage when young people are involved in less-organised crime in the form of Urban Street Gangs (USGs).
Along with the recent re-launch of the city's multi-agency Project Gulf, we aim to ensure our approach to diverting younger people away from lower-level gang crime at an early stage will prevent future generations of organised criminals operating in Salford - by protecting the exploited and pursuing the exploiters.
This work has already begun with School Engagement Officers interacting with young students in the city's schools and colleges, and we are determined to work closely with local partners in education to steer more children away from a life of gangs and violence.
Knife crime continues to be one of the main priorities in each of the 10 Greater Manchester boroughs, and we are pleased that reported offences are down in Salford in the last year.
Our commitment to maintaining the crackdown on weapons, criminals, drugs and their assets is hoped will continue to drive down violent crime on our streets even further as our work sustains without relent.
We've been able to conduct well over 100 house searches in the last year thanks to intelligence we have received from the public, and we continue to urge anyone with information or concerns to contact us online via LiveChat, if able, or by calling 101.
Details can be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Detective Chief Inspector Rick Thompson, head of GMP Salford's proactive policing, said: "After two years of Operation Naseby, it's plain to see the prolific impact our tireless disruption team have had in all corners of our city since it was introduced two years ago.
"When the taskforce was formed, it was on a short-term basis with the simple aim of getting under the skin of organised criminals and doing all we could to be out there on the streets stopping and searching suspects, their homes, the vehicles they were in and seizing anything of criminal value.
"That's seen us intercept and disrupt the type of activity organised crime groups were engaging in that was seeing us suffer the high rates of shootings we were seeing two years ago; now we're taking vehicles, drugs, and weapons from these individuals and arresting those suspected of being involved.
"We've been able to hugely increase our understanding of these groups - with over 500 intelligence logs being submitted - but I must stress that a great deal of information we receive comes from the public and thanks to the people of Salford we've have information that's lead us to well over 100 house searches.
"Our enforcement action has produced staggering results but it's still seven shootings too many, and our commitment now is to focus our work with partners and local neighbourhood teams into proactively intervening at an earlier stage with young people who may be at a risk of later being involved in organised crime.
"This work is vital in stamping out future generations of serious criminality, but also in reducing the ongoing concerns around violent crime, drug use, and anti-social behaviour in their communities that affects the people we serve on a daily basis."
11.01.10.
I am really, really geeking out to all the dates that are simple binary strings. (Strings!). I woke up, and this was all that I wanted to do today. Go to the store, buy a box of sparklers and write 110110 in the night sky.
Today, was just one of those days, it was slight, if not very proactive to say the least. I finished off a wedding album I did for a friend. I set up three jobs for tomorrow. I also managed to drink 5 litres of water, about the same of coffee.
Whilst I was editing about 400 photos, I had two DVD's playing, they are from a website called WWW.THISONEISONUS.ORG. If you like Nine Inch Nails as much as I do, you would of prolly heard about this site, if you aren't a fan, or haven't heard about it... check it out.
Here's the lowdown, basically on the last tour across the states, NIN opened up a creative commons/ free recording policy for the fans. Meaning that if you had a camera, you could of taken it, and what ever equipment you had, you could of taken home a souvenir that wasn't some enlarged unwashable T-shirt. the tour went on, NIN release 3 HD recorded concerts... it was about 400 gig all up, basically so that the fans could piece together their own live concert experience, if they had the equipment to do so. Well as Trent said himself "Nine Inch Nails fans are fucking awesome"... they went one step further, on a night mid last year, NIN play at a small venue in New York, instead of doing their 2.5 hour epic length gigs... They played one album, in its entirety. The Downward Spiral.
With so many fans and NIN community members in the one room, all with video cameras... a few illustrious lads set up an FTP dump, where if you had any footage of that gig, you uploaded what you had, and at the other end was a series of people who were stripping, piecing, encoding, time lining, dubbing and editing all the footage from this one very special gig. The result is FUCKING fantastic, this is what the fucking internet is about, it's not only about porn, piracy and maps... it is about people with common artistic interests, pulling their heads together and creating stuff. It is not a clean, processed visual experience... it is a dirty, gritty fan based project. It is honest, it is like being in the pit, in the stalls and behind the mixing desk all in one show.
I suggest, if you like NIN, and if you do, you will prolly love TDS... I really recommend you check that site out.
Even if you don't, check it out, and see how many people put countless hours into making these awesome projects, because for me, even the process makes me exceptionally giddy.
Anyways.
I would like to dedicate this to a lovely girl that I have know for many years, her favorite number is 111 and it is her birthday today, on what is effectively 11.1.10. Happy Birthday Ann.x
11 down, 354 to go.
Lights in the sky!
Twitter: @unkonshus